Tension isn't there in these games. You need enemies that FORCE you to deal with them. Like have an enemy that just simply outruns you or something. Make key enemies have to be delt with, and Im not talking as a task to get a keycard or something... just make it to where the gameplay is constantly challenging!
Also saddly games use GORE insted of HORROR. Gore as a shock factor only goes so far... but you need straight up things to make you jump/get chills, etc..
One of thee best games as far as scarriest gameplay that I've ever played... hands down is the Fatal Frame franchise. Ghosts constantly flying through walls after you until they are delt with... just to name a element. Also I must admit the ambient sounds/ghost sounds/atmosphere is some of the best I've played.
I have Amnesia for my PC and it's pretty darn good... but with the way people talk about it, I actually thought it'd be a bit better!
The only game in the horror genre that I have ever found really scary was the first Silent Hill (not even mentioned in the article, and yet suffering the same "abused franchise syndrome" as other franchises). Hearing your radio go nuts and the sound of those giant bat things' wings (which were hard to see until they were right on top of you) when you were outside in the night was a rush! FEAR 1 was also pretty good. Not sure if I should mention it here, but DOOM 3 had its moments too...
hahahaha! ZOMG ur right i forgot the Sioent Hill serise! The originals were jaw droppingly scary. Although my theory doesnt go with Silent Hill mainly because it hasnt leaned so far into being full on action though. Be sure to read other articles from my site as well.
I've noticed that a massive detractor for the recent Resident Evils has been... the music. the music in 4 and 5, while pretty good, did nothing for the atmosphere. The ambience/music in RE1-CV was incredible.
I mean shit, just listen to this http://www.youtube.com/watc... Can you find anything from RE4 or 5 that's anywhere NEAR as good that? and that's just one single example that I picked almost at random.
Music is a huge part of horror, whether it's the lack of it completely, or ambience.
Games weren't scary in the first place. Resident Evil wasn't scary. F.E.A.R. wasn't scary. Amnesia gets me rattled but not scared. Even Alien Vs. Predator wasn't scary/ Doom 3 wasn't scary. Doom wasn't scary. Tense? sure! Scary? Hell no. Dead Space wasn't scary. Clocktower wasn't scary. Silen Hill wasn't scary. They just weren't!
thats all a matter of opinion. the dead space 1 demo scared the crap out of me, in fact it was so bad that i couldnt even finish it and had my younger brother do it .___. im a total puss when it comes to horror. and yet i STILL bought DS 1&2 AND amnesia during the summer sale >_> i hate me. LOL
a game is not scary just more statles then scares, i do think people who find it scary actually find it scary people like me dont find it scary, i love being tense and full of adrenaline and Mountain Dew, I also love watching friends and familly jumping in fright...u and me say we are hard-core and are hard to scare like me...But i would sure like to have the same feelng as others. When i was younger i friggin flipped wen my dad played F.E.A.R. And thats why i stuck with F.E.A.R. For as long as i did because its so vivid in my head. Thats when got into horror. Sad thing is when u get into it, the second round doesnt seem as scary ,and playing as many horror games as i hav its just not there any more... I believe its beacause people dont wanna break the rules. Who says you cant get scared before you open the door or who says the atmospere doesnt have to be scary (Deadspace 2 nursery level.) I think my FEAR FALL theory only exists because people dont wanna take risks (Not true the main reason is because the action genre appeals to more people) but games like Slender take risks. What i do notice is developers dont know how 2 balance when to kick in tense music and when to let the sounds around you make u tense...Like the groaning of zombies or creeking metal of the ship and just making them louder. Like Deadspace always using the door/vent jumpscare and not knowing when to scare like that and when to try to scare us without using cliche scares. I say make em scary not action, break some rules use less cliche, MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I DID WHEN I WAS A KID, SCARED YET WAITING...HEART POUNDING...WONDERING... What is behind the next door...How will you scary me next...Not, when will he scare me next. If you know what i mean.
Scary games don't sell anymore. But that doesn't mean we'll never get scared in games. There can still be "high-tension fear" parts in non-horror games.
This is very, very possible and I believe that is the proper evolution of the horror game genre. Not to mention it was always more of a sub-genre type, rather than it's own full genre which is kind of why GOOD horror games are few and far between, and it's even more rare for them to succeed.
It may be fantastic, but games aren't made from thin air. You NEED money. And not everyone has balls of steel. Myself included. BUT, I absolutely love it when "horror-type" scenes happen in other games/genres. Like the Nazi-zombies in Uncharted 1, first-time Banshee from ME3, or even when you first find Legion in ME2. They all give that eerie feeling that builds tension.
When a game does it right, everyone will kind of get the idea. Horror is fantastic, but only in small doses. Not many people want to pay $60 to shit their pants or have heart palpitations.
People dont buy them enough to cover the costs of todays game development. Its sad really, becuase the only way to sell something is throw in heaps of action. Still, Dead Space is a magnificent series.
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Also saddly games use GORE insted of HORROR. Gore as a shock factor only goes so far... but you need straight up things to make you jump/get chills, etc..
One of thee best games as far as scarriest gameplay that I've ever played... hands down is the Fatal Frame franchise. Ghosts constantly flying through walls after you until they are delt with... just to name a element. Also I must admit the ambient sounds/ghost sounds/atmosphere is some of the best I've played.
I have Amnesia for my PC and it's pretty darn good... but with the way people talk about it, I actually thought it'd be a bit better!
the music in 4 and 5, while pretty good, did nothing for the atmosphere.
The ambience/music in RE1-CV was incredible.
I mean shit, just listen to this http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Can you find anything from RE4 or 5 that's anywhere NEAR as good that?
and that's just one single example that I picked almost at random.
Music is a huge part of horror, whether it's the lack of it completely, or ambience.
This is very, very possible and I believe that is the proper evolution of the horror game genre. Not to mention it was always more of a sub-genre type, rather than it's own full genre which is kind of why GOOD horror games are few and far between, and it's even more rare for them to succeed.
It may be fantastic, but games aren't made from thin air. You NEED money. And not everyone has balls of steel. Myself included. BUT, I absolutely love it when "horror-type" scenes happen in other games/genres. Like the Nazi-zombies in Uncharted 1, first-time Banshee from ME3, or even when you first find Legion in ME2. They all give that eerie feeling that builds tension.
When a game does it right, everyone will kind of get the idea. Horror is fantastic, but only in small doses. Not many people want to pay $60 to shit their pants or have heart palpitations.