Unity2012
Member
Agreed. Every time I booted up the game I kept telling myself, "C'mon it is a scify game in space, it can't be that scary!" only to find myself short of breath, ready to jump at every turn. It is really an amazing ride.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Scariest Horror Games
- Thread starter Zolo
- Start date
Agreed. Every time I booted up the game I kept telling myself, "C'mon it is a scify game in space, it can't be that scary!" only to find myself short of breath, ready to jump at every turn. It is really an amazing ride.
Horror is a really difficult genre for me. It's hard to balance cheap with scary, and then the imagery has to be just right to unsettle me.
Silent Hill gets a good mention because it's still a very good balance of all elements that make up horror. The bad controls, the weak ability to fight back, the constant tense atmosphere, the steep penalty for failure, it's great.
Games like Dead Space, you are too powerful. They are action games with a horror skin.
Other games like Amnesia and Siren are more stealth/puzzle games with horror skins. You're still figuring out AI patterns and sneaking around.
I think PT is another good horror game. It's a little cheap at times, but it's not so much that I would get annoyed with it. It's easily the best spookhouse game you could have played.
Silent Hill gets a good mention because it's still a very good balance of all elements that make up horror. The bad controls, the weak ability to fight back, the constant tense atmosphere, the steep penalty for failure, it's great.
Games like Dead Space, you are too powerful. They are action games with a horror skin.
Other games like Amnesia and Siren are more stealth/puzzle games with horror skins. You're still figuring out AI patterns and sneaking around.
I think PT is another good horror game. It's a little cheap at times, but it's not so much that I would get annoyed with it. It's easily the best spookhouse game you could have played.
LOL, play more horror games, please. The Necromorphs all look like rejects from "The THING", and the game is so generous with resources that it literally let's you buy ammo and healing items. The atmosphere is alright I guess, but Dead Space is nowhere near the most frightening of horror games. I love the series (well, the first two, not the trash that followed), but scary it is not.
SpookyFries
Member
I've played most of the games that many consider scary and really the only one that had me fuckin shook was PT. The later parts where Lisa just appears in the hallway... I was not expecting that. My girlfriend and I were both cowering behind the couch whenever I'd go around the corner.
Also, old PSX games really made me nervous. The first Tomb Raider Atlantis level creeped me the fuck out mostly due to the pixelated monsters, the black fog, the creepy texture work, and the moaning sounds from the monsters. The Tomb Raider remake just didn't have that same creepy as fuck vibe to it. I recall being scared by Nightmare Creatures on PSX as a kid too
Also, old PSX games really made me nervous. The first Tomb Raider Atlantis level creeped me the fuck out mostly due to the pixelated monsters, the black fog, the creepy texture work, and the moaning sounds from the monsters. The Tomb Raider remake just didn't have that same creepy as fuck vibe to it. I recall being scared by Nightmare Creatures on PSX as a kid too
Skyline Owl
Neo Member
P.T didn't do anything for me, but this looks amazing. I haven't seen this trailer before now and God damnit now I'm angry.
I second anyone saying Condemned. The house portion of RE7 in VR also gets a nod. I only got to play a little bit of it at a friends but it was pretty good at building apprehension.
CannonFodder52
Member
In my opinion, Haunting Ground has the most frightening and tense gameplay of any horror title I've seen.
Rule of Rose is one of the most twisted horror games I can think of.
-1456703135.jpg)
Rule of Rose is one of the most twisted horror games I can think of.
Depends what you find creepy/terrifying.
For non ghosts/supernatural horror I'd recommend Alien Isolation and SOMA.
For supernatural horror I'd recommend Silent Hill 2 (still) and PT
For bit of both Condemned games and Amnesia Dark Descent and the like are good as is Outlast (still to play the sequel).
For non ghosts/supernatural horror I'd recommend Alien Isolation and SOMA.
For supernatural horror I'd recommend Silent Hill 2 (still) and PT
For bit of both Condemned games and Amnesia Dark Descent and the like are good as is Outlast (still to play the sequel).
IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
Alien: Isolation.
Self Induced
Member
I'm the kind of person who has to play these types of games with the volume muted if they get too much for me, and I couldn't complete The Evil Within without a guide open (Ruvik in the mansion ruined several of my pants, that bastard). I absolutely hate dying in video games as I get too easily immersed.
