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Our Horror Game Wish List for the Sony NGP
The PSP2 has been unveiled and it’s looking like more than a worthy contender to the Nintendo 3DS. Its 5″ OLED touch screen, rear touch panels, Six Axis, 3G/Wifi functionality and snazzy look leaves little complaints to be had. Well, it is slightly larger than the PSP 3000 so I’m sure that’s disappointing to a few people, but other than that the future is looking bright for Sony’s next handheld.

Good looks and impressive tech will only get you so far though, so the NGP’s developer and publisher support will be crucial to its success. Lucky for us, if the list below shows how strong third party support for the console is. With companies that have major stakes in the horror genre included in the list (check out the full list after the jump) my head is buzzing with all the possible horror games we could see on the platform. Here are the most exciting games we’d like to see make it to the NGP. Before we get into what we want to see on the platform, here’s the verystrong lineup of third party support Sony’s manage to get for their handheld:

Pretty damn impressive if I do say so myself. It might not have fancy 3D capabilities like Nintendo’s 3DS but the sheer amount of features it possesses along with the above developer and publisher support is more than a little exciting. Now, let’s move on to the game’s we’d like to see on the NGP.

The next major installment in Capcom’s zombie and non-zombie slaying franchise would look incredibly sexy on that OLED screen. And Capcom’s on the list of third party support so they’re already doing something. At Sony’s press event where they unveiled the device they explained how easy it was to port games to the NGP and they even showed off Lost Planet 2 playing on the handheld. If their MT Framework engine, the one they’re using in all their current and upcoming releases, is already working on the console it stands to reason that some of Capcom’s major horror series like Resident Evil and Dead Rising could make their way to the platform in the near future.

Now, it worries me a little that Frictional Games aren’t on the list of third party support, but assuming that’ll be remedied soon I would love to play Amnesia on the NGP. The game exceeded their expectations both critically and commercially, is arguably the scariest game I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing and since the game is currently PC exclusive there’s a massive audience that hasn’t had the pleasure of experiencing the title.

Having recently finished Dead Space 2 (our review will be up shortly) I’d love to play it again while I’m on the go. Sure, there’s already a mobile Dead Space that’s apparently pretty damn good, but it’s my personal opinion that we can never have too much of a good thing. Have a road trip coming up, or perhaps a long flight you’re not looking forward to? I’m thinking some strategic dismemberment would cure any boredom caused by long commutes. Plus, as I’ve said probably too many times now, that OLED screen would really make those visuals POP. And grandma always said there’s nothing like a little graphical poppage to keep you entertained on the go.

From Software’s (another company on the list) upcoming ‘spiritual successor’ to Demon’s Souls is supposed to be a much darker game than its predecessor. I played through Demon’s Souls twice, enjoyed it immensely both times. I can honestly say that after fighting centipedes with human faces and treading through swamps of poisonous blood that game was pretty damn terrifying. If Project Dark piles on even more terror, I’d like to see it on the NGP so I can be terrorized while traveling. Travel in terror, yeah, that’s a good tagline for the game. Send me a copy of it for free Sony, and you have my permission to use it.

Warner Bros., the game’s publisher, is on the list (though it’s developer Day 1 Studios is not) so there’s a chance the third F.E.A.R. game could find its way on Sony’s console. With the bigger push on social gaming thanks to applications like Near, as well as its 3G and Wifi support it’d be very easy to play the game with a friend.

This one could actually happen since Grasshopper Manufacture is on the list and the game is far enough out to give them time to realize how awesome the NGP is so they can port it to the console. And did I mention that 5″ OLED touch screen? Oh, I did? Well, it would make the game look pretty damn delicious. Just sayin’.

This game didn’t make it on my radar until pretty recently but after seeing a very creepy trailer for the game I’d say it deserves a go on the NGP. This is the type of game that could be absolutely amazing but get overlooked because it’s lack of advertising and PC exclusivity. However, the games that come out near the launch of Sony’s handheld will get the added bonus of being a select number of titles, and that means free advertising. I’m no advertising major so there’s a chance none of that made sense outside my head, but if there’s even the slightest hint of truth in that statement, give us some portable Asylum. Please?
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Legendary Grimdark ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Artist John Blanche Has Passed Away at 78
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.

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