(Tenspeed: One…Ah-ah-ah! Two…Ah-ah-ah! Three!!! Ah-ah-ah!!!)

Here in Sumodownload, we decided to feature the top 10 scariest games of all time since November 2 is nearing and the hype is just around the corner. Wanna know which games scared the heck out of us? (Other than Tenspeed’s Dracula cosplay of Castlevania of course) Read on friend:

10. Pimp my Ride. 

It’s as if playing Pimp my Ride on the PS2 wasn’t bad enough, having played Pimp my Ride on the PSP was way worse. With the lousy idea of making this a driving game in the first place (making non-drivers don’t wanna learn how to drive somehow), Pimp my ride PSP not only ported all the bad that it had with the PS2 console but it made it even worse. Unexciting mini-games + crappy driving controls + expensive tag = makes this game a scare to the gaming industry. Check out other gaming sites. I think they’ll agree to what we’re saying. Ok, on to the real scary ones.

9. Manhunt

You’re James Earl Cash, a convict freed by a sick “director” to play the part of lead character in his manhunting video. He has no choice but to follow this director as he’s his only ally, at the same time worst enemy. The poor guy has to traverse the once metropolis picture perfect city, Liberty City, that now turned into a spawnpool of criminals that kills people without remorse. Each and every act that happens in the game is planned by the director and James need to get out of his grasp.

What made the game scary is the setting it offers. With a city so dark, and the psych war your opponents give you, the game will really make your heart beat faster once in a while. It’s beautiful realy. The game is not under the horror genre but it sure will scare the crap outta you, especially when playing with headphones. Not the mention to grotesque way of killing your enemies.

8. Dark Seed

This game has got to be the most frustrating horror title that was ever created in ‘92. Not only will it give you countless hours of re-trying because of its insane difficulty, it would also creep you out because of the game’s way of distorting normal objects into disturbing images. If you want a game that distorts normalcy into an alternate reality, give Dark Seed a try (if you can still find a copy that is)

7. Resident Evil

Okay, the succeeding Resident Evil games may not be scary anymore but Resident Evil 1 really scared the crap out of us (okay, me) when I first played it. The first time I encountered a zombie in the stage where you investigate what happened to your lost comrades, THAT zombie look was like saying “You’re next!” If you’re playing as Chris Redfield, good luck as you’re only holding a knife to take that undead down. I don’t know if it’s only me, but this game as of now will be the most terrifying Resident Evil for me, given the wit of suspense and gore packed in that game.

6. The Suffering

Ah yes, the Suffering. A game where sick characters and very sick characters gather to take down one of the strongest hybrid humans the world has ever seen. The Suffering offers a solid game play of Action/Adventure that may or may not scare you, depending if you vommit over sickly designed characters. If you do, The Suffering will make you really feel disturbed by the way the game portrays their characters. Heck, even the main character may scare you if you’re not prepared to face what you’ll see.

5. F.E.A.R.

Heed our advice ok? Don’t ever play this game at night, alone, and with your headphones turned on at max. Believe me, even the toughest game testers in our team was not man enough to play this game on overtime. Imagine a genuine Japanese horror film packed with suspense that really catches you off guard and sceneries where you’re helpless to save your teammates…Think it’s fair? It’s not. It’s as if you could die anytime in this game with their pleasure of scaring you first before frustrating you at the game over scene. Although to be fair, you have the coolest armor and arms an elite soldier could wish for. But then again, what could those do when you’re battling against creatures that are not of this world? Tsk. If only the Ghostbusters where there eh?

4. Eternal Darkness

Anyone remember this game? The game that was first labeled as a “video Game Insanity” that broke the fourth wall by interacting with gamers themselves? Well, at first glance, the game may not be scary but it is very well disturbing as you dig deeper. There’s this thing called the “sanity meter” Where when the bar gets depleted, various “effects” of the game will try to drive the person playing mad. Things like the head of the character will fall off, the game seemingly controlling your sound controls or turning the TV set off, etc. To be exact, it’s a psychological horror game. In my opinion, these kinds of games that try to play with your head are scarier than the ones that try to scare you the mainstream way.

