I am no survivor horror game cono sur despite having played a few games of the genre, but I think I am not alone when stating that horror games have failed to properly scare gamers in this generation of consoles. The once scary Silent Hills and Resident Evils have failed to deliver the goods but why?

Boogie Boogie Boo

There are three types of scares: (1) the one where a monster jumps out and goes Boogie Boogie Boo (2) the one where a monster from a far runs up from a distance screaming and wailing (3) the one where you walk down an atmospheric unerving setting afraid to turn the corner because your afraid there may be a gaint monster waiting for you only to find that he is actually right behind you

The most effective choice is number three.

Most horror games rely on 1 and 2 for a cheap easy thrill that last for about a second before the game plays out like a typical shooter or action game. Dead Space 2 had this very problem where it just couldn't scare because cheap thrills were the one thing that ended up happening throughout the game in terms of "scary". Without the proper atmosphere to create dread, the game became a very good third person shooter instead of the intense atmospheric horror survival game it aimed at being.

Horror Done Right

So how is "scary" done right? Well let us take Silent Hill 2 as our role model. A game that was able to truly make the gamer shake because of the wonderful atmosphere and music in action. To make a horror game truly work there needs to be the right unerving mood put in place. Some key points in doing so are making the gamer feel isolated, making the protaginist underpowered, and creating a truly hellish world in which one would want to get out of. In Silent Hill 2, you played as James (the average everyday man) equipped with little more than a flashlight searching for his wife. The game is able to truly make a haunting experience because of the underpowered nature of James, the dark and detailed atmosphere in place, the constant isolation James is put in, and the lack of anything human to interact with. With a proper blend of these elements in place, just walking down a desserted hallway in this game may be the scariest thing one ever experiences in their life. With that in mind, the problem with Dead Space 2 was that Isaac was overpowered, the atmosphere lacked the rightvibe,and the predictability of the scares. When the player is walking down a hall way and prepared for some random alien to jump out at any time, there is no terror.

Horror games have to be carefully crafted to deliver an experience worth while. While many falter on cheap gimmicks, horror can be done right with games like Silent Hill 2, Amnesia the Dark Descent, and Corpse Party paving the road. Scares are hard to achieve but with a little know how are possilble. This is the RangerFirePower signing out. See Ya!