Bethesda wants to bring back a pure survival horror experience with Zwei

Binh Nguyen 27 Apr, 2012 at 2:21pm ET Article published in Gaming

Bethesda and Shinji Mikami, CEO of Tango Gameworks, have teamed up to create a new survival horror game codenamed “Zwei”. Shinji Mikami’s horror pedigree comes from titles like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. He’s also done work on Viewtiful Joe and Ace Attorney. Bethesda and Shinji Mikami are determine to make a “pure” survival horror experience that will “push the limits of fear and exhilaration”.

Mikami says,

A true ‘survival horror’ game is one in which the player confronts and overcomes fear. I’ve found my focus and once again I’m striving for pure survival horror. I am being very hands-on in the development of this game to ensure that the quality is there. Rest assured.

Some art for the different environments that will set the tone been released. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about this title when E3 rolls around.

Comments

27 Apr 2012 ~ 2:25pm Ilriyas I'm hoping they're going to try for an amnesia styled survival horror. No game is scary when you're capable of defending yourself from the creatures.
27 Apr 2012 ~ 3:18pm kryyst Looks hauntingly beautiful.

Best survival horror game I ever played was Fatal Frame. Take on the horrors armed only with a camera pure brilliance.
27 Apr 2012 ~ 3:19pm MAGIC Silent Hill and Clock Tower are the only two games that gave me the heeby-jeebies, like I dont want to play these while Im home alone.
27 Apr 2012 ~ 4:58pm Chooch ^ who does really? not me!! O.O
27 Apr 2012 ~ 5:25pm Tushon I need to go play through Dead Space 1 & 2 now ... in the dark and alone. Just to prep for Amnesia ... then this game.
27 Apr 2012 ~ 6:31pm Chooch I am trying to go through Dark Space 1 and with my gf in the room and I still get scared....
27 Apr 2012 ~ 8:10pm Canti Dead Space 2 doesn't even count as survival horror. It's hard to be scared when you're always tripping over ammo and can't take 5 steps without something blowing up in your face.
30 Apr 2012 ~ 1:47pm TheAlertHusky I think that what Ilriyas said was some what true, some what.

I think that it could still be scary if you can defend yourself but just not have nearly enough ammo or strength or what have you to kill the all or kill them at all.
30 Apr 2012 ~ 4:19pm Ilriyas My problem with games such as Metro 2033 and Deadspace 2 (And to an extent Silent Hill) was that you were capable of killing everything you encountered (Silent Hill did it a little better with limited ammo and scavenging for weapons)

Metro 2033 for example on the hardest difficulty (Ranger Hardcore) you would find maybe 5 rounds for your revolver but if you saved properly you could just buy 300 rounds of whatever once you reached the first station and the revolver was a one shot one kill anyways.

Deadspace 2 was silly because the walls were quite literally oozing ammunition.

Amnesia was amazing because your only defence was literally running for your life. I never finished it because I was basically frozen with fear once I hit the torture chamber at every creak and moan of the rooms.
30 Apr 2012 ~ 4:26pm Canti

OH GOD PLEASE DON'T LOOK HERE - The Game
30 Apr 2012 ~ 5:53pm Ilriyas Actually never mind I just found a game that is ABSOLUTELY terrifying even when you have firearms (And grenades)

STALKER Call of Pripyat, yes you have guns but against the mutants and poltergeists you may as well be shouting at them and giving them the finger.

Never ever go outside at night in that game unless your sanity can tolerate constant growls and howls and the fear of getting your brain sucked out through your spine.
4 May 2012 ~ 8:47am MAGIC Good reminder, I forgot about the Stalker games. Never played those.
4 May 2012 ~ 9:31am Ilriyas
Good reminder, I forgot about the Stalker games. Never played those.
Oh they're absolutely brilliant, I know many people who complain about the outdated graphics (I've even heard some make the claim that, because they're as outdated as they are for the release year it's obviously a bad game) and the fact that to get artifacts you have to go on a 'scavenger hunt' honestly the artifact hunting is one of the best parts of the game, not only do you get cool bonuses and/or gratuitous amounts of cash (Gratuitous until act 2 at least) but you get to dodge what is probably the one thing that sets STALKER apart from other post-apocalyptic/sandbox games: anomalies. (I don't want to spoil any of them it's always best to surprise yourself in game)
4 May 2012 ~ 9:44am MAGIC Is SoC worth playing or should i just play the second?
4 May 2012 ~ 11:46am midga SoC?
4 May 2012 ~ 1:33pm MAGIC Shadow of Chernobyl
4 May 2012 ~ 2:48pm JBoogaloo As a HUGE fan of horror I am really looking forward to something like this that will "push the limits of fear and exhilaration", so they say.
I love watching/playing horror genre movies/games in the dark and making it as creepy as possible (no point if it's done with lights and people around). I can't wait to see how well this stands up.
4 May 2012 ~ 5:25pm Ilriyas Shadow of Chernobyl is alright but I'd definitely recommend just playing Call of Pripyat, the story line up to that point is all explained in the intro and all the major problems that existed in the first few games were addressed by the developer.

Not only that but Call of Pripyat has a fan made 'complete' mod which effectively replaces the standard graphics with HD rehashes of the standard. (That and the game itself adds in a bunch of new artifacts that bring a new level of variety to the game.)