The Common Mistakes of Horror Games
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
I agree with the whole taking "control of the camera" bit. I hate it when games don't allow me to discover the area myself.
The music triggering baddies?...It depends. In Resi4 whenever you ran into a Regenerator, it would trigger this fucking creepy tune that really added to the fear. And when you finally killed the bastard the tune would stop and you'd have this tremendous sigh of relief. Without it the Regenerators wouldn't be as chilling as they were. Music that shifts with the gameplay can work very well if it's handled by talented people.
The music triggering baddies?...It depends. In Resi4 whenever you ran into a Regenerator, it would trigger this fucking creepy tune that really added to the fear. And when you finally killed the bastard the tune would stop and you'd have this tremendous sigh of relief. Without it the Regenerators wouldn't be as chilling as they were. Music that shifts with the gameplay can work very well if it's handled by talented people.
And speaking of cutscenes, the amount of cutscenes should NEVER exceed the amount of gameplay, I'm looking at you Star Ocean: The Last Hope.
This was a great and true article. You managed to give the old Valve a wank, you sly dog you.
I actually an really enjoying the story and enviroments of the game. I am currently on episode four of Alan Wake so I am glad to be able to read this and view the review without spoilers.
I think some of the idea are nice, but I do not know if that linear thinking will change in the near future. I sure hope I am wrong though.
I actually an really enjoying the story and enviroments of the game. I am currently on episode four of Alan Wake so I am glad to be able to read this and view the review without spoilers.
I think some of the idea are nice, but I do not know if that linear thinking will change in the near future. I sure hope I am wrong though.
So, this has been bugging me a while. I know Yahtzee only said QTE's once, in the last article, but I can't let this one get away again.
Cinematic events that require QTE's... isn't that the boss fights for MOST of God of War? Also an example I really enjoyed was Resident Evil 4; the boulder chase, the knife fight, the lake monster, etc. I couldn't of been the only one that enjoyed those? Anyways, I guess my main point is I wouldn't mind action in cut scenes IF they let us have some part in. QTE's are the easy out, but it's always fun to control character movement that you wouldn't be able to do in the normal game play.
~Rahl
Cinematic events that require QTE's... isn't that the boss fights for MOST of God of War? Also an example I really enjoyed was Resident Evil 4; the boulder chase, the knife fight, the lake monster, etc. I couldn't of been the only one that enjoyed those? Anyways, I guess my main point is I wouldn't mind action in cut scenes IF they let us have some part in. QTE's are the easy out, but it's always fun to control character movement that you wouldn't be able to do in the normal game play.
~Rahl
I agree. I loved Alan Wake. It's the best game I've played in years. But these comments could make it even better.
As funny as your videos are, I actually like this Extra Punctuation better. This is where you actually sit down and write meaningful stuff.
As funny as your videos are, I actually like this Extra Punctuation better. This is where you actually sit down and write meaningful stuff.
A recent example of good horror in my opinion is Metro 2033 due to it's bleak setting, dark atmosphere and enemies that may or may not appear or even be alive... the high difficulty helps this mood to.
Have you played Shadow of the Colossus? That game pulled off most of what God of War does with it's QTE-boss battles, without a single QTE. Not identical, but it's a start. An example of how it could be done.MasterRahl said:
I'm a bit undecided about action in cut-scenes. On the one hand, I wan't to do it myself, on the other, as long as player-input is limited to a relatively short range of commands, the awesomeness of the action is limited.
Sometimes I want to see the character come alive and not be bound by the number of commands I have to choose from. However, whenever you feel that the game takes away an experience you feel you wanted to do, not the pre-rendered character, it's to much. It's a fine line
Sometimes I want to see the character come alive and not be bound by the number of commands I have to choose from. However, whenever you feel that the game takes away an experience you feel you wanted to do, not the pre-rendered character, it's to much. It's a fine line
I submit another flaw in horror games: letting you fight and defeat enemies. Most survival "horror" does this, which is why I hold the genre in contempt.
Enemies that you can't fight are better. Enemies that you have to hide from or run away from. Example: the Puppets in the Shalebridge Cradle. You have to hide from them because otherwise you will die. You cannot kill them. All you can do is hide, and that's actually scary. If you could kill them like normal undead, it wouldn't be frightening.
Enemies that you can't fight are better. Enemies that you have to hide from or run away from. Example: the Puppets in the Shalebridge Cradle. You have to hide from them because otherwise you will die. You cannot kill them. All you can do is hide, and that's actually scary. If you could kill them like normal undead, it wouldn't be frightening.
Wait, so how exactly does the scary music/compilation of disturbing sounds from Silent Hill 2 fit into all of this? Because it plays only when you're being assaulted by monsters, thus highlighting all the dangerous parts in the game. Not like that kills the gaming experience or anything - the slow-ass enemies themselves already do a good job at that by being virtually harmless.
Totaly agree with everything in that.
One thing that anoys me in "horror" games are "jump out scares", they just arnt scary. All they do is make you hop in your seat.
One thing that anoys me in "horror" games are "jump out scares", they just arnt scary. All they do is make you hop in your seat.
Great article, which brought up some very strong points. I don't agree with how you judge games, Yahtzee, but at least you offer some solid criticism outside your videos (which are entertaining nonetheless).
I was thinking the same thing. I haven't played Alan Wake yet (I don't have a 360) but one thing that comes to mind with Alan Wake and this comment is that this game's original creator was Sam Lake of the Max Payne Game and its sequel, where some gun shots do that whole bullet time trick to show you a round about to perform lobotomy on some thug.Binerexis said:
It sounds to me as though when Creating Alan Wake, he [Sam Lake] tried to bring in a little bit of Max Payne in some ideas, and this is one of those ideas.
No, it is not very appropriate. In an action based game (or in the rare case of Fallout 3) it can be kind of fun, but in a horror game setting (If you disclude Resident Evil 4 as Horror game), it kind of feels like cheating. Sounds to me that if this game was supposed to feel like horror, exploding head shots would be kind of boring, as if it feels its supposed to reward you for killing something as opposed to just fight to stay alive.
True horror is atmosphere, story, randomness of scary events and despair. And product placement. 