When I started Dying Light a few days ago, I didn't immediately realize a community buff had been enabled allowing me to take down zombies with just one or two kicks, and I thought it was an... interesting design choice by the developers. I ran around exploring for a while sending zombies hilariously flying through the air with little effort, not bothering to learn the parkour gameplay mainly because I didn't have to. After I realized the buff was temporary (that explained a lot), I figured I should progress the story so I could breeze through more difficult challenges the game with throw at me. Characters had been warning me that it was dangerous at night, and I thought "whatever, I'll just kick their faces in." When night finally arrived after I completed my objective and the bigger guys made their debut, I scoffed at their intro cutscene because the game had been just so easy up to that point, and my super kick effectively nulled any fear I may have had otherwise. I immediately tried kicking the first one, and when it had no effect whatsoever my confidence was completely shattered. In that moment my hubris gave way to terror, and I realized I was completely fucked unless I learned how to parkour in 5 seconds. The following 30-40 seconds of awkwardly stumbling across rooftops and blindly running through the streets was the most intense experience I'd had in a long time with video games. Having my confidence so high from the community buff and then have it violently destroyed in that manner I'm sure made the experience so much better than it would have been if I had been playing it vanilla. I managed to survive it in one try, though I used something like 6 medpacks.
So, anyway, game is okay.
Fatal Frame 2 is third, with RE7 and Evil Within tied for second place following Silent Hill (not sure which ones I played but I liked them).
When I started Dying Light a few days ago, I didn't immediately realize a community buff had been enabled allowing me to take down zombies with just one or two kicks, and I thought it was an... interesting design choice by the developers. I ran around exploring for a while sending zombies hilariously flying through the air with little effort, not bothering to learn the parkour gameplay mainly because I didn't have to. After I realized the buff was temporary (that explained a lot), I figured I should progress the story so I could breeze through more difficult challenges the game with throw at me. Characters had been warning me that it was dangerous at night, and I thought "whatever, I'll just kick their faces in." When night finally arrived after I completed my objective and the bigger guys made their debut, I scoffed at their intro cutscene because the game had been just so easy up to that point, and my super kick effectively nulled any fear I may have had otherwise. I immediately tried kicking the first one, and when it had no effect whatsoever my confidence was completely shattered. In that moment my hubris gave way to terror, and I realized I was completely fucked unless I learned how to parkour in 5 seconds. The following 30-40 seconds of awkwardly stumbling across rooftops and blindly running through the streets was the most intense experience I'd had in a long time with video games. Having my confidence so high from the community buff and then have it violently destroyed in that manner I'm sure made the experience so much better than it would have been if I had been playing it vanilla. I managed to survive it in one try, though I used something like 6 medpacks.
So, anyway, game is okay.
Fatal Frame 2 is third, with RE7 and Evil Within tied for second place following Silent Hill (not sure which ones I played but I liked them).
I don't believe in ghost, i don't believe supernatural thing or anything relate to that.
But Fatal Frame 1 scare the shit of me... The first time i've play it, I was so stress that i went to toilet probably every 30 min . I got a couple of ''nop'' moment that i just press pause and went elsewhere.
And amnesia, was also scary as shit.... These are the only 2 game that still spooke me even today. Everything else that i could find scary at time (when i was younger) are now really not scary at all.
But Fatal Frame 1 scare the shit of me... The first time i've play it, I was so stress that i went to toilet probably every 30 min . I got a couple of ''nop'' moment that i just press pause and went elsewhere.
And amnesia, was also scary as shit.... These are the only 2 game that still spooke me even today. Everything else that i could find scary at time (when i was younger) are now really not scary at all.
Lord British
Member
Nothing has ever instilled a sense of dread in me as much as Anatomy.
For ne, nothing has scared me more than P.T and Siren.
Kojima and his team did a near flawless job on P.T, as soon as I opened the door for the first time I always was expecting jumpscares but they just never happened and instead I played on me thinking there would be some but lured me into a false sense of security and maybe gave me a medically diagnosable amount of paranoia. My one gripe was
I suppose that doesn't count as a game though and its a shame it never became one (curse you Konami)
Siren always got me because of the noises more than anything. Its a really weird thing for me, it wasn't like there was any really creepy monsters (from recalling my memories) but the demonic laughing and screaming from the village folk sent shivers down my spine and also the mechanic of being able to see through the enemy eyes was spooky too because you wouldn't be able to next to you and in which someone could have crept behind you.
Kojima and his team did a near flawless job on P.T, as soon as I opened the door for the first time I always was expecting jumpscares but they just never happened and instead I played on me thinking there would be some but lured me into a false sense of security and maybe gave me a medically diagnosable amount of paranoia. My one gripe was
when the door opens slightly and it was a genuine jumpscare.
I suppose that doesn't count as a game though and its a shame it never became one (curse you Konami)
Siren always got me because of the noises more than anything. Its a really weird thing for me, it wasn't like there was any really creepy monsters (from recalling my memories) but the demonic laughing and screaming from the village folk sent shivers down my spine and also the mechanic of being able to see through the enemy eyes was spooky too because you wouldn't be able to next to you and in which someone could have crept behind you.
I don't think I've ever been more scared playing a game than I have while playing P.T. It's such a shame that game got canned, it would have been absolutely stellar.
