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The horror... the horror... games of 2014.

sublimit said:
Completely agree with Spieler Eins.If The Evil Within is supposedly trying to revive survival horror then i just don't see it.Neither the survival or the horror.

My only hope right now for a true revival of this genre comes from indie developers.
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well, it's evident that indie developers have already revived it with games like Amnesia and Outlast....thus why this thread exists
 
I'm definitely interested in The Evil Within and Alien: Isolation. Both looks pretty sweet. Routine looks nice and I hear cool things about Soma but I haven't done much research on either of them.
 
unpurposed said:
I saw the closed doors gameplay demo of Evil Within today at PAX and it absolutely killed all the hype I had. I wouldn't put much stake on it being great.
Click to expand...

Ouch. Please elaborate - what didn't look good? The graphics looked terrible in the trailer I saw. Is that the case in what you saw too?
 
unpurposed said:
I saw the closed doors gameplay demo of Evil Within today at PAX and it absolutely killed all the hype I had. I wouldn't put much stake on it being great.
Click to expand...

goes in line with what just popped up on my twitter feed:

Mitch Dyer ‏@MitchyD 39m
Writing a bigger preview for IGN after seeing The Evil Within, but short knee-jerk reaction: The demo we saw was utterly lifeless.
Click to expand...
 
Fixed2BeBroken said:
well, it's evident that indie developers have already revived it with games like Amnesia and Outlast....thus why this thread exists
Click to expand...

Not really really revived, but as you said, it rather sparked a trend for pseudo horror games that are basically just gimmicks for lets play channels to attract people who laugh when the annoying channel commentators cry about jump scares.

Still, some of the lesser hyped indie titles are pretty great. Lone Survivor was a 2D pixel game without jump scares and gore, yet it was one of the best survival horror games of the last years. (While a RE4.2 or dumb shit like Slender wouldn't even come close)

Fixed2BeBroken said:
well, then you just nullified the relevancy of this thread and all the games in the OP. but ok
Click to expand...

It's debatable to call the OP list horror. Some of these games probably don't even try to be a horror title at aesthetics, nor anything else.
 
You can't really demo a horror game. Especially one that relies on audio and psychological horror. People loved the RE6 demo that was at events because it was Micheal Bay as fuck, and people were like ya this is awesome! If only they knew.
 
VanCityGamer said:
Love this trend, as I'm a huge horror fan. Has anyone heard any more details about Outlast's DLC - Whistleblower? It's strange because the DLC is supposed to release this month and there seems to be silence.
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Red Barrels announced that the DLC drops next month, May 6 on PC and PS4 NA and May 7 for PS4 EU.
 
Fran Bow and Neverending Nightmares...

WTF with those images? I mean i've seen some messed up stuff in games, but with the art style of those two, it just seems that much worse. Like a witness description or something...
 
Here's a longer description of the closed door demo I saw at PAX today. The tweet above that described it as "utterly lifeless" was right on the money.

The demo was live gameplay and lasted about 15-20 minutes. They played through two areas and showed off the combat and some of the locales. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in a trailer so far, in terms of locations.

The first area was that strange area from the trailers with the destroyed city and shifting cliffs. The first 3/4 of this part was just walking through the environment. It came across as completely dull. The character seemed completely unfazed by the way that the environment kept changing (e.g. at several points, buildings and the floor collapse right in front of him and there's no reaction). Towards the end of the section, they introduce the enemies. The player was equipped with a shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, and a crossbow. There were some stealth elements that reminded me very strongly of The Last of Us (and not in a good way). In fact, it even had a very similar animation that occurs when an enemy grapples onto you. At the end, the guy encountered a water monster which he tried to distract by throwing bottles in the water, but the part ended when he was eaten by it.

The second area was a sort of puzzle section that took place in that strange industrial section that's been in the trailers. Throughout this section, the Box-head character was stalking the guy as he was trying to turn a set of valves. The Box-man can be killed normally by shooting him, but he comes back constantly. This sounded cool at first, but at no point did it seem that the guy was in danger. Add to that the fact that the section seemed to consist solely of:

1. Turn valve
2. 75% through turning valve, Box head shows up
3. Kill Box-head
4. Rinse and repeat

At the end, maybe one or two people clapped. It felt like the room had been super disappointed.

Performance-wise, the demo would hitch up at points (actually freeze for a second or two), but I attribute this to the game simply being still in development. I wasn't sure what platform it was being demo'ed on, but it didn't look great at all.
 
