Games That Freak You Out

The original Doom on PC back in the day introduced us all to gameplay that made you sleep with the lights on. Doom was in your face with all of it's gore and blood. Not to mention hordes of enemies that got their kicks from charging at you non stop. Other old school PC games like Alone in the Dark, presented a more cerebral frightening experience. There weren't any rocket launchers to save your behind in that one folks. Of course, looking back at it now, the graphics wouldn't be enough to scare someone with panphobia. So with this in mind, what does it take to scare the holy fibers out of gamers these days? The shock value of something crashing through a window a la Resident Evil does cause the occasional jump, but with all the gruesome films we watch these days (Saw or Hostel anyone?), I think we've become a tad bit desensitized. So it's up to game developers to use elements of the past and incorporate them into modern games. First up one the list, is the Resident Evil Series.

Zombies. Need I say more? I don't know about you, but I already know where I'm going in case a zombie outbreak occurs. And it ain't Raccoon City. Resident Evil had shock elements and cerebral elements that made it an instant classic. For instance, guns were the main source of combat. That combat knife took tons of skill and luck to off a zombie. However, you knew that conserving ammo was crucial. Every bullet had to count. Especially those magnum bullets. That alone created a sense of dread and desperation for gamers. The latest entry in the series Resident Evil 4, raised the bar in survival horror games. This time, we had to fight crazy villagers and cultists. In some ways, taking on an army of un- undead, uh, persons is more creepy than zombies. And let's not forget the thrill of body slamming one of those guys right on their parasite infested heads. The locales you visited were very diverse and you felt like no matter where you went, it wasn't safe. So what if you're outside, those people will destroy the only bridge out of town to get to you. Finally, the camera positioning was crucial. The over the shoulder view made Leon seem more like a professional, and made the gamer tilt their heads as if they were in the game. Now that's immersion at it's finest. Next up is Condemed 2: Bloodshot.

Now, I've only played the demo on PSN, and I've never played the original on 360, but I think it's an excellent take on survival horror. Guns aren't very prevalent in this game. You have to use the old method of fisticuffs as your main weapon. As well as various pipes, electrical conduits, bricks, and whatever else you can get your hands on. I like the fact that the main character is obviously messed up in the head. It's kind of how you feel when you play. I think the sound design of the game greatly contributes to this. Every sound puts you on the edge. Even if you bump into a garbage can that falls over, you'll be swinging blindly until you realize it was you. The people you fight on the streets (they look like bums) are downright creepy in speech and appearance. And as you fight, you get the feeling like the blows are very realistic, and in kind, you can't take that much of a beating before you die. These reasons my friends are what make a great survival horror game. I left a bunch out I'm sure, but that's where you come in. Drop me a comment why don't you. And, check out this video from the original Doom. Great memories. More later.