Ultimate Videogame Topic 2: Because 600 pages isn't enough.

[Iecerint]

OK, this Halloween I've resolved to stop being a baby and play some scary games. I'm trying to take advantage of the Steam and GOG sales. So far I've got Amnesia: The Dark Descent and F.E.A.R. 2. Re-installing Dead Space as well. I like the look of Alan Wake, Home, the Alone in the Dark games, Outlast, and Scratches. I want to get into RE or Silent Hill, but have no idea where to begin. And what about some of these indie games? Anna, Lucius, Damned, Deadly Premonition, Dark Fall... anyone play these?

Would like some feedback.

Echo the Dolphin is terrifying.

[Umbrage]

yeah that's some scary shit

[Rainbowdash]

OK, this Halloween I've resolved to stop being a baby and play some scary games. I'm trying to take advantage of the Steam and GOG sales. So far I've got Amnesia: The Dark Descent and F.E.A.R. 2. Re-installing Dead Space as well. I like the look of Alan Wake, Home, the Alone in the Dark games, Outlast, and Scratches. I want to get into RE or Silent Hill, but have no idea where to begin. And what about some of these indie games? Anna, Lucius, Damned, Deadly Premonition, Dark Fall... anyone play these?

Would like some feedback.

If you are talking about the 2008 Alone in the Dark, don't play it. Its one of the only games I actually stopped playing because it was so unfun. The controls are bad, the story is bad, the characters are bad, the "horror" is not there, the platforming and driving sections have been done better by any game that has a platformer or driving section (for that matter probably some that DONT have platformer/driving sections)... its just a really really bad game. I actually feel ripped off having paid under $5 for it.

FEAR2 also is just your standard simple shooter you should be able to beat in a weekend on the hardest difficulty. Not "horror" apart from the predictable jump scares, fairly nonsensical in plot, and for some reason gives you next to unlimited bullet-time ability that basically turns a simple shooter into one that you almost feel bad for the computer because almost as unfair as the "Press X to kill anything" mech segments

[Umbrage]

did you play FEAR 1?

OK I think I've narrowed it down:

Alan Wake
Outlast
Home
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
Jericho
Deadlight
Doorways
Damned
Paranormal
Scratches

I want to shave at least 10 bucks off that, so I think I'm going to have to drop Damned, Outlast, or Paranormal. Can't decide though. Damned is MP which seems very interesting, but I'm hearing great things about Outlast and I like the idea behind Paranormal, it looks really scary. Grr.

[Sudo_Nym]

I thought Alan Wake was really clunky, mechanically. I really didn't care for the "Shine your flashlight at things and then shoot them" mechanic. The story was pretty decent, though.

[Umbrage]

meh, Damned and Paranormal both look really unfinished

they can wait

also dropping Deadlight for The Swapper because fuck it that game looks awesome.

[Umbrage]

Also: The Walking Dead Season 2 is available for pre-order.

Clem is confirmed as the PC.

[kuribo]

Doom 2 you jerk

[Natirasha]

Anyone here beat the new Ace Attorney?

[IH]

Wait the new ace attorney is out in NA?

Also, the first dead space is SO GOOD. I had no idea. I mean I knew it was good but not THIS good.

[Gammagooey]

Anyone here beat the new Ace Attorney?

yesyes

final case is awesome as final AA cases tend to be

[bv310]

I thought Alan Wake was really clunky, mechanically. I really didn't care for the "Shine your flashlight at things and then shoot them" mechanic. The story was pretty decent, though.

Oh good lord yes. Combat in that game felt "old". Story and exploring made up for it though.

Also: The Walking Dead Season 2 is available for pre-order.

Clem is confirmed as the PC.

I'm going to have a hard time with the inevitable death scenes. With Lee, it was one thing, but I'm already emotionally invested in Clementine.

[AurorusVox]

I like the look of Alan Wake, Home, the Alone in the Dark games, Outlast, and Scratches. I want to get into RE or Silent Hill, but have no idea where to begin. And what about some of these indie games? Anna, Lucius, Damned, Deadly Premonition, Dark Fall... anyone play these?

Home is okay but don't believe them when they say you'll play it more than once. When I bought it, you couldn't save and exit so I played it through in one sitting (about 90 mins maybe??). I tried to replay it but felt no drive to do during the first floor at all. There's an interesting spooky atmosphere in the game and it's got an engaging narrative of sorts. And I think it's pretty cheap.

I wouldn't bother with Dark Fall (or at least the third game). It has incredible art direction and the screenshots lured me in last Halloween, but I found the puzzles to be incredible frustrating and hard to follow. Jumping in and out to use a guide repeatedly broke the immersion - and thus the horror - for me.

