Author - Ripper71

Steve Jobs Dies (1955-2011)

2011/10/05

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,” read a statement from Apple. “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

Our world has lost a genius, a man who changed our lives in so many ways since he started his work he didn’t just make an impact on his future he shaped our futures and his legacy will live on. When you go to Apple’s website you simple see a picture of him with his name and dates. When you click on that see this simple text:

“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 and the company put out what has often been considered the first true home computer, the Apple II and over the years created the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes all of which are some of the most recognized and used technology in the world. He was a millionaire by 25, on the cover of Time Magizine by 26 and by 30 moved onto new projects such as the graphics arm of Lucasfilm Ltd., that was destined to become Pixar Animation Studios. After that he went on to sell Pixar to Disney and then became a Disney board member and it’s largest shareholder in 2006.

He shaped our future in as many ways as he could and in as many years as he could, even when his health began to fail, he never failed the world. Steve Jobs, lost by the world at age 56.

Halloween Horror Classic Game: Evil Dead: Regeneration

2011/10/01

Ripper71

Halloween, News, Reviews

Ok, if you read my horror classic game review from last year you might think I am obsessed with The Evil Dead series. I am, so no more thinking, now you are knowing. Personally I thought Fistful Of Boomstick was a very overlooked game and so I wanted to let you all have a chance to look, just as I wanted to steer you away from Evil Dead: Hail To The King (terrible game). I honestly can’t tell you if the first ever Evil Dead game was any good because it was released for the Commodore 64 which was a great system but not one I own, yet alone the game. The temptation was definitely in place to report on The Thing game but our editor and chief reported on that three years ago (so bad ass I bought an extra copy to never be without it) so I am revisiting a game that was as good as Boomstick.

For those who care about the plot of the game I will keep it to myself but every Evil Dead/Army Of Darkness game, comic or movie pretty much starts out the same: the Necronomicon is causing problems and it is up to Ash to save the day while belting out smug bad ass dialogue. Ash dialogue is so bad ass that you have probably heard it in another game plenty of times having no idea who it was quoting. So this time you get to hear it said by Ash, voiced by Bruce Campbell, and his side kick a deadite midget named Sam voiced by Ted Raimi (Sam is an homage to Ted’s older brother, Sam Raimi). In this case side kick is literal as Ash kicks Sam through the air at any target he feels like or any wall or object in his way. A bunch of midget jokes get added to Ash’s repertoire but otherwise it mostly plays like Fistful Of Boomstick with the ability to punt an partially undead midget and listen to him complain as he goes flying through the air. It really takes a long time for that to get even slightly old. It appeals to the South Park/Family Guy loving part of you. The gameplay is excellent, the physics are really good for a game six years old, which in video game terms is quite old, and it is just plain silly fun combined with a good fighting system. It has great combos all followed by quips, weapon upgrades and your own little deadite to punt. What more do you need?

So if you have a PS2 or PS3 or can get your PC to run it and want to “get some” this is a great game to do it and a fun way to keep the Evil Dead alive in all of us. Groovy.

Halloween Horror Nights Review (2011)

2011/10/01

Ripper71

Halloween, News, Reviews

After finishing up our red carpet coverage of the 2011 Eyegore Awards, it was time to make our way into the park and get our first taste of Halloween Horror Nights for the season. We stepped in amongst a twisted world of clowns of all shapes and sizes accompanied by chainsaws and belches of fire from a huge arch and immediately found ourselves surrounded by screams and laughter, most of the laughter being of a maniacal and crazy clown manner, It was time to see what fears could be found in the park for our delight and disturbance.

La Llorona: This was proving to be the most controversial maze before it even came out due to the La Llorona myth subject matter. Last year this was a subject of a street zone and probably the poorest offering of scares that year, partially due to the crowds reaction and lack of respect to the folklore (taking pictures with the weeping woman carrying her dead baby while the public made bunny ears behind her head). This year the famous Hispanic tale was heavily researched and just about every possible variation of the legend was included in the maze with no punches pulled. We often describe this to a Wikipedia entry where everyone tells their version of what they heard growing up and it is all put into one piece. We don’t want to give away too much because it would be very easy to diminish the proper shock value you would have but no matter who complains about any part of the maze there is research to back it and it is done in amazing detail. The final scene visual just might haunt you the rest of your night at HHN. It is scary, it is disturbing, and it is executed with the love such an important cultural tale deserves.

Eli Roth’s Hostel: When this maze was announced there was a lot of concern in the haunt community that this would be too close to Saw and as a result would feel more like a recycling. Luckily this proved to be far from the truth as this maze paid some homage to the scenes in the movie but in many ways were their own beast making you feel like you were walking through another film in the series. The maze starts off before you even go in with a couple of ladies with strong accents talking to the crowd as if picking who would bring them the most finder’s fees and continues on until you come back out either stunned or being passed by screaming girls. Once again we don’t want to spoil too much and if you have gone a few times over the years you will recognized some reused props but you won’t mind because it still has a whole new feel. Make sure you listen closely to the soundtrack, it can be both amusing and disgusting on how it can twist a scare that much more. Eli Roth was seen laughing and smiling as he exited the maze on opening night so things must have been good!

Alice Cooper’s Welcome To My Nightmare: HHN’s Creative Director, John Murdy, had grown up a huge fan of Alice Cooper so when he finally was able to work out an opportunity to work with Alice on a maze, it was one of his greatest, long time dreams come true. So knowing this we knew this was going to be a work of personal passion for John and he was geeking out the whole time he did it. The result is an amazing maze full of both eye candy and scares where when whole scenes are taken in they start to develop a surreal nightmare appearance to them. There are homages to Alice’s countless stage illusions and interpretations of songs from his vast library of work One thing we highly recommend is listening to the music as you go through since may scenes are artistic interpretation of the songs. The costuming is also fantastic, the Alice masks are so realistic it is like the rocker is there himself scaring you. We are tempted to take 3D glasses into the maze with us because though the maze wasn’t designed in 3D I can tell that certain sections it would work due to the lighting changes, heck they almost looked 3D without glasses. Definitely one of the finest mazes at any park we have experienced so far this year.

