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Edited by Dropship dude:
1/22/2013 2:13:04 PM
84
What makes a game truly scary to you?
As time goes on, it seems that games are becoming less and less scary as they're released. Game series are losing their thrills and the shock factor is being dropped from many games which used to be scary in their own right.
I always used to think Dead Space would be the scariest game I'd ever play, until going back made me realise it's just a load of cheap jumps and dark rooms which provoke fear. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great game and there are still some moments which scare me, especially in Dead Space 2.
So what would make a modern, new game scare you? Are you a sucker for tension? Is utilising darkness and the irrational fear of the dark something you're OK with? Would you be as scared if something happened in the day which you couldn't explain, or would the use of night be the deciding factor?
As for the thing(s) scaring you, what makes them even more terrifying? A friend of mine brought up the idea that you fear the unknown, so delaying the reveal of whatever it is provoking you can help build suspense, while never fully showing you what it is you're running from also adds to the sensation of bewilderment.
I ask again, what would you look for in a modern horror? Any input you make here could even influence something in a few years' time.
[spoiler]I'm not telling you what it is just yet ;)[/spoiler]
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1 ReplyI never like playing horror games, so I don't have much of an answer. The only thing that give me chills (that I'm aware of) is hearing zombies moan and be a potential threat off screen. I blame this on watching my dad play RE2 when I was a kid.
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1 ReplyI really have to comment on a particular part of Dead Space 2 when you return to the Ishimura. This entire section was done extremely well, and the atmosphere to it was incredible. There was something about seeing how clean it was, how wrong it was for being clean, that was disturbing. The Ishimura was a familiar setting to us, and it was unsettling to see it in the state it was, and then even more unsettling when you realized how creepy it was, that you were used to it being a bloodbath madhouse. All the efforts of the cleaning crew couldn't keep down the feeling, like the ship itself was the opposing force here, and no matter what they did, you knew all of it's dark secrets. The only horror series I ever had a liking to was Dead Space, so I can't say much on the rest of the subject.
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Jump scares. Zombies chasing you
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I don't particularly seek out horror genres, so I don't know what all is out there, but I don't think anything will ever beat the dogs crashing through the mirrors in Resident Evil.
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1 ReplyNot know what is around the corner can be scary sometimes. use that along with darkness and weird sounds, and whatever enemies are in the game, and some people can be scared.
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1 ReplyWell, there is always the feeling of helplessness. Amnesia? If you're seen you are dead. Witch's House? Run away (though that game was mostly scary because of the ending and how innocent it seemed up to that point). Even in a bad horror game (as in not that horror-y other than jump scares) like Dead Space, the enemies aren't scary. There's nothing scary about shooting monsters. In fact, one might say in a horror game that it's boring, even. What was scary was how they could come from anywhere and wreck your shit, to put it bluntly. Add that in with the atmosphere and... yeah. And speaking of night... Surprised nobody has ever tried a daytime horror. Everything that seems nice, but it's perverse. Like the day care in Dead Space 2 or something, I dunno.
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I'm going to use Slenderman as a perfect example to how I think good horror games are made. You notice how in Slenderman the game starts to build tension almost instantly, once you find pieces of paper the scary music comes on and more tension is made. In Slenderman they constantly keep building tension. Once the tension is really high, Slenderman comes around a corner and freaks you out! That's why Slenderman is so scary, they keep building tension with the sound effects until it's time to scare you. It also helps that: It's really dark The player is slow You can't turn around very fast You can only see about half of you screen with the flashlight. So yeah if you need a perfect example of a horror game look at Slenderman.
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If the game builds up intense atmosphere and scares you without constantly throwing in jump scares, then it'll scare me.
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Helplessness, loneliness. A deep, dark world with intriguing, yet minimal characters. Even no characters at all. Dark Souls scared me. The whole atmosphere is just enough to do it. Other than that, not a whole lot frightens me.
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First Person + Dark Room + Flashlight only = Didn't play through Doom 3 because of this "Aint no body got time fo' dat"
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Doom 3 on the original Xbox
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I don't really get scared of video games and movies, I want to because its part of the fun that comes with that genre.
