Survival horror - Question

Post Reply New Topic

This was inspired by another thread I saw but, rather than adding on my own question there, I decided just to start my own thread with my specific question...


So I've played RE4 all the way through twice and I've loved every moment of it. It didn't scare me too much - not in a bad way at least - I got a fabulous adrenaline rush whenever I was stuck in tight situations - like in close combat, but with only 8 bullets for my rifle, or when walking through a new area with only 3 bullets in my handgun - and 1 on reserve in my Butterfly, or that house invasion fight with Luis... Me and my trusty shotgun... Gah - That was so much fun!! ! <3

Anyway, before I get too off-track here reminiscing, I'm interested in getting into more survival horror games (since I enjoyed RE4 so gosh-darn much!) and though I know the names and stuff of all the similar series/games from people and magazines - games like the Silent Hill(s), Left 4 Dead, and the other Resident Evils, plus lots of other titles - I am curious how they compare to RE4 'scary-ness' wise.

For me, RE4 wasn't so scary that my progress in the game was at all impeded at any point - It struck a very good balance, I thought. 'Twas fun scary - I was not so afraid of moving into the next room of the bloody, abandoned hospital that I hesitated for more than a couple seconds. I could shoot 'em up and be on my way - but with some good residual adrenaline moving through my blood during and afterwards too, you know?
I think I'd be perfectly game for something just a slight step or two up from RE4's degree of creepiness. I just got Bioshock and it's great so far. So... any other ideas?



So I guess I'm not exactly asking for just straight title recommendations, but maybe some opinions on the degree-of-scary of the other games? I want to avoid stepping into anything that might be too much for me to handle. How is RE2?

I'm pretty inexperienced in horror (especially when fps) games so any input/insight would be fantastic. (:


Of the consoles that I think are relevent to the genre, I have a N64, Game Cube, Wii, ps2, and a 360.

Fallout 3 is amazing! The other Fallouts I haven't really played through, but this one is different in the fact that it can be played in either 1st or 3rd person (your choice -- middle mouse button). Like the others, you design your guy or girl and they are fully customizable. FO3 is an open world story. The things you do affect game play, except for killing the mayor of Megaton, apparently. Colin should have rightfully, or wrongfully, taken over. But I digress. You get a variety of weapons and no ammo is unlimited, unlike gameplay in the Tomb Raider series. Every enemy is a bit different, so you also get the chance to customize what you like to do: big guns, small guns, melee, explosives, energy weapons...

The survivability comes in when you are in the middle of freakin' no where and are surrounded by enemies with limited supply of health packs and drugs. Yes, drugs. Your dude can get addicted to any number of substances. Withdrawal takes away from your base stats, which in turn decrease your skills.

All in all, pretty much my favorite game.

Oh, it's takes place in the future, after WW3 nuclear warfare. Everything is a mesh of 1950s sensibility and the technology that spawns from an alternate time line. It is indeed horror when you check out the monsters you fight. The music is kinda creepy to add to the mood. However, if you tune into Galaxy News Radio, you get to hear a small playlist of songs from the 1950s, mostly by the Inkblots (real songs,) that make it even more entertaining. They don't really wear out, either. Sometimes I like to cue up the tracks on Youtube. But it's hilarious when you are fighting supermutants, raiders, or mutant rats and are listening to "Anything Goes!"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZpR51XgW0[/youtube]

It's available through Steam, if you play that.

I can also recommend this other game available through Steam called Bioshock, which is equally crazy. If I remember, it may also be rpg style.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoYorK3E4aM[/youtube]
For N64, I would recommend Silent Hill and its series. Haven't played through it, but have seen it. That is definitely in the horror genre.

Prey is pretty interesting, basicly alien space ship that is like one big living organism, you see people get disfigured stuff like that, also it's biggest part which puzels involving portals.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3DCgzmwXs8[/youtube]
Since you have Bioshock 1, I insist finishing it and then getting Bioshock 2, it is also very good.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUZNM_y_VXo[/youtube]
And maybe since you are a fan of zombie games, Dead Rising can be pretty good, especially on the survival part, and the horror part speaks for itself.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcO1lrqiqmM[/youtube]

Call of Cthulhu : Dark Corners of the Earth, exists for PC and XBox (from what I read, the XBox version can also be used with the XBox 360).
Warning : I didn't play the XBox but the PC version, so I don't don't know what to do exactly to make a Xbox game works on a XBox 360.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfQ-Xqt-d0A[/youtube]

I'll go ahead and say it:

Silent hill 1(for play station 1 and pc it shouldn't be to hard to find a copy), Silent Hill 2, Sillent hill 3, and possibly silent hill 4(never played it don't know how it stands up with the previous games)

the fatal frame games.

And if you want to try a series where your only option is to run away most of the time, try the clock-tower series.

Also Penumbra: Overture is pretty intense at times and I heard Black Plague is even better.

For the Xbox 360 get Condemned:Criminal origins, it's great and has plenty of scares, but avoid the sequel at all costs it's hardly scary and gets downright stupid near the end of the game.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem for the gamecube is supposed to be really good in the mess with your mind department.

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series for the pc is a good choice as well.

Fatal Frame 1. Most people who have played it agree it's the scariest of the bunch. I'm a fan of series and I tend to think 1 and 2 are great games. 3rd one was a bit weak but still enjoyable. Never bothered with the Wii one since I heard it was rather bad. I prefer it to RE really since it plays more on your imagined fears than the mutant gore, monster stuff of RE. My close friend(who regularly watches and plays some gorey titles) will never play it and can't ever stay around and watch me play it either.

Clock Tower is a pretty decent survival horror... Actually it's the first real survival horror game. I've played the original SNES version. Its dated but still pretty good.

Silent Hill was pretty decent. Haven't played any of the others though. I hear SH 2 is the best of the series so I'm hoping to play through that someday.

Fallout 3 isn't really a survival horror game... unless you put in the right mods in. More, stronger enemies, and dark nights will turn it more into one though.

System Shock is regarded as one of the scariest games ever but I have yet to play it so I can only go by the word by others.

Call of Cthulhu is great survival-scary wise, the puzzles are really satisfying and the plot is beautiful. The rigid combat could however be revamped but I suppose it just adds to the ambiance.

I would highly recommend Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl especially for it's later Pripyat/NPP areas, you get a very desolate, macabre feeling wandering through the abandoned streets and empty, burnt out buildings. It's so easy to die though.

Finally I would recommend Clive Barker's Undying for the PC, it really feels like a proper psychological horror film instead of one of those terrible slashers and the occult themes/enemy designs just tick many boxes on the ballot of awesomeness .

I'll add another vote for Call of Cthulhu : Dark Corners of the Earth. I love horror games and this has been on my wish list for a while but i finally decided to play it based on this thread. It's really great so far, pretty creepy atmosphere.

I'm also playing Silent Hill 2, which is really good also.

I was playing Resident Evil 4 but the controls are kind of irritating and I got frustrated.

I never indicated that those games were adaptations of Cthulhu Mythos. o.o; ... And I don't think I ever played any of the sequels. xP

The only Cthulhu games I've played are the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Like, with dice and paper and stuff. Same game supergenre as D&D, ya know? It has a different ruleset though.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was good.

Dead Space, Fear 2, Condemned 2: Bloodshot are good horror games. Since you don't like really scary games, you might not like Fear 2. Dead Space has a lot of suspense...maybe too much. This is suppossed to be improved in Dead Space 2. I would really recommend Condemned 2: Bloodshot for the 360.