Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 97

Celebrating All Things Spooky 2019

Yes, it’s that time of year again! Welcome to the 2019 run of Celebrating All Things Spooky!

Special Events

Let’s start off with a sale. From October 5 – October 31, eBook copies of my horror novella The Book at Dernier and horror novelette It Came Back will be on sale for $0.99 at Amazon.

Of course, my zombie comedy The Zombie Mishap and my short stories, all of which are listed here, are available as well.

Prefer physical copies? I’ll be signing copies of The Book at Dernier, The Zombie Mishap, and the pulp fiction collection Domino Lady Volume 3 at Wellsboro’s BookFest on October 19.

And if you’re here for video games, don’t forget that this year I also worked on Two Till Midnight, a horror game available now from Steam.

Here on the site, October will once again be filled with horror game reviews and news… and of course, a contest!

2019’s Celebrating All Things Spooky Contest

This year, the available prizes are:

Two Till Midnight (gift sent through Steam)
Yomawari: Night Alone (gift sent through Steam)
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows (gift sent through Steam)
Detention (gift sent through Steam)
Dead Age (Steam code)
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (Steam code)
Lakeview Cabin Collection (Steam code)
eBook copy of The Book at Dernier
$15 sent through PayPal
You pick a game for me to review!

If you choose the review option, your chosen game must be something I either own or is easily obtainable, which you can discuss with me beforehand. It must be a single game, not a collection (although the chosen game can be part of a collection). I will start playing it in November.

Rules and Scoring

No purchase is necessary.
Only comments made between October 2, 2019 at 1:00 PM EST and October 31, 2019 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
1 non-spam, non-anonymous comment on any blog post here = 1 point.
1 non-spam, non-anonymous comment on a Celebrating All Things Spooky blog post = 2 points.
You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
You must have at least 10 points at the end of the month to win.
The person with the most points will get their first pick of the prizes. The person with the second most points will pick second, and so on, until all prizes have been given out.
The winner will be contacted by November 2, 2019.

If you participated last year, this probably looks pretty similar. Any questions? Let me know in the comments.

Let the celebration begin!

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Celebrating All Things Spooky 2019 appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Is a Demon’s Souls or Soulcalibur Remaster Being Teased?

Every now and then, rumors crop up about a Demon’s Souls remaster being in development.

The latest rumor comes by way of Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast, where at the 1:26:10 mark, podcast host Colin Moriarty expresses his surprise that “one game in particular, a remaster that’s coming out for PlayStation 4” wasn’t announced at the recent State of Play.

He then follows it by saying “the soul still burns.”

Fans have taken this to be a hint or even confirmation that the game in question is Demon’s Souls.

There have been rumors for a while now that Bluepoint Games is working on Demon’s Souls, although Bluepoint’s next project is a remake/”re-envisioning” of a game, rather than a remaster.

So, let’s take a closer look at this hint.

There is nothing about the conversation that inherently points toward Demon’s Souls. It just needs to be a game that would be remastered for the PlayStation 4 and be big enough to be expected in the State of Play. And the hint is “the soul still burns.”

Soul -> Demon’s Souls; the connection there is clear enough.

Strangely, however, looking up that exact phrase brings up an entirely different series, Soulcalibur (which I always thought was Soul Calibur until today). I saw one person say “the soul still burns” is a phrase used when you choose “continue” after dying, although I couldn’t confirm that myself. Regardless, searching for that phrase brings up reviews, discussions, and announcements related to the Soulcalibur games.

So this actually makes me wonder if the mysterious remaster is actually of Soul Edge/Soul Blade, the arcade game that preceded Soulcalibur, or one of the early Soulcalibur games.

What do you think? Is this mysterious hint a sign of an upcoming Demon’s Souls remaster, a Soul Edge or Soulcalibur remaster, or something else entirely?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Is a Demon’s Souls or Soulcalibur Remaster Being Teased? appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Little Town Hero Character Trailer, Pokémon Sword & Shield Live Stream

We’ve got two pieces of Game Freak news to discuss today, the first being a follow-up to Wednesday’s discussion of Little Town Hero, since a new trailer is out.

