Might take a little break from text story to dig out one of the video games I’ve got sitting on the coffee table for the past year. Let’s see, there’s Scratches, Still Life, Watchmaker, Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. I’ve also got a Sims, but Lord knows what a mess I made of that world last time–though not as serious as Zookeeper where I forgot to feed the animals and left some fencing unfinished.
Silent Hill 2 is the one game that got me started on these, and though stubbornly reluctant to try it, I caught the fever and spent many hours of many days walking, running, collecting clues, whacking a monster now and then, but overall, very much into the world of this story. Then it got messy. I got killed a few times–though I was told how to save and go back to pre-death time–and it got harder and harder to escape or overcome the enemies. I believe I left the game about a year ago or more, stuck in an encounter with two baddies and some broad distracting my attention. I could go back and either shoot my way through them or die yet again. But I do remember the fear; very real heart-pumping fear.
The Watchmaker seemed much safer, and I started in on that some time last spring or summer. The problem is that I couldn’t get the guy into the elevator and off the second floor. It’s an older game, and less easily maneuvered. I could give this one a go; at least the immediate danger and pressure of facing ugly stretching skinless things isn’t there to deal with yet.
And then there’s Scratches; a game I waited almost a year for to become available. The graphics look terrific and the mystery seems interesting. Or Still Life, which I had to have because Scratches wasn’t coming out soon enough for me.
So I’ll be deciding among one of these. And even as I consider them the thought occurs: Even McCarthy’s worst demons couldn’t jump off the page and come after me.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology