SpawnStaff’s September Playlist

I love Autumn. The leaves start falling, the nights start getting longer, and the evenings start getting just a little bit cooler. Autumn even has a smell – I’d put it somewhere between the nice and soothing aroma of cinnamon and a slight whiff of fresh potpourri. The preparations for Halloween start happening and surround you all month long – just like that certain, idealized season in Rockstar’s game, Bully. And when college football starts, you know Fall’s definitely on its way. So how do our staffers’ cope with this lovely season? By cozying up, staying inside, and playing a scary amount of games! Check out what the SpawnStaff’s been busy with in September, and what they have up their sleeves for October.

John Finch – SpawnVids/Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

I spent the month of September absorbed, once again, in the world of The Last of Us. The game is still in the top 3 best looking games ever, and it’s definitely still exciting to go back and try some encounters over again or to go through some I forgot entirely. I’ve also been playing one of the free games from PlayStation Plus, Bit.Trip Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, an excellent rhythm title that quickly goes from charmingly cute and relaxing to infuriatingly hard and challenging. It may have been the first time I lost my temper at a game with a level as adorable as the Welkin Wonderland. The controls are tight and right on beat, giving the game a very intuitive and accessible feel before the difficulty ratchets up and becomes legitimately challenging.  If you’re already a PlayStation Plus subscriber and haven’t picked this game up, then get up right now and get it. Are you still here?! Oh my god, go get the game! It’s adorable!

What’s up for October?

I’m going to be picking up a 3DS and catching up with the rest of the handheld universe so I’ll be playing Pokemon X and Y. I’m a humongous Pokemon fan and this new title looks to add a lot to the fantastic Pokemon series while returning to the game’s roots. I’m also excited for the new Batman title dropping towards the end of October. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were impressive additions to the stealth universe with gameplay mechanics that are emulated by stealth and action games alike. Arkham Origins promises to continue that trend and, despite being a prequel, explore some new ground for the series. I’m also going to be playing the Resident Evil Remake for the Gamecube, because survival horror is my favorite genre and this Resident Evil title is my favorite of the series.

Justin Celani – Video Content Director

What were you playing in September?

So September has come and gone, and I played a few titles here and there. Nothing major was on the agenda, so I recorded a few videos of game play on the House of Gaming Horrors channel, covering Outlast and Amnesia A Machine for Pigs (both of which made me crap my pants, for your information). And there was only one possible explanation for the vacuum of games in September – the mother lode was about to drop. GTA V was coming and I could hear its drumbeat in the distance. As fast as it dropped into my hands, down my pants, and into the system tray, I was robbing, killing, stealing, and smiling the entire time. Sure it’s just “GTA” but the amount of detail in the world is staggering, and the refinements done to the gameplay, story, and world was just outstanding. This consumed me.

What’s up for October?

As for the rest of October, I know for a fact that I’ll be finishing up GTA V’s story mode, and will be hopping into GTA Online (when it’s NOT broken). The fact that this has taken up the majority of my gaming hours of September, I’m scared of how it the same might happen in October. Should I eat, sleep, and play more GTA V? Time will tell. As for titles I’m highly anticipating this month? Well, that’s a damn good question. What exactly will I be looking out for? The retail release of Knock, Knock on PC looks to be an interesting and unique take on horror from a 2D perspective. Beyond Two Souls is already about to arrive on my doorstep, and coming from a big fan of Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain, this looks damn good! Last but not least, I plan to do some Swashbuckling in Assassins Creed IV, and sure most people are tired of the series… but personally, I enjoyed each and every new iteration. AC + Pirates + Grog = AWESOME. ‘Nuff said.

Buddy Acker – Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

Our Editor-in-Chief can vouch for me (Editor’s note: I can) when I say I played a whole lot of damn games in September and I can in no way name them all without this being 5,000 words long. So I’ll just cover a few. I played a bunch of Grand Theft Auto V, just like the rest of the world. It’s my favorite game of 2013 so far. I played and reviewed Pandora’s Tower, Crash City Mayhem, Heavy Fire: The Chosen Few, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins and the king of them all, the PS3 version of Diablo III, which is incredible. I also recently completed Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and I’m currently playing Ascend: Hand of Kul, and I’ll be reviewing them both. It isn’t hard to notice I had a strange month of gaming. Otherwise I played Fable III, FIFA 14 and Saints Row IV, and I finally completed the campaign in Rainbow Six: Vegas.

What’s up for October?

I’ll still be playing Ascend: Hand of Kul and GTA V (I hope Rockstar fixes the issues in GTA Online soon because right now it’s just a mess). I’ll also probably still be playing Fable III, which I personally love. October is a big month for gaming with the upcoming releases of Batman: Arkham Origins, Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and possibly LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and WWE 2K14, weighing heavy on folks’ minds. I’ll more than likely play all of those games at some point. I know for certain I’ll be checking out Assassin’s Creed IV and WWE 2K14 as I am a big fan of both of those franchises and the fact that Redbox will be carrying them both. As far as what I’m reviewing, so far the only game I’m sure of is Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, which I’m certain to be playing for a while. I’ll also play a hundred other games, but I’m not sure which ones.

