demagogue on 8/11/2009 at 06:43
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
*stuff* ... was pretty tame
Well, like I said, they're
all pretty tame IMO. True mindfuck is hard to come by in games, and I can only think of a few movies that approach it. I haven't played everything ITT yet, though, so maybe I'll be surprised.
addink on 8/11/2009 at 09:44
Not to spoil the discussion or anything, but doesn't a true mind fuck require you to _not_ expect it?
I love a good plot twist, but knowing I'll be getting a good plot twist usually removes a lot of the fun. At worst the twist can be guessed in advance, at best the twist is reduced from a "Wow!" to an "OK.. clever".
Theoretically, good storytelling can immerse you so well that you forget your own preconceptions. But given the variable flow of an interactive story, good storytelling is extremely difficult. There will always be a moment where your mind starts to wander and you start to wonder about the announced twist.
242 on 8/11/2009 at 10:36
Call of Cthulhu, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy), Scratches
(besides obvious SH, Forbidden Siren and Fatal Frame, the latter ones if you have appropriate console).
june gloom on 8/11/2009 at 10:46
Silent Hill too, at least as far as SH2 is concerned. SH1 is playable on an emulator and SH3's port wasn't shoddy like 2's was.
Aerothorn on 8/11/2009 at 11:17
So far I'm just seeing people list horror games - unless I'm misunderstanding the OP, scary does not necessarily equal mindfuck.
Some parts of the MGS games (MGS2's infamous final sequence is one of the most mind-fucking sequences in gaming).
Some parts of Chrono Cross get pretty mindfucky.
catbarf on 8/11/2009 at 14:33
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
So far I'm just seeing people list horror games - unless I'm misunderstanding the OP, scary does not necessarily equal mindfuck.
Pretty much. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, but I've played SS2, Call of Cthulhu, STALKER, Dead Space, and FEAR, and while they're scary in their own ways, they stay fairly tame in terms of how it's presented.
I've become so accustomed to scary games that it takes a lot to really get me on edge. Penumbra did when I backtracked to a door I'd just unlocked elsewhere in the level, only to find it gone. Just a brick wall. That's a mindfuck, where the game actually makes you question yourself.
Eternal Darkness, with its 4th wall-breaking sanity effects, is what I'd consider to be another example.
Basically, I'm looking for a game that gets its scares through psychological manipulation, rather than monsters.
Koki on 8/11/2009 at 14:41
Quote Posted by catbarf
Personally, I love games that pull mindfucks on the player. Penumbra, Cryostasis, and to a degree Condemned all do this
Really?
EvaUnit02 on 8/11/2009 at 18:34
I wouldn't list Fahrenheit, unless you a consider a complete shift in tone and utterly cartoony plot developments to be a "mind fuck".
It falls apart once it stopped being a David Fincher-esque thriller and became The Matrix: Path of QTEs late in the 2nd act. Let's not forget the sudden plot developments that occurred after the time skip. "They're in a relationship all of a sudden?!"
june gloom on 8/11/2009 at 18:47
Quote Posted by catbarf
Eternal Darkness, with its 4th wall-breaking sanity effects, is what I'd consider to be another example.
Really? I'd consider it to be an example of how to fail at bringing psychological tension.
242 on 8/11/2009 at 19:02
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
I wouldn't list Fahrenheit, unless you a consider a complete shift in tone and utterly cartoony plot developments to be a "mind fuck".
Cartoony plot development? I do not know, I still consider it the best thriller I've ever played, along with SH2 (yes, I consider it a thriller too). Not that there is a competition in this field though. Hell, the mere Badalamenti's music makes it great.
I agree about the faulty 2nd half though.
