Posts Tagged: Escape Room

The survival horror genre was born 20 years ago on March 22, 1996 with the release of Resident Evil. The PlayStation classic succeeded in terrifying players with flesh-eating zombies and the foreboding atmosphere of the mansion. The revolutionary horror title couldn’t have happened without the work of the talented and sadistically creative developers at Capcom, including franchise veteran Hiroyuki Kobayashi. To kick off the 20th Anniversary or Resident Evil, Kobayashi discusses time working with the trend-setting series in a new video.

In the video below, producer Kobayashi discusses his perspective on the past 20 years of Resident Evil, from his work on the PlayStation original to the present. Kobayashi recalls his role on the very first Resident Evil programming a variety of memorable enemies from pesky crows to a certain abomination lurking deep within Umbrella’s secret lab. He also touches on the revolutionary gameplay of Resident Evil 4 and how it influenced his work on the series. Finally, Kobayashi-san delivers a special message directly to Resident Evil fans across the world.

The celebration of Resident Evil’s 20 strong years doesn’t end there. Be sure to check out Rush Escape Room who has built a underground laboratory themed escape room called VIRUS.

Book today! @ http://www.RushEscapeRoom.com

This year is the 20^th anniversary of Resident Evil, and we’re thrilled to kick off the VIRUS, year-long celebration commemorating the birth of survival horror. Today we reflect on the series’ enduring and varied history, looking back on the unforgettable main entries that Resident Evil’s fans have survived over the last two decades.

The Resident Evil series has come a long way since it released in Japan on March 22, 1996, but the original three PlayStation games played a critical role in solidifying the series’ future. The Resident Evil franchise has also played a huge role in my life, so I’m adding in my personal perspective in how each core game impacted me. Please join me by sharing your memories in the comments below.

Resident Evil
Year: 1996
Platforms: PlayStation (Launch), PC, Sega Saturn, Nintendo DS

The iconic S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team’s maddening one-night stay in the Spencer Mansion is unforgettable. Resident Evil stood out the moment bodies started dropping in its live-action intro, which like other one-liners (who hasn’t heard a “Jill sandwich” joke by now?) has become infamously and endearingly cheesy over time. Legitimate terror greeted players brave enough to venture deep into the mansion, from zombies bursting out of closets to the introduction of the vicious Hunters. Before Resident Evil, few games made players cherish every shotgun shell or healing herb quite the same way. The mansion may have exploded into millions of pieces, but the foundation of our love for Resident Evil was cemented forever.

My first experience with Resident Evil happened at the ripe age of 11 – probably too early by my parents’ standards. Without warning, my cousin flicked off the lights and booted up his PlayStation. I sat mute as he explored the halls of the mansion, my muscles tensing with every camera angle change or distant zombie moan. I still recall believing that a Hunter leapt out of the walls and swiftly decapitated Jill. What twisted tricks did this twisted game have in store? That night ended with my cousin battling the Tyrant in the hidden lab beneath the mansion. The CG cutscene introducing the gigantic monstrosity with an exposed heart was cutting-edge at the time. The beast terrified me. I lay awake at night for too long believing the Tyrant would emerge from my aunt and uncle’s creepy basement, clawed hand raised for attack. I finally fell asleep after convincing myself that the Tyrant’s nine-foot frame wouldn’t fit through the doorway.

Resident Evil 2
Year: 1998
Platform: PlayStation (Launch), PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, GameCube

True horror, like the evil Umbrella Company’s deadly viruses, can’t be contained. Two years after the original game, Resident Evil 2 delivered players a grander, more intense experience as the zombie outbreak spread into Raccoon City. Series mainstay Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie RPD officer with the worst training day ever, joins up with Claire Redfield as she searches for her brother, S.T.A.R.S. member Chris. Leon and Claire’s paths diverge as they survive on Raccoon City’s zombie-infested streets, explore the enigmatic RPD station, and encounter the mad mind behind Umbrella’s lab in a huge underground lab. Resident Evil 2’s branching, intertwined scenarios delivered unfathomable new depth for players craving more. Fans’ appetites for RE 2 won’t be truly satisfied until they know more about the recently confirmed and highly anticipated remake.

