What horror game marked a before and after in your life?

[Kuroneko_rg]

Horror games has always been a must be in my collection ever since I was a child. The very first horror game I played was the first Alone in the Dark. Well, it's not as if the game was scary, but still it was my starting point with survival horror.

When Resident Evil got out it was amazing. A mansion filled with zombies and other fiends? Bring the fear on!
However, I failed to get scared from it. Zombies and other monsters around? Mmm... nothing the good old shotgun can't fix!
Resident Evil 2 did have some impact on me, probably because it's setting. A town filled with zombies is probably easier to
associate with real life than a mansion in the middle of nowhere.
Again, nothing a gun in one hand and a shotgun in the other couldn't fix.

Then, it came the moment of Silent Hill... An horror without precedents at the moment. I've never had so much fear in my
life as when I first played it. I was like "Don't worry... You have a gun... just get past the hallway WTF!! HOLY SH**!!!".
... I think that pretty much summarize what I felt through it...

The point here is that Silent Hill shocked me that badly, that ever since I found a hard time in getting scared with other horror games.
Newer Silent Hill titles were good but failed in the matter (At least with me).
The only games that got my nerves besides it was Fatal Frame, and Fatal Frame II. Fatal Frame III ultimately failed in
scaring me though it was still a good game.

Well, enough about me.
What horror game did you played that actually made you scared? And I mean scared enough to have occasional nightmares
about it.

[HumbertTheHorse]

What a great topic.

Did it make me scared? I can't remember but the original Phantasmagoria for the PC by Sierra still comes into my mind every once in awhile. A scene of a person being forced to eat through a funnel, the infamous rape scene, the woman lead having her head cleaved in two when you don't escape from the chair in time.

The 7th Gate didn't scare me so much as it turned me onto 3D, the game came with a making of VHS Tape showing the wire frames of the mansion in 3D Studio for DOS. So that marked a significant change from a horror game.

[Kuroneko_rg]

The name sounds familiar but haven't played it. I do however have a thing for old games, so I'll look for it if I get any free time.

[Destiny]

My first Horror game was Resident Evil 0
I was kind of really disappointed by it because even on easy mode I was always stuck somewhere when the ammo was just gone shortly before a main boss...

My first real impact with a horror game was the Fatal Frame-series.
I totally love it (I'm even administrator on a german help board) and like the creepy way of asian horror that is in that game as well as the total lack of action. I get really hectic when many enemys are rushing towards me, it gets loud and everything around me is falling apart. But the fights in Fatal Frame are kind of very calm. The ghosts are hiding in the walls and you can't rush anything but have to dodge the attacks precicly and wait for the final blow to attack. It got kind of a rythm in there and is still thrilling.

Eternal Darkness is the other Horror game I deeply love.
I haven't finished it yet (I got it two month ago but university is keeping me from playing), but the crude horror of those lurking creatures and the sanity meter make it a really scary thing.

I never played Silent Hill (like I wrote, action games aren't mine), but I watched every walkthough and love the series with all my heart.
But of course, except from inspiration I never got anything (not even some chills) since the real thrill comes when you play it yourself.

[LVUER]

Hmmm... I didn't play much horror game, especially since I was easily frightened as little kid (even a horror kid TV shows makes me very scared). I even can't go to horror attraction in festivals. Though I want to play horror games from time to time, but being scared I rarely finish them (just playing them needs me to brace myself).

But I remember I really want to play Resident Evil 2 A LOT. So lots that I went to my friends (who have PSX) house to play it. So when they released the PC version, I was overjoyed and bought it immediately. Resident Evil 2 scared me a lot... and makes me jump a lot too (that scarecrows bursting from the windows, damn... it made me throw the controller).

