Horror Report

Tag: gaming

  • You can’t play Halloween the game and land down under

    You can’t play Halloween the game and land down under

    The rumors you hear are true: Halloween: The Game, coming out this September, has essentially been banned in two countries — Australia and New Zealand.

    Okay, cue the jokes, because surely you’re thinking the game was banned for the bloody depictions of gore, the endless slashing of Michael Myers, or perhaps just the generally inhuman nature of all those murder scenes.

    Nope.

    Marijuana.

    The official Halloween: The Game account announced that the upcoming video game has been denied classification by the Australian Classification Board. And without a classification, the game cannot legally be sold physically or digitally in Australia … with the decision also keeping it off the market in New Zealand.

    And apparently the problem isn’t Michael Myers stalking people through Haddonfield with a giant knife. The problem is a controlled substance featured in the game … reportedly cannabis, which can actually be used by players as part of the gameplay.

    So apparently Michael Myers can stalk you, slash you and brutally murder you, but heaven forbid somebody lights up a joint while he’s doing it.

    The game is still scheduled to arrive September 8 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, but Halloween fans Down Under are apparently going to be left out of Haddonfield for the time being.

    Which brings us to a much bigger question:

    What does this mean for GTA VI?

    Because if the drug use in Halloween: The Game was enough to run afoul of Australia’s classification rules, the government censors Down Under probably haven’t seen anything yet.

    And suddenly Michael Myers might be the least of their problems.

  • The Nintendo games worth millions!

    The Nintendo games worth millions!

    A box of Nintendo games found in Waukesha, Wisconsin could be worth millions.

    The seller claimed Nintendo sent the games to a metal recovery service to be melted down for gold, but they were never destroyed.

    Jason Ganos with Nintendo Wire described the discovery as “once in a lifetime,” “a very, very big deal” and “something that’s special” in the game collectible community

    Some are in perfect condition, earning the first 10 grades from the Professional Sports Authenticator for a Nintendo Entertainment System game.

    Get ready to bid big ..

  • New HE-MAN game coming to Steam for Masters of the Universe Day

    New HE-MAN game coming to Steam for Masters of the Universe Day

    From the LIMITED RUN press release:

    From Limited Run Games: Eternia is in peril! Skeletor has uncovered the Dragon Pearl of Destruction, and only you can stop him. Take control of He-Man, Teela, and more in this high-octane magic brawler! Available digitally on PC and Consoles on Masters of the Universe Day, April 28! Wishlist now!

    Masters of the Universe Day is celebrated annually on April 28, originally decreed by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in 1987 to promote “The Power Tour” live show. Fans celebrate the franchis e’s legacy of He-Man and Skeletor through social media posts, collection tours, and by shouting “I HAVE THE POWER!”.

    Many fans have continued to celebrate the show and toy line on April 28 since–and with a movie coming out this year the timing of the game seems pretty appropriate..

    He-Man and the Masters of the Universe™: Dragon Pearl of Destruction

    More from press:

    Eternia is in peril! The nefarious Skeletor has uncovered the ancient Dragon Pearl of Destruction, a relic of unspeakable power. With the help of Evil-Lyn, he intends to perform a ritual that will plunge all of Eternia into eternal darkness. Only the Most Powerful Man in the Universe and his heroic allies stand in Skeletor’s way.

    Developed by the retro-specialists at Bitmap Bureau in collaboration with Mattel, this is the 2D arcade brawler fans have been waiting for since the Saturday mornings of their childhood.

    I HAVE THE POWER!

    Take control of He-Man, Man-At-Arms, and Teela in a fast-paced, magic-brawler that blends the crunch of arcade classics with the high-fantasy action of the animated series. Harness character-specific moves, devastating special abilities, and screen-clearing magic to decimate the forces of evil.

    Key Features

    Stunning Retro Revival: Experience Eternia like never before with massive, highly-detailed pixel-art sprites and lush environments that look exactly like the original 1980s cartoon come to life.

    A Legendary Roster: Play as He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela and unlock She-Ra as a playable character in future playthroughs! Each hero features a unique playstyle, from He-Man’s raw power to Teela’s agile staff combat.

    Ride into Battle: It wouldn’t be Masters of the Universe without Battle Cat! Mount He-Man’s fearless feline companion to tear through Skeletor’s minions with tooth and claw.

