Support NeoGAF

[SCB3]

Keep in mind I've not seen much of The Medium and not touched the RE Village "Maiden" Demo yet (I plan on checking that out tonight) but I'm not sure fully what it is, but I just don't find horror games that scary anymore. I remember RE1 and 2 being scary as a kid but as I've gotten older, the effects just not that aside from maybe one example: Alien Isolation, and even that was because of VR. Dead Space was kinda close, but then 2 went more action and 3 being co op ruined that (I'll maintain that Co Op or AI partners in Horror makes games less scary as part of good horror is lonliness/isolation).

Browsing YT I came accross Joseph Andersons views on it:



Now, I will say I am a fan of his work and I think he has a great point in this video where, "you lose nothing and just come back" and he's right, once a scare had happened, it then fails to scare you a second time and becomes more an annoyance than a scare. I don't know what it is, maybe I've not found a decent scary game for awhile and I've played most of the best ones (for what its worth, I found SH to be more freaky and offputting than scary)

Anyone else have any thought on this?

 

[spawn]

It's hard to find a good horror game now. EA killed Visceral games so dead space 4 is never happening and if it does EA will try their greedy hands at live service or some garbage. Resident Evil 7 in VR was perhaps the best horror game I can remember recently. Evil Within I thought was good too. Have not played the sequel yet.

 

[ButchCat]

I hope so you're a big boy now

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You're made of sterner stuff than me. Most horror games still freak me out, and I tend to avoid em. Games like Dead Space and Resident Evil are not always horror, though. I can enjoy those. I would point out that games like Minecraft or Dark Souls (where there is a genuine risk of loss) are more "horrifying" for the reason the author complains about.

 

[SCB3]

It's hard to find a good horror game now. EA killed Visceral games so dead space 4 is never happening and if it does EA will try their greedy hands at live service or some garbage. Resident Evil 7 in VR was perhaps the best horror game I can remember recently. Evil Within I thought was good too. Have not played the sequel yet.

Evil Within 2 I think has a better story overall but it's more action than the firs, great games though. And yea the death of Visceral was a bad one, I loved the synopsis of DS4 when that was shown a few years ago

 

[SCB3]

You're made of sterner stuff than me. Most horror games still freak me out, and I tend to avoid em. Games like Dead Space and Resident Evil are not always horror, though. I can enjoy those. I would point out that games like Minecraft or Dark Souls (where there is a genuine risk of loss) are more "horrifying" for the reason the author complains about.

Permadeath is another one, many games won't do it and tbh I don't like that mechanic that much (some games can be such bullshit that simple mechanics can kill you - Looking at you Fallout!)

 

[GymWolf]

Time to try vr horror when even the cheapest title is enough to make shit your pants.

 

[SCB3]

Time to try vr horror when even the cheapest title is enough to make shit your pants.

I want to try RE7 in VR, but not jumped on a PSVR or any VR headset yet, I borrowed a Friends for Alien and that was really good

 

[crozier]

The last game that genuinely scared me was Fatal Frame. Although Alien: Isolation came close.

 

[GymWolf]

I want to try RE7 in VR, but not jumped on a PSVR or any VR headset yet, I borrowed a Friends for Alien and that was really good

I have vr headsets on pc and mobile (rift and quest) but if sony make a psvr 2.0 wireless on ps5 i'm gonna be all over it.

 

[SuperSaiyanWithDreads]

Try more VR horror titles. These are the best 3 i can think of

Face Your Fears
Paranormal Activity
Exorcist

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Permadeath is another one, many games won't do it and tbh I don't like that mechanic that much (some games can be such bullshit that simple mechanics can kill you - Looking at you Fallout!)

There's an argument to be made for games that scare you because of the risk of losing progress, and then building upon that tension with creepy/scary stuff. I guess it's a balance, but just like horror movies I imagine there's a fixed "scariness" for a given videogame. Once you've replayed it a few times and/or you've familiarized yourself with the tropes of the genre, things aren't quite as surprising nor scary.

 

[Barry Burton]

I think part of it is that most horror games nowadays don't punish you for dying. Not having a "fear of death" leads to not fearing anything at a certain point. If you lose 5 seconds of progress, reload the checkpoint and keep dying, it becomes numbing and not scary anymore. It's what is so effective about ink ribbons in the classic RE games. There are actual stakes associated with dying. Now, in something like The Evil Within, if I screw up I just let myself die and respawn at the checkpoint and lose a few seconds of progress. Manual save points (Alien Isolation and Dead Space had these, in addition to RE, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame) instead of generous checkpoints are important I feel, with limited saves going a step beyond that. FromSoftware games, which are certainly horror-adjacent, dish out their own form of punishment with limited respawn points.

