abstract alien
Member
I accident kicked a can trying to creep though a hallway in Condemned and damn near pissed myself.
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How come no one's made a scary game yet?
- Thread starter Cow Mengde
- Start date
Cow Mengde said:
What a coincidence, I just finished making this game. You pay me $20 and I lock you in a cage with a very hungry lion. It even has difficulty settings. Easy, means you get a knife, Hard means no knife... and your blindfolded. I thought about charging $60, but its a really short game and there is no replay value whatsoever. Still trying to some how work in achievements...
You don't want gameplay, exactly. You want that feeling when you've got a sliver of lifebar left and you know the next save point and health recharge is about five minutes away still. Take away the crutch of having a survival buffer and things get a whole lot tenser. But take away the buffer *permanently*, and the game becomes different; when that's the *norm*, it ceases to become quite as terrifying.Cow Mengde said:
While I'm nowhere near good enough at the games to have much first-hand experience, I'd imagine that the MGS series on the "If you get seen, it's game over" mode would do the trick too.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
Isn't the first boss in the lake in RE4 exactly what the OP is talking about?
The first time you get knocked off the boat and the game is like "Press A...no really, PRESS FUCKING A RIGHT NOW OR THAT THING IS GOING TO SWALLOW YOU WHOLE GODDAMN".
Also - the Shark Scene in REmake where you have to solve the puzzle to drain the tanks while the sharks are trying to break the damn glass.
Or, any of your encounters with Lisa in REmake once you realize she can't fucking die. I've never ran in any videogame in my life as fast as I ran from that cabin.
Or, the Alligator scene in RE2.
None of these are pop-out scares, as in each case you know what's coming, they are "imminent death and narrow escape" scares, precisely as you describe, and each left my heart pounding out of my chest.
The first time you get knocked off the boat and the game is like "Press A...no really, PRESS FUCKING A RIGHT NOW OR THAT THING IS GOING TO SWALLOW YOU WHOLE GODDAMN".
Also - the Shark Scene in REmake where you have to solve the puzzle to drain the tanks while the sharks are trying to break the damn glass.
Or, any of your encounters with Lisa in REmake once you realize she can't fucking die. I've never ran in any videogame in my life as fast as I ran from that cabin.
Or, the Alligator scene in RE2.
None of these are pop-out scares, as in each case you know what's coming, they are "imminent death and narrow escape" scares, precisely as you describe, and each left my heart pounding out of my chest.
Gunmonkey36
Member
Cow Mengde said:
Games will only reach this level if we can develop a matrix/ .hack sort of virtual reality. Obviously when we feel like we really are with the lion and can feel some sort of pain stimulus when it hits us then we will have the first truly scary game. This can be nearly done now i guess.
There are 3d surround video devices though they are basically concept models and far too expensive. Also last year at the video game expo in Philadelphia a company showed a vest that have rumble sensors that hit against your chest and back when you got shot in game. This has a sort of "pain stimulation" that could perhaps intensify the scariness of games.
So to close my rambling I would say scary games will happen when realistic virtual reality happens.
AndersTheSwede
Member
Yeah don't know if what you describe is really possible.
But Alien versus Predator remains the most scary fucking game I have ever played. Like hard to even start it up it's so scary. God damn.
That's the only game I've gotten a "visceral" feeling of fear from.
But Alien versus Predator remains the most scary fucking game I have ever played. Like hard to even start it up it's so scary. God damn.
That's the only game I've gotten a "visceral" feeling of fear from.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Night Trap was pretty scary.
The first time playing Resident Evil 3 was genuinely scary for me in the Nemesis parts. On the first run through I didnt know he followed you through doors. Like other Resident Evil's before that I naturally assumed that going through a door meant safety. At the end of the day this thing that is really fast, strong, scary and doesn't die easily was chasing me sometimes with a rocket launcher. First time through I didn't know the cut off point where he stopped the pursuit so it caused me to panic alot.
RedRedSuit
Member
Well, it's pretty hard to be THAT scary, when what you're experiencing is clearly a projection on a 2D screen. Maybe some kind of VR....
The real scariest game for me was System Shock 2. It was just too much stress, so I stopped.
The real scariest game for me was System Shock 2. It was just too much stress, so I stopped.
Joseph Merrick
Member
try investing some hours into a full loot mmo. and get chased down by way superior number of enemies while wearing/carrying all your hours of play
MarzipaNMOS
Member
wasn't there some game on the saturn or something that had absolutely no save points and had to be played the entire two hours through, whether you escaped the mansion you were put into or something? Success meant you got the good ending and failure meant the bad. Maybe a slightly shorter game like that would work.
faceless007
Member
I've read every post by the OP in the thread and I still have no idea what he really wants and how that differs from most existing horror games.