The Thing-Assimilation: The upcoming prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 movie The Thing is the basis for the last of the new mazes for HHN 2011. The Thing is the story of some sort of alien species found in the ice in Antarctica that is able to inhabit other lifeforms bodies and take them over, leaving you guessing as to who is an alien and who isn’t. The 1982 horror classic is known for its state of the art (at that time) special effects and that same amazing detail is to be found in the The Thing maze at HHN this year. Unbelievably detailed prosthetics and nearly full body props are found through out this maze. After being startled by one of The Thing’s we wanted nothing more but to stand there and just admire the craftsmanship that has gone into the monster effects, they are THAT good. Although the prosthetics are fantastic the scares and ability to follow the storyline were a bit light in this maze. The first couple of rooms were pretty bland, but that was forgiven once we caught site of the first monster. The maze is definitely worth the time for The Things alone.

Rob Zombie’s House Of 1,000 Corpses: The only returning maze form 2010, House of 1,000 Corpses was well worth bringing back. The innovative 3-D in this maze is just astounding. The 3-D effects literally shift as the lighting does which can create a very spooky and disorienting environment. Casting is perhaps the strongest feature of this maze as the Baby and Otis characters are just as strong this year as they were last year. The actors know the roles well, and it truly feels like you are walking through part of the movie when you pass by. This maze takes us through the entirety of the movie, from Capt. Spaulding’s Murder Ride to the Firefly House and finally to Dr. Satan’s lair. We were really glad to see this fan favorite maze return this year, as it is already a HHN classic amongst fans.

The Wolfman-The Curse of Talbot Hall: House of Horrors is home to this maze and this venue is typically is the weakest of all the HHN mazes every year. This year is no different as it’s very difficult to theme an already themed year round haunted attraction into something else. However, the talent in The Wolfman maze completely gave it their all when we went through. Wolves were stalking us and leaping towards us doing their best to gives us a good scare. It should be noted that if you are experiencing HHN with someone who is unable to use stairs, which this attraction has plenty of, there is an elevator to bypass them. If you didn’t get Front of the Line passes put this maze off until the last half hour before closing. Due to its proximity to the entrance the lines can push 90mins during the busy portion of the night, but is a 10-15min wait typically right before closing.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure: This annual show full of pop culture parodies returns with Bill and Ted and a slew of guests from the news over the last year. The Bill and Ted show is a mixture of comedy, satire and song. Every year they close the show with a big musical number showcasing some of the past years biggest talents. This year songs are featured by Adele, Chris Brown and Rhianna. The comedy skits fell a bit flat this year we thought and the biggest villain of the night was someone we didn’t expect thinking their time in the spotlight was over several months ago. Again, we don’t want to spoil anything for those going to HHN this month, but Bill and Ted remains a good show to get some laughs and rest your feet a bit before heading back out to the screams.

Terror Tram-Scream 4 Your Life: Terror Tram 2011 is such a vast improvement over the disjointed Chucky theme that 2010 brought us. The premise this year is that you’re visiting the various sets for a few new horror movies that are shooting on the Universal Studios backlot. Of course Ghostface Killer has found his way onto the sets and is making mincemeat out of those unlucky enough to cross his path. One of the coolest things to do at HHN for horror fans is to be able to walk right up to the Psycho house and Terror Tram gives everyone that opportunity, IF you survive the uphill walk that seems to be just teeming with wildlife and who knows what else that goes bump in the night. The Terror Tram theme flows much better this year than last, it’s a definite improvement.

Scare Zones: We’ve always found the scare zones at HHN to be a fun way to move from one part of the park to another and this year is no exception. The Freakz scare zone stands out as the strongest one of the night to us. The masks and life breathed into them by their scare actors is just outstanding. They are weird, fright inducing and, of course, freaky. The masked Reapers are a great replacement in the lower lot to the Chainsaw Pigs and make sure you stop and watch the Ringmaster Clown just under the fire jets in the Klownz scare zone in the upper lot. All in all the scare zones are very entertaining.

Images from Halloween Horror Nights

Photo Credits: Is It October Yet?

IIOY’S Guide To Halloween Haunts 2011

2011/10/01

Ripper71

Articles, Halloween, News

Here is our list of 2011 Halloween haunts with an emphasis on our personal experiences over more than 16 Seasons of the Witch in California. We have also included a few places we would like to see in other parts of the country so that those who have the ways and means to travel to them, or in many cases are located in their backyard cemeteries, can get the most of the season and hopefully tell us what they thought so we can include it in next year’s list. Sure, it is an ambitious plan to get followers to send us their thoughts for next year’s list but, if you can’t trust your fellow travelers of dark alleys, who can you trust? Enjoy!!

– Ripper of Is It October Yet? and GamingShogun.com

Southern California:

This year is going to be rigamortis-stiff competition between the two biggies of Southern California: Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios. I recommend at least one night at each!