Another part of it is that games don't vary up the scary elements over the course of a game. "Fear of the unknown" is also important, and this gets lost when the horror becomes too predictable. P.T. is a good example. While it's a short experience, once you experience THAT moment (and it is a whopper of a jump scare) it's not really scary anymore after that. You've seen the worst that the game will throw at you at that point.

#2 is probably a tougher for a game designer to pull off. I think it lends credence toward making shorter games with an emphasis on having as few repeating ideas as possible, while also gradually escalating the level of horror. INSIDE is a relatively short puzzle game where just about every puzzle was its own self-contained thing, with very little repeating ideas over the course of the game. It made each puzzle stand out as unique. So, something like that but with things that are scary. #1 can be argued as an artificial way of adding stakes to a horror game, but I find them to be effective. I think it's the best way of simulating your own personal fear of death in the course of playing a video game, while not being as frustrating as permadeath.

 

[nkarafo]

P.T was scary. Or maybe it was just anxiety over when the next jump scare will pop.

Subnautica was very tense. Going further and further from the safety of your base gave me the creeps.

 

[iHaunter]

I still can't finish Dead Space.

 

[Carna]

Subnautica is pretty scary

 

[SCB3]

Subnautica is pretty scary

Subnautica gets there almost, the Leviathans can be scary in the early game until you upgrade your stuff and then it's a non issue

 

[Bankai]

Ever played RE7 in VR?

That's what I thought.

 

[Elpidio Valdés]

The video raises some very good questions! I remember playing The Evil Within and actually dying on purpose if I wasted too many bullets. I would get pissed and let the enemies killed Sebastian so I could try again. That definitely lowered the stakes and the feeling of dread. There definitely needs to be higher stakes, if you can just reload the game then you know what's coming and it isn't very scary anymore.

I agree with him on Until Dawn! The game wasn't very scary but knowing that the characters would die forever definitely kept me on edge. I lost half of the characters during my first playthrough and I remember sweating in a few scenes.

Hopefully developers try new things this gen!

 

[SCB3]

Ever played RE7 in VR?

That's what I thought.

No but I really want to

 

[Mister Wolf]

I have hope for Callisto Protocol.

 

[R6Rider]

I still need to play RE7 and I'll be playing it in VR too.

 

[SCB3]

I have hope for Callisto Protocol.

Thats such a weird game, isn't it set in the PUBG universe?

 

[buizel]

doom 1 was scary as a kid

you should play layers of fear, p.t, or anything scary in VR lol.

those the only way i can get me horror juices flowing

 

[Mister Wolf]

Thats such a weird game, isn't it set in the PUBG universe?

Thats just for advertising which it has succeeded in garnering it attention. There is no PUBG universe. If anything those guys will be creating the first storyline within it.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Games were never scary to me for some reason. Maybe jump scare me here and there but they never made me feel really uncomfortable like a good horror movie like Exorcist.

 

[SJRB]

Try Visage, that game is wild.

 

[Saint Boot]

Keep in mind I've not seen much of The Medium and not touched the RE Village "Maiden" Demo yet (I plan on checking that out tonight) but I'm not sure fully what it is, but I just don't find horror games that scary anymore. I remember RE1 and 2 being scary as a kid but as I've gotten older, the effects just not that aside from maybe one example: Alien Isolation, and even that was because of VR. Dead Space was kinda close, but then 2 went more action and 3 being co op ruined that (I'll maintain that Co Op or AI partners in Horror makes games less scary as part of good horror is lonliness/isolation).

Browsing YT I came accross Joseph Andersons views on it:



Now, I will say I am a fan of his work and I think he has a great point in this video where, "you lose nothing and just come back" and he's right, once a scare had happened, it then fails to scare you a second time and becomes more an annoyance than a scare. I don't know what it is, maybe I've not found a decent scary game for awhile and I've played most of the best ones (for what its worth, I found SH to be more freaky and offputting than scary)

Anyone else have any thought on this?

I disagree with his view that silent protags are more immersive. That has never once been my experience with that sort of character and never will be. It's actually the opposite for me. Nothing takes me out of game world/story more than someone who just does what they are told and barely reacts to everything going on around them.

 

[fart town usa]

Wear headphones and play in a dark room, preferably in a basement by yourself. You'll be scared.

I don't get scared much at horror games either but it's good sound design that gets to me. Even B-tier and C-tier stuff like Fatal Frame 5 and Daymare 1998. Playing with headphones definitely adds to the experience and keeps me on edge.

 

[VeganElduderino]

I know its a remake but Re2 remake is my favorite game this ps4 generation

 

[fart town usa]

I know its a remake but Re2 remake is my favorite game this ps4 generation

It's so good. I was talking with my buddy about that the other, how good that game is. Capcom absolutely nailed it.

 

[Astral Dog]

nah RE7 is the scariest that series has ever been.

Plenty of horror games just no Silent Hill

 

[VeganElduderino]

It's so good. I was talking with my buddy about that the other, how good that game is. Capcom absolutely nailed it.

