Ok last of my rant -
Fatal Frame
Spoiler
I’ve only played the first one and a little bit of the second game in this series but I really liked them. They do a good job setting up a creepy atmosphere and it has both scripted ghost encounters and random ones. Since they’re ghosts they can go through doors and walls which means you’re not safe, however at least in the first one they are pretty easy to dispatch with the camera. Just be careful in the first one since the game is pretty stingy on health items and it’s very possible to put yourself in a situation where you have to go through a couple bosses while only taking 1 hit of damage or it’s game over. Unfortunately I’m not holding my breath on us ever seeing 4 or the upcoming 5 (also lol at DOA characters in 5) but if they do come over I’ll be sure to pick them up.
F.E.A.R.
Spoiler
The first F.E.A.R. game gets a lot of praise from a lot of different people. Me, personally, I don’t like this game so much. I really dislike the whole special ops/secret government agents genre and this game is drowning in that stuff. Maybe I expected more horror out of this game. Every once in a while Alma does make an appearance or you get flashbacks that are kind of creepy but then they’re gone as quick as they came and you’re back to fighting generic soldier #543. Or robots. It really turned me off from playing 2 or 3. The first game just felt a bit too much like any other FPS campaign.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Spoiler
This series is definitely the flavor of the week right now, though its popularity is already dwindled quite a bit. The developers really made a gem here in scaring you. Yes, it’s the same jump scare every time but it’s the buildup and stress leading up to it that makes this good. The price is right on for what you get as well. Once you play it enough you realize the patterns though but if you get this on sale on Steam just playing the first couple of stages is enough to get your money back. Definitely recommend this game, and try to have some friends over and switch off between deaths or stages. The second game tried to build on the first one by removing the element that made you feel safe and adding in the mask, throwing you right into the deep end with the monsters. It coming out so soon after the first one is an indicator that even the creators know how shallow the games really are if you think too much about the gameplay and mechanics but still they are fun.
Left 4 Dead
Spoiler
A very fun series that’s not really intended to scare you but has a lot of replayability. It was one of the earlier games that helped start the zombie craze but honestly both are still playable today. The emphasis is in multiplayer of course and there are enough enemies you don’t want to mess with to add a little bit of fear. Give these a go if you have a group you can play with just don’t expect anything deep. It’s a straight up multiplayer experience.
Resident Evil
[details=Spoiler]Here it is – the big one. I’ve played less RE games than I should considering how many other horror games I’ve played. I’m going to assume you all know each one and I’ll just state how I felt about each one I’ve played.
1 – Points for Jill Sandwich, more points for Stay Alert. Seriously play this game, I can’t say everything still holds up today but it really is good. The early RE games are kings of jump scares so if you’ve never played this always be ready. Having multiple characters to play as was a genius addition as well. There’s nothing for me to say here that hasn’t already been said or you don’t already know if you’re reading this.
2 – this one takes the first game’s formula and just expands and makes it better. I like the idea of having different characters from the first one yet making Chris and Claire related. Having the game take place in Raccoon City adds another layer of urgency and helplessness in my opinion. The first game is secluded and you’re alone, this one the zombies have already taken over and the situation looks helpless.
3: Nemesis – Like I said earlier this was my first horror game and I probably have some nostalgia goggles with this one but it’s my favorite RE to date. The best part of course is in its name – Nemesis. I feel he does the best job in any RE, and pretty much any game, of chasing you and making you feel like you need to GTFO right then and there. He can go through doors (though not on camera) and will even take out other zombies just to get to you. The fact that he’s personally after you makes him that much scarier. Having it take place both before and after RE2 was an interesting choice. It’s not like the 2nd one had too many questions unanswered for this decision but overall I’m glad they did it. This is the first RE where you don’t get to pick your character and I’m perfectly fine with that, this is Jill and Carlos’s story and we already have more side stories at about the same time with Claire and Leon in the 2nd game. The extra stuff at the end of the game is great as well, Mercenaries is very fun.
Outbreak – I’ve only played the first one and unfortunately it wasn’t until after the servers went off so I never got to fully experience what the game was made for. The idea is just fantastic though, online coop RE. It also takes place in Raccoon City only you’re playing as innocent bystanders that you select before joining a game. There are different scenarios you play through but it handles much like a traditional RE. It’s neat now but unless you want to go through finding and connecting to a private server you’re probably better off skipping these. Play them for their novelty.
