I agree, it's more about the gore and action side nowadays...
But I find it not only with games, but with films too. It's more about blood and gore etc that actual tense and scary moments.
The last film that was actually pretty frightening was Halloween H20 for me at least. Everything since has just been either "creepy" (The Grudge/The Ring) or just insane amounts of Gore...
(Maybe it's because I'm getting older... I dunno?)

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Kaos24 Wrote:. But games like RE5 or SH 5 like many have said, NOT SCARRY. It wasn't even intense.

True, but good Survival Horor game are ment to scare the crap out of you. I just don't see how a big name company like Capcom has to put their flagship game on a unknown system like the Wii. I'd like to understand this more so plz help

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Sanrin Wrote:I also agree, theres been a severe lack of scary games as of late. Resident Evil 5 was terrible really, there was very little in that game I would consider scary and even less that I would consider fun. Id like to also add that for as much as I'm tired of 'The Ring' movie ripoffs, I am also tired of game spinoffs that seem to be spawning from that junk. I'm hopeful for Alan Wake in the meantime.

I actually thought RE5 was fun; fun, but not scary at all. I'm also hopeful for Alan Wake... while it reminds me too much of Silent Hill 2 (with the creepy town and missing wife) I hope it's different. I want it to deliver and do well. This game is one of the reasons why I'm getting a 360 soon.

gilburtgtr Wrote:Anyone considered that we were just younger before? I guess now we're older we'll be less suseptable to 'horror'... :/ IDK, but I do hope they bring it back!

I was actually really young when I first played Silent Hill and Resident Evil; they were scarier when I was a kid, but to this day, I still find the originals to be scary. The thing is that the newer survival horror games aren't scary at all. My kid cousins like watching me play L4D and RE4/5 because they think they're fun to watch, but get scared when they watch me play games like the original Resident Evil or Silent Hill.

Quote:Maybe also it could be because of companies not wanting to risk bans *cough*Australia*cough*, or ratings that are too high. You've got to remember that these games have to make money too...

The original Silent Hill games weren't that gory, I think. Besides, you had the option to tune down the violence and gore. What made those games scary wasn't the blood or gore, it was the atmosphere and creepy music. Some scenes in SH2 were kinda WTF and it made me wonder how the game got away with an M rating, but still. While most survival horror games did have gore and blood, it wasn't the main focus of the game. But now... it's a totally different thing. That's why games like SH5 and L4D2 were originally banned in Australia.

DRIFT_HEAD_J 2009 Wrote:I don't see the reason why big name game companies like Capcom are releasing games like Resident Evil 4 on the Wii. It makes no sence to me as to why that is. I've played RE4 on the gamecube, and the controls worked, Now that it's on the Wii.... We'll see. I think that the decline of goood Suvival Horor game is due to the fact that companies like Capcom don't really have the money to pay a huge lawsuit. I'm a huge fan of this genre of game, and it's sad to see games like Resident Evil go down this road. I hope to see a turn around for future Survival Horor games.

I don't understand either. They know the Wii is selling like crazy, but putting out a horror game for the Wii is nuts; the age demographics don't fit. Little kids and their parents are playing Wii Fit or whatever, not Resident Evil. I don't think they would be like, "Oh, I'm gonna buy a rated M horror game on the Wii for the whole family, hurrrr :B"

Fatal Frame IV is on the Wii (only in Japan) but it didn't sell a lot of copies; I think it sold around 63,000 or something. I was irritated when I found out Nintendo decided not to publish it in NA. I think it has to do with the fact that the console is supposed to be family friendly. However, horror games are still coming out on the Wii. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories' main platform is the Wii, too. Argh, it frustrates me. I know there are some gamers who own Wiis and are happy about this, but in reality there aren't a lot of Wii owners who are survival horror fans. If these games also came out on the 360 or PS3, they would sell more. D:

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I think another issue with the Survival Horror genre is where to start. Most games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill have a long time following, even if the latest games are shit they play off our emotions tied to the older ones. Its hard to get attached to a character, and a characters purpose, let alone become engaged in their survival. RE5 tried to get me to recare for Chris, but in the end I almost applauded everytime I got caught by a zombie. I was tired of him and his coconut muscle arms, let alone that witch who followed me around for the sole purpose of carrying more of my ammo.

But Resident Evil isn't the only game to do that to me, can I forget Siren? The game starts out with no explanation as to whats going on, then gives no explanation of the controls, and sits me in a room with a bad guy trying to kill me. It had its moments, some interesting concepts, but in the end fell short for me. Its hard to capture what is genuinely scary, and for that precise reason I understand why the genre as a whole is slow to move. Dead Space was one hell of a ride, but thats all it was. A second playthrough gives you the exact same experience with diminished effect, like a roller coaster that your stomach is used to.

And games that try to spice up the fear factor with variety have their own perils, take a look at Left 4 Dead(2). The AI director is brilliant in its own right, adding variety and encouraging enemies to work together in a particular way in a very quick pace...but how much of it is scary and how much of it is just fast paced action? I could replace all the zombies in L4D with dinosaurs, babies, and IPods and close to the exact same effect would be achieved. You'd hear me yell over xbl as a horde of raptors flew over cars and out of windows, taunt my teammates when they were caught by the acid spitting babies and laugh aloud when an enemy IPod strangled my friend to death with its accessories. Survival Horror needs to hit a point where its images, story, characters, and effects cannot be replaced by anything. Silent Hill offered a psychological thrill that was difficult to imitate, and for a reason. Frankly if I had the option of waiting two years to get another Silent Hill 4 (my personal fav) or getting another RE5 every six months the choice is pretty clear.

