Good survival horror PC games

[ploppytheman]

Hey I am looking for good survival horror PC games for the PC and 360. I gave played Doom 3, Quake 4, Fallout: 3 (it has elements of it anyway), Wolfenstein, Portal, Blood Omen 2, Bioshock 1, and Resident Evil 2&4. I know these aren't all survival horror but they fit into the games I want to play for single player.

I've heard STALKER, Prenumbra, Silent Hill(2+4 esp), Alan Wake, Fear, Jericho, and Deadspace. How necessary is it to play all the silent hills? I'm not sure if I can get one. And what about the rest or any other games? I have a pretty good PC that runs SC2 Beta max settings and fallout:3 almost max. I also have a 360. Besides that I have some Sennheiser HD280s, a 5.1 system, and a projector, decent 27" TV, or decent 19" monitor.

Comp:
2.2 Core Duo
4GB Ram
Nvidia 9800 GTX+ (1GB+)


Basically I am looking for survival horror games, recommended way to experience them, and whether PC or Xbox is better, as ports can suck. So if you can list the games and if you have a preference on headphones or other hardware pls let me know. Thx.

 

[klakkat]

STALKER is good, but also System Shock 2 and Call of Cthulu. Your comp should be able to run the latter two easily (they're old).

Jericho is crap. Can't comment on the others (haven't played)

Doom 3 isn't horror. It's a goddamn joke where the punchline went out to lunch and never came back, but remembered to turn the lights off at least.

 

[Darmort]

STALKER isn't really horror, it's just post apocolyptic. Penumbra is pretty damn scary, and if you play Silent Hill 2 and you aren't missing anything (2 isn't part of the story of 1 and 3, and 4 isn't technically a Silent Hill game). Dead Space isn't horror, to be honest. Along the same lines as Resident Evil 4. Alan Wake is just horrible.

Any of those games you should be able to play quite happily.

 

[ploppytheman]

Yeh Doom 3 wasn't horror just gore, I think I got startled a handful of times in Doom 3. Same with Quake 4. Doom 3 was worth playing but once you got the shotgun the game was a joke, the flashlight mechanics were irritating too.

Oh yeh I've heard of System Shock 2, any idea where I can get it? I've played Bioshock which I heard ripped off SS2.

 

[klakkat]

STALKER isn't really horror, it's just post apocolyptic.

That IS true. It is still a good game though. More exploration and FPS/RPG; horror doesn't really take much place in STALKER

Oh yeh I've heard of System Shock 2, any idea where I can get it? I've played Bioshock which I heard ripped off SS2.

Unfortunately, it's a ***** to get now. You have to find an old copy of the disk; unlike Deus Ex it was never released on Steam (or anything similar). Ebay is your best bet, but you might be able to find a downloadable copy out there somewhere. If the people who own the license had any sense, they would release it to Steam (I assume they don't care).

 

[Estocavio]

Penumbra - All of them really, but do it in sequence.

 

[ploppytheman]

STALKER isn't really horror, it's just post apocolyptic. Penumbra is pretty damn scary, and if you play Silent Hill 2 and you aren't missing anything (2 isn't part of the story of 1 and 3, and 4 isn't technically a Silent Hill game). Dead Space isn't horror, to be honest. Along the same lines as Resident Evil 4. Alan Wake is just horrible.

Any of those games you should be able to play quite happily.

I just downloaded a Penumbra demo and its installing lol, and thx for info on SH series.

I DL the Dead Space demo on 360 and the controls pissed me off so I never took a look at it again although I might give it another chance. RE4 was so boring and badly ported to PC I just stopped playing it. The aiming was stupid too. I finish games almost 100% of the time, and RE4 is one I didn't ever finish.

Alan Wake looks like it has potential, but I'd probably want a Demo first, I'll check Xbox live for it.

 

[Sebenko]

STALKER isn't really "Horror" per-say but it is the most midfucking immersive game of all time. Once underground you will be praying for release.

Oh thank god, there are people shooting bullets at me!

 

[ploppytheman]

STALKER isn't really "Horror" per-say but it is the most midfucking immersive game of all time. Once underground you will be praying for release.

