Thoughts on Psychological Horror games?

[blackshark121]

I really think the new Resident Evil could have promise, but there are all kinds off problems that could appear. How much is enough? How much is too much? When does it become tasteless?

Killing someone on the brink of death to save yourself and 10 people? Fine.

Shoving someone in front of a train to try to stop it from hitting 4 people? Kind of hard there.

Killing a crying baby to save yourself and 10 other people from the hostile army you're hiding from? Kind of iffy there.


As fun a concept as it could be, a game that goes this far could have some serious legal issues.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Psychological Horror Games? They only really exist in Japan. Western horror games might as well be this:

 

[grimsprice]

True, these psychological things always have the edgy-ness to them. But when developers skirt the boundries, it can be an interesting experience.

Although i hate the 'save the puppies', 'eat the kittens', black and white nature of most moral choice things.

 

[Ninja_X]

The new resident evil could have potential?

I am tempted to point at RE 5 and walk away but I remember I had fun with RE 4 so I have to give the new one a chance.

 

[Nils]

Killing people you don't care about, in order to save people you care even less about, is not psychological horror.
And what new Resident Evil game are you talking about?

 

[SideScroller99]

yeah i think resident evil might be done as a survival series,but here's hope that silent hill might rise from the dead and start messing with your head. its a small amount of hope but still...

 

[LordGarbageMan]

Its all about the atmosphere for the thrillers i like, and i cant seem to connect to those japanese ones.

 

[Erana]

I have not played a decent horror game in years. Apparently though The Path is decent so if anyone has played it please pitch in. I will have to give it a shot one day.

The Path is a mindfuck.

Really, OP, who or what gave you the bright idea of looking to Resident Evil for any consideration for the psychological?
I have to quote Yahzee on this one:
... But then again, this is Resident Evil, the series who brought us squeaky voiced, midget Napoleon and any sophisticated idea of theirs is probably an accident...

 

[Whistler777]

Psychological Horror Games? They only really exist in Japan. Western horror games might as well be this:

Monolith Software would like a word with you...

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Psychological Horror Games? They only really exist in Japan. Western horror games might as well be this:

Monolith Software would like a word with you...

[/quote]

A fine rebuttal good sir.

[small]*tips his hat*[/small]

 

[Proteus214]

Psychological Horror Games? They only really exist in Japan. Western horror games might as well be this:

Spoiler

I think I just about poop'd meself.

OT: The whole point of "psychological horror" is putting the player outside of their comfort zone long enough for them to get creeped out. Japanese film makers figured out how to do it with a combination of visual and aural stimuli a while ago (see The Ring and Ju On). The problem is, not everyone has the same "comfort zone" when it comes to creating horror from subject matter rather than black and white photos of strange things with awful grating sounds like you see in a lot of Japanese horror movies.

 

[Shadowfaze]

Psychological Horror Games? They only really exist in Japan. Western horror games might as well be this:

Monolith Software would like a word with you...

[/quote]

A fine rebuttal good sir.

[small]*tips his hat*[/small][/quote]

condemned! well done that man! i loved that gamed, it proper messes with your head

 

[Arkhangelsk]

I love psychological horror. Especially Silent Hill. Here's for hoping that Silent: SM will be as good as it promises. And if it is, I'll tell you all when I'm in the mental hospital.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

If they really wanted a psychological horror game, all they would have to do is take a Lovecraft story and turn it in to a game. (has that been done already?)

 

[Casual Shinji]

Psychological horror games aren't gonna work in this day and age. There's nothing like an Achievement/Trophy jingle to pull you out of fear drenced immersion.

 

[Diablini]

I could be hired to make up Psycho Horror scenarios. Like this one:

You are trapped in a room with your family and the roof starts to move down. You find a hole in the wall, but your parents can't get out because the whole is to small. You can escape but they can't. Inside the room there is a pressure plate. You step on it and the bricks above the hole rise up. Your parents can get out but you must stay to save them.

 

[Random Argument Man]

If they really wanted a psychological horror game, all they would have to do is take a Lovecraft story and turn it in to a game. (has that been done already?)

Yes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Cthulhu:_Dark_Corners_of_the_Earth

And it was fantastic.

 

[Svenparty]

I'm sure if anyone did(or has) created a masterpiece in Psychological Horror Game they are currently eating their own excrement trapped inside their own personal hell.

I think that true Psychological Horror games would need to be toned down. Look at how Resi Evil 4 was supposed to be like in comparison to now.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

If they really wanted a psychological horror game, all they would have to do is take a Lovecraft story and turn it in to a game. (has that been done already?)

Yes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Cthulhu:_Dark_Corners_of_the_Earth

And it was fantastic.

[i/]YES![/i] I got my game for the weekend.

 

[PxDn Ninja]

I really think the new Resident Evil could have promise, but there are all kinds off problems that could appear. How much is enough? How much is too much? When does it become tasteless?

I love psychological horror titles like Fatal Frame and the likes. Once that are truly scary, not all about shock factor and action. That being said, Resident Evil has NEVER been truly a psychological horror title. It is pure shock and flash.

I don't say this to flame on RE, it has it's fans and that's fine, but survival horror and psychological horror should be about atmosphere, story, and the need to truly just survive, and RE has never done this.