31 Days of Halloween #22

Phone Guy: Well, if you're listening to this, it looks like you've survived to night five, so congratuations.  But, this is not the time to celebrate.  There is something VERY important that I have to tell y-- *crash* Wh-what was that?  *footsteps* Who's out there?  Oh, God no!   No! *footsteps coming closer* Stay back!  No!  No!  NOOOOOOOOO! *Sounds of screaming and mechanical movement*

Hello?  Hello?  Eesh.  Well, I guess that's the end of that then.  No more phone calls, no more Five Nights at Freddy's posts.  I promised five and here is post five, so I guess I have no reason to go beyond this last post.

Day 22: FNAF Day 5

The brother is a huge fan of Did You Know Gaming's channel on YouTube, and he knows I've been diving into FNAF lore, so when he found that they had done a Five Nights video, he was quick to send it my way.  That being said, this video is a collaboration with another video game channel I really enjoy: Game Theory.  So, if you like this video, check out both Did You Know Gaming and Game Theory to support two awesome channels!

The video included below is just a bit about the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, with some of the background details.  Its less about the lore of the game, and more about the history of the game, so if you're not a huge fan of jump scares and horror stories, this might be more your speed.  Also, if you're like me and you just love the heck out of trivia, then this is also the video for you!

31 Days of Halloween #16

Phone Guy: Hello!  It looks like you've made it to night four.  Good for you.  So, I'm actually supposed to deliver a message for you.  It looks like tonight, instead of spending your fourth day at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria, you're going to be doing a different FNAF-style challenge.  This is One Night at Flumpty's.

Markiplier playing "One Night at Flumpty's"

Day 16: One Night at Flumpty's (FNAF Day 4)

What the heck is a Flumpty?  Or, perhaps a better question is what is that adorable egg and how can I get one?  Well, hold your horses there, bud, since this cute little critter is actually the star of a genuinely creepy and difficult Five Nights at Freddy's clone game.  However, instead of Freddy, Foxy, Chica, and Bonnie, you go up against wonderful characters such as Flumpty Bumpty, Birthday Boy Blam, the Red Man, the Beaver, and The Eyesaur.

They may look cute, but this game is a legit challenge, which I think makes it more interesting and fun!  I'm including some videos here of when Markiplier (Again?  Yes, I know...) played the game for the first time.

Don't let the freaky pictures deter you.  At least watch one or two videos.  This game is legit!  (And if you want to play it yourself, you can check it out by clicking on Day 16 above). 

One Night at Flumpty's 1

One Night at Flumpty's 2

One Night at Flumpty's 2: Hard-Boiled Mode

What do you guys think?  Stay tuned for more creepy posts and one more FNAF entry to come!

31 Days of Halloween #14

So, I know I had intended to do 5 straight days of Five Nights at Freddy's, but once again, I am running low on material.  So, that being said, I will try to pop in the last few days of FNAF in a few days.  So, stay tuned for those later.  For now, however, I would like to return to our regularly scheduled Halloween posts.

I've featured JonTron in Ramblings posts in the past, but today, I would like to do another bit about him.  As a gamer, I love finding other people who also share an open and honest love of video games (not these pretenders who say they're into games for the attention, or those who are majorly pretentious jerks about it.  JonTron is one of the good ones.

I love watching videos that talk about classic games and hidden gems.  I know that I won't be able to play half of the games I watch videos about, but that's okay.  I'd probably suck at them anyway, and I have enough fun watching someone else play for me.  Monster Party is one that I would be willing to give a try.

Day 14: Monster Party

So, I'm not sure exactly what to say about this video.  My general rule of thumb with JonTron is to just sit back and enjoy the ride.  He's kind of all over the place at times, and he comes across as a big goof, but this guy really knows his stuff.  Even if you're not familiar with the game or the console, you can still have a lot of fun watching his stuff.  Jon is one of a kind!

If you like what you see, please let me know in the comments.  I have a couple more JonTron episodes that I would love to share if people were interested :)

And if video games aren't you cup of tea, never fear!  There was a Rankin-Bass movie that came out years ago with a similar title: Mad Monster Party?.  It's a kids' movie where Dr. Frankenstein announces his plans to retire, and gathers together some familiar faces so that he can appoint his successor.  I'm including the trailer for the film below.

 

31 Days of Halloween #13

PHONE GUY: Well, it looks like you've made it to your third day.  Good!  Not many people have made it this far.  So, hang in there!  Today, we have a collection of FNAF videos from different parody groups on Newgrounds.  I hope you enjoy watching these and generally have a good (but somewhat scary) time.

Day 13: Five Nights at Freddy's (Day 3)

Night Guard Mike and Toy Bonnie

First up, we have Five Nights at Freddy's: The Prequel.  This is a silly little animation (that I rather enjoyed) which focuses on the infamous "Freddy Head" from the later games.  (The animatronics are trying to find you and stuff you into a costume, so wearing the Freddy head makes them think you're an animatronic, too).  Unfortunately, this doesn't work for all of them.  Foxy still knows that you're the night guard.

This second one is an original animation that takes some of the reactions and comments from Markiplier and arranges them into a story.  Markiplier has done stuff like this on his own channel, but his videos tend to be a collection of moments, like a "best of" gag reel, while this is an actual story (of sorts).  If you would like a straight up "best of," then I suggest checking out my post for Day 11 here.  Just a heads up.  This video is a lot darker than the first one, so be prepared for a jump in mood here.

