MyNameIsAtticus

Today's game is a modded Minecraft server. After months of trial and error (and maybe just a little procrastination), I finally got it set up. This thing has Ice and Fire, ICBMs to deal with Ice and Fire, Create, Thermal Dynamics, TWO Space Mods (Mostly because I accidentally added a second one and I can't figure out which mods are the space mods), and a ton more. It's a bit of a kitchen sink modpack, but it's mostly for me and my friends to play on. So as long as everyone is having fun, then that's okay.

The ice pillar in the screenshot is where I spawned. Nearby, there were 3 ice and fire dragons, so I immediately had to book it after they saw me. After a while of running, I came across an abandoned mine colony village taken over by a dragon I nicknamed Smaug, as it seemed appropriate for him having taken over a city. Unfortunately for Smaug, he was stuck in a rock, and I had the ability for ice and fire dragons to destroy blocks turned off. (Coming home to find your base demolished by a dragon you didn't know was there can turn out to be not fun.)

After a while, I came across an Ice Tower (major upgrade from the Ice Pillar) and decided to build my home there. We have large biomes on because we have Create Steam and Rails on here and thought it would be fun to do our own little nation thing to encourage us all to set up rail systems and collaborate on things for fun. (Mine colonies and Minecraft Comes Alive will help sell the "nation" part.)

After a few hours of mining, I ended up starting to build a café terrace thing on the top of a mountain. I got the terrace part done, but the café will come later.

I also got a Cobblestone generator with a Water Wheel Setup, so I'm leaving it running while I sleep. Here's the little hole I made to AFK in while letting it run:

Some more of Silent Hill 2's New Game+. Just a disclaimer, but some of these screenshots I messed with the light levels of because they were too dark to see anything (such as the main one). Personally, to me, the presentation of the screenshot is just as important as the screenshot is itself. But just a heads up that some of these are not how they'd look in-game (though I try to avoid it unless I feel it's necessary).

This one I took during the first encounter of Pyramid Head. I no-clipped onto the other side of the bars and took it. I also got a second shot I liked from the other side of the bars. I did it from a distance as I felt it added a menacing vibe to it, like he was watching from a distance, but I think I overdid it from too far as I feel you have to squint to really see it and I think I did the light levels wrong so it didn't really help it's visibility. I think I made the colors too vibrant on accident too so it really killed the gloomy atmosphere.

There was also this screenshot I took of the balcony in the apartment complex. I like the way the fog melts with the shadows under the other balconies.

I wanted to also mention how cathartic the chainsaw is to use. After being terrorized by the enemies for the entire game, it's amusing to basically have James be mowing them down in one strike lol. I think he's become the horror villain. I also am doing a Melee and Radioless run for those sweet, sweet achievements. Honestly, with the chainsaw, I'm not too worried about Melee only, but with the Radio off, I honestly feel like it's become easier to fight enemies than with. I can usually pick up on their sounds unique before they see me, so instead of just static, I can hear them instead.

I started Silent Hill 2's New Game+ today. I plan since i now know how everything will go it should be much quicker. I think this time i want to go for the rebirth ending. I also found out the Photo Mode mod exists which has made my day. I intend to use this to take way better screenshots. Here's one of the Backseat of James' car. If anyone has seen discussions on other people using a free cam mode lately then you know what's under the blanket. Apparently the outline filter makes it even more obvious.

I also got to explore some more of my favorite with the mod: Landscape shots. Here's one i took of the road to Silent Hill:

I also took this shot of the house right after the first encounter. The way the lighting works on it is really pretty, though the shutters were tweaking out on my end:

And then finally i tried to recreate one of the glimpses of the past using the Camera Mode for fun. I have very vivid memories of this one specifically from the OG because i struggled with it at first (and it also scared the piss out of me). It's still one of my favorite memories of the original game though.

Today i finished Silent Hill 2. I think i enjoyed this one more than the original. It's one of those games where after beating it you're left with this sort of hole because you know you'll never get to experience something like it again, which i think is highly impressive for a remake. And with the way the ending was done I would be lying if the ending didn't nearly make me cry.

The ending bossfight was weirdly beautiful with the lighting and the moths. It was oddly pretty despite Mary chasing me down.

I also really appreciated the other world leading up to it. There's no enemies (at least that are hostile), so it makes it creepier. I feel like the lack of all the rotten bits that the other areas had makes it far more impactful to me. Instead you're just traveling the burnt out husk.