This trailer introduces several characters, although I still don’t have much of a feeling for what this game entails besides fighting monsters.

(Also, is it just me, or are they really emphasizing the soundtrack as a selling point? I love Toby Fox’s music, but something about the way the two trailers have highlighted it feels odd to me. Then again, it might be just because I’m skeptical about the game in general.)

Now, I didn’t notice it before, but the official description also describes it as having “compact story progression designed with the busy gamer in mind.” That just increases my concern that there won’t be much to it beyond fighting the monsters.

Moving on to Game Freak’s other upcoming game, Pokémon Sword and Shield will have a 24-hour live stream next Friday, October 6.

24 hours? They must be planning to show a lot of–

No, no, it won’t be 24 hours of footage. It’s 24 hours of “live footage” from within the Glimwood Tangle, a forest area in the Galar Region we haven’t seen yet.

That’s… unusual, but I kinda like the idea behind it. We’ll probably get to see some new Pokémon, and it’s an interesting way to promote the game without spoiling a lot of details, by having “live” footage from within one of the areas. The image they’re using also has me excited to see the Glimwood Tangle, since it looks like it’ll be a beautiful area.

How do you feel about Game Freak’s current projects? Are you interested in Little Town Hero? Are you going to check out the Pokémon Sword and Shield live stream? Let me know in the comments.

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Little Town Hero Character Trailer, Pokémon Sword & Shield Live Stream appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Little Town Hero Gets A New Tiny Teaser Trailer

Game Freak hasn’t revealed a lot about Little Town Hero, formerly known as Town, to the point where I was surprised when it got an October 16 release date in the Nintendo Direct early this month.

But yes, Little Town Hero is less than a month away, and so far we know it’s a turn-based RPG where you’ll defend a small town from monsters with help from townspeople and things in the environment.

That’s about all we know about it so far.

Its official description offers a few more details, talking about how the villagers are not allowed to leave their isolated town and the protagonist finds a mysterious red stone that lets him fight the monsters. It also mentions that combat will be focused on strategically fighting boss enemies, instead of leveling up by fighting weak monsters.

The new trailer shows… well, just a tiny bit of combat, nothing much new.

Another video is supposed to come out on Friday, so maybe we’ll get more details then.

Right now, I’m wondering if Little Town Hero is going to be a pretty short game, since all we’ve seen from it is that you fight these large monsters. Then again, maybe the new video on Friday will show things to do in the town as well. What do you think?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Little Town Hero Gets A New Tiny Teaser Trailer appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

I’m Becoming Oddly Interested in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

During Microsoft’s E3 press conference, I very briefly mentioned the announcement of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but didn’t say too much about it. After all, I’m not a Dragon Ball fan.

Lately, however, I’m actually becoming somewhat interested in the game despite my general unfamiliarity with the series.

They’ve shown off things like a driving mini-game, a baseball mini-game, RPG elements, and basically a lot of things that make me think I’d be following it if it was a brand new IP.

My knowledge of Dragon Ball Z is pretty slim and mainly consists of things a friend told me about in elementary school, but from what I’ve seen, it sounds like the game is going to cover the major story arcs of Dragon Ball Z.

Together with my newfound interest in the game thanks to these mini-games and such, I’m starting to think I might play Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and let that be my introduction to the series. Then again, maybe it would be better for me to get into the series first to have a better frame of reference going into the game.

What do you think of what we’ve seen from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot? Do you think it’s a good game for a series newcomer like me?

(I considered blogging about the hints that a new Batman Arkham game is coming, but decided to save that for when there’s more news.)