Knott’s Scary Farm’s Halloween Haunt (Buena Park): The original Halloween haunt in America and approved by Mr. Knott back in 1972 this haunt yearly boasts at least 13 haunted attractions and scare zones with themes and designs being changed yearly. This year’s show lineup includes some blasts from year’s past with prop comedian Marty Putz and magician Ed Alonzo returning for fun and high jinks. During the day a kid’s safe trick or treat experience is provided for the little ones because the nights bring on true adult terror. Tip: Don’t ride the unthemed rides and ride the themed ones early (mine and log rides), their lines only get longer. Also if you can afford the VIP dinner the food is terrific and gets you into the park slightly earlier.
http://haunt.knotts.com

Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights (Hollywood): This haunt went on for a few years and right at the height of it’s creative Hollywood mazes (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, House of 1000 Corpses, Clive Barker’s Body Bags, WWF Undertaker) it went dark and has built back up slowly to be a contender for big thrill park best scares. This year new mazes include John Carpenter’s The Thing (based on the movie coming later this year), Eli Roth’s Hostel, Alice Cooper’s Nightmares and a return of the last year’s innovative 3D maze Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses (different from the above mentioned). Their mazes and attractions are fewer than Knott’s but they make up for it with Hollywood movie worthy special effects. If you can hit HHN Orlando in the same season you will know Haunt Nirvana. Tip: There are water effects in the mazes and some shows that tend to have an uncanny ability to hit electronic equipment, particularly cameras. I suggest you take a ziplock or water tight bag to keep them safe through these and Jurassic Park In The Dark. Also to make the most of the night get a Front of The Line Pass, it more than pays for itself with avoiding very long lines.
http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/hollywood/2011

Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest (Valencia): It started fairly small with a few mazes, rides in the dark, and Colossus running backwards but has grown more and more each year. It recently went through a bit of an image problem for the kind of crowd it attracted but seems to have recovered with several mazes and shows as well as DJ and Rave parties and the infamous Heckles and Twitch Show. This is the haunt attraction for the partyers who like to combine their mixes with their mayhem. Tip: Doing the rides in the dark can be fun (Colosus backwards is cool) but you probably want to get any mazes you want to hit out of the way first.
http://frightfest.sixflags.com/magicmountain

Disneyland’s Halloween Time (Anaheim): Not a scare experience really this event is aimed at family wholesome fun. The Haunted Mansion is transformed into The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween decorations across the park include a giant Mickey jack O’ lantern in Town Square, carved pumpkins throughout the park and a Halloween Tree. During the night and for a separate admission you can trick or treat with or without the kiddies and see a special Halloween fireworks show. Tip: Disneyland has restrictions on what costumes can be worn during the trick or treat event, make sure to check before going!
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/events/halloween-time/#/home

Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor (Long Beach): Queen Mary’s haunt in previous years was known as Shipwreck and though I heard the maze talent was exceptional it was the rave parties and rough crowd that became the most known feature of this haunt. So last year one of the best haunt designers on the west coast stepped in and brought on board one of the best haunt soundtrack composers and they worked together to create a wonder and top notch haunted attraction. They used the naturally scary atmosphere of the believed to be haunted Queen Mary and the vacated Spruce Goose hangar and filled it with scare actors with excellent costumes, makeup and additional props to make an incredible haunt. If you listen carefully you might just hear your name whispered while you walk through the mazes, I know for a fact you can hear mine. Tip: Make sure to go through the mazes at your own pace to take it all in, especially the pool area where a lot of ghost sightings have happened!
http://www.queenmary.com/Dark-Harbor.aspx

Castle Park aka Castle “Dark” (Riverside): By day it is Castle Dark Fun By Day for the whole family, but when the sun goes down it becomes Castle Dark Fright By Night with two new mazes this year “Insanity” and “Carnevil” as well as their returning Slider Alley and scare themed rides that includes their ever popular “Terror on the Tracks” train ride. Tip: One admission gets you both Fun By Day and Fright By Night so coming late in the day lets you enjoy both! Or take the kids during the day and arrange for a babysitter at night.
http://castlepark.com/events.html#b

The Empty Grave (Anaheim): A single maze haunt located at the Anaheim Garden Walk. The Empty Grave is nicely located for attending more than one haunt or catching some good scare fun on a night with other plans. This haunt has a reputation for making the monsters the bigger haunts will hire later but they have their own hardcore horror force that returns year after year and gives great scares that will have you buying another ticket to go through again. These monsters take pride in their performances and though the name stays the same they always come up with new scares. Tip: There are several good restaurants nearby to grab a bite to eat before or after, making this haunt a part of a well rounded date night.
http://themtgrave.com

Sinister Pointe (Brea): A group that has been the talk of the Southland since their first year, Sinister Pointe is known for high quality mazes, often involving licensed franchises such as Saw and Silent Hill. Visitors can always count on a visually impressive scare that takes you right into their environment and if you let them, make you forget that such haunts are actually safe. Tip: Early arrival is suggested because the line tends to get long fast and the staff limits the number of people who can go through at a time maximizing everyone’s scare. Another option is their front of the line pass which is definitely worth. Also don’t wear loose fitting dresses or skirts, you’ll thank me later.
http://sinisterpointe.com/

Field of Screams (Lake Elsinore): There are many “Fields of Screams” across the country but the difference between this one and most is usually the field refers to open farmland or corn mazes, in this case it is a baseball field! Field Of Screams is a little off the beaten path but promises great scares for any who make the jaunt with a whole stadium to fill with horrors in the form of three mazes and two scare zones. Arsonists attempted to burn down one of the mazes recently but the fire was put out quick and the crew started working around the clock and are back on schedule to open on September 29th! Tip: No cleats allowed.
http://hauntedstadium.com/

Coffin Creek/Chambers of the Mausoleum (Norco): Coffin Creek started as a small haunt put together in an idealic isolated location and worked by a couple of the hardest working scare actors around and over the years it has grown and teamed up with Chambers of the Mausoleum which is run by folks who make animated figures for casinos and theme parks including Disneyland’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and put their animatronics to work for scaring. Add to it the Shady Hollow Hayride and this can make the trip out there to the middle of nowhere worth it. Tip: Attractions are sold on an individual bases of $13 each or five for $33. If it is a busy night there is a good chance you may not be able to see all the attractions so you may want to plan to catch it more than one night or purchase individual tickets with Chambers of the Mausoleum being the highest recommendation.
http://coffincreek.com
http://malformationz.com

