If you've been into the gaming scene for the past 15 years, chances are you once glanced an advertisement of a little game called The Neverhood Chronicles in your favourite game magazine. There's an even bigger chance you turned the page and never thought of it again.

The fate of an overlooked PC game is much worse than that of their overlooked console brethren. While forgotten, yet treasured, console games tend to find a home in the niche of the game community, often receiving retrospective praise somewhere down the line, older PC games just tend to...disappear. Due to the fact that PC's are perpetually changing, games created for them tend to simply cease working as technology advances. While it's simple enough to find an old cart and plug it into your SNES, grabbing an old PC game and trying to install it to your latest PC is generally going to end with poor results.

So, it was with this in mind that I, on a whim, decided to pull out an old case full of 90's PC games. Amongst Myst, Riven, a copy of Fallout 2 I didn't even know I had and 3.5" floppy versions of Jazz Jackrabbit and the subsequent Christmas version, created by then 19 (!!) year old Cliff Bleszinski, was The Neverhood. I popped it into my PC, went through the motions, and not soon after...I was actually playing the game. To my (immense) surprise, the game installed and ran with zero problems. Once I knew that was the case, I settled down and dove back in.

An adventure game in the classic sense, The Neverhood was one of a few said games to be released nearing the death of the genre. Although a few years prior to the ultimate adventure game swansong, Grim Fandango, The Neverhood was nonetheless overlooked by all but the most staunch of PC adventure fans.


God damn you, pipe house puzzle! WHO SPITS WATER INTO PIPES!?

Created by Doug TenNapel, the creator of Earthworm Jim (another favourite of mine), The Neverhood Chronicles is specifically noteworthy for it's fantastic, and still unique, clay-mation techniques. Used for both the in-game sprites, as well as every locale in the game, the look of The Neverhood is something that needs to be seen to be appreciated. The team who created the game, the now defunct "The Neverhood" famously used over 3 1/2 tons of clay to create the world and the characters who inhabit it.

The Neverhood Chronicles has you adventuring as Klaymen, a mysteriously big-lipped (see: looks like a duck) fellow who wakes up one day and seems to have a single purpose, save The Neverhood. As Klaymen, your job is to seemingly search the Neverhood, a land created by and for one of seven Gods named Hoborg, for tapes that reveal the story behind the sudden turn for the worse the land has taken, and use that knowledge to free the king from his eternal slumber. As is common with PC adventure games, you'll move about solving various puzzles that range from simple brain teasers to mind-numbing symbol recognition and repetition. One hint for playing The Neverhood Chronicles: keep and pencil and paper handy.


Klaymen could easily be one of the coolest character designs of all-time.

Along with the fact that game has a sense of style and charm (the likes of which we've yet to see again in the medium) that's enticing as all get-out, the game often switches between a standard third-person, scrolling viewpoint common in adventure games, and a first-person view that literally puts you into the world. The thing that makes this view all the more enduring than in other adventure games (Myst) is the fact that it actually exists; this is a camera being run through a gigantic clay world, and the immersion that provides is profound.

The Neverhood Chronicles is also an auditory delight in more ways than one. Composed by Terry Scott Taylor, the soundtrack is as unique as you could possibly imagine. Making use of extremely odd, and seemingly random, vocal tracks and instruments of all types, the music runs the gambit from catchy and cheerful to ominous and creepy.


Fucking weasels! Cuttin' my perpetually regrowing head off and shit!

Speaking of which, something The Neverhood Chronicles has no problem doing is changing the tone and atmosphere at the drop of a hat. Whenever you're exploring the world outside, which is when you enter into first-person, things suddenly become much more creepy. The stark black sky, the sometimes barren landscapes, which are always entirely devoid of anyone else, and the foreboding music, all blend together to create a tense atmosphere, even though there's never anything to fear.

Another aspect that should probably be mentioned are the cut-scenes. Like everything else in the game, they're created with clay-mation, and are the highlight of the game's story. There several lengthy scenes amongst shorter, usually gag related, scenes. Trying eating a berry from a mushroom looking bush early in the game, then do it a couple more times and spend 5 minutes watching the results. Also, make sure to listen for someone yelling Klaymen's name, and be sure to look up for what may be one of the most pointless cut-scenes you'll ever see.


And 5 minutes later...

Unfortunately for those of us who enjoyed The Neverhood Chronicles, no sequel to the series will ever be produced. There was somewhat of a sequel with the PS1 release of the game SkullMonkeys. Starring Klaymen, and continuing the story of The Neverhood Chronicles, SkullMonkeys ended up being an average platformer filled with amazing cut-scenes and fantastic music; if you haven't heard the bonus level song from SkullMonkeys, I suggest you get on it immediately.


An unfortunately not as cool sequel to a fortunately amazing game.

There is, however, some hope for something new in the Neverhood universe, as back in 2007, Doug TenNapel announced that he was collaborating with then newly formed Frederator Films on a Neverhood feature film. Not much has been heard about it recently, but the forum thread on TenNapel's personal website has been active in the last couple months. So chances are it's still going to happen.

In terms of being able to actually find The Neverhood Chronicles, you're probably going to be paying a decent amount of money on Ebay to grab a physical copy. The lowest I've seen the game sell for is around $40USD. Many sites around the internet have The Neverhood Chronicles up for download as abandonware, and while it may be one of the few ways to play the game, I still don't recommend it, as many of the versions out there are apparently filled with problems that requiring patching, and abandonware is just a fancy term for older pirated games.

Either way, do what you can to experience The Neverhood Chronicles, you won't regret it.

The Playstation 2, as one of the largest and best selling videogame consoles in the world, is home to one of the most fantastic game libraries in recent memory. From Metal Gear Solid 3 and Okami, to Shadow of the Colossus and God of War, the PS2 is often held in high regard amongst the gaming public. As is entirely self-evident with any popular platform, the copious amount of absolutely abhorrent software that threatens to bury these modern-day classics is almost overwhelming, both in stench and quality.

Unfortunately, sometimes a game just won't have the polish to keep it afloat in the shit creek that is the bargain games market, and it gets lost amongst the floating turds that are Super Trucks Racing, Crime Life: Gang Wars, and Final Fantasy X. These sunken treasures are sometimes hauled up years later, often taking on a second life as something many people like to call a hidden gem.

Raw Danger, released in March of 2006 in Japan, and June of 2007 in North America, is the follow up to Disaster Report, an urban survival game where your only enemies are the forces of nature, and the ruined structures in which you're forced to traverse.



Developed by IREM, the Japanese development house known for arcade and console classics such as Lode Runner and R-Type, Raw Danger puts you in the role of several different characters, all of which share the same goal, survival. On Christmas Eve of the year 2010, Del-Ray, also known as the Geo City, the safest and most advanced city on the planet, is in the midst of celebrating just how awesome they are, when “shit” begins to go down. The extremely adept designers of this “accident waiting to happen” metropolis decided to build the city below sea level, with a gigantic levee in place to keep the Hudson River from flowing freely through the streets.

As the laws of disasters would dictate, it isn't too long before a torrential downpour puts a damper (Get it? Damp!) on the atmosphere, busting open the levee and sending the Hudson crashing down into Del-Ray. From there, you lead your decidedly feministic main character, Joshua the waiter, through what is some of the most intense, effective, and all-together engaging survival-action sequences in any game to date.

What really sinks the ship for Raw Danger is the lack of polish. In plainer terms, it looks worse than a first-gen PS2 game. This is somewhat of a large deal in a game where the environment and your surroundings play such a vital role, but it does more to give it a campy quality that truly sets it apart. Certainly, the scale of the disasters that surround you at all-times are vast, sometimes portraying mountain slides wiping out an entire section of a town, while you furiously row an emergency raft through the flooded streets, but the fidelity in which they're displayed is almost always disheartening, and it does nothing but make you wish IREM had some real money to sink into the series.