Indeed it is, i can't remember a game that i completed 3 times and i'm on 4th go

 

[Griffon]

I cant play PT alone.

 

[Saint Boot]

Wear headphones and play in a dark room, preferably in a basement by yourself. You'll be scared.

I don't get scared much at horror games either but it's good sound design that gets to me. Even B-tier and C-tier stuff like Fatal Frame 5 and Daymare 1998. Playing with headphones definitely adds to the experience and keeps me on edge.

Unfortunately, I am unable do do any of that because I am deaf in my left ear and also don't have a basement. Prob would not go down into one if I did have one because I am also claustrophobic.

 

[GHG]

IMO the best horror games are those that create an unsettling environment for the player rather than reliance on jump scares or any other typical horror game tropes.

With that in mind I'd recommend the following to anyone remotely interested in the genre:

 

[fart town usa]

Unfortunately, I am unable do do any of that because I am deaf in my left ear and also don't have a basement. Prob would not go down into one if I did have one because I am also claustrophobic.

Damn, sorry to hear that. Honestly, that might be one of the reasons you don't get scared easily. Visuals lose their effect once you're used to them but sound design always seems to trigger a visceral reaction. If that's hampered (for lack of a better term, sorry), I can totally see why horror games wouldn't be as effective in terms of scares. Try setting up a fog machine and spooky stuff in your house. (joking)

 

[Jimmy_liv]

I want to try RE7 in VR, but not jumped on a PSVR or any VR headset yet, I borrowed a Friends for Alien and that was really good

It is mind blowing on PSVR

 

[Con-Z-epT]

I played so many horror games and watched countless horror movies that i just got desensitized. A bit.

Movies don't scare me anymore but good horror games still do.


To me it is about getting in the mood to play something scary and frightening.

Turn of the light, wait for the night, volume up, no ones around. This makes a huge difference!


It was also mentioned more then once but horror games in VR are the shit.

 

[Bonfires Down]

The scariest ones are where you're unarmed. Amnesia, Outlast. the demo for God's Basement scared the crap out of me. Can't really give recommendations since I don't play them because I freak out.

Dead Space has amazing atmosphere and is a fantastic game but I never questioned whether I had the guts to keep playing.

 

[DogofWar]

I had nightmares for two years after playing P.T.

Of course playing in the dark with a surround headset was important for immersion. Lisa was appearing even in my sleep paralyzis semi-wake state a few times.

Otherwise agreed, horror just aint what it once was.

 

[mansoor1980]

Keep in mind I've not seen much of The Medium and not touched the RE Village "Maiden" Demo yet (I plan on checking that out tonight) but I'm not sure fully what it is, but I just don't find horror games that scary anymore. I remember RE1 and 2 being scary as a kid but as I've gotten older, the effects just not that aside from maybe one example: Alien Isolation, and even that was because of VR. Dead Space was kinda close, but then 2 went more action and 3 being co op ruined that (I'll maintain that Co Op or AI partners in Horror makes games less scary as part of good horror is lonliness/isolation).

Browsing YT I came accross Joseph Andersons views on it:



Now, I will say I am a fan of his work and I think he has a great point in this video where, "you lose nothing and just come back" and he's right, once a scare had happened, it then fails to scare you a second time and becomes more an annoyance than a scare. I don't know what it is, maybe I've not found a decent scary game for awhile and I've played most of the best ones (for what its worth, I found SH to be more freaky and offputting than scary)

Anyone else have any thought on this?

you r just too old for this scary stuff.

 

[Rudius]

Have you tried VR? It makes those kinds of games much more immersive and intense.

 

[Balducci30]

As you age things get less scary this is a fact of life

 

[Tiamat2san]

I’d it’s a mix of more action and us being older.
I became like numb sometimes it’s incredible, everything is often so predictable.
Sound is the only thing that makes me react.

 

[johntown]

I started to agree with him until he started referencing Don't Starve and said he thought Until Dawn was scary.

 

[Captain Toad]

The Medium is a walking simulator with no combat, so I wouldn't expect it to be that scary.

Then again, P.T....

 

[HawksWinStanley]

The last game that genuinely scared me was Fatal Frame. Although Alien: Isolation came close.

Isolation was one of the most suspenseful games I've ever played until you get the flamethrower. Then it's just waltz through the level torching the alien every time it pops out. Sure, I could've just not used it and enjoyed the suspense but...it's a flamethrower...

 

[Killer Sakoman]

My brother too. He eats spicy foods like no tomorrow. He told me he doesn't find spicy food spicy anymore.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

The trench/angler section of Soma is the only video game moment that completely and utterly terrified me. Most games bank on jump scares and spooky ideas without any real horror. At least in my opinion. I don’t even think most movies in the horror genre hit the mark either. I still love horror games and movies to death.