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Deep Fear; Sega’s attempt at survival horror. What are your fav non Capcom survival horror games?

VGEsoterica

Member
Deep Fear was a game I actually bought new at EBGames when they sold japanese imports for a short time in the 90’s after the Saturn died in the US but lived on in Japan. I saw it on the shelves and had to check it out and I quickly became a huge fan.

Granted it is just an RE clone but Sega did enough with changing the formula as to make it feel new and fresh. The oxygen management mechanic was definitely stress enduring and to this day when I play it it’s the part I dread; having to manage oxygen tanks and run through areas before I suffocate.

I can’t recommend the game enough...especially with Halloween coming up. It’s an awesome old school survival horror game 100% worth playing.

which leads me to my next point! I’d love to hear others recommendations for survival horror. I need to discover some new stuff for this Halloween :)

what is your favorite non RE (and non Silent Hill too I guess l) survival horror game? I have a bunch but I know there are a ton of Japanese exclusive survival horror games I’ve probably missed.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
I had EU copies of both Deep Fear and Enemy Zero. The latter was excellent. Enemies weren't visible but the beeps became more agressive if you closed in on them. I think Carrier on DC was also decent. There was also Blue Stinger and idk if it counts as survival horror but I have a soft spot for it.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
I had EU copies of both Deep Fear and Enemy Zero. The latter was excellent. Enemies weren't visible but the beeps became more agressive if you closed in on them. I think Carrier on DC was also decent. There was also Blue Stinger and idk if it counts as survival horror but I have a soft spot for it.

ugh I want to love Enemy Zero because I love WARP / Eno but those invisible enemies....
 

Tiamat2san

Member
Condemned: Criminal Origins on X360. Game was fun for its time and had several scenes that were actually scary.
The only game that actually succeed to jump scared me!
the torturer section with the locker.
i was so much into the game playing in the dark at high sound volume..
i literally put down my control for a minute.
this game is gem.
atmosphere, violence, story.

and my first achievement bug too.
i never unlocked the achievement for collecting all the crows...
replayed it several times, never unlock it.
 

Concern

Member
Both of those for sure. I also like Frictional Games horror. The first Amnesia and Soma and upcoming Amnesia Rebrith.


I never played those nor the condemed games although I always saw them praised. Condemned looked interesting too but just never got around to any of them.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
I can wholeheartedly recommend Extermination and the adaptation of The Thing from the PS2. Not the best games out there obviously but I just played them last year and thought both were decent romps. The Thing actually has some pretty cool and unique mechanics.

What I want to dip into soon is Cold Fear and Alone in the Dark: A New Nightmare. I love these old horror games.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Things can get horrific in non-survival games the whole thing that it has to be a “survival-horror” game is just weird. Days Gone who I still can’t believe hasn’t gotten a sequel is a big scary thriller horrific game.
 
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johntown

Banned
I never played those nor the condemed games although I always saw them praised. Condemned looked interesting too but just never got around to any of them.
The first Amnesia is a must play!. Skip the second one as it was done by a different team. Soma is good but could be 50/50 on whether you like it or not.
 
I loved Deep Fear and how it mixed Abyss with Resident Evil, ADX really helped with some high quality samples too. It gets no credit, but I loved Alone In the Dark IV on the DC. That game looked and sounded amazing and was really jumpy in parts too
 

Alan Wake

Member
Deep Fear is about as expensive as Panzer Dragoon Saga right now, so it better be good...

I recommend Alone on the Dark: The New Nightmare on Dreamcast. Pretty solid RE type of horror game. And Condemned on Xbox 360, of course.
 

daninthemix

Member
Deep Fear is about as expensive as Panzer Dragoon Saga right now, so it better be good...

I recommend Alone on the Dark: The New Nightmare on Dreamcast. Pretty solid RE type of horror game. And Condemned on Xbox 360, of course.
I second this - Alone in the Dark 4 is a decent game in that style.
 
This game was actually quite incredible, it's not just a simple RE clone. The oxygen mechanic, the mixing of health items (some machine) and one of the best alarm soundtracks in the game. The fact you can run and shoot was also a plus here. Sadly, the 2nd disc never worked for me so I never got around to completing it.
 

Alan Wake

Member
ive Been meaning to play the WII u entry but man it’s not cheap to try

You mean Project Zero/Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water? Yeah, it's about €200 on Ebay. The PAL limited edition is pretty neat, though. But the game is not scary at all, I'm afraid.
 

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
I used to make fun of my buddy when we first played this game because he had just joined the U.S. Coast Guard around the time the game came out. I remember thinking the game wasn't that bad at the time though.
 
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TeKtheSanE

Member
Well, Silent Hill 1-4 are definitely go-to for my horror recommendations 4 being weakest but still great.

Fatal Frame series is also top knotch.

Evil Within is great as well.

Condemned: Criminal Origins has some awesome moments.

Dead Space 1/2 are awesome if you need a sci-fi kick.

SOMA is an interesting horror game with some good thought provoking moments.

Man, there are so many good ones out there beyond this list. I haven't tried Deep Fear, I'm gonna look for it .
 

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Resident Cheap Arse
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem


4ch9OfR.jpg



Awesome Game. Loved the story, the Sanity system, the way the game plays the player. Cosmic horror and intertwining stories done right.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Well, Silent Hill 1-4 are definitely go-to for my horror recommendations 4 being weakest but still great.

