Two Classic Characters Return For Resident Evil 5's Mercenaries Reunion
15 hours 22 mins ago
Kotaku's Leigh Alexander goes in depth with the rise and fall of the survival horror genre. A look at how today's gamers are almost too impatiant to appreciate the ambiance and nuances of the genre and require constant stimulation - which is why they are drawn to games like Halo or Call of Duty.
Old favorites such as the Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Fatal Frame series are unfortunatly a dying breed - it is up to us dedicated fans (I'm looking at your GothicGirl) to keep the genre alive.
Resident Evil is said to be born from a Japanese horror movie, Sweet Home (which was actually based on an NES game of the same name). Although Sweet Home itself took its inspiration in turn from several Western movies, it nonetheless carries with it the strong hallmark of the way Japanese culture treats horror and that distinctly Japanese fear factor is what made Konamis Silent Hill, Tecmos Fatal Frame, and Sony Japans Siren what they are.
The West and the East have distinctly different approaches to creating fear in entertainment media, uniquely rooted in their respective cultural histories. Though its doubtless had numerous influences from Western films and games we mentioned Alone in the Dark, for example the Japanese aesthetic for survival horror video games relies heavily on ghosts, ritual, and the unseen. This results in a fear environment that is primarily psychological, contrasted with a Western approach that is more visceral and action-oriented. Think American slasher fics versus Japanese haunting films for a basic example.
News story attached to:
- Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly [PS2]
- Fatal Frame [Xbox, PS2]
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis [GC, DC, PSX, PC]
- Resident Evil 2 [PC]
- Resident Evil 5 [PC, PS3, XBOX360]
- Resident Evil [Wii, GC, PSX]
- Resident Evil 4 [PC, GC, PS2]
- Silent Hill [PSX]
- Silent Hill 2 [PC, PS2]
- Silent Hill 3 [PS2]
- Silent Hill 4: The Room [Xbox, PS2]
Additional sources:
- Does Survival Horror Really Still Exist? (gonintendo.com)
- Does Survival Horror Still Exist? (dreamdawn.com)
Latest comment:
Most recently commented on by on Oct 1, 2008
Most recently commented on by on Oct 1, 2008
Comments
Either way, they'll always be around to some extent, thankfully..
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.
and it creeps the *bleep* out of me i think its the music its freaky
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.
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).
To many game developers are dumbing games down for the casual masses.Sadly develpopers seems to be all about the money and not the games these days.Developers are quite happy to alienate long time series fans as long as they get an extra few million.
The original team loves it too much I think to *bleep* it up, themselves anyway..
I have no idea if SH5 will be great or not though..I hope so..
Whats the bloody point. Might as well dodge them..
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.
Fear/tension come to me from not knowing where or when an enemy is going to attack me.
The Bandersnatches in RE: CXV would scare the living daylights out of me.You would enter a room with seemingly no enemies.Next second an arm comes launching at you knocking you on your ass.That used to scare me every time.
I find it the same with movies.I'm more scared of what I don't see than what I do.I think it's because the unknown is more scary than the known.
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.
Silent Hill 2 is the peak of survival horror imo ... or at least, psychological horror. A horror game knows it has succeeded when it has players feeling uneasy over something as simple as stumbling across a mannequin wearing a pink dress.
Even without the horror, SH2's plot and detail alone is a cut above the majority of video games.
As for this, well I can see how people may be sad thats its almost a dying breed, but thats what happens.
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.
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.
Hmm Im currently working on a horrorgame website-blog-faninterest piece and I hope Dead Space can adaquately contribute to it.
I was sleeping over my buddies house, and we had just started playing it. We got up to the bit where you are walking through the hallways and the crows break the windows and attack you, or when the zombies break through the boards (on the other side of the station) and grab you.
The two of us jumped out of our skin - and until I had picked up a copy of Silent Hill 2 - I had never been more scared in my life.
Honestly though - as a more mature gamer now - cheap pop out thrills just don't do it for me anymore. It is about atmosphere and ambiance.
Games like Condemned, Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Universe, Fatal Frame, and Siren are the new bag for me (I mean I was always a Fatal Frame fan, but still).
It is about dim lighting, creepy levels, and ambient noise - that's what really sets the tone.
Blood dragged along the walls, an empty wheelchair rolling across the hallway in front of you, opening a door, or a locker and not knowing what to expect on the other side.
Fear isn't about one instance getting your heart to jump and scare you for a second or two. Fear is about a constant state of emotional panic and trauma, never knowing what to expect. You should not be relaxed at all - you should be breathing quickly, your heart should be racing, and you should be sweating - all well before you ever even see an enemy.
That is fear - that is horror - that is what we need to see more of.
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