Scary games - fun for all or niche?

[Peench]

With Bioshock released for the Xbox 360 this week it got me thinking about scary games. They have existed for years and I have enjoyed my share of them. I remember 11th hour for the PC and many more after that. Most recently Condemned scared the heck out of me on the Xbox 360. While not a huge fan of scary films, I thoroughly enjoyed condemned.

While I haven't had a chance to play more than the first bit of Bioshock, I'm wondering if scary games are here to stay. Do you all view them as fun for all and games that everyone can enjoy or do you see them as niche as scary movies?

[D_Litch]

I think they are fun for all. The psychological horror genre of games will only grow as technology gets more advanced.

[Epyon MX]

NICHE!

I couldn't even enjoy the BioShock demo and that's horror "lite"

[Causedawg 83]

Niche. I love horror movies, and I've enjoyed my share of horror games, but I can see how many people prefer to avoid them altogether. Specifically, my wife, who gets scared and asks me to turn it off whenever I play something like Doom on the X-Box in front of her.

I think it takes a certain type of person to seek out that thrill that shocks you out of your seat and leaves your heart pumping faster anything in reality ever does.

[A SpecialFriend]

Fun for all. I remember a while back playing "Phantasmagoria". That game had a few parts that got me pretty good. Also, Condemned was really good too.

[BrewCityUpstart]

Fall rules, which means Halloween rules, which means I love scary movies, which means I love scary games. Everybody loves what I love, which means fun for everyone!

[High Knight]

i guess it depends, i couldn't handle scary games cause i got nightmares when i was much younger now i can handle them so it's more fun for those who can take it.

[Gordon]

Well there is a scare factor in many games, but the dedicated games that out to scare are generally niche.

[Rocky2000]

I played through Condemned too, and I now look at all maniquins differently... looking for weird scars on their faces and stuff. There's a condemned movie coming out called the Unknown... should be cool.

Bust as for Scary games? I love and hate them. I don't like playing them, well because they totally screw you up for the rest of the day... but I love playing them because that's what the developers intended.

Did anyone ever play Silent Hill: The Room?

That was freaky too.

[lovekeiiy]

they're niche, but probably better to say a subgenre than anything. They're an adventure game. They may not be the most made kind of games, but as long as they sell, the companies will keep making them. Resident Evil and Silent Hill are prime examples franchises that seem to have steam and will see a few more sequals.

I've played a bit of SH4: the room. Its the Xbox version. Just haven't had time to play it more.

[Dom]

I love "horror" games like the resident evils, the RE games WERE scarey when I played them I was only a kid lol so It was bound to be pretty scarey to play. But these days I prefer games like Condemned, Realistic to a certain point with psycho killers and addicts roaming round trying to kill you, making ya not wanna turn the next corner or if you do so its very slowly with ya finger on the right trigger for comfort lol. I loved condemned and I certainly cant wait to play it on ps3 when the second one comes out!

PS. Im looking forward to alone in the dark 4, not played 1 2 3 but I hear they good.

[AlphaQ GehaD]

Yeah i believe to me they are more Niche, to suck in Horror fans, But sometimes (alot) it attracts regular Action, Strategy, Survival, Stealth, FPS type players. With that all mixed in, it also has a fun for all feel, If you can take the scary stuff. Id say Manhunt was more Thrilling than scary, but people say otherwise. What makes a Dead Zombie that shuffles along slowly scarier than a Live Psycho nut chasing you down with whatever he finds? The Look and Feel of the Characters and atmosphere around you. Even though in Manhunt you had to sneak to kill, IT was a faster paced game than most of the Horror games i've played. I Say in the End its more Niche, i think Bioshock is gonna be more Fast paced Horror With tremendo action

[Desi Cuse]

Depends on the game I guess.

[Admiral Madden]

i'm a huge horror/zombie fan, as long as it has a good paced, engaging story... games that just have the purpose of scaring you and nothing else, are pointless...

anyway, i vote fun for all, because as long as you keep yourself open, you'll always have fun eh!

never played silent hill, but i've played through condemned, good game...
resident evil never became interesting enough to pick up a controller and play, but dead rising was one of my favourites, although i've only played on my cousins x-box, i just loved it... now if only they made it multi-player and throughout a city of GTA's proportions!

~Clubinator~

[Dom]

Im still proud of my self finishing code veronica only using a combat knife lol

[kinshuksunil]

strongly vote for Niche!!!
I cudnt complete the first level of Doom 3... i never enjoy the horror genre.. not even gonna try BioShock

HL2's Ravenholm is my idea of horror.. nothing more :P

[Epyon MX]

Originally Posted by kinshuksunil

strongly vote for Niche!!!
I cudnt complete the first level of Doom 3... i never enjoy the horror genre.. not even gonna try BioShock

HL2's Ravenholm is my idea of horror.. nothing more :P

Bioshock really isn't that bad. I thought it was going to be much worse, but there's very little "jumping out" and attacking you and only two or three times where they kill the lights (don't worry, no body attacks you when the lights are out, they just do it for atmosphere).