What happened to horror? Thread

I half agree with you. The random jump scares and loud noises are ways to get a little fear out of you without actually using any creativity. Now... Onto amnesia. Amnesia is NOT the scariest game made, I assure you but I have NO IDEA where you got your description of your first encounter. If you somehow managed to make the word "boo" out from ANY of the monsters in that game you either have hearing better than a cat, or you have hearing worse than my grandpa. I honestly have no idea how you got that word from any of the groans. Second of all, that wasn't a true encounter. You were hallucinating. If you play Amnesia for a while it is diffidently worth it. I'm surprised you didn't like it more, considering you said you liked buildup and suspense.

BTW sorry for ranting/being butt hurt I just really like amnesia

Good point, the game isn't the best, that is true I do enjoy it though and you suggestions are great. OH also +1 for an intelligent response. Most people on here say things along the lines of "haha (insert game i like or question i had here) is so stupid derp de derp" Although spelled even worse and with horrible grammar.

You know, this reminds me of Yahtzee who does the Zero Punctuation reviews. Amnesia for example (this point starts at ~0:50). I totally agree and think that the horror-genre should be divided into "horror", "survival horror",... on one side and "shocker" on the other.

Anyway.
Look, it's faster and cheaper to make a simple linear shooter like CoD that uses the same plot over and over again, than to create a new one from scratch and build an entire universe around it; in the same way how it is faster and cheaper to make a random monster jump out in a barely lit room, than it is to actually make a game with great pacing.

Your example was Grey. Mine would be Nightmare House 2 (not chapter 1, since it's a remake of NH1).
It started so great. Nice atmosphere, a few subtle "scares" (you know, glimpse "something" around a corner) and very few classical shockers. It was quite good at making me feel uncomfortable. Especially when it changed the environment around me. You only have a bit of ammo and an axe. No problem since there aren't many encounters.
All fine until you meet the squad and the mod shifts focus from horror to horror-shooter, with dozens and dozens of monsters spawning at once.
In the end I still recommend it (if only for the first part).

Yeah. I constantly recommend it too. However, I think that the second part just cannot hold up when compared with the first part.
My favorite moment was when you were under the shower and the announcer said:
"We here in Never Lose Hope Hospital care about our patients. I'd like to inform you that...... something is behind you."
I swear to God. That was not funny.

Surprised no-one mentioned Scratches yet, especially with the Asylum kickstarter? Anyway the build-up for that game is pretty long and though I have barely played it and haven't seen any monsters, I'm already anxious. You find subtle clues when exploring the house that something isn't right at all and that there's something in the basement. The suspense is pretty freaky to be honest.

Yes, we can. Being a free game made by amateurs does protect it from most criticism, and as with most mods it's an achievement it got made at all. That doesn't make it immune from criticism however. In the same way a free multiplayer mod can still be imbalanced or have poor maps, a horror mod can likewise be criticised if it messes up the horror aspect.

Grey was not the only example used. Cry of Fear was also used, as was the paid game Amnesia.

ENP, I think those things you brought up were covered at other points in the thread, so I'll give a quick run down.

1- Jump scares are fine when properly set up. In a good jump scare, you are scared because you knew it was coming, or you should have seen it coming. As mentioned in the first post, they don't even require loud noises or flashing images to be scary. The problem with bad jump scares is that it is a loud noise/flashing image for no reason. It doesn't make me scared, it makes me angry. Silent Hill 1 and 2 have these, certainly. Resident Evil 1 and 2 don't, as far as I know. Every noise or scare happens for a reason, and is usually set up. eg. The crow passageway in RE2. You see feathers, the corpse pecked by crows, then they burst in the window. In contrast to modern games (or SH1 and 2) there is just a loud noise that threatens to blow out your speaker for no reason and with set up. It would be as if a airhorn appeared by your ear as you read this, then vanished again. If anything, it kills the tension as at any moment, the fickle designer could have something go "BLARG!" at any moment.

2- I'm not sure what you mean about developers being reluctant to use it. The problem is that it's an overused crutch for lazy people. It's just a loud noise that goes off at semi random intervals.

3- The story is a large part of a horror game, but it's far from the be all end all. Many horror games have the "trapped in a mansion full of monsters" scenario, but I think you would agree that Resident Evil is more scary than Alone in the Dark, and both are more scary than House of the Dead.

I am here to defend Amnesia.
I believe that the major points of horror games are atmosphere, immersion, and danger.

For a game to be scary, it has to have a suspenseful atmosphere. Amnesia's use of sound, lighting, and imagery to create a sense of dread or foreboding is superb in my opinion. The sounds of Amnesia create a fear of what lies around every corner, behind every door, and at the end of every long hallway. You hear footsteps coming from somewhere upstairs, you hear banging in the room next to you, you hear snarls coming from behind a blocked door, you hear wailing echo throughout the area. Amnesia establishes atmosphere very well.

For a game to be scary, it has to be immersive. Now you know that guy who makes jokes at the logic of horror movies, or when you're at Halloween Horror Nights and that group in front of you has to make fun of the characters around him. These people separate themselves from scary situations. They do not allow themselves to become immersed in the world that the artist has created. In Amnesia, the artist sort of forces you to become immersed. Every action your character performs, is one that you perform. Your character reacts very similarly to how you react, with gasps of breath, small jumps, big jumps, and terror-filled fleeing! Especially when the game forces you to put yourself into dangerous situations such as wading through murky waters being chased by that which you cannot see but will surely hear. Amnesia accomplishes the goal of immersion extremely well.

For a game to be scary, it has to have danger. Provided that the player is immersed, dying is a scary thing. In amnesia, you may feel your pulse rise as you take a hit from a grunt, brute, or water lurker. In the sequences where you are outrunning water lurker, brute, or shadow, it is quite horrifying. The reason I choose to clear out every nearby wardrobe, block doors, and create blockades which I can hide behind is good planning, but also a testament to how well the game describes danger. Amnesia creates a sense of danger.

Amnesia is a great horror game, and I disagree with your assertion completely. You don't actually interact with any enemies (aside from poofers) until suspense has been built appropriately.

WhatsinaGame wrote:I think the situation is the same in Hollywood movies. It's easier to make someone jump from a sudden "boo" moment rather then building up suspense. It takes creative writing, and creating writing requires talent, and talent requires... well a lot.

So in short, it is an economical way to make something "scary". Those examples you gave all use the players' own mind to scare them into a frenzy. Each corner the player had to pass gave anxiety. Indeed it is such a shame. The mind is a powerful thing. It can and SHOULD be manipulated! That's what makes the adrenaline rush so addicting. The suspense should cook off like boiling water then eventually blow the top. That's how I like my scare, anyways.

Yeah, i'm working on my first horror game and you are right. It's not easy building up suspense.
Here i've build a small trailer: Indiedb.com
But it's not about "Boo", just atmosphere. Horror is just "scary events"... or more?

Edited by: riccardo_deias