,
Welcome back. On our celebrating Friday the 13th and with Evil Dead: The Game releasing today as well, I thought it could be nice to take a look back at Friday the 13th: The Game.
Growing up, I was interested in seeing more horror games. I mean we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill. But there wasn't many slasher games. It felt odd and like an empty niche that just wasn't been hit. Yeah, we had the Friday the 13th and Elm Street on NES. But those didn't reflect either of those franchises.
Then I remember hearing about Until Dawn. It was an interactive horror movie. There could be a variety of different endings. It intrigued me. I then played it. It's a fun game. I enjoyed the story they were going for, even if it did fall off at the end. But it left me wanting more. I wanted something more slasher-y...
Fast forward and I begin hearing about Dead by Daylight. A game where get to play as either a killer or a survivor. It felt interesting. The killers they made for it were all interesting and could easily headline their own film. But it just still wasn't it. Even after the licensed killers like Freddy, Michael, Ghost Face, and Leatherface being included. It's fun seeing them in there. But besides Leatherface and Ghost Face, it didn't feel customizable. It felt safe.
Then it all changed when GUN and Illfonic announced Friday the 13th, I always wanted to play as Jason in DbD. It felt like it was going to be something different, something more aligned with the franchise. It wasn't just an easy cash grab that was a Dead by Daylight clone in a Friday theme.
I remember when I finally was able to get the game. I am pretty sure I got it when it was around $40. So close to the beginning of it's life, it didn't disappoint. It left me with a smile on my face. One of the best experiences I had with it was playing as a Counselor, the guy playing Jason was running round the map and singing a theme song for his Jason. We could all hear it. It was absolutely fantastic and fun. So completely off the wall to imagine Jason running round doing his thing with a song.
Then something I began to notice in those early days were that online players weren't as much fun after awhile. People were trolling or just being rude. After switching systems, the community felt different on PS4 than Xbox One. It wasn't as much fun. More formulaic.
Safe to say, none of that was Illfonic or GUN's fault. They had crafted a game that I loved. It celebrated the franchise in such a way that Dead by Daylight cannot touch. The work that was put on to give fans more options was fantastic. Yeah, it's cool playing as counselor. However, I always had the most fun while playing as Jason. So when towards the end, the option for bots and challenges were given. I was on board. Hell, even the virtual cabin is a fun experience. It's so cool. It gave glimpses of what was in the pipeline. Jason X? Yes, would have loved that. I personally always rooted for seeing Ghost Jason from WOMP STOMP's Never Hike series added. But then the lawsuit happened, the game was backburnered and then dropped.
Of course, I didn't leave the game. I kept it close. After moving and being switched to satellite internet, Dead by Daylight isn't an option. Instead, I rock the bots mode on F13th or the challenges. It's still fun seeing the different ways things can go.
Occasionally, there's the small glitch of the bots jumping in and out of windows. I tend to grab them and help them through the window. I had a session yesterday where the counselors finally got a car and trying to escape. I smashed it and stopped them. But for the first time, they were doing things I hadn't expected. Same with calling the cops. It's interesting getting this experience that can only get in bot mode.
But the love have for the game and the films, it keeps me coming back. I just unlocked Part 2 Jason, good ol' Baghead. It's cool seeing him running around. Saw a couple unique kills that made me wince. Pickaxe to the face. Or a counselor being stuck at a pump and Jason using the handle on them. It's interesting having the chance to explore the stuff GUN and Illfonic put together with the context kills. It brings the films to life in an amazing way.
And if what I've seen from Evil Dead so far is anything like that, I'll be happy. It'll be a worthy successor to a game that was lost ahead of its time. I don't think we'd have Evil Dead The Game without the success of F13th The Game. Till next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment