Great Horror Game Suggestions
I've never really liked movies or games designed to scare me. The whole thought seems pretty bizarre to me but since reading Lynx's article on Kosakovia I've decided I want to really give one a shot.
Since I don't have Half Life 2 Episode 2 and am naturally opposed to mods I'd like some advice on which to play. I'm easily turned off by bad graphics and presentation hopefully the game will be somewhat recent. I know there are plenty of old, creepy games so that rules out a lot of them. I don't want creepy; I want shit my pants scary. I also don't play any consoles now so PC only, please. Make me jump, scream like a pansy, not sleep for days, whatever, bring it on. I'll say thanks in advance because I probably won't want to later once you pick guys pick out a game for me.
Since I don't have Half Life 2 Episode 2 and am naturally opposed to mods I'd like some advice on which to play. I'm easily turned off by bad graphics and presentation hopefully the game will be somewhat recent. I know there are plenty of old, creepy games so that rules out a lot of them. I don't want creepy; I want shit my pants scary. I also don't play any consoles now so PC only, please. Make me jump, scream like a pansy, not sleep for days, whatever, bring it on. I'll say thanks in advance because I probably won't want to later once you pick guys pick out a game for me.
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Also, why are you opposed to mods?
Condemned can also get pretty freakydeaky, but I don't know if it's full-on horror.
Man, I really need to sit down and play through Penumbra. I bought the pack as part of a steam sale and barely played an hour of it :/
Some would say Bioshock is a good scare-game. I didn't find it very scary myself, others found it horrifying.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was a fun FPS with some really good scares in it. a lot of the things in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are psychological and interacting with the unexpected. It's kind of a niche game though. I loved it, but some don't seem to 'get' it.
DOOM 3 has some classic-type scares. Monster closets, loud noises, ect. I love FEAR better because they play with your mind and make it significantly harder to guess when a scare is coming up. DOOM 3 had some predictable moments, but averaged some good scares regardless.
Remember, the effectiveness of scary games is enhanced by how much you're will to 'participate', if you will. Only play at night in a darkened room, crank the audio up, sit close to the display, no distractions, ect. You have to want to be scared, rather than trying to make the game prove itself.
If you want to be genuinely scared go play System Shock (2) with the lights off and sound up. Yes it's an old game but it's a classic
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Edit; Forgot to mention Dead Space, mate of mine hails it as the second coming, I never bothered to get it though so can't really tell you if it's any good.
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it's pretty good, the scares wear off after a bit though. Same monster in the closet tactics as Doom or Resident Evil.
I think the real secret may just playing horror games in the dark, alone, with surround sound. What really did it for me in Doom 3 was being a kid in the basement in the middle of a thunderstorm. An imp screamed at my back left (where the lightswitch in the office was), the lights in the game went out, and then the LIGHTS IN MY ACTUAL ROOM went out. I only realized it was the power going out when a few seconds later the computer died, too. Scared the CRAP out of me.
Most recent scary one ive played with dead space, It was solid.
edit: Fear is not a scary game, Neither is doom 3, If your scared by either your a very easily scared person.
*I'll go with the minority here and say that while F.E.A.R was pretty creepy at parts, I wouldn't consider it outright scary.
I think it was more of a "right game at the right time" sort of thing; no game before Doom ever tried the "ravenous demon lurking behind a dark, silent corner" bit. It was a first, and really opened my eyes.
You guys are both nuts.
I don't scare very easily (that said, I'm not a 'super cool tought guy' either) and FEAR has been one of the most effective at getting me. Again, it's all about how you play it, and you're willingness to participate and want the scare.
Myrmidon - The AI in FEAR was particularly good, if I remember correctly. I know many people praised the game for it's AI and it's tactics in gunfights. what didn't you like about it?
In addition to the AI, I remember hating the dialogue and voice acting. Maybe I'll reinstall and boot the game up just so I can bitch about it.
As for Fear I never really found it scarier either. It has some good shock value, but never really found it creepy, the 2nd one was even less so.
I can definitely agree with you there. Though it wasn't a horror game, or even traditionally "scary" for that matter, it somehow still managed to get under my skin. Maybe it was just the constant isolation and the feeling that it just went on and on (due to how Valve designs their "levels"). I'm not sure what it was but I was quite creeped out at points, of course I was also much younger which may have helped.
I liked Parasite Eve on the original playstation because it was a game that took its time building that tension so that the scares were fairly effective, but the gameplay suffers as a result.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_Eve_%28video_game%29
I will say, the first time I played the original Call of Duty on PC, I had this sense of immersion where life and death actually felt like it mattered. So while it had no elements of horror, it did provide a tension packed experience that close calls would sometimes scare the player.
A Myrmirant!
I never felt the fear and tension of Half-Life, but that's easily attributed to the fact that back then in 1999-2000, I used to cheat in games. it was all sv_cheats 1, impulse 101, and god for me. And noclip from time to time. It was pathetic. So I beat the game, but none of the atmosphere mattered to me.
I have since changed my ways.