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Survival horror ain't what it used to be

February 01, 2009 in Blog comments 9

In today's Sunday Musing, Neoseeker's Lydia Sung guts survival horror and shows us what's inside. Sure things have changed, but can't that be a good thing?

The gaming community has a morbid fascination with death, and something is always dying. Apparently E3 is dead, PC gaming is dead, and some say the survival horror genre is dying. Most gamers readily admit that Resident Evil 4 is a great game, but no one is trying to defend it as a survival horror title. Indeed, the Resident Evil franchise has changed over the years, and we're a long way from where Capcom started.
chautemoc via neoseeker.com »
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  • 1
    Seeker X Feb 2, 09
    Interesting piece...

    What is Survival Horror? Quite frankly, I'm not even gonna get into that. Though it is possible to classify which ones are more puzzle/adventure oriented than the others. For example, SIREN compared to Condemned 2, sure...both can be considered horror though they obviously go at it different ways.

    My main issue is that these horror games coming out are usually action oriented where the main character just HAS to have enough fire power to take out an entire army by themselves (Dead Space, Resident Evil 4/5, F.E.A.R., etc.) that it's pretty hard to distinguish it from just an action game (mostly because there's little to NO exploration/puzzle elements)...that's where the debate comes in. I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't be scared of a Vampire movie if the main character turns out to be Van Helsing or something like that.

    So it's not really so much that it's co-op...it's just another genre that's becoming a little too familiar with shooters instead of adventure/puzzle which is how it got started. Left 4 Dead, going at it with 3 other people while everyone's armed to the goddamned teeth...I'm pretty sure you get the point.

    The best example of horror I can think of right now would be SIREN: Blood Curse (The original SH crew just KNOW how to *bleep* you up). It literally has everything a horror film/game should have on their checklist (including playable character deaths).
  • 2
    Hawkeye Feb 2, 09
    When things get too hard, people give up and move on to something else. The problem with survival horror was that it was too hard. The earlier Resident Evil games were far superior to RE4 (in my opinion, at least) but look what happened as soon as you gave every player an infinite amount of life and health? Suddenly people can finish the game without trying and now everyone loves it.

    Laziness is killing the survival horror genre.
    • 1
      ShadowJ Feb 3, 09
      TBH it's not survival horror that this has happened too. IMO these last few years every game genre has suffered with this disease called "dumbing the game down" syndrome.

      When you compare games from the 90's/Early 00's to the late 00's, it can be clearly seen that the difficulty ratings have well...dropped. Don't get me wrong, there are some games I love from these last few years but the classics will always win.

      Resident Evil debate is the same as the Elder Scrolls debate but different genres. I prefer the older games out the two franchises to the more recent ones. Oblivion is awesome but compared to Morrowind, it's like comparing the stereotypes of a supermodel and a geek....supermodel has looks but no brains and a geek has brains but no the looks (yes I was careful and mentioned stereotypes so shush )

      Anyway I think my point has been made and so no need to continue rambling at 3:30am
    • 0
      GrEyCrEsT Mar 20, 09
      quote Hawkeye
      When things get too hard, people give up and move on to something else. The problem with survival horror was that it was too hard. The earlier Resident Evil games were far superior to RE4 (in my opinion, at least) but look what happened as soon as you gave every player an infinite amount of life and health? Suddenly people can finish the game without trying and now everyone loves it.

      Laziness is killing the survival horror genre.


      • they should create a horror game without game cheats or anything
  • 0
    Killosity Feb 3, 09
    I loved Dead Space because, whilst nowhere near perfect, It really did try to revive and reinvigorate survival horror mechanics. Overall, the game was pretty awesome for me as a player, and I truly admire their dedication to attempting a revival of genre mechanics.

    Silent Hill: Homecoming clings onto enough Survival elements for it to warrant a purchase.
    • 0
      chautemoc* Feb 3, 09
      Nowhere near perfect? Really? I think it's about as close as you get. The game is a true gem in my opinion.
      • 0
        GrEyCrEsT Mar 20, 09
        quote chautemoc
        Nowhere near perfect? Really? I think it's about as close as you get. The game is a true gem in my opinion.


        • not in mine
  • 1
    Seeker X Feb 3, 09
    quote
    TBH it's not survival horror that this has happened too. IMO these last few years every game genre has suffered with this disease called "dumbing the game down" syndrome.
    Agreed. Using Siren as an example again...Siren for the PS2 was a *bleep*ing BITCH to play, I'd personally congratulate the first bastard who DIDN'T get through the game with a guide. However, SIREN for the PS3 (while the greatest horror game ever IMO) was too easy...especially compared to Silent Hill: Homecoming, which is ironic cause I believe Siren kicks SH's ass. Though of course, it does make it more accessible for more people to enjoy, I guess. I can understand the frustration you can get from playing games like those.

    quote
    I loved Dead Space because, whilst nowhere near perfect, It really did try to revive and reinvigorate survival horror mechanics.
    They definitely went the extra mile with Dead Space with its smooth controls and the best real time inventory control in a horror game ever.

    quote
    Silent Hill: Homecoming clings onto enough Survival elements for it to warrant a purchase.
    Unfortunately I couldn't stand Homecoming at all. Felt too extremely linear with...probably the slowest progressing storyline, second to Dead Space and that is saying something.
  • 0
    chautemoc* Feb 3, 09
    quote
    They definitely went the extra mile with Dead Space with its smooth controls and the best real time inventory control in a horror game ever.

    Agreed. I'm still in love with the controls. I was really surprised when I first played it -- I kinda didn't think they could be done that well!

    I love the RPG elements in the game, with the weapons/items and all..the upgrade system seems to borrow heavily from FFX, which is very welcome by me.

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