Fatal Frame series is also top knotch.

Evil Within is great as well.

Condemned: Criminal Origins has some awesome moments.

Dead Space 1/2 are awesome if you need a sci-fi kick.

SOMA is an interesting horror game with some good thought provoking moments.

Man, there are so many good ones out there beyond this list. I haven't tried Deep Fear, I'm gonna look for it .

Excellent choices. Shame nearly all these franchises are inactive at this point.
 

TeKtheSanE

Member
Excellent choices. Shame nearly all these franchises are inactive at this point.
Don't remind me :messenger_loudly_crying:

I guess currently I have my eyes on The Medium but I'm lukewarm about that game in terms of hype. (Music should be great though, they have Yamaoka on it)
 
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem


4ch9OfR.jpg



Awesome Game. Loved the story, the Sanity system, the way the game plays the player. Cosmic horror and intertwining stories done right.

Never played this, but the name always makes me laugh. It's like the consummate teenage edgelord game name.

It got great reviews though, from what I remember.
 

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Resident Cheap Arse
Never played this, but the name always makes me laugh. It's like the consummate teenage edgelord game name.

It got great reviews though, from what I remember.

It's fantastic. Really get's the whole lovecraftian horror thing right, has some great characters and a really well done story. The sanity system adds so much, especially when the game starts playing you and not just your character.

If you can, give it a play. Expect RE1/2 tank controls, but a far better story.
 
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It's fantastic. Really get's the whole lovecraftian horror thing right, has some great characters and a really well done story. The sanity system adds so much, especially when the game starts playing you and not just your character.

If you can, give it a play. Expect RE1/2 tank controls, but a far better story.

Luckily I still have my GC and it's probably the highest rated game for it I never played. I might just add it to my retro backlog, thanks!
 

kunonabi

Member
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - still the best horror game ever made in my opinion
Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Silent Hill 1
Silent Hill 3
Clock Tower(SFC)
Clock Tower(PSX)
D2
Illbleed
Ikenie no Yoru
Parasite Eve 1 and 2
Alone in the Dark(X360)
ZombiU
Koudelka - more of an RPG but if Parasite Eve fits than why not.

I get the feeling there are one or two other games I'm missing.

I'd also argue that Other M skews pretty close to being more of a horror game than many would expect and no I'm not taking a shot at it. It really does have pretty strong horror elements.


Other Japanese exclusive horror games you might want to take a look at:

Creeping Terror(3DS)
Nanashi no Game(DS)
Hellnight(PS) - apparently got a European release
...Iru!(PS)
The Note(PS)
Juggernaut(PS) - also got a European release I think
Dark Tales: From the Lost Soul
 
This actually might be what I'm thinking of. THIS was the one with the U.S. Coast Guard dude fighting purple slime worms on a ship yeah?
Probably. Deep Fear also has the slime worms, but it takes place on an secret underwater base. Cold Fear starts off in a tanker during a storm and later on an oil rig. It had a great atmosphere, with the water effects and the ship constantly rocking against the waves.

But come to think of it, there was in fact a ps1 era survival horror game that also took place on a ship and had slime monsters, but I can't remember what it was called...

Edit: It was called Carrier, for the dreamcast. To be fair the sea makes for a great horror setting, it's no wonder so many games aped each other.
 
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I guess you meant RE: Revelations and REVII. However RE did it before Cold Fear in RE: Gaiden and RE: Dead Aim.
Nah I meant Dead Aim, I just didn't know it came out before Cold Fear. Though I didn't even know about Gaiden, never heard of it before. I guess I should've said 4 times.
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Dead Space 1 & 2 by a mile. Those are only game that ever actually scared me. The sound design was amazing and had me on edge constantly.

I also liked The Evil Within 2, didn't love the first one.
 
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem


4ch9OfR.jpg



Awesome Game. Loved the story, the Sanity system, the way the game plays the player. Cosmic horror and intertwining stories done right.

I bought this recently and look forward to playing more of it!

As for the thread, I love ZombiU and The Evil Within. I got the ZombiU Wii U bundle, and it was so worth getting. I haven't felt the ammo conservation and inventory management like in ZombiU in a lonnng time in a new at the time game like how ZombiU did it. And the nursery...pure horror! I like how it's semi open world too and that you unlock the shortcuts and there's just the right amount of going back and forth between your current objective and going back to the safe house to make it feel like the old school backtracking of previous survival horror games.

The Evil Within's chapters are pretty cool because they all harken back to different elements of survival horror. Some are stealth, others are action, some emphasize the trap systems of the game. The atmosphere of the game is second to none.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
I think Condemned: Criminal Origins and Dead Space 1 & 2 are up there with the best survival horror games ever made.

Condemned: Criminal Origins in particular is an incredible game - I'd love to see them remake this game in VR. It'd be such an incredible VR experience.

I need to play Condemned again. Played it on release and it's been on my shelf ever since. Maybe this fall!
 
I need to revisit this one as I haven't played it on a long time, the voice acting is hilarious, especially DuBoiss (you can't get any more stereotype as him, wearing pink with a dodgy accent)

Not bad for a last hoorah for Saturn, I remember buying it in London back in 1998. I actually sold my copy a few weeks back for £225 to help fun a 3080. Got all my games on a SSD now and have no room for a retro collection.
 
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