phantasmagoria posts

GoG.com continues to add classic PC games from its new publisher Activision to its DRM-free line up. Today the site has added two more entries that come from Activision's library of games previously published by Sierra Online and Vivendi Games One is a collection of three of the terrifically funny Space Quest games. You can download and purchase Space Quest 4, 5 and 6 in one bundle for just $9.99. All three feature janitor turned space hero Roger Wilco in a variety of great point-and-click adventure games.

The other new entry is the 1995 released horror adventure game Phantasmagoria. Created by well known designer Roberta Williams, the very violent game used full motion video and human actors to tell its tale and was considered to be controversial when it was first released. It's also priced at $9.99.

The last truly frightening movie I ever saw was The Blair Witch Project. Regardless of your particular feelings about that film, it scared the living hell out of me far out of proportion to what I'd been expecting when I went in to see it. Bear in mind that I hadn't seen any trailers promoting it, hadn't been exposed to any of the viral Internet marketing associated with its release, and none of my friends had seen it yet. I was going into it completely cold, the week it opened, expecting nothing more than a Friday the 13th Part 4-level jump-at-you scarefest.

I walked out of the theater numb, and was unable to go near a dark wooded area for weeks afterward. Certain sounds from the movie kept replaying themselves in my head, and even watching television shows or commercials that featured shaky hand-held video evoked that perfect dread. Needless to say, it was one of the most effective horror experiences I've ever had.

I have yet to see a video game affect me the same way.