Do horror fans really want survival horror to make a comeback?

[Guest]

I was wondering, do you as horror fans want old school survival horror to come back? Or are you happy with the direction of action horror the genre has become today? Do you feel fully 3D environments and 360 degree camera controls are a necessity in this day and age? Or do you like the suspense added by not being able to look round corners? While 3D environments are cheaper to make, is that what you want from "survival horror?"

I will post my opinions later, but I'd be interested to hear what you actually want from survival horror in this generation of gaming...

[Kei_M]

I don't think a successful horror game needs to have fixed camera angles or limited ammo. I think what we need, more than a return to past success, is new blood with new ideas to bring horror in new exciting ways.

[Guest]

So if you could make your perfect horror game, how would you do it? What is it that you want besides innovation? How do we make it new and more exciting for you? The direction we seem to be headed in today is that we need more zombies, more guns and more ammo. Dead Rising has done well to add layers of fun and comedy to the genre, but that actually goes back to old ideas from the old days of zombie movies. Left for Dead or Nazi Zombies has given us more more more, but it's not necessarily scary or more fun than other zombie games. Resident Evil seems to be doing a similar thing, making the games fast paced requiring quick thinking and reactions to form suspense. It's my personal opinion that more isn't always better and that atmosphere creates suspense without overloading the player with zombies, guns and ammo. This is kind of why I ask because there's only one of two ways to take the genre, I know what I want, but I really don't know what other people want. Dead Rising is a kind of zombie sand box where you can chill and have fun, Nazi Zombies is extreme and you have to be constantly on your toes, typical survival horror like Resident Evil or Silent Hill falls somewhere inbetween, if we were to take it further what can we really do?

[Zombie_X]

I would like to see a return to Survival Horror, but I know a true experience like the past RE games won't happen.

• I think the game should be 3rd/1st person, 3rd person being the general view of the game from behind the back, then 1st person would be a toggle option for exploration.
• Fighting with enemies would be a mix of 1st/3rd person where it would switch the 1st when a zombie attacks and grabs you, then after you push them off it will be 3rd person.
• I would say enemies would be stronger/weaker/faster/slower depending on their size, rate of decay, and sex.
• Some areas would have a forced first person exploration view where in which you can hear yourself breathe, feel your heart pounding, here your avatars inner thoughts (maybe).
• The more anxious or nervous your character is the more clumsy and less accurate they will be with navigating, aiming their gun, and fighting.
• You can create a diversion for zombies by tossing an item past them and let them be drawn to the sound, that way you can slip by.
• More emphasis on physical and close quarters combat and less on shooting. Gun shots can draw the undead toward you because of the noise, so a blunt object and a quick kill are best.
• When you have no weapons you can resort to using hand to hand combat, but the risk of getting bit or attacked is much higher.
• Environments will vary from dark and light areas, day and night, foggy and clear visuals.
• Lighting will play a large part to the game play. You can see the shadows of zombies or other enemies being cast on a wall or the ground. Then again they will see your shadow as well, so think carefully where you tread. Also the use of flashlights, lanterns, and lights in general will be discouraged because it can alert the enemies to your presence.

Just some ideas I have.

[Guest]

I get where you're coming from with that. Sounds like you're quite happy with the 3rd person perspective we see today and would like it to be improved on from what has already been built, I.e RE4 style? Me personally I like the look of REmake, as nice as 3D graphics are I like the fixed backgrounds with dynamic camera angles. I guess for me horror games are more of a visual experience than an action based experience, I like the environments more than the gameplay elements them selves. Of course you can't have a game without decent gameplay elements, but they don't define the experience for me, part of the horror is actually feeling like I'm there in the picture. When things are whizzing past you and you're too busy thinking about how to kill the next zombie it kind of takes away from those visual experiences, if you just look at some of REmakes backgrounds it would be hard to make them stand out so much when everything moves so fast. Like in RE4 I didn't take note of many of the environments, all I saw was wood, trees, grass and stone, nothing really got stuck in my mind. With static backgrounds every piece of art is unique and beautiful in its own way, that's what I really appreciate in the horror experience.

UC and DSC are probably my favourite post CG era RE games, having the first person viewpoint really helps you immerse your self in the world, I don't like it as much as static backgrounds but I feel having no control over the camera makes scenes far more memorable to me.

[Zombie_X]

True, I just find this style a bit more fitting. I don't like the RE4/5 camera style that much though, it's too close to the character. Maybe have it zoom out a bit but still have emphasis on the player?

The first person exploration parts would be kinda like Amnesia, while third person would be similar to older RE games, but your character would appear to be more cautious.

[Guest]

True, I just find this style a bit more fitting. I don't like the RE4/5 camera style that much though, it's too close to the character. Maybe have it zoom out a bit but still have emphasis on the player?

The first person exploration parts would be kinda like Amnesia, while third person would be similar to older RE games, but your character would appear to be more cautious.