4 – I didn’t get around to playing this for a while and played the Wii version instead of the Gamecube one. Maybe it was because I didn’t play the GC version, but I felt this game really shone on the Wii. The Wiimote usage was some of the best on the console and the graphics were upscaled from the GC version as well. The game overall I have mixed feelings on, I wish it at least tried to be scarier but at the same time it did so well who can fault Capcom for how they made it? It clearly turned out for the best for them. What I dislike is what it did to the franchise, this game heavily leaned towards the action and combat side and everything that came after just kept going deeper into the rabbit hole. I know that shouldn’t spoil this game on its own and by its own merits it is excellent.
Umbrella/Darkside Chronicles – more Wii titles however these recap previous games only turned into light gun games. Very fun and it’s interesting to see modern takes on classic characters such as Nemesis and Rebecca. Give them a go if you’re a fan of the series but don’t expect anything more than a light gun game with either of these.
Operation Raccoon City – This is really the low point I the series. I knew what I was getting into when Capcom advertised this game with “Have you ever been stuck in a situation where you’re out of ammo and have no way out? Not in this game!” or something like that. It’s a shooter. Hands down, just a shooter. And honestly not the best at that either. Everyone should just stay away from this game.[/details]
Silent Hill
[details=Spoiler]And finally on to my favorite series. I honestly feel a bit of sympathy towards anyone trying to make a Silent Hill game. The original 3 set the bar so high that it’s pretty much impossible to please fans anymore even with a masterpiece. I’m not saying that a masterpiece has come out since the first three but you get my point. I still really enjoy the later games though I have still not played 4 or Origins. I won’t harp on these games since everyone who’s posting in this thread should be a fan of them as well but I will touch on the newer ones I’ve played. I do not own a PS4 so I haven’t played P.T. yet but soon it will happen!
I felt Homecoming was a good game, though it just felt like it was going through the motions and didn’t have much depth to it. The story doesn’t make 100% sense either. Spoiler again – the SH cult is real here (from the movie) and the descendants of the founders of Silent Hill have to sacrifice a child they pick. I don’t know if it’s every generation or how often. Alex, our protagonist, accidentally killed his little brother, but Alex was who their parents picked to die so since the other child died instead things go… Silent Hill. Why not just be like “well take our other son now”, who knows. It’s more action focused and the puzzles are a shadow of the former ones. With all of these games if they didn’t have the name “Silent Hill” in them I think they would have been accepted more warmly.
Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the first one where you’re Harry Mason searching Silent Hill for Cheryl. The use of ice for the otherworld is a very different approach and I respect the company trying to do something different. There is no combat at all, and honestly no enemies until you’re in the otherworld at which point you need to run for your life until you reach the end of that certain path/area. At first I didn’t know the monsters only existed in the otherworld so I played it a bit safe, but once you realize that any fear factor that was there quickly left. Some of the chase scenes I couldn’t help but hear Benny Hill’s theme. The puzzles were also pretty much Baby’s First Puzzle. The story is AMAZING in it though. That alone really does make up for everything else. The big draw of this game is it tries to psychologically evaluate you based on how you play, and it’s more than just asking you “do you like blue or red”. How slow you go, if you go left or right first, almost everything is factored in. As the game goes things slowly change to match what the game thinks is scarier or more intimidating to you. It’s a real nice touch and the game is short enough that replaying to see what changes isn’t out of the question. The ending was a big twist and I liked it too. Overall I’d recommend this but just take it as an experience and not a scary game.
I enjoyed Downpour when I played it right when it came out too. The more I look back on it the less I can think of what I liked about it though. Nothing stands out to me as being good or really standing out. The otherworld took inspiration from Shattered Memories where you’re being chased and you just run. They are very abstract in this game and it felt like a good chunk of it was taken from Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. As always you have multiple endings but multiple choice questions shape this up like they do in Homecoming. It boils down to are you nice to the girl or are you mean. If you’re nice you’re not a bad guy at the end, if you’re mean you are a bad guy at the end. Water is the theme of this game and when it pours is when the otherworld happens for the most part. This is also the first Silent Hill to have an open world which I think kind of took a bit away from the overall experience. I didn’t do many side missions because I didn’t feel like going back and forth looking for items. That’s not to say this was a bad game, the enemies were pretty creepy and the random rain spawning more enemies forcing you to wait it out in an abandoned building added a lot of tension. I recommend this one too just don’t be so hard on it for being a Silent Hill.[/details]