Fear, the emotion, is extremely subjective. Some people find F.E.A.R scary - hell, some people even find Half Life 2 scary. What defines a horror game, and how good it is, is something that's difficult to convey to an entirely different person, who has different feelings, thoughts and experiences.
But I personally recommend System Shock 2 and Aliens vs Predator.
Shock 2 creates an extremely tense, chlaustrophobic and isolated atmosphere. You will feel utterly alone, and the horrible events which have occured, they feel real. The enemies are also extremely horrible to listen to. It's as if Irrational spent time trying to find the most wrong sounds they could. Enmies also randomly respawn - something that means it's hard to feel safe. Ever. Plus, ammo is relatively scarce (unless you know what you're doing), and every bullet is a weighted measurement of your need to survive now vs your probable need to survive later. It's just awesome stuff.
Aliens vs Predator is just great. Narrow, chlaustrophobic corridors? Check. Lots of darkness, with flickering lights? Check. Great use of sound? Check. Extremely fast, extremely lethal enemies? Check. Instant-kill facehuggers? Check. What I felt playing AvP (the marine campaign here) was never fear, unlike SS2, but it was close. It was mad animal panic. And it's just a great sensation. That the game also comes with a great Predator and Alien campaign just makes it all the more essential.
I think most other 'horror' games are just bad. Just really bad. Most especially the Resident Evil games. They're great games - they just suck as far as the horror is concerned. The Silent Hill games - besides the first (which isn't on PC) which is a horror masterpiece - are all pretty mediocre. F..E.A.R is laughable a a horror game, and while Doom 3 uses an initually interesting mechanic, based around the ability to either see or shoot (meaning you are always vulnerable), the game just devolves into tedium before the half way point.
Log in to comment