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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I 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.