And finally, this last one is not a video, but a game.  I'm not sure if any of you actually enjoy dating simulators, but I think they can be fun every once in a while.  Also, this one is a lot easier than most of the ones you can find online, which take up a TON of time and yield little results.  If you've ever wondered what life could be like attempting to woo a murderous robot in a animal suit, now you can!  Try to win the heart of Freddy, Foxy, or a surprisingly adorable Springtrap in this Newgrounds game here.

31 Days of Halloween #11

I'm not a fan of scary games.  Scary movies I can handle because there is a certain element of detachment.  I'm just a viewer.  I'm not in the story.  But, when you play a scary game, you ARE in the story.  You are the one trying to escape the zombie hordes, or the one dodging the stuff of nightmares.

And then we have Five Nights at Freddy's.  I've never played the game myself (I'm too high-strung for that!) but I have fond holiday memories of my younger cousin showing us old-timers how to play it, while we all simultaneously performed the sitting high-jump.

Day 11: Five Nights at Freddy's

I'm sure many of you have already played Five Nights at Freddy's, but for those who haven't, you can read about the game here.  But, the short description is this:  You've been hired to be the night security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza--think a Chuck E. Cheese style place.  All you have to do is hang out at night while the restaurant all night...and make sure the animatronics don't kill you!  While possibly cute during the day (although I doubt it!), at night, Freddy Fazbear and his pals Chica the Chicken, Bonnie the Bunny, and Foxy the...well the Fox wander around the restaurant while you track them on the security cameras.  If they come too close, you can keep them away by closing the doors and turning on the lights.  But, be careful, as this consumes power.  And if the batteries are drained before the night is out, you could find yourself the victim of a grisly murder, just like your predecessor.

The game is full of jump-scares and leaves you feeling on-edge and nervous, since you never know when Freddy or his pals will end up at your door.  There are a series of sequels, too, but I've only ever watched the first one.  Each new game introduces more animatronics for you to hide from, and new perils, as well.  Do you have what it takes to survive Five Nights at Freddy's?

So, in the spirit of the game, I'm including a few related videos, including one of my favorite Rhett and Link music videos.

And while we're at it, here's an animated version of that song.  The main difference here, besides the fact that the one is animated, is that the first features an interview with Markiplier, who does the voice of the man on the phone in the song.  I suggest starting with the first one, and if you liked it, then try the second.

Markiplier is known as "The King of Five Nights at Freddy's...probably for his reaction videos.  Check out this animated video compilation to get a sample.  If you like what you see/hear, check out some of his other videos!

31 Days of Halloween #6

I love stories that turn classic tales on their heads.  For example, one of my favorite horror films is Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.  The plot?  Two hillbillies named Tucker and Dale decide to purchase a rundown cabin in the woods, thinking they can build it into the perfect vacation home where they can go hunting and fishing and generally have a good time.  But, at the same time, there are a group of college students camping in the woods.  They've apparently seen enough horror films to be convinced that all hillbillies are backwoods, cannibal, psycho rednecks, and through a series of horrible misunderstandings, come to believe that Tucker and Dale have not only kidnapped their friend, but that they are also trying to kill them!  Ah, horror/comedy at its finest :3

Day 6: Crashervania

I have been listening to this song quite a bit these past few days.  For those of you who have never heard of Castlevania, I'll try to sum up the plot as simply as I can.  Basically, you play Simon Belmont (or one of his family members) and try to destroy Dracula (because he's evil).

This song is part of a series by Starbomb, a musical group that writes songs based on various videogames, including Minecraft, Pac Man, Legend of Zelda, and Super Smash Brothers.  You can find videos done by tons of artists all over YouTube, but the "official" stuff can be found on Egoraptor's channel (he's one of the singers).

A quick disclaimer: I love Starbomb's music, and the vocals are excellent.  But the content can be very dirty--almost uncomfortably so.  But, this is one of those songs that is just good fun without tons of sex jokes.  Now, there are two versions of the song that I just love.  One includes a more "comic book" style (the artist actually drew a comic for it, and copied it into the video).  I'm including the original comic here for you to check out.

This second version is actually animated.  Simon Belmont looks so goofy and cartoonish in this version, but I really liked it.  Actually, if you like the song, I suggest you check out both versions.

Great Gatsby NES

Now, as an English major, there is nothing I love more than a good book. And apart from books, one of my other great passions is video games. Now, books about video games are fairly common, almost (dare I say it?) a dime a dozen in the teen sections of libraries and bookstores. However, video games about books are a bit rarer, and in my opinion, far more interesting. So, when I stumbled upon The Great Gatsby NES, I was very excited. Now, its a fairly simple game...play as Nick Carraway, jumping around, avoiding waiters, drunks, flappers, and other guests on your way to find Gatsby at his party. (More levels after that, including a boss which I can just not get past!) Still, it's very fun, and an interesting approach to F. Scott Fitzgerald's original idea. I'd recommend checking this out if you've read The Great Gatsby before. If you haven't, you'll either be a bit confused, or there will be some spoilers involved. As it is, I haven't read the book in several years, and remember next to nothing about it....Guess what's going on my summer reading list? :P