3. Clock Tower

“Wazhink! Wazhink!” Anyone remember that sound? That’s right. It’s the sound made by that nasty scissors man from Clock Tower. What makes this game scary and at the same time frustrating is the fact that the guy chases you constantly. Whenever you hear his sound, you have no choice but to hide ASAP or find a room that will give you space to hide. The fact that you also don’t have dependable weapons makes you really feel helpless all throughout.

2. Fatal Frame 2

You have to take pictures of your enemies close up to damage them. The nearer they are the better chances you have in defeating them. So yeah, you defeat them but they scare you first with their disturbing faces. Yup, that’s Fatal Frame for us: a Japanese horror inspired game that plays with your mind and likes to constantly scare you with graphic visuals and suspense action. Fighting them with a better weapon is one thing, but with a camera? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

1. Silent Hill

Who’d argue that Silent Hill is the scariest video game that was ever produced by the gaming industry? Again, with a game consisting of deformed images of not-of-this-earth-creatures (the nurses coming very quickly towards you just to stab you was really foul), a demonic place that no one really wants to stay for even for a minute (So hurrah for the game’s antagonist for overcoming the stench), and the way they startle you by loud sounds coming out of nowhere every now and then makes Silent Hill a superb Horror game with a lot of replayability in it.

Yesterday, “Professional Wii Players (Magdangal, 2007)” gathered at Unang Hirit, one of the Philippine’s premier morning show, to demonstrate and explain the Nintendo Wii’s features on air.

Pinoy-N’s longtime forum admin RJ Alano was there to explain what Wii has to strutt and Carl Martin Jimenez, one of the most active members in the forum, teaches one of the hosts how to play the Wii. Members of Sumodownload and Game-Ex on the other hand were doing the same as what Carl did with one of the host.

“Basically, the Nintendo Wii is not the usual gaming console. You don’t need to press buttons as its ace feature is the motion detection. So whatever you do in real life, you can see your game character do the same.” explains Alano to Jolina Magdangal and Suzie Entrata-Abrera. “Also, the console is not that hard to set up. Just plug it in the TV and you’re good to go!”

The Wii players plugged in one of the Wii’s most popular game, the Wii sports, where the hosts enjoyed playing it for the first time.

Jimenez, while explaining how the Wii boxing works, was specific on the Wii’s unique feature. When he mentioned to the hosts that a new Super Mario game was comming out for the Wii, the hosts we’re really happy to hear it, it’s as if Wii made another non-gamers as gamers. “It would be nice to see you really jump than just press a button [for Mario to jump].” Said Carl.

Pinoy-N, the biggest Nintendo community in the Philippines, had always envisioned to promote the Wii console and hopes that the Filipinos would give the console a chance to realize its potential and groundbreaking features that it gave to the gaming industry.

We would like to thank RJ Alano for plugging in the Sumodownload site on air. The whole Pinoy-N community is really nice and we would also like to thank them for really giving us a warm welcome, even if Icyrascal and I just joined them recently. For the video of the whole segment, see 5zigen_Icyrascal’s post. it’s just below mine.

This is a sad news. But this doesn’t mean it’s a loss for the gaming industry.

Apparently, the North Carolina Police are looking into a case that involves the death of a baby. Their lead? the gaming habit of her mom.

Johni Michelle Heuser was charged with a first-degree murder with her baby’s death. Heuser’s baby was reported missing last Friday and on Saturday, the baby was later found on Heuser’s attic. Heuser admitted that it was her that hid the baby’s body in the attic and she did that out of fear. She also asserted that the baby’s death was a crib death.

More from WRAL-5’s news:

As part of their investigation, authorities seized an Xbox video-game system from Heuser’s home, and they were examining her playing habits in hopes of developing leads in the case.