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5 RepliesI think as you get older you are better able to recognize cliche "scary moments" and you think to yourself when you are walking around that dark corner in the video game, "Something is obviously about to jump out at me" and it lessens the fear. Games aren't any different , you are just more aware.
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Things that are rather unpredictable and unsettling are pretty scary.
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Jump scares are scary at first, but if you play a lot of horror games it can get pretty old. The one thing that is truly scary (and this is even achieved in kids games) is feeling vulnerable/trapped/or weak. Getting trapped by a flood of zombies with low health really gets your heart beating, getting cornered by a huge boss with low ammo can get you sweating. Seriously, rated E games achieve this sense of intensity or thrill. Games that are just gore/jump scare/ or action don't really scare you. It's all about feeling claustrophobic.
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To me, it's all about using the using the game's design to both engage the player and make them feel the emotions associated with fear and paranoia. This is why I think the sound design of System Shock 2 was damn genius, instead of a lot of the scripted jump scares you'd get in Dead Space, System Shock 2 would let you hear the enemies lurking around the corner, and that made it all the worse. I still alt+f4 at times when I'm slowly creeping through a hallway and I start hearing that incessant rambling.
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I never really found Dead Space scary at all, just annoying because of how sluggish it felt to move around. I remember playing FEAR 2, and there were some jump scares, as well as some really cool, freaky stuff. However, I've never been that scared of a game, I'm much more effected by movies. Other games like Slender and Cry of Fear can certainly be scary, and I'll be terrified while playing, but none of them stick with me. As soon as the game is off, the scare is gone. Horror movies stay in my mind for a while, often days, which is why I avoid them. I think it's because jump scares are what most games have to resort to, and that kind of terror doesn't last. I'm sure we've all seen the jump scare games and videos that are just peaceful things until a scary pic and a scream pops up. Those can scare you very effectively, but you don't have nightmares about it. Few games show the helplessness you see in a lot of horror films, and I think that is necessary for good horror.
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1 ReplyWhen I feel helpless in a game.
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Ambiance.
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Resident Evil 4.
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4 RepliesThe survival horror genre is dying if it's not dead already. Now a days survival horror is all action and not enough horror and survival. It's all related to the concept that games now a days are catered to the idiots. Probably the biggest thing that made survival horror so scary was the survival part. It was scary as hell back in the day when you played this genre because you literally had to think about how much ammo you had as well as health. The scariest parts when when you had run out of ammo for any type of firearm and were left to survive with nothing but a 2x4 with nails sticking out of the end (reference to a couple of the original Silent Hill games) No one wants to actually play a game now a days. If there are not bright neon signs or path indicators, people think it's too hard. God forbid you have to actually solve a damn puzzle and if a puzzle is on the game, accomplish it on your own without going to some youtube channel or strategy guide. The last survival horror game was Dead Space 1 and that wasn't even really a true one.
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Atmosphere, music, lighting, its hard to find a truly scary game. The last one that scared me was the original silent hill.
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1 ReplyAs has been said - atmosphere, music, level design and lighting. If a game can pull those things off and have me turn every corner at snail's pace with my weapon constantly poised to attack anything that might jump out from a vent or down from the ceiling, then I'll know the horror factor has paid off. Dead Space pulled this off perfectly IMO, as did Bioshock - I'll never forget jumping out of my skin at the bit where you're in this boiler room filled with Splicer corpses and pools of blood, then as you reach the end one jumps up and goes batshit crazy on you.
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2 RepliesEdited by Smarkdow: 1/22/2013 8:31:08 PMLimitations. Limited ammo, health, inventory space, attacks, etc. The survival horror genre is all about limitations. The point is to not feel like a powerful badass; the point is to feel helpless and weak. It's too bad developers have forgotten about that principle.
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Running away from something that can run at the same speed as you is terrifying. Knowing that with one mistake you could be dead is exhilarating.
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The only game i really was scared of was a japanse demo i played on my playstation 2, I got a demo disc every month with tons of demos on one disc. The game was so freaking scary, You only had a flashlight and was foggy.