Then there's the ambient story telling, such as in the hotel one of the fire hoses being dragged out of it's container, showing where they tried to fight the fire. There was also a few fire extinguishers lying around.

Then the room where you play the tape was so pretty too. It's amazing how such a terrifying game can be so gorgeous.

I'm excited to start the New Game+ tomorrow, I'm hoping to clear it fast and also get all of the endings I'm missing.

I'm close to finishing Silent Hill 2 today. The game nearly gave me a heart attack though. Not because of the game itself, but because i guess at some point my storage filled up and it wasn't writing save files correctly, so whenever James would load in he'd just spawn in a black Abyss.

Luckily some guy online had a save file right where i left off in the Labyrinth. So thankfully i didn't miss much, idk what ending i'll get though so that will be something to look forward too.

Going through the Otherworld town kept making me want to play Alan Wake II again (I might have a slight addiction). The rain and the city streets reminded me of Alan's Chapter, and then the Phone booth reminded me of how that was used in the story too:

Overall i'm really enjoying my time with this game. I'm hoping to 100% it so i can put it on my display case on my Steam profile right next to Fallout New Vegas and Alan Wake I.

Today's game is Silent Hill 2. I made my way through the Hospital (I had to call it a bit short though due to being in handheld mode on my Steam Deck and the battery going fast). I wanted to try something a bit different today with the screenshot, so i observed Mary's letter and zoomed in, seeing if i could get a item shot with the angle. I think it came out decent, the lack of control really though makes it feel kind of cheap. still, i think it's pretty and really showcase's how gorgeous this game is.

I also got the shotgun, which made dealing with enemies a whole lot easier. Now instead of loading 4 pistol rounds into an enemies leg, i pop them in the knee with the shotgun and thwack them with Jame's trusty metal pipe. It has definitely made my life a lot easier, though i try to save rounds for the bosses, so lying figures and mannequins i try to melee when i can.

I also got this screenshot of the main wing of the hospital, which i thought showcased the game's pretty atmosphere. Besides just giving me Batman Arkham Asylum vibes, the lighting is so well done that i feel like there's always going to be something hiding right in a corner, like that dark hallway in the screenshot. I few times i jumped because i thought i heard a Nurse, only for it to turn out to be a random background noise.

I'm wanting to do the New Game+ for this too. Seeing as how i have to get both the speedrunning achievement for Uncharted 4 and the speedrunning achievement for this game, i think I'll probably do a brief intermission of popping on over to Uncharted 4, beating that in under 6 hours, and then trying to beat Silent Hill 2 in under 10 hours (assuming i don't get it automatically in my first run, i am already at 7 so idk)

I beat the first section of Silent Hill 2 today. I got to the next one too, but put it on hold for tomorrow, mainly because it was late. This whole section had me on edge just due to the ambience. And the sounds that play kept making me think Pyramid Head was right around the corner and i was going to have to run from him. I'm also in love with the rust everywhere, it makes it even scarier and gives it an industrial feel. I think that industrial feel is part of what makes it unsettling, because my brain is going "this is a domestic environment, but why does it look like a factory?".

It's such as shame this game doesn't have a Photo Mode because there's so many good shots obstructed by James taking up like 30% of the screen. Especially landscape shots, they would be amazing if i could get a proper lens control on it.

Here's a bonus screenshot i took of James up on the stage. I love the attention to detail with this because they could just as well had Maria not say anything:

Further on the attention to detail, in the Motel Maria can hold up her outfit from the original game and ask James if he thinks it suits her. it's a nod i thought was cool.

I continued Silent Hill 2 today. The game is Terrifying. I ran into the Mannequins for the first time and i don't know what it is but they unsettle me the most, and it doesn't help i suck at fighting them.

On top of that there's a section where the Pyramid Head Thing is watching you through some bars. He left at some point and when i came back it had me on edge for the next hour. This game manages to play all it's cards perfectly, i love it.

This game manages to look really pretty too. i feel like so much care and attention was put into every part of it, like the paint peeling on the walls looks so well done. The only thing that's taken me out of it is Jame's hair being kind of Bright, but 1) I think that's a graphics issue with my Steam Deck and 2) Switching from FSR 1.0 and TSR fixed it for the most part.

I think this game is going to be very light on Screenshots for posts too. Mostly because i want to avoid Spoilers for others with the game's "newer" state and also because the game lacks a dedicated photo mode so most shots just come out as "over James' shoulder" shots.