Fraser McIntyre – Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

Well I played a lot of Rome 2 – that was to be expected. I must have racked up 40 hours between the 3rd and the 7th. I’ve been playing some Shadow Warrior and it’s been fantastic. It’s a great game and so silly. Unsurprisingly enough, I’ve also laid into GTA 5 something awful and managed to finish it. I was pretty disappointed with the length but it was still a great game. I got Kerbal Space Program not long ago as well and it’s despicably addictive and I still haven’t gotten to the Moon yet! Must keep at it. I also revisited Carrier Command: Gaea Mission in the hopes that it didn’t totally suck and I was overreacting. Unfortunately it does pretty much suck. A lot.

What’s up for October?

Already got Battlefield 4 beta on the go and I’ve been hitting that recently. Been pretty crappy so far, what with the optimization problems for my brand of card and what not, but I got a decent game earlier on and I was kicking myself for not recording! I will also be delving back into Dark Souls in the hopes that I will finally destroy that asylum monster thing that always kills me! (I rage quit that game so much). But mostly, I hope to be tanking on with Shadow Warrior, possibly acquire a copy of Planetary Annihilation and go for that. Maybe some Arma 3 as well. Yeah October will be good!

Chris Velluci – SpawnCast/Creative Co-Director

What were you playing in September?

I was playing everything!  I’m backlogged worse than a beaver’s damn dam.  I got Earthbound and Rayman Legends. Both games have tiny little “try and get all the things!” achievements that I have trouble walking away from. Along with that I’ve been reviewing some PS Vita games which are surprisingly addicting.  (Maybe I’m just a video game addict in general…Thoughts for breakfast).  I’ve also been catching up with some Bioshock Infinite as the GOTY will soon be announced.

What’s up for October?

Pokémon X/Y.  That’s all I can say and want to say.  I know a lot of my colleagues will be playing GTA V.  But I am a proud Nintendo Fan Boy and will be missing out on that while playing Pokémon.  Also, I’m not afraid to admit that I’m excited for Wii Part U coming out this month and I will most definitely be picking up a copy.

Alice Irvin – Reporter/Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

Well, Grand Theft Auto V ate my soul in ways I never expected it to, but I also picked up a Saint’s Row game for the first time ever.  After listening to Steve Jaros (creative director, Volition) say things, “You can’t unf*ck that,” in reference to the silly things that happen in the SR series at Dragon Con, I thought, well, if he’s this funny, the game has to be that funny– and I wasn’t wrong.  My SR the Third playthrough did get derailed by GTAV, but we’ll get back to it.  I also revisited Dragon Age after seeing the pretty epic Dragon Age Inquisition preview at Dragon Con, and I somehow realized there were DLCs I’d never played.  Damn you, BioWare.  And because my month wasn’t full enough, I played and reviewed Papers, Please. 

What’s up for October?

Grand.  Theft.  Auto.  V.  And I honestly might go back and replay all of the other four (maybe even at once, if my carpal tunnel holds out).  I used to be really bad at driving the cars in Rockstar games, but the fact that it’s generally discouraged when you’re playing a cop in LA Noire made me get a lot better at it.  I’m also currently playing Memoria on Steam by the always-reliable Daedalic Games.  I’ve been dreaming about a BioShock replay too– and just started replaying Journey, because there’s nothing quite like crying into your PS3 controller to really shake the feeling of regret free.

Karam Elahi – Editor-in-Chief

What were you playing in September?

Well, just about everything. A little Halo4, some Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a few hours of 80’s nostalgia-filled Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, RPG’ing it out in Kingdoms of Amalur, hunting for loot in Diablo 3, and of course, living my second life (x3) in Grand Theft Auto 5. And regarding GTA 5: that game is deep. There is just so much to do, so many emergent gameplay elements to savor, that I became lost in it almost immediately. The story, at least for me, is just a pleasant extra. The gameplay is where it’s at.

What’s up for October?

At this point it doesn’t take an oracle to predict that I’ll still be experimenting in GTA V’s singleplayer, and once GTA Online’s issues get settled, I’ll dabble in that world as well. Outside of that “black hole of time”, I’ll be doing my absolute best to catch up on the Assassin’s Creed series – I’ve only played about 4 hours of AC2, and not a second of Brotherhood or Revelations, even though I own them. Assassin’s Creed 3? Still deciding on that one, especially considering the weak response series fans have towards that iteration. Regardless, I’ll do my best to get prepped for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Oh, and something something Arkham Origins *drool*

Braedon Reese – Contributor

What were you playing in September?

In September, my friend and I rented Kirby’s Dream Land for the Nintendo Wii from Gamefly, and we played around with our nostalgia for a bit. Towards the end of September, a friend of mine lent me 3 awesome games for the PS3 that I had never played before: Dark Souls, Tom Clancy’s EndWar, and The Last of Us. I’ve been rolling through all three of these absolutely amazing games, and The Last of Us specifically, is probably one of the better action-adventure games of its genre in the past few years. I’ve definitely had a lot of fun with all the games I’ve played this month, and sadly, they’ll have to go back to their owner soon.

