When the witching hour approaches, it is appropriate to slip into something a little more…horrifyingly gruesome for the occasion.


October always gets me all kinds of hot and bothered…

Yesterday was more of a pop-in, just a little hi hello in a moment of respite, after a tremendous amount of energy expended on what ended up being “Silksong September”, with weeks on end of gameplay and articles galore on the long time coming Hollow Knight sequel. Seems like most enjoyed it, despite the difficulty. I was absolutely floored by how many engaging articles the game inspired, which I wouldn’t have been able to fathom for a single second would have occurred, even just the day before launch; my gaze and attention aimlessly groping about in a listless sense of what seemed like the forever far off and oh so distant Spooptober that thrills me so thoroughly.

Well, that month is finally here, and I’m gearing up to do some survival horror perusal, per my usual. Since last year saw me take a trip back to Raccoon City, I’m planning on an extended stay in Silent Hill, with finally getting down on the remake of the second game on the PS5, which I will be starting in the relatively near future. Plenty of days in Spooptober of course, and as excellent as SH 2 is, and the remake seems to occupy the same head space going by fan fervor, it still remains a mostly bite sized game, so I reckon I will have plenty of time to get to at least one more scare-fest before the month is through.

I of course still have an inside horse in the fight of other spooktacular games, and though I am likely not to return to Raccoon City this year, I’m still invested in the eventual release of Resident Evil 9, which has been on my radar for some time. I think I’ve managed to somehow dodge writing about it since June(?), putting off the affair for some random reason or another. Madness, really, due to a myriad of obvious reasons, not in the least of which once upon a yonder, the Resident Evil series use to be on my gaming Mount Rushmore, alongside Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and Zelda. I still greatly enjoy all of those series, though I do not make a regularity of writing about them, with even my biggest preference, that of Zelda, only getting some love last year with the launch of Echoes of Wisdom, a game I’ve sadly not even beaten yet.

Which stands out as queer to me, but I’m simply not the kind of committed gamer I use to be, at least not in the traditional sense. I’ve always kind of railed against the barbaric pitfalls of foolishly misguided fanaticism that plague so many nerd fandoms, and there are plenty of good reasons as to why. I am built differently if nothing else, so games grab me in ways others may be shocked or horrified to grapple with, even titles that are of a decent quality, and from series I enjoy mind you, which don’t always ensnare me till the end these days. It is hard to distinguish emphatically speaking, whether or not the only games that are able to push me over the edge, challenge me with extreme prejudiced, and absolutely squeeze the energy out of me in regards to difficulty are truly the only games that keep me playing till the end these days, but there is plenty of evidence to indicate as much. To that point, even something like Necrodancer, a game I beat thoroughly after months of struggle, I wouldn’t even classify as a top pick from me. Same goes for Elden Ring, and I even went out of my way to get the platinum trophy, after finishing the DLC and with over a year of playing under my belt. Go figure.

I think there is some kind of gate keeping bullshit standard involved with breaking down whether or not I’m a “true fan” or a “real gamer” of course, so this is certainly not some kind of weird diatribe to distract from such bizarre ideas. I don’t give a shit what others may think of me in either regard, and it’s those kinds of purity tests that are at best time wasters, and at worst the divisive kind of dick measuring competition only fit for methed out gooner psychopaths that hang out in basements cranking it to Power Rangers porn all the live long fucking day, so miss me with that bullshit.

Switching tracks entirely, and in an effort to keep this somewhat topical, having watched the Resident Evil 9 demo they had at the Tokyo Game Show, I’d say it’s safe for everyone to be overwhelmingly excited for the eventual release of the game, rumors of a Mr.Scott Kennedy being present in the final product or not with standing. For such a short gameplay section of less than twenty minutes, they were really hitting all of the series beats from multiple games that people must have been keen to see: backtracking, monster stalking, door fumblings, both first person and third person modes for which either RE7 fans and RE4 fans could delight in. The oscillation of perspectives servicing the machinations of so many…simply divine.

Admittedly, I’m not totally caught up with the series, and I have serious doubts I will be by the time RE9 comes out February 2026, but these days, anytime I find to play games is a saving grace, complete franchise exposure is a young man’s game. I sit now in my experienced and wizened years enjoying every moment, having the wisdom to appreciate what is here by contrasting what is not, and rest comfortably with the presence of mind involved there after.

~Pashford