Human Roast House (Riverside): A small haunt that has grabbed a bit of attention this is reputedly the home of a Riverside serial killer and his ghastly work is still spread throughout the rooms and halls, as well as the energy of madness that drove him to the acts. Apparently much like so many who fear what goes bump in the night… we discover clowns were not his friends. Tip: This is a small haunt and would work great into a night of haunt hopping, especially with Castle Dark in the same town.
http://www.humanroasthouse.com/index.html

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (Los Angeles): Mostly-known as an East Coast tradition, hayrides are growing in popularity across the country and one can now be found in the shadow of the Hollywood sign at the old Griffith Park Zoo. A 25 minute hayride, a scare maze and and an old fashioned Side Show called the Human Menagerie make this a small event that got big word of mouth over the last couple of years. Tip: The location can make it a bit of a Hollywood hot spot from time to time so if you happened to see some celebs, remember they are people to just trying to get their scare on!
http://losangeleshauntedhayride.com

Ghost Ship (Newport Beach): This is a haunt of a different color of blood. Created by the crew behind the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride this event is only open six days over the season and only available three times a day. It is a multi deck ship that embarks on a 75 minute voyage into dark terror at sea. Space is limited as well as voyages and if you buy your $60 ticket make sure you aren’t late, you might miss the boat! Tip: Dramamine and alcohol don’t always mix.
http://www.ghostship.com/

The Legend of Boot Hill (Irvine): With a dozen years under their gun belt this home haunt brings people from all over the Southland to this ever growing and popular homestead where the Old West isn’t dead, but it sure looks undead. Run by folks who have been around the haunt industry for quite a spell, this ain’t a greenhorn production. Tip: The haunt is free but they take donations for Children’s Hospital of Orange County, so get a good scare and support a good cause!
http://www.inprogressproductions.com/boothill.html

Nightmare, A Haunted Attraction at Fairplex (Pomona): The name kind of says it all except that there are five mazes including Wicked Wild West and The Amazing Oloff and His Circus Freaks. Very reasonably priced this is definitely worth a trip to Pomona!
.http://www.fairplex.com/fp/events/nightmare/mazes.html

Horror Valley High School (Santa Clarita): Put on by volunteers at Golden Valley High School this is actually an older haunt that has been moved and re-themed to “Terrors In Time.” Years of professional haunt design experience is combined with the fresh excitement of new volunteer scare actors so this should prove to be an exciting terror trip. Tip: Discount tickets are available at the Santa Clarita Jack In The Box though all proceeds go to school programs.
http://www.horrorvalleyhighschool.com/index.html

Halloween Harvest Festival at Pierce College (Woodland Hills): The name doesn’t exactly fill the heart with dread but they are known for having a couple good mazes every year and with Factory of Nightmares Haunted House and Creatures of the Corn Haunted Trail this year promises to mix a bit of family fun with some decent scare.
http://frightfair.com

The House On Haunted Hill: One of the legends of Los Angeles when it comes to home haunts is The House On Haunted Hill. Using many of the same special effects utilized in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion with the same voice actor who does Disney’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay and a soundtrack made by the composer of the opening for “House” this is a theme park production done in a home haunt setting complete with a story. Tip: Parking can be difficult so plan on getting there early to get a good spot and the street up the hill is often blocked off so have your walking shoes on!
http://www.houseathauntedhill.com

Old Town Haunt (Pasadena): The oldest building in old town Pasadena, it has a creepy history before you add on the Halloween haunt attractions. Go for the truely spooky atmosphere and stay for the hard working scare actors. Who knows maybe the next thing you see moving in the dark might not be a scare actor… Tip: It never hurts to get a little knowledge with your haunt experience, and you never know what might happen in this building.
http://www.oldtownhaunt.com

Boney Island (Sherman Oaks): If Tim Burton decided to do a home haunt based entirely around skeletons it would probably look something like this. After disappearing off the map it seems to have made it’s way back in 2011 for a family fun haunt loaded with odd animatronics! Tucked in Studio City it is in an excellent location in case you have taken your kids out for a day at some of the big parks’ scare free outings and need to figure out what to do with them when the sun goes down!
http://www.boneyisland.com

Reign Of Terror (Thousand Oaks): With The Haunted House, The Asylum, and Blood Manor this attraction makes a trip up the 101 to Thousand Oaks worth it. Reasonablly priced, raved about in reviews and a great part of a haunt trip north! Tip: Front of the Line Passes are always a good plan and you can take the kids through for a Lights On Tour for $5 which includes the parents for free, a good way to initiate the border aged kids to the wonders of a haunt.
http://rothauntedhouse.com

Fear Gates (Oxnard): Ok when you have been running around haunt attractions longer than a lot of the actors have been out of diapers you see that though good it is very seldom that a haunt breaks into really new realms because they tend to go for the common scare demoniators. This haunt has The Ripper here asking for a special stop in Oxnard which was Creepy Elly’s old stomping ground. The Coffin Ride, the nation’s only ‘Double Wide Simulated Coffin Ride.’ I would describe it to you, but I think you should make the trip too. Tip: If you find yourself in Ventura County seek out Corales Mexican Food. Your stomach will thank you.
http://www.fearsgate.com

Central California:

The Grove: Formally known as Hobb’s Grove, the owners had a falling out and part of them decided to carry on the haunt tradition with The Grove. With their haunted house, haunted forest and haunted hayride there is a lot of fright to be had and a safe-zone midway if you find your heart is racing a bit too fast. Located in Fresno County it is a bit of a drive but has been a haunt institution since 1999. Tip: Short shows are shown in the Theatre Macabre and those who brave it on opening night get a chance to win a t-shirt (the design is amazing, I want one!)
http://www.thegrovehaunt.com/thegrovehaunt.com/The_Grove.html

Raven’s Gate: Another well known haunt amongst the community this haunt located out near The Grove is doing something a little different this year. The attration is based around the “death” of a member of the haunt family, Zylo Hobb (aka Hobb’s Grove) who took the wretched out to his Grove every year to be amongst their own. Zylo’s death is attributed to a lynch mob and so the Raven family is out for revenge! With Raven’s Grove and a haunted hayride to pick their victims… err guilty from they are sure to make lynch mobs think twice! Tip: If you go to Raven’s Gate first and pay normal price you get $5 off The Fear Factory. If you got to the Fear Factory first you get a “fast pass” for Raven’s Gate. Add to this that The Grove and Raven’s Gate have an interlocking storyline and you have a haunt trifecta in the Fresno area!
http://www.theravensgate.com/html/tickets.html

The Fear Factory: Another haunt favorite located outside of Fresno, this one tells the story of a small mental hospital where slowly the patients drove the doctors and nurses mad so that soon there was no sanity left in the hospital allowing depravity and cannibalism to run wild! The authorities shut it down and locked it up until now give you a chance to look into the insanity. Tip: As mentioned above there are deals to be had by multiplying your night’s terror!
http://www.thefearfactoryhauntedhouse.com

The Chamber: Located in Bakersfield, folks in the Fresno area who just can’t get enough haunt often make the trek down here to the point that is almost a haunt mecca. Very professionally done for a small haunt, The Chamber offers two attractions this year, one in 3D! If you find yourself travelling to central California during the haunt season this is always a must hit. Tip: there is an online coupon available for every weekend except Halloween and be sure to check out their website, if you were unsure before this may sway you towards the trip!
http://www.chamberhaunt.com/index.html

Northern California:

Pirates of Emerson: Originally a small haunt started by a few pirate enthusiasts this haunt keeps growing so much that they moved to a larger location last year. Now celebrating 20 years they have such attractions as Habitat Of Hags, Doll Hostel, Mental Maze and one of their first: Pirates Of Emerson. They also have a miday as well as animatronic and just plain animated characters wandering about the grounds. Tip: Ask to see the ship fire and get the front of the line pass otherwise the lines get too long to do it all in one night. Also the crew is very unfriendly towards cameras.
http://piratesofemerson.com

Great America’s Halloween Haunt: This great theme park has just started holding it’s Haunt recently and those who visit haunts at other Cedar Faire Parks such as Knott’s will notice some similarities in props but beyond that the scare actors make this haunt all their own. With six mazes and three scare zones as well as excellent shows (particularly the hypnotist and the freak show) this park is a great choice to hit and will probably have you coming back for more! Tip: If you can afford it the Gold and Platnium annual passes not only get you in daily they also get you in to their haunt and any Cedar Faire park during regular operating days! It pays for itself within a few uses. Unless the Boofet has changed I would recommend eating somewhere else first.
http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com

Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights: Always intriguing and well… mysterious, the Winchester Mystery House is an interesting place to visit any day or even more fascinateing during their flashlight tours. This year they have decided to add a new event, “The Curse of Sarah Winchester Maze.” Guests find themselves traveling through the Corn Field of Winchester Mystery House into the family Graveyard and finally coming to the infamous Seance Room. The people at Winchester hired some of the best maze and haunt professionals from all over California to build the elaborate maze and have the most outstanding soundtrack. This is one of the most anticipated new haunted attractions of the year and I would not be surprised if word of mouth and ink of press makes it even larger next year. Tip: You can get a combo ticket for the maze and flashlight tour of the house itsself on some nights.
http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/frightnights.cfm

Outside CA:

Orlando, Florida: Halloween Horror Nights, Orlando: Disputably the best haunt in the country (fighting Knott’s and their sister Universal Hollywood) but indisputably the best haunt on the East Coast this haunt has little competition back East and draws tons of visitors and revenue allowing them to up the ante and try to outdo themselves every year. They have been doing it for 21 years and they have their system down and since they are not an actual working movie studio they get around a lot of union labor issues. The result is an amazing haunt which seldom repeats it’s theme and has lots of mazes, excellent theming and great scare zones. I honestly would love to see what Mr. Murdy could do with their budget and without the union restrictions, the friendly competition between the two parks would really heat up. This is definitely one of the best haunts and if you have the opportunity the perfect haunt season is hitting the theme park haunts in Los Angeles then travel to Orlando and hit the Harry Potter ride, drink some frozen butter beer and hit HHN Orlando. We did it last year and it was haunt Nirvana. On the West Coast there are so many haunted possibilities, on the East Coast there are some great haunts but HHN is king.
http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando

Salt Lake, Utah: One of the few haunts which has a permanent location so it allows for building and rearranging throught the year, Nightmare on 13th is a legend among haunts with its year around castle facade and huge collection of animatronics to compliment it’s live actors. If the name sounds familiar just about every network including the Discovery Channel and CNN had covered it’s work and it’s season had been the subject of articles in such papers as USA Today. I have wanted to make the trip across the desert for years, especially after watching coverage of them, but Nevada is a pretty wide state and October only has so many days. Tip: Get a free VIP pass upgrade by buying your tickets online, $10 savings per ticket!
http://www.nightmareon13th.com

Reno, NV: Reno is not necessarily one of the top places people would look for haunt entertainment but due to incredibly high unemployment entertainment professionals have had to find other lines of work. The result is some amazingly good haunt attractions being created by some incredibly talented people.

Slaughterhouse is celebrating 5 years of terrifying northern Nevadans and is worth a trip from northern California. Using the illusions of it’s professional magician designer and the energy of a whole bunch of excited scare actors this maze is both spooky and electric with energy. Visitors often go through and then get right back in line. Having seen many, many smaller haunts over the years this is one of the bests. Tip: Bringing a canned good can save you $2 off admission, on sundays they have a noon kid’s safe haunt for $6 and front of the line passes start at $20.

