Recommend me horror games

[Malkavian]

I'm pretty dissapointed in the lack of horrorgames for the new gen. consoles. I'm not an expert in the horror genre, but as far as I see, the options boil down to Dead Space, Silent Hill: HC Condemned 2 and Siren Blood Curse. I have Siren, but the other two is, from what I've heard, not very good if you want a scare. SH:HC should be a disgrace to the series. Condemned I have played and completed, but it was only good for about the first half(that first half was pretty damn good though). And even then, it wasn't really horror as much as it was a really gritty and brutal setting.

Now, I haven't played THAT many horror games, but I've loved the 3 first SH games, Resident Evil 2 & 3, Dark Fall(an old p'n'c horror-adventure) and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, nack when I was playing on my PS1, and I really feel like playing some good horror games now.

So what should I look for? I realize there's not many options when we're talking current gen consoles, but since the PS3 and X360 is bacwards compatible with PS1 and Xbox games, there might be something there I could get? I have a wii too, if there's anything there.

I have already ordered Project Zero/Fatal Frame 1 & 2, so what else should I get, my fellow Escapists?

Do tell a little about the game you recommend, instead of just namedropping. Or try and convince me Dead Space is good, if you think so. Are there any titles on the horizon I should look out for?

 

[plastic_window]

Dead Space might not be as scary as you want it to be, but the gameplay is good and the story is pretty decent as you get towards the end of the game. I enjoyed it, but I have to recommend a scary game I'd go for Sanitarium. It's not scary in the same way as Dead Space is (i.e, no jump scares) but the setting, atmosphere, story and characters are all pretty disturbing. If you want to check Sanitarium out, bear in mind that it's only a PC game and it won't work on Vista because it's about 10 years old.

 

[Fauxity]

Eternal Darkness is an old Gamecube game inspired by Lovecraft mythos. For a 2001 game, it's really aged well. I still play through it once in a while, and getting to control all the different characters keeps it interesting while the plot unfolds. That is, if you can find a copy.

If you don't mind PC games, though, try the first two Penumbra games. They're adventure games inspired, again, by Lovecraft. Interesting story even if it does go a bit Indigo Prophecy at the end, and the mechanics are both intuitive and fun. Not too graphics intensive but keeps up a chilling atmosphere.

Sorry for listing another PC title, but the original F.E.A.R. (neither of the expansions, sequel is okay but not as good) is a great FPS with a really well thought out story with plenty of niches filled depending on if your focus is on finding all the little details or just killing waves of enemies. The gameplay gets a bit stale and predictable near the end, but the story was more than enough to get me through the rest of the game. The horror elements are well-implemented and varied, with hallucinations abundant and a creepy little girl thrown in as well.

On the 360, there's the two Condemned titles. Although the forensic science parts definitely feel tacked on with a sort of pixel hunting that I haven't experienced anywhere other than point and click adventure games. Combat is a big part, mainly featuring the protagonist beating the shit out of psychopathically possessed hobos with sledge-hammers, fire-axes, bits of steel piping and whatever else you can find. Sometimes relies too much on things jumping out to scare you, but usually it keeps an entertaining and genuinely foreboding depth to it.

 

[Chaosut]

Always good to see a fellow horror fan . Well, i personally think Dead Space isn't a good example of a horror game, it's just violent and relies on 'boo' scares. But anyway, here are some games you might like.

Sanitarium - An excellent psychological thriller point-and-click adventure game that's not really that scary, but has moments of creepiness and surrealism.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - An Lovecraftian FPS set in the Cthulhu Mythos that has a great atmosphere. Though the second half of the game turns into more of a shooter amd get's a bit bland.

Penumbra Series - An indie horror game which relies heavily on building an atmosphere and making you feel as vulnerable as possible, just as a horror game should. However the gameplay mechanics have been known to turn some peopl off.

Echo Night: Beyond - This is a flawed game, so i recommend it only if you feel you've played ever other horror game. It's a First-person adventure game in a sci-fi universe involving ghosts. The biggest flaw is just that you move very slow. This games pretty rare though.

System Shock 2 - Excellent sci-fi horror game with FPS and RPG elements. The difficulty a tough at times and the graphics are dated, but this is a great horror game that really plays on yoru vulnerabilities.

The Suffering - I've only played the first one, but it was a good action horror game. You also have the ability to transform into a monster of sorts.

 

[Cthulu2]

If you're looking for jump scares I'd recommend Doom 3. A lot of people have condemned it for not being like the other two but as a stand alone game it's great fun.

 

[Suda51]

My recomendations would be:
The clock tower series
rule of rose
haunted ground
cursed mountain.

 

[Vrex360]

A fellow fan of horror... gracias.

I'm aware that Dead Space isn't particularly scary in fact you can replicate the experiance by going on a Carnival ghost train and every five minutes have someone play a loud orchestral shriek right next to your ear.
But while it isn't scary, there is some atmosphere and the dismemberment gameplay and indeed most of the gameplay works a treat and the story is descent horror sci fi too.

Ultimatley though if you want a game to screw with your head... look no further than Eternal Darkness. God I fell for those fake messages SO MANY TIMES.

