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Horror games? Where art thou?

Chancey289

Fake Geek Girl.
I personally share quite a fancy for horror. It's always held a spot close to my heart and I love it in many different mediums. When I look at horror games today compared to stuff we got back then I can't help but notice how true horror games are few and far between and its a genre on the downhill slope.

Silent Hill is a complete mess and hasn't had a decent game since 3, or an amazing game since 2 which is arguably one of the greatest survival horrors of all time. Hideo Kojima is wanting to reboot Silent Hill and I would actually said a tear of joy if this comes true.

I'd freaking love to see another Eternal Darkness also.

Resident Evil has pretty much abandoned all traces of survival horror in exchange of generic action movie style and its rather shameful how the series that pretty much coined the term survival horror would lose its way like this.

With the real heavyweights of the genre slacking off what do we get coming at us now? Mostly assault rifles attached to flickering lights and weak jump scares. When Dead Space first showed up I liked how it was a little like Alien but do I consider it a horror game? Not really. Now it's funny how Dead Space 3 is looking like Lost Planet and Lost Planet is looking like Dead Space. Quite frankly I don't care about either series anymore at all. F.E.A.R. has some neat little things that pay homage to things like The Ring but in the end it's mostly just a shooter with a ghost who decides to f*ck with the light switches every now and then. The genre really has slacked off but thankfully we have indie games which really seem to fill the void.

Looking to recent memory:
Amnesia: The Dark Decent was a great indie title with a very nice atmosphere and knew what a horror game was all about. I'm anticipating a Machine For Pigs. Then also I'll mention a title which people think is overrated and that perception makes me think the game is rather underrated. The game I'm talking about is one that made lots of waves among the internet sea and that is Slender.

I for one, actually like The Slender Man and I think it's pretty cool how he's become the new generation's boogey man. As a fan of horror I think he's a pretty damn cool horror figure. I don't think Slender is scary but what this simple game does good is actually what very few big name horror titles always seem to f*ck up. Atmosphere. Honestly when the Slender Man actually shows up he doesn't look all that freaky but playing when you have only a flashlight in a dark forest with no sounds but your own footsteps and breathing. You also hear faint sounds in the back which adds to the experience. Imagine you going out in the middle of a dark forest alone with just a flash light right now. It's the psychological tension that starts to build up and you start to scare yourself more than anything if you let it. Silent Hill 2 knew how to establish it really well and if you develop something scary that creeps you out even when nothing is happening then you got something scary. Slender was a game that couldn't capitalize on this completely but was looking down the right road and after so many horror games fail to do even just something as simple as that today then I hold a nice applause for these independent developers.

Other games that really captured something cool for the fear factor were nice indie gems like Hide as well. It's minecraft like graphics didn't stop me from loving the element of mystery that was offered here and I just knew I didn't want to get caught by that light even if I didn't know anything about the game.

This is sort of just a rant thread but I just miss horror games. I hope it really starts to pick itself up and I guess I can ask what are your most memorable horror games or experiences? Some of my favorites are up in the alley of Silent Hill 2 and Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem but let's talk horror games I guess.
 

Shin Muramasa

Metallic Stranger
Off the top of my head of horror/not action-horror games that are in development would be Amnesia: Machine for Pigs, which you mentioned already, and Among the Sleep, a horror game starring a two-year old. I don't know if Alan Wake is getting a sequel and how much the game qualifies as a horror game since I don't play horror games.

I don't like horror games in case anyone is wondering. And it's not that I find horror games or anything horror related; books, films, etc., a bad genre or whatever, it's just that I have issues with horror in general. I think it might be because I have a strong memory where I will remember things for longer periods of time and be able to recall them vividly or that I'm just a scaredy cat. It's probably the latter. Redeads from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker still scare me to this day. Also, the Shadow Temple from Ocarina of Time . . . *shivers*

Anyway, back to Among the Sleep, I think it's not going to use gore, mutilation, and other elements commonly found in many horror games. It's just going to use what little kids would be afraid of and putting you, the player, in that position. But the only issue with it is the reaction from people with having the main character being a toddler; some people were freaking out. It's not like the kid is going to be murdered and hung by his entrails for the player to watch; you're just going through fear as a little kid. I guess it's like what Ken Levine? said about games tackling new themes and ideas, that it's more difficult despite the fact books and films have been doing it for years. Video games are more engaging than books and films, but it's still the same thing; it's still a form of media.
 

