A year ago we previewed and reviewed Dementium: The Ward, a dark and spooky FPS for the DS that ended up being, well, not so great.

Developer Renegade Kid is giving it another shot this year with The Moon, which looks like it not only grafts a sci-fi raygun onto the action, but also lets you get behind the wheel of a Moon Buggy. Sweet!

Let’s just hope they expand the color scheme– Dementium relied a bit too much on black fog, and from the trailer we expect there to be lots of shades of gray. Check out that trailer, right after you click on “read more”.

Moon is expected to come out on November 18, 2058– I mean, 2008.

Source: Pocketgamer

Dementium is a horror title, and I was afraid of a lot of things while playing through this game, unfortunately none of them were intentional. For instance, I was afraid that I would soon suffer from carpal tunnel due to the game’s control scheme. If you’ve ever played a first person shooter on the DS you’ll know exactly what I mean. You have to keep your left thumb on the D-pad while tapping the shoulder button with your middle finger to fire. Hand fatigue sets in faster than those lonely nights playing with your waggle wand.

The controls are frightful, but what had me completely terrified were the graphics. Now, this is purely subjective, and I know the DS can’t put out decent 3d graphics. But that’s just it– the DS can’t put out decent 3d graphics. Why would they shoehorn in a 3d FPS on a console that lends itself more to a stylized art deco?

Like the art direction, the story is another source of mystery for Dementium. Just what the hell is going on? The argument could be made that any good horror story has an element of the unexplained, but the narrative is damn near inexplicable.

On the plus side, Dementium runs at sixty frames per second, which is something you have to see to believe on the DS. The thing runs very smooth. Granted, there isn’t much to render, but the feel of controlling the cursor with the stylus is spot on, and should be shamelessly copied by any other prospective DS developers.

Equally suave are the puzzle elements incorporated into Dementium. Playing a tune on a piano using the touch screen to unlock a key resonates as one of the most intuitive usages of the DS functionality to date.

Renegade Kid’s DS debut was an ambitious one to say the least, and I for one will continue to hold out hope for their next installment. That said, if you’re looking for a survival horror game on par with PSP’s Silent Hill Origins, Dementium: The Ward is not it.

Shrouded in darkness, as black as the sanitarium’s corridors without a flashlight, is the game’s potential. It’s there; it’s just hiding in a gimmicky monster closet along with every other enemy in this game.

What does this score mean? Read our review scoring breakdown here.

Here at Ripten, we’re nothing if not festive. As the weather turns cold and the pumpkins light up, we take a look at some games that are sure to scare the crap out of you this holiday season. Read on… if you dare! Muwahahaha!

Seriously though, we usually try to incorporate content for all types of people, even the faint of heart. But for you scaredy-cats, read no further. Just go back to watching the Discovery channel.

#10 – Bioshock
Get out the candy corn and your plasmids, it’s time for some Big Daddy ass-whoopin! Bioshock swept us off our feet this summer with stunning visuals and a unique blend of gameplay and narrative.

2k Games received overwhelming praise from gamers and critics alike. However, it was never acclaimed as a horror game, even though the narrow corridors of Rapture held more than one claustrophobic, bloody fright.

#9 – Hellgate London
There are few men I trust more than Flagship’s Mr. Bill Roper to deliver a stellar game. Hellgate promises to be nothing less. Featuring fast paced combat, randomized dungeon layouts, and of course, what every Halloween game needs– lots and lots of zombies!

From gloomy cathedrals to ancient ruins, London lends itself very well as a scary backdrop for players to adventure in. After playing the beta for days, we can’t wait to get our hands on the final version of the game. Equally scary as the demons that infest the streets of London is how fast you get addicted to this game.

You won’t want to stop the mayhem, because a rare item might be one kill away. Flagship really nailed the whole carrot on a stick mentality that all of us remember so fondly from Diablo.

#8 – F.E.A.R.
Throw in some supersmart AI, mix in a little bullet-time, and sprinkle in a dash of the supernatural and you get Monolith’s multiplatform shooter FEAR. What more could you ask for? Hell, even the little girl from The Ring is in this game!

Fans of F.E.A.R won’t have to wait long to get there next fix. The game came out on PS3 earlier this year with a new gameplay mode, and the standalone expansion FEAR: Perseus Mandate hits store shelves the 6th of November.

