Dying breed? Im not sure..theyre spending a crapload of money on RE5's sound alone..though I suppose that's got a more actiony approach than other survival/horror titles..hrm, I dunno.

Either way, they'll always be around to some extent, thankfully..

Condemned 2 was one of the few games (ever) to have a moment that genuinely scared me.

I guess they're not a dying breed to me because I've rarely ever been scared in horror games.Like movies, I am rarely scared by them.

the only game that scare's me is silent hill i have only played the psp one
and it creeps the *bleep* out of me i think its the music its freaky

I dont think that the survival horror genre is a dying breed in terms of popularity, but their limitations and need to be able to be very story driven and intense turn off many developers.

I dont care if SH5 is not as good as the previous titles in the series. Kudos to the team for trying to continue a genre which faces scrutiny and limitations in todays gaming environment.

I think the real problem is the games just really aren't all that scary. Silent Hill 2 got me once with a cheap pop out scare early in the game. But after that it was just another game.

Luckily, some of the things I find appealing within a horror game (sound quality, graphics, camera angles), are improving as the game market continues to evolve. So maybe in the future, survival horror will make its comeback. It will only take 1 or 2 fantastic horror titles to reignite the genre to its former spark.

This is a damn good analysis of the survival horror genre. Good job, Kotaku.

Survival Horror has been dying for years... Ever since developers realized they could make more money off creating an action game that makes you jump every now and then, rather than a horror game that has you literally surviving (and shitting your pants at) the horrors that are thrown at you. Feel free to improve the gameplay (heck, the survival horror genre needs it), but don't do it in exchange for actual scares, creepy plot, atmosphere, and all-round eeriness. Those things come first in a horror game, always.

Silent Hill and Fatal Frame (and maybe Siren: Blood Curse, though I haven't played it yet) are the main series that have stuck to their roots, though the former is looking a little dubious with it's emphasis on combat in SH: Homecoming (Way to miss the point, Double Helix!) and the latter has made the odd move of "abandoning" it's fans by moving to the Nintendo Wii. While other not-so-well-known survival horror go largely ignored by gamers and horror fans alike simply because we don't know enough about them to know if they warrant a purchase.

Even Resident Evil can't be classed as a survival horror any more. I just hope Silent Hill isn't going to follow. (Here's hoping Kotaku is right that the fans won't be disappointed with Homecoming. I'm looking forward to their review later today).

quote

(I'm looking at your GothicGirl)

I do loves me some good horror.

Respawning Enemies = Worst feature of SH5.

Whats the bloody point. Might as well dodge them..

Exactly. One of my favourite games of all time is Silent Hill 4. Most hate it or disregard it, but I found it fantastic. I was always on edge with the ammo and supplies, and took care of enemies with melee weapons, taking it slow and protecting Eileen. Whats the point now? Kill an enemy for it to come back and cause more damage? I wouldnt mind a respawning enemy or a reoccuring one like Nemesis, Thanatos, or anything that continues to come back and chase you, but having the same old fart rise again to take me on is lame.

Personally horror as i see it died when some smart ass decided more is scarier, me personally i think less is scarier walking down dark corridors and creaking houses without a sign of an enemy is far more un-nerving than a pack of 60 africans coming at me with pitchforks.

I mean sure there might be dread and a sense of how the *bleep* do i win, but there is nothing that taps into the childhood fears, those of being afraid of the dark and the monster that lives under the bed. I think a good survival horror is one that keeps people gripped and on the edge of their seat from beginning to end and only gets them into a fight with a monster a handful of times. Thats good horror, i don't care if it's not mindnumbingly scary but what i do want is an atmospheric adventure where i haven't a clue where the next attack could possibly be.

From what i have seen only Dead Space has done this to my personal satisfaction, that is one game that so far only has 2-3 enemies on screen but uses them atmospherically, the noises they make the look in their eyes when they stare at you in a pitch black room, it's all perfect EA seem to be on my wave legnth that a game can still be chilling and scary without droves of enemies, like witnessed in RE5.

OMFG the Bandersnatches from RE:CVX. Legendary monsters. So silent before they make their presence noticed.

Silent Hill 2 has never been surpassed for me...I've never played another horror adventure that gripped me to the same extent. Silent Hill 1,3,4 were faithful too, especially 4. Resident Evil 5 wont be scary. All the interview shit about a new level of fear is a load of crap.

Dead Space has recently caught my eye. It looks and controls a lot like Resident Evil 4 (apparantly), yet goes for horror rather than action. Thank you EA. This is what Resident Evil should have become. You've got my money; Kudos.

hmmm. I think that the saddest thing of all is, that its almost as if many developers are giving up on the genre, rather than staying with it to perfect it. I believe that with trial and error, and a little bit of communication between consumer and producer, than the genre could really change its image. I see so much potential in many horror games. So many games scrape the surface and give snippets of perfection, but are then lost. I think the variety within horror games need to improve.

Personally, theres nothing wrong with co-op online. But I do not mean split screen, I mean online, with someone with a microphone (preferably a friend) playing with you. Left 4 Dead seems to somewhat touch on this idea a lot, but it seems more like survival rather than atmosphere and buildup. Im going to pick up the title because I can see it breaking some horror boundries and being enjoyed by the majority.

Nothing would freak me out more than having a friend be somewhere within a location on a Silent Hill/Resident Evil type environment and hear them scream on the mic, die, and to have their specific radar location. The "vunerable helpless" character is such a sloppy benchmark for a hero/heroine in the games also. Its such unique and variable play modes within the horror genre which need to be established and trailed with. Theres simply not enough trial and error.

And Final Blade, I feel a lot like you when it comes to movies. They have no substance for scares. Im pretty much the same with the game too.

The genre is just too unpolished at the moment. Games need to draw a little more inspiration from the classics. Halloween, Psycho, and whatnot. Im sick of the "scratching on the walls" being the entirely of a hellish environment in games. Such copouts everywhere. If we take a step back and look at the horror collection over the last 10 years, theres nothing that many of us should be pleased with. Thats my opinion anyway..my post has gone on too long, probably doesnt make sense. Im just so annoying with the state of horror genre.

Dead Space could actually be what Resident Evil was on the PlayStation, if you ask me. As far as RE and SH go...I'm not impressed with either one at all...kinda leaves Fatal Frame (which might just have its last installment on the Wii) and Siren (which Siren 2 is probably not coming till next year) as far as I'm concerned.

Another problem that I have nowadays is that if there's any company even remotely interested in the genre...chances are is that it's going to go mainstream and probably becomes the next F.E.A.R. and label itself Survival Horror. In any case, I think by next year there will probably be one or two development teams working on a survival horror game before they either go bankrupt and close down or they get bought off by some other big company.

So what's our next hope? Double Helix? They haven't made a single GOOD game, EA has a better looking horror game under their belt and it's their first try at the genre? I'll just stick with Sony Japan right now.

Seeker X. I love your excitement over Dead Space. It was actually you, more than anyone else, who really got me interested in the title. Previous posts of yours urged me to go and do deep research on the game, as I find your comments very balanced and matured. Much like you, Im excited for Dead Space. It seems to combine all the best elements of past horror experiences, and yet provides fresh perspectives, and also takes what we WANTED from future horror installments from our franchises. And its so close to release. Im sure you will be getting it on launch day. So will I. I look forward to your thoughts on the game haha


Hmm Im currently working on a horrorgame website-blog-faninterest piece and I hope Dead Space can adaquately contribute to it.

Ahh Resident Evil 2. That game was perfection. No other Resident Evil game felt as epic. Mr X was so freaky.. Much more so than Nemesis. Everyone was awesome in that game.