Hey Man, well this is Babylon

I’m looking for some out-of-game inspiration for my current Shadowrun game. When I run games, I like to immerse myself in as many related influences as possible, as I’ve found it really helps me keep up the good vibe. So right now, I’m looking for video games and TV shows that fit the feel. Here are a handful that I’ve found so far, and I’d love some other recommendations.

GAMES:

Shadowrun (Sega Genesis): This game got me into the RPG in the first place, way back when. Quite a fantastic and loyal translation of the game rules to video game format. Canon-wise and system-wise, it’s the best official Shadowrun video game I’ve yet to see.

Perfect Dark Zero (XB360): I freakin’ love this game. It fits the feel quite well. The short version: you’re a stealth-hacker action girl who sneaks into places and, essentially, performs a series of shadowrun-like jobs in a near future dystopia. Awesome.

Fear Effect 1 & 2 (Playstation 1): While the gameplay leads to frequent moments of intense puzzle-based hair-pulling frustration, these two gems are what you would get if you removed the magic from Shadowrun and turned it into a damn awesome video game.

Rogue Ops (Playstation2): Similar style of stealth action, this game didn’t get much acclaim or recognition, but is a hell of a lot of fun to play. Again, stealth-action girl going on sneaky missions in the near future

Syphon Filter (Playstation 1, 2, and PSP): A fantastic series of near-future espionage action games, a must-play for any fans of futuristic stealth games.

Deus Ex (PC): Another good stealth-action shooter, this game has hacking, sneaking, shooting, robots, cybernetic implants and more. A fan favorite, it’s too bad the sequels were crap.

SHOWS:

Leverage: This show really captures the essence of the Heist Job. It has humor, drama, action, and intrigue, and never fails to inspire me.

Burn Notice: I haven’t actually watched this yet, but it’s next on my list. I hear it has a lot of the similar themes as Leverage. EDIT: I watched the first three episodes last night, and yeah, this show rocks. It’s basically the adventures of a Face and his two friends. Good stuff!

Smith: Very sadly, this excellent “what happens between the jobs” heist show was canceled after only a handful of episodes, but it had such awesome potential.

FILMS:

Strange Days: This movie just oozes with Shadowrun concepts, including simchip dealers, low-grade extraction runs, armored limo drivers, race wars, and more. One of my favorite flicks of all time.

The Usual Suspects: Crime, paranoia, whodunnit, and lies. Another one of my favorite movies ever.

Sneakers: A truly fantastic digital hacker flick. Lies, spies, and action.

Johnny Mnemonic: While nothing at all like the original cyberpunk short story it is very loosely based on, this is still a great movie to get yourself into the Shadowrun aesthetic. Has hackers, tech-gangs, yakuza assassins, cybernetic data couriers, and more.

Any other suggestions?

I can hear the unwashed thousands of die-hard old-schoolers right now, screaming cries of “blasphemy” and “heresy” at my entitlement of this post – but then again, I doubt any of them actually read this blog, so perhaps I’m just hallucinating. But for a second round of added emphasis, I will repeat: Shadowrun is finally awesome again.

That’s right. I said it. Shut up. Read more

(x-posted from my video gaming blog)

It boggles my mind. Every time I publicly voice my love for Silent Hill: Homecoming above all the others in the series before it, I get jumped by a gaggle of obsessed Silent Hill fanbois who can’t fathom that anyone would love any game more than their beloved Silent Hill 2 – a game which I personally found lacking in a plethora of ways.

Read More!

From now until either the first run of books runs out, or September 30th 2009 (whichever comes first), I’m offering Cannibal Contagion as part of a special package deal. For a grand total of $25, you can get both the print book and the digital PDF, shipped to you anywhere in the world for no shipping cost. This is actually a better deal than what I was initially offering for the print version alone, so get it now while supplies last!

(copied from my video gaming blog)

My roommate (fellow Survival Whore-admin VeiraVX) and I have decided upon our next big nerdly gaming project: a beginning-to-present full-series run through the Silent Hill franchise. We’d planned this a while back, but could never find a copy of the first one that would play on our big screen HDTV. Last night, while playing our second attempt* at the most recent installment in the series, Silent Hill: Homecoming, we decided to try and give the complete run-through a second go.

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