Category: Resident Evil book

Available now: Summer Invasion Game Bundle (and updates)

For the next two weeks, you can download the Summer Invasion Game Bundle from StoryBundle by paying whatever you like. I’m honored to be a part of it, as I’ve supported StoryBundle many times in the past and I’ve gotten a lot of fantastic eBooks out of it.

This bundle includes two of the most recent Boss Fight Books titles: my book on Resident Evil, and Gabe Durham’s excellent book on Majora’s Mask. I helped edit the latter, so this is like an honor within an honor.

If you don’t have my book yet, this is a great way to get your hands on a digital copy. And if you do have it…well, you probably don’t have all of the others, so maybe give it a go anyway! Even better is the fact that proceeds benefit Women in Games. Please do check it out and consider extending your support.

Also, HELLO, as long as we’re here, a few updates:

– Resident Evil on Amazon: A few of you have asked about the availability of physical copies through Amazon. Right now, it is only available through them as an eBook. (Which, again, you can get right now through StoryBundle with some other great stuff!) It will be available in physical form through Amazon, though there has obviously been a delay. That’s not something I am in any position to speak about with authority, but it is coming. In the meantime, you can pick up physical copies through Boss Fight Books directly or autographed through me. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I sincerely appreciate your support.

– The next book: Last month I signed a contract for my next book, and I look forward to sharing information about it…but I can’t do that quite yet. What I will say is that it’s another topic that’s close to my heart, and it should make a lot of people very happy. I am currently researching it and putting together a very rough outline. It will be a while before I have a full draft and maybe even longer before I’m able to share anything official, but stay tuned. These are exciting times and I am grateful beyond words for a platform and an audience. Thank you.

– Trilogy of Terror VII: Good lord, it’s almost that time, isn’t it? It feels like only yesterday that I was complaining about movies made by YouTubers who invested a lot of energy, love, and money into their work. I am pretty sure I know what my topic will be this year, but I’m still narrowing down the specific films that I will cover. I’ll announce those as soon as I decide, or as soon as I run out of time and panic. It’s another topic I’ve been wanting to cover since the series started, so I think it will be a good one.

– Star Trek movies: I am watching the Star Trek movies and will write about the Star Trek movies.

That’s all for now. I’ve been busy with work and other projects, but I am alive and I could not be more grateful for your patience. Things may be a bit slower around here, but I hope you continue to stick around. Good stuff is coming, and I love you all.

Autographed copies of Resident Evil available

Next month will be the first anniversary of my Resident Evil book’s publication date. About a year ago as I write this, copies were being sent to various outlets and their reviews started going live. It was an exciting time. It still is, to be honest. It feels like forever ago and it feels like yesterday.

One thing I’ve wanted to do for a while and…haven’t gotten around to doing is making some autographed copies available for anyone interested. What better time to do so? Other than a few months ago maybe?

Anyway, I have now set aside 50 copies of Resident Evil. I will sign and number them as they are ordered, and I will remove ordering information from this post once they are all gone. Each one comes with a bookmark that was previously only available to backers of the Boss Fight Books pre-order campaign. I had a few left over, so I figured, what the hell.

The cost is $20, which is about the cost of a new copy plus shipping. If you would prefer to order directly through Boss Fight Books for any reason, by all means do so! But they will not be autographed or include the bookmark.

This offer is only available to U.S. residents, unfortunately. If you live in another country and are interested, email me first and I will figure out the cost.

To purchase:
If you’d like a numbered, autographed copy of Resident Evil with a limited-edition bookmark, send $20 USD via PayPal to reed.philipj [at] gmail.com. In the notes section, include your shipping address and the name you’d like me to make it out to.

And that’s it. Books will be shipped within three days. Probably much quicker, to be honest, but hey, just in case: three days.

That’s all for now. Thank you, all of you, for your support.

Well, okay, one more thing:

Stay tuned!

Out now: Resident Evil by Philip J Reed

My book on Resident Evil is officially out. Pick up your copy right here through Boss Fight Books.

Take 15% off your entire order for the rest of August by entering the discount code EVIL15 at checkout. If you’ve been thinking of picking up any Boss Fight Books releases — mine or anyone else’s — now is the time!

You can also order through Amazon and Google Play, though only in digital formats for the time being.

Boss Fight Books is the way to go, especially with the discount code. I hope you enjoy, and thank you — all of you — for your incredible support.

If you’re still not sure if you should buy it, here are some people who say you should.

After 24 years, new knowledge and perspective is a gift for fans. And, that is exactly the gift Philip J. Reed offers his readers. Score: 4.5/5
— Horror Geek Life

Refreshing for its candor and reassuring in that someday soon video game writing is going to go in some very unique and interesting directions.
— Obtain Potion

The work put in by Reed gives the actors involved in the game a chance to finally tell their story and answer a lot of questions that have floated around for years.
— That Jersey Gamer

A rewarding read that will leave you’ll with a greater understanding and appreciation of this schlocky survival horror classic.
— Game Spew

Even the more die-hard Resident Evil fans are going to find a fair amount of information they didn’t know about the game here. Score: 5/5
— MMO Fallout

A reflection on the shared experiences and unique journeys of all of us players who came from so many different backgrounds to fall in love with one horror game in the ’90s.
— Dead Entertainment

The book is a love letter to the genre in general […]. It’s an extremely entertaining look at all aspects of horror, as well as an unexpectedly touching story of growing up in a small town with only movies and games to occupy one’s time. Score: 4.5/5
— Geek To Geek Media

Announcing: The First-Ever Noiseless Chatter Monster Bash! (And lots more!)

