Karak
Member
You will be absolutely fine I think. Its not really that kind of game. More "power is off here" find way to get power on, "Power is on here" try to find way to get power turned off kind of things
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SOMA |OT| I Have No Mouth but I Will Scream, on The Dark Descent into A Machine
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
You will be absolutely fine I think. Its not really that kind of game. More "power is off here" find way to get power on, "Power is on here" try to find way to get power turned off kind of things
Soyongdori
Member
The enemies in this game are disturbing as much as the greys from Penumbra Black Plague.
Alien: Isolation recieved mostly positive reviews though, and was well recieved by players too so I don't think it went without deserved attention.
VanCityGamer
Member
Comfort Jones
Banned
Honestly seems like for all the talk they had about making a super scary game it seems like that wasn't the real main focus. I don't even mean that as an insult, from what I've seen so far the narrative is genuinely interesting and it def can be creepy but to me it's far more like Silent Hill 2 to me, ie a game that isn't really as interested in being horrifying and scary as much as it is being interesting and haunting. I mean really in SH2 the amount of times you're genuinely in danger is increeedibly low and while I'm all for deeper narratives in games I really wish people would stop using horror to do it because it's honestly the weirdest mix to me.
IMO, if your actual scary gameplay isn't really playing into what makes the story scary, you're missing the point. Although I think it starts to drag on, Alien Isolation does a better job at being scary because it's actually focused on the conflict of the game being the source of fear. People can throw the word psychological around all they like but all that amounts to is admitting you're scared of virtual scare houses. People in creepy costumes in a building you walked into on Halloween shouldn't scare you because you know absolutely nothing is going to happen, same thing, at least in my eyes, goes for horror games.
IMO, if your actual scary gameplay isn't really playing into what makes the story scary, you're missing the point. Although I think it starts to drag on, Alien Isolation does a better job at being scary because it's actually focused on the conflict of the game being the source of fear. People can throw the word psychological around all they like but all that amounts to is admitting you're scared of virtual scare houses. People in creepy costumes in a building you walked into on Halloween shouldn't scare you because you know absolutely nothing is going to happen, same thing, at least in my eyes, goes for horror games.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
Sounds like my kind of horror. Honestly the scares from Alien Isolation dulled quite a bit after awhile, and the Xeno just became an obstacle to complete objectives. Atmospheric and world building horror>omg you gonna die horror any day.
Comfort Jones
Banned
The problem with Alien Isolation's horror isn't the fact that it relies on the conflict, its that they ran out of ways to mix things up. I mean that's a problem with any game ever, I don't think you can really say that's a matter of atmosphere and world building not being a factor because A:I had excellent atmosphere and imo did a pretty convincing job building up the place you're in. The story has 100% absolutely nothing to do with what I'm scared of because why would it? It's like saying someone telling you a really creepy story is scarier than someone breaking into your house with a gun.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
Isolation's environments are for the most part pretty repetitive sans the Derelict flashback so that's an issue right there. For me environment plays a huge role in horror and even if it is the most dark and depressing world possible its impact WILL dull after enough time, though I suppose it could be argued that's more a problem with games and horror. Story absolutely lends to terror for me, Fran Bow is a recent indie game that plays on themes of child abuse, psychosis etc. I know the game would be less effective at getting under my skin if those elements weren't present. Would Jack Torrance's psychotic break be nearly as threatening without the setup and establishing of The Overlook and its paranormal history? Not really.
brandonh83
Banned
I find that I have this major disconnect, at least seemingly, with many gamers' opinions on the horror genre. Truth be told, I don't find enemies scary at all. I don't find fighting them to be scary. I don't even really find running around or away from them to be scary, because it's usually easy. So in a sense, I agree with you that you rarely actually feel like you're in danger while playing horror games. You can usually either avoid enemies or pump them full of rounds.
And that's also where my disagreement settles in. I'm not frightened by enemies. I'm frightened by atmosphere that is so well done that it feels like you're being strangled. This is what Silent Hill 2, as per your example, does. It isn't trying to put you in life or death situations or scare you with enemies. It's trying to pick at your mind with amazing atmosphere, music, and storytelling. It's about being unnerved by more than just creatures or gameplay scenarios.