    12 Action-Packed Stages: Battle your way across the diverse landscapes of Eternia, from the Royal Palace and the Vine Jungle to the dark corridors of Snake Mountain.

    Classic Co-op Action: Team up with a friend in 2-player local co-op to deliver double the justice. Perfect for those who grew up playing side-by-side at the arcade.

    Deep-Cut Villains: Square off against iconic foes including Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, and Trap Jaw, along with deep-lore appearances like the dark sorceress Shokoti and the Shadow Beasts.

  • The great Nintendo phone number

    The great Nintendo phone number

    Picture it: Christmas 1990. You’re sitting there playing Zelda, and you just can’t figure out what to do next. You’re stuck, it’s ruining Christmas, your family’s angry, you’re angry, and you don’t want to throw the controller at the TV. What do you do? Well, this is 1990. We didn’t have Google, we didn’t have AI, we only had the word of mouth of others. And in this case, your friend circle has no idea what you should do next.


    Who are you going to call? You’re going to call the Nintendo phone number helpline.

    Yes, there was a Nintendo helpline where you, as a gamer, could call up and not speak to a computer, but actually talk to a real person. You’d describe the scene you were in, the level you were stuck on, and that person.. who might literally be playing Nintendo games while on the line.. would give you the advice you needed.

    It was a gamer’s lifeline, giving you the peace of mind and the strength to persevere.


    Talk about an amazing snapshot in time, right? I think back to it and realize that as a kid, I learned to find secrets or figure out glitches in games through pure perseverance or maybe a tip from another kid at school. There was no internet walkthrough; you either figured it out yourself or called someone who could walk you through it like a gaming therapist. And that was part of the challenge and the fun.


    You know, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: if I ever end up with Alzheimer’s and find myself in a nursing home, I want someone to bring me a Nintendo. Because no matter what happens to my brain, I guarantee I can still beat Mario 3.

  • Call of Duty creator dead in Ferrari crash

    Call of Duty creator dead in Ferrari crash

    MORE…

    “Call of Duty” video game creator Vincent Zampella reportedly died in a car wreck on a mountainous stretch of highway near Los Angeles this weekend..

    The California Highway Patrol says the single-car crash was reported around 12:45 PM Sunday afternoon near mile marker 62 on the Angeles Crest Highway in Altadena.

    Two people were involved in the crash, according to the CHP, with one of the victims pronounced dead at the scene. NBC Los Angeles reports that person was Vincent.

  • Politics and pop culture collide again as Halo memes being used for recruitment

    Politics and pop culture collide again as Halo memes being used for recruitment



    📣 When the White House Borrows from Halo: A Recruitment Gambit That’s Both Brilliant and Unnerving

    So here’s a wild one for you. Imagine this: the powers that be in the White House, or at least whoever’s running their social media playbook , decide to roll out a recruitment campaign for ICE and Homeland Security. And what do they use to get people’s attention? An image straight out of Halo…the Flood, that creepy parasitic alien menace.

    Now, let’s break this down a bit, because there’s a lot going on here. On one level, it’s actually a pretty clever piece of marketing if you think about who they’re targeting. They’re obviously aiming at a certain demographic.. people who grew up on Halo, who understand the reference, and who might feel a little secret thrill of recognition. It’s like a hidden message just for them: “Hey, you know what the Flood is? Then you get what we’re talking about.”

    But on the flip side, and this is where it gets shaky, it’s also a little unnerving. They’re turning a fictional alien invasion that consumes everything in its path into a metaphor for real human beings. And let’s be honest, it’s not exactly a flattering metaphor. It kind of puts a militarized target on people, and that’s where it gets ethically murky.

    It also tells you a lot about the Trump-era approach to media and marketing. They took what Obama did with social media back in 2008 and cranked it up to eleven. They know how to dominate the internet game and how to get attention.. good press, bad press, it all keeps them in the spotlight. And this is just another example of that: using a piece of pop culture that resonates with a certain group to send a message that only they’ll fully get.

    In the end, it’s a fascinating, if kind of eyebrow-raising, tactic. It shows just how much of a double-edged sword this kind of marketing can be both effective and a little unsettling. And hey, maybe that’s the point. It’s 2025, and this is just another chapter in the ongoing saga of how politics and pop culture keep colliding in the wildest ways.