Frightmare is a returning attraction in Reno designed by a couple of long time professionals in the industry and is themed with Evil Clown Town, Rikers Island Prison and Black Hole. Partial proceeds go to the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Truckee Meadows. Tip: None yet, let us check it out first 😉
http://www.sparksfrightfest.com
http://frightmare2011.com/index.php

Carson City, NV: Celebrating several years of haunting the state capitol, Grimes Castle utilizes excellent animatronics and the music of famous gothic musicians Midnight Syndicate combined with scare actors that terrorize you through the castle and dungeon below it. Tip: Close enough to Reno to hit the haunt attractions in both towns for a wonderfully terrifying night!
http://www.grimescastle.com

2011 Eyegore Awards Red Carpet Report

2011/10/01

Ripper71

Articles, Halloween, News

If you are not a serious fan of horror movies and your answer to “What’s your favorite scary movie?” is “Ghostbusters”, you may not have heard about the annual awards ceremony for those who cut a path through a path full of cutting and blood. If your tastes tend more toward “Psycho” than reality shows about New Jersey, then you probably know about the Eyegore Awards presented every year on the kick-off night of Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood, CA.

Honoring those who have made an impact in the horror genre, this year recipients included David Arquette and Jamie Kennedy of “Scream” fame, Rainn Wilson for his work in Rob Zombie’s “House of 1,000 Corpses”,”Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark” star Bailee Madison, “Final Destination 5” actress Emma Bell and legendary rocker Alice Cooper. Hosted by Corey Feldman, the award presenters included Alice Cooper’s daughter Calico, Mary Elizabeth Winstead from the upcoming prequel “The Thing,” Eyegore recipient Rob Zombie, “Frozen” director Adam Green, “Dawn of the Dead” writer James Gunn, actor Thomas Jane and Brian Gott, publisher of Variety.

Highlights of the awards included the strangely-adult grace of Bailee Madison and the comic styling of Rainn Wilson (from “the Office” and “Fishboy” in “House of 1,000 Corpses”) who was having a blast with the crowd and Jamie Kennedy whose onstage antics had the audience laughing. The evening was wrapped up with Halloween Horror Night’s Creative Director John Murdy and the upcoming “The Thing”‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead presenting Brent Bokovoy with the 2011 “Halloween Horror Nights” Short Film Competition for his entry “Monster In My Swimming Pool” which netted him $1,000 and broadcasts of his work on Chiller and syfy.com.

But, as with many awards presentations, many of the highlights took place on the red carpet where masters of the horror community can just relax and be horror fans, talking with bystanders and members of the invited press.

Photos from the red carpet:

Photo Credits: Is It October Yet?

Diablo III Beta First Impressions (Preview)

2011/09/15

Ripper71

News, Previews

1 Comment

I was one of the lucky folks who was able to get to go to last year’s BlizzCon and see the information about Diablo III beginning to seep out. Goosebumps shot across my flesh as I got to see the video on the giant screen of the new class: Demon Hunter. Now fast forward to almost a year later and I am sitting at my home computer firing up the beta test. I was surprised when word went around that there was no NDA on the game anymore but after a bit of play I got the point. Having beta tested many games I have seen what a beta looks and behaves like and this game is more of an elongated demo. Is that a bad thing? Nope! I would have been more than happy to help test environments and collision issues but this very polished game gives a good idea of what we can expect when the game comes out. It was just enough of a taste to keep a person playing it over and over to see how the experience changes, even after hitting the level cap.

The game is incredible looking with excellent animations and rich environments. Periodically I stopped and just looked at how nice thing were and how clean and crisp every single aspect of the game is. It is a polished look that even in this demo mode looks better than a lot of games out there. It was also nice seeing “the seed” system at work. Every time you play when you walk through an area or into a dungeon there are a bunch of possibilities that can happen at the location, the spot has a seed for an event or dungeon to grow from and it will randomly do that. This system with the seeds planted all over the game means the game should in theory never be the same twice, only the storyline will remain the same.

The storyline is already going along nicely to the point in the game it lets you go to. Without spoiling it, familiar names make themselves known in this game that is a real treat if, like me, you played the last game for years online while at the same time being a fun play for new entries to the series. This isn’t a surprise since a lot of the interface for the new game was borrowed from World of Warcraft to allow new players just there for the hack and slash or trying to get into the system for the first time can have some familiar controls. Just about every change that is made in the gameplay is towards the WoW format with one odd exception which I am not sure how much I like. In both WoW and Diablo II players had a bank/chest in which to store their favorite items or items they want to pass onto another character. In the case of Diablo III the chest is shared between all of your characters which means no logging in and out to pass items from one character to another but limits the amount of storage you have. More storage can be purchased with in game money but it isn’t cheap.

There are new character classes as well as a revamp of the old ones and in the current demo game they are all very over powered, my guess is so that players can experience the game without a lot of deaths getting in their way. I talked to players who took magic classes and meleed with them doing massive amounts of damage, in some cases more than the melee classes themselves. As I mentioned though it is probably so that you can experience all the classes and skills the game has to offer. One of the skills that will be more familiar to WoW players is armor crafting which, until a player is able to start finding legendary gear for themselves, is a really good way to start getting decent and more class efficient armor.

Last Call:

This demo is definitely too polished to feel like the beta it is presented as, but is a terrific way to get a feeling for what we can expect in the future. This game will feel a lot like Diablo II with a more WoW style interface that combined with its own innovations should make it a huge hit with a wide variety of players. I look forward to the next piece of the game!