Darth Zandatsu said:
The Evil Within and Dying Light are the only ones that i'm interested, every other horror game seems to follow the "hide and seek" type of gameplay which i really do not appreciate.
Click to expand...

Dying Light isn't a horror game. the AI is dumb as shit, on one of the IGN videos the guy is free running on top of zombies.

Zombies =/= horror

The whole point of being a horror game is the tension and vulnerability. With a lot of these games that you would prefer, the combat takes away those two aspects and just relies on cheap scare tactics.
 
unpurposed said:
Here's a longer description of the closed door demo I saw at PAX today. The tweet above that described it as "utterly lifeless" was right on the money.

The demo was live gameplay and lasted about 15-20 minutes. They played through two areas and showed off the combat and some of the locales. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in a trailer so far, in terms of locations.

The first area was that strange area from the trailers with the destroyed city and shifting cliffs. The first 3/4 of this part was just walking through the environment. It came across as completely dull. The character seemed completely unfazed by the way that the environment kept changing (e.g. at several points, buildings and the floor collapse right in front of him and there's no reaction). Towards the end of the section, they introduce the enemies. The player was equipped with a shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, and a crossbow. There were some stealth elements that reminded me very strongly of The Last of Us (and not in a good way). In fact, it even had a very similar animation that occurs when an enemy grapples onto you. At the end, the guy encountered a water monster which he tried to distract by throwing bottles in the water, but the part ended when he was eaten by it.

The second area was a sort of puzzle section that took place in that strange industrial section that's been in the trailers. Throughout this section, the Box-head character was stalking the guy as he was trying to turn a set of valves. The Box-man can be killed normally by shooting him, but he comes back constantly. This sounded cool at first, but at no point did it seem that the guy was in danger. Add to that the fact that the section seemed to consist solely of:

1. Turn valve
2. 75% through turning valve, Box head shows up
3. Kill Box-head
4. Rinse and repeat

At the end, maybe one or two people clapped. It felt like the room had been super disappointed.

Performance-wise, the demo would hitch up at points (actually freeze for a second or two), but I attribute this to the game simply being still in development. I wasn't sure what platform it was being demo'ed on, but it didn't look great at all.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it might be more of a straight up action game with horror elements instead of the other way around.
 
I was hype as hell for TEW but after seeing what I have, I'll pass. It just looks uninspired. Like 3 games thrown into one and its not working out right. Especially the monsters... they're... terribly bland.

It sucks because Mikami is brilliant and creative, but I feel like he just doesn't know what to do with this game. Of course my opinion can change once I've played it or something but as of now, what I gather from previews, I'm not excited for it.

Dying Light, Outlast part 2, Routine, Daylight, Alien: isolation, Dreadout and Neverending Nightmares look great tho. I've gotta take a look at these others again. It's been a while lol

If any of these is probably gonna break in a new trend, I think it could be Neverending Nightmares. It's goal is very different from what we usually get.
 
Teknoman said:
Sounds like it might be more of a straight up action game with horror elements instead of the other way around.
Click to expand...

I was really looking forward to the game, but the demo just fell completely flat. I would be ok with a good action game with horror elements (a la RE4), but the combat didn't look good at all.

If you're at PAX, don't waste your time in line to see it.
 
unpurposed said:
Here's a longer description of the closed door demo I saw at PAX today. The tweet above that described it as "utterly lifeless" was right on the money.

The demo was live gameplay and lasted about 15-20 minutes. They played through two areas and showed off the combat and some of the locales. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in a trailer so far, in terms of locations.

The first area was that strange area from the trailers with the destroyed city and shifting cliffs. The first 3/4 of this part was just walking through the environment. It came across as completely dull. The character seemed completely unfazed by the way that the environment kept changing (e.g. at several points, buildings and the floor collapse right in front of him and there's no reaction). Towards the end of the section, they introduce the enemies. The player was equipped with a shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, and a crossbow. There were some stealth elements that reminded me very strongly of The Last of Us (and not in a good way). In fact, it even had a very similar animation that occurs when an enemy grapples onto you. At the end, the guy encountered a water monster which he tried to distract by throwing bottles in the water, but the part ended when he was eaten by it.

The second area was a sort of puzzle section that took place in that strange industrial section that's been in the trailers. Throughout this section, the Box-head character was stalking the guy as he was trying to turn a set of valves. The Box-man can be killed normally by shooting him, but he comes back constantly. This sounded cool at first, but at no point did it seem that the guy was in danger. Add to that the fact that the section seemed to consist solely of:

1. Turn valve
2. 75% through turning valve, Box head shows up
3. Kill Box-head
4. Rinse and repeat

At the end, maybe one or two people clapped. It felt like the room had been super disappointed.