I tell you, you wait all day for a bus, and then like 10 of them show up at once. And they’re ALL GREAT BUSES. Whatever; point is, I have a lot of things to announce.

The First-Ever Noiseless Chatter Monster Bash!
I will be hosting a livestream at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 22 to celebrate the launch of my book on Resident Evil! It’s not mandatory to sign up through Facebook, but you can view the event and register here. Irritatingly, Facebook doesn’t seem to autocalculate timezones anymore, probably because someone found the feature useful.

So, again, that’s 6 p.m. Mountain time / 8 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 22. If you’re not in one of those timezones, make sure you use exactly the same technology Facebook is no longer using to figure out when you need to be there.

This is the First-Ever Noiseless Chatter Monster Bash! If you recall, last year was the first year we missed out on an Xmas Bash! This, I hope, will make up for it, and it will share a similar format. Live chat, terrible sitcoms, music, weird crap you’ll wish I never made you watch…you know, all the classics!

As always, the streamed content will be 100% family-friendly. The chat likely will not be. The only major difference is that the terrible episodes of the terrible old TV shows will be monster-themed, instead of…tidings of comfort and joy-themed? I don’t know. I just streamed those Xmas episodes; I didn’t pay attention to them.

The logistics of this thing actually happening are the work of friend-of-the-website Matthew Wong. Truly great and talented guy. Hey, did you know his videos about Resident Evil (specifically this one and this one) put the game back on my radar and gave me the impetus to write the book in the first place? You should watch them. He’s pretty great. Also, he said if you buy enough copies to put my book on the New York Times best seller list, he’ll resurrect Shrektember. Let’s all ruin his life.

Anyway, help me celebrate the release of the book by torturing yourself with bad TV, won’t you?

The book is on Amazon!
This is pretty cool: The book’s listing went live on Amazon today. It’s only the Kindle version for now, but I’ve been told the URL will be the same when the paperback version is added. Check it out, and add a review if you’ve read it!

More UPLINK!
As I write this, UPLINK is a mere nine days away. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, do so. It takes place August 8 and 9, and you can view the entire schedule here. There’s lots and lots of great stuff on that schedule, from all around the world, so don’t miss it.

I’ve said all that before, right? Well, yes, but now I’ll say more!

My “Anatomy of a Scream” panel has been moved to the main stage (because I am famous now) and will take place Aug. 8 at 4 p.m. Eastern. Tune in for a thorough breakdown of Resident Evil‘s best and most effective moments…and probably some pretty bad ones, too, for the fun of it. We’ll learn together exactly how the game structures its scares, with loads of examples and analyses.

And then…the big reveal…at 9 p.m. Eastern, also Aug. 8, I will host “All Things Inti Creates,” in which I will interview the company behind such great games as Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10, the Mega Man Zero series, Azure Striker Gunvolt, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Blaster Master Zero, and much more than I can possibly list.

Inti Creates is easily one of my favorite developers working today, especially as someone whose heart sits firmly in the retro camp when it comes to gaming. Nobody else manages to strike the balance between retro sensibilities and modern expectations as perfectly as they do, and I could not be more honored to speak directly with them, live, about their incredible work and development history.

Big things are afoot. I thank all of you for your patience and support, especially during this past year.

Let me thank you personally at UPLINK and The Monster Bash!

Join me for “Anatomy of a Scream,” Aug. 8, 4 pm Eastern

Alright, I can now announce the details!

“Anatomy of a Scream”
With Resident Evil author Philip J Reed
Sat, August 8, 2020, 4:00 PM (Eastern Time)

What it is

Join me as we take a walk through the Spencer Mansion — and mmmaybe a bit beyond — to dissect some of Resident Evil‘s strongest scares. We’ll discuss how and why the game’s most memorable moments work so well, and why 25+ years later I can say things like “that ceiling” and “that hallway” and you know precisely what I mean.

I’ll be taking you live through some of these scenes, showing you how Capcom so expertly got under your skin. (Your itchy, tasty skin.) We’ll discuss both the game’s most inspired artistic decisions and the ways in which the weaknesses of its design — and probably unintentionally — work to its advantage.

It’s going to be a lot of fun. And the best part? I’m taking requests! Let me know what your standout Resident Evil moments are, and I promise to take all of the fun out of them for you.

A bit of background

When I was writing Resident Evil, there was a chapter we ended up scrapping in which I looked at three specific, memorable scares in the game, deconstructing each to determine exactly how and why they worked so well. Much of that material is still in the book, albeit presented differently. Essentially, I was trying to discuss how things were presented visually…without using visuals. It wasn’t something I was able to execute well enough for it to remain, and so we pulled the chapter. (This, to be clear, was the correct decision.)

Now, however, I have the opportunity to present that material and more in a panel presentation. I can walk through these moments frame by frame, if need be, performing a live autopsy on some of Resident Evil‘s most effective moments.

Fair warning that the imagery may be a bit disturbing. Granted, it will be PlayStation 1-era imagery, but I’m just putting that out there. Also, I might go “boo!” every so often to make sure you’re paying attention. JOIN ME IF YOU DARE

How to watch

I want to be perfectly clear about this: This is a live event! If you miss it…well, you’ve missed it. So don’t miss it!

For $10, you’ll get live access to the entirety of Uplink, featuring an incredible lineup of entertainers, developers, critics, comedians, writers, AND ALSO ME. “Anatomy of a Scream” is just one of the things I’ll be involved in, but…I’ll share more about that later.

We’re less than three weeks out. If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, be sure to do so.

UPLINK 2020

When: August 8-9
Where: Online!
Information: uplink.liretro.com
Tickets: Available now