EDIT: Also, while not in the strictest sense 'horror' the King Kong game does deliver great shocks and anxiety and an over all feeling of helplessness (at least when you are Jack Driscoll not so much when you are Kong) because every single enemy can kill you with one hit. Powerful things they are and you are so small and delicious.

 

[ssgt splatter]

I'd say Bioshock. It's not too over the top like Dead Space but it has some pretty good moments and surprise twists in the plot. I'd recommend more but Bioshock is really the only horror game I've played.

 

[Joa_Belgium]

Alien vs Predator 2. That game gave me the goddamn creeps. Especially when it's really quiet and you see one dot appearing on your motion sensor and approaching from a dark hallway in front of you. That effect just gets bigger when the number of dots multiply.

I got such a scare in one of the Marine levels that I actually had to pause the game to catch my breath.

 

[TPiddy]

First Clock Tower only!

Condemned, and the first half of Condemned 2 .

Also, Saw: The Videogame is coming out soon and it looks like it could actually be good!

 

[wgreer25]

Alien vs Predator 2. That game gave me the goddamn creeps. Especially when it's really quiet and you see one dot appearing on your motion sensor and approaching from a dark hallway in front of you. That effect just gets bigger when the number of dots multiply.

I got such a scare in one of the Marine levels that I actually had to pause the game to catch my breath.

YES!!

That game was great. The human campain was a creep fest. The motion sensor always got my heart rate up.

To OP, always good to meet another horror fan. I really enjoyed Dead Space. It was a lot of jump out scares, but the level of emersion in that game was great. They put so many little details into the game to make you forget you were playing a game and just suck you into the world they created. Near the end (about chapter 8 or so) it is really just a shooter.

I too will be checking this thread for good recomendations as I have not found any lately. Bioshock was mentioned and I agree that it is creepy, but it is not a horror game. But the story is good, the voice acting is good and it is fairly unique.

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

Try any or all of the following for the 360:


Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Dead Space
Resident Evil 5
Bioshock
Left 4 Dead
Silent Hill 2 (NOTE- For the original Xbox; no achievements)


Hope this helps.

 

[Graves]

I'd go for Call Of Cthulhu too. I must say that Silent Hill: The Room had me jump up in my chairs quite some times too.

 

[tsb247]

I would recommend either F.E.A.R. or Condemned: Criminal Origins. Both of those games scared the hell out of me.

If you want to go old-school, I would recommend Aliens vs. Predator 2. Back in the day, that game made my skin crawl.

 

[Optimus Hagrid]

Mondo Agency.

 

[Thaius]

Good luck finding it, but if you can only play one horror game EVER, make it Fatal Frame. I recommend the first one, though the sequel is terrifying as well. Brilliantly designed horror games, very cinematic in presentation, and the main gameplay mechanic is a genius idea that multiplies the player's fear tenfold. I won't ruin it for you: just go find it for the PS2 or Xbox. You will not be disappointed.

EDIT: I see you already ordered Fatal Frame 1 and 2. That's what I get for not reading your entire post: my bad.

I recommend Bioshock as well, though it's not really a horror game, simply a brilliant piece of dystopian fiction that left a huge impression on me as a storyteller. And it will scare you at times, no doubt about that.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

FEAR is ok, if you have the right frame of mind.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

It depends, because there are different sub-genres of horror. It really depends what scares you.

A horror game I thoroughly enjoyed however was F.E.A.R. Fun combat, and at times it can certainly scare you. Plus it has, for me, one of the greatest villains ever.

This guy:

That's not his blood by the way.

 

[Joa_Belgium]

Alien vs Predator 2. That game gave me the goddamn creeps. Especially when it's really quiet and you see one dot appearing on your motion sensor and approaching from a dark hallway in front of you. That effect just gets bigger when the number of dots multiply.

I got such a scare in one of the Marine levels that I actually had to pause the game to catch my breath.

YES!!

That game was great. The human campain was a creep fest. The motion sensor always got my heart rate up.

To OP, always good to meet another horror fan. I really enjoyed Dead Space. It was a lot of jump out scares, but the level of emersion in that game was great. They put so many little details into the game to make you forget you were playing a game and just suck you into the world they created. Near the end (about chapter 8 or so) it is really just a shooter.

I too will be checking this thread for good recomendations as I have not found any lately. Bioshock was mentioned and I agree that it is creepy, but it is not a horror game. But the story is good, the voice acting is good and it is fairly unique.

I also have Dead Space, Resident Evil 5, BioShock, Condemned 1, Condemned 2, F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 (and I could continue for another minute), but Alien vs Predator 2 just takes the cake. Since then I never had such an experience that would make the hair on my arms stand up. I mean, the immersion was just perfect. As soon as everything was quiet and you saw a small dot on your motion sensor and you heard that scary *bleep* when it detected it, I would go on full alert and have chills running down my spine.

I actually jumped up from my seat when an alien lunged at me from the dark. I love it when a game grabs me by the balls like that.

 

[Proteus214]

You should definitely check out the Penumbra trilogy. It's on Steam and it's incredibly cheap. It's got a great story and the atmosphere is shit your pants scary.