It isn't a weird mix for that very reason. If you're saying that horror games should present their horror aspects through enemy or fatal encounters, I don't really agree with that at all. I think horror is at its most effective when you feel drowned by the atmosphere to the point where you don't want to keep playing, and being in danger usually just means fighting something or avoiding some death trap, which I don't find to be scary in the least. To each his own though, absolutely, as these things are super subjective.
ZoltanXerxes
Member
So Hyped for this game! Pre loaded in Steam and ready to go. It's 20 gigs on steam. Gonna play it tomorrow!!
Edit: also really excited for all the custom stories!!
Edit: also really excited for all the custom stories!!
Karak
Member
Let me guess. 3 knobs on a control panel when you twist them they turn red?
I was working with some other youtubers prior to the review and that stuck a couple peeps
Cave Johnson
Member
Your complaints don't match your argument. You should explain why AI is a "better" game not why it has better "scares".
I don't know yet what my opinion of Soma will be, but Alien Isolation was truly the most boldly designed AAA game I've seen -- maybe ever -- and truly the best horror game ever made. It's a masterpiece. I'm continually amazed and appalled by its critical reception.
Karak
Member
I am not sure I feel its a masterpiece but hot damn it was fairly fantastic at times.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
Said it better than me. It's for those reasons I still think the old school point and click game The Dark Eye is one of the best horror games ever. That atmosphere is suffocating. Helps that they had Poe as a source ofc
brandonh83
Banned
Alien was pretty fucking amazing, but I thought it was way too long. Kind of too much of a good thing. Had the pacing been tighter it would've been even better. I didn't really feel it on my first playthrough, but I don't think I could really do it all again. It's just so damn long and because of that even the solid gameplay does get a little repetitive after so much of it.
Comfort Jones
Banned
I'm talking purely about games here, movies are a far different kind of horror story to me because you're supposed to be fearing for the life of a character or at least of seeing something disturbing. Horror movies are scary because you know something is going to happen to someone. If the whole movie went by and I never felt much fear for any character or even fear of just something bad happening, I'd be hesitant to call it a good horror movie.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
I think that's too simple a breakdown. Horror can be pretty broad with its devices. For something like The Shining the danger to the family is definitely one aspect of the horror but its also the psychological impact the themes of isolation, child and spousal abuse, and addiction (alcoholism) play on the audience's mind, and how those factor into the sprawling and bewildering layout of the hotel.
I don't think games need to follow a gameplay only rule with horror for it to be effective horror, it can be a mix. Although the enemies were certainly a scary part of playing through the first Resident Evil, it was the music that really got under my skin and unnerved me. To me that was better at rustling my jimmies than just the hellhound busting out of the window.
misses bull
Banned
So all you guys playing on ps4? I really want to unlock this game early
Comfort Jones
Banned
Well see I don't think I disagree with this point, but I don't really think of it as the music scares me or whatever, it's the combination of various elements that make anything scary, however if there's one element I NEED, it's to actually be in danger, otherwise it's still just a spooky location.
But hey what do I know I'm the kind of guy who felt nothing when I first saw Lisa in PT. Like, it's a linear hallway with basically no options so you know if you've ever played games ever that this is not a situation where you're in any sort of trouble. There's no problem to solve, no obstacle to overcome, yet somehow people lose or at least pretend to lose their shit because omg spooky ghost. I really think there's just too much of that being pushed, this culture of over reactions that lets play guys and bad commercials for bad horror films really push.
Get your balls ready, east coaster PS4 users.
If 'masterpiece' implies there are no flaws, then I guess it actually isn't one. I just know it drew me in and had me more intensely engaged and viscerally reacting to a game in a way that happens maybe once or twice per decade.
misses bull
Banned
so us pc users have to wait till 3 am to play? This sucks
hiphoptherobot
Member
Is this even possible? Can they stagger unlock time on the same store by time zone?
Just realized this by checking the store page.
Shit sucks ;_;
See ya tomorrow gents.