#7 – The Suffering
Enter Abbott State Penitentiary, where Torque has been convicted and sentenced to death for killing his wife and two children. Torque claims that he blacked out when the murder occurred, and has no recollection of what happened (with a name like Torque, it’s a wonder no one believed him).

When an earthquake rocks the Prison, all Hell breaks loose and it’s up to you to get out of there. The Suffering also implements a light/dark side mechanic, prompting you to make moral decisions, the sum of which will determine the ending of the game. The Suffering easily takes the crown as the best psychological horror game we’ve played.

#6 – System Shock 2
System Shock 2 stands in a genre of its own. Fusing FPS mechanics with deep RPG style character development, SS2 doesn’t ram cheap monster closet thrills down your throat. Instead, it gets inside your head just to mess with you.

You wake up in a deserted space ship, the Van Buren, only to find the rest of the crew horribly killed or turned into monsters. Your character uncovers audio logs and bits of the story along the way.

It’s the subtle nature of the terror slowly welling up inside you that makes this game such a success. It’s no wonder Ken Levine has gone on record stating that Bioshock is the spiritual successor to System Shock.

#5 – Doom 3
As far as horror premises go, this one takes the cake. You’re a Mars security guard doing a routine patrol when all of a sudden a portal to Hell opens and everyone around you turns into damn dirty zombies.

Widely known as the game that kicked off the next-gen era, Doom 3 made PC gamers everywhere empty their pockets to beef up their systems. Doom isn’t just pretty– few games can match its level of immersion. Playing it with the lights out at night is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in gaming.

#4 – Alien vs. Predator 2
You can never have enough bug hunts! AvP2 is set on planet LV-426, the same dark, windy world where Aliens took place. Dynamic lighting and strong sound design set this game apart from the rest. You really get the sense that Aliens could be anywhere.

You can play the game through as any of the three species: Alien, Predator, or Human. We recommend you play through the Human campaign first, because the other species don’t seem to chat very often, leaving you hard-pressed to figure out what’s going on.

This game was strong enough to warrant an expansion pack called Primal Hunt which received mixed reviews. As a huge fan of the Aliens movies, AvP2 is one of my personal favorite games of all time.

#3 – Dementium: The Ward
It’s just you, some monsters, and a bonesaw. Even though the DS is not exactly known for its survival horror games, this first-person shooter sets a new standard for handheld dark and scary. There are creepy puzzles with the clues written in blood, skittering bugs that make a freaky chirping sound, and some massively mean bosses out to get you.

Releasing on Halloween, Dementium is a solid offering that tries to cram as much Silent Hill suspense and Doom 3 action into two little screens. Can you hear your heartbeat racing yet?

#2 – Resident Evil (Gamecube)
Resident Evil — Simply put, Resident Evil is the definition of the survival horror genre. Some may argue the original Playstation release of this game should get the recognition, however, which disc would you rather pop in?

We applaud the uniqueness and the effort that the original PSX game put forth. That said, the gorgeous visuals and enhanced gameplay in the Gamecube version make for a far better experience. In addition to the visuals, the enhanced version also features 10 different endings, as well as several new puzzles and plot twists.

RE4 might be a better action game, but RE1 is where the scares are. This is a must-own title for any fan of the horror genre.

#1 – Silent Hill 1 and 2

OK, so we cheated. Two games in the number one slot. But they’re so closely connected that they might as well be some kind of freaky conjoined Jack-O-Lantern.

Silent Hill is as simple a name as one can give to a small American town. Just a simple, sleepy town with the occasional zombie nurse, skinless attack dog, and pyramid-headed monster.

In these games, silence lurks around every corner with a washed-out white color palette. Silent Hill 1 has you playing as a concerned father seeking his lost child, while the sequel is about a distraught husband seeking his dead wife. Both times you make a slow descent into madness as the town seeks to swallow you up.

Silent Hill 2 is the superior game, having improved upon the original in every way. It implemented very original characters while still staying true to the unique vibe of being alone in a desolate and horrifying environment. Gameplay is more focused on exploration and narrative than action.

There is something to be said about the way these games get under your skin. You can’t really pin it down– perhaps it’s the game’s stronger emphasis on character-related drama. In addition to the freaky environments, the story really adds a second layer of horror that few games can match.