What’s up for October?

I honestly cannot afford GTA V, otherwise I would definitely be going out to get it. I used to love the games back in the old days when GTA: Vice City was top stuff, but these days, I’ve kinda chilled out and will likely pick it up eventually when someone else is getting bored of it ( if ever.) I want to play through Dark Souls some more and get further into the game, as I’ve hardly had time to play around with it with all of my game programming classwork piling up on the burner – and coming close to lighting me on fire.

Zac Davis – Associate Editor

What were you playing in September?

In September, I mainly played Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The new updates that include gun skins and new maps for competitive mode are great, and show that Valve won’t be giving up on the game anytime soon. I also picked up FIFA 14, and played that for quite a bit, although it came out late in the month.

What’s up for October?

For October, I plan on playing a lot more FIFA 14 as well as going back and finishing The Last of Us. I became busy in the summer with my internship, so I didn’t finish it. The new DLC announcement pleasantly reminded me that I need to. People get close to spoiling The Last of Us for me all the time, so I might as well get it over with. Hopefully I’ll get into Tomb Raider and play a bit more Skyrim this month as well.

Angie Santiago – News/Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

In the beginning of September, I wasn’t playing any game steadily until the release of Grand Theft Auto V (I’ll get to that in a minute). In the beginning of the month, I was spending most of my time playing Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. I’m a huge fan of the Resident Evil series. I was attempting to get through all the sub-story chapters but then my interest started to dwindle; rail shooters can only hold my attention for so long. Not to mention I had quite a few bones to pick with some unfair moments in the game! But I digress. When I wasn’t playing Resident Evil, I was playing Sam & Max: Beyond Time & Space. I had beaten this episodic adventure in its entirety on PC years ago, but my nostalgia caused me to buy it again. Plus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some extra trophies.  I also played Galaga Legions DX for a very short while before the release of Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V released and all these other games are patiently awaiting my return. I am sad to say I’ve joined the conspiracy hunt that is plaguing the internet. I told myself I wouldn’t get too involved but I did!

 

What’s up for October?

In October, I’ll probably still be hunting aliens and other mysteries in GTA V. I might dabble a bit here and there in the freebies that come to PlayStation Plus, preferably Shadow of the Colossus, and Hotline Miami. I pre-ordered Batman: Arkham Origins so once October 25 rolls around, it will be an internal struggle on whether to hunt mysteries on Mount Chiliad or fight to stay alive and hone Batman’s skills. But until Batman releases, I’ll more than likely be switching between GTA V, Shadow of the Colossus, and Hotline Miami. Although I’m sure GTA will hold my attention more than the other two. ALIENS! MYTHS! WHOA!

Brian O’Donnell – SpawnCast/Creative Co-Director

What were you playing in September?

In September, I played a LOT of Madden 25, only to become completely enraged when my friend that I play against ran circles around me. Then, GTA 5 showed up and has continued to suck hours of my life away without me even blinking. Good LORD that game is addictive…

What’s up for October?

In October, I will probably keep playing GTA 5 until I beat it and satisfied with my level of completion. Then I will more than likely play through Arkham City (and maybe Asylum too) to prepare my body for Arkham Origins, coming out at the end of the month. I will also finish playing Fire Emblem Awakening to free up my 3DS for Pokemon X/Y. BRING ON THE GAMES!!!

Mark Hanratty – News/Staff Writer

What were you playing in September?

I spent most of my time anticipating the release of FIFA 14. Before it was released however, I played a bunch of varied games. I hopped on Minecraft on PC after not touching the game in nearly a year. To my surprise, the game’s still as entertaining as ever. I also played a good few FPS’s, such as Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, PayDay 2 and Counter-Strike Source. I started up my Nintendo Wii (yes, the Wii, not the Wii U), which was covered in dust to play Mario Kart Wii, one of my favourite games of all time. Playing online is difficult seeing as I have all four profiles above 9000 VR and 2 on 9999 VR. It was definitely a fun, yet frustrating experience. Since picking up FIFA 14 on release (27 September), I’ve been playing that non-stop. I can already feel myself being becoming addicted to Ultimate Team. However, this will have to change in October as I’m picking GTA V up tomorrow.

What will you play in October?

As I already mentioned, I’ll be picking up GTA V finally. I’m sure this will take up most, if not all of my gaming time in October. I have no plans to rush through the storyline, and even if I do, I’m sure most of my time will be consumed by it. Seeing as Grand Theft Auto Online has just launched as well, I’m sure I’ll be playing it on a regular occasion. Most of my friends, if not all of them, have GTA V, so I’m sure many good times are to be had in the coming weeks. However, I will part myself (or at least attempt to) from GTA V to play FIFA 14. My Ultimate Team is rather average at the moment, and I’m hoping to improve on my team greatly.