OH! The Horror!!!

[Bathead]

For someone who has never played one, can you recommend a good horror type game (Resident Evil, that kind of thing). Hopefully not TOO difficult for a total Horror-game newb. I have a PS3 with backwards compatability, so a PS2 game is not out of the question. Preferably a PS3 game, though.

 

[StrainedEyes]

I think Dead Space would be good. It's easier difficulties are not so tough to get through, and weapon/armor upgrades make you feel pretty powerful by the end... and it's a freakin' amazing game.

 

[Iron_Stark]

The Resident Evil games, you can download them from the PS network (or whatever it's called)

I recommend playing all three, but at least get part 2, the best of the series imo.

 

[Soapy]

The correct answer is Dead Space.

 

[Benstamania]

Dead Space is THE survival horror game now. So, yeah...get that.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Yep, going with the majority, Dead Space it is.

 

[Drz]

Dead Space was shockingly good. Great plot, good atmosphere and good mix of horror AND action.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Ghostbusters.

 

[LightningFlash]

Dead Space.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Now that im thinking about it, there really is only one good survival horror title this gen, thus being Dead Space. Kind of shows you how "accessibility" has taken over the industry. Survival horror titles were always known for being difficult with steep learning curves and todays dev's just dont want to make their games difficult due to the fact they might scare(no pun intended) away some of the more casual market.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I don't know about that, I never found the older Resident Evil and Silent Hill titles all that difficult. I think it's got more to do with those types of slower paced games becoming less favored.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I don't know about that, I never found the older Resident Evil and Silent Hill titles all that difficult. I think it's got more to do with those types of slower paced games becoming less favored.

Well, like me, you most likely are an above avg gamer, but it doesn't change the fact those games were known for being difficult. The limited ammo, strong enemies, limited health supply, challenging puzzles etc etc. You don't see those kinds of challenges any more in video games. Puzzles are overly simplistic, health is available at every turn and ammo is always available. Are the slower paced titles falling out of favor? Possibly, but the reason the survival horror titles as we know them are slim to none is because of the developers trying to capture as broad an audience as possible. Its not just horror titles this applies to, its just about every other game out there as well.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Eh, I don't know, I think the decrease in difficulty is just something that's generally happened. You can still have slow paced titles like the older REs and SHs and just make them easier; if it were as a simple as that, I think we've still be seeing games in that vain. Instead, we've seen them become more faster and action paced.

I just don't remember a steep learning curve being that much of a staple of the genre. Sure, there was occasionally a puzzle or two that was meant to catch you up, but besides that...I never really thought those games were meant to be more difficult than anything else at the time

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Eh, I don't know, I think the decrease in difficulty is just something that's generally happened. You can still have slow paced titles like the older REs and SHs and just make them easier; if it were as a simple as that, I think we've still be seeing games in that vain. Instead, we've seen them become more faster and action paced.

I just don't remember a steep learning curve being that much of a staple of the genre. Sure, there was occasionally a puzzle or two that was meant to catch you up, but besides that...I never really thought those games were meant to be more difficult than anything else at the time

Well like i said, you were/are an above avg gamer. There is no denying that games have become easier. One of the biggest industry PR words of the last 5 years is accessibility. The decrease in difficulty is due to the growing push towards the casual market and survival horror titles are not casual friendly. Thats why we are seeing so few of them.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I'm not denying it, that's exactly what I said, but like I also said, if that's all it was wouldn't we still see games in that style just with easier difficultly, ie Silent Hill Homecoming. Instead, we've seen RE take a pretty much pure action-based direction, the sequel to Dead Space seems to be incorporating more of that type of gameplay from what we've seen, and Alan Wake has a lot of action.

That, to me, shows that it's basically the more slower paced style of those games, because it wouldn't be hard to design a modernized game like that and just make it easier than earlier games in the genre.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I'm not denying it, that's exactly what I said, but like I also said, if that's all it was wouldn't we still see games in that style just with easier difficultly, ie Silent Hill Homecoming. Instead, we've seen RE take a pretty much pure action-based direction, the sequel to Dead Space seems to be incorporating more of that type of gameplay from what we've seen, and Alan Wake has a lot of action.

That, to me, shows that it's basically the more slower paced style of those games, because it wouldn't be hard to design a modernized game like that and just make it easier than earlier games in the genre.

Well i think the faster paced style of game is almost one in the same as catering to the casual market, thus making the game easier. The casual gamer doesnt want to spend a lot of time in a game. Its pick up and play they are after and survival horror titles, for the most part were never pick up and play. I mean we hardly see any challenging games in any genre any more. Most of em all are Call of Duty, run through the map and shoot everything you see.

 

[Soapy]

I don't think it's an issue of games being easier, games are just designed better these days. A lot of what we thought of as "challenge" back in the day was really just piss poor game design.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Resident Evil 4 is more action-horror than survival horror but awesome and definitely worth it. I recommend getting the Wii version if you can. It has everything from the PS2 release and you can use 3 different control schemes (wiimote+nunchuk, GC controller, classic controller).

I don't think it's an issue of games being easier, games are just designed better these days. A lot of what we thought of as "challenge" back in the day was really just piss poor game design.

This. I find it the case with older games that have limited to no saving capabilities. It's not a challenge, it's because the game couldn't handle it.

 

[Benstamania]

I hated RE4, it was great before it became a stinking escort mission....

 

[Tron Bonne]

I loathe escort missions myself, but never minded RE4 for that. Usually I just told Ashley to go hide, and that was the last of it until the fight was over

 

[Sam Fisher]

Bioshock.

 

[Watchman]

Go with a classic and the best. Get Silent Hill 2. It's on a whole different level of scary.

 

[Mandalore464]

Personally, and I'm not really giving you an option here since it's a Gamecube game and you only mentioned PS2 and 3, but Eternal Darkness is a really great psychological horror game, if you can get passed the aging graphics... I find it more thrilling than any other horror game because it actually makes you a part of the story via a system of mental health that you lose with every new encounter with one of the game's creatures. Soon enough the game plays sensorial tricks on you (weird noises coming from nowhere, hallucinations, fake game malfunctions...). Plus, the story is based on H.P. Lovecraft's works, which I like very much.

 

[E-Man]

I hear that Alan Wake is amazing. I'll probably get it within a few months. It is being compared to the older Silent Hill games in terms of atmosphere.

RE4 to me is the perfect horror game though. It's got enough atmosphere to be scary, but it doesn't have the same bad design of the old RE games. Those games might have been scarier because I can't see what I'm shooting at times, but it's still not too good to have such limited gameplay. With the over the shoulder angle I take in the environment better, and I feel I enjoy the battles more since I know what I'm looking at.

Dead Space is also pretty nice. I haven't played all of it, but it's pretty damn scary.

 

[Alchemyst]

I hear that Alan Wake is amazing. I'll probably get it within a few months. It is being compared to the older Silent Hill games in terms of atmosphere.

RE4 to me is the perfect horror game though. It's got enough atmosphere to be scary, but it doesn't have the same bad design of the old RE games. Those games might have been scarier because I can't see what I'm shooting at times, but it's still not too good to have such limited gameplay. With the over the shoulder angle I take in the environment better, and I feel I enjoy the battles more since I know what I'm looking at.

Dead Space is also pretty nice. I haven't played all of it, but it's pretty damn scary.

Alan Wake is really good, I played through it multiple times. The only thing that was kinda upsetting was the fact that the game is rather short but I'm pretty sure that Remedy will end up making a sequel to it.