When thinking about horror games, the Silent Hill series immediately pops into my head, with SH2 as my all time favorite. When I think about it the answer is simple: subtlety.

Games usually can’t afford to incorporate the same levels of subtlety seen in film and books. From the broken wheelchairs to the plates of food still on the tables, you really get a sense that something terrible happened here, and it happened quickly. The game never directly tells you what happened to the town, which really lets your imagination take over.

So put the disc in, switch the lights off, turn the volume up and get ready for some of the most intense scares gaming has to offer. Just don’t freak out too much when the trick-or-treaters ring the doorbell. Have a happy Halloween!

P.S. If scary stuff isn’t for you then please, be our guest and have a gander at this relaxing nature video…

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Anticipating high demand for the Nintendo DS title, Dementium the Ward, publisher, Gamecock, will be taking pre-orders via the games official website, www.dementium.com. Excerpts from the press release in typical Gamecock fashion below.

“Due to the fact that we believe the consumer demand for Dementium: The Ward on Halloween will outweigh the inventory available at retail that first day, we are accepting pre-orders directly through Gamecock at www.dementium.com. This way, all gamers who have told us they are dying to get their hands on this game for Halloween can be assured of having a copy in their mailbox, hand stuffed by the gang at the CockPit.”

“We would also like to state for the record, that it is wrong to steal your child or younger sibling’s DS. But surely no one can be faulted for borrowing it just for Halloween week.”

If you are looking for the perfect game to play while you rip through bags of candy this Halloween, look no further, this is it.

Ahead in the darkness you can hear the groaning of a chest maw, a zombie-like creature with a gaping mouth in the middle. You can hear your heartbeat quicken as the cockroaches buzzing around your feet take tiny bites out of your health. You rev up the bone saw and charge headfirst into the gore-spattered hallway…

It doesn’t sound like a typical Nintendo DS game, but ever since Metroid Prime Hunters proved that the handheld could power a first person shooter, developer Renegade Kid has made an honest to goodness survival horror game for the DS. Playing as a mysterious stranger who awakens in a bloody and deserted hospital, in Dementium: The Ward you have to solve puzzles, fight monsters, and try to gain insight into what caused the medical mayhem.

Demetium is an M-rated shooter, but unlike the arcade action of Touch The Dead, Dementium has a lot more exploration and puzzle solving. The puzzles are in the typical Resident Evil or Silent Hill style–they don’t always make complete sense but they are often unsettling and have a sort of internal logic. The puzzles often unlock new sections of the hospital like the children’s ward and an eerily silent chapel.

Besides the atmosphere and exploration, which seem nicely done for a DS game, there is a ton of combat in Dementium. Besides cockroaches, chest maws, and ugly slugs called mollusca, there are a few really intimidating boss fights. These fights are tough, and there’s no extra ammo or health around to make them any easier.

If there’s any concern to be had, it’s that the hospital setting can get a bit repetitive, especially for a lengthy game like Dementium. Some of the sound effects, like the heart monitor that constantly reminds you of your health level, could be muted without losing too much atmosphere. And while some of the controls work well, like using just the touch screen for aiming and accessing your inventory, it can be a bit hard to run and gun like in a console FPS. Hitting up twice and holding it to run, for example, is unwieldy when you’re trying to aim at enemies with the stylus at the same time.

But overall, Dementium is surprising in that it manages to capture some of the best parts of a Silent Hill game, like the creepy crawl through monster-filled buildings, with limited ammo and weird puzzles. For a survival horror experience on the DS, Dementium manages to get the tone just right. Now that we’ve seen what can be done, don’t be surprised if other companies try to match Dementium’s scary style. Dementium: The Ward will be available on October 31.

Renegade Kid is excited to let the world know that Dementium: The Ward for the Nintendo DS has gone gold. The game is being manufactured now and set to hit store shelves on Halloween.

We first played the survival horror FPS at Gamecock’s first annual “EiEiO” Conference in Santa Monica CA and were very impressed. The team at Renegade Kid did their research and it shows. The controls were fluid and the graphics were some of the best we had seen on the Nintendo DS. Killer sound, beastly boss fights, and a disturbing storyline all but guarantee that you will need to change your shorts after playing this one.

If you haven’t heard of this game check out the gameplay video after the jump.

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For more information on Dementium: The Ward check out www.dementium.com.