Do Horror Movie Fans Play Horror Video Games?

TCamen

I hope this thread doesn't get moved over to some Video Games forum, but here goes....

I'm just wondering if many people who post here actually play survival horror video games? Personally I think some of them are really excellent for scaring the crap outta me
I think it comes down to the level of immersion in the scary environment; controlling the character, making the decision to go places is so much worse that watching some dumb teenager wandering around, waiting to get killed

Most recent ones that are damn scary imo were Project Zero (can't wait for the sequel!) and Silent Hill 2. They were the ones that made me terrified to open the next door incase there was more freaky things going on.
I don't wanna post a whole list of horror games incase the thread gets moved, but what ones have people enjoyed, as horror movie fans?

Fysh

Silent hill 2 is my all time fave so far...I keep an eye on but don't necessarily go for survival horror, partly because too many of them try and copy Resident Evil which got boring for me after the first one and partly because, well, I don't like game sthat I can only play through once or twice.

I like the splatterhouse games (old arcade and Mega Drive games), particularly the third one, because they have a strong horror theme.

Beyond that, the Thing was good but bloody hard. No others stand out in my mind.

Tusky

Why would it be moved ? This isnt just the horror *movie* forum

People who watch scary movies usually like to be scared...therefore im sure they also enjoy scary games , I know I do...I find I enjoy them more when playign with a friend so when theres a scare you can go "AHHHH JESUS" without feeling like a twat , and also laugh at each others reactions.

Silent Hill 2 is classic - love the legs ontop of legs monster, I never actually got past the apartment bit though...

Love the resident evil games , currently playing Res Evil 1 remake for the GC and have Res Evil 0 lined up for after.

System shock 2 is very scary and has a great atmosphere...very original too.

Eternal Darkness on the GC - while it may not be the scariest game in the world it has a brilliant "insanity" metre, when you see ****ed up stuff you go a lil mad and wierd things happen...I wont ruin them all but heres some of them

-“Controller One Not Plugged In" Will pop up on screen and you wont be able to move , its hilarious as you leg it to the gamecube only to find the controller is pluged in and your character is getting mauled by monsters on screen.

-When you go to save your game it will say "file deleted" leaving you going WHAT TEH **** NOOOO

-You hear children crying...freaky

-body parts begint o fall off your character

Fysh

Originally posted by Tusky
Silent Hill 2 is classic - love the legs ontop of legs monster, I never actually got past the apartment bit though...

Love the resident evil games , currently playing Res Evil 1 remake for the GC and have Res Evil 0 lined up for after.

Eternal Darkness on the GC - while it may not be the scariest game in the world it has a brilliant "insanity" metre, when you see ****ed up stuff you go a lil mad and wierd things happen...I wont ruin them all but heres some of them

Silent hill 2 - play it all the way through to the end. There's 4 different endings, all of which are great (they depend on whether you find certain items, how long you take to do certain bits, etc). I would almost buy a PS2 for that game.

However, since I have a GC the question I was going to ask is - Res Evil 1 remake and Eternal Darkness - worth buying? Bear in mind I'm not hugely mad about resident evil...

Scratch Acid

The remake bored the **** out of me tbh, it's real purdy though.
Eternal Darkness is definitely worth it if you can find it for a fairly decent price, it's not scary exactly, but it's a lot of fun.

Tusky

yea - Resident evil especially as you can get it for 10-15 euro new ! Try Game . Eternal Darkness is definally woth buying - takes a while to get into it but its very very good.

Fysh

If I can get RE cheap I'll prolly buy it anyway, it's been ages since I played the first one. Eternal Darkness I've heard of before this thread and am tempted by, but as ever, all depends on the cash flow...:)

I still say you should all play Splatterhouse 1, 2 and 3. Whatever anyone wants to say about Resident Evil, those games paved the way for survival horror - especially the third one, which had multiple endings and everything.

