Zombie Research Society
Creepy crawlies, living dead, and other foul beasts were among the virtual stars at Gamescom 2014. Held in Cologne, Germany, this year’s run of the popular European videogame expo afforded gamers a sneak peek at a few of the titles on approach for both current and last gen systems. Here are just some of the horror highlights!
P.T. (aka SILENT HILLS)
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima and Hollywood director Guillermo del Toro are teaming up to produce the next chapter in the popular Silent Hill franchise. Oh, and it just so happens to star a certain Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead fame! If that news doesn’t produce some heart palpitations of its own, it’s likely you don’t have a pulse.
Little is known about Silent Hills (yes, Hills), codenamed P.T. Following its reveal during Sony’s Gamescom event, Kojima Productions released a playable teaser for the PlayStation 4 (available now in the PlayStation Store) depicting Norman’s character grimacing his way through a spooky building. It’s quite impressive, to say the least. And judging by the level of detail and potential for supreme creepiness, we’re sure horror fans will be talking about this one a lot when it releases … sometime … in the future.
Eight friends, an isolated cabin, and irresponsible Ouija board use? What could possibly go wrong? Apparently quite a lot according to Supermassive Games’ new teaser trailer for Until Dawn. Shown during Sony’s press conference, this survival horror entry will invite players for a weekend of terror and debauchery starring familiar actors such as Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Nashville).
Until Dawn was originally revealed back in 2012, but quickly disappeared from the public eye. Now that it’s resurfaced for current gen platforms, here’s hoping Supermassive Games will be opening its cabin doors to horror fans in the near future.
From indie studio The Astronauts comes this homage to 20th century ghost stories. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will follow a detective with paranormal powers who must face ancient horrors to save a kidnapped boy. According to designer Adrian Chmielaz, the game will focus on immersing players in a gripping – and sometimes terrifying – adventure, stating, “It’s a game about exploration and discovery. We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better.”
Don’t let the “indie studio” label throw you. The Astronauts team features veterans from People Can Fly, the studio responsible for better-known titles such as Gears of War: Judgement, Bulletstorm, and Painkiller. No doubt, their track record for action is top notch. Here’s hoping they can also weave a scary tale.
If creature features are more your style, look out for Turtle Rock Studios’ upcoming Evolve, set for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in February 2015. Taking cues from the Left 4 Dead series (at least, that’s our impression) while blazing a trail all its own, Evolve will see teams of four working to hunt down a monster controlled by a fifth player who has the ability to “evolve” into a more terrifying adversary by killing smaller monsters.
The gameplay sounds unique and the visuals look eye-meltingly good. Plus, we’re pretty sure that’s Cthulhu in Microsoft’s Gamescom trailer…
THE OTHER STUFF
Gamescom 2014 was rife with announcements. If you weren’t on the ground floor in Cologne, here are a few other spine-tingling news items you may have missed:
- Alienation, a new title from Housemarque (Resogun), was announced as a PS4-exclusive. It’s pitched as Dead Nation, except with murderous aliens instead of bloodthirsty zombies.
- Bloodborne, a monster-hunting action IP developed by FromSoftware (Dark Souls), is coming in the next six months. See the Gamescom trailer here.
- DayZ, the zombie survival PC/Mac game from Bohemia Interactive, will arrive for the PlayStation 4 at an unannounced date.
- ScreamRide, from the developers responsible for Roller Coaster Tycoon, is a new game for Xbox One that will give players the tools to develop the most deadly, physics-defying thrill-inducing roller coasters they can dream up.
Missed something? Excited for one of the announcements? Let us know in the comments below.
Contributing author Matt Bradford (@MattoMcFly) is a co-host of Zombie Cast; a weekly podcast discussing all things zombie, horror, and pop culture; and featuring segments by ZRS’s own Matt Mogk.