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post I’m Becoming Oddly Interested in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Shantae & the Seven Sirens is Split Into Two Parts for Apple Arcade

The next Shantae game is called Shantae and the Seven Sirens, and it looks like it’s on track to fix all the things I disliked about Half-Genie Hero.

It’s got an interconnected, non-linear world and dungeons are back, and even the basic description suggests there’s more of an overarching plot than Half-Genie Hero had.

Will the story be as good as Pirate’s Curse? That remains to be seen, but everything else sounds fantastic.

Now, Shantae and the Seven Sirens had been announced for the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and the new Apple Arcade service, with no release date given yet.

But on Wednesday, WayForward made an announcement that left fans a bit confused.

Join Shantae on an all-new tropical adventure! Shantae and the Seven Sirens Part 1 launches tomorrow @AppleArcade! pic.twitter.com/cxDf3jlZml

— WayForward (@WayForward) September 18, 2019

“Part 1” of Shantae and the Seven Sirens would be releasing soon for Apple Arcade.

Some fans were annoyed about Apple Arcade getting the game first, but most people were just confused about it being Part 1. No one had said anything about a Part 1. How many parts would there be?

(The fears of a more segmented game structure were perhaps rising up again.)

WayForward wouldn’t say anything, but it seems like that must have been due to some sort of NDA, because they’ve clarified everything now.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is only split into two parts for the Apple Arcade release. The PC and console versions will be a single release. Part 1 is longer than a demo, but is less than half the game and only includes up through the first two dungeons.

So Shantae and the Seven Sirens is not an episodic game, the other versions will be a single release, and it seems likely that they just wanted part of the game to be available alongside the launch of Apple Arcade.

I’ll admit I felt a little nervous when I saw that “Part 1” in the tweet, but now I’m back to feeling confident that Shantae and the Seven Sirens will be the return to form I hoped for after finishing Half-Genie Hero.

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Shantae & the Seven Sirens is Split Into Two Parts for Apple Arcade appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

All the Yakuza: Like a Dragon Details from TGS

After learning Yakuza 7 will be turn-based and titled Yakuza: Like a Dragon in the west, TGS revealed a wealth of new details we haven’t gotten to talk about yet.

Several new mini-games were revealed, starting with Dragon Kart!

Yes, Yakuza now will have its own kart racing mini-game, complete with item pick-ups to give you a boost or attack your opponents with.

There is also a movie theater mini-game where Ichiban will need to fight sleepiness by repelling sheep so he can stay awake for the entire move.

Finally, they revealed a PachiSlot mini-game that will include collaborations with actual Pachislot games.

A story trailer was also released. While it covers a lot of the same points as the original announcement trailer, it includes new details as well, especially near the end where it shows some of the characters and factions Ichiban will encounter.

What we were really waiting for, however, was seeing the game in action at TGS. A demo was shown, which also revealed a can collection mini-game and a Summons system – Ichiban will be able to summon allies during battle by using his phone. And of course, it showed off the new turn-based combat system.

There had been some mystery leading up to TGS, with fans unsure if combat would be like the April Fools Day joke or not and the director saying it would be fast-paced and might feel like an action game if you didn’t know.

So from TGS, we finally got to see the new combat system.

And…

It pretty much looks like a turn-based RPG to me.

I expect Yakuza: Like a Dragon to be a fun turn-based game, but this certainly didn’t calm the worries of people who expected it to be slow-paced.

How do you feel about the next Yakuza game? What do you think about the new details and gameplay footage revealed for Yakuza: Like a Dragon?

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post All the Yakuza: Like a Dragon Details from TGS appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Let’s Talk About Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Classic Mode

After Square Enix’s E3 2019 presentation revealed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake would include a Tactical Mode to slow down time once your ATB bars filled, I was pretty happy with it as a compromise between action and turn-based combat.

Little did I know it would get even better!

At a TGS stage show, Square Enix revealed that the game will also have something called Classic Mode. This is a special difficulty option that automates the minor attacks, dodging, etc., removing the action portion of combat so the player only has to choose commands once the ATB meter fills up.

