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The ocean in Crysis is the single most terrifying video game environment ever

Dissonance said:
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.
 
Kalnos said:
Doubt it, it has some interesting controls. I.E. You have to actually pull with your mouse to open doors, you don't just click.
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Dang, game would be awesome on my huge TV and 5.1 and not on my outdated monitor with crappy speakers.
 
Stitch said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqn7dgTJPv4
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Ahh, I figured he meant something like a huge storm out in a dark sea lit by stars and a full moon with huge waves and sharks. Something scary, I have the demo and yeah the water looks great.

Is the demo the same performance as the full game? I have quad core and I think I read that the demo dont support that. If so, is there a way I can make the demo up to the finished game standard to see if the game run better?
 
I love/hated how certain animals could stalk up on you in RDR. One time while out hunting a fucking cougar jumped me from behind just as I set up my aim. Damned controller flew up in the ceiling.
 
I completely understand the OPs fear/creeped-outedness. I get that way with pretty much any large open body of water in games (that you can dive in). I don't mind if it's brightly coloured though (like the stuff in Mario galaxy) but if it's murky or something. Like Crysis, Danjo Kazooie, SM64. Sort of like, the fear of the unknown, like it's dark/murky and you know there is danger around but you can't always see it and don't know when it'll strike.

I feel the same unease in some PC games when I use noclip to look around outside of the map. I have this irrational fear that I'll find a hidden jump scare, like just randomly die or find a hidden room that triggers something. If I ever got to influence a game design or map I'd put something like that in. Like, you're noclipping around for whatever reason and BAM! you stumble onto something creepy or scary. Or just going along normally and what looks like a bug but is really intentional makes you just fall out of the map or glitch up. Dunno why that stuff creeps me out. I think it's because you're like, playing outside the games rules, doing what the designers don't want you to do. Like you're going against gods will or something.
 
I played Tomb Raider: Underworld in 3D on my computer a couple of years ago... I honestly think the underwater section gave me a morbid fear of sharks I never had prior. Honestly the 3D did make a pretty big difference.

I went to Maui for a vacation not that long after, and I felt extremely uncomfortable swimming in the ocean a few times.
 
Ugh, I know what you mean OP. Eventually I decided to give it a try myself when I heard stories about there being a shark in Crysis, killing you when you swim too far.

When I was swimming in the ocean, I really started to get second thoughts. Then, after I turned around to see how far i was, I saw the shark's damn fin sticking out of the water, circling around me. Needless to say, when the shark attacked me, I got scared shitless.

Personally, the biggest scares in games are moments when you're defenseless and there's some goddamn monster trying to kill you. (Fucking Amnesia)
 
SneakyStephan said:
Sounds like you have some kind of phobia.

I thought the crysis ocean was really prettty but that was about it.
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Yeah, honestly the water in Crysis never frightened me at all. I had my OH SHIT moment with a shark, and that was a little scary... but Crysis doesn't really...

Amnesia makes you forget that it's okay to die. The first time I died in Amnesia was literally one of the scariest moments of my life. It feels stupid to admit a video game did that, but I was really tired and fully immersed in the game and the thought going through my head was basically "oh shit, I'm going to die" with no thought to the fact that I would just be able to continue playing from just slightly before that point. :lol

After dying your first time in Amnesia the scariness of the game is, like, halved.
 
AbsoluteZero said:
Oh noes, the blocky cactuses are out to get me.

*rolls eyes*
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Minecraft is the scariest game I have ever played. Exploring caves and having a creeper drop on your head is scary shit.

Don't hate!
 
To mention something that is not from an horror game that's supposed to scare you, the sniper battle versus The End in Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater was extremely terrifying for me. I was too scared to even move most of the time...
 
ZZMitch said:
Minecraft is the scariest game I have ever played. Exploring caves and having a creeper drop on your head is scary shit.

Don't hate!
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Dude, in Minecraft there is sooooo much at stake. Like, dying in Minecraft can be a huge hassle. Or getting your delicate handy work blown up and having to rebuild, especially early on in a world.

Creepers are absolutely terrifying, its true. Anyone who thinks it isn't probably hasn't actually played the game much.
 
BobsRevenge said:
Yeah, honestly the water in Crysis never frightened me at all. I had my OH SHIT moment with a shark, and that was a little scary... but Crysis doesn't really...

Amnesia makes you forget that it's okay to die. The first time I died in Amnesia was literally one of the scariest moments of my life. It feels stupid to admit a video game did that, but I was really tired and fully immersed in the game and the thought going through my head was basically "oh shit, I'm going to die" with no thought to the fact that I would just be able to continue playing from just slightly before that point. :lol

After dying your first time in Amnesia the scariness of the game is, like, halved.
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To me penalty for dying has no real impact on fear, in Amnesia or any game of the sort. It's the foreboding atmosphere generated throughout combined with the total lack of offensive capabilities. All you can do is run and hide from an unstoppable monster.