The good side, after finishing RE2, I'm not scared easily anymore (or perhaps not scared of anything at all anymore...). Which is a good thing. Thank you, RE2 (^_^)

[icebluehost]

I remember being scared while playing Code Veronica but that was when I was younger. I didn't play it again since so I don't know if it'll still be scary for me. I wasn't scared of Fatal Frame II when I played it (just kept cursing at how slow Miyo was). Then again I was playing this in the day. I might have a different reaction if I played the game at night. I don't really count 'jumping in surprise when something pops out or comes out' as scared because anyone would be surprised and would jump when something suddenly pops out and tries to attack you or if the background music is silent then suddenly blasts out in full volume.

Horror games with guns don't scare me because they don't give you the feeling on being helpless and frightened. The Resident Evil series made me feel awesome for kicking zombie butt XD

Haven't tried other horror games, but I've heard that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is really scary.

I don't think it's horror, but the otome DS game Kurayami no Hate de Kimi wo Matsu freaked me out a little. Even though I couldn't understand all of their conversations the images really made an impression on me. Especially the CGs where people die. It's not a "scream hysterically" scary, but it's still gave me chills.

999 also made me feel nervous and a bit disturbed by the death CGs.

[Kuroneko_rg]

@LVUER
Yeah, RE 2 has many "Gotcha!" moments, especially when playing the B scenarios. I remember doubting when passing near windows
in real life after playing that game.

@icebluehost
Code Veronica was really boring to me. I even when through the first hour of play slashing zombies with the knife.

Headphones+Midnight might give you quite a different feeling when playing Fatal Frame 2, or any other Fatal Frame title.

Yeah, the scaring feeling Resident Evil gives at first goes away as long as you have your old pal shotgun with you(That or a wide
amount of ammo).

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is VERY scary. It psychologically attacks you and is quite hard to get used to it.

I've been willing to have some free time to play 999. I got initially hooked up with it but I just can't put myself to play anything in
the past weeks aside of some random battles in Melty Blood.

[Yakkety]

First horror game I played was Resident Evil 2 on the PS1, I was 5 years old and was really frightened, but then after RE2, I played other horror games, and none of them could scare me, because at the point that I was playing RE2, I knew that there would be jump-moments that would scare you, and from that moment on, I realized that it's just a game and that there is nothing to be afraid of... RE2 also introduced me into the zombie fandom, ever since I played that game, I've been a huge horror and zombie fan...

The Dead Space games were awesome, quite shocking too, but I don't get scared too easily nowadays, not even in reallife when I'm all alone in the forest and people tell stories about a chainsaw maniac walking around, no, I know that these fairy tales are fake, there is nothing to be afraid of, for everything there is a logical explanation...

[icebluehost]

Code Veronica was really boring to me. I even when through the first hour of play slashing zombies with the knife.

I did mention that I played the game when I was younger. I was probably around 10, and I scare easily back then. I think I got over being scared so easily after watching too many movies with gore in them. I just got used to it =))

Headphones+Midnight might give you quite a different feeling when playing Fatal Frame 2, or any other Fatal Frame title.

It's unfortunate that I played Fatal Frame II using a friend's console. I would've tried to play the game in midnight (and actually finish it) if I had one of my own.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is VERY scary. It psychologically attacks you and is quite hard to get used to it.

I saw the gameplay on youtube and personally felt it was too slow-paced for my taste. And I never did enjoy vague point-and-click games where they don't give you any hint at all as to what to do.

I've been willing to have some free time to play 999. I got initially hooked up with it but I just can't put myself to play anything in the past weeks aside of some random battles in Melty Blood.

Well give it a shot when you can. It's a good game. I'm also looking forward to the sequel (Good People Die). Hopefully it'll be a good game too and live up to the reputation of the first one.

[Blane Doyle]

I honestly do not remember what my FIRST horror game want, actually. I know it was either Fatal Frame 2 or Silent Hill 2 though. I am leaning toward Fatal Frame 2, however.

Most likely because I can remember it very distinctly, and how utterly DUMB I was to play the game at 1 AM with no lights on and headphones in. Heart attack, I almost had one. TOO MANY GHOSTS AGH.