A couple runner ups:
Alien Isolation - The hide and seek game easily with the most polish and hands down the most terrifying monster. The Alien is big, intimidating, agile, fast, and smart as hell. The AI adapts and everywhere you hide you feel vulnerable. I don't think I've ever been more terrified than when I hear the loud thumps of the alien sprinting at me from behind after it's caught me.
Resident Evil 7 in the VR headset - Alone the game isn't that bad, it's a pretty tame but somewhat spooky horror title. But when you're playing it in VR it brings the immersion to another level. I've panicked so hard while playing this, the monsters that crawl quickly at you absolutely terrified me, and there's a couple big jump scares and boss fights that really got to me.
I wish I had less "obvious" answers but really these games are the ones that have scared me the most. I wouldn't say they're the absolute best horror games out there, there are plenty that have different atmospheres and tones that can be more oppressive or scary to different people. But I'm very susceptible to jump scares and those get me to me a lot more than most people, so what scares me can be entirely different from most other people.
A couple runner ups:
Alien Isolation - The hide and seek game easily with the most polish and hands down the most terrifying monster. The Alien is big, intimidating, agile, fast, and smart as hell. The AI adapts and everywhere you hide you feel vulnerable. I don't think I've ever been more terrified than when I hear the loud thumps of the alien sprinting at me from behind after it's caught me.
Resident Evil 7 in the VR headset - Alone the game isn't that bad, it's a pretty tame but somewhat spooky horror title. But when you're playing it in VR it brings the immersion to another level. I've panicked so hard while playing this, the monsters that crawl quickly at you absolutely terrified me, and there's a couple big jump scares and boss fights that really got to me.
I wish I had less "obvious" answers but really these games are the ones that have scared me the most. I wouldn't say they're the absolute best horror games out there, there are plenty that have different atmospheres and tones that can be more oppressive or scary to different people. But I'm very susceptible to jump scares and those get me to me a lot more than most people, so what scares me can be entirely different from most other people.
Omegasquash
Member
PT got me the hardest.
There were a few jump scares in other games (RE4 burning man), but PT is still tops.
There were a few jump scares in other games (RE4 burning man), but PT is still tops.
Amnesia and SOMA.
Sucks that Amnesia is so outdated now and the graphics are borderline cheesy/cartoony, a remake with RE7 graphics would be incredible.
Resident Evil 3 was terrifying for me as a kid but I don't think it holds up today.
Seeing these PT gifs and videos is just sad. Konami is trash.
Sucks that Amnesia is so outdated now and the graphics are borderline cheesy/cartoony, a remake with RE7 graphics would be incredible.
Resident Evil 3 was terrifying for me as a kid but I don't think it holds up today.
Seeing these PT gifs and videos is just sad. Konami is trash.
I'm not a fan of horror in general tbh lol.
Is Condemned really considered scary?
I played it recently(got it for free) and it felt like a fps with horror setting and mostly melee combat, a pair of sudden enemies at beginning may scare but once understood how it worked it became predictable and not scary at all.
I have just started Outlast(also got it for free) and for the moment after the first jump scare it becomes predictable and non scary
Great game, other than the procedural map i love in particular the sound effects, when a danger is approaching you hear a "danger" sound, it works because it makes you ansious and you start looking around to spot the approaching or hidden enemy until you find it.
Not scary, but it guarantees some jump scares.
Is Condemned really considered scary?
I played it recently(got it for free) and it felt like a fps with horror setting and mostly melee combat, a pair of sudden enemies at beginning may scare but once understood how it worked it became predictable and not scary at all.
I have just started Outlast(also got it for free) and for the moment after the first jump scare it becomes predictable and non scary
Great game, other than the procedural map i love in particular the sound effects, when a danger is approaching you hear a "danger" sound, it works because it makes you ansious and you start looking around to spot the approaching or hidden enemy until you find it.
Not scary, but it guarantees some jump scares.
Mr. PlayStation
Member
Resident Evil 4
Outlast
Outlast
GeordieMark
Member
Same here. I couldnt play it for long sessions at first. Only negative is that its too long and the alien becomes a bit of an annoyance eventually.
Literally anything in VR.
Even the shittiest horror game becomes a complete nope device when you've got an HMD on.
That GIF is so unrepresentative of P.T. it's laughable. I'm almost convinced it's actually faked - IIRC the light never flickers and certainly never in sync with her disappearing like that.
Most of Condemned is a decent noir action game but the bits when it throws the fast/crawling enemies at you definitely become horror. I fucking love the Orchard level for this (the 'open world' homestead level).
The best thing is that the enemies can generally roam/travel so once they've spawned you never really know where they'll come from. Combine that with using your blacklight or other tools that block your vision and... yeesh.
It's a pity the second one went full action.
Even the shittiest horror game becomes a complete nope device when you've got an HMD on.