The light/dark mechanic is also brilliant and adds to it - light attracts danger but allows you to see, while darkness keeps you hidden but with low visibility, while decreasing your character's sanity.
 
Scariest sea creature!

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But in all seriousness, I don't think anything has got to me like the original Condemned.
Particularly the part towards the end where you're running around the abandoned house and the game is like "Go check the basement" or something. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
 
I always though Condemned's next to last level was creepy. Abandoned house and then...you go down into the basement.

vS7G7.jpg

(sorry for shit photo, one of the only ones I could find on the net)
 
Zeliard said:
To me penalty for dying has no real impact on fear, in Amnesia or any game of the sort. It's the foreboding atmosphere generated throughout combined with the total lack of offensive capabilities. All you can do is run and hide from an unstoppable monster.

The light/dark mechanic is also brilliant and adds to it - light attracts danger but allows you to see, while darkness keeps you hidden but with low visibility, while decreasing your character's sanity.
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After realizing it was okay to do, all that stuff was more likely to generate stress than fear. Though, not always. Being more or less aware of playing a game, as opposed to navigating through an environment with little consideration of outside factors, seemed to ebb naturally with what was going on in the game at a given time. Like, the last few parts before the final act still inspired a significant sense of terror in me.
 
Zomba13 said:
I completely understand the OPs fear/creeped-outedness. I get that way with pretty much any large open body of water in games (that you can dive in). I don't mind if it's brightly coloured though (like the stuff in Mario galaxy) but if it's murky or something. Like Crysis, Danjo Kazooie, SM64. Sort of like, the fear of the unknown, like it's dark/murky and you know there is danger around but you can't always see it and don't know when it'll strike.

I feel the same unease in some PC games when I use noclip to look around outside of the map. I have this irrational fear that I'll find a hidden jump scare, like just randomly die or find a hidden room that triggers something. If I ever got to influence a game design or map I'd put something like that in. Like, you're noclipping around for whatever reason and BAM! you stumble onto something creepy or scary. Or just going along normally and what looks like a bug but is really intentional makes you just fall out of the map or glitch up. Dunno why that stuff creeps me out. I think it's because you're like, playing outside the games rules, doing what the designers don't want you to do. Like you're going against gods will or something.
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THIS!

I hate any body of water when I can't see too far.
The first time was in Star Wars Shadows of the Empire, in the sewer level.

And Metroid Prime 1 & 2, Underwater Frigate and Torvus Bog (an the room with the Alpha ..um...giant fish), Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess' Water temple boss room,and Wind Waker's sharks :(

I'm afraid of big bodies of water :(
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
I have. Does NOTHING for me.

The water in Crysis has managed to unearth a deep, deep fear in me that games like Dead Space and F.E.A.R. could never do.
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Well those two are really tame horror.

Fatal Frame isnt. It makes you helpless and forces both Silent Hill's awkward camera angle and first person horror (forcing you to get close) on you against malevolent spirits that can come at you through walls...behind you while you are in first person.
 
Jezan said:
THIS!

I hate any body of water when I can't see too far.
The first time was in Star Wars Shadows of the Empire, in the sewer level.

And Metroid Prime 1 & 2, Underwater Frigate and Torvus Bog (an the room with the Alpha ..um...giant fish), Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess' Water temple boss room,and Wind Waker's sharks :(

I'm afraid of big bodies of water :(
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Again, I have to stress, I haven't felt this way about any other game with a big body of water, so I don't think it's a general phobia of large bodies of water. Might be the dark, murky abyss. Or sharks. But I have yet to see a shark; just the thought of them is enough to arouse a great deal of tension, though. Although I love shark documentaries. So what the fuck?
 
I'd really like a modern day game (horror would be even better) with a big element of ocean/sea/lake. I have a big fear of vast environments of deep dark water.
 
MrOogieBoogie said:
Again, I have to stress, I haven't felt this way about any other game with a big body of water, so I don't think it's a general phobia of large bodies of water. Might be the dark, murky abyss. Or sharks. But I have yet to see a shark; just the thought of them is enough to arouse a great deal of tension, though. Although I love shark documentaries. So what the fuck?
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Sorry,I was not trying to convince you to play those game to feel the same. I'm just comparing them and stating what makes me feel the tension in..the water :P I would have a heart attack if I see a shark while swimming in Crysis. :/
 
after playing Crysis years back, and traumatized by the water....well all that anxiety came back when I tried the Just Cause 2 demo...with the unlimited time trick.

to my surprise you were able to swim deep into the water, and you couldn't really see anything cause it was dense...and little fishes would oop up out of no where scare the shit out of me because I thought they were sharks...anything that moved down there I thought would be a shark.

but here is an example of how it got to a Twilight Zone level weird.....and it gets EVEN more weirder at 1:12...music is spooky the whole time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNA0ic5GEzA

yall should give the demo a try, if you haven't already.
 