“It can be utilized to connect with the Internet, so you can talk with other people, play games with other people, that sort of thing,” Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins said.

In an e-mail to WRAL, a woman who claims to live near the family said she recognized Heuser’s game character on her computer. She said Heuser was online as late as last Thursday to participate in a role-playing game.

W-h J: This was a clear cause of bad parenting and video games has nothing to do with the incident. If Heuser was addicted to cooking, this could also happen, leaving the baby on her crib unattended while she’s learning how to cook for hours.

(Source: WRAL, GamePolitics)

PlayStation Eye, the newest addition to the PlayStation 3 paraphernalia, comes in strong with the Eye of Judgement game, strutting a game play like Magic: the Gathering (a card game by Wizards of the Coast), only this time, it’s with groundbreaking graphics using the PS Eye and a first in terms of game play experience.

But is that all The PlayStation Eye has to offer?

According to Sony’s FAQ page, the PlayStation eye is completely different from the EyeToy, having a more superior frame rate and 4x better resolution than the Eyetoy. It has also been engineered for better performance under low light situations, it has a four microphone array, and has been equipped with a dual action lens for wide angle and close up options. Other than it’s use in PS3 games, the accessory was made basically to enhance interaction between PlayStation users.

To better understand the PlayStation Eye, go to this page and if you still have questions that are unanswered there, SCEA’s Associate Product Manager Kristin Neirinckx will be happy to answer your questions. Just post in the comment section of her page.

W-h J: Tenspeed and I are ex-avid Magic: The Gathering players and when we saw Eye of Judgment, the urge to play this game got us screaming like little girls.  (Okay, only Tenspeed screamed like a little girl.  I screamed like a real man! XD) Anway, we’ll post our experience with this game as soon as we get the Eye of Judgement packed with the PlayStation Eye.

(Sources: Gaming Today, PlayStation site)

Tenspeed: Shivan Dragon, I choose you!

W-h J: (Yup, he lost it.)

XD

Controversial game-hating attorney Jack Thompson made a wild move again by deciding to go against Best Buy, an electronics retailer in Miami by asserting that it sells mature video games to minors.

According to GamePolitics, Thompson will base his suit on “Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act” where we claims that Best Buy is violating it by selling M-rated games to minors via its website. He would also make the lawsuit a class action where he would find other plaintiffs for the case.

Here’s Thompson’s letter to Best Buy’s corporate counsel:

“Best Buy, despite promises made to the American people and to me personally, has continued to sell Mature-rated video games to children under seventeen years of age. Best Buy has been doing this at its cash registers here in Miami, Florida, and it is presently doing so, this very moment, at www.bestbuy.com, as it sells Mature-rated games to anyone of any age with no real age verification whatsoever.”

“This constitutes a Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice, under Florida and other states’ laws, because your company/client has been telling the public it age IDs buyers of such games who appear to be 21 or under while in fact it does not uniformly do so…”

However, upon checking Best Buy, it seems that they have similar methods in selling their games like other retailers. They check their buyer’s age via their credit cards, which is an accepted way by the Federal Trade Commision.

So, why sue in the first place? And why only Best Buy?

W-h J: I don’t really know if I should be writing this news, as Jack Thompson news for me always fall under the “Entertainment section (Sending gay porn in court anyone?).” Then again, it’s pretty hilarious to do so every now and then.

Why sue an electronics retailer when it follows the rules? Even if it did made a mistake by selling an M-rated game to a minor, I don’t think it should reach court level. Besides, there are a lot of ways for minors to get a game even if a store has age verification. Did Thompson even look at that angle? Oh and him sending his son as a “deep-penetrating agent” to stores by buying an M-rated game is just wrong. Even if the kid succeeds, what did he achieve? Even if he collects plaintiffs for this case, how are they gonna prove it then? Who sold which game to who?

