Database Maintenance

As I am sure the regulars of this site are aware, I am way, way behind on my database maintenance. Part of the reason is that adding new games to the list is always controversial, and another part of the reason has to do with the crazy busy schedule I’ve had lately. But the biggest reason is that adding games to the database takes time. I need to dig up a lot of information about each game before I can add it, and it is not uncommon for the process to take several hours.

Recently, fourms member SyberiaWinx wrote me to complain about my failure to add Ronin Blade (aka Soul of the Samurai) to the database. She was kind enough to supply all the information I need to actually add the game, making the process much, much easier on me (though I still need to see more information about this game before I’m convinced it’s horror, but that’s another issue altogether).

So maybe instead of waiting around for me to get my ass in gear and update the database, you guys can help me out. Below I’ve listed a bunch of games that I know are missing from the database, as well as the information I need to be able to add each game. If you have some free time and want to expedite the game-adding process, it would be super helpful if you could dig up this information and post it here. It will cut down my time-to-add time by close to 90%.

Here’s the info I need before I can add a game to the database:

  • The name of the title in all regions that it was released
  • The release date in North America. If it didn’t come out in North America, the release date in its country of origin.
  • The regions (America, Japan, Europe) that the game was released in.
  • The systems (PC, PS2, Xbox360, etc) that the game was released on.
  • The average score of at least 10 reviews. You can use GameFaqs or MetaCritic as long as they have > 10 reviews, but if those sites do not list the game or do not contain enough reviews, you need to track down more. The world score isn’t useful unless there are a minimum of 10 reviews computed in the average. GameFaqs user reviews are unreliable and should only be used as a last resort. Please post links to the reviews you used to calculate the average. Please calculate the actual decimal average of the reviews as X/100.
  • Links to at least five screen shots, ideally at 640×448 resolution or larger for PS1 and PS2 games. Ideally showing game play and not menus or cut scenes. Ideally with no other review site’s water mark (IGN, etc) on the image.
  • The name of the developer.
  • Any official web sites that may exist.

Here are the games that I know I am missing. Feel free to suggest other games or tell me that some of the items in this list are wrong. Please review the inclusion requirements before posting.

  • F.E.A.R. (added!)
  • Twilight Syndrome Saikai (and perhaps the rest of the Twilight Syndrome series–need more info)
  • Soul of the Samurai (if it is indeed a horror game)
  • The Darkness (added!)
  • Gakkou no Kaidan G (maybe; can’t find any info about this game) (discarded!)
  • Silent Hill 5 (added!)
  • Dino Crisis (1, and maybe 2) (Added!)
  • Obscure 2 (added!)
  • Escape from Bug Island (begrudgingly) (added!)
  • Condemned 2 (I guess? Is this series really about horror?) (added!)
  • Vampire Rain (maybe? if it’s more than a brawler/shooter with vampires, I’m game)
  • Harker (maybe? again, don’t know enough about it)
  • Alan Wake (looks awesome, but is it horror?)

(Thanks to various forum members for helping to compile this list)

So, what do you think? If you think one of these games, or even some other game that I don’t have listed here is quest-worthy, and if you have some spare time on your hands, it would be pretty awesome if you could help me track the requisite information down.

19 thoughts on “Database Maintenance

  1. Gakkou no Kaidan G- scary stories in school?
    It sounds like the 1995 Sega Saturn cartoon,text
    explorer I donated to Endaso. Maybe he had more
    luck with it than I did. I couldn’t even get
    the navigation to work.

    PS- I’m not a robot but I play one at work : )

  2. This game is whacky zombie-slash-em-up.
    It belongs in the same near miss pile with
    Evil Dead games. It does have some charm.

  3. 16bitman, you have actually played Gakkou no Kaidan G (yeah, “Scary School Stories G”)? And it’s a text adventure? Rock, that means I can cross it off the list and forget it ever existed.

    Zombie slash-em-up, huh? No intent to scare? Another one bites the dust!

    Rocking, thanks for the info!

  4. Well I tried to play it. Judging by the intro
    it is based on a kid’s cartoon.
    The most fear I got was hammering controller
    buttons trying to get out of the school yard
    and into the darn school.

    Twilight S Saikai is a bit texty but it tries to
    scare and it deserves some proper coverage. I liked the exploration and photography systems too.

    I’m glad you scored 7 Mansions for Dreamcast.
    I look forward to the review. Later.