Resident Evil stopped being "horror" after (with?) RE4. You could try some of the older games if your tolerance for poor controls and blocky graphics is high - they're well worth it IMO. If you have a Wii (or even a GameCube) the Resi remake on there was brilliant, and would be my suggestion for the starting point. I loved Resi 2 but then it was one of the first PSX games I played through properly. Resi 3 was fun as well, and Resi 4 is renowned for being one of the best games in the series (although it took Resi towards its more action orientated gameplay that you see in the games that came afterwards). Allegedly "Resident Evil: Revelations" is a trip back to its horror roots, so could check that one out (I think they're all 66% off somewhere - maybe Steam, iuno)

Ah, now. For the main attraction: Silent Hill.

If you can tolerate PSX graphics, then start with the original Silent Hill, no question about it. Play through all the games in order. I mean, you can stop after "The Room" since they go downhill steadily from that point onwards, but hell, I love the mythos and lap it all up. The only one I haven't touched yet is Downpour. Homecoming (the only PC one on Steam afaik) is not the best place to start in any way, shape or form. Best game in the series is undoubtedly SH2 from the PS2, BUT there are lots of nods back to the first game in both that game and the later ones (SH3 is a sequel to the first, and a good game in its own right). Honestly, SH2 is one of my favourite games of all time, and definitely my favourite horror game without a shadow of a doubt. I still replay the games today, and must have completed the first two a dozen times between them. SH1 is where it all started, great moments, great atmosphere, great NPCs and although the story is a bit wonky it serves its purpose well. SH2 has SUPERB atmosphere, the storyline has incredible depth to it, it's packed with tension, the creatures are largely meaningfully created and look perfect, the NPCs are well developed, the puzzles are brilliant (with different riddle difficulties separate from action difficulty)...just please, play that game. SH3 had improved graphics which made some of the environments look INCREDIBLE, and also I think the best puzzles in the series. SH4 had its own quirks, which sometimes were frustrating but sometimes created huge moments of tension. It featured a unique first person "room" mechanic which was interesting but still probably the weakest of the first four games. There was also Origins, which is a shorter game, had some good moments, fills the story in quite a lot, but was a smaller budget and not as purely horror orientated; Homecoming, which was MUCH more action focused; and Shattered Memories, an interesting reimagining of the first game, which did away with combat entirely IIRC, replacing it with chase sequences which honestly just got on my nerves after a while :\

If you are interested in Silent Hill, you should also totally get Lone Survivor. There's also a demake of SH2 called Soundless Mountain II which is free and worth a look. Also 2D and also free is a game called Ascension which bugged out and broke on me too many times to play through, but you might have better luck. It was pretty damn scary.

Other recommendations include Clive Barker's Undying and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, both on sale at GOG.com at the moment (I think IHNM is also on sale on Steam). Undying is an interesting horror FPS, and IHNM is a very fucked up point n click based on the short story by Harlan Ellison.

Bottom line is play Silent Hill 1-3 at least >_>

EDIT: Get Undying over Jericho. Graphically a lot poorer; mechanically far superior.

[xRECKONERx]

Fatal Frame.

[AurorusVox]

Reck

I've never played Fatal Frame ;_;

[xRECKONERx]

It will fuck you up.

[hitogoroshi]

Anyone here beat the new Ace Attorney?

Cleared the first three cases last weekend, so will probably manage to knock it out this weekend. Then we can talk about it.

Wait the new ace attorney is out in NA?

eshop only.

[jmj3000]

Fatal Frame.

I watched my cousin play this a few years ago. It scared nee, and we had a guide.

[Quilford]

Playing AA. I gotta say, I'm not fond of some aspects of the new aesthetic. And I don't think first cases were this lame in the previous games. Hopefully it gets better.

[hitogoroshi]

And I don't think first cases were this lame in the previous games. Hopefully it gets better.

It's probably recency bias. Almost every first case is really lame EXCEPT for Apollo Justice where it's frikkin amazing.

[Quilford]

AJ first case was fantastic yeah.

This one just seemed too exposition heavy and a bit boring character/crime wise.

The second case is shaping up nicely though.

[Parama]

oh damn. I guess I'll have to stop reading this thread because I don't want any spoilers for AA5. you bastards.
I should replay through all the games. well except the first one.

[Quilford]

haha i forgot how adorbs polly's courtroom sprites are

[Quilford]

gluh the second case resolved lamely.

third case looks good! please!

[Quilford]

there's been a distinct lack of MINDFUCKery so far.