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Game Manuals Suck These Days
I remember buying 8-bit Nintendo games the day they came out. Oh yeah, I’m an old-school gamer through and through. One of the things I loved about getting those games was that the manual explained things that perhaps the game had no way of going over. They also had sections on items and their uses, weapons and the damage they dealt, characters and a bit of backstory about them. It was awesome! Talk about bathroom reading material! Oh, and if I was ever stuck? Well, no worries! Loads of times, these manuals came with hints for some of the more difficult areas!
I was playing video games before I could read. If I got stuck, I would ask my parents to help me read through the manual to find some kind of clue. By them helping me leaf through them, I started picking up on words and associating them properly. So, game manuals actually aided me in my quest to learn how to read. But that’s not the case anymore. In fact, it’s pretty much the complete opposite. Take for instance Silent Hill: Downpour (which I just purchased and can’t wait to play). The manual is the same few pages but repeated in English, French, and Spanish. Know what’s in those few pages? A warning page, a “Table of Contents”, a controller lay-out, and a warranty. That. Is. It. Were this Twitter, I would add “#bullshit”.
Where’s a little something about the main character? Where’s a map of the town? Maybe an item list? Maybe a little bit of a backstory? How about the freaking credits so I can know who designed the monsters? Don’t game companies want to give credit to the employees who busted their ass to put out this game???
No. That’s not what people get these days. Hell, you’re lucky if you get an insert at all. As a matter of fact, I think some games are abandoning printed manuals entirely in place of putting the manual on the disc. Thanks, but no thanks. I want my booklet so I can actually leaf through it.
It seems like anything that even closely resembles a manual of worth is only included in the special editions of games. But why should I pay extra for that? Basic instructions and advice should be made available to ALL the players, not just the ones who shell out an extra $20!
In summation, I miss awesome manuals. That is all.
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We have the Jason Universe to thank for the recent return of Jason Voorhees, with the short film Sweet Revenge and Jason’s arrival in Dead by Daylight helping to bring the hockey mask-wearing horror icon back into our lives. What else is planned, you ask?
In a chat with Variety this week, Jason Universe’s Robbie Barsamian teases that everything we’ve seen up to this point is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jason’s return.
“We’ve been busy behind the scenes laying the foundation that everyone is finally starting to see come to life, but this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Barsamian teases.
“We have a thrilling lineup of new projects that we can’t wait to share more details on soon.”
Barsamian also notes during the chat with Variety, “We want to give fans fresh takes on what they love most about Jason and continue to expand his world in authentic ways that resonate with horror fans today.” One of those expansions will take the form of the upcoming Peacock and A24 series “Crystal Lake,” which stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees.
“The Crystal Lake TV series will take fans back in time to tell the story of how Pamela Voorhees came to be the mother of all slashers,” Barsamian tells Variety this week.
“Crystal Lake” premieres October 15 on Peacock.
Callum Vinson (“Chucky”) is playing young Jason in “Crystal Lake,” which will tell the origin story of the masked slasher who has stalked the grounds of Crystal Lake for decades.
Last year, the Jason Universe team had teased that a new movie and a new video game are top priorities for the near future. But at this time we have no updates on either front.
Stay tuned for more from the Jason Universe.
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