  • Halo to the Chief

    Halo to the Chief


    The White House just posted an AI-generated image of Donald Trump as Master Chief — the armored hero from Halo — standing before the White House with the caption “Power to the Players.”

    It’s officially on the White House social media feeds And eagle-eyed viewers noticed something else: the flag behind him is missing ten stars. Forty instead of fifty. A small maybe?

    Because here’s the real-world plot twist,  the same week that picture dropped, tariffs tied to Trump’s trade policies sent console prices climbing. Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, all hit. The “power to the players” message rings a bit hollow when many of those players are suddenly priced out of the game.

    What used to be an ongoing console war between gaming giants has now become something bigger: a war over affordability. A digital divide wrapped in a meme.





    Now, the White House is sharing AI fan-fiction of the Commander-in-Chief while gamers struggle to afford the very consoles that image celebrates.

    What a weird time to be alive ..

  • A new Halloween game coming out in 2026 looks incredible

    A new Halloween game coming out in 2026 looks incredible

    Now this looks like an amazing game coming out next year.

    The world premiere trailer has revealed Halloween: The Game—an immersive, stealth-based horror title based on John Carpenter’s 1978 classic. The game is set to release in 2026 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

    Of course, the internet wasted no time weighing in. Some critics are already dismissing it as just another horror title recycled from familiar mechanics seen in other games. But for Halloween fans? That hardly matters. This could finally be the Halloween game we’ve all been waiting for.

    We do have one small criticism, though. Michael Myers doesn’t look like the infamous William Shatner mask. Instead… he looks a little too much like Spock from Star Trek.

  • The death of a really awesome game: JASON gets a permanent shutdown

    The death of a really awesome game: JASON gets a permanent shutdown

    Just as we put the Christmas tree down, we wanted to play FRIDAY THE 13th on Playstation.. and we realized we were living under a rock and forgot we missed the chance.

    The game is dead…

    It died December 31, 2024.

    Friday the 13th: The Game has just ended online service..

    While Friday the 13th was removed from storefronts in 2023, players who already owned the game had access to it through the very end of New Year’s Eve 2024. They used New Years eve to play their last rounds in tight bikinis while Jason searched for them in the woods of Camp Crystal Lake.

    The game was mostly fun–besides the weird lags or game play errors. For the most part, it was a great game to play and it will be missed by the loyal fans who still had it.

    The game succeeded in collecting a dedicated fanbase upon its release in 2017, but franchise creator Victor Miller’s legal battle over copyright first killed its ability to release new content, then Friday the 13th closed its servers in 2020, enabling only peer-to-peer matchmaking.

    And now we have the game’s permanent shutdown on December 31, 2024..

    Here is some game play from when the game was released years ago.


    So the Playstation of Jason is gone, We will still always have the Nintendo version.

  • PVZ at 15

    PVZ at 15

    This is a little bit hard to believe, but when we took notice of the Facebook profile change on the official Plants versus Zombies page today, we realized just how old we are and maybe you’ll feel old too.

    There’s not a child alive or a parent of a child. Or older gamer, 2 who has not heard of PVZ ..Or played it.. Or both.

    The game has been around longer than some children who play It have been alive. It has a nostalgic presence for this generation, somewhat like Super Mario brothers, did for the 1980s crowd.

    Plants vs. Zombies was first released by PopCap Games in 2009 as a tower defense game where players use a variety of plants to defend their homes from waves of zombies.

    The game was initially available on PC and Mac but quickly gained popularity, leading to its release on various platforms, including smartphones, gaming consoles, and handheld devices. Its quirky, colorful graphics and simple yet strategic gameplay made it a hit with both casual and more dedicated gamers. The game’s design, which was created by George Fan, combined humor and creativity, making it a fresh take for its time..

    Following its success, Plants vs. Zombies expanded to mobile platforms, becoming one of the most downloaded games on iOS and Android devices. It was also ported to major gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo platforms, where it retained its appeal due to its adaptability to different control schemes. The game eventually spawned a franchise, including sequels like Plants vs. Zombies 2, as well as spinoff games like Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, which introduced third-person shooter elements.

    So download the app.. relaunch the app. Or log on today to celebrate.

    15 happy birthday to all the plants and zombies who still verse each other somewhere out there. In cyberspace, handheld devices or a gaming platform near you.