Whats the most scary game you ever played and why?
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There are many games!!! F.E.A.R, Resident Evil 4 and 5, Fatal Frame2, System Shock2!!! So great!! I really love feeling fears!!! It's so exiting!
Silent Hill 2 I'm onyl early into (Westside Apartments) it but, meeting Pyramid Head. You hear a scream. You rush through everything to find it and there...at the railings...he's there...staring...
Those Mannequins are by far my most pant shittingly scary moment in any game.magicmuffinman said:
The ones in Condemned 2 are just as terrifying too.
Dead Space gave me some big shocks too, the woman screaming outside the elevator was nasty.
Not really one for the horror survival genre, but when I played the Condemned games, there was one part where you were inside a shopping mall and these mannequins would appear behind you blocking your path back, but you never saw them moving. Actually creeped me out loads.
Indeed. They remind me of the Angels of Death in Doctor Who. Always moving when you aren't looking.magicmuffinman said:
A few things I've noticed:
Shock is weak. Shock startles you, that's all, and even then, it wears off quickly.
Power takes away horror. If you have a gun, if you're killing enemies, what's to fear? Invincible enemies like The Puppets (Cradle) and the Hunter (Dead Space) are great because you can't fight them. You have to run or hide, two actions which naturally inspire fear.
Gore isn't frightening. Honestly, after playing, say, Gears of War 2, any horror game's attempts at disturbing the player by gore are laughable.
Raw fear is nice, but dread is so much better. Sure, a pack of monsters closing in on you is frightening, but whatever, it's over soon anyways. But dread lasts. Dread is stronger. Fear can make a player afraid, but that's all, and they'll keep playing as normal. But dread can make a player refuse to go on.
Dead Space had dread at the start. Much of the place was unpopulated, lots of shadows and sounds but only just enough enemies to let you know what they were right. That was the brilliant part of the game, the true horror section - I remember inching along slowly, expecting, at any moment, for a necromorph to drop down. After that it was simple blah blah shooting monsters.
Dead Space's mistake was throwing more monsters at you, and giving you weapons. The fear goes away when you're carving lots of monsters apart with a saw.
The Shalebridge Cradle is brilliant for the reasons I've outlined above, which I'll re-iterate here along with a few additions.
- Dread. The entire first section is nothing but that. Creeping in the shadows, reading disturbing medical reports, etc. Then flicking on the generator, whimpering at how loud it was and hoping nothing inside heard it.
- Invincible enemies. The twitching, clicking Puppets. You can't kill them. You can knock them down, at most, with some flashbombs or fire arrows, but they'll get back up if you touch them. And if one sees you, it kills you, running impossibly quickly. You cannot escape it if it spots you.
- There is no shock. None. The most you might get is accidentally running into a Puppet, but that's not intentional. Nothing jumps out at you.
- The player is truly frightened. I think all of us who played the Cradle for the first time, in the dark, with no outside noise... I think we all had to take a break, and I think some of us contemplated just setting the game aside and not touching it again.
- The entire game sets you up for stealth, the feeling of hiding. And then you enter the Cradle, and again are forced to hide... which makes it all the more frightening.
More aspiring horror developers need to play through Thief DS and examine the Cradle closely, because it's as good as fear has ever gotten.
Shock is weak. Shock startles you, that's all, and even then, it wears off quickly.
Power takes away horror. If you have a gun, if you're killing enemies, what's to fear? Invincible enemies like The Puppets (Cradle) and the Hunter (Dead Space) are great because you can't fight them. You have to run or hide, two actions which naturally inspire fear.
Gore isn't frightening. Honestly, after playing, say, Gears of War 2, any horror game's attempts at disturbing the player by gore are laughable.
Raw fear is nice, but dread is so much better. Sure, a pack of monsters closing in on you is frightening, but whatever, it's over soon anyways. But dread lasts. Dread is stronger. Fear can make a player afraid, but that's all, and they'll keep playing as normal. But dread can make a player refuse to go on.
Dead Space had dread at the start. Much of the place was unpopulated, lots of shadows and sounds but only just enough enemies to let you know what they were right. That was the brilliant part of the game, the true horror section - I remember inching along slowly, expecting, at any moment, for a necromorph to drop down. After that it was simple blah blah shooting monsters.