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine Review (OnLive/PC)

2011/09/15

Ripper71

News, Reviews

Anyone who knows anything about the Warhammer world knows that the Ultramarines are the near immortal destroyers of Chaos. When things get too nasty and platoons are getting wiped out you call in a handful of Space Marines and watch them even the odds or overpower the enemy. So the idea of getting to play ultimate bad asses is exciting and has had me counting the days to release since I saw it at E3. The only problem I saw offhand was how do you balance a near-unkillable killing machine and make it a challenge worth playing?

Before getting into the details of gameplay I have to write a bit about the beauty of the game itself. The cinematics and actual gameplay have the same amazing detail, which creates wonderfully-seamless transitions back and forth between them. When you add the fact I was playing it via OnLive so I could play with high detail it was almost like playing a movie that I controlled while having no tearing or lag issues. The gore factor isn’t very high but there is even a certain flow to the blood splatters that not only implies great bodily devastation, but that the Ultramarines are artists when it comes to killing. When Fury or Execution comes into play the slow motion kills again take on a beauty all their own and show the awesome power of the Space Marine. The music is great and fits the action and backs the battle force that is tearing through the game. Part of me wanted this to be a first person game rather than a third person, but watching Titus move and blood splattering his armor you find yourself just removed enough to root for him. Also when using a scoped weapon you get a bit of first person play so it is the best of both worlds.

Gameplay-wise Warhammer 40k: Space Marine controls are pretty straight forward for the PC: WASD, weapons assigned to the numbers, and lots of mouse clicking. That doesn’t mean the game is just a charge in button mashfest. The Ultramarine is very, very tough but if you charge into battle without strategy and proper weapon choice you will find yourself dying time and time again. Usually there is a weapons cache right before hitting a particularly rough sections allowing you to decide what would be the best way to approach each enemy onslaught. Sometimes you had to learn this the hard way, by dying and revisiting the cache for a change up. Another way of amping up the difficulty, and therefore increasing your need for strategy, is for you to face a difficult boss, then when you face the next boss he has two minions of the previous boss. The weapons, shield strengths and health recovery increase for you Ultramarine as the game progresses giving you the tools to take down the new enemy challenges though it is still a game of strategy for weapon, technique and fight location.

To mix up the fighting style a bit there are a few times during the game that you get a jump pack and a mighty hammer and over the top killing really kicks in! I almost didn’t want these sections to end though I know that after a while it would get boring from being too easy but while jumping and destroying I felt the true power of the Space Marine as all in his path was smote. I would welcome an even larger section of jump pack usage in the next game because I just couldn’t get enough of it. There is another change of fighting style that you can expect that I won’t spoil but is is fun and challenging in it’s own way.

Players can decide for themselves how much they want to commit to the storyline, cutscenes can be skipped and the collectable item in the game is a skull with a recording to push the storyline that can also be skipped. Personally I highly recommend following the storyline, it is really well written and unfolds nicely to an ending I won’t ruin but definitely surprised me. The gameplay is long enough that you begin to invest in the characters if you follow the story so when the ending is less Hollywood than the average game I was caught off-guard and really pleased.

Last Call:

If it hasn’t already come through I loved the game, I got caught up in it, lost hours of time and did the “just one more checkpoint” thing when it was time for me to do something not game related. The developers managed to make a great, strong lead character that grows stronger to match the threat against him yet at the same time has a very humane sense to him, especially for a character that kills thousands of enemies over the course of the game. If you just want to play the game to hack and slash that can be easily done, or if you just love finishing achievements that can be there for you too and worth your time. I recommend taking the time to follow the story, invest in the game and get a very rich experience out of it.

Men of War: Vietnam Review (PC)

2011/09/12

Ripper71

News, Reviews

1 Comment

I’ll be the first to admit it, with my love of strategy games I am kind of surprised I missed the original Men Of War. The game had everything that fit me, hard as a Drill Sargent but addictive fun gameplay. So when I got the chance to give Men Of War: Vietnam a play I was excited not only to try out the franchise but also see if the sequel lived up to the franchise name.

Set in Vietnam MOW:V takes a slightly different approach than most war games by first having the gamer play from the point of view of who is traditionally from our standpoint considered the enemy. The first campaign that unlocks is from the point of view of Russian special forces training North Vietnamese on how to fight the South Vietnamese and their allies, the Americans. Now this isn’t the first game where you play “the enemy” but the game tries to be very historically accurate and so shows us losing a war. Onlookers watching me play the game found it a bit disturbing to watch me overrun heavily fortified American bases during the Tet Offensive, one of the most famous North Vietnamese attacks and pushes of the war. Having studied the Vietnam War extensively it was very interesting to be playing from a point of view I had very little knowledge of, especially the Russian involvement and time spent in Cambodia. Any historic war gamer out there who really tries to have a better understanding of this war should play this game to get a fresh perspective. I will get into the gameplay I promise, but the perspective in the game is a key draw, and I think worth playing the game for alone.

The story is mostly told in diary entries between the missions or in briefings with voice-overs. The voice acting is excellent, which I guess is a bit of an improvement over the first which was known for the opposite, particularly the voice acting of the Russians which followed their speech pattern when speaking English very well. When you are successful in a mission you get a historically accurate summary of that period of the war and how that particular mission would play into it. The story is written really well to allow gameplay to be fluid and each decision made to be your own but for the final outcome to follow historical events. Gamers who don’t care about history can skip over these cut scenes and still be able to play the strategic aspects of the game without problem, but I have to say that is missing out on a very big part of the game.

Graphically Men Of War: Vietnam does something I very seldom see in games, the cutscenes aren’t as crisp and detailed as the play sections. The detail given to every tree, bush, uniform, expression on character’s faces are very deep and sometimes makes you feel like you are playing an animated movie rather than a game. You can have a top look down on the action or you can swing your camera down behind a troop or follow bullet path toward a target all very smoothly making it so that once you put events into motion you could watch them like a movie where you pick the views and angles you want to see it from. The camera movement is one of my only with the game as well, because though you can do nice sweeping movements around the field sometimes just looking more up or down can be difficult and you find yourself backing out to get a view of something that is right above your screen’s eye view.

