GameSpot - Jess and Zorine skip "1" and head straight to "2" complete with jump scares and classic lines like "that's a zombie not a doctor.
With Halloween looming, I discuss what are my five favourite scary video games, perfect for playing on the best night of the year.
I suggest watch a scary film with friends instead as Halloween is a one night thing and digging up a game just to play on this occasion is too much trouble.
umm its halloween u should be bangin some chick is a skimpy outfit... o wait u guys are losers i forgot! :)
Gamers Nexus: "I've recently seen a trend in many horror games: They aren't scary... granted, this trend is scary in itself. This has been a problem ever since Resident Evil 4's launch back in 2005 and has only continued to get worse. I've compiled a list of "the Do's and Don'ts" to help ensure people playing your game will never be able to sleep again. It's been a while since our previous 'Fear of the Dark' article, so it's time to dive back in!"
Seriously, screw scary games. Call me twitchy, but those games freak me out every time.
- Don't make it obvious that something scary will happen (ie. force the player into a dark room with noises coming from it. The player expects something so they are less likely to crap themselves)
- Do not try to scare the player during set pieces. Randomness is the best because it catches them off guard
With that said, the first FEAR was scary as fuck. The game was completely random with the scary moments. You'd never expect them. These in particular NEARLY made me shit myself (nearly....)
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
I disagree jump scares aren't very scary, they're startling. Look at the youtubes, screamer videos use that tactic all the time for a cheap scare.
What's really scary is making the player think that something is going to get them for a while, building on the paranoia until finally justifying it by ripping the player's guts out.
Great point. It's also a fun tactic to build up suspense, make it seem like something bad will happen, and then just have a normal NPC conversation or non-scary event. This is a great way to pace the game (as mentioned in the article) and create some comic relief for the player -- and it's not obvious comic relief, it's generated by the player thinking, "wow, I thought I was going to die."
THAT's when you get them. Jump them after they've had enough time to calm down.
I agree, total randomness for me is not scary. My mind will not immediately process what just happened. But when I THINK something scary is about to happen, that unknown thing as my full attention and plays with my mind. It's like they get me to scare myself before anything actually happens.
TPV's Phil: "Nightmare House 2 - Forget F.E.A.R, forget Resident Evil, this game is truly scary. One of the scariest and weirdly enjoyable horror games I have ever played, Nightmare House 2 uses the might of the source engine to deliver some great lateral thinking due to the awesome physics engine and really engulfs you into the world.
San Andreas was a stellar game, more than that it was incredible to be frank, a huge world with so much to do. The only thing missing was multiplayer (although it was offered as an Easter egg type of thing where you could do co-op on console with countless restrictions).
Some guys brought it upon themselves then to build up SAMP one of the most incredible mods I’ve seen which runs countless server with thousands of people each day joining them. You can earn money from jobs, buy cars, guns and run away from the cops. Everything you love about GTA is brought online."
