It's no great surprise that horror movies have influenced the video game industry - and it's high time to have a posting about the horror games that we know and love.
Personally, the first Resident Evil game for Playstation comes to mind (sorry to all those folks who loved the nintendo version of Friday the 13th, but RE is better). Even if you've advanced on to Grand Theft Auto Vice City, this one is great to return to - try finishing the whole thing without a memory card in the slot, and without the rocket launcher cheat! (NOT EASY....)
There's also Silent Hill 1 and 2 - very wierd, Clive Barker kind of horror. Folks out there who liked Nightbreed or Hellraiser would probably like this series, since the creatures are simply illogical and terrifying.
Then there was Splatterhouse for the TurboGrafix 16, and probably several more that I can't recall right now.
Which are your faves?
Did you ever play the Alone In The Dark series? Those games are good especially the last one the made. O and there is Ill bleed, the most innovative survival horror game I've played in a while. Just because you can die of fright, or of bleeding to death, or of giting hit. There is also a faint feature.
1. Perk...O'Haire = ownage. I've been an O'Haire fan since his first televised effort.
2. Albeit I'm not too into horror games (mostly wrestling games, GTA, and Soviet Strike for me), Resident Evil 2 gets my nod.
I would highly recommend ETERNAL DARKNESS: SANITY'S REQUIEM for the Gamecube.
It's an action-y type game about a Lovecraftian evil that persists throughout the centuries. But it's the sanity system that makes the game. Every time your character is confronted with dread situations (which usually means monsters) they lose a little bit of sanity. Unless you quickly defeat those monsters, the sanity losses add up quickly. When your sanity meter drops low enough, that's when the good (bad?) stuff starts happening.
The screen starts tilting. Eerie voices start popping up in the background. You may walk into a room, only to have all your limbs slowly hacked off by an invisible presence. Maybe a message will pop up on the screen stating your controller has become unplugged. Or something worse.
Telling you all the sanity effects would be spoiling. But the game does constantly come up with new ways to surprise you and mess with your head. One of the most effective horror games I've played.
Out of nostalgia, I would say "Zombies Ate My Neighbor" would be my vote. In reality, Resident Evil kicked butt and took names. You can't beat a game where one of your attacks is to stomp in the head of a zombie. Awesome.
Scottie
Funny thing, that just about every game you guys are recommending are crappy rip-offs of DOOM.
Creepozoid wrote:
>
> Funny thing, that just about every game you guys are
> recommending are crappy rip-offs of DOOM.
I tried to make sense of that statement but, unless you are joking, I have no idea what you're talking about.
I remember when I first played Resident Evil 2 for the PS1 years back when I first came out. It scared the s**t out of me. I knew little about the game when I rented it (relied on friend's opinions at first) and I played at night too. I've yet to play the original Resident Evil.
PS: Love the movie. One of my favs.
I haven't played any of the games mentioned, not because of lack of interest, but because they're either available only for a specific system, none of which I own (or plan to anytime in the near future), or they were badly ported to computer versions. I was going to collect the Resident Evil games until I read that you can only save at specific locations, something that makes no sense on a system with a hard drive. Now I've learned that they ported Silent Hill 2, but not the first one. Sure, I always like to start a game series in the middle...
2 games I always loved was D and Clocktower. Clocktower sucked as far as gameplay but the story was good. D was real good IMHO. Here is a game you play in real time. You have 3 hours to solve the mystery or else. 3 disks big and the cinemas were on the sick side (Like eating a human arm for dinner)
TIMESPLITTERS 2 (for Playstation 2) has some great "blowing the heads off mutant/zombie" action.
I liked D at first but I only played it once. I still have it in my possesion but haven't had the heart to play it even though I know there are different endings. That stupid fight the knight part agitatated me.
Clock tower was just fun to watch my nephew play until it disappeared. I like the part where you get to throw the chair at the scissor guy.
I always enjoyed the PC game "Sanitarium"
It wasn't quite as scary as it was made out to be (but what is?), but it had some really disturbing moments.
Also, "Mansion of Hidden Souls" was a pretty solid horror/mystery game.
Just a few that I remember....
1) The Colonel's Bequest - Not really a horror game, more like a suspense mystery. Still, there was nothing else like it at the time....I think Roberta Williams was way overated in terms of writing games and this one has serious flaws but it is still some serious fun.
2) Clocktower - My favorite gore horror game....Had a good story and good replayability..Kinda cheesy on some of the translation to English. Especially the booklet.
3) Alone in the Dark - I remember playing this on PC when it first came out....I thought it was just awesome. Great translation of Lovecraft to PC
4) The Silent Hill series - Great atmosphere.
The best new horror type game is Onimusha. It is about some incredibly well thought up demons, against some of the densest samurai I have ever seen. It is a lot of fun and has some great swords.
I also enjoyed old Area 51. That was always a lot of un.
I never finished this one game called Parasite Eve, but my god was it good and scary.
Finally, a consistently good series is the Castlevania series.
Damn, beat me to "Zombies." I still play that game all the time with my friends; somehow, it just never gets old.
Nobody liked this game butt me, but I really liked Medievil and Medievil 2!!! I think they should amke that into a movie!! but not a real movie butt a cartoon like Nightmare before Christmas! and Tim Burton should do it too!! the game looked a lot like nightmare before christmas but the story was different!! Its so cute!! its even a good idea! and not like most of the poo that comes out of my brains!
love colleen
System Shock 2. By far the most intense game I've ever played. I've never been shaking in my seat like that before, but that game did it to me. If you like first person shooters, buy it if it's still on the shelves. The company who made it folded.
Aliens versus Predator and Silent Hill also get my vote.
Okay I know this may be obvious but I like Evil Dead Hail to the King. Although the gameplay wasn't the best it had a great story. Even the evil hand came back and the chick from Evil Dead 2.
Also I like Brain Dead 13 although it isn't scary it has monsters in it.
Man, I just played a demo of System Shock 2, and my pulse was pumping...I REALLY have to buy both of those titles. Aliens Versus Predator 2 is another FPS that has great spooky atmosphere (when you play as the marine, at least. Playing as the alien or the predator just rocks.) The motion sensor REALLY helps out the mood. I've wasted a ton of ammunition because of that damned thing.
One game that I really enjoyed was phantasmagoria
The demo of Half-Life got to me a little. The first time I played it, I was creeping around every corner afraid I'd be attacked by something. I have a full copy of it, but I'm waiting on a better system because toward the end of the demo it really slows down.