A game where you fear dying? Doesn't every single game have that to some extent?
A game where you fear dying? Doesn't every single game have that to some extent?
frAntic_Frog
Member
seems like the OP is looking situations where ordinary people are thrusted into terrifying situations without the aid of super powers or magic......
im sure there are many good examples already mentioned, but I would say the remake of Siren on PS3.....some of the Americanized characters do seem like people thrust into an absurd and horrifying situation with no solution other than to try to survive and fight off the monsters
oh and disaster report/clocktower/haunting ground games do also come to mind
im sure there are many good examples already mentioned, but I would say the remake of Siren on PS3.....some of the Americanized characters do seem like people thrust into an absurd and horrifying situation with no solution other than to try to survive and fight off the monsters
oh and disaster report/clocktower/haunting ground games do also come to mind
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
RyuHayate said:
This! Michael Myers scares the poo outta me! Of all of the 80s horror characters he is the one that s creeps me out. A game about surviving from myers is win.
Truespeed
Member
Perhaps because it's not possible with the immaturity and non immerseabilty of the technology in use today. Perhaps when head sets that envelope the eyes and ears are mainstream we'll begin to see some games approach this. Until then, only the highly emotional and paranoid will continue to be scared looking at their little LCD.
abstract alien
Member
This game did a really good job of creating the tension and fear of coming out of a hiding spot without fully knowing if its safe or not. Id love to see a more polished version of it release.frAntic_Frog said:
I used to get pretty scared in the original Tomb Raider games when a bear would appear or some wolves.
Not ussually as much with FPS games like Doom or Resident Evil though, for some reason...
Maybe it's because those games are just so horrific, you syke yourself up in a "this is just a game, this character is not, even if I die, so what, I'll just go back to my last save point". But when playing the Tomb Raider games I was more relaxed 'la, la, what lovely scenery, ah - i'll just have a little swim - then all of a sudden HOLY HELL'.
Maybe that's the way to scare people, immerse them in the environment, and give them actual affection for the character they're playing. I mean, I reckon I'd be absolutely shit scared if I was running around the castle in mario 64, and Nemesis appeared or something.
Not ussually as much with FPS games like Doom or Resident Evil though, for some reason...
Maybe it's because those games are just so horrific, you syke yourself up in a "this is just a game, this character is not, even if I die, so what, I'll just go back to my last save point". But when playing the Tomb Raider games I was more relaxed 'la, la, what lovely scenery, ah - i'll just have a little swim - then all of a sudden HOLY HELL'.
Maybe that's the way to scare people, immerse them in the environment, and give them actual affection for the character they're playing. I mean, I reckon I'd be absolutely shit scared if I was running around the castle in mario 64, and Nemesis appeared or something.
Callo Merlose
Banned
Well, getting chased by that lion/beast thing in the very beginning of Another World warmed my seat with a fresh shit.
revolverjgw
Member
Manhunt really scared me. Seems like a situation that could theoretically happen if some sicko had the resources and was very insane. I'm sure there are people fucked up enough to get pleasure out of doing what Starkweather did if they could do it. And it would be damn terrifying to be stuck in... you'd either be killed or be forced to do horrific things to survive. Brian Cox's loathsomeness, some intense stealth sequences, the filthy presentation, the whole thing just unnerved me, and I didn't even bother trying the pointless gore-kills.
Flying_Phoenix
Banned
See the problem OP is that a video game can't really kill you.
Pai Pai Master
Banned
Yeah I think Heavy Rain is gonna be pretty fucking scary.
MWS Natural
Member
AstroLad said:
Not a bad idea as long as it would be as cheap as the old arcades and not $60 per life lol. Maybe $1 per life and normal players wouldn't die more than 20-30 times in the game would be fair.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
You probably want a Painstation.Cow Mengde said:
akachan ningen
Member
In RE4 mercenaries, the dude with the double chainsaw had that effect on me, when I saw him flailing around, coming towards me I freaked out.
Rapping Granny
Banned
No Mention of Siren yet?
I remember the demo being scary for me.
I remember the demo being scary for me.
It's kinda funny how horror doesn't really mean horrifying. Normal games have plenty of horrifying situations, but aren't classed as horror since they don't involve monsters or dark areas.
Any game that involves swimming scares the hell out of me. I was scared to go into the water in Banjo Kazooie because I knew there was a shark in there!
Any game that involves swimming scares the hell out of me. I was scared to go into the water in Banjo Kazooie because I knew there was a shark in there!
akachan ningen
Member
master15 said:
Dead Man Typing
Member
abstract alien said:
This.
