Poll: Opinion: Not being able to fight back in a game...good, bad, indifferent?

[Drake Barrow]

Developers sometimes get it into their head that not being able to fight back against an enemy in a game is scary. Amnesia and the remake of Silent Hill both come to mind for this...your 'defense' against the horror is to run, or sometimes to hide. The concept is old, about as old as gaming itself, but it likes to appear in unexpected places these days.

I can't say as I enjoy that sort of thing, but I want to know how much of a minority I am.

 

[zombiejoe]

I loved the idea in Silent Hill SM...but it didn't turn out well.

And in Amnesia, it worked great, filled you with fear.

Clocktower also had a similar system, which is cool.

Now I don't think all horror games should have that, but making you feel like your dealing with something more powerful then yourself is important.

 

[zombiejoe]

Sorry, just a double post, don't look it's all an illusion.

 

[Saelune]

Its called helplessness, and helplessness is by definition, unpleasant and usually scary.

 

[badgersprite]

It depends on the game, honestly. If you're able to fight back in the majority of the game, but there's just one section where you can't, it's annoying and takes you out of the game, like a forced stealth section.

To be honest, a lot of my favourite "scary" moments in horror games are when you do have ways of defending yourself, but then you run out of ammo or your weapon breaks and then you're like OH FUCK WHAT DO I DO NOW?! Condemned was really good at this, because even fighting back, the enemies were a huge threat to you, and could chase you and ambush you and it was great.

But, yeah, running is only a factor that makes something scary. Your actual environment and enemies have to be disturbing and terrifying too. This was my problem with Shattered Memories. The running would have been a lot more effective if you were running through the Otherworld with grates and mutilated bodies everywhere. Instead you're running through...ice? It would have been much more effective if the Otherworld actually looked like the Otherworld.

 

[The Night Shade]

I kinda like it but you should be able to fight back hiding all the time can get boring after a while

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

Yeah, I think it's effective in a horror game.

Amnesia, Siren, and Haunting Ground all incorporated it, and the first two, at least, scared me shitless (Haunting Ground was scary at first, but then it just became a "balls, needa start running again" kinda schmeel).

I'm pretty sure that's the only genre you could ever successfully (or enjoyably) ever have such a gameplay mechanic.

 

[Lyri]

Its called helplessness, and helplessness is by definition, unpleasant and usually scary.

Which in Amnesia's case was the entire point, a game built on atmosphere and tension. So for that game it worked wonders and was a vital part of it's experience.
It doesn't work for some titles though, imagining Oblivion or Fallout like that would be kinda dumb.

To cut rambling short, it depends entirely on the setting and intent of the game.

 

[VanQ]

I never finished Amnesia because I was too freakin' scared to ever load it up a second time. And this is coming from a guy who was watching Alien, The Shining and The Thing as a twelve year old and never had nightmares.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

It can make a game scary, but it's not much fun to play that way. If I'm in the mood to get scared, then I guess it works, but other than that I'd rather just be able to fight.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Its great when its done right. Just look at Limbo, that game was amazing.

 

[Radoh]

I wouldn't call it "good" but it is leagues better than "supposed to lose" fights. Again, like most things it depends on how well it's done.

 

[crudus]

It depends on the game. In a FPS shooter you should not be helpless. In a horror game you should just be some average dude. You should be able to fight off one monster at a time if you are lucky. That is how you get horror.

 

[Eldarion]

Its called helplessness, and helplessness is by definition, unpleasant and usually scary.

Which in Amnesia's case was the entire point, a game built on atmosphere and tension. So for that game it worked wonders and was a vital part of it's experience.
It doesn't work for some titles though, imagining Oblivion or Fallout like that would be kinda dumb.

To cut rambling short, it depends entirely on the setting and intent of the game.

Oblivion and fallout aren't horror games though, they are action/rpgs. So it doesn't make sense to not be able to defend yourself.

 

[Lyri]

Oblivion and fallout aren't horror games though, they are action/rpgs. So it doesn't make sense to not be able to defend yourself.

Which is exactly what I said.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

it's mostly annoying to me, if i know i can't fight back in some way, it takes all immersion out, and i immediately run anyways because of that so it mostly just pisses me off


i do get a bit scared but the pissed offness highly overflows any scaredness i might have so its a "meh"

that's probably why i didn't care for amnesia as much as i thought i was going to..

 

[Gabriel Majeski]

I really don't care one way or the other, as long as it is executed properly and at least in someway relates to the type of game they're trying to make. Yup.. Pretty much that fucking simple...

 

[VincentR]

I'm not sure, really. I think it depends entirely on the way it is implemented, what kind of game it is SUPPOSED to be vs how being defenseless makes it, and whether it's the entire game or not.

Regardless, the only time I can think of this being implemented in a game that I have actually played was at the beginning of Dead Space (1). I know I was THOROUGHLY freaked out after realizing how defenseless I was - and besides that, how easily the guys who DID have guns just got massacred.

Honestly, I think that was an incredibly well done portion. In addition, it was a fairly short and temporary section of the game.
The second game's beginning was just as well done in that regard, but it didn't feel as fresh or necessary as the first game. I already knew what the enemy could, how they attacked.. it just felt pointless. "Oh well, can't attack.. guess I just have to run until the game throws a weapon at me."

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Would you rather have Doom 3 be the norm for Horror games?