DrunkLeprachaun

I WNAT TOE SEAX SISTEME SHOK TOO!!!
Best horror type game ever. I've not played Silent Hill 2 though, but it'd have to be damn good to be better than that. System Shock 2 is the only game, or any other form of media, to scare me that I can remember. I can not promote this game enough, get it. It'll scare the bejesus out of you.
The start of silent hill 1 had great atmosphere, and the rest was pretty good, but it's not as good as SS2. Eternal Darkness is a great game, but not really at all scary, the only part that even made me jump a little was the bit with the bathtub. Some of the insanity effects are really cool though(who wouldn't laugh their ass of when their character's limbs fall off one by one?). The Resident Evils are okay. About as scary as bear in the big blue house, but good enough.
I think they're about all the horror games that I've played that I can think of. I'd really like to get SS1 though...

TCamen

Glad to see the thread wasn't moved hehe.

Enternal Darkness I really enjoyed, esp. the insanity meter. It wasn't scary, but it was the first GC game I just couldn't stop playing til I finished it. Great timeline plot! I read ages ago that it was being optioned as a potential miniseries on TV. Dunno if anything ever happened with it though.
I enjoyed the GC Resi 1 remake, it's different enough to warrant getting it, esp. now that it's cheap as ppl have mentioned. I've played all the Resi's, but found Nemesis & Zero a little less interesting than the rest. My fav would be Code Veronica, the storyline is the most interesting I think. Resi 4 on GC looks amazing though! Pity the release date has slipped for Europe til after xmas :mad:
I was really happy with my ending for Silent Hill 2, it fit the way I had played the game perfectly.

He took the wife's dead body, got into his car & drove into the lake, killing himself! Fúck the annoying little girl hehe

. It's definitely one of those games worth playing through to the end. I wasn't terribly impressed with Silent Hill 3, cos it wasn't much of an advancement, but #4 looks like it should be pretty interesting.
Splatterhouse were great games, have Splatterhouse 2+3 on a Megadrive emulator, lotsa fun
Did anyone ever play the original Clock Tower on PS1? We didn't get the 2nd one over here as far as I know, and 3 was nothing like the original-- Capcom took over the series after Ascii folded(least I think they went bust). The original was point & click, with a cool serial killer & 8 different endings. First time I played it through,

the best friend of the main character turned out to be the serial killer & just stabbed me. Game Over hehe.

Project Zero is really great though. It's a Japanese-y horror set in a mansion full of ghosts. It's very Ringu-esque & the mood is downright terrifying from the start. It's on PS2 & XBox dirt cheap now. Sequel is due soon, wuhoo!

I got Forbidden Siren a few weeks ago on PS2, not sure if I really like it yet.
I'm definitely gonna check out System Shock 2 after all the recommendations on the thread

Fysh

Hey TCamen, I got the same ending first time round on SH2. Personally I think of it as the "real" ending, since it fits the story and events of the game best. At least in my opinion.

I'll have to check out Project Zero, I reckon. Eternal Darkness is looking good for next weekend (payday) since I saw it for 30 euro the other day...I would have bought it then but I had to buy Gauntlet Dark Legacy and cash is runnin short.

Any other suggestions?

TCamen

Yeah, imo it's the only ending for the game too! That's why I liked it so much, all downbeat

Any horror recommendations hmmmm:

Eternal Darkness GC
Resi Remake GC
Project Zero Xbox/PS2
Gregory Horror House PS2 (also cheap, not really scary, but a fun little horror type game from Capcom).

Can't really think of anything I haven't mentioned before. Once I play Forbidden Siren a bit more, I might be inclined to recommend it. It's got an interesting feature whereby you can see through the zombies' eyes as they look for you, which is pretty neat!

Fysh

Well, it looks like I'll be buying either a PS2 or an Xbox (or maybe both) to go with my Gamecube then...there's a couple of PS2 horrors I can't remember the names of. one of them involves a journalist who can turn into a demon going into a haunted house, and the other one involves some sort of demented serial killer. Anyone know what games I'm talking about, and whether they're any good?