Performance-wise, the demo would hitch up at points (actually freeze for a second or two), but I attribute this to the game simply being still in development. I wasn't sure what platform it was being demo'ed on, but it didn't look great at all.
Click to expand...

God, that sucks. I hope that just comes down to a lame demo/vertical slice than a symptom of the whole game being like that
 
Yeah, I kept waiting for something really awesome to happen, but 20 minutes passed and the demo came to a disappointing end.

There was one cool scene with Box-head where
the player is in a room blocked off from Box-head by bars. Box-head-thing shows up on the other side and snaps his own neck to be able to reappear on the other side.
. But it didn't even come close to saving the demo.
 
unpurposed said:
Here's a longer description of the closed door demo I saw at PAX today. The tweet above that described it as "utterly lifeless" was right on the money.

The demo was live gameplay and lasted about 15-20 minutes. They played through two areas and showed off the combat and some of the locales. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in a trailer so far, in terms of locations.

The first area was that strange area from the trailers with the destroyed city and shifting cliffs. The first 3/4 of this part was just walking through the environment. It came across as completely dull. The character seemed completely unfazed by the way that the environment kept changing (e.g. at several points, buildings and the floor collapse right in front of him and there's no reaction). Towards the end of the section, they introduce the enemies. The player was equipped with a shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, and a crossbow. There were some stealth elements that reminded me very strongly of The Last of Us (and not in a good way). In fact, it even had a very similar animation that occurs when an enemy grapples onto you. At the end, the guy encountered a water monster which he tried to distract by throwing bottles in the water, but the part ended when he was eaten by it.

The second area was a sort of puzzle section that took place in that strange industrial section that's been in the trailers. Throughout this section, the Box-head character was stalking the guy as he was trying to turn a set of valves. The Box-man can be killed normally by shooting him, but he comes back constantly. This sounded cool at first, but at no point did it seem that the guy was in danger. Add to that the fact that the section seemed to consist solely of:

1. Turn valve
2. 75% through turning valve, Box head shows up
3. Kill Box-head
4. Rinse and repeat

At the end, maybe one or two people clapped. It felt like the room had been super disappointed.

Performance-wise, the demo would hitch up at points (actually freeze for a second or two), but I attribute this to the game simply being still in development. I wasn't sure what platform it was being demo'ed on, but it didn't look great at all.
Click to expand...

My weekend, y u ruin it? D:
 
I'm absolutely loving this new wave of horror gaming. Outlast was a blast and I'm incredibly excited for The Evil Within.

Hopefully SOMA will head to the PS4 too
 
this thread is toying with my emotions

OP got me excited with a lotta titles i didn't even know were in the works, then PAX impressions bummed me the fuck out about Evil Within...man i hope that thing turns around, first reply was so right that we need something to replace RE pretty bad these days

Fixed2BeBroken said:
I'd love a new silent hill....DONE RIGHT
Click to expand...

i said this for years too - still sleeping on Downpour but i still think the series needs to die for a while
 
unpurposed said:
I saw the closed doors gameplay demo of Evil Within today at PAX and it absolutely killed all the hype I had. I wouldn't put much stake on it being great.
Click to expand...

tumblr_m3ftkhHZ3H1qa6lp8.gif


hype killed.

don't know if you wanna add Until Dawn to the list, I feel like it'll have a comeback this E3 (just guessing here, folks).

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/14/until-dawn-new-ps-move-horror-game-announced-for-ps3/
 
IrishNinja said:
this thread is toying with my emotions

OP got me excited with a lotta titles i didn't even know were in the works, then PAX impressions bummed me the fuck out about Evil Within...man i hope that thing turns around, first reply was so right that we need something to replace RE pretty bad these days
Click to expand...

You mean the new PAX trailer? Besides the so-so graphics, I think the game looks fantastic

Edit: Just saw the quote about seeing the closed door demo...uh oh.
 
While I hope Evil Within is good, I never had much hope for it as for as any sort of survival-horror revival. It seems to be Mikami's continuation of RE4, and that game was barely a survival-horror game itself.
 
Mr. Nobody said:
The amnesia era begun
Click to expand...

Amnesia didn't do anything that wasn't done already, except contain a story that made people question their morals and utilize an actual novel for the base (an HP Lovecraft story).

It just used fp camera and borrowed some gameplay mechanics from Haunting Ground and Clock Tower (panicking, hiding, supernatural, etc).

