Editorials
Here Are The Best Games Of The Year, As Chosen By The Bloody Disgusting Staff
It’s that time of the year! 2012 has thrown everything it had at us, including a bevvy of highly anticipated games like Diablo III, Resident Evil 6, and Silent Hill: Downpour — but we made it. Many of us lost friends to the foggy town of Silent Hill, the demon-infested lands surrounding Tristram, or the eerie, deserted town of Night Springs, Arizona. It was tough, but the important thing is we survived. Sure, our social lives took a beating and our wallets are looking particularly thin, but the good news is we have about a month to save up before things pick back up.
In a continuation of our celebration of the glorious year for gaming that 2012 definitely was, the Bloody Disgusting staff has chosen our favorite games of the year. Check them out after the break.
Adam Dodd
Game of the Year: The Walking Dead (360, PS3, PC)
Gamertag: Baby Colada
I can’t say enough good things about Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead. It’s difficult to believe the first episode released way back in April, but what Telltale has done since then for storytelling in games, the adventure genre, and episodic gaming as a whole easily makes this my Game of the Year. This has been a great year. 2012 brought us games like Dishonored, Diablo III, and multiple installments in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, but choosing this was a no-brainer (pun intended). I can’t wait to see what Telltale does next.
TJ Taraszka
Game of the Year: Minecraft (360)
Minecraft 360. I know, with a lot of heavy hitters that came out this year, why Minecraft? 143 hours, that’s why. The only other game that comes close is 50 something hours put into Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer, and that is still low compared to Minecraft. There is something about the game that’s magnetic to me. When I’m sitting around thinking of what game to play, and I’m clueless, I always turn to Minecraft. Endless hours of pointless building makes me feel like a little kid playing with Legos and I love it.
David Harley
Game of the Year: Journey (PS3)
Claiming that Journey is merely a game is a huge disservice to thatgamecompany’s follow-up to Flower. From the moment your faceless, hooded character stands up in the desert until the end of your beautiful – and occasionally perilous – trek, Journey is an experience that encourages exploration and discovery and is the closest you will ever feel to living inside a painter’s masterpiece. It’s a game that needs to played multiple times, both with and without a partner, to enjoy everything it has to offer; single player provides a “stop and smell the roses” playthrough without the possibility of a randomly assigned, experienced partner rushing you to the level’s meditation point, but there is nothing more satisfying that chirping your way to your destination while solving puzzles and soaring through the air with a friendly, unknown companion. Using only four buttons, Journey provides a deep and emotional experience that will stick with you months after you finish.
Honorable Mentions: Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS), Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Brad Miska
Game of the Year: NBA 2K13 (360)
NBA2K13 left my Xbox only for Halo 4, but soon returned. The graphics are a huge step up from previous years, and without a lockout all rookies were ready to go on opening night. The new version also tells you about new additions as you log in, and has a pretty cool professional mode where you can build your own character’s career. By buying it early I also got the All Star Weekend DLC that has an awesome Slam Dunk competition that plays out like Guitar Hero. And while last year we got all of the legendary teams, this year players can peg the 1992 Dream Team with the 2012 Olympic Team. Who’s the best? Duh, of course it’s any team with Michael Jordan on it… And a quick final note, Aliens is my most anticipated game of 2013. If its not my pick next year, I will be incredibly disappointed.
Tom Owen
Game of the Year: Halo 4 (360)
Gamertag: T4CO 2000
I’m sure this is a pretty typical pick and ends up at the top of many “best of” lists for 2012, but I’m going with Halo 4. Halo 2 was the first game I ever played on XBOX Live and for a long time was the foundation for many nights of excessive pizza and mountain dew consumption with friends. During these nerd fests we also made use of one of mankind’s greatest inventions, the Pizzazz. Halo 4 brought the return of all of it, even the Pizzaz was dusted off and put back in service for the first time in years. It’s far from perfect, but Halo has always been my go to game for casual n00b killing, no scoping, tea bagging, stress relieving fun, and I’m glad to have it back.
Jonathan “Sexiest Man O’ The Year Who Also Has A Luxurious Pelt” Barkan
Game of the Year: Silent Hill: Downpour (360, PS3)
Gamertag: Biz Rizzle
I’d have to go with Silent Hill: Downpour, simply because I didn’t really buy a lot of games this year. However, it was also a really solid game that I enjoyed a great deal.
Want more? Check out our FEAR Awards hub! If you’re still patiently waiting to choose your favorite games of the year, stay tuned, as voting for our fourth annual FEAR Awards will open very soon.
Have a question? Feel free to ever-so-gently toss Adam an email, or follow him on Twitter and Bloody Disgusting.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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