TCamen

The Suffering is just out on PS2 & XBOX (dunno about GC). You play a serial killer on death row in a prison overrun by zombies & monsters. It's sposda be good. I'll prob get it @ some stage.

Michigan on PS2 isn't out yet, description from GameSpot "Killer 7 creator Gouichi Suda is developing a Resident Evil-meets-Fatal Frame title where players must film footage in a metropolis overrun by zombies." You play a reporter in this, trying to uncover mysterious goings-on armed only with a video camera. This the game ya mean?
Fatal Frame = Japanese/US name for Project Zero, so I'm pretty much sold on this one already
BTW, in Project Zero/Fatal Frame, you don't have any weapons, just a flashlight & a camera that can capture the ghosts. I think the near-defencelessness of the main character really adds to the horror aspect of it all!

There's also a game called Farenheit coming out towards the end of the year on PC/PS2 & XBOX. It's a game where you play as both the murderer & the cop trying to track him down. The length of the game will depend on decisions you make. There's monsters & stuff in it too I think. It sounds really interesting, being dubbed a 'psycho-thriller' game. Not out til November tho

Fysh

Michigan sounds cool, but it's not the one I mean. The one I'm thinking of had this headcase in a house who recruited loads of nasties from Hell and somehow brings them back, and the main character is this journalist dude (I think his name may have been Jack) who can turn into a female demon (don't ask me, I didn't make the game) who somehow decides that he has to save the world, and on TV (followed by his loyal reality tv style camera man).

Tusky

Originally posted by Fysh
Michigan sounds cool, but it's not the one I mean. The one I'm thinking of had this headcase in a house who recruited loads of nasties from Hell and somehow brings them back, and the main character is this journalist dude (I think his name may have been Jack) who can turn into a female demon (don't ask me, I didn't make the game) who somehow decides that he has to save the world, and on TV (followed by his loyal reality tv style camera man).

and your sure you didnt make this up ?

The one about playing the cop and killer sounds great, Ive been meaning to rent "The Suffering" for ages now.

Fysh

Hmph. Yes, I'm sure. I'll have to have a look for it now, just to prove you all wrong. I'm pretty sure it was a PS2 release, although it may have been pulled since I only remember seeing preview info about it....

Fysh

Right.

Much google bashing with a variety of search terms including survival horror has led me to believe that I'm thinking of at least two games here. I've pinpointed one of them (the one involving the guy turning into a demon and followed by a cameraman) and a review is over here.
Old PC game by the sound of it. Not sure how I thought it was recent - my bad.

Manhunt sounds interesting. I can't find a link because I've only seen sites with crappy scraps of information, but it involves a vicious convict ending up in a hell-like region that seems to be run as a reality tv city or something.

There's still another game that I wille ventually remember the name of in which some demented psycho dude liberates the souls of various evildoers from Hell and threatens to go on the rampage with them. Cue you as the saviour who has to take them all down.

Karl Hungus

Definetly a fan of horror games as such. Was a manic fan of the Resident Evil games, and Silent Hill on the first playstation. Hasn't been anything quite so great on the PC, apart from Clive Barker's Undying. The Thing was playable, but not great, and I suppose I could count Return To Castle Wolfenstein because it did have zombies.

Originally posted by Fysh
Right.

Much google bashing with a variety of search terms including survival horror has led me to believe that I'm thinking of at least two games here. I've pinpointed one of them (the one involving the guy turning into a demon and followed by a cameraman) and a review is over here.
Old PC game by the sound of it. Not sure how I thought it was recent - my bad.

I once had the unfortunate displeasure of playing that peice of **** game.

Originally posted by Fysh
There's still another game that I wille ventually remember the name of in which some demented psycho dude liberates the souls of various evildoers from Hell and threatens to go on the rampage with them. Cue you as the saviour who has to take them all down.

I think I know the one, it was on the PC a few years ago, and wasn't it made with the Quake 2 engine? Not a bad game really, if it's the one I'm thinking of. You played an angel of some sort?