Not to mention, Penumbra was the beginning. It came out before Amnesia.

(Not bashing Amnesia btw. I love it.)
 
Casimir said:
If your now including games without a release date, Sacrilegium was announced last year.
Click to expand...

I hadn't heard of this, so I went to the site...

Alone, surrounded, and trapped in darkness, facing the Moroi – modern vampires that make the ancient legends seem as fairy tales – Alex is forced to take on the all-too-real and bloodthirsty children of the night.

Thrust in the middle of a deadly plot filled with trope-shattering twists, intrigue, and betrayal, Alex must call upon her instincts, skills, knowledge and devotion to survive and make it out alive with her mind and soul intact – as well as save her friends from a fate in which even death seems a blessing.

Slicing through all the tired stereotypes and clichés filling this currently popular genre, while respecting the foundations that make the subject matter so timelessly thrilling, Sacrilegium™ stops at nothing to deliver the most nightmarish entertainment, a captivating story and unparalleled thrills.
Click to expand...

I like that they call it trope-shattering and that it slices through stereotypes and cliches.

I'll throw it on the list.
 
unpurposed said:
Here's a longer description of the closed door demo I saw at PAX today. The tweet above that described it as "utterly lifeless" was right on the money.

The demo was live gameplay and lasted about 15-20 minutes. They played through two areas and showed off the combat and some of the locales. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in a trailer so far, in terms of locations.

The first area was that strange area from the trailers with the destroyed city and shifting cliffs. The first 3/4 of this part was just walking through the environment. It came across as completely dull. The character seemed completely unfazed by the way that the environment kept changing (e.g. at several points, buildings and the floor collapse right in front of him and there's no reaction). Towards the end of the section, they introduce the enemies. The player was equipped with a shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, and a crossbow. There were some stealth elements that reminded me very strongly of The Last of Us (and not in a good way). In fact, it even had a very similar animation that occurs when an enemy grapples onto you. At the end, the guy encountered a water monster which he tried to distract by throwing bottles in the water, but the part ended when he was eaten by it.

The second area was a sort of puzzle section that took place in that strange industrial section that's been in the trailers. Throughout this section, the Box-head character was stalking the guy as he was trying to turn a set of valves. The Box-man can be killed normally by shooting him, but he comes back constantly. This sounded cool at first, but at no point did it seem that the guy was in danger. Add to that the fact that the section seemed to consist solely of:

1. Turn valve
2. 75% through turning valve, Box head shows up
3. Kill Box-head
4. Rinse and repeat

At the end, maybe one or two people clapped. It felt like the room had been super disappointed.

Performance-wise, the demo would hitch up at points (actually freeze for a second or two), but I attribute this to the game simply being still in development. I wasn't sure what platform it was being demo'ed on, but it didn't look great at all.
Click to expand...
Ugh, I really hope this isn't indicative of the quality of the completed/final game.
 
Fancy Clown said:
You mean the new PAX trailer? Besides the so-so graphics, I think the game looks fantastic

Edit: Just saw the quote about seeing the closed door demo...uh oh.
Click to expand...

VanCityGamer said:
No, he means the impressions of people who got to see gameplay behind closed doors. It seems like the reception from some people isn't particularly positive.
Click to expand...

yeah, this post...looks like Fancy found it though =/

Ninja Scooter said:
While I hope Evil Within is good, I never had much hope for it as for as any sort of survival-horror revival. It seems to be Mikami's continuation of RE4, and that game was barely a survival-horror game itself.
Click to expand...

fair point, i guess i just wanted something that felt fresh/legit scary again. 4 was straight action but fantastic and not without its scare moments, anyway.
 
I'm glad the horror genre is getting back on track. On PC horror games have been all over the place, but not so much on consoles. So far I'm liking the looks of The Evil Within, and Dying Light (I liked Dead Island so I think I'll like this as well).

eldudebro said:
I dream of a Silent Hill resurrection.
Let's just forget the last ten years of titles exist.....
Click to expand...

I agree. The only problems with Downpour was the breakable weapons, small number of monsters, and a few bugs. If they fix those problems, they'll be back on track. I didn't have any problem with the story. Silent Hill has always had a "makes no sense but is still interesting" sort of story. Downpour did that pretty well just like all the others.
 
Casimir said:
If your now including games without a release date, Sacrilegium was announced last year.
Click to expand...

Oh shit! :D

Once again, the vampire shall return to its former glory of being a creature of nightmares, not wet dreams. Who am I kidding? It's always gonna be a sex monster lol but it's nice to see it used like a being to be feared again.
 
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