Horror

Namco Bandai's updating the classic horror-themed side-scroller Splatterhouse hits retailers later this week (the 26th, to be exact, and available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), and just in case you weren't up to speed on what the new version was going to be like, they've decided to release one more trailer.

This week, it's some good old fashioned game talk. Amnesia The Dark Descent! Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker! Alan Wake! Plus: Games are too buggy, Richard sings (twice), and stay tuned after the credits for some impromptu Halo: Reach chat. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and Tim "Let's Grow a Beard Together" Spaeth.

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Games discussed:

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Alan Wake
• Halo: Reach

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Paint the Man... Paint the Man...

HIGH: Encountering a monster for the first time and being forced to run and hide.

LOW: Encountering a monster for the first time and being forced to run and hide.

WTF: Encountering a monster for the first time and being forced to run and hide.

I Want to Play a Game. A Professor Layton Game.

HIGH The opening sequence effectively captures the spirit of the films.

LOW Why am I killing people with Nailbats? This isn't Condemned 3.

WTF There is glass on the floor. The dead people have shoes. I can't take them because...?

This Corpse Needs a Little Freshening Up

HIGH Watching all the cut-scenes with my character in a snappy tuxedo.

LOW Trying to mix life-giving drinks at a bar while getting mobbed by zombies.

WTF The amount of stuff lifted straight out of the first Dead Rising.

I'm so excited for Dead Space 2 that I can hardly contain myself. I really liked the first game, which found space engineer Isaac Clarke fighting some hideous, and bloodthirsty, space aliens aboard a ship they'd overrun. It was a genuinely creepy game with fun gameplay that revolved around dismembering the creatures in gruesome fashion.

Dead Space 2 looks to keep that winning formula intact while adding a few new wrinkles to the mix in the process. The newest trailer for the game debuted on Friday courtesy of my former employers at IGN. The first game made Twinkle Twinkle Little Star terrifying, so it's only natural that the new game up the ante. This clip offers up a spooky rendition of Ring Around the Rosey, juxtaposed with some gory and creepy footage from the game.

Dead Space 2 is due out in January—which feels like a long time from now—but you can at least check out the new clip to tide you over.

After rolling credits for both the main campaign and the Overtime mode that comes after, my thoughts about the game are basically the same—it's a note-for-note reproduction of the original with a much gentler difficulty curve and a create-a-weapon mechanic that doesn't feel like a good fit for the schedule-oriented structure of play.

After an extended delay, I finally got my hands on a copy of Dead Rising 2. I had a fairly hot-and-cold relationship with the first one, but the recent Case Zero DLC episode got me fired up and I've been pretty eager to see what's going on with Chuck Greene in Fortune City. Unfortunately, it's not really all that much.

Deadly Premonition: Shovelware or Game of the Year? We're pretty enamored with it, and we spend the entire show telling you why. We discuss its critical response, its connection to Twin Peaks, the mystique of Francis York Morgan, and why it may feature the best storytelling in the history of games. A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERS: The first half of the show is spoiler-free; the second half is spoiler-packed. We tell you when to stop listening if you want to experience the ending yourself (which you absolutely should). Featuring Brad Gallaway, Dan Weissenberger, Richard Naik, and Tim "Call Me Tim" Spaeth.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
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Read: Transcript

Games discussed:

• Deadly Premonition

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.