TCamen

Manhunt sounds interesting. I can't find a link because I've only seen sites with crappy scraps of information, but it involves a vicious convict ending up in a hell-like region that seems to be run as a reality tv city or something.

Manhunt is from the same developers that make Grand Theft Auto: Rockstar. I saw screenshots of Manhunt, but nothing really grabbed me about the game to rent/buy it. The main character looks cool tho!

Fysh

Originally posted by Karl Hungus
I think I know the one, it was on the PC a few years ago, and wasn't it made with the Quake 2 engine? Not a bad game really, if it's the one I'm thinking of. You played an angel of some sort?

Not quite - I think you're thinking of Requiem : Avenging Angel. Which I have, and which is great. Not exactly horror, although it's pretty cool. There are some scenes where you get transported to hellish dimensions, but it's more reminiscent of half life than anything else. Worth a look though if you like FPS games, especially since it's only a fiver on the Sold out label...

Still don't know what the other game I was thinking of is....ah well. Screw it, I don't care any more.

Speaking of "horror" games....Carmageddon. It was going to have to get mentioned for the gore value. I personally think the original was one of the most fun games I've ever played, because of the relatively novel concept and the lack of emphasis on silly things like actually winning the race. Subsequent sequels kind of faffed this by trying to make it a racing game with attitude, and tried to add too many complicated ways of killing people. Personally, I liked the original with its strange selection of instrumental versions of songs by contemporary metal bands, and the ability to pull 180's and squish zimmer-frame-using grannies....(Speaking of which, anyone seen the very dodgy Stallone flick Death Race 2000?)

Karl Hungus

Originally posted by Fysh
Not quite - I think you're thinking of Requiem : Avenging Angel.

Yes! That's it! That's the one...

spooky donkey

I still think back a few years to my first time to play the play station 1 and the first resi game. I had the sh1t scared out of me when that dog jumped through the window, and it was then i realised that computergames were entering a new level of terror.

Most recentlly I played nosfratu very athmospheric, very scary. I had to play it late at night when the kids are in bed. I must get back to the game now that i think of it.

Fysh

Which nosferatu is this? There was a cool one on the SNES that had very good graphics and some amazing between-scenes video (Well, amazing for the snes, anyway) but it kind of fell apart by being absolutely bastard hard to play (even if you play it on an emulator and can save whenever you like).

jill_valentine

Maybe my name gave me away, but I'm a big survival horror fan.

Well, if you want a really, really early survival horror, try Sweet Home, which was, I believe on the NES.
Not bad either, though not scary in the slightest.


Silent Hill, to me, is the pinnacle. The three games...you won't beat them for gut wrenching, skin crawling, find-an-excuse-to-do-something-else-when-it-gets-dark-outside horror. SH3 is probably the least wonderful, but still astonishing, and there's that damn mirror room to redeem it. Its also got the first real female lead. Woo!

RE2 is still gorgeous, and its still a masterclass on how to frighten people. God its wonderful. Still no SH though.

The Thing is a little flawed, but still quite good. Imagine Ghost Recon if you were in the arctic, badly equipped, and your men could go crazy at any time. I haven't actually played it much.

Has anybody played Extermination? It looks okay, and its always cheap...

tman

Originally posted by Fysh
However, since I have a GC the question I was going to ask is - Res Evil 1 remake and Eternal Darkness - worth buying? Bear in mind I'm not hugely mad about resident evil...

REMake isn't really worth buying imo.
i played Resi 0 beforehand and was bored to tears with the crappy control scheme, ****ing stupid lack of inventory space, utterly ****ing moronic door animations and overall lack of innovation.
it's still fairly gripping for someone like me who's completed the original re countless times. i would've loved it if i hadn't played resi0 first.
Resi 0 is a far superior game imo, at least it adds a few new elements (switching between 2 characters)
it looks MUCH nicer than REMake as well
hmmm, think i'll try to finish the damned thing soon.