Yes, the game really does look this awful.

Where Raw Danger fails in visuals, it makes up for itself in gripping game mechanics. For instance, your health isn't measured in terms of HP, or any other such conventional mechanic, but instead simply takes into account your body temperature. Obviously, in a disaster involving flooding, a main concern is staying dry and keeping yourself warm. Raw Danger employs a conditions meter, comprised of your current status of your clothes, and the incline or decline of your current body temperature. As you make contact with water, either by stepping through it, being splashed by it, or being rained on, your clothes and body will begin to take effect. It's absolutely necessary to keep your shoes and clothes as dry as possible, as often as possible, in order to keep yourself warm. Running around in wet clothes will only result in your imminent death. Keeping warm is fairly simple, thanks to designated “survival points” where heaters are present, allowing you to dry your clothes and warm your body. In more dire situations, where the chance to dry your clothes seem far off, your best chance is to obtain and then cook a hot meal for yourself, which raises your body temperature back up.


Afore mentioned Survival Point. Cook some noodles!

The thing that makes these mechanics even more interesting are the various items and options you have for creating useful items from nothing. At the start of the game, you'll get a relatively small backpack that can hold several things, but as the game progresses, you'll be able to find larger backpacks, allowing for more items to be obtained, which you'll desperately need. Aside from standard fare, such as flashlights and ramen noodles, you'll come across certain items that can be a god send. Items such as umbrella's, warmer clothes and even pieces of trash could end up saving your life in the long run. Finding a garbage bag and some duct-tape, for instance, can keep you dry for a very long time, by combining both items to fashion yourself a makeshift rain coat, usable to keep the rain from soaking your clothes. Even weird odds and ends can be used to start fires, enabling you to cook meals when death's icy grip begins to take hold.


Garbage bag+tape = Life saver. Me:1 Rain:0

Yet another interesting take on this survival aspect comes in the form of clothes that can actually wear out. Fall from a ledge and need to scrap and drag yourself back up? You'll probably tear your pants, making them less effective when it comes to keeping you warm and dry. All around the game world you'll find different (sometimes ridiculous) clothing items, from children's hats to pink ear muffs and nurse uniforms. Depending on what the clothing is made from, and where it's worn, these different articles of clothing can last forever, or for a short duration. As an example, my garbage bag raincoat only took a couple of tears before becoming completely worthless, but my fuzzy pink gloves survived for nearly the entirety of my adventure.


You'll be stuck with this kid for the "main" portion of the game, and unlock new characters who play through the same time-frame in different scenarios. A cheap way to extend the length, but it works.

While having to deal with keeping your body warm and dry at all times is tough, trying to traverse some of the constantly changing, consistently crumbling environments is even more so. As you move about sections of the game, whether they're buildings falling apart at the seams, or completely flooded highways you need to traverse via jet-ski, there's always something huge and terrible right around the corner. At any given time all hell can just completely break loose, culminating in you being washed away by a vicious flood of water, or being crushed by debris. In these situations, the best course of action is either to run, or hold on for your life. Every one of these situations is not only tense and nerve-wrecking, but occasionally, it's fairly challenging.

Raw Danger is easily one of the most unique games I've garnered an affinity for, and amongst the many many under-the-radar games the PS2 has seen, it's one in which I would gladly recommend to anyone with a PS2. Despite its sub-standard graphics, stiff controls and overall lack of polish, Raw Danger stands out as a survival-action game like no other.


Actually not as lame as it looks.

In terms of availability, Raw Danger is most likely an easy pickup. While not overly common by any means, chances are if you scrounge through an EB/Gamestop or two, you'll come across a copy for $10 or below. Do yourself a favor and pick it up immediately, you won't regret it.