Outlast - 8
After much deliberation, I settled on Outlast. But it isn’t this game’s jump scares that kept me awake at night, but its nightmarish characters.
Playing as an investigative journalist you follow a lead to a dilapidated, run down mental institution. Armed with nothing but a video camera, you head in to the seemingly deserted facility, only to find that derelict building is far from abandoned.
The hospital’s remaining, insane inmates take it in turns to hunt you. Some will leap out at you from nowhere to set your pulse racing, while other will stalk you for long periods that will have your heart in your throat.
But what really scared me were those who stalked you with more demented purpose. These characters retained enough of themselves to still be coherent, but were now far beyond help. It was this beyond the edge of reason - almost still here but not quite – that terrified me. Especially when it lead to me watching my characters fingers being sliced off before my eyes in a slow, torturous cut-scene.
It’s not for the faint hearted, but if you want to be terrified, Outlast is hard to beat – which is why we gave it 8/10.
Alone in the Dark - 8
Maria has gone old school for her choice. And while Resident Evil is considered by many to the father of the survival horror, there were a few games that came before it, including the 1992 title Alone in the Dark.
Set in Louisiana during the 20’s you get to pick between controlling Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, as the search a mansion looking for clues as the murder of Jeremy Hartwood – Emily’s uncle.
Both characters’ stories play out identically, but their motivations give them a different feel. Plus as the game allows for total freedom as you explore the large house’s many halls, you can find subsequent play throughs feel quite different.
This is especially true thanks to Alone in the Dark’s mix of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat, which forces you to move back and forth across the mansion, vanquishing its Lovecraftian inhabitants along the way.
Alone in the Dark was followed by multiple sequels, all of which continue to follow the paranormal detective Edward Carnby. The first three of these remain great games having maintained much of the franchises feel of exploration – even if they were a bit more linear. You may want to skip the later ones though…
While graphically it may not hold up, Maria has given Alone in the Dark 8/10. But only on computers – avoid the mobile game if you can.
FEAR
FEAR is Dani’s pick, and while it is more action focused it is no less scary for it. Developed by Monolith, this game maintains many of the company’s wacky over the top gunplay, making every battle feel crazy.
Taking on intelligent AI, you will have to regularly change up your tactics as your opponents constantly flank and out maneuver you. Luckily you have many tools at your disposal – including a slow-motion ability that allows you to grind time to a halt in order to shoot grenades out of the air. And there is nothing quite like watching a room full of enemies be taken out by their own grenade – especially when accompanied by Fear’s fantastic audio design.
But is not just action, and Fear takes a lot of inspiration from Asian horror. Alma, one of the main enemies of the game, feels like she was lifted straight from the Japanese movie the Ring – and she is not above sneaking up behind you for a good jump scare.
The action and horror blend perfectly. After destroying your human foes, you think you are almost invincible. Then comes the horror, breaking your spirit and making you feel like an insect in front of the game’s paranormal forces. Then, as the shock subsides, you hear the human enemies moving against you again – which is almost a relief as you become their unstoppable force.
Even though Fear has had two sequels, the original remains the best – which is why Dani has given it 9 out of 10.
After much deliberation, I settled on Outlast. But it isn’t this game’s jump scares that kept me awake at night, but its nightmarish characters.
Playing as an investigative journalist you follow a lead to a dilapidated, run down mental institution. Armed with nothing but a video camera, you head in to the seemingly deserted facility, only to find that derelict building is far from abandoned.
The hospital’s remaining, insane inmates take it in turns to hunt you. Some will leap out at you from nowhere to set your pulse racing, while other will stalk you for long periods that will have your heart in your throat.
But what really scared me were those who stalked you with more demented purpose. These characters retained enough of themselves to still be coherent, but were now far beyond help. It was this beyond the edge of reason - almost still here but not quite – that terrified me. Especially when it lead to me watching my characters fingers being sliced off before my eyes in a slow, torturous cut-scene.
It’s not for the faint hearted, but if you want to be terrified, Outlast is hard to beat – which is why we gave it 8/10.
Alone in the Dark - 8
Maria has gone old school for her choice. And while Resident Evil is considered by many to the father of the survival horror, there were a few games that came before it, including the 1992 title Alone in the Dark.
Set in Louisiana during the 20’s you get to pick between controlling Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, as the search a mansion looking for clues as the murder of Jeremy Hartwood – Emily’s uncle.
Both characters’ stories play out identically, but their motivations give them a different feel. Plus as the game allows for total freedom as you explore the large house’s many halls, you can find subsequent play throughs feel quite different.
This is especially true thanks to Alone in the Dark’s mix of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat, which forces you to move back and forth across the mansion, vanquishing its Lovecraftian inhabitants along the way.
Alone in the Dark was followed by multiple sequels, all of which continue to follow the paranormal detective Edward Carnby. The first three of these remain great games having maintained much of the franchises feel of exploration – even if they were a bit more linear. You may want to skip the later ones though…
While graphically it may not hold up, Maria has given Alone in the Dark 8/10. But only on computers – avoid the mobile game if you can.
FEAR
FEAR is Dani’s pick, and while it is more action focused it is no less scary for it. Developed by Monolith, this game maintains many of the company’s wacky over the top gunplay, making every battle feel crazy.
Taking on intelligent AI, you will have to regularly change up your tactics as your opponents constantly flank and out maneuver you. Luckily you have many tools at your disposal – including a slow-motion ability that allows you to grind time to a halt in order to shoot grenades out of the air. And there is nothing quite like watching a room full of enemies be taken out by their own grenade – especially when accompanied by Fear’s fantastic audio design.
But is not just action, and Fear takes a lot of inspiration from Asian horror. Alma, one of the main enemies of the game, feels like she was lifted straight from the Japanese movie the Ring – and she is not above sneaking up behind you for a good jump scare.
The action and horror blend perfectly. After destroying your human foes, you think you are almost invincible. Then comes the horror, breaking your spirit and making you feel like an insect in front of the game’s paranormal forces. Then, as the shock subsides, you hear the human enemies moving against you again – which is almost a relief as you become their unstoppable force.
Even though Fear has had two sequels, the original remains the best – which is why Dani has given it 9 out of 10.
Category
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Tech