Today's game is Silent Hill 2 Remake. I've been wanting to play this for a long time ever since i heard it was getting a remake. I was a bit worried about how it would perform on my Steam Deck, but everything seems to be going well. I haven't checked any average FPS but i have it capped at 30 and i am using FSR on balanced at 1600x900. There's some minor but noticeable stuttering, but at least up until the town it runs well. I want to spend this post more talking about the game itself, so i'm going to keep the screenshots light for this one.

The whole game looks pretty and is both fun and terrifying. Recent years must be a golden age for Horror Games or something because first Alan Wake II and then this (and from what i hear the RE4 remake is up there too). It's also funny to me that all these 2 game franchises involve a plot of a run of the mill Middle Aged Guy looking for their Wife (or at least Alan Wake I Alan).

I also i find this game amazing because, as someone who grew up in a Small American Town like this, they perfectly captured the feel of one. The way the streets are, the way the Street Lights are, the creepy alleys between houses. It all eerily reminds me of home. Silent Hill is a bit upper class then where i grew up, but it still strikes those chords uncomfortably well.

Specifically this shot:

And this shot:

Show what i mean.

On top of the town itself, the game manages to scare me really well. The fog leaves me on the edge of my seat, and the lying figures that crawl around terrify me. Something about them just really bothers me.

Other than starting Silent Hill 2, i also finished my crushing difficulty run of Uncharted 4. It was Brutal. The final boss could basically one shot me most of the time, which made it a challenge of perfectly parrying his attacks. It was a fun challenge to be sure. I wanted to share a few more screenshots from that. I'm not fully done (I need to get a journal entry and 6 more treasures, along with the speedrunning achievement), and plus i'm considering playing The Lost Legacy after SH2. so this may not be the last screenshot from it.

I don't want to draw the post out too long though so i'm just going to leave a few screenshots from that here:

I continued Uncharted 4 today. I'm close to finishing it, I'm at 18/22 chapters. This picture is from the Chapter 16 flashback. I also have this weird bug going after i made a separate save for a encounter based achievement. Now all the my aiming has Lock On Aim on Crushing Difficulty. It's annoying a bit because i went through all the first 17 chapters without it, and now it's on.

I took this screenshot at the end of chapter 15. I saw someone post a similar screenshot in the Steam Community tab and i wanted to try recreating it myself. There's looked a lot better, but i like how this one turned out.

There was also this one in a river. I wanted to share this just so i can have an excuse to reiterate how pretty i think this game's water is. Even after being butchered by FSR it still manages to look pretty, it's really good.

Finally i wanted to share this picture of an "ancient Mesopotamian washer/dryer combo"

In more news, me and my friend finally beat the gravemind level in Halo 2 Legendary Difficulty. It took forever and we had a ton of bugs that kept stopping us, but we did it. I don't really have any screenshots from it, but i wanted to share because jesus that level was ungodly hard and i'm proud i finally finished it.

Today's game is Uncharted 4. I finally beat Chapter 14. It's really tedious on crushing difficulty because it's combat section after combat section. I missed some treasures, but at this point i'll grab them when i go back through later on easy for the speedrun achievement.

Today's Main screenshot is from the courtyard at the end of the section. This area is really pretty to explore with all the foliage and remains of a battle. And there's some really cool world building pieces i noticed too like the skull on the ground.

There was also this screenshot i took of a doorway. I really like the way the lighting plays with the door here, especially the contrast between the dark door and the brighter area behind it.

There was also this mural on the roof somewhere. I'm no art expert, so i don't know if it's a IRL piece, but i thought it was really pretty on the ceiling despite not being able to see much detail. I'm a sucker for murals and paintings in that style so it's cool to see it in the game.

Today's game is Uncharted 4. This was a landscape shot i took, the photo mode doesn't remove sniper lasers though, but that's okay because I'm sure Sniper Lasers are a naturally occurring part of jungles anyways. Today's screenshots are a bit sparse because this season is going to be a bit busy for me.

On top of uncharted, I wanted to get a screenshot from me and my friends Halo 2 Legendary, but me and my friend have been having an issue with the gravemind level. It keeps crashing at a door way. Once we finally got past that we got a network disconnect error and called it quits for today. I did get a screenshot of this trippy globe thing on a Halo 3 map while playing a game with my brother and my friend.

I also took a screenshot of the landscape of the Island in Uncharted 4. The way it generates reminds me of old Minecraft and how you could get villages generating with wacky terrain elevations

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get the Halo 2 level out of the way, but we'll have to see. I have a busy week and I'd also like to get Uncharted out of the way for something I'm excited to get to next.