Poll: Are Old Horror Games More Scary Than New Horror Games?
- Thread starter TrogzTheTroll
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I'm not sure it's old vs new as much as it is good vs crap. There were probably plenty of unscary games back then too, but we remember the gems and forget the crap.
A few newer games are good, like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and Condemned.
But to be fair, my biggest frights have been from the thick atmospheres from older games. System Shock 2, Thief, AvP... Those games had several moments where you'd be paranoid in the dark, spinning in circles every few steps to see who's nearby.
System Shock 2 might be the scariest game I've ever played.
A few newer games are good, like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and Condemned.
But to be fair, my biggest frights have been from the thick atmospheres from older games. System Shock 2, Thief, AvP... Those games had several moments where you'd be paranoid in the dark, spinning in circles every few steps to see who's nearby.
System Shock 2 might be the scariest game I've ever played.
system shock 2. there's nothing quite like realizing that yes, they really are following your trail and yes, they certainly will find you. suddenly, the game seems a lot more intense at that point. the devs needed no cutscene to demonstrate, as they knew that by enacting the behaviour effectively, the gamer would figure it out on their own.
every new "horror" game that comes out these days seems to forget that a game is spinning illusion, and that good magic tricks require active interaction from the audience, rather than passive viewing.
every new "horror" game that comes out these days seems to forget that a game is spinning illusion, and that good magic tricks require active interaction from the audience, rather than passive viewing.
I would have to say the older games were scarier to me.
It was all about atmosphere and that sense of dread around the corner. Most modern horror games seem to rely on the pop out and scare, and trying to get their monsters to look as creepy as possible rather that just have the whole game drip with creepiness and solitude.
Fatal Frame did a great job of this. (I haven't played 2 or 3 yet) Walking around and seeing the gem turn orange, or a quick flash of a ghost is still scary.
Silent Hill 1 and 2 did a great job with that in using the whole town as a character, and really giving you a sense of being lost and alone.
Those two games also did great work with sound. Having everything go dead quiet, or just hearing a single sound grabs your attention a bit. Especially when nothing happens, the tension builds.
Doom 3 had some good elements, but by the 1/2 way mark it was just the same scare over and over with mostly the same enemies. Condemned did a pretty good job though. The newer RE games feel more and more like trigger happy FPS games as they move on, rather than survival horror.
It was all about atmosphere and that sense of dread around the corner. Most modern horror games seem to rely on the pop out and scare, and trying to get their monsters to look as creepy as possible rather that just have the whole game drip with creepiness and solitude.
Fatal Frame did a great job of this. (I haven't played 2 or 3 yet) Walking around and seeing the gem turn orange, or a quick flash of a ghost is still scary.
Silent Hill 1 and 2 did a great job with that in using the whole town as a character, and really giving you a sense of being lost and alone.
Those two games also did great work with sound. Having everything go dead quiet, or just hearing a single sound grabs your attention a bit. Especially when nothing happens, the tension builds.
Doom 3 had some good elements, but by the 1/2 way mark it was just the same scare over and over with mostly the same enemies. Condemned did a pretty good job though. The newer RE games feel more and more like trigger happy FPS games as they move on, rather than survival horror.
It's almost impossible to truly tell. Nostalgia tends to warp our impressions. Doom is absolutely not scary, but as a child you may've had nightmares playing it like one poster did. Hell, I was scared by 'Gremlins' as a kid and on a rewatch I just found it to be a bit funny.
Things that scared us as children tend to be mundane when viewed today, so most people would say older games due to that.
Things that scared us as children tend to be mundane when viewed today, so most people would say older games due to that.