• Horror game clichés that need to stop
    22 replies, posted
[url]http://www.pcgamer.com/horror-game-clichs-that-need-to-stop[/url]
i disagree with the note on the audio diaries because i've always operated under the assumption that the protagonist just turns them off once it's clear you won't get any more useful information out of them
I felt Resi 7 relied waay too much on horror cliche's. Stupid, little, annoying children are not scary. Some guy or girl walking/running into a direction where they suddenly disappear. Some of the sounds got repetitive but I still remember that little explosion sound which sounds like a pipe popping. Always at the same parts of the game. And sometimes reused later. Too many jumpscare transitions in cutscenes.
i wanna play a horror game that plays on real fears like being alone forever, having life as its known suddenly upended/invasion and occupation by an enemy force, being helpless, etc
Alien Isolation achieves some of your demands.
[QUOTE=Nautsabes;51901038]i wanna play a horror game that plays on real fears like being alone forever, having life as its known suddenly upended/invasion and occupation by an enemy force, being helpless, etc[/QUOTE] But how do you make a game out of that?
[QUOTE=Dirty_Ape;51901086]But how do you make a game out of that?[/QUOTE] it's a vr game call it "nightmare goggles yet everything looks the same"
[QUOTE=Dirty_Ape;51901086]But how do you make a game out of that?[/QUOTE] Being helpless is every weapon/defenceless horror game that's out there. The other two are a fair bit harder, as to build up a life to be 'suddenly upended' is more than just a 5 minute cutscene with a generically happy nuclear family, instead it'd require a second game so to speak for the player to be involved in and ripped out of into the 'horror' side. Being alone, that sounds primarily an atmospheric element, as with such loneliness would likely come a lack of the conventional 'enemies' in horror games, meaning that the horror isn't backed up by the usual enemies to push a player back, a harder sell.
[QUOTE=Dirty_Ape;51901086]But how do you make a game out of that?[/QUOTE] In regards to the "being alone forever" part, I have thought about a scenario in which everyone on Earth disappears aside from yourself, however I'm fairly certain this has been done before and if this was turned into a game, it would probably be more of a walking simulator learning about the story of what happened up to that point or survival/build simulator similar to Minecraft but without enemies or similar. I haven't played Firewatch but I think that game might have a similar feel of isolation. [editline]2nd March 2017[/editline] That or make a game where you are actually just a ghost in limbo or something. [editline]2nd March 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Nautsabes;51901038]i wanna play a horror game that plays on real fears like being alone forever, having life as its known suddenly upended/invasion and occupation by an enemy force, being helpless, etc[/QUOTE] I feel like this would be very difficult to pull of without entirely immersing the player. I have felt fear from these things but they have only been in dreams
One that I really don't like is notes randomly scribbled on photos, pieces of paper or other objects, taped onto a wall or put in a drawer. Nobody does this, and it takes me out of a game more than the backwards-kneed half-goat half-squid man who's chasing me with an axe.
I'm fucking fed up with games and movies that pull punches Resident evil 7 didn't pull punches.
[QUOTE=J!NX;51901535]I'm fucking fed up with games and movies that pull punches [/QUOTE] What do you mean?
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;51901544]What do you mean?[/QUOTE] Like when the villian /JUST/ misses the main character, or any character. Or they have a child in the game/movie but don't actually do any harm to them. Like they will threaten harm, multiple times even, but not allow it. its like, no, fuck you, let their arm be ripped off. Let the kid die. Don't wave something over someones head and then "lol, nope, we lied" [editline]2nd March 2017[/editline] or even worse, they show it off screen as if that is more dramatic, and then don't show it afterwards at all
[QUOTE=Antimuffin;51900973]I felt Resi 7 relied waay too much on horror cliche's. Stupid, little, annoying children are not scary. Some guy or girl walking/running into a direction where they suddenly disappear. Some of the sounds got repetitive but I still remember that little explosion sound which sounds like a pipe popping. Always at the same parts of the game. And sometimes reused later. Too many jumpscare transitions in cutscenes.[/QUOTE] I only played the demo and it also relied on cheap scares(dude walking in front of door and disappearing, mannequins and dolls falling in front of you out of nowhere, angry woman screaming in your face), and I was surprised people are so overwhelmingly positive about it. When I wrote it in my review I got a ton of down votes for saying it, and I ended up deleting it.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;51901741]I only played the demo and it also relied on cheap scares(dude walking in front of door and disappearing, mannequins and dolls falling in front of you out of nowhere, angry woman screaming in your face), and I was surprised people are so overwhelmingly positive about it. When I wrote it in my review I got a ton of down votes for saying it, and I ended up deleting it.[/QUOTE] I don't understand much either. People say it's the scariest game they have ever played and similar things. I can't agree with that. It's relying too much on clichéd horror to stand out. Other games are already ahead. I gave it a 7/10 in my Steam review. I don't see how it is a 9/10 or higher from other people. Gameplay is ok, atmosphere is ok too. But nothing really stands out.
RE7's certainly not the scariest game I've played but at least it was a [I]game[/I] with some sort of [I]progression[/I]. I can't tell you how boring and frustrating "no weapons, limited source of light, enemies you have to run from the whole game" is to me by now. I start playing Amnesia or Outlast or any of the plenty of other games that do the exact same shit and by an hour in I go "alright I'm bored/annoyed *alt+f4*" It's just the same shit for 5-8 hours except with new areas to run from things in. [editline]a[/editline] Like I'm excited to watch Let's Players play Outlast 2. Am I excited to play it? Fuck no. On the other hand, I'm excited to watch Let's Players play the System Shock remake when that comes out, and I'm excited to actually play that in the same way I was excited for RE7. I just want [I]something to do[/I] other than run in one direction hoping I didn't make a wrong turn.
forgot pathetically short stamina meters, though this could be applied to all games if you don't want the player to run away, either don't let them, or give them a reason not to, don't go haldway and just make it tedious
Penumbra series did an excellent job as a horror game
[QUOTE=ChinChilla;51904433]Penumbra series did an excellent job as a horror game[/QUOTE] Until you realize [sp]there are a total of 5 enemies in all 3 games and you freaked out for nothing[/sp] :v: And that's great, the atmosphere is most important, your mind is best at scaring you, not a bunch of polygons screaming at you on screen.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;51904764][sp]there are a total of 5 enemies in all 3 games and you freaked out for nothing[/sp][/QUOTE] Uh, I know I killed at least that many wolves in just whichever one starts you out in the snow and gives you weapons
[QUOTE=gk99;51906813]Uh, I know I killed at least that many wolves in just whichever one starts you out in the snow and gives you weapons[/QUOTE] Ok, then it's [sp]around 5 wolves/dogs in the entire first game, and maybe 2-3 of those aliens or whatever those were in the second one. I'm not sure in which one that large worm appears. And there is nothing in the last game, since it's just a puzzle game. So, it can't be more than 10 enemies in all three games, no way.[/sp]
Unkillable enemies, looking at you, fucking Ubermorph
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