For me, it would definitely have to be Haunting Ground (Demento in Japanese).
Not a very well-heard of game, this was a real diamond in the rough made in 2005 for the ps2.
I am a huge fan of good survival horror games, and this was the best one I have ever played, possibly even surpassing Silent Hill.
I played it over and over and over again! Even though it is the same game each time and I knew all of the puzzles, it had a lot of unlockables (artwork, alternate costumes, hilarious extra alternate costumes, an interesting hard mode, etc). Shocking for survival horror games, it had tons of replay-ability, and while not wanting to give much away, the hard mode that you unlock after you beat the game once on normal adds interesting and more difficult ways to play that really make it that much more immersive.
The graphics are beautiful (for the ps2), the characters are creepy, yet well fleshed out (you always know the motives of why these people are chasing the innocent protagonist girl - or are terrified by strategic ways of not being told why) and it has a delightfully twisted and horror filled story, while not really relying on gore. There are actually so few gory parts in this game, because the fear comes from the amazingly implemented unknown, and not from pure shock value. There are even some small things that are never explained (like **TINY SPOILER ALERT** the weird near-lifeless humanesque creatures that wander the hallways) but you are always given enough information to deduce why they are there for yourselves, which is always more scary than any truth they could come up with.
To wrap this up, I have never been more into or immersed in a game in my life, and I even enjoyed playing it with friends (which is very odd for a horror game). It was so well made, well thought out, and fun to play, that I would do just about anything if I could see a sequel with the same quality of gameplay as the first!
I mean, I can account for multiple times of myself saying that I "wished I could just forget the whole thing and play it over like it was brand-new!" I think that's definitely when a game deserves a sequel!
Also, sorry to go on for a bit there, hope it was specific enough
Not a very well-heard of game, this was a real diamond in the rough made in 2005 for the ps2.
I am a huge fan of good survival horror games, and this was the best one I have ever played, possibly even surpassing Silent Hill.
I played it over and over and over again! Even though it is the same game each time and I knew all of the puzzles, it had a lot of unlockables (artwork, alternate costumes, hilarious extra alternate costumes, an interesting hard mode, etc). Shocking for survival horror games, it had tons of replay-ability, and while not wanting to give much away, the hard mode that you unlock after you beat the game once on normal adds interesting and more difficult ways to play that really make it that much more immersive.
The graphics are beautiful (for the ps2), the characters are creepy, yet well fleshed out (you always know the motives of why these people are chasing the innocent protagonist girl - or are terrified by strategic ways of not being told why) and it has a delightfully twisted and horror filled story, while not really relying on gore. There are actually so few gory parts in this game, because the fear comes from the amazingly implemented unknown, and not from pure shock value. There are even some small things that are never explained (like **TINY SPOILER ALERT** the weird near-lifeless humanesque creatures that wander the hallways) but you are always given enough information to deduce why they are there for yourselves, which is always more scary than any truth they could come up with.
To wrap this up, I have never been more into or immersed in a game in my life, and I even enjoyed playing it with friends (which is very odd for a horror game). It was so well made, well thought out, and fun to play, that I would do just about anything if I could see a sequel with the same quality of gameplay as the first!
I mean, I can account for multiple times of myself saying that I "wished I could just forget the whole thing and play it over like it was brand-new!" I think that's definitely when a game deserves a sequel!
Also, sorry to go on for a bit there, hope it was specific enough
