I just got the urge to play a very scary video game. I’ve been considering Dead Space, which is categorized as a “survival horror-action” game, but what are some others? Resident Evil 5 is coming out soon, although zombies have never really struck me with terror. Reviews of F.E.A.R. 2 have said that there are some very good “jumpy” moments, but overall, the reviews have been mixed.
I want to find a game that I actually think twice about booting up because it’s so frightening, but also has an immerse story and solid gameplay. Suggestions?
Seconded. Dead Space is System Shock 2 with the serial numbers filed off. Both are good, but I think System Shock 2 has better gameplay and is scarier.
Hmm… System Shock 2 is almost 10 years old. Might have to scour eBay for a copy…
Also, would the scare-factor be up to today’s standard? I mean, there are some genuinely scary movies made back in the 1960s, but they wouldn’t have the same effect on people that are used to watching those that are more modern.
BioShock (can’t wait for the sequel) was creepy, not scary. There was only one scene that made me jump (and it happens every freakin’ time I play it). But damn, for creepiness, this game has it. The sound of the spider splicers crawling on the ceiling…ugh.
Fallout 3 - interesting that people find it scary. It certainly is atmospheric, but I never found it scary, per se.
Re: Dead Space - considering it, but how scary can a 3rd-person perspective be? Serious question here.
The effects and gameplay of System Shock 2 are still top-notch. I think comparing it to Dead Space in anything other than setting is misled, tho. Dead Space is more like a do-over of Resident Evil 4 + strafing controls; SS2’s not-quite-sequel is Bioshock.
That said - the story in the Resident Evil games is pretty sub-par (tho it is present and consistent, in its own bizarre way, with lovable characters), but if you think zombies can’t be scary, I would challenge you to play RE4 or RE5. It’s consistently difficult to keep up with the new types of zombies that pop up - wielding pitchforks, then knives, then crossbows, then chainsaws - later rushing you on fire or ready to pounce and maul you if you make a sound. The atmosphere definitely lends itself to creepiness, too.
The scariest games I’ve heard of, however, have to be the classic Silent Hill or Fatal Frame games. They focus more on puzzles and grotesque supernatural happenings than on combat, so anytime you’re stuck in a room trying to defend yourself, it’s truly frightening. And it happens a lot.
If you have a Gamecube or a Wii, there’s a one-off classic you can look for called Eternal Darkness, where a family’s generations from ancient Greece to the present day are all fighting the same evil, with each character battling using different period techniques and weapons. It has a rune-based spell creation system and a sanity meter that will do things like turn rooms upside down or make your character explode while healing themselves–not permanently, of course, but just enough to freak out the player.
This is why I was so disappointed by the reviews for F.E.A.R. 2. I was expecting it to be a great followup, but critics panned the graphics, gameplay, length, and level design. Just to many flaws for me to try it…
Eternal Darkness also has a sequence that pops up the Gamecube Disc Error message when your sanity meter gets full. The first time it happened to me I almost through the fucking controller through the TV becuase I had not saved in awhile. After the game resumed to normal I thought it was the coolest mind fuck in a game ever.
Not the whole thing, but being in a dark not-so-abandoned subway tunnel with limited weapons, ammo and experience and having silent feral ghouls suddenly start feasting on your face is a bit startling.
I can see that - though my playstyle was very sniper-ish - creep slowly around and pick things off from a distance - so I didn’t have many, if any, of those experiences.