Eternal Darkness - the spell system put me off. i can't be arsed playing a game if they make a part of it so "try every possible combination" that it drives you to a walkthrough.
great game, i wish i hadn't sold it now

Silent Hill - 1 was an unbelievable gaming experience... it grabs you by the balls from the moment you emerge from the clock tower into an alternate version of the school.
2 - haven't played it yet
3 - i've had this on the backburner for the past couple of months... i should really just focus on one game and get it finished:rolleyes:

The Thing - fairly goddamned hard. and my ripped copy crashed at a specific point
seemed fairly good though (i loved the camera effect when you spot a thing)
very true to the film (one of the few horror movies that i love)

Fysh

If you want NES horror type games, you could always go for Splatterhouse :wanpaku graffiti...it's sort of a splatterhouse game with Chibi-type graphics...full of nods to all sorts of horror films and things (such as a boss based on the girl from Exorcist, a level in Crystal lake, and another boss who starts his fight by doing a dance surrounded by zombies, like Michael Jackson's "thriller" video). Not scary at all, but fun.

Back to System Shock 2 (yeah, I know there's another thread for it, but I'm already in the middle of a post so what the hell)...does anyone know if it's actually available for download anywhere (as abandonware or whatever)?

tman

Originally posted by Fysh
If you want NES horror type games, you could always go for Splatterhouse :wanpaku graffiti...it's sort of a splatterhouse game with Chibi-type graphics...full of nods to all sorts of horror films and things (such as a boss based on the girl from Exorcist, a level in Crystal lake, and another boss who starts his fight by doing a dance surrounded by zombies, like Michael Jackson's "thriller" video). Not scary at all, but fun.

Back to System Shock 2 (yeah, I know there's another thread for it, but I'm already in the middle of a post so what the hell)...does anyone know if it's actually available for download anywhere (as abandonware or whatever)?

heh, i think i have a rom of the PC Engine version of splatterhouse... must dig it out some time (it was bastard hard, from memory)

afaik System Shock 2 has gone out of abandonware status, ebay/the wanted forum are pretty much your only hope.

super_furry

Nothing comes remotely close to being as intense or downright scary as Project Zero and Project Zero II: Crimsom Butterfly. Clive Barker's Undying on the PC was pretty great too as is The Suffering on Xbox/PS2, but it's more of a freaky action game than a typical survival horror.

Cake Fiend

Anyone remember Realms Of The Haunting (PC) from a few years back? Scary bastard of a game (considering what little else there was). Quite a big game as well, coming on four CDs (most of which was taken up by FMV though).

I loved the first RE when it first came out; wasn't too impressed with RE2 though. I haven't bothered with 3, and only played a little bit of Code Veronica. But tbh it doesn't stand up to the Alone in the Dark series.

Originally posted by tman
Eternal Darkness - the spell system put me off. i can't be arsed playing a game if they make a part of it so "try every possible combination" that it drives you to a walkthrough.

Eh?? You get the scrolls to every spell eventually, IIRC. Anyway, once you figure out how the spells work, it's very easy to work out the ones you don't have scrolls for.

TCamen

Nothing comes remotely close to being as intense or downright scary as Project Zero and Project Zero II: Crimsom Butterfly.

Finally someone else who likes the series
Haven't played the sequel yet, I'll wait for the X-Box version, but the first one is damn scary!

Eh?? You get the scrolls to every spell eventually, IIRC. Anyway, once you figure out how the spells work, it's very easy to work out the ones you don't have scrolls for.

Yeah, scrolls with the combination of glyphs to make the spells are there to be found. I didn't find every single one, but process of elimination makes it easy to figure out new spells, even before their point of usefulness

the_obsolete

I love survival horror games!
Have Resident Evil 1-4, Silent Hill 1-3, Manhunt (drool...) as well as System Shock 2.
I know it's a bit stupid, but the first time I played Doom it scared the crap outta me!