How come so few scary games?

[Stephen Amber]

There was something disturbing about Doom back in '95/'96 with it's crucified, half-eaten marines and the appearance of the cyber-demon, which had a formidable demonic presence about it. An entertaining shooter that poked at the christian sensibilities in the subconscious as well.

 

System Shock2 was good at building tension and had it's share of shock moments as well... usually a dry zombie voice from over your shoulder when you weren't expecting it.

 

Neither of those games left me horrified, though.

 

True fear is reserved for real life... Like the passangers on that plane that emergency crash landed on the Hudson recently. Now that's fear...

[Slowtrain]

ain't never played a game that frightened us for reals.

 

 

As usual I think Grommy raises a great point.

 

I don't really expect a game or a movie or a book to frighten me for real. As a person who is (relatively) in touch with the real world, I always know that what I am seeing or experiencing is not real. Game, book, movie, whatever, I know that the fear, anxiety, or whatever I am experiencing is only as real as I let it be. If I permit the illusion of the story to take me over, I can get pretty caught up in whatever is going on and somewhat partake of the emotions being generated.

 

So I think that a large part of being scared in games, is allowing oneself to get caught up in the moment, the famous "suspension of disbelief".

 

If you are not willing to let yourself go, at least for a time, you're not really going to feel the scariness.

[mkreku]

am having played a few hours o' system shock 2, and the only frightening stuff we got were "Gotcha!"

Feel free to give some examples of this, because I sure don't remember any cheap startling moments in System Shock 2. And I have it installed on my computer, I played through the first couple of scenes just now and there are no such moments.

 

So please explain what you saw in your version of System Shock 2. Will be fun to hear.

[Purkake]

Man, you just don't mess with System Shock 'round these parts.

 

Not that I disagree with you, it's just funny.

Edited March 12, 2009 by Purkake

[Musopticon?]

I think there's a couple of shocker moments actually, but it has mostly to do with triggered noises(psy monkey for the first time, freaking midwife, etc). Also, the game really doesn't have the classic monster closet problem and since monsters are randomly placed around the area every time a level loads, unless it's an area that stays cleared, the horror doesn't rely on triggers to build suspension. In fact, that's one of the biggest points for me, the creeps and you are both roaming the decks and the game has very little force-feeding.

[mkreku]

Exactly, the monsters are mostly silent (and fond of sneaking up on you from behind while you're in some menu) and if they're not, the game warns you beforehand that you're going to run into them. Unless you count ventilation pipes falling down or some console blowing up startling, there's really no scripted moments when something suddenly jumps you. Or maybe I was so constantly freaked out that I never noticed the startling moments..? That's actually a possibility.

[Purkake]

I think there's a couple of shocker moments actually, but it has mostly to do with triggered noises(psy monkey for the first time, freaking midwife, etc). Also, the game really doesn't have the classic monster closet problem and since monsters are randomly placed around the area every time a level loads, unless it's an area that stays cleared, the horror doesn't rely on triggers to build suspension. In fact, that's one of the biggest points for me, the creeps and you are both roaming the decks and the game has very little force-feeding.

 

I hate it when enemies respawn and cleared out places don't stay clear. It's like some kind of primal fear, I just can't deal with the fact that I can't retreat to safety. That kind of stuff makes me want to break things.

 

I'm enjoy the random placement, but respawning is a no-no.

Edited March 12, 2009 by Purkake

[Blodhemn]

I thought Ravenholm in HL2 was pretty decent. The realistic atmosphere coupled with the sounds of those skeletal guys running towards you made for a somewhat tense situation. I think the main point is to make you feel vulnerable. If a game is beyond easy.. how can you be on edge really? Games are mostly just too easy to waltz through. If something like Ninja Gaiden were less arcade like and more realistic it'd be pretty intimidating.

 

I have no clue why more realistic and modern stories aren't fleshed out in games. Everything has to revolve around mutant-baddies-from-outerspace or dragons or the paranormal eight year old girl which seems to be the craze . Lol, so scary. That stuff's a joke. I think the biggest problem is that mostly games are made for teens and of course the makers need to make profit, so there needs to be something flashy to grab attention and flashiness isn't scary.

[Meshugger]

There is actually a game that's about to be released, called Cryostasis. (Screenshots and videos can be found there as well)

 

Cryostasis takes place in 1981 on a nuclear ice breaker called the North Wind, which has become shipwrecked near the North Pole. The main character, Alexander Nesterov is a Russian meteorologist who must investigate what happened onboard the ship.

 

But he

[Meshugger]

About scary games in general, i have never been directly scared of a game that i've, but i have sensed a feeling of unpleasantness while playing games like System Shock 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Clive Barker's Undying. I think that it comes from having game where the design is so immersive that the player is drawn into it and faces the ultimate fear of any human: The Unknown. When we do not know whether if something is out to harm us, and if it does, when we do not know when or where it will strike, it will leave us vulnurable and in a constant state of uneasiness.

 

Those three games mentioned achieved that to some degree.

[Musopticon?]

Clive Barker's Undying is a really effective game, it's silly how atmospheric and original they managed to make it, in light of the fairly bog-standard spiritual successor.

[Hell Kitty]

I only ever played the demo of Undying, but it kinda reminded me of Realms of the Haunting.

 

The Legacy is another old horror classic.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Hell Kitty

[Musopticon?]

If you could, say, acquire the game, it would still be interesting to wade through. I don't know what your views of Baker are, but there's some brilliantly atmospheric spots and it feels a bit lookinglassian at parts, with you spending time in a mansion and trying tackle various nonterrestial threats, like a rip in reality bridging a ruined nether region(which isn't any kind of hell, for once) with the 1910 Ireland or the black sheep of the family returning to haunt the area with his sea raiders. Unfortunately, the pacing and action was too slow for some and it didn't sell much. The first part, for instance, has you only using a scrying stone to find your way around the mansion and the first few weapons both fire and load slow, it's more of a action-adventure to be honest. Later on the investigator acquires enough of an arsenal both magical and mundane, but I was reminded of System Shock 2 in terms of how the game is paced. Far less depth in its mechanics though.

[Hell Kitty]

With my loves of first person action/adventure, Clive Barker, and horror in general, I have no idea why I never got around to getting myself a copy of Undying.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Hell Kitty

[Morgoth]

Undying almost scratches on being an alltime classic. It's really very atmospheric, has great art, and is at some spots very scary. The early parts of the game seem to be a bit tedious ("won't budge" comment drove me crazy), but it's nonetheless a must-have for all FPS-Horror fans out there.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Morgoth

[Musopticon?]

Also, best melee weapon ever.

[~Di]

I don't like scary things. They scare me. When I'm watching a movie, reading a book or playing a game, I want an enjoyable experience. Being scared is not an enjoyable experience for me. I've never understood why so many people would pay money to see a movie that does nothing but have some psycho running around chain-sawing off body parts in gruesome, bloody detail. I just don't get it!

[Musopticon?]

Well, I don't get watching soccer myself, I never understood why watching something instead of doing it yourself was supposed to be fun.

[Morgoth]

I don't like scary things. They scare me. When I'm watching a movie, reading a book or playing a game, I want an enjoyable experience. Being scared is not an enjoyable experience for me. I've never understood why so many people would pay money to see a movie that does nothing but have some psycho running around chain-sawing off body parts in gruesome, bloody detail. I just don't get it!

Gore and blood isn't scary - just tasteless.

 

But I like scary stuff because I like the tension and the edgy perception of my environment. It's all about letting the imagination going wild. What's that sound? What might be behind this corner? What if I enter this dark dungeon?