Mo0 said:
Resident Evil 4 had running away from boulders and other moments of panic which were conquered by bashing the A button as quickly as possible. One moment in particular freaked me out:
When you defeat the Lake Monster, it's all standard video game fare. The last hit triggers a cutscene and you see the monster sinking to the bottom, then all of a sudden the rope attatched to it wraps around Leon's leg and nearly drags him in too, tirggering a bash the A button QTE. The ability for the game to jump you unexpectedly when you thought you were safe, in a cutscene, made me scramble for the controller and gave me a real sense of panic. Now, when I replay the game I know it's coming, but that first time really took me by surprise.
I'm actually a very... I'm not sure how you'd describe it... but I'm easily immersed in game worlds. Especially scary games. I was sitting on the edge of my set the whole way through Condemned and a bunch of other scary games I've played. I'm looking forward to playing Dead Space when I get the chance.
Cow Mengde said:
Horror games tend to use scenarios that play off fears that many of us share. Unknown things lurking in the dark, nightmare imagery, being chased, etc. Sorry to break this to you, but I don't think many of us have an innate fear of being locked in a cage with a lion waiting for "the cops to arrive."
Dead Man Typing said:
same here and you are in for a treat with Dead Space. I literally had trouble moving my character down the hallway i would be so petrified. early on i had to turn the sound down, forget playing it with my surround sound headphones.
there's a particular section that reminded me (and was likely inspired) by the first Alien movie. You're in a maintenance bay with lots of parts handing from chains, etc. Lots of light play and creaking noises. I could only play in short spurts i'd get so rattled. The game was non-stop dread, tension and hopelessness.
RE4's lake boss was pretty awesome, and truly terrifying the first time around. I wish I could forget it and play it fresh again.
One of my favorite scary moments was the end of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. When you have to do that final, difficult level without your time rewind power. By the end of the game I was very invested in the character of the Prince, so to have him in a "one slip up and you're dead" scenario had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time.
One of my favorite scary moments was the end of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. When you have to do that final, difficult level without your time rewind power. By the end of the game I was very invested in the character of the Prince, so to have him in a "one slip up and you're dead" scenario had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time.
Pristine_Condition
Member
LRB1983 said:
Man, I disagree completely. No offense, but I think Rule of Rose was simply terrible.
The scariest part of the game for me was the fact that a director could take some elements with sooooooo much promise to make a good game, and then completely screw it up to the point where the game is a huge waste of time.
When I went into Rule of Rose, I was really feeling it. I loved the art/design. I loved the ideas behind settings (even though the actual maps turned out to be pretty uninspired RE1-style corridors in the end.) I loved the idea of a bunch of cruel, twisted little girls. I loved the music. But my enthusiasm for the game was steadily and almost enthusiastically crushed the more of the game I experienced, and the closer i got to the ending.
So many missed opportunities:
***The story itself had the potential to be pretty good, but lost it's way pretty miserably. First off, for a game that tries so hard to mask what's going on, It failed in an epic way, because I pretty much figured out everything a few chapters before the "big reveal" and
I absolutely knew who "Stay Dog" was almost immediately after the character was introduced, so the final battle was even sillier than just a dude inexplicably running around on all fours pretending to be a dog. The suicide was so easy to predict after the "dangerous thing" was eluded to in that letter that it lost all it's potential for emotional impact. I get the idea that the writers/director tried to ape Twin Peaks and leave some mysterious stuff out there, but no one should care. People still discuss Twin Peaks because it was good. Rule of Rose? No thanks. The whole vibe was so heavy-handed and ham fisted that I honestly think they should have just put up a pop-up message that screamed "This is supposed to be PSYCHOLOGICAL!" or "This is supposed to be CREEPY!" throughout the game.
***The music was great...what there was of it. When I first started the game, I was blown away by the theme and that first cello-solo BGM. Then I realized the developer had a meeting somewhere along the way which went like this: "Sooooo, let's get a fantastic composer to write music for our game. Wait...that might be expensive. Let's just get him to supply 10 different 15-30 second music clips that we'll just loop over and over. The other two levels we'll just have a couple loops of chains rattling. That'll work."
***The mechanic of the dog was wonderful, right up to the point where you realize that basically the dog is going to play the fucking game for you, solve all the puzzles for you, and find all the hidden shit for you. So what could have been as cool a relationship as Agro in SoC, just becomes a way to completely remove any reason for you to mentally engage with the game. But hey, at least I cared enough about the dog to finish the game, so that's a consolation prize.