I have long loved the movie Stalker as well as Solaris which are really deep awesome movies, hearing the game is like that is gonna be awesome. I remember in Fallout 3 sneaking around listening to the super mutants talking and just... that game is awesome immersive too.

 

[Avelestar]

I DL the Dead Space demo on 360 and the controls pissed me off so I never took a look at it again although I might give it another chance.

Try and get it on the PC if you didn't like the controls. I've played it through multiple times and LOVE it. I do remember being frustrated with it at the start though, over the shoulder view and the kind of clunky movement take some getting used to.

It's an excellent game, even if you do start to lose the scare factor nearing the end (as you get used to aliens popping out)...so the game throws a freaky ending at you.

 

[GuideBot]

Not quite sure if I'd call it survival horror, but its a game with elements of horror and survival on the PC: Left for Dead, and its sequel, nominee for literalness in sequel naming award 2009: Left for Dead 2.

 

[klakkat]

Not quite sure if I'd call it survival horror, but its a game with elements of horror and survival on the PC: Left for Dead, and its sequel, nominee for literalness in sequel naming award 2009: Left for Dead 2.

I don't think I'd call it survival/horror, but it does indeed have elements and Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 are both fantastic games. Highly recommended if you like FPS games even slightly.

 

[The Madman]

Scratch Jericho, but instead look up another game based on the same authors work names Clive Barker's Undying.

Now that was a good game! As I recall not only was the story pretty good and the action surprisingly solid, but the visuals were some of the best produced by the original Unreal Engine, so it will have aged well compared to many other games from that time. Nice and creepy too if memory serves me right, I remember it being one of the few games to leave me unnerved after playing it.

There was also The Suffering, which was actually released for free on the PC awhile back for whatever reason. I downloaded it then to give it a try and it wasn't half bad, never beat it, but the main characters story about how he might or might not have murdered his family was intriguing and the enemy monster designs were pretty damn twisted. If you do a google search you'll find a few links to where you can get it still. Apparently the US Air Force of all people made it freeware for some reason, but I'm unsure whether that was a limited-time thing or not.

Unfortunately I can't really think of any other horror games that haven't been mentioned yet, not *pure* horror games anyway. The Thief series (Most recent one being Thief: Deadly Shadows) can be notoriously creepy at points, but it's not actually a horror series. One level in Thief: Deadly Shadows called 'the Shalebridge Cradle' has gained a bit of a reputation as one of the most scary moments in gaming however, so certainly worth a look. And if you're into rpg's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has quite a few horror scenario, although like Thief it wasn't actually a horror game. Again, there's a horror level in the game almost more famous than the game itself, in this case the Oceanside Hotel, a shameless but absolutely awesome ripoff of The Shinning!

Both are worth looking into as even pushing the horror elements aside, they're great games.

As for what's been mentioned I most highly recommend Call of Cthulhu and System Shock 2, love those games. System Shock 2 is one of my all-time favorites, while Call of Cthulhu is the only game to have ever done Lovecraft's work justice and is a great introduction to the Cthulhu mythos for those unfamiliar.

Regardless of what you choose Good Luck and have fun (being scared)!

 

[ploppytheman]

I DL the Dead Space demo on 360 and the controls pissed me off so I never took a look at it again although I might give it another chance.

Try and get it on the PC if you didn't like the controls. I've played it through multiple times and LOVE it. I do remember being frustrated with it at the start though, over the shoulder view and the kind of clunky movement take some getting used to.

It's an excellent game, even if you do start to lose the scare factor nearing the end (as you get used to aliens popping out)...so the game throws a freaky ending at you.

Yeh I am used to having super high sensitivity for shooters. I watched the deadspace movie and it was really cool esp for a video game movie. I'll def take a look.


@all

Where can i DL Silent HIll for PC? I have Steam and Direct to Drive. Are there other sites I can buy it?

 

[reg42]

I highly recommend that you play the Penumbra series. They're great, first-person survival horror/adventure games. Really, play them. Play them now! I'm pretty sure that you can get a physical copy if you aren't into Steam.

 

[Zero47]

Stalker Call of Peripyat is a really good survival game. It doesn't really aim for the horror thing like other games like Dead Space does, but it can still get pretty scary.