Dead Space's mistake was throwing more monsters at you, and giving you weapons. The fear goes away when you're carving lots of monsters apart with a saw.
The Shalebridge Cradle is brilliant for the reasons I've outlined above, which I'll re-iterate here along with a few additions.
- Dread. The entire first section is nothing but that. Creeping in the shadows, reading disturbing medical reports, etc. Then flicking on the generator, whimpering at how loud it was and hoping nothing inside heard it.
- Invincible enemies. The twitching, clicking Puppets. You can't kill them. You can knock them down, at most, with some flashbombs or fire arrows, but they'll get back up if you touch them. And if one sees you, it kills you, running impossibly quickly. You cannot escape it if it spots you.
- There is no shock. None. The most you might get is accidentally running into a Puppet, but that's not intentional. Nothing jumps out at you.
- The player is truly frightened. I think all of us who played the Cradle for the first time, in the dark, with no outside noise... I think we all had to take a break, and I think some of us contemplated just setting the game aside and not touching it again.
- The entire game sets you up for stealth, the feeling of hiding. And then you enter the Cradle, and again are forced to hide... which makes it all the more frightening.
More aspiring horror developers need to play through Thief DS and examine the Cradle closely, because it's as good as fear has ever gotten.
I remember when I was 13 playing the original Alone in the Dark, one dark and stormy night alone in the house. I was so freaking scared I literally grabbed a knife from the kitchen and had it on the desk next to me while I played.
Darkseed anyone?
Ya know, a lot of people have criticized those who mentioned F.E.A.R. for it being simply a shock game, but this was not the case for me. I adore that game, I thought it was a masterpiece of horror, and it managed to keep me significantly freaked out the entire time I played through it. Even the straight-up firefights themselves could cause terror if you were playing it on high difficulty (and it only took a few shots to down you), and you had to rely on your slow-mo to survive. When your slow-mo would run out, you'd have to run and find a good hiding spot, and hope to god they didn't pursue you or lob a grenade in your direction while your slow-mo recharged.
BEWARE OF MASSIVE FEAR 2 SPOILERS IN THESE NEXT PARAGRAPHS
However, for all of the people that mentioned FEAR, I'm really surprised no one mentioned FEAR 2. FEAR 2 left the action largely unchanged, but turned up the creepiness factor in every way possible. There was the hospital- covered in blood and littered with inside-out corpses- at one point you crawl through an air vent that dumps you out onto a HUGE PILE OF ORGANS. Not to mention seeing several enemy soldiers running away, followed by the shadow of what seems to be some sort of monster and then a spurt of blood of-screen followed by a scream. That level did a bang-up job of drawing out the terror of those little mutants because you knew you would have to face them eventually, but you were never sure when. Most of the time you'd see them killing enemy soldiers in areas inaccessible (at least at the time), and there were several moments you were sure they'd attack you, but they don't. Throw in two squad-mate deaths: one of which you encounter being constantly impaled by some sort of surgical machine (who briefly revives to tell you that Alma is there), the other grabbed by some unknown force and reduced to a pile of ash.
Then there was the town. The first time you run into a someone frozen by the explosion and they turn to dust the second you touch them is enough to keep you freaked out. That level marked the first appearance of the ghosts. The ghosts that seem to be made of electricity or something and appear benign most of the beginning part of the game, even showing you where you need to go. Then one of them turns around and attacks you. Also, there was the marionettist, arguably one of the creepiest enemies ever. He would revive dead enemies to have them shoot at you while he ran and hid. If you managed to track him, he'd lunge at you, causing large amounts of damage and cause your vision to go on some sort of acid trip, and vanish (only to reappear somewhere else).
After that, there was the elementary school, which was the creepiest level in the whole game for me (probably due to the fact that it was a FREAKING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL). The halls, floors, and sometimes ceilings were covered in blood. I know being 'covered in blood' isn't exactly the most original scare tactic in modern games, but I would like to take this time to remind you that it's an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I think the blood on the flickering overhead projector was what did it for me. Throw in SnakeFist's heart-stopping death and the initial encounter with the new-and-improved replica ninjas, and you've got just about the creepiest level ever.
I realize I've been rambling for three paragraphs about this one game, so I'll wrap it up with three more moments/things from the game I found absolutely terrifying.
