Scary-Games
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Killing terror with technology
Welcome to The Level Grind, a column hell-bent on asking questions about video game design from the gamer's perspective. This week we examine scary games, in celebration of Halloween! One of the main points stalwart defenders of Resident Evil 6 seem to be making in comments of many reviews is that we – as reviewers – should have adjusted our expectations. We wanted something classically scary but got an action game, and that was a reason for our staunch dismissal of the game, some have claimed. Though I disagree with that assessment and think what I've played of the game was a mess, it makes me wonder how much advancements in technology have mutated the survival horror genre.In the PlayStation era, games like Silent Hill forced you to baby-step around the world out of genuine fear for what was around the next corner. That game's signature fog helped create an atmosphere such that, even if you knew exactly where to go, you had little idea what to expect on the way to your destination. Though the effect added tension, which in turn morphed into fear, its primary use was in response to processing power issues of the era. Distance Fog, as it is referred to, obscures objects in the distance and loads higher resolution (not high-res, mind you) textures as players approach them. The fog, one of the signature elements of the original Silent Hill, was used to ease limitations of the hardware and Konami brilliantly used it as a narrative device.But as tech has grown more powerful, major developers have typically expanded games. With limitations abandoned, it seems they have no incentive to make reserved experiences. And with that, survival horror games of this generation have lost all mystery.
