Poll: Does Survival horror still exist?

[sephiroth1991]

Simple question does Survival horror still exist?

Looking back on the latest Survival horror games, can we really say they are true Survival horror?

 

[Cherry Cola]

Survival Horror: Surviving horrible games

At least that's my definition, and it's true!

 

[Audioave10]

Is that what Metro 2033 is? Its not just a pure shooter.

 

[TheTaco007]

Dead Space?

 

[Icecoldcynic]

Dead Space?

In dead space you're given pretty effective weaponry and are fully able to kill pretty much everything you come across. It's a lot more action focused.

 

[guardian001]

Yes. Yes it does. [http://www.amnesiagame.com/#main]

It's sort of a successor to Penumbra, if you've ever played that.

 

[thornussell]

yes it does still exist its just not common in alot of main stream games

 

[Daveman]

In Aliens vs Predator, I keep shitting myself whenever I see an alien. Does that count for anything?

 

[JRCB]

Yes. Yes it does. [http://www.amnesiagame.com/#main]

It's sort of a successor to Penumbra, if you've ever played that.

Holy shit, that actually looks pretty good. Is it for PC?

 

[guardian001]

Yes. Yes it does. [http://www.amnesiagame.com/#main]

It's sort of a successor to Penumbra, if you've ever played that.

Holy shit, that actually looks pretty good. Is it for PC?

Yes it is. Which is good, since I really can't see that kind of interaction working too well with a joystick.

 

[AgentNein]

Ummm....gooood question. I guess it comes down to how we're defining survival horror as a genre.

I think it's good to be able to define a genre, helps genre's from being meaningless descriptors.

TO ME (and I think it's a good description of the genre), survival horror is a subgenre of the action/adventure genre, in which supplies are purposefully scarce and controls are purposefully designed in order to give the impression of being a (more or less) ordinary person in the world, which leads to (hopefully) tense and at times frightening gameplay. Obviously the storyline more often than not deals with horror tropes.

Yes, there are still survival horror games being made. It's up to debate however if they're good or bad. Silent Hill is still a franchise popping out games that in my opinion are hitting the survival horror mode...

I think it was a genre that saw it's most popular days when 3d was the new thing, and ideas as to what constitutes as good 3d gameplay varied. Today I think people are very limited in what they think is 'good' gameplay. It's argued over and over that Survival Horror is dying as a genre because it has bad gameplay, I'd argue that the gameplay isn't bad, but inhibited. How can it be bad if it's serving it's purpose? It's doing exactly what it wants to be doing, which is the opposite of what most action adventure games are trying to do (empower the player). SurHhorror as a genre is trying to make the player feel vulnerable, to heighten tension. Saying it's bad gameplay is like saying Zelda: Wind Waker has bad graphics because it's not realistic.

In contrast, you can give me an incredibly challenging game like Ninja Gaiden, make the enemies and world 'scary' and it wouldn't be as effective as Silent Hill 2. Because I feel empowered as Ryu. I feel vulnerable as James Sunderland.

Sadly, people are stuck in this mode where they see one good way and many bad ways to make 3d action adventure, which is limiting the industry. People should learn to appreciate SurHorror for what it is, and not for what it's not, and maybe the genre can thrive again one day!

 

[Spiner909]

Dead Space 2 is coming. Your problem is done.

 

[Frequen-Z]

Siren: Blood Curse.

Some parts of the game have you playing as a small girl who can't use any weapons. Pretty much survival horror all over.

 

[AvsJoe]

Yes. Yes it does. [http://www.amnesiagame.com/#main]

It's sort of a successor to Penumbra, if you've ever played that.

Holy crap that looks AMAZING! Scared the piss out of me! *That's* how you do horror right there! Keep the enemies off-screen but ever-present, add a claustrophobic setting with plenty of ways for said enemies to get at you, and crank up your scary sounds and music to 11 and you'll have a bona fide scary-as-hell game!

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Deadrising was Survival Horror. Trapped in a mall, improvising weaponry to survive and rescuing survivors etc etc etc.

Left 4 Dead 1&2 I would say also fits the genre. Just barely though.

And Condemned one & two may count as well, given that they require you to grab weapons from the enviroment in order to combat enemies.

All good games, but I suppose what you said has bearing. Survival Horror has become a lot more Action oriented and it is easy to confuse the two. The only thing that seems to have carried over from Survival Horror is the scavaging system and under that rule, Resident Evil 4&5, Bioshock 1&2, and Dead Space can also be called Survival Horror.

 

[Yoshemo]

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a good survival horror

 

[natster43]

Yes, as time goes on games and genres change. They are just more action based than before.

 

[MetalDooley]

Yes it still exists to an extent.It's just that after Resi 4 Survival Horror and Action games became so interwoven it's hard to tell the difference at times.

Silent Hill:Shattered Memories is a good example of survival horror.The protagonist is just a normal bloke who can't fight the monsters so must try to survive by other means rather than just blowing them away

 

[Jinx_Dragon]

Yes. Yes it does. [http://www.amnesiagame.com/#main]

It's sort of a successor to Penumbra, if you've ever played that.

Holy crap that looks AMAZING! Scared the piss out of me! *That's* how you do horror right there! Keep the enemies off-screen but ever-present, add a claustrophobic setting with plenty of ways for said enemies to get at you, and crank up your scary sounds and music to 11 and you'll have a bona fide scary-as-hell game!

Indeed, I think I shall be getting this one when it comes out. Just wish more people would do horror the way you suggest: Presence and atmosphere! Anyone can throw something suddenly at you and startle you, startling someone is quite easy... it is why I have been told to wear a bell. So when games books and movie do it, throwing the 'bad guy' suddenly onto the screen/page/monitor, I just shake my head and walk off as I find that boring. Just to insult us a little too, the plots of such games, books and movie are rarely good because they seem more interested in making a work of snuff art. Then they pass the whole mess off as horror because so many people 'jump' when the producer suddenly throw a body or monster at them. Hell you could throw a koala, a friggen koala, at them and they still will react!

That isn't horror.

Horror is when you where just a child, hiding under the blankets in the dark cause you believed something was in the closet even though you know it is empty. It is a primitive, irrational, feeling that is so easily cultivated even when there is NOTHING at all out to get you. If you make the player/reader/viewer too scared to open the next door, flip the next page or see the next scene then you have done the job well. It doesn't matter what is behind the door/page/screen at that point, you have done the job well enough they are entrenched into your story that they feel what will happen to the 'hero' will so very likely happen to them at the same time. No need to startle them, at that point a shambling creature taking it's sweet time to cross the room to eat your face off would be enough to have the viewer/reader/player clawing at the walls in hopes to escape.

The bit that makes me sad over all this is how modern producers screw all this up! In a building filled with blood, echoing screams and lingering dust filled shadows it should be dead simple to leave the viewer/reader/player feeling as if something, unknown and unnamed, is coming for them. Dead simple to leave a lingering presence of elderich danger that will stay with them long after the threat has passed! With that sort of atmosphere you could have a sweet smiling child in the room, happily playing with dolls, and still the viewer/reader/player will still want to put a bullet in her head... just in case.

That is horror!

 

[Z(ombie)fan]

With such good graphics these days, developers are getting too inventive with their design of monsters. I love Dead Space, but when you look at those monsters, they just look corny with their big stupid arms. Resident Evil 5, not creative enough, kill some amazonian men with white eyeballs? nahh, no thanks.

I'd love to see some imps from doom revamped with big ass teeth, drooling blood, and a virus eating away their flesh or something. Maybe a zombie survival horror with some more realistic L4D style zombies. If you're gonna use humans, make them so grotesque that I'm scared to see them and I fear the next encounter.

Anyways, i think the design of the enemies has hurt the genre.

oh god when i finshed doom 2 i said, "i wonder they would look like in real life?"

bad mistake, as i did take my anti-crazy pills that day (and yes i need anti-crazy pills).