Playing Dread

Lamont and Adrian head into uncharted territory; the United Kingdom! But also indie games, new games... so many firsts! Hollowbody is a PS2 throwback with its own identity and actually made by a solo developer. But how does it hold up in the estimations of our hosts?

Notes & Sources

Hollowbody - Launch Trailer

https://youtu.be/tFAld1NiYkY?si=iobpmuhAT_bQZ_Rp

Hollowbody - Devlog

https://youtu.be/OGgEWCu2ijU?si=2HXRqb4j9nLFFyIx

Indie...

For our first (and only?) holiday episode, we look at Squaresoft's foray into the horror genre, Parasite Eve! Lamont and Adrian talk about having a nice time at the opera, untangle the connection between the game and its original source material, struggle to comprehend the junk science nessecary to understanding the game's plot and do a deep dive into the evolution (heh) of Square's approach to battle systems. Is there a direct lin...

We’ve delayed the inevitable long enough! Lamont and Adrian shine their pocket flashlights onto the foggy streets of the original Silent Hill (and no other Silent Hill game)! From point lights to Stephen King, from defending tank controls to arguing the semantics of survival horror to horror adventure, will the unspeakable horrors kill them first, or the scariest thing of all: the Silent Hill fanbase? All this and more...

Guest host Steve Tramer joins Lamont and Adrian to cover wars and smoosh pies in zombie faces! Capcom's Dead Rising boasted freedom and more zombies held on screen than any other game, but our panel discusses all of the other things that made it special in 2006; from game engines to Breath of Fire, from escort missions to the politics surrounding obesity and American interventionalism, we dug deep into the heart of Williamette Shop...

On this episode: Lamont and Adrian discuss violent video games, generational warfare, political propaganda and hegemonic attitudes of gender/sexuality/race as depicted in mainstream media, the nature of art itself, and more. Oh, and Harvester. We also talk about Harvester.

Hosted by Adrian Sandoval & Lamont Williams

Playing Dread is a Q27 Media Production, and a member of the New Jersey Horror Collective. New episodes every second ...

Alan.... WAKE!

Our July episode looks at Remedy's first foray into horror (kinda), Alan Wake! We dive into Remedy's fascination with live-action sequences, it's change from an open world adventure game into a prestige TV-structured linear shooter, it's release against Red Dead Redemption and more!

Sources & References:

Alan Wake Originally an Open World Game:

https://screenrant.com/alan-wake-open-world-concept/

ProZD skit - cutscen...

With a remastered edition for PC and the PlayStation 5 recently announced and a live-action film on the way, we dive into Supermassive Games' first (but certainly not last) foray into the horror genre, Until Dawn! Along the way we quickly run down the history of the adventure game genre, pit teen slashers against creature features, struggle to pronounce Hayden Pantiere's last name, and discuss the merits of truly 'infinite' branchi...

Our second episode is a mega-sized look at Clock Tower, Clock Tower 2 and Clock Tower: Ghosthead, AKA Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within! Adrian gushes endlessly about the first game, Lamont flexes his manga knowledge, and both of us struggle over the confusing naming conventions between the Japanese releases and the American ones. Also; more talk on Giallo horror, the influence of western mysticism in Japanese media a...

The inaugural episode of Playing Dread covers 1992's Alone in the Dark and its immediate sequels! One of the most influential video games of all time, we dive deep into its history, its influence, and so much more. But how does the game hold up today? Does it still resonate in 2024? Does it even matter if it does? Listen on and find out!

Hosted by Adrian Sandoval and Lamont Williams.

Playing Dread is a Q27 Media production and a me...