Enchantermon on 7/8/2010 at 03:44
This. You want to be scared? Play these in a dark room with headphones. *shudders*
Shadowcat on 7/8/2010 at 03:50
"Realms of the Haunting" is a really great game that I thoroughly recommend, but I'd have to admit it's a bit of a mixed bag, covering the full range between "genuinely unnerving" and "cheesy as hell" (hello FMV).
"Clive Barker's Undying" has several things going for it, but scariness is really not one of them. Also, the locked doors in the mansion will irritate the heck out of you. There are many more less-annoying environments, however (some of which are quite startlingly beautiful), and a really great weapon/spell interface. As a more modern ROTH it was a big disappointment (my mistake), but on its own terms it's a fun (if flawed) game for the most part.
"Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi" is one I always have to throw into these threads. It doesn't offer much more than "boo!" style scares, but the gothic atmosphere is nicely done, and the semi-randomised level architecture is something almost unheard of in the FPS genre. The game has lots of flaws (technical, artistic, and gameplay), but it's also pretty much unique, so I always feel that it's worth a look.
"Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth" has plenty of unnerving moments. It's one of many games that I need to go back to and finish, and I do recall hearing that it degenerates somewhat, but there's more than enough in the early stages to make it worthwhile.
Very much looking forward to "Amnesia".
ANTSHODAN on 7/8/2010 at 03:57
Quote Posted by Ostriig
Oh, in that case I'm gonna go ahead and drop an obligatory mention of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Can't comment on the other two yet, but Shadow of Chernobyl kept me fairly on edge for most of the time, and some of the underground sections were beyond intense. Granted, I'm by no means an expert in horror
games anythings, but X18 was the scariest level I'd played since Thief 3's Shalebridge Cradle. And even above ground some of those random night time encounters creeped the everloving shit out of me.
I have right this moment come out of that game and, for some bits, scary just isn't a good enough word. Went through Agroprom last night and had several step-away-from-computer-and-make-a-cup-of-tea-it's-only-a-game-god-damn-it moments.
Tonight's playthrough wasn't perhaps scary in the traditional sense, but I was wandering around some abandoned warehouses at night (get a mod to make night darker!), and definitely felt... well... paranoid and on edge! As far as I'm concerned, scariness is entirely dependent on atmosphere and immersion, and Stalker has it in great big creepy bucketfuls!
june gloom on 7/8/2010 at 05:51
Call of Pripyat is like that pretty much from the word go. Just the whole thing with the Bloodsuckers in the first area... brr.
pdenton on 7/8/2010 at 07:45
They Hunger is more atmosphere than actually scary, but there were a few sections, with the lights off, and a good sound system/headset, that would definitely creep you out.
I highly recommend Condemned 2 if you can get it for cheap. People who played it remember the mission in the cabin? Holy. Shit. But yes, the story is noticeably shittier. FEAR isn't really scary, but it has some good jump scares and atmosphere.
Also KISS Psycho Circus. ;)
Ostriig on 7/8/2010 at 14:19
Quote Posted by dethtoll
While Clear Sky is noticeably lacking (except for one section), Call of Pripyat is
loaded with scary, far more than even Shadow of Chernobyl.
I've had both lying on a shelf for quite a while now, just not had time to get into them. The other thing is I definitely want to start with CoP and decide on CS later, but I'm kinda tempted to wait for the Complete mod to come out since that's how I played SoC in the first place.
Quote Posted by ANTSHODAN
Went through Agroprom last night and had several step-away-from-computer-and-make-a-cup-of-tea-it's-only-a-game-god-damn-it moments.
Yeah, Agroprom was one of the underground sections I was thinking of. It's the first notable encounter with the sort of poop STALKER can deliver in your pants, and it stays with you. But if you found that
stimulating, you're in for a real treat a bit later on. :cool:
ANTSHODAN on 7/8/2010 at 18:09
Quote Posted by Ostriig
Yeah, Agroprom was one of the underground sections I was thinking of. It's the first notable encounter with the sort of poop STALKER can deliver in your pants, and it stays with you. But if you found that
stimulating, you're in for a real treat a bit later on. :cool:
Brilliant! I've had Stalker for years but only in the last month have properly got into it. It really struggles on my rig, mostly because I insist on the full dynamic lighting, but if there's more Agroprom parts in store, I think it will definitely hold my attention. Going to wait to upgrade before CS and CoP, not that they are that different specs wise (are they?), but I really want to crank up the detail. As for Stalker 2 if it eventually appears- I'd rather like it on the Cryengine3, I'm sure that kind of technology could significantly enhance the immersion and lead to some amazing scary parts - however I'll stop there in case of accidental thread hijack into stalker fanboyism.
june gloom on 7/8/2010 at 18:34
Definitely upgrade. X-Ray is a bit of a hog.
van HellSing on 7/8/2010 at 18:36
Anyone played Cursed Mountain? I see there's a PC version.
