Hades: A Five-Star Odyssey through the Apocalypse

Survivors and gamers, strap in for a review that delves into the realms of both Hades, the critically acclaimed game by Supergiant Games, and the tumultuous landscape of the apocalypse. In this exploration, we’ll unpack how Hades not only deserves its five-star status but also mirrors the challenges and triumphs of surviving in a world turned upside down.

Hades immerses players into the heart of the Underworld, a realm teeming with mythical creatures and divine challenges. Similarly, the apocalypse reshapes our world, and Hades serves as an immersive escapade, offering a welcome diversion from the chaos outside.

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Zagreus, the game’s protagonist, demonstrates unwavering resilience in his quest to escape the Underworld. Similarly, survivors in the apocalypse embody this spirit, facing adversities head-on and persisting against all odds. Hades, much like the apocalypse, teaches us that even in chaos, resilience can be our greatest asset.

The roguelike nature of Hades, where each escape attempt offers unique challenges and surprises, resonates with the unpredictable nature of the apocalypse. Survivors navigate a constantly changing landscape, adapting to new threats and finding innovative solutions, much like Zagreus’ escape attempts.

Hades introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from Greek mythology, each with their own quirks and personalities. In the apocalypse, survivors encounter a diverse array of individuals, forming their own pantheon of characters with unique stories and backgrounds.

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Both scenarios highlight the richness of human connection amid challenging times.

From the Stygian Blade to the Eternal Spear, Hades arms players with a variety of weapons to battle mythical foes. In the apocalypse, survivors similarly repurpose tools and weapons for their own brand of destruction. Hades encourages adaptability, a crucial skill in both the game and post-apocalyptic reality.

Just as Zagreus receives mythical boons from the gods, survivors scavenge for essential resources in the apocalypse. Whether it’s a boon of health from a deity or a cache of supplies found in a desolate city, both Hades and the apocalypse underscore the importance of strategic resource management.

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Zagreus’ relentless pursuit of escape mirrors the overarching theme of survival in the apocalypse. The struggle to break free from the Underworld parallels the perpetual quest for safety and normalcy in a post-apocalyptic world.

The atmospheric soundtrack of Hades, composed by Darren Korb, adds another layer of immersion. In the apocalypse, survivors navigate their own soundscapes, whether it’s the howling wind through abandoned buildings or the distant echoes of other survivors. Both experiences are enriched by the power of sound.

Hades isn’t just a game; it’s a narrative odyssey that resonates with the trials and triumphs of surviving the apocalypse.

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As we navigate both the virtual Underworld and the real challenges of our post-apocalyptic reality, Hades stands as a beacon of entertainment and inspiration. So, fellow survivors and gamers, embrace the escapade, wield your weapons of choice, and remember that even in the darkest of times, the journey is worth every step. Happy gaming and surviving! 🎮

Likely Apocalypses: World Wide Nuclear War

Let’s expand on some of the likely apocalypses we touched on back in our list of likely apocalypses.

First up in the list of likely apocalypses: World Wide Nuclear War

Nuclear war may be inevitable, but we have been lucky so far. However, we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the end of the cold war has made the threat of the nuclear war an irrelevance. In a lot of ways, things are more dangerous than ever. There are two nuclear powers who refuse to play nicely with each other in Pakistan and India, then there is the newly armed and unpredictable North Korean regime, and a belligerent Russia keen to reassert its power to the world. According to analysts, there is a 5% chance that a nuclear war could happen every decade. All it takes is for someone to press the detonation button. A single US stealth bomber can carry 16 B83 nuclear bombs. Each of those bombs can produce 75 times the yield of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and a single Trident submarine can destroy over 40 million people. Continue reading “Likely Apocalypses: World Wide Nuclear War”

Bandits Will be Bandits | The Last of Us

Cowards! The lot of them. Bandits and Highway Men are constantly trying to play on the sympathies of  those of us who don’t lack morals. They did it in The Book of Eli and They’re doing it again in The Last of Us.

Naughty Dog has been slow releasing information and videos about their upcoming post-apocalyptic video game. This time it’s a video!

The cinematic trailer shows a scene from a day in the life of Ellie and Joel… being ambushed by bandits on the road to who-knows-where.

Video description:

Joel and Ellie won’t have an easy road ahead of them. Their path across the US will intersect with other survivors, some of whom won’t be friendly. In this scene set to the somber chords of Hank Williams, Sr., Joel and Ellie continue their journey west in a battered pickup truck. As they drive towards the next destination on their route, and hopefully a place to find critical resources, the pair encounters a group of hunters. What happens next is something you have to witness to understand.

The Last of Us is genre-defining experience blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. Cities are abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Remaining survivors are killing each other for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a young teenage girl who’s braver and wiser beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States.

Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is being made exclusively for the PS3 system.

Video:

[More about The Last of Us]

Review: Bastion (XBLA)

“There’s like a kid who wakes up and everyone’s dead and the world is gone.” That was how my husband described Bastion to me.

“Ew.” Was my response. “That sounds terrible and sad and not like a game at all.”

“I guess I can see that. It is pretty sad… Meh, try it,” he said, handing me the controller.

I settled in and tried it.

Immediately I was sucked into the story of The Kid as narrated by the old man with a voice made for storytelling. The Kid and I had the same questions: What happened? Where’d everyone go? Where’d the world go? For the saddest premise in the world I jumped into Bastion feeling motivated and curious.