1.) In the corridor of the secret Armacham facility in which you face the mutants for the last time. They're all locked up in cells, which open at random. There wasn't a single good place to hide in that corridor, and the door locks behind you. They come from EVERYWHERE.
2.) Following a delusional and Sergeant Keegan who manages to wander through firefights unharmed. The more you pursue him, the creepier he starts to behave. You can usually hear him singing as you get closer, but he vanishes just as you reach him. The last time you encounter him is in the final confrontation, in which several decrepit versions of him assault you screaming their jealousy that Alma chose you over them.
3.) What Alma does to your helpless body while you get to watch from outside. *shudders*
SPOILERS END HERE
If you couldn't tell, I have a great love of the FEAR games. Other truly scary games I've always loved are the first two Clock Tower games, Eternal Darkness, and System Shock 2.
Ya know, a lot of people have criticized those who mentioned F.E.A.R. for it being simply a shock game, but this was not the case for me. I adore that game, I thought it was a masterpiece of horror, and it managed to keep me significantly freaked out the entire time I played through it. Even the straight-up firefights themselves could cause terror if you were playing it on high difficulty (and it only took a few shots to down you), and you had to rely on your slow-mo to survive. When your slow-mo would run out, you'd have to run and find a good hiding spot, and hope to god they didn't pursue you or lob a grenade in your direction while your slow-mo recharged.
BEWARE OF MASSIVE FEAR 2 SPOILERS IN THESE NEXT PARAGRAPHS
However, for all of the people that mentioned FEAR, I'm really surprised no one mentioned FEAR 2. FEAR 2 left the action largely unchanged, but turned up the creepiness factor in every way possible. There was the hospital- covered in blood and littered with inside-out corpses- at one point you crawl through an air vent that dumps you out onto a HUGE PILE OF ORGANS. Not to mention seeing several enemy soldiers running away, followed by the shadow of what seems to be some sort of monster and then a spurt of blood of-screen followed by a scream. That level did a bang-up job of drawing out the terror of those little mutants because you knew you would have to face them eventually, but you were never sure when. Most of the time you'd see them killing enemy soldiers in areas inaccessible (at least at the time), and there were several moments you were sure they'd attack you, but they don't. Throw in two squad-mate deaths: one of which you encounter being constantly impaled by some sort of surgical machine (who briefly revives to tell you that Alma is there), the other grabbed by some unknown force and reduced to a pile of ash.
Then there was the town. The first time you run into a someone frozen by the explosion and they turn to dust the second you touch them is enough to keep you freaked out. That level marked the first appearance of the ghosts. The ghosts that seem to be made of electricity or something and appear benign most of the beginning part of the game, even showing you where you need to go. Then one of them turns around and attacks you. Also, there was the marionettist, arguably one of the creepiest enemies ever. He would revive dead enemies to have them shoot at you while he ran and hid. If you managed to track him, he'd lunge at you, causing large amounts of damage and cause your vision to go on some sort of acid trip, and vanish (only to reappear somewhere else).
After that, there was the elementary school, which was the creepiest level in the whole game for me (probably due to the fact that it was a FREAKING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL). The halls, floors, and sometimes ceilings were covered in blood. I know being 'covered in blood' isn't exactly the most original scare tactic in modern games, but I would like to take this time to remind you that it's an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I think the blood on the flickering overhead projector was what did it for me. Throw in SnakeFist's heart-stopping death and the initial encounter with the new-and-improved replica ninjas, and you've got just about the creepiest level ever.
I realize I've been rambling for three paragraphs about this one game, so I'll wrap it up with three more moments/things from the game I found absolutely terrifying.
1.) In the corridor of the secret Armacham facility in which you face the mutants for the last time. They're all locked up in cells, which open at random. There wasn't a single good place to hide in that corridor, and the door locks behind you. They come from EVERYWHERE.
2.) Following a delusional and Sergeant Keegan who manages to wander through firefights unharmed. The more you pursue him, the creepier he starts to behave. You can usually hear him singing as you get closer, but he vanishes just as you reach him. The last time you encounter him is in the final confrontation, in which several decrepit versions of him assault you screaming their jealousy that Alma chose you over them.
3.) What Alma does to your helpless body while you get to watch from outside. *shudders*
SPOILERS END HERE
If you couldn't tell, I have a great love of the FEAR games. Other truly scary games I've always loved are the first two Clock Tower games, Eternal Darkness, and System Shock 2.