You can see it in action here. (Note the controller camera to show which parts are automatic.)

Some people have objected to this, saying that it just removes part of the game’s combat, but remember that your basic attacks won’t be dealing a lot of damage in this game. The core of the combat system is using minor attacks to build your ATB meter so you can use your special attacks, which is where most of your damage will come from. In Classic Mode, you won’t have to worry about those minor attacks and can focus on everything else intead.

In standard modes, the ATB Gauge fills up by repeatedly attacking your enemy, but in Classic Mode this aspect of gameplay is handled automatically. The player does not need to do anything and the character fights automatically, charging up their ATB Gauge. pic.twitter.com/NjuQp2bHBA

— FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE (@finalfantasyvii) September 14, 2019

It’s almost like a turn-based system where the characters run around and deal minor damage in between turns.

Of course, this isn’t truly a turn-based combat system, and I’ve seen a lot of people objecting to it because of that. It’s a good compromise, though – far more of a compromise than what I expected.

So between the TGS trailer we discussed last week and the revelation of Classic Mode, I’m really starting to feel excited for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How do you feel about Classic Mode? Do you think it’s a good compromise? Will you use it when Final Fantasy VII Remake comes out? Let me know in the comments!

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Let’s Talk About Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Classic Mode appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Two Games I Worked On Are Now Available

We’ll have more TGS news to discuss soon, but first, two games I worked on are now available on Steam!

The first, you might be expecting after it got a Steam page last month, Parachronism: Order of Chaos.

Parachronism: Order of Chaos is an action RPG with life sim elements. I worked on the story as an editor and also worked on text for side quests.

A second game I worked on came out on Steam this week as well.

Two Till Midnight is a survival horror game with rogue-like/procedural generation elements, where a demonic entity hunts you through a mansion. I wrote the in-game notes that reveal the story and backstory, as well as some of the puzzle clues.

(I know there’s some irony here since I’m not a big fan of life sims or procedural generation.)

Anyway, Parachronism: Order of Chaos and Two Till Midnight are both available on Steam now, so if you’re interested in either of them, take a look!

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Two Games I Worked On Are Now Available appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Final Fantasy VII Remake TGS Trailer Shows the Turks and Don Corneo

TGS 2019 is almost here, and that means video game news is coming out left and right.

This includes a new trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

(Since that seems to be the actual name they’re going with, maybe I should drop the “the” and start calling it Final Fantasy VII Remake, but it sounds odd to me.)

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s new trailer shows more of the Avalanche members, but it also gives us our first look at the Turks in the remake, featuring Reno, Rude, and Tseng. They all look great, although I’m personally disappointed that they didn’t cast Quinton Flynn as Reno again, breaking the tradition of Axel and Reno always having the same voice actor.

The trailer also shows Don Corneo, along with other hints that suggest the entire crossdressing section of the game is going to be intact.

One of the many concerns I’ve had about the Final Fantasy VII Remake is that they might make it too serious and lose the often-goofy tone the original had. After this trailer, I’m no longer worried about that. The squat mini-game made it in. It’s not going to take itself too seriously.

President Shinra also appears, talking to the team through a hologram rather than appearing in person.

We also see some summons, like Shiva, so it looks like they’ll be introducing that earlier so they can have it in this first game. Oh, and when Cloud gets turned into a frog, he still has a little tiny buster sword, which is adorable.

Aside from my disappointment over Reno, I liked this trailer a lot and it really helped convince me that they’re trying to capture the tone and soul of the original Final Fantasy VII, despite all the changes. I’m still not crazy about the combat system or having an entire game focused on Midgar, but I’m getting more and more excited for this game.

How do you feel about the Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer? What else are you hoping to see? Let me know in the comments.

Like this post? Tell your friends!







And if you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Final Fantasy VII Remake TGS Trailer Shows the Turks and Don Corneo appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.