Best horror game of this generation?

[tk1989]

After posting in a similar thread about different games that have scared you throughout my life as a gamer i thought of many different games; Zelda:OoT (dont tell me that the Shadow Temple wasn't scary! ); Eternal Darkness; Resident Evil 1; Doom 3; System Shock; Silent hill games... All these games had some sort of psychological affect on me, and i loved that in a game! But none these games are from our current generation of gaming! For me it seems that real horror has given way for more guns and blood, similar to how its now done in films.

Are there actually any good horror games of our generation? I can think of a few horror games; Bioshock (although calling this a 'horror' game will be argued over as it isnt its main emphasis); Dead Space (i heard this wasnt very good though); and Silent Hill 4 (once again, heard its not very good).

Any opinions?

 

[Sevre]

Define this generation? Apart from Bioshock and Dead Space I can't think of any. Unless you count RE4.

 

[Madshaw]

well condemned 2 is amazing right up until the last few levels

 

[Talendra]

Definitely condemned, it creeps me out way too much to play at night, the days bad enough, I am a wuss when it comes to horror games/movies, but I still love it.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Condemned and Bioshock.

 

[tk1989]

I still have yet to play condemned... After watching the ZP review of Condemned 2 i want to stay away from it lol, but ive definitely been planning to give Condemned 1 a shot sometime!

Define this generation? Apart from Bioshock and Dead Space I can't think of any. Unless you count RE4.

By this generation i mean this generation of consoles; PS3, Xbox 360 and (to a certain extent) Wii. I dont know if i would count RE4 as it technically was a last generation game... RE5 though? is that actually scary or is it just a lot of guns and violence?

 

[Dale Cooper]

Condemned.

Alone in the Dark could have been great but they made some major dick moves with it.

Dead Space (I didn't like it, but a lot of people did.)

Silent Hill: Homecoming could have been worse but wasn't great.

 

[Pandalisk]

Condemned.

Alone in the Dark could have been great but they made some major dick moves with it.

Dead Space (I didn't like it, but a lot of people did.)

Silent Hill: Homecoming could have been worse but wasn't great.

Deadspace was very good, but they made the error of having poor A.I. the nec's dont even try to sneak up on you, i wanted them sprinting at all angles trying to rip your limbs off, all i got was slow walking and then slighty faster and then one or two super fast (which were awesome). the problem was that while it startled and creeped you out you never felt scared

 

[Trivun]

The first Silent Hill games. Also, Fatal Frame (haven't played the series myself, but from what I've heard they sound pretty damn scary...).

 

[Christemo]

ive never played a horror game (unless L4D counts, and it aint scary) or seen a horror movie (if scary movie 3 and 4 count, then i have).

from what ive seen, fatal frame and fear. silent hill too. fatal frame wins by far, because theres nothing that creeps me more than japanese ghosts (except these got feet, which japanese ghosts dont have). and it resembles the grudge and the ring in alot of spots.

 

[JediMooCow]

By the definition, wouldn't the older (scarier) Silent Hill games be previous gen? Silent Hill 1 was PS One, and F.E.A.R. was what, 4 years ago? 2005?
I really didn't think F.E.A.R. was scary, though. It did try so very hard.
Condemned, while scary, was '05 as well.
Anyone know if they were before or after the '05 X-360 release?

Interesting point, though. It would seem there haven't been very many, aside from endless Silent Hills and Resident Evils.

 

[D_987]

I still have yet to play condemned... After watching the ZP review of Condemned 2 i want to stay away from it lol,

I don't agree at all with Yahtzee's interpretation - hes right that the game gets sidetracked but not to the proportion he makes out.

 

[_Janny_]

Silent Hill 4 (once again, heard its not very good).

Believe me, it can scare you just as much as any of the other Silent Hill games...

Homecoming is the only horror game released lately that scared me. It's actually not as bad as people make it out, it even got me spooked a couple of times. My point is not to listen to any negative feedback, play the game and judge it by yourself.

 

[slarlath]

The only current gen game that really scared me was bioshock.

Deveolpers seem to have forgotten that true fear comes from the unknown, so even game that are made to be scary tend to become familer after awhile where as bioshock kept the mood by inserting many points where the lights go out and when they come back there are bodies or statues right there for example.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

Maybe it's just me, but I never saw the appeal of scaring the shit out of yourself, sometimes literally.
It just doesn't sound like a good time.

I think it's a fun experience. Don't know why, but after getting freaked out and wetting myself cause a zombie jumped out and bit my face off, if I survive I take a few deep breaths and feel a sense of accomplishment bigger than five-staring Through The Fire And Flames on Expert.

 

[sooperman]

I still have yet to play condemned... After watching the ZP review of Condemned 2 i want to stay away from it lol, but ive definitely been planning to give Condemned 1 a shot sometime!

Define this generation? Apart from Bioshock and Dead Space I can't think of any. Unless you count RE4.

By this generation i mean this generation of consoles; PS3, Xbox 360 and (to a certain extent) Wii. I dont know if i would count RE4 as it technically was a last generation game... RE5 though? is that actually scary or is it just a lot of guns and violence?

No, RE5 is not scary. I'm trying very hard to think of a moment that made me jump or scared me, but nothing comes to mind in the whole story mode.

Just like Left 4 Dead, RE5 is not a horror game; it's an action shooter with zombies in it.

 

[Lobsterman]

Bioshock was the best horror, and it isn't even a horror game.
The problem with horror games these days i think is that they try to startle the player rather than making a scary and creepy enviroment in which you think every second there could be something jumping into your face and there never is, but you still turn around every 5 seconds.
Aliens vs Predators 2 did this very nicely in the first 2 levels. Nothing just you and the empty base for like half an hour of gameplay, and suddenly the aliens show and you have to have a heart transplant before playing further. Now thats horror. Also Undying did nicely too when you could hear the little dog-like things' claws knocking on the floor from a mile away, but never knowing when or where they are coming from.
Dead Space was just a startling game. Of course you gonna jump up when something screams you in the face suddenly, but it's not horror. (Yes i know Yahtzee said this exact thing, and he is right.)
edit:
Oh and almost forgot Call of Cthulhu: Dark Croners of the Earth. Boy, thats a scary SOB of a game.

 

[tk1989]

I still have yet to play condemned... After watching the ZP review of Condemned 2 i want to stay away from it lol,

I don't agree at all with Yahtzee's interpretation - hes right that the game gets sidetracked but not to the proportion he makes out.

Hmm, ok. Ill give Condemned 1 a try, then if i like it ill check out the second

Just like Left 4 Dead, RE5 is not a horror game; it's an action shooter with zombies in it.

Shame really I liked RE4, it wasn't a horror game per se though; it was amazingly good fun and had some scaryish moments, but none of the recent games have really recreated the fear and suspense that i enjoyed in the original RE

Bioshock was the best horror, and it isn't even a horror game.
The problem with horror games these days i think is that they try to startle the player rather than making a scary and creepy enviroment in which you think every second there could be something jumping into your face and there never is, but you still turn around every 5 seconds.

This is the problem im having! Its the same with movies; now a horror movie consists of lots of blood, gore and sudden jumpy moments. Yes, you need these in a horror game/movie, but generally the suspense and atmosphere is neglected. This is why i loved Doom 3 so much; it had lots of gore, blood and jumpy moments, but it also had a terrifying atmosphere and you could never be sure what was going to happen next!