Tim’s Take: Resident Evil’s hooks were in me after my horror-loving cousin exposed me to the original. I remember how the substantial, double-disc jewel case intimidated me with the expansive challenge it was sure to contain (Little did I know how complex and gargantuan playing the A and B scenarios for both Leon and Claire would be). Surviving on the overrun streets of Raccoon City was exactly what I wanted from a follow up to my favorite horror game. I’ve dodged the initial flaming zombies on the way to Kendo’s Gun Shop that I could almost do it blindfolded (don’t hold me to that). I’ll always remember the first time fighting my way to the RPD station for and breathing a sigh of relief as the gentle piano music settled in.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Year: 1999
Platforms: PlayStation (Launch), PC, Dreamcast, GameCube

Leon and Claire weren’t the only duo trying to escape Raccoon City alive, as Jill Valentine returned in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis alongside Carlos Oliveira, a hired Umbrella gun with a heart of gold. Jill’s last escape wasn’t easy, either. A deadly, tenacious bio-organic weapon called Nemesis relentless stalked the former S.T.A.R.S. member through the streets. Nemesis is among the Resident Evil series’ most iconic villains thanks to his infectious grasp, powerful rocket launcher, and nasty habit of striking players when they least expect it. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ends with Raccoon City’s irreversible infection being cleansed by a high-destructive missile. The sleepy, Midwestern town of Raccoon City may have been eradicated, but the outbreak was just about to go global.

I remember purchasing Dino Crisis solely for the purpose of acquiring the Resident Evil 3: Nemesis demo disc (Luckily, Regina’s adventures in Dino Crisis were worth the price of admission). This sneak peek of Jill Valentine’s return built upon everything I loved about exploring Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2 while injecting the most terrifying villain in the series to date. I had an idea that my mom was planning on buying me RE 3 for my birthday, but I wanted it so bad that I jumped the gun and bought it anyway (she wasn’t happy). Few words can describe the intense feeling of dread I still experience when I hear a door open and shut, accompanied by Nemesis’s snarling and tense chase music. Returning to the RPD building before the events of Resident Evil 2 was also a treat for obsessive fans like me. RE 3 with Nemesis’s constant pressure and challenging boss battles, will always give me a sense of profound relief upon seeing the credits roll.

Book today! @ http://www.RushEscapeRoom.com

CONVINCING YOUR FRIENDS TO TRY AN ESCAPE ROOM

June 6 aplacetoimagine, Campaign, Escape, Escape Room, Fun, Norcross, Team building, Teamwork

So you think you are ready to try an escape room, but are finding it hard to convince your friends to join you? No worries! We get it. Some people are hesitant to be locked in a room for 60 minutes. What they don’t realize is that escape the room adventures are full of puzzles, surprises and collaborative fun. Convincing your friends to join in on the fun is easier than winning the 2016 Primary Election! Just use these 3 simple tips to ease their fears and get your friends excited about trying Rush Escape Room.

ASK THE RIGHT PEOPLE

First off, you have to ask the right people. Asking someone who is uninterested in getting out and trying new things is not likely to work. Also, you want to make sure it’s someone who enjoys playing games, solving puzzles or loves a good mystery. You already know these people would enjoy an escape the room adventure. They just don’t know it… yet.

KNOW THE COMMON OBJECTIONS AND MEET THEM HEAD ON!

Think back to what you thought when someone first told you about escape rooms. You were probably a little skeptical at first about being locked in a room with nothing but your wits and a room full of clues. But after you tried your first escape room, you couldn’t get enough. You need to meet your friends where they are at and be willing to answer all of their questions. Some objections we routinely hear include:

It sounds scary. Escape rooms are a lot of things, but scary is not one of them. Our rooms are designed by professional set designers, so while you will feel like you are in a movie, it won’t be a horror film. Escape rooms are highly engaging, fun games that test your ability to solve clues and work together with a team.
I don’t want to play with random strangers. When you are in an escape room, you are so focused on trying to escape, you don’t have time to worry about getting along with various personalities. Being on a mission fosters collaboration, even with people who may be totally different from you. If you do want to play with only your own group though, you just need to get enough people to come along.
I don’t know how I feel about being locked in a room. All of our escape rooms have a panic button you can press at anytime if you need to leave the room. Although we discourage this, the option is available. Also, the rooms are monitored by video surveillance for your safety.

SHOW THEM WHAT THEY ARE MISSING

Sometimes people just need to see what they are missing out on. Show your friends all the rooms that are available and let them choose their favorite one.

If you succeed at convincing your friends to go with you, great! If not, oh well! You will find several great people to play an escape room with when you arrive at Rush Escape Room.

Only one question remains, can you ESCAPE?

Book your room today!

#EscapeCampaign

THE 5 ELEMENTS THAT CAN BRING YOUR TEAM TOGETHER AND HELP KEEP THEM THAT WAY!

June 6 Camaraderie, Escape Room, Flow, Fun, Team building, Teamwork, Unity

Here’s the Not-so Secret Sauce for Bringing People Together

Solving a common problem together can work wonders, which is why there’s a cliché: two heads (or more) are better than one. This is why teams succeed more than lone-workers. People working together come up with more viable options and solutions when faced with a problem. This is also the reason why team building in the workplace should be considered a never-ending opportunity for growth.

However, to build employees’ camaraderie and to encourage them to bond with each other through regular meetings and fun non-work activities are not enough. There are five elements though, regardless of the environment, which never fail in bringing people together.