The controls were intuitive and the game was forgiving while I acclimated myself to my new surroundings. “The Kid just raged for a while,” The Narrator said, prompting me to move on from smashing all the boxes, objects, and general scenery as is customary in semi-similar action games. I found it easy to defeat my enemies as my ability was scaled proportionally with theirs. As the story unfolded and I learned about The Kid, Caelondia, and The Calamity that got us to the world as it is.  I fought slow moving enemies with slow weapons until I able to choose between brute force and speed. Eventually I was able to upgrade certain aspects of my gameplay using potions from the Liquor Store[1. It was called something more clever but it sold potion upgrades that were named to sound like liquor. eg.: Were Whiskey].

Your goal is to fight your way through The Wilds (levels) and collect Shards  to build up The Bastion, a mysterious situation that is the solution to the Calamity according to the narrator who clearly isn’t telling you the whole story.

The whole story is really what makes the game. While I was playing because it was a game I stuck with it because I wanted to  get to the end of the story– and I was the one who would get there. The Kid falls because I fall and he continues on because I continued on. Somehow Supergiant Games too that evocative part of books and movies and campfire stories and brought it to an action-adventure game.

All parts of the game worked harmoniously from the controls to the story to the design to the music[2. The music is unbearably AMAZING in this game. I normally don’t even notice but there were levels I didn’t want to finish for fear of never hearing the song again.] I was immersed.

I rarely finish games, I know “boo” “hiss,” I just get done playing before the game is done and if there isn’t enough of a story I don’t care if I don’t know how it ends. This game, I needed to know and I enjoyed playing. One of my few grips with Bastion was at one point I realized the forward motion of the story slight over shadowed the fact that it is in fact a video game: Once you complete a level you can’t go back to it. There was a level that I accidentally completed because the finish the level button and the attack button were the same and I happened to be standing by the exit… So i was done, never to complete that level to my satisfaction again until my second play through.

Overall, I would emphatically recommend Bastion as a game, story, or album.

[rating:4.5/5]

Check out some on the beautiful screenshots:

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone

Poor Char. The apocalypse is always hitting Canada and Canadians the hardest. Even in this tongue-in-cheek video game about surviving the apocalypse on a island, Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, Canada gets more than theirs.

PlayStation®Network, Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, casts users as four unlikely heroes who are put to the test when the Zombie Apocalypse hits their small Canadian Island. Banding together for survival, and armed with weapons including guns, chainsaws, and C4-impregnated teddy bears, the heroes must work together to find a way to survive the zombie hordes and get off the island.”

SOURCE

The game basks in the more camp aspects of apocalyptic culture in the way that Army of Darkness or The Evil Dead do.

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone could be a fun, lighthearted survival romp worth trying for 800 Microsoft points or $9.99 on PlayStation Network. Both networks have demos available so you don’t regret your purchase.

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Arming the children

So last week, I talked about post-apocalypse gift ideas for children. Because, you know, Christmas is coming up, and I’m sure everyone has thought about buying gifts at some point in the last couple of weeks. Those who haven’t will think about it sometime soon, but probably not until Christmas Eve, because everybody knows that’s the best day to go Christmas shopping. Particularly at 4:57 p.m., but only if the store closes at 5:00. (Yes, I used to work retail. On Christmas Eve. And Boxing Day.)

Anyway. Torture of salespeople aside, let’s think about gift-giving in the post apocalypse. Well, let’s think about it again.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve given ideas about basic, and hopefully practical, gift ideas. What I haven’t really covered are the really important things. Like weapons (I’m not even going to touch food). I’d say you could give any of the weapons I’ll list here to your children. In fact, if you don’t want your kids to be hauling assault rifles around a post-apocalyptic landscape (I sure as hell don’t), these might be the great alternatives.

Continue reading “Arming the children”

Gifts for the post-apocalypse

I’m not going to comment on the sanity (or lack thereof) of the Black Friday shopping madness, and I might be a relatively new resident of the U.S., but I think it’s pretty safe to say that the holiday shopping season has begun. (Typed as I sit at my computer, switching back and forth between this document and Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday Deals Week page. See? Even my Canadian self isn’t immune to the post-American Thanksgiving shopping hype.)

What does Black Friday have to do with the apocalypse? That is, aside from possibly causing the world to collapse in on itself under the weight of a million rioting shoppers, thus causing the apocalypse? Nothing really, other than the fact that it had me wondering what gift-giving will be like in the post apocalypse.

I’ve seen a few of the gift-giving guides that pop up this time of year, and I thought to myself, “Hmm…there should be one of those for the post-apocalypse survivor!” I mean, at some point in time people are going to start celebrating birthdays, apocalypse survival holidays, the rise of the dictator days, etc. etc. It’s best to be prepared with a list of gift-giving possibilities, right?

Of course, most of these items come from apocalypse survival gear lists, but seriously, they make great gifts, too. Sure, the average survivor will probably have most of these already, but things wear out and break. Other things get lost. Other things will get stolen. So when your favorite people need replacement survival items…it’s gift-giving time! (Of course, I highly suggest stocking up on these items now, while we still have time.)

Continue reading “Gifts for the post-apocalypse”

Obsessed with the End.

On this website we say that we are ‘obsessed with the apocalypse, in all it’s trivial detail’ and I think that’s true. But where does such an obsession start? How does it get it’s claws in someone? How does it turn a sweet- if somewhat strange- child into a paranoid, constantly planning freak?

Continue reading “Obsessed with the End.”