Kind of like 3.5? Reading your post back it sounds quite fitting of what you describe, not including the first person elements. Never heard of Amnesia :/ will have to check it out z

[Beanovsky Durst]

A "Survival horror" game, IMO, needs 1st and foremost a great atmosphere. Dead Space could be an example of how to do that on modern gaming. Action elements aside, the dark areas and the fact that a Necromoph could pop out of nowhere could make you uneasy... REmake also had an eerie vibe, the detail on BG was amazing, dark corridors, dim lights. Use of darkness and light is essential for a "scary" experience.

As for gameplay, it's all in balancing survival and action. Close quarter areas with enemies and exploration/puzzles, fixed camera angles to show clues; open areas with shitloads of action, over the shoulder cam so action sequences can be present... Maybe be a mix of both, a closed space crammed with enemies, forcing you to run since fighting back is plain suicide, that's survival & action for me.
FPS could work too. While not an actual Survival Horror title, Doom 3 is an excellent display of how to add scary elements on a first person perspective. Enemies could creep out of the shadows, and were hard to see....

I think SH Downpour had some interesting concepts on how to update the survival horror genre. I liked how it had some "open world" game elements, interesting side missions, which in the end add to the experience.

[Dracarys]

Alan Wake gameplay without the linear level design would do me, a limited openworld would be fine. Give lots of side missions with worthwhile rewards for doing them.

What I dislike about modern survival horror attempts is most seem to think the combat system has to be clunky and limited. Not PS1 days anymore, wish they would stop trying to play like one, there is a good reason many bomb in reviews.

[Guest]

What I dislike about modern survival horror attempts is most seem to think the combat system has to be clunky and limited. Not PS1 days anymore, wish they would stop trying to play like one, there is a good reason many bomb in reviews.

In what way?

[Beanovsky Durst]

Might be a reference to tank controls on RE5, or the combat system in both Homecoming and Downpour... There are ways to make combat fluid and challenging, without going full CoD mode.

[I_Am_Nemesis]

Survival Horror will make a come back, i just dont think they will resemble the survival horror games of old. Dead Space is the perfect example of a modern day survival Horror game, they are now more action orientated, bigger and better production values (voice acting has seriously improved) and much more fast paced. The biggest problem people have with survival horror games is that they just arent scary anymore. This could be due to many different varaible factors, for example were all older now, video games arent as new as they used to be and there for we have already witnessed more or less every type of horror that a game can throw at us. its just like movies, they arent scary any more, even though they more or less use the same formula as before. Alien was once considered one of the scariest films alive, because no body had seen anything like this before. Resident Evil was once considered scary because again, we hadnt really witnessed anything quite like it (of course i know its not the first horror film ever made). Now however when we look back at Alien or Resident Evil we cant help but wonder why we were ever scared in the first place, and now, with the arrival of new horror games, we feel like they havn't brought anything new to the genre other than more numerous jump scares. but nothing that brings about that sense of tension and foreboding. The only game ive played recently that comes close to this is Dead space.

Basically i think that what im getting at is that, to make a come back, survival horror has to change into something new and unseen. Something thats pretty hard to do in this day and age. I have no idea what this new type of survival horror should, or will be like, im not that innovative.

[WeskerSexyCheez]

Absolutely. I have to admit liking the Dead Space series. It is hard to describe; they didn't really do anything new in terms of horror gaming, but somehow I felt like they kind of refreshed it a bit. I know it was never "Survival Horror" as we know it, with limited ammo and clever camera angles, but it was the old-school claustrophobia that I loved. The first Dead Space may have relied on jump scares most of the time, but then again Resident Evil always kind of has. The feeling of being totally trapped was, however, like being back in Silent Hill in the early days. I still hope for a day when a game comes out that does the following;

-Makes the player feel truly alone, even with other characters present
-Encourages the player to plan ahead
-Uses the surroundings and atmosphere, not just enemies to create fear
-Relying on silence as much as music to set the scene

I guess those are just the things I find build tension in me the best. They do not automatically make a good game though, we all know it is more complex than that. I do think that those four things help make a good horror game though.

[Code_R]

There's nothing wrong with the current control schemes, the problem is the level of actual horror content. RE5 threw in too many dumb car chases, stupid enemy designs and forced co-op which drains away the creep factor. Dead Space did it right, the sequel kinda lost it though. Not interested in how Silent Hill has turned out since the PS2 days, perhaps I should rent the newest one though.

What I want from a good horror game is great level design, great sound design and an interesting story. I want to feel immersed. Not too big on puzzles, but why not keep a few in there. There's no need for the 6 square inventory or the fixed perspective tank controls to return, they are archaic and don't really add to the experience that much. I think camera controls you can use mixed with fixed angles for certain areas would work though. Limited items works when you have limited enemies - having those stupid areas where 200 guys chase you with tasers and axes isn't scary or fun.

[Guest]

I absolutely agree on the Dead Space point, DS2 is by far the scariest game of this generation is the best example of survival horror from present. The section where you returned to the Ishimura was the scariest for me, it was deadly silent and there were no enemies around, I was absolutely crapping my pants because I had no idea what was coming next, all I knew was that I was shitting bricks. Truely amazing game, real horror.