Thompson jr.: Hey dad! I bought BioShock. Can I play?
Thompson: Oh c’mon son! Don’t make your dad look bad, eh?

XD

(Source: GamePolitics)

Strong words came out from the mouth of Nolan Bushnell, founder of the once dominating game-publishing/console-making company Atari, when he spoke what’s on his mind with the status of video games that are made today.

“Video games today are a race to the bottom. They are pure, unadulterated trash and I’m sad for that.” Bushnell said in his interview with tech magazine Electronic Design.

Although his statement may hurt the ears of fledging/veteran game developers alike, he did not specify any companies or platforms that are “racing themselves towards the bottom”

Though Bushnell declared that derogatory statement to modern games, his businesses today were mostly associated with, well, games. He founded the company “Chuck E. Cheese,” basically a pizza parlor with arcades and rides inside and “uWink,” a restaurant with touch screens on each table that offer “social” games.

“A lot of video games today are very isolated.” defended Bushnell when explaining the concept behind uWink. “You don’t see mom and dad, sister and brother, sitting down like they used to play, say, Monopoly. That represented good mentoring time for families that just isn’t happening now.”

W-h J: Riiiiiiiiiiiight. I have a lot of respect for the guy for bringing Atari, but what’s with the generalization? It’s like saying “Meh. Square Enix?! Atari is better than YOU, ese!” It’s ’cause he’s bashing modern games but he’s offering touch screen games in his restaurant. So isn’t it like saying that way?

And whatever happened with Wii? Isn’t Wii sports a family-oriented game? Don’t tell me THAT game is trash. Heck, I won’t even call the Resident Evil series as trash no matter how violent it is to the eyes of old people. Fighting evil is trash? You gotta be kidding me.

Oh well, everyone is entitled to his/her opinions no matter how “unadulterated trash” it is.

Imagine this - A priest is held inside Manchester Catherdral by a serial killer:

Priest to soldier trying to save him: Hey you violent moron! This is a church! Don’t carry a gun while trying to battle evil and save me! And don’t accidentally shoot the walls or you’ll be sermoned by me for 3 hours!

(italicized visualized comment in reference with the Manchester Cathedral v.s. the game “Resistance: fall of man”)

One of our latest articles stated that a new Street Fighter game will come out as announced by Capcom and we promised our readers to keep a close eye on it.

Seems like the “New Beginning” is really still THAT new after hearing its estimated time of arrival.

“Development on this project has only just started, so its release will be more than a year away.” said Ben LeRougetel, Capcom Europe head of communications. He declared this at the Capcom Gamer’s Day in London after showing the public the SF IV trailer.

LeRougetel added that he still couldn’t tell anything about the game and they’re still not sure which console will carry the title.

W-h J: Well, I guess gamers wouldn’t mind as long as Capcom delivers a solid game just like they did before with Street Fighter II. Hurried up games end up almost always bad. I just hope that the hype they made today, showing a trailer of a game that they plan to release more than a year from now, will really wow solid fans and regular gamers. Should it fail, Capcom would surely suffer a lot of losses, criticisms, and flame mails. After all, it’s one of their banner games and banner games should in NO WAY fail.

Guile: Just you wait Paul Phoenix. I’ll show you how flat-tops is REALLY done. Just you wait…

XD

(Source: Gamespot)

This is somewhat game related, though for the most part it’s not, but we just want to include our experience here from Monday till yesterday. Those days, my friends, were a funny time for us here in Sumodownload because we have been caught with the freakiest gif image that the world has ever seen (or so we thought).