  5. Other titles: None that I could find
    North American Release Date: 1999 (PlayStation)
    Regions: Japan, North America, Europe
    Systems: PlayStation, PC, Dreamcast
    Average Score: 81%
    Most of the reviews I found are for the PlayStation version, so I’ll just list those:
    http://psx.ign.com/articles/161/161235p1.html
    http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/dinocrisis/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review
    http://www.gamerswanted.com/PSX/812/reviews/211/
    http://www.totalvideogames.com/articles/Dino_Crisis_84.htm
    http://www.psxextreme.com/ps1-reviews/11.html
    http://thunderboltgames.com/reviews/viewreview/472
    http://www.digitpress.com/reviews/dinocrisis_ps.htm
    http://www.gamekult.com/tout/jeux/fiches/J000000380_test.html
    http://ps.vgf.com/reviews/dino/index.htm
    http://www.gamecritics.com/review/dinocrisis/main.php
    Screenshots: These are the only screenshots I could find without watermarks, but they’re a bit small: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/g/dreamcast/dino_crisis/images.php#screenshots
    Developer: Capcom Production Studio 4
    Official Website: The U.S. site is dead, but here’s the link anyway: http://www.capcom.com/dino_crisis/
    Japanese Site: http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/dino/index.html

    Hope this helps! 🙂

  6. I’m telling you, it is Resident Evil with an Asian twist. It is every bit as scary as that game was, which was a bit of a challenge back then.

  7. The problem is that I’m not looking for games that play like Resident Evil, I’m looking for games that have a similar design focus on scaring the player. Resident Evil isn’t just about killing zombies–there are tons of games about that. It’s sound design, map design, item placement, enemy placement, general progression system, character design, and dramatic camera placement are all purposefully designed to unsettle the player. There are lots of games that lifted Resident Evil’s game mechanics, but there are very, very few that also emulated its approach to scaring the player. Per my inclusion requirements, I’m interested in games that are specifically designed to scare.

    I am not writing off Soul of the Samurai quite yet, but I have conflicting information. A “zombie slash-em-up” is not appropriate for this site (I have omitted Capcom’s own Onimusha series for that reason). However, if the game is designed with the intent to scare the player, it’s something that I am interested in. I need to see the game in action before I can make a decision, or more people need to weigh in with their opinion.

  8. i dont know how the sequel will be, but Condemned was definitely about horror, and excellent at it too. i cant imagine the sequel would be any less.

    erm, and sorry for not being too constructive otherwise. if i dont forget, i might try fishing around for some info about those other games a little later.

  9. 16bitman sent me Gakko no Kaidan G? It must’ve gotten lost in the mail, because I never received it. I despair. D:

    Also, Vampire Rain? From what I’ve seen and experienced, essentially Splinter Cell with vampires. Nothing all that special in terms of horror content, really.

  10. I was including those factors when I said it. It is not a “whacky zombie slash-em-up”. It’s a bit more actiony that RE, but that’s only because your weapons are limited mainly to swords, so you can’t really get too many different ones.

  11. is there a character limit for posts here? i tried to put up info for F.E.A.R., but, after i put the “survival horror” in the box and then clicked the post button, seems not to have come up (and it took a while, too, boo =( )

  12. > feighnt

    Crap, sorry about that. I had my anti-spam filter set to “vaporize,” and it probably mistook your post for spam. I’ve turned it way down now so it should be good to go. Sorry about that.

    > Katie

    Sure, like I said, I’ll give the game a fair shake. I just don’t have enough information right now.

  13. Hi Endaso- it was a while ago.
    I think it would have arrive Gundam
    Gaiden SS2 and some other strange stuff.
    The ghost girl in front of the school?
    The Capcom logo?
    Maybe I’m losing it…
    I know I mailed it somewhere! Maybe Michael
    in Germany got it with that Yuyami and friends
    trade away I did on the forums.
    If you didn’t get it you aren’t missing much.
    It was Meh minus x 10!

  14. A-ha, Scary Stories at School did go to
    Germany in 2005. I’ve been here 2-3 years?

    Sorry about that. At least I got you
    Hellnight’ed.

  15. Nope not horror, thank RE 4, but with no intent to scare, you can slash at the dinos with a taser like weapon or a sword which is pretty cool. The dinos respawn when you leave the screen and the camera view changes. They made it non scary and different from Resident evil, because fans complained that the first dino crisis was just resident evil with dinos, which is true. Anyway, Dino Crisis is an action game, not horror. I’m sorry to say, cause it is great.

  16. True. I’ll gladly take a Hellnight over Gakko no Kaidan any day. I hope Sonic Adventure has treated you well?

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