- Joined
- Feb 4, 2020
I've been wanting to collect and discuss false "lost media" and its iterations for a bit now, and figured a dedicated thread would be appropriate to weed out all of the true crime and unrelated "spooky" subjects from the Nexpo thread.
I would define False Lost Media as any content, be it tapes, video games, or even websites, that proport to be unearthed niche media from the past. While these are typically attached to an ARG, they don't always need to be in order to qualify, and can exist as a stand-alone project: rare as that may be.
I personally gravitate toward fake video games, for better or worse. I have an interest in how accurate they're made to the alleged era in particular. Some of the ones that stand out to me are:
1. Valle Verde (Green Valley)
The only real downside to this is a lack of available roms and the creator's Patreon in the description. A somewhat obvious rip-off of Animal Crossing for the PS1, Green Valley is stunningly beautiful to the eye. With a crisply animated opening sequence and actual gameplay, it has enough class to keep the viewer waiting for its scares- namely of a Christian variety. The music, the graphics, the somewhat stiff looking gameplay, it really does capture the Playstation 1 well, and is almost believable. 9/10
2. Petscop
Another great PS1 fake that mostly comports with its chosen console's abilities. Its lighting is too modern, with the light following the player's sprite. If it were a fog overlay on a PS1, then it would need to be tethered to the camera, like in Silent Hill 1. Without the use of a fog or a 2d overlay, you can't black out an entire background on the PS1. It's a minor critique, but worth making. 8/10
3. Crow 64
A fake N64 title with the usual bloated story about a dead son behind it. This one doesn't make much of an attempt to look like a legit game, and the spooky black backgrounds come immediately. While there is no n64 ROM, but instead a compatible Unity version, there was certainly a respectable attempt to stay within the usual Nintendo 64 limits. Nothing gratuitously bad- it just would have been nice to have a fuller product- and especially a true ROM for a story that pushes so hard on the "unreleased Nintendo 64 game!!!" point. 6/10
4. Killswitch
Far and away the worst on the entire list, the Killswitch game is more filled with anachronisms than actual content. Putting aside the pasta was stolen from The Melancholy Of Mechagirl The creator/plagarizer clearly had no idea whatsoever what PC games from 1989 looked or performed like. The amount of parallax scrolling, color count (20+ different grays), light effects, real-instrument music (Midi standard didn't even exist yet!), narrative, and ability to physically destroy itself, this game is probably the best available example of not understanding the medium or history of your subject. I can confidently say the person who designed this piece of shit is either a woman or a fucking retard. 0/10
What are your findings/thoughts? Any great false lost media? Any super shit ones?
I would define False Lost Media as any content, be it tapes, video games, or even websites, that proport to be unearthed niche media from the past. While these are typically attached to an ARG, they don't always need to be in order to qualify, and can exist as a stand-alone project: rare as that may be.
I personally gravitate toward fake video games, for better or worse. I have an interest in how accurate they're made to the alleged era in particular. Some of the ones that stand out to me are:
1. Valle Verde (Green Valley)
2. Petscop
3. Crow 64
4. Killswitch
What are your findings/thoughts? Any great false lost media? Any super shit ones?