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BUMP

So, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories came out. It's been getting mixed reviews, from 8, to 2/5, to 80%. Hmm. What worries me is that one of the reviewers said that it doesn't feel like Silent Hill. Maybe he was being biased, but as a long time fan, I wonder if I'm going to feel the same way.

I still haven't gotten my copy. The Wii version came out, but I pre-ordered the PSP version. I have no idea when that's coming out.

Bahurrduurr. I need some new survival horror games. I can't wait for my next check so I can get a 360 and play Alan Wake. :O

Quote:Survival Horror needs to hit a point where its images, story, characters, and effects cannot be replaced by anything. Silent Hill offered a psychological thrill that was difficult to imitate, and for a reason. Frankly if I had the option of waiting two years to get another Silent Hill 4 (my personal fav) or getting another RE5 every six months the choice is pretty clear.

Mhm, I completely agree. No other survival horror game feels like Silent Hill.

Anyway, this is pretty random, but Akira Yamaoka left Konami. I feel kinda bummed about it. I remember he said in an interview that he would stop working on the Silent Hill series until the day that they no longer "felt" like a Silent Hill game.

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Karen Wrote:BUMP

So, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories came out. It's been getting mixed reviews, from 8, to 2/5, to 80%. Hmm. What worries me is that one of the reviewers said that it doesn't feel like Silent Hill. Maybe he was being biased, but as a long time fan, I wonder if I'm going to feel the same way.

I still haven't gotten my copy. The Wii version came out, but I pre-ordered the PSP version. I have no idea when that's coming out.

Bahurrduurr. I need some new survival horror games. I can't wait for my next check so I can get a 360 and play Alan Wake. :O



Mhm, I completely agree. No other survival horror game feels like Silent Hill.

Anyway, this is pretty random, but Akira Yamaoka left Konami. I feel kinda bummed about it. I remember he said in an interview that he would stop working on the Silent Hill series until the day that they no longer "felt" like a Silent Hill game.

I can't believe you got the PSP version, I've heard critics praise the utilization of the Wii-mote acting as Harry's flashlight, and that it works awesomely.

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GamingUnion.net Member Awards 2009 Results

Darryl Wrote:[b]King/Queen of the Chatbox: Caleb (9 Votes)

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Caleb Wrote:I can't believe you got the PSP version, I've heard critics praise the utilization of the Wii-mote acting as Harry's flashlight, and that it works awesomely.

Yeah, I heard that the Wii-mote flashlight in SHSM is like, the best thing ever. I don't have a Wii, though! XD If I did, I would be playing the game right now! XD

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Karen Wrote:Yeah, I heard that the Wii-mote flashlight in SHSM is like, the best thing ever. I don't have a Wii, though! XD If I did, I would be playing the game right now! XD

=O. One thing I did hear in Gametrailers review of the game was that one of the reasons it feels different from the old Silent Hill games is there is no actual combat, and Harry is forced to run away from the enemies in the game.

And to address one of your older posts, atleast Akira did the SHSM score before he left Konami.

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GamingUnion.net Member Awards 2009 Results

Darryl Wrote:[b]King/Queen of the Chatbox: Caleb (9 Votes)

[/b]

Caleb Wrote:=O. One thing I did hear in Gametrailers review of the game was that one of the reasons it feels different from the old Silent Hill games is there is no actual combat, and Harry is forced to run away from the enemies in the game.

And to address one of your older posts, atleast Akira did the SHSM score before he left Konami, you do know that right?

Of course I knew that! :O What kind of fan would I be if I didn't know that? Akira left on the 30th of Nov, if I remember correctly. It's still disappointing, though. I wonder who will do the future SH soundtracks? =O

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Fear is an universal sensation.
All mammals and even some birds are susceptible of being afraid.
It is triggered by any of the five senses, though most commonly by sight or hearing (both present in games).
Even half-conscious people can feel frightned.


That said... It´s not because some of us have grown up that fear no longer strikes us. It´s not that becoming older makes you "impervious" to fear.

As I see, two factors are of major importance to decline of the survival horror genre:

1) The market of games DEMANDING some "action" any type of game. From RPGs, to survival horror, to Strategy Games, to Sandboxes.... All games HAVE to contain an acceptable amount of action, so they can sell well. Instead it ended up as a REPLACEMENT rather than an addition.

2) The paradoxal difficulty of getting an "imersion" feeling in games. One can only feel fear if one connects to the experience in show. If what one plays sounds like a far-fetched tale, with no capacity to "draw the player in" it is FATED to become a major failure. It is paradoxal, seeing that a great number of technical features evolved (graphics and sound; 3D capabilities, etc.), as, in contrast, became much more difficult to "settle players in" the gaming world. It´s not only a tech achievement. It envolves storytelling, timed events, ambient sound, background, character empathy... But one thing is certain: No immersion = No fear. Oh, and I DO believe that adults have a much tougher time becoming enticed to a fictitional game world.

Some examples that succeeded in "imersion" in general are: "Dragon Age: Origins", "Farcry 2" and, of course, "Silent Hill".

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