A Common Plight or Problem

Admit it or not, a shared problem is one of the best ways to motivate people to work together. When employees have a common pain, they work together because of that common interest, specifically the common interest to make that problem go away. Employees become collaborators instead of competitors or apathetic workers once they find out that they have a common problem to deal with.

Collaborations may seem harder for most people at first. Collaborations are slower and more complex, as compared to independent decision-making. To collaborate would mean giving up a certain degree of independence over the problem because the people solving it need to connect, listen and work with one another. This is why it’s a great way to foster team building in the workplace.

An Influential Somebody

A great leader can influence employees to do better both in their personal and professional lives. He acts as the magnet and the glue that holds people together. A leader with a wide reach and authentic influence not enforced by position or fear is respected in the workplace. This respect he earned is so solid that his employees admire him and do their best not to turn him down.

A Mix of Personalities

Team building in the workplace requires a mixture of personalities, experience and expertise, as this is important in making decisions for the greater good of everyone involved.

There are three varieties of these personalities: authoritative, reputational and cognitive. Ideally, a team that’s composed of people with these varieties are drawn together to create a single core group. A certain variety of personalities and substance, when it comes to creating a cohesive team, helps in promoting team building in the workplace. Just don’t forget, people omitted from the collaboration tend to become critics or saboteurs of the project.

A Set of Rules

A certain set of established rules help in resolving difference and avoiding disputes. In turn, this promotes better collaboration inside the office and ensures a harmonious relationship with management.

When something goes wrong, people go back to the rules set in black and white. It’s like playing a game. When a player does something wrong or out of the ordinary, the rulebook is consulted and the proper actions are executed, and then the game goes on. In this case, business goes on.

There are three parts of these rules: The Purpose, The Principles and the Operating Procedures. Why are these rules here? What is its vision? And how do you implement them?

People are drawn together because of a common standard. Each employee may have his own opinion, thoughts and values, but in order to collaborate effectively and agree on something, the team has to have a common ground to hold them in place as they reach their goal.

This is something the leader always has to remember in promoting team building in the workplace, so that the coherent force that pulls his team together is kept intact regardless of the challenges they may face. Book an escape room for your team today!

BENEFITS OF AN OFFSITE CORPORATE TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY

June 6 Atlanta, Corporate training, Escape Room, Flow, Fun, Norcross, Synergy, Team building, Team Outing, Teamwork, Training

Corporate team building is as important and interesting. Creating successful corporate team-building activities that actually work is more of an art than a science. Each team is composed of multiple personalities, job functions and interests, and as a manager planning a team building activity, your job is to drive trust and motivation among your team members quickly in order to generate results. In other words, you have to create real synergy in a RUSH.

Planning a corporate retreat means even more time and money spent on a solution that may or may not translate into more team cohesion and productivity. In our opinion, the best solution for corporations today is somewhere between an onsite team building activity and a corporate retreat—the offsite corporate team building event. What do we mean by that?

An offsite team building event is a half or full day event conducted out of the office with the goal of improving trust, motivation and productivity. Common offsite team building events include ropes courses, laser tag and escape games. In this post, we detail some of the benefits of offsite corporate team building events.

NEW TEAM ENVIRONMENT

Planning an activity away from the office will give you greater opportunity to have more soft-spoken members offer their opinion, place other team members in leadership and observe how the team reacts to new challenges. Ben Dattner writes in Harvard Business Review about the do’s and don’ts of team building, and in his post, he describes the benefit of creating new team dynamics in a new environment. Granted, a new space will not inherently encourage a team to reinvent itself, but an offsite team building event sets the stage for the team leader to establish new norms for the team.

ENGAGING ACTIVITIES

Even if you have your workplace decked out like Google, we still think our place is more fun. Many offsite team building locations like our own are also frequented by family, friends and tourists. In other words, people come to our building in their spare time to have fun. They don’t need to be told to be here. They just come. You will have a much easier time motivating employees to participate in and grow from a team building activity that is both challenging and engaging.

REDUCE STRESS

Getting the team out of the office for a team building is productive, but it’s also a break from the typical work day. Given you haven’t booked this event right before a hard deadline, your team should be excited to get spend a day somewhere else. Hubspot has some great ideas for team outings that build strong teams and relieve stress (hint: look at #3).

INCREASED SOCIAL INTERACTION

At the workplace, the focus is on, well, work. Although employees get time to get to know one another at work, socializing is typically kept to a minimum. Moving the team out of the office encourages your team to spend more time with one another. After the event, hold a quick debrief and take the team out for lunch to encourage team members to spend more time getting to know one another.

CONCLUSION

Ok, maybe it makes sense that an offsite team building location would tell you about the benefits of having an offsite team building. Call us biased, but we think we are the best team building event in Norcross, and people would agree. Book a game today! #Aplacetoimagine