***But just because I cared about the dog doesn't mean the game makes me care about any of the other characters. I certainly didn't care about Jennifer, which is unfortunate to say the least, because she's YOU. Wendy was lame, even after you understood her "This is supposed to be PSYCHOLOGICAL!" backstory motivation. The only compelling character outside of Brown was the crazy fat girl, and, surprise, surprise, after you find out that she
they kinda just let her fade into the background, and never do anything consequential with her character again. (Huh?)
***The enemies were a lazy developer's joke. Teeny tiny, mostly identically-bodied imps with swapped heads? Check. Three of the lamest, least scary
bosses I've ever seen? You bet. All enemies with totally lame, predictable looping behaviors and AI that consists of just following you around (or just stand there) and loop the attack sequence? Uh huh. It's Sega Genesis era enemy behavior combined with the least menacing enemy designs I've seen ever in a game that's supposed to be scary. While we're at it, let's never explain where these guys are coming from.
Oh yeah, never mind. I forgot.
And that brings us to the biggest failure. I never thought I couldn't kick everyone's ass. Even with the craptastic controls, the shitty camera angles, my character's constant "I'm really scared" chest clutching animation, and all that other stuff, I never once felt like I couldn't beat the hell out of every pathetic-joke-of-an-enemy on the screen (or my tiny persecutors for that matter) if I wanted to. Which, most of the time, I didn't, because in the case of the imps, it was so easy and convenient to just run around the slow, aimless twits.
Rule of Rose was so much better as a concept and a creepy trailer than it turned out to be as an actual game.
***The music was great...what there was of it. When I first started the game, I was blown away by the theme and that first cello-solo BGM. Then I realized the developer had a meeting somewhere along the way which went like this: "Sooooo, let's get a fantastic composer to write music for our game. Wait...that might be expensive. Let's just get him to supply 10 different 15-30 second music clips that we'll just loop over and over. The other two levels we'll just have a couple loops of chains rattling. That'll work."
***The mechanic of the dog was wonderful, right up to the point where you realize that basically the dog is going to play the fucking game for you, solve all the puzzles for you, and find all the hidden shit for you. So what could have been as cool a relationship as Agro in SoC, just becomes a way to completely remove any reason for you to mentally engage with the game. But hey, at least I cared enough about the dog to finish the game, so that's a consolation prize.
***But just because I cared about the dog doesn't mean the game makes me care about any of the other characters. I certainly didn't care about Jennifer, which is unfortunate to say the least, because she's YOU. Wendy was lame, even after you understood her "This is supposed to be PSYCHOLOGICAL!" backstory motivation. The only compelling character outside of Brown was the crazy fat girl, and, surprise, surprise, after you find out that she
really wants to kill you with the fire of 1,000 suns,
***The enemies were a lazy developer's joke. Teeny tiny, mostly identically-bodied imps with swapped heads? Check. Three of the lamest, least scary
adult
Oh yeah, never mind. I forgot.
"It's supposed to be all PSYCHOLOGICAL! The enemies are IN HER HEAD!!!"
Bullshit. You wanna make it "PSYCHOLOGICAL," and reflect the fears of "Jennifer as a little girl" or whatever the aim was, then do it effectively. Do it from a little girl's perspective. Make Jennifer tiny and the creatures large. Don't make me tower over all these tiny little creatures.
Bullshit. You wanna make it "PSYCHOLOGICAL," and reflect the fears of "Jennifer as a little girl" or whatever the aim was, then do it effectively. Do it from a little girl's perspective. Make Jennifer tiny and the creatures large. Don't make me tower over all these tiny little creatures.
And that brings us to the biggest failure. I never thought I couldn't kick everyone's ass. Even with the craptastic controls, the shitty camera angles, my character's constant "I'm really scared" chest clutching animation, and all that other stuff, I never once felt like I couldn't beat the hell out of every pathetic-joke-of-an-enemy on the screen (or my tiny persecutors for that matter) if I wanted to. Which, most of the time, I didn't, because in the case of the imps, it was so easy and convenient to just run around the slow, aimless twits.
Rule of Rose was so much better as a concept and a creepy trailer than it turned out to be as an actual game.
A Twisty Fluken
Member
swoon said:
this is the correct answer.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
Cow Mengde said:
Valve has done that a few times in the Half-Life series, most notably Half-Life 1. You encounter the Gargantua, a giant armored monster that shoots fire out of its claws. It's almost completely indestructible and usually your only option is to run and hide from it.
You eventually end up killing it, though (rather creatively).
There's a couple of other monsters in Half-Life 1 that cannot be killed, only worked around (or have to be killed by special means).