Controlling the troops is very standard strategic movement style where you move your mouse over an area and move all of them or select one particular unit and move just that one. You can decide how they move and what position they hold by clicking on standing, kneeling or prone which each have their own advantage in both movement and combat. One interesting thing about movement is when you pick a location to move to the game will give you suggestions on deployment, so if you move behind a rock it might suggest a couple standing while others kneel and maybe some go prone and with a click of the mouse when they arrive at that position they will take up those stances. This can be very, very handy when you are deploying into a hot zone with limited cover and the need to immediately go on the offensive. You also have the ability to search corpses, crates and around on the ground for supplies and weapons upgrades with each unit having specific talents and so you pass weapons around until you find the unit that can use it best. You may have two machine gun experts and one is better with the a grease gun while another is better with the M60. The game takes great pains to make sure that the weapons are accurately represented both by how they look and by their specs such as clip load. That is just a word that comes up more and more when discussing this game: accurate. They want the game to be strategically fun but as historically accurate right down to a grenade’s damage radius as possible. Controlling the troops is the only other area of concern I had with the game, sometimes when you would pick a unit and order it to fire a grenade launcher for example, it might change weapons on you and start unloading with a machine gun. Or you may order a unit to toss a grenade in a bunker and instead the unit will run into the bunker and stand right where you wanted the grenade, which usually happens to be right in the middle of a bunch of enemy units, not the best place to hang out. I imagine a patch could fix this (or it might get fixed by release date even) so it doesn’t necessarily prove to be a huge problem, in some ways it can kind of be comical as long as you saved as you went.

This brings up a really important aspect, save often. I may have saved too often, but I got in the habit of saving after every kill or before any major planned engagement. The reason is this game is tough, probably as tough as the original and though there are only technically 5 missions per campaign additional objectives are added constantly and there are very, very few spots where you get reinforcements. So if you go into a mission and lose one of your four guys while fighting off 18 enemies, you are only going to have three guys the whole rest of the mission and the number of enemies are only going to increase as well as the challenges on approaching them. Considering each of your units has it’s own specialty both with weapon and use in deployment you might find that dead fella is exactly what you need on the 10th objective of the mission. The game is hard and challenging but not impossible which makes it very addictive play. You try an approach to a situation, it fails, you think of another, load the last save point and give it a run. You have to have the strategist’s endurance to play this game, a single mission may take hours when all the objectives and side objectives and failures happen but if you have that puzzling kind of mind this game is excellent.

There are also vehicles that can be played, each one has it’s own benefits and shortcomings, but I will let you discover that for yourself since honestly discovery in this type of game is second only to strategy and all I have done in this article is tell you how things are not how to get them done.

Last Call:

This game is a top-notch, difficult as heck strategy game which combines beautiful graphics with historic gameplay and accuracy. It gives you a point of view on a war that we seldom get and provides challenges at every turn. If you like this kind of game and have the patience to try different strategies over and over until you make it work then this is a great game for you. Just. Save. Often! Time for me to go pick up the first game.

GameSpot and OnLive Partner for Content Sharing

2011/08/31

Ripper71

News

GameSpot announced it is giving players the ability to instantly demo games directly from a GameSpot review, resulting in a try-before-you-buy experience. Powered by OnLive, the on-demand, instant-play demos give gamers access to over 100 games and are playable within seconds, merging the process of learning about a game with the experience of actually playing it. In addition, GameSpot video content such as game reviews and in-depth interviews will be included in the OnLive platform, providing OnLive users with a trusted point of view as they go through their own discovery process. The enhancements are part of OnLive’s continuing efforts to provide players with an advanced gaming platform seamlessly integrated into their overall gaming experience.

“For as long as video games have existed, consumers have sought out information that helps them make smart purchases and get the most out of their gaming experience,” said Simon Whitcombe, Vice President, Games, CBS Interactive. “Now, the next big innovation is here: merging the editorial with the experiential. By making demos available from our review pages, GameSpot is now the ultimate one-stop destination for gamers to read reviews, news, watch videos, and actually try out the latest games.”

“By integrating OnLive-powered instant game demos, GameSpot has deepened its user experience and further distinguished itself as a premiere gaming destination,” said OnLive Vice President of Games John Spinale. “We streamline the process of sampling a game, making it an integral part of discovery and evaluation by the GameSpot reader—not a disjointed one that forces the customer to go down to the store or wait several hours for something to download to their hard drive.”

OnLive game demos are available now on GameSpot instantly, without any downloads or credit card data.

Free OnLive Consoles At PAX

2011/08/26

Ripper71

Articles, News, PAX

So anyone who has read a review of a game on OnLive or the review of the system itself knows that I am a pretty big fan of them and I tend to particularly suggest getting involved with the system at this time while they are still relatively small and working on not just advertising on places such as YouTube but using word of mouth as much as possible by getting free consoles out to the players. A lot of their new titles have come with the consoles for free giving you PC and console play from one game purchase. Well now they have upped the ante.

Attendees of PAX can follow this link to OnLive and signup for an account then just stop by their booth at PAX and get a free console. They are giving thousands of them though you will probably want to get there as soon as possible, at conventions and expos thousands of anything go quick. If you sign up today they are selling Borderlands GOTY for $5 with all the DLC packs included so that if you are going to PAX you can sign up, try a game for $5 while being able to demo over 100 other games and if you like it at all you can pick up the console at PAX and play on your PC and console.

The consoles retail for $100 so getting one free while they are relatively unknown is a great deal. After PAX I imagine word of mouth and review is going to start blowing up for the system, if you have any doubts Time Magazine voted them one of the top 50 Best Websites Of 2011. Word is getting out so the time to get in is now.