Co-op Horror games

[josemlopes]

WALL OF TEXT ...sorry

Why dont they exist? People can say that it wouldnt make you scared because most of the time the players just fool around in co-op and dont take things seriously but after seeing this video (it isnt scary but it does have a scary atmosphere) I noticed that it can work and it can even take advantage of the co-op.


NOTE: This is a middway through a "normal" campaign, this is where shit starts to hit the fan, it kind of adds a diferent effect to the player because he starts to notice things that arent right. Also sorry for the lenght of the video but if you can watch it to the end

The mansion starts at 1:50, what happens before is just killing zombies in some tunnels so you dont need to watch that.

Imagine this, its the typical haunted mansion, you and your friend are in a room and have to press 2 switches at the same time (they are facing opposite directions), when you do this and turn around your friend isnt there, only blood.

Your friend will go through the same, he will turn around and see your blood, basicly one of you was teleported into an identical room in another place of the map without knowing. Of course no one would be truly scared (its more of a mind-fuck experience) and the reaction would be "WTF just happend?". Both players would talk about what happened and try to find each other for the rest of the level.

Another situation (with what happened previously)
While looking for the other player you would get to a corridor (this would only happen to one of them because you dont need to have the same thing happen twice, one player would say to the other what just happened) and see the other player running towards him (it isnt the actual player but you wouldnt know), you would probably say to the other guy "Ah, I see you" or "There you are", the other player would start questioning his statement but when you got close to the fake character he would turn into a monster giving you a quick suprise, even if you found that something wasnt right with him it would still be a good experience to go through.

Basicly the game would be about making you always feel uncomfortable with the mansion because of the mind tricks. A bit like Eternal Darkness did.

This is just an example but if someday some one decides to make a co-op horror game I just hope that they dont add the co-op without extra thought.


What do you think of a co-op horror game? Could it work but only with the right friend? Or is it something destinated to fail?

EDIT: Another video


And this, watch at 1:26, they get freaked out when they are separeted from each other


One thing that is cool in this video is that the character that appears at 3:31 is the main character of the game in solo, in here is is an NPC that stalks them.

 

[the_green_dragon]

I love Co-OP any game.

 

[oplinger]

Coop horror, and to me, horror in general, are generally bad ideas. Mostly because horror means you have to make yourself scared (I've spent way too much time explaining this concept..) Horror tends to not have any replay value. Since when you know everything, the game stops being horror. Coop is usually to add replay value, ...but..you'd have to play coop first to have it be coop horror.

Also with coop you'd have to have coop AI, which...is terrible at its best.

So..to me, coop horror -could- work. but only right off the bat, otherwise it fails kinda like horror does.

 

[josemlopes]

Coop horror, and to me, horror in general, are generally bad ideas. Mostly because horror means you have to make yourself scared (I've spent way too much time explaining this concept..) Horror tends to not have any replay value. Since when you know everything, the game stops being horror. Coop is usually to add replay value, ...but..you'd have to play coop first to have it be coop horror.

Also with coop you'd have to have coop AI, which...is terrible at its best.

So..to me, coop horror -could- work. but only right off the bat, otherwise it fails kinda like horror does.

I see your point, this could work as an extra mode of a horror game that would only work with 2 players. You would have the main game and this so you could still play it alone (without AI and without the stuff made with 2 players in mind) and the co-op mode (it would be a diferent story with 2 players in mind).

And I understand the "letting yourself get scared" but I guess that this wouldnt be about the "OMG I need to change pants" scared and would be more about "Wow, there is some weird shit going on here" scared.

 

[Wuffykins]

Somehow I'm remembering the fact that Horror movies are scary when you watch them alone, and funny as hell when you're with a group. Granted, that's not always the truth, but it gives me the idea that it would be hard to really immerse yourself into the atmosphere of the game when you've got the voice of someone else while you're playing (either a friend on the couch or voice chat by internet), unless you're going for more sudden shock moments a-la Doom 3.

Hell, even thinking of VtM:Bloodline's Hotel level at the begining. I'm sure just having a friend along would turn some real suspenseful moments into "oh Noes!" styled lulz.

Still, an interesting concept Monsieur OP, it would just take a lot of tweaking to really make work.

 

[Hunter15]

i like dead space 2 multiplayer its not scary but its a god left 4 dead clone

 

[oplinger]

I say we try it! I need a programmer and someone who's not shitty with textures. We'll make a proof of concept! ..Maybe more than 1 programmer. Like 7. ANd a parakeet. Parakeets are awesome.

and someone experienced with some kind of engine that can do this kind of stuff.

...and free time.

 

[DeadSpaced]

It'd be a hard feat, that's for sure! Obviously, not all "fear triggers" work for all people, and the sheer fact of not being alone might be enough to overcome it. Plus, having someone to talk things over with (as opposed to insanely rambling to oneself) would likely lessen (though it could potentially exacerbate) the fear.

Not that Resident Evil 5 was scary (or really "Horror" for that matter) but if you want to talk about a game that some considered "horror" and that had a co-op feature, RE5 was certainly not effective. L4D, as you posted, seems like a closer fit.

Again, not trying to be negative, merely looking at what's out there.

That being said, I LOVE Horror games (Eternal Darkness and Condemned 1 FTW) and I love Co-op (mostly due to my ineptitude at competitive multiplayer formats) so I'd love to see this sort of title come to fruition.

 

[Frotality]

perhaps one of the most important aspects of horror.....feeling alone. unless the game actually kidnaps your friend, i dont see how anyone could ever pull off co-op horror; single player horror has barely ever been pulled off.

 

[josemlopes]

I have been watching other games with co-op, this is another video that kind of proves that you can get freacked out, the zombies themselfs arent what makes it special, its the freacky stuff that happens

It'd be a hard feat, that's for sure! Obviously, not all "fear triggers" work for all people, and the sheer fact of not being alone might be enough to overcome it. Plus, having someone to talk things over with (as opposed to insanely rambling to oneself) would likely lessen (though it could potentially exacerbate) the fear.

Watch the third video on the first post, it does work well in there.