It was actually one of those psychology images that tests whether you’re a left or a right brainer (shared to us by Stonebutterfly herself). Before we go further, here have a look. See whether the image you see is rotating clockwise or counter clockwise:

According to the Herald Sun, if you see the image rotating counterclockwise, it means you’re a left brainer. That means:

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

�

If you see it as clockwise, you’re a right brainer. That means:

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

�

We were happy with our results. That’s until Stonebutterfly told us that you can actually see the image rotating in both ways. Here are our results:

Sumodownload results:
White-haired Journalist - right brainer
Pooch - right brainer
Tenspeed - right brainer
Stonebutterfly - left brainer
Ishida - right brainer

Upon hearing that, everyone giddily looked at the image again and tried to see if it’s true. The first one to see it was Stonebutterfly of course, followed by Pooch (I hate this guy XD), then followed by almost everyone here in our office.

Everyone except me.

Most actually saw it randomly. Like one time they see it as clockwise, then the next two seconds it’s counter clockwise. The only two guys that couldn’t see it was Tenspeed and I. Then eventually, Tenspeed saw it and started to tease me something like “White-haired Journalist ain’t white-haired no mo. He’s just a Journalist now” then he’d laugh so hard he makes everyone laugh in our office. For one whole day I couldn’t see what they saw. But now…

I can control it’s movements and do not just see it randomly. HA! XD

Wanna know the secret in seeing it both ways? post your e-mail address and I’ll give you a very helpful tip.

Next up, a real game news. XD

Capcom finally revealed their teaser statement “Prepare yourself” in their official site, stating that a new version of their classic, legendary, best-selling arcade fighting game Street Fighter will hit video games for the fourth time.

SHINKUU…HADOUKEN!

The “Prepare yourself” words were replaced this morning by a trailer where Ken and Ryu, bestfriends and rivals, were fighting. The short movie featured some of their best moves, accompanied by an uber cool graphic design that was simply…breathtakingly unexplainable. The fact whether it’ll be 2D or 3D or whatever graphics style the game will carry is still unknown.

Finally, after 10 years of waiting since Street Fighter III: The New Generation’s release, Capcom officially announced that Street Fighter IV is under development. There’s still no news as to which console will carry the game and when will it be released. Sumodownload will keep you posted on its development.  For now, please do watch the trailer:

(Ken: Behold! My Chuck Nor….err…Ansatsuken style kick!)

W-h J: This better be a good Street Fighter game! Personally, I didn’t enjoy the Street Fighter EX series as the Tekken series is more enjoyable than that. Hopefully, this new game will feature earth-shattering game play and stunning graphics that will wow the gaming audience as they did before with Street Fighter II, the game that redefined fighting games. After all, they had a decade to prepare for it.

Evil Ryu to Devil Jin: “You call yourself evil?! Meh.”

XD

(Source: GameSpot)

PlayStation Portable Slim and PSP-exlusive game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII’s joint launch were a success in Japan, giving Sony the lead spot in handheld sales.

Sadly for Sony, it only lasted for three weeks.

This week, charts show that the Nintendo DS Lite’s sales closed in to 87,445 units sold, compared to PSP’s sales that came to a close of 86,895. According to Media Create, a Japanese company that gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, the recent release of the new DS versions (Red and Black) helped Nintendo in boosting its sales.

On the console side, the Wii is still on the top, selling 20,704 units; The PlayStation 3 selling 10,822 and the PlayStation 2 selling 10,446; while Xbox falls to a far spot selling only 1,547.

(Sources: GameSpot, Media Create, Wikipedia)

W-h J: Nintendo’s success is getting scarier by the minute. Efortlessly selling their wares and it sells like pancakes. It seems like people really are jumping into the bandwagon of trying it out, constantly making non-gamers into gamers. Should Nintendo release more and more paraphernalias and good games for its console, I think Wii will really stay in the top for a long, long time. As for the PS3, i still think it’ll do good in the future when the public already accepts the Blu-ray as a part of their household. But for now, I don’t think DVDs will be phased out just yet. At least not for the next 2 years. As for the 360, I hope Microsoft comes in with a fine gimmick to close the gap in console sales.

Blank DVD: 16 cents
Blank Blu-ray disc: $20
Talk about the price gap. Yikes!