I was freaked out so much by Silent Hill, and by Ravenholm in HL2 *shivers* - but they rocked anyway.
I remember when I was younger and I used to be scared by the zombie house in Timesplitters Future Perfect!
I remember when I was younger and I used to be scared by the zombie house in Timesplitters Future Perfect!
System Shock 2 wins this one hands down. The isolation and helplessness is enough to make anyone crap themselves. Much more effective than the usual "out crashes a zombie/monster" themepark that Doom 3 and many others use. That's pure surprise. SS2 relies on atmosphere.
Also the Cradle of wassisname in Thief: Deadly Shadows. That was a masterpiece of frightening level design.
Edit: Shalebridge Cradle was it's name.
Also the Cradle of wassisname in Thief: Deadly Shadows. That was a masterpiece of frightening level design.
Edit: Shalebridge Cradle was it's name.
I understand that I've brought a thread back from the dead here and I hope it isn't against the rules. The reason being was that while browsing the internet I came across a game that used to scare me when I first played it and I was going to do a thread on "Whats the most scary game you ever played and why?" however I though some one would have probably bet me to the punch on this one so I decided to use the search bar. Hope that's cleared it up.
The game I'm talking about is Alien Trilogy on the PSX. When this came out I was about 6 and when I played it the game scared the crap out of me. The game add atmosphere and the monsters where Xenomorphs that at the time looked real. Now looking at it again as a 19 year old and with the aged graphics the game looks ridiculous however having looked at the box art and some of the screen shots those nostalgic images of fear are popping back into my head.
Just a though here but as any one ever had the feeling when thinking of past games that well "the game didn't look that bad when I played it"? . Thinking back on those Xenomorphs in that game when I was 6 they looked real all of it looked real but now looking at the screenshots the look like a blurry mess.
The game I'm talking about is Alien Trilogy on the PSX. When this came out I was about 6 and when I played it the game scared the crap out of me. The game add atmosphere and the monsters where Xenomorphs that at the time looked real. Now looking at it again as a 19 year old and with the aged graphics the game looks ridiculous however having looked at the box art and some of the screen shots those nostalgic images of fear are popping back into my head.
Just a though here but as any one ever had the feeling when thinking of past games that well "the game didn't look that bad when I played it"? . Thinking back on those Xenomorphs in that game when I was 6 they looked real all of it looked real but now looking at the screenshots the look like a blurry mess.
Definitely "Condemned" for me. It was just kind of tense, for me, until I got to the end...Then I'm pretty sure I was creeped the shit out.
I'd have to say disney princesses. It scares me to think about how that shit got onto shelves. And don't ask why I played it in the first place.
Easy. System Shock 2. Like Dead Space without the suck. Really stingy with supplies. Organic and Synthetic overminds that can both speak directly into your mind. Fucking ninja cyborgs. Constantly, yet slowly, respawning enemies. Hybrids that beg you to kill them and warn you when they're coming. And the fact that if you're not careful about leveling your character and inventory, you may not be able to beat it. You want a hard game? Try to beat SS2 with a psi class.
Project Zero 2.
Project Zero 2.
Thread over.
Oh god, thinking about it pains my soul. If there's something scarier, I've never played it and for the sake of my sanity (and underwear) hope I never will.
Fakedit: Huh, this is a pretty old thread you pulled up. I think I read it first time round...
Project Zero 2.
Thread over.
Oh god, thinking about it pains my soul. If there's something scarier, I've never played it and for the sake of my sanity (and underwear) hope I never will.
Fakedit: Huh, this is a pretty old thread you pulled up. I think I read it first time round...
I haven't played many horror games...Fallout 3 barley counts...but the most scary would just be THE DEMO of Condemned 1 and 2. They were only DEMOS and it was 8:00 AM when i was playing!! :O Bioshock also had a spooky atmosphere...funny thing is ive only played horror games during the daytime, so i've never had a crap-my-pants experience.
Do you know what the stupid thing was. The first one gave me nightmares for months, but I saw PZ2 and thought, "Yeah, i'll but that!"._Serendipity_ said:
Oh god, the first house with all the flashing images, and that woman that crawled out of a box, and I knew that box was there for that, but it just made me freak. I really could not cope with that game.
I think I got up to where you go into this blood soaked mansion. But I've repressed the memories as best as possible.