Recommended way to play: After 9PM and with Lucians harsh zone mod (google it). Without the mod you can safely ramp up the difficulty to the max.

 

[Reaper69lol]

How about Condemned? Give that a try. As for Jericho, its an alright game, nothing special really, but I personally enjoyed it very much.

 

[Owlslayer]

Maybe Killing Floor? It's not a new game and started out as a mod, but now it's pretty nifty and gives a spook or two. It's good fun to play it with friends over LAN or with other people , but there is no single-player.
Still, it's very fun, especially since it is a multiplayer game that has slow-motion in it (called ZEDtime, if i remember correctly). Quite awesome to splat out some brains. And it is quite difficult, too. So i guess it's definitely survival, but horror...depends what kinda person you are... Some are afraid running in pitch black corridors and hearing those creatures screaming everywhere, while all you have is a handgun and a small flashlight, and all your friends are dead and being eaten. But that's a part of the maps i don't go, i stick to the streets!

In conclusion, try it out.

 

[tjarne]

Scratch Jericho, but instead look up another game based on the same authors work names Clive Barker's Undying.

Now that was a good game! As I recall not only was the story pretty good and the action surprisingly solid, but the visuals were some of the best produced by the original Unreal Engine, so it will have aged well compared to many other games from that time. Nice and creepy too if memory serves me right, I remember it being one of the few games to leave me unnerved after playing it.

There was also The Suffering, which was actually released for free on the PC awhile back for whatever reason. I downloaded it then to give it a try and it wasn't half bad, never beat it, but the main characters story about how he might or might not have murdered his family was intriguing and the enemy monster designs were pretty damn twisted. If you do a google search you'll find a few links to where you can get it still. Apparently the US Air Force of all people made it freeware for some reason, but I'm unsure whether that was a limited-time thing or not.

Unfortunately I can't really think of any other horror games that haven't been mentioned yet, not *pure* horror games anyway. The Thief series (Most recent one being Thief: Deadly Shadows) can be notoriously creepy at points, but it's not actually a horror series. One level in Thief: Deadly Shadows called 'the Shalebridge Cradle' has gained a bit of a reputation as one of the most scary moments in gaming however, so certainly worth a look. And if you're into rpg's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has quite a few horror scenario, although like Thief it wasn't actually a horror game. Again, there's a horror level in the game almost more famous than the game itself, in this case the Oceanside Hotel, a shameless but absolutely awesome ripoff of The Shinning!

Both are worth looking into as even pushing the horror elements aside, they're great games.

As for what's been mentioned I most highly recommend Call of Cthulhu and System Shock 2, love those games. System Shock 2 is one of my all-time favorites, while Call of Cthulhu is the only game to have ever done Lovecraft's work justice and is a great introduction to the Cthulhu mythos for those unfamiliar.

Regardless of what you choose Good Luck and have fun (being scared)!

The hotel part of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines made me crap my pants. But I'm however very easily scared. It also a really good game, not perfect but it's definatly the best vampire game I ever played.

Thief is also really fun, not much survival or horror.

Stalker is perhaps almost the definition of survival, sadly it doesn't run very good at my computer.

 

[ploppytheman]

Ok well thx so far. I just played Penumbra Demo and got it for $5 (and some other games) through some deal they have. I am Dling full version atm, the graphics are slightly dated but the atmosphere is perfect. I'm looking up all these games atm on youtube/google w/e. I mean wow Penumbra is just sick so far.

And yeh I actually was QA at Sega and test Condemned, was pretty cool but I gave up on single player games for a bit, kinda had too many disappointments.

I got my SC2 Beta key and am mid plat and loving it, but playing a competitive multiplayer game that demands so much isn't always what I'm in the mood for, other types of gaming like survival horror are easy going and fun, more like a movie than going balls to the wall in Starcraft.

I've played the suffering demo and it was very cool, I don't know why I never bought it, I owned a ton of other Xbox games.

None of my RL friends play games actually so single player or online competitive balanced high skill multi are what I prefer, although I only play one game at a time, and its SC2 atm. I just feel like SC2 is so draining and if I'm not at utmost focus I don't want to play so I am getting back into the games I used to like with some relaxing single player.