I don't know. I just know that's what Frictional Games tweeted.
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
Well yeah I find most modern horror tropes to be hot garbage, and Lisa didn't really spook me that much. It was the repetition of the hallway mixed with the evolution of the tricks it used on you that was unnerving. I guess it's one of the few games that felt like a place had a believable sense of "haunting" to it.
Stuff like Slender? Outlast? Yeah those do nothing for me. I think a good blend of atmosphere with danger would be the Condemned games. Dilapidated and dank places with insane people roaming about waiting to brain someone with a pipe wrench. I guess you could say that uses cheap tricks too but I feel like it earns it's scares through environmental design and how it forces you to fill in the blanks along the way. Or maybe that would describe PT better
hiphoptherobot
Member
Yeah, I saw the tweet. Now that I am thinking about it though I'm just not sure how accurate it is.
brandonh83
Banned
Don't beat yourself up over that, Lisa is the least frightening thing about the teaser. But the secret is this: what made people scared of Lisa was the tension created through the effective atmosphere. People aren't afraid of Lisa, they're afraid of the fact that they're so wound up by everything else that they know she could appear at any moment and scare the shit out of them. It's rarely the monster or ghost itself that scares people. Those things are completely worthless without effective atmosphere and tension.
When Lisa would appear and startle me, I'd usually "jump" because of the suddenness of it, not because she's scary. It was the overall mood the teaser established that would make her appearances startling.
drotahorror
Member
Layers of Fear. One of the best horror games this year.
hiphoptherobot
Member
A quick glance at their twitter account makes me think that they have no clue when it will go live. Oh well, at least I can play tomorrow!
SlasherJPC
Banned
This def has puzzles. One that require for example moving power and figuring out how much space is on a hard drive without over loading it. It's not insanely hard but there is a few moments. Another one has you directing power via a grid. It's got more to it then just pushing a button here and suddenly able to go somewhere else. Little bit more thought into it then that. And for anyone worried, Alien has the far more repetative enviroment that repeats, here we see lots of unique locals inside these facilities, sure they are all metal but they have unique layouts and most don't look a like.
Karak
Member
Nah I am not a believer in that description for masterpiece. And nothing wrong with that idea for Alien it was astounding in many ways.
SlasherJPC
Banned
There is something inherently more creepy and scary about a well told horror story with elements of terror, then just BOO jump scares. This has some jump stuff, but it's much more former then the later.
BiGBoSSMk23
A company being excited for their new game is a huge slap in the face to all the fans that liked their old games.
So why is the game not even showing up on the store?
Can't even search it.
Can't even search it.
More_Badass
Member
Can't wait for tomorrow. I always prefer creeping dread over jump scares. The former actually takes effort and atmosphere and other aspects to maintain and be effective.
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
I'll wait for that to be out of early access in a year or two
SlasherJPC
Banned
Yeah I was going to cover this but they are not giving more codes till after early access so I'm waiting. Soma is here and deserves all the attention it can get.
I will say, I appreciate how SOMA starts and how it's wrapped up in the end. The journey in between was just that...a journey. I felt the pacing went from exploration, to intense scenes, to revealing information, to puzzles, to escape sequences or almost set piece like mini moments if that's a way to describe it. This is one game that deserves your head phones as well if you have them. I loved it so much, I'm gonna get it on PS4 so I can go through it again and appreciate the story elements even more now knowing what I've seen. I was never bored for one minute.
TetraGenesis
Member
When is this available on the store for Central time? Is it rolling out midnight in Pacific time?
misses bull
Banned
steam? 2 hours from now
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
Warn that your review has spoilers in it next time bro, I watched the first few minutes, got to the
robot pretending to be a human
SlasherJPC
Banned
Sorry that's been known from even their promo stuff early on before the gameplay was even shown with the live action people. It's not really a big deal,you find that out super early. Appologies though.
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
lazyproblems
Member
Those reviews have convinced me, definitely going to be buying this for PS4.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Weird, I can't find this in the Canadian PSN
Barakov
Member
Seems like it hasn't shown up in any way, shape or form on NA PSN. Kinda frustrating to be honest.