Imagine going down rivers in Far Cry 2 if the game had alligators and shit, and let you swim under water. :O

Far Cry 3, fix that.
 
Most games with large bodies of water don't bother me. I have a phobia of sharks though, and every once in a while there will be a game like Crysis that makes me practically shit myself in terror. A game like Amnesia is stressful. But it's not terrifying. It might make your heart race and your palms sweat, but it's not going to make tense for the rest of the day.

When I was younger, I was on a vacation with my family and we went to a Greek island called Kelafonia. I was out swimming maybe 150, 200 feet out, no goggles or anything but checking out the water. I couldn't tell you how deep it was, never swam to the bottom. But I was out there surveying, looking through this beautifully clear water. I could practically see everything to the shore, but off into the sea dropped off into darkness not too far away. While I'm looking out there I see this thing moving in the dark, like a cloud or something underwater, just swirling around. So I'm watching this thing, thinking it's water or something moving in the distance, when it turns and starts swimming toward me. It's some kind of huge fucking fish wriggling back and forth and I fucking take off back to shore. No idea what is was, but I never went further than like 15 feet into the water following that, and I've been afraid of deep water ever since.

And for the record, Creepers are definitely the scariest in-game enemy, possibly ever.
 
I believe the only videogame to have ever scared me is Metroid Fusion with SA-X, it perfectly demonstrates just how fucking powerful Samus is by the end of the games.
 
When I installed Crysis for the first time recently, I turned right around and swam into the water, because I had heard all about these scary sharks. Let me tell you that it takes a bit of the fright out of the experience when the shark is circling fully 10 feet above the water, in midair. Lol! Not sure what was up with that -- nothing else was glitchy in the game.
 
BobsRevenge said:
After realizing it was okay to do, all that stuff was more likely to generate stress than fear. Though, not always. Being more or less aware of playing a game, as opposed to navigating through an environment with little consideration of outside factors, seemed to ebb naturally with what was going on in the game at a given time. Like, the last few parts before the final act still inspired a significant sense of terror in me.
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I think the most effective thing they could have done to generate fear is make it so that if you're caught, that's just game over and you have to start all over again, but that would have certainly rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

Otherwise I don't know what else would have really been a viable alternative consequence. Checkpoints further back? Forcing you to redo puzzles? Personally, those sorts of things wouldn't really add to the fear aspect at all, but only make it stick out more as a game.
 
I remember there was some section in a Star Wars game on N64 that I got a friend to play because I was terrified of going in the water near the end.
 
Afrikan said:
after playing Crysis years back, and traumatized by the water....well all that anxiety came back when I tried the Just Cause 2 demo...with the unlimited time trick.

to my surprise you were able to swim deep into the water, and you couldn't really see anything cause it was dense...and little fishes would oop up out of no where scare the shit out of me because I thought they were sharks...anything that moved down there I thought would be a shark.

but here is an example of how it got to a Twilight Zone level weird.....and it gets EVEN more weirder at 1:12...music is spooky the whole time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNA0ic5GEzA

yall should give the demo a try, if you haven't already.
Click to expand...

That was another game where the water didn't bother me.

I really don't get what it is about Crysis. Part of it is the first-person view, but it's also the motion blue and depth of field and all the other effects that really bring you into the world.
 
Metal-Geo said:
Ugh, I know what you mean OP. Eventually I decided to give it a try myself when I heard stories about there being a shark in Crysis, killing you when you swim too far.

When I was swimming in the ocean, I really started to get second thoughts. Then, after I turned around to see how far i was, I saw the shark's damn fin sticking out of the water, circling around me. Needless to say, when the shark attacked me, I got scared shitless.

Personally, the biggest scares in games are moments when you're defenseless and there's some goddamn monster trying to kill you. (Fucking Amnesia)
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Oh hell yeah, totally this. My first brush with the Survival-Horror genre of gaming was the cult classic Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2 in Japan) for the PS1 back in '97. That one game pretty much put me off that style for a long time. It doesn't help that the series is best described as Survival-Horror/Stealth, unlike normal games in the genre where their are multiple monsters and you can kill them with a weapon and some luck, you don't really have a way to fight back against Scissorman, just hide from him or delay him momentarily as you attempt to escape. If he catches you there is no way to best him, you can struggle with him a bit with "panic mode" but if you fail you're *shinck* dead. Worse still, there was a chance he would appear in a place you could normally hide, so that there was no true "safe spots" in the game, Scissorman can and did appear where you least expected it to fuck your shit up. Game was hardcore.

Clock_Tower_1_Game.jpg
 
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