But the one moment that made me into a horror game fan was definitely my third game, Silent Hill (of course I play the sequels before the original, that's perfectly normal right?). There is one instance that most people remember, and there are videos of it all over YouTube. When you get to the school you end up in a locker room, and in there you find a shaking locker, which you open to find a cat. Not that bog of a scare right?

Then you turn around AND THERE IS A CLOSE UP OF A CORPSE SUDDENLY FALLING OUT OF A LOCKER BEHIND YOU WITH THE LOUDEST SCREECH IN EXISTENCE BACK THEN.

It scared me half to death and made me scream loud enough to get my dad laughing at me for hours at my expense. But it was worth it, I've been hooked on horror games ever since.

[TrickWithAKnife]

I think my first horror game was Silent Hill. I remember the release of the game, because every copy of the game would come with a free pair of underwear. But for me it was important because it was a game filled with tension and atmosphere. It showed me that games can affect you deeply if the story is immersive and the visuals are at least mildly acceptable.

[teacup]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is VERY scary. It psychologically attacks you and is quite hard to get used to it.

I saw the gameplay on youtube and personally felt it was too slow-paced for my taste. And I never did enjoy vague point-and-click games where they don't give you any hint at all as to what to do.

I first watched the gameplay on youtube as well and thought 'Lol that isn't scary'. [May have had something to do with the fact that the person playing it was screaming hysterically, but still].
But it really isn't the kind of game that will scare you unless you play it yourself. If you do it just as the game tells you, in a dark room with headphones on, it is VERY scary. My heart was racing the whole time. >_< I think it's just the idea of having no weapons to defend yourself that makes it difficult to play - most games you can attack and defeat your enemies, but this one, you have to run and hide or you're dead. But the worst part is, you can't hide indefinitely, or the main character will go insane.
It's definitely something you have to experience for yourself, you can't really get a feel for it by watching other people play.

[LVUER]

Try Clock Tower 1 and 2. In both game, you can only run or hide. To make things worse, the enemies are persistent, invincible, and you can only use most hiding spot/weapons (that can only be used to distract the boggy-man) ONCE.

Or for more modern incarnation, try Haunting Ground. Though in this game, the enemies are more distracting than horrifying.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

It's definitely something you have to experience for yourself, you can't really get a feel for it by watching other people play.

This. I always find it funny when people say they "watched" a scary game and it wasn't scary. No kidding. You weren't in the driver's seat. The tension is gone because you know the person playing likely survives because they've uploaded it to Youtube. You're watching it in short chunks that prevent immersion. You may even be watching it on a tiny window.

Environment and setup is everything for enjoying scary games - i.e. actually getting scared while playing.

1) Play alone. Don't play with a friend. Don't be chatting or talking to someone on a mic or over the phone while you play. Lock yourself in a room all alone and turn off your cell phone. That way there is no one to comfort you when you get nervous, and no one to laugh off your nerves with when the undead dog smashes through the window right next to your head.

2) Play in the dark. Turn off the lights so the screen becomes the entire world for you.

3) Related to number 2. Play at night, when there is no sunshine to peek through windows or to rush out into. It is psychological - you know the world outside is bathed in pure darkness, just as the inside of the game is. This also helps with number 1 if you don't live alone.

4) Play with headphones on. Being able to hear where sounds are coming from makes them more scary. It also lets you hear sounds BEHIND you in a game when you don't have a surround sound set-up. Also it helps with number 1.

5) Go to bed immediately after your nighttime play session. Enjoy your nightmares. Play game again next night and remember the nightmares.

There you go. Have fun. THAT is how to enjoy scary games. Watching games . . . pfft.

[Kuroneko_rg]

Try Clock Tower 1 and 2. In both game, you can only run or hide. To make things worse, the enemies are persistent, invincible, and you can only use most hiding spot/weapons (that can only be used to distract the boggy-man) ONCE.

Or for more modern incarnation, try Haunting Ground. Though in this game, the enemies are more distracting than horrifying.

Those games were amazing to me, specially on my first play through when everything is unknown. Definitely another type
of games I miss nowadays.