[QUOTE="jettpack"]
[QUOTE="Pixel-Pirate"]
Needs less generic wanna be horror (deadspace, left 4 dead) and more of the best horror franchises (Fatal frame, Clock tower).
Pixel-Pirate
Both Left 4 Dead and Deadspace Innovated on the survival horror genres. I mean Left 4 Dead's setting is generic but that was on purpose. I mean valve was trying to capture that pulp horror zombie flick vibe. And Deadspace, was FULL of atmosphere, and while it wasnt a DRASTIC change to the survival horror genre, it innovated on tons and tons of little things, like the strategic dismemberment.Y our right, Clock tower and Fatal frame were awesome, but their mechanics dont translate very well into modern survival horror games.
To me deadspace is not survival horror in the slightest. It is action horror. I feel very very little atmosphere in that game and little pacing at all. It's not a bad game at all, it is fun, but it feels like it is trying way too hard and the "horror" feels forced. I also don't feel much survival in it due to the weapons being overpowered and ammo in ample supply. I don't feel a true survival horror game has existed since the PS2 days. And Left 4 Dead innovated the survival horror genre the same way the Sims innovated the FPS genre. As in, it didn't.
And why doesn't Fatal frame or clock tower translate to modern games? Not enough pew pew?
I personally prefer creepy horror with more mundane enemies that are scary via atmosphere to games with enemies that jump out of walls with giant spikes in audio and going "RAAAAAARGH!". I don't equate startles to scares.
Okay, let me re-state some of what i said. You are right, there hasnt been a big Traditional survial horror game since the PS2, I guess im using that term to loosely. What i mean is Just General Horror, be it action horror, survival horror, etc. Sorry about the vagueness, i used the term a bit to generally.
As for Deadspace, here what we disagree on is probably for the most part subjective and opinion based. I really Liked deadspace and found it to be full of atmosphere, and dread. I was definately scared to go down certain dark corridores. I dont exactly know what you mean when you say the horror felt forced, It felt like an integral part of the experience to me. As for the survival aspect, i mean yeah, there was an abundance of ammo but i didnt feel that the guns were over powered and anyway you are trying to SURVIVE and you will die alot, so i think that qualifies as horror, even if it is very action orriented.
I really disagree with you about left 4 Dead. I think that game was FULL of innovation. Whether or not that was innovation on the Survival horror genre is another matter. Left 4 Dead definately qualifies as an FPS first and formost, and its definately a game about survival, i mean thats the whole point, you just have to survive. But even though Left 4 Dead can at times be startling and spooky (i.e. the witch, especially on expert) and is almost always exillerating, its not particularly scary or terrifying, so its not really a a horror, its more of a First person Zombie Survival Shooter with Horror elements. Even so, i still think it fits under the extremely general catagory we are discussing, and I think that its adaptive AI/replayability, first person perspective, Online Co-op, survival objective gameplay and at least parts of its fast paced gameplay all contribute really good additions to the Survival/Action Horror Genre.
On the subject of clock tower:
While clock tower is very scary, and was able to succeed the limitations of the technology of its time, i feel that because of the power of current gen hardware, the gameplay, atmosphere and storytelling possibilities have increased to a degree that was un-attainable at the time clock-tower was created. Better graphics and more powerful systems obviously do not directly result in better or scarrier games, but i think that does definately increase the opportunities of what the developers have when making titles. Basically it think that there is so much more that you can do with hardware now, that the point an click mechanics of Clock-tower might feel outdated. Its still really terrifying, and the idea of picking a hiding spot is really cool, i just feel the genre can do more now. So to answer your question, No its not that there isnt enough "pew, pew" or shooting.
As of fatal frame:
I take back what i said about fatal frame. Specifically in regard Fatal Frame 2. The game isnt that outdated yet and has some great, great, terrifying ideas in it. Its just so different from games like resident evil or deadspace that it seems like it would be difficult to combine integrate the two. They are just such different aethetics, it really comes down to taste.
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