That GIF is so unrepresentative of P.T. it's laughable. I'm almost convinced it's actually faked - IIRC the light never flickers and certainly never in sync with her disappearing like that.
Most of Condemned is a decent noir action game but the bits when it throws the fast/crawling enemies at you definitely become horror. I fucking love the Orchard level for this (the 'open world' homestead level).
The best thing is that the enemies can generally roam/travel so once they've spawned you never really know where they'll come from. Combine that with using your blacklight or other tools that block your vision and... yeesh.
It's a pity the second one went full action.
Grindlefly
Member
This. Without any question
PleaseDontBanMe
Banned
subs
Django.Mango
Member
ZombiU, pure panic with the pad on survival mode, my favourite Horror Game.
Fatal frame 2 is also scary as hell, but the controls were bad iirc. Same with Silent Hill with clunky controls but great atmosphere.
Condemned was great too, one of my favourite 360 games that time. How does it perform on pc today?
If you like p&c adventure games, Fran Bow may scare you eventually. If you like shooter and rpg, Stalker is kind of scary and atmospheric.
Dead end road is an interesting, low budget horror game.
Fatal frame 2 is also scary as hell, but the controls were bad iirc. Same with Silent Hill with clunky controls but great atmosphere.
Condemned was great too, one of my favourite 360 games that time. How does it perform on pc today?
If you like p&c adventure games, Fran Bow may scare you eventually. If you like shooter and rpg, Stalker is kind of scary and atmospheric.
Dead end road is an interesting, low budget horror game.
I've played a lot, started with RE then forward into the SH series, PE series, Amnesia, Outlast, Some fatal frames, Alien, Dead Space, Condemned Series, TEW, Soma so on and so on. Love me some horror games.
Dead Space is up there with Silent Hill. All the other games except maybe Amensia the first time I played it are hardly scary at all.
Rellik
Member
This is why the cancellation hurt so much.
It's the only game where I've creeped around the corner because I'm shitting bricks, yet it's just a 20 minute demo.
Melchiah
Member
Ugh.
Yeah the Siren games are all kinds of effed up. Just an extremely disturbing and bleak experience. Great games though, despite their respective quirks.
Yep.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Doesn't get much scarier than the Siren games.
nkarafo
Member
Horror games don't affect me anymore. So i'm going to pick the ones that used to scare me when i was younger.
Doom (original). Just navigating the levels trying to escape was enough for me. The Cyberdemon and his heavy steps you could hear from a distance was nightmare fuel.
Resident Evil (original). The spiders man... Also having limited ammo made this game too tense for me. Plus, the mansion environment is always creepy for me.
Silent Hill 2. The last game that managed to make me feel some fear.
Doom (original). Just navigating the levels trying to escape was enough for me. The Cyberdemon and his heavy steps you could hear from a distance was nightmare fuel.
Resident Evil (original). The spiders man... Also having limited ammo made this game too tense for me. Plus, the mansion environment is always creepy for me.
Silent Hill 2. The last game that managed to make me feel some fear.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Ugh.
Yeah the Siren games are all kinds of effed up. Just an extremely disturbing and bleak experience. Great games though, despite their respective quirks.
I take it that's from Siren: Blood Curse (the PS3 one?). Damn. I bought it digitally but never really played it beyond maybe the first hour. Maybe I should dig the PS3 out again and play it for Halloween. I know Toyama's next game will be another action title, but I would like to see him return to horror in the future as well.
PT was so good, and it was genius-level marketing. I would have been happy had Konami put it back into development to give it a bit more content, rework the final puzzle & ending and re-release it as a standalone title for like £8 or whatever. Just to be able to own it again!
Alien Isolation is the most recent and most scary game I played.... at least before you got the flamethrower... then is less scary, but still... :O
I want to say also Silent Hill, the PS1 title... I actually find it super scary even nowadays, even with the ps1 graphic... also is a masterpiece so if you never played it, you should.
Oh RE7 in VR of course.
I want to say also Silent Hill, the PS1 title... I actually find it super scary even nowadays, even with the ps1 graphic... also is a masterpiece so if you never played it, you should.
Oh RE7 in VR of course.
Resident Evil 7, Alien: Isolation, Outlast, Condemned, Dementium: The Ward and Dead Space are all pretty terrifying in their own ways but Silent Hill 2 and 3 are probably the creepiest games I've experienced. The twisted monsters, the disgusting rusty and eerie environments, the disturbing sound design... Everything about those games really makes you feel uneasy while playing. I'd also give an honourable mention to Penumbra Overture, I feel like the Penumbra games in general rarely get mentioned but they are very spooky and, in my opinion, way more interesting than Amnesia for example.
Hellnight looks really intriguing, but man it's so damn expensive.
Hellnight looks really intriguing, but man it's so damn expensive.