Pathologic. It's frustrating, the English sucks, technical matters not very sound, it's not what I'd really call fun... but my god its brand of horror is fascinating.
It's bleak and oppressive. The city changes day by day; it's very much alive, and you can feel it squirming in its death throes. Survival is an actual, pressing concern. There aren't any monsters to fight— what you have to deal with are people driven to desperation by a mysterious disease. Your weapons and clothes break down, ammo is scarce, shooting that bastard today means you won't get to shoot some other bastard tomorrow. Oh yeah, did I mention the time limit? 'Cause this game has a time limit and screw you if you can't get things done by then.
I dearly wish for a remake or a spiritual successor of some sort, with the kinks ironed out.
edited 5th Oct '13 9:14:19 PM by fillerdude
Mad Scientist Wannabe
Quake. You are one guy. You have a shotgun and an ax. You are up against zombified soldiers and a legion of shoggoths. You are on the winning side.
Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
Queen of Good Things, Honest
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Agreed, especially in the case of 2 and surprisingly Downpour.
I also found that the first Parasite Eve struck a fairly good balance between action and horror, especially notable given its use of a RPG combat system. I was also impressed at the organic fusion between Nomura's urban fantasy aesthetic and Resident Evil pastiche, with pregnant and post-partum Eve standing out in particular. And that's without mentioning Shimomura's soundtrack....
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Hmm... For my part, I'll mention two:
On the survival horror side, Silent Hill 3. Alas, I haven't gotten to play the other games, although I've heard that the preceding two are better and the subsequent ones worse, but I recall very much enjoying — and at times being frightened by — this game. While the mirror room and the infamous mannequin stand out in memory, I seem to recall that Silent Hill 3 had plenty of fear and tension pretty much throughout, whether by surprising the player with enemies, placement of disturbing but inert objects, strange characters or simply crawling, eldritch scenery.
On the action-horror side, I'm actually currently re-playing Clive Barkers Undying, and having a lot of fun. Don't mistake me: it has its problems, whether in figuring out where to go next while in the mansion (and perhaps missing extra items because you went one way and the door became "stuck" behind you), in a few perhaps underwhelming weapons or spells or in some areas that seem to respawn enemies indefinitely.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere is wonderfully eldritch; the levels sprawl; the enemies, while not multifarious, are varied and interesting; and the gameplay has some rather good ideas, including dual-wielding spells and weapons. While I don't think that I found much to fear in the enemies, at least one — the "Saint" — does manage to consistently frighten me (in part, I daresay, because of the difficulty in getting them to stay dead without either heavily amplifying a certain spell or using certain weapons).
There are two spells in particular that I'd like to mention:
First, Scrye, which reveals plot hints — including some rather unpleasant ones, such as the iconic "family portrait" — and a few secrets, as well as enhancing vision and highlighting creatures. In a few places it is even key to advancement, allowing you to interact with things that are not available outside of the Sight. While I feel it to have been sorely underused, I also think that it was a really good idea, and one that very much added to the atmosphere of the game.
Second, Invoke, which primarily animates the dead, providing temporary minions. If that were all that it did I probably wouldn't mention it here, but add in a little bit of Revive Kills Zombie to take down one of the scariest enemies in the game (to me, at least) and one — alas inconsistently applied — rather disturbing effect on living targets and it becomes a spell with some clever ideas behind it, I think.
On top of that, it has one of my favourite game areas: Oneiros, the floating dream world. For those who, like me, were disappointed in the depiction of the Fade in Dragon Age: Origins, Oneiros is where I'm inclined to point for the concept done well. It manages to be "gritty" and unwelcoming without being dull and brown, and the whole thing feels wonderfully weird and rather imaginative.
... Yes, I like Undying. I feel that it's an imperfect game — there's plenty of room for improvement — but also that it did so much rather well.
My Games & Writing
Pretty much what the title says. Since Halloween is coming up, I'd like to hear what your favorite horror-themed games are.
Now keep in mind, there is a big difference between a survival-horror game, and an action-horror game. The former involves survival by relying on resources and management, all while feeling helpless. Games like this are ones like Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Amnesia, and System Shock 2. Action-horror games on the other hand, while having horror themed elements, are more focused on killing enemies and combat. Examples include Resident Evil 4, F.E.A.R., Doom 3, and Dead Space.
With that said, what are your favorites from either one or both categories and why?
edited 5th Oct '13 8:38:19 PM by LDragon2