The general Survival Horror discussion thread.

[J T]

It was my birthday today, so I bought myself a copy of Realms of the Haunting, not knowing anything about it other than it's a 15 year old horror game that just got re-released on gog:
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/realms_of_the_haunting

This game is awesome! It's really creepy, it makes good use of FMV, it has an HP Lovecraft kind of storyline (visiting creepy mansion to understand mystery about dead father's dabblings in the occult), and it feels like a very early precursor to games like Penumbra and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

This is a first-person adventure game, with a little shooting, and a lot of point & click adventuring. Be forewarned that the graphics are a bit archaic, and the controls are on the clunky side, but it is a legitimately scary game and I'm really loving it so far. Recommended. I'm surprised this has slipped under my radar for so long.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

Love this genre! I'm currently working on Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360. Some of my favs inlcude:

Resident Evil series (obviously): I still have to beat Code Veronica, pt.4, Zero, and the Gamecube remake of the 1st one.

Silent Hill series: I've only beaten the 1st one. I have 2 and 3 but just never got around to completing them. Definitely a creepy series.

Dino Crisis: I beat 1 & 2. Pretty good series, I'd welcome another entry in this one. I'll never forget that 1st run in with the T-Rex in pt.1! Whew!! Jumped a little.

Left for Dead series: I can not wait for a 3rd game!! This game is full of scares. That freaking witch crying totally caught me off guard when I walked up to her mistaking it for an injured victim or something only to get my ass ripped apart! Great times!!

Dead Rising 2: Still working on this for Xbox 360. Fun as hell! EVerything is a weapon and you can create your own weapons! Nothing beats walking into an Adult shop and being able to beat a zombie to death with a dildo! Classic moment for me!

The Suffering: Yet another series I need to get around to beating. I like the whole transformation process that the character does as a power up.

Splatter House: Enough said! Great series and I love the recent release on the next gen consoles and yes I still have to play through completely. Hey, I got ALOT of games from the family for Xmas and my birthday so it's tough to get around to so many games with so little time!

Manhunt: Very Creepy elements going on in this game and it can be debatable as to whether or not this game should be classified as survival horror but I feel it does. I didn't really care for the 2nd game but the first one is easily a classic IMO.

Clock Tower: I know this game received some criticism but it really was cool IMO. I just got creeped out when that music played as the Scissor Man entered the room out of no where and was like: Oh shit, he's here!! I gotta move quick! I can't explain it really, it was just fun and different take on the genre w/ the point and click controls but it worked for me. I never tried the sequels though but I would like to. Once I get caught up that is!

That's all I can think of off the top of head but I'm sure I left some out.

[noiseredux]

hey Ack, just wanted to mention that I started looking for the Japanese import of Deadly Premonition on PS3... but it goes for like $100 !!

[brunoafh]

hey Ack, just wanted to mention that I started looking for the Japanese import of Deadly Premonition on PS3... but it goes for like $100 !!

Haha... I remember I edited my post in the other thread where we were talking about this game saying something like "damn man... I just looked it up on eBay and it's really expensive now".

It became a real cult hit, but I don't think it sold very well, so now the demand is somewhat high but the supply is very low. Which sucks, because that game is unlike anything that's come out for a major console in years.

[Xeogred]

Left for Dead series: I can not wait for a 3rd game!! This game is full of scares. That freaking witch crying totally caught me off guard when I walked up to her mistaking it for an injured victim or something only to get my ass ripped apart! Great times!!

Dead Rising 2: Still working on this for Xbox 360. Fun as hell! EVerything is a weapon and you can create your own weapons! Nothing beats walking into an Adult shop and being able to beat a zombie to death with a dildo! Classic moment for me!

I honestly don't think these really fit the genre at all to be honest. And I kind of hate both personally... lol.

[SwooshBear]

Left for Dead series: I can not wait for a 3rd game!! This game is full of scares. That freaking witch crying totally caught me off guard when I walked up to her mistaking it for an injured victim or something only to get my ass ripped apart! Great times!!

Dead Rising 2: Still working on this for Xbox 360. Fun as hell! EVerything is a weapon and you can create your own weapons! Nothing beats walking into an Adult shop and being able to beat a zombie to death with a dildo! Classic moment for me!

I honestly don't think these really fit the genre at all to be honest. And I kind of hate both personally... lol.

Neither does RE5 I like L4D but it gets too old too quick. It's way more fun with 3 other friends.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

To each his own I guess. I've always considered Left for Dead, Dead Rising, & most definitely RE 5 survival horror but it's just my opinion honestly.

[brunoafh]

To each his own I guess. I've always considered Left for Dead, Dead Rising, & most definitely RE 5 survival horror but it's just my opinion honestly.

These games don't have the narrative or gameplay style to be considered survival horror really. They're just straight up action games. There just aren't elements of horror (other than zombies I guess) or survival in those games at all.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

I guess I feel that way about LFD & Dead Rising, because of the zombies and basically that you're trying to survive but these two games are listed under different genres. LFD I saw listed as a FPS (or Shooter) and Dead Rising was shown as Action (Third person shooter) but I see what you're saying when I really think about it.

[J T]

Anyone interested in the history of survival horror knows that Alone in the Dark is the grandaddy of this genre.

Alone in the dark was recently re-released on gog.com and comes packaged with Alone in the Dark 2 and 3, plus all the soundtracks. The whole thing costs $5.99.

They also just did a Q&A with Frederick Raynal, one of the key people behind the creation of Alone in the Dark. Take a look:
http://www.gog.com/en/news/alone_in_the ... _and_qanda