Chancey289

Fake Geek Girl.
Off the top of my head of horror/not action-horror games that are in development would be Amnesia: Machine for Pigs, which you mentioned already, and Among the Sleep, a horror game starring a two-year old. I don't know if Alan Wake is getting a sequel and how much the game qualifies as a horror game since I don't play horror games.

I don't like horror games in case anyone is wondering. And it's not that I find horror games or anything horror related; books, films, etc., a bad genre or whatever, it's just that I have issues with horror in general. I think it might be because I have a strong memory where I will remember things for longer periods of time and be able to recall them vividly or that I'm just a scaredy cat. It's probably the latter. Redeads from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker still scare me to this day. Also, the Shadow Temple from Ocarina of Time . . . *shivers*

Anyway, back to Among the Sleep, I think it's not going to use gore, mutilation, and other elements commonly found in many horror games. It's just going to use what little kids would be afraid of and putting you, the player, in that position. But the only issue with it is the reaction from people with having the main character being a toddler; some people were freaking out. It's not like the kid is going to be murdered and hung by his entrails for the player to watch; you're just going through fear as a little kid. I guess it's like what Ken Levine? said about games tackling new themes and ideas, that it's more difficult despite the fact books and films have been doing it for years. Video games are more engaging than books and films, but it's still the same thing; it's still a form of media.
Among The Sleep, I forgot about that and yes it does look interesting to say the least.
 

Macabre

Your Friend and Mine
You should definitely look up some of the freeware games based on the SCP Foundation, especially if you enjoyed Slender.
 

DissonantDemon

Well-known Member
I just read an article recently. In it Masachika Kawata, a producer of the Resident Evil series, stated that he wanted to go back to the roots of what made Resident Evil a horror game. I played Resident Evil: Revelations and damn, you'ld swear that's exactly what they were going for. Of course, Resident Evil 6 went a completely different direction, see: schizophrenic and identity crisis. And it would't be the first time something was promised and not delivered. I've seen enough politics to last a life time and a half.
 

Dark Drakan

Well-known Member
Admin
Moderator
Horror games are going the same way as horror movies these days. Lots of developers/directors seem to think that making each movie more gory & having more shocking deaths makes a good horror title. Gone are the days where a movie/game used tension & atmosphere to set things up over time. Instead they seem to go for all in your face action & violence rather than using the more subtle creepy way.
 

Tmfaria

Member of the Order
I personally share quite a fancy for horror. It's always held a spot close to my heart and I love it in many different mediums. When I look at horror games today compared to stuff we got back then I can't help but notice how true horror games are few and far between and its a genre on the downhill slope.

I agree 100%.

They should make more horror games like Slender, Amnesia and Silent Hill. Those games specifically scared the jeepers outta me. I wouldn't say Resident Evil is a scary game. I like the franchise, it's just a zombie kill fest to me with a cool story. Ohh and I think they are making another Amnesia game called march of the pigs?

Give me more Slender MAN!
 

Chancey289

Fake Geek Girl.
I agree 100%.

They should make more horror games like Slender, Amnesia and Silent Hill. Those games specifically scared the jeepers outta me. I wouldn't say Resident Evil is a scary game. I like the franchise, it's just a zombie kill fest to me with a cool story. Ohh and I think they are making another Amnesia game called march of the pigs?

Give me more Slender MAN!
Yes, I'm anticipating Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs because I really enjoyed the first title. As for the Slender Man I'm wondering if you know about the Slender Man movie coming out this month? It's the first full length Slender Man film that was funded on Kickstarter a while back. It's coming out on the 19th so if you enjoy Slendy then be sure to check it out.
 

Tmfaria

Member of the Order
Yes, I'm anticipating Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs because I really enjoyed the first title. As for the Slender Man I'm wondering if you know about the Slender Man movie coming out this month? It's the first full length Slender Man film that was funded on Kickstarter a while back. It's coming out on the 19th so if you enjoy Slendy then be sure to check it out.

Noo way. For reals there's a movie coming out?

That's news to me, and good news at that. Thanks for letting me know. :)
 

MultiBro

Darkest Dungeon
I think you guys would enjoy the Fatal Frame (also known as Project Zero) serie.

And we also have games like Haunting Ground.
 
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