Comments on: Is it Time We Retire the Term ‘Survival Horror’?

By: lord farquad

lord farquad — Fri, 08 May 2015 06:38:00 +0000

In reply to Brodequin. The "no true Scotsman" fallacy. Gotta love it, eh?

By: Curt Curt Mcgurt

Curt Curt Mcgurt — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:06:00 +0000

how the hell can u say dead space was a futile attempt?

By: Marco Arizpe

Marco Arizpe — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:09:00 +0000

Survival horror is still around, though it seems to be relegated to the smaller “indie” devs. Which may be for the best since a personal sense of fear from a more intimate development process may be more effective than a broader sense of horror from AAA producers.

By: LoveAnimation

LoveAnimation — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 15:46:00 +0000

In reply to ThunderDragoon. Your trying to survive in all horror games yea but i think Survival horror is supposed to be that you can run out of your ammo and healing items and be forced to start the game from the beginning again.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 23:19:00 +0000

No “we” shouldnt retire survival horror. Whats needed is some of the triple AAA companys to actually care about doing/giving us a “real” survival horror game, Instead of just trying to make them like all other games. Its funny that the indie scene can give us so many great scary survuval horror games without the need for a massive bunch of cash from money-people who are only interrested in making even more money instead of taking more chances and possible coming up with something that will make all other survival horror games look like disney games.

Personly im looking forward to games like Alien Isolation, i realy want this to be the alien game the fans have been screaming for for such along time now.

Scorn also looks interresting but i have to see gameplay “NOT a cgi trailer” that will really make me want to play the game.

By: Brodequin

Brodequin — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 07:20:00 +0000

In reply to AfterTheAsylum. Perfectly explained!!! 666

By: AfterTheAsylum

AfterTheAsylum — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 04:46:00 +0000

You can’t retire an idea. The issue is that the genre name didn’t create a specific series of games, but games created the name. The title of survival horror was really created by game without a genre name – namely games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Clock Tower and others. So we took these games and then said that these games are survival horror using their common threads. Should we retire the term, well, no. We do, however, need to broaden the spectrum of horror. Because of RE and SH, I take survival horror as a slow-burning, decision-based game. The ability to have to decide is what defines survival. If you don’t have (have being the operable word) to run away instead of fighting at any point, then it isn’t survival. In order to be survival horror, you should be forced to weigh your options in an environment. Unpredictability is also important to be considered survival horror over any other horror. Part of what made RE and SH survival (outside of conservation of ammo, and running around praying for health because you’ve been on red for 25 minutes) is that these was always a new type of creature that posed a different threat. If it’s always a zombie, then when you learn the blueprint, you no longer have to survive, only repeat. Close quarters, I feel, is also important to be called Survival. Sandbox style makes evasion to easy, which then removes the requirement of making a decision. A linear game improves story-telling dramatically, which increases immersion. Sandbox can kill not only the Survival, but the Horror. Weakness is the last part of this genre. You should never be a predator in a game. You are the weaker one, the hunted one, the one who just so happened to escape because of your ability to understand your limitations as a character and limitations with resources. So really, survival horror is not a term, but two terms. You can have a horror game, a survival game or survival horror. For me, the most important element is decision. Being armed to the teeth is the same as having no ability to fight back at all (say RE5 vs Clock Tower) if you give a clear cut answer to fight (because of your surplus) or run (because you can’t fight) then you lose hesitation and hesitation is what causes you to panic.

By: Brodequin

Brodequin — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 20:03:00 +0000

In reply to Gabbi Cordero. Yep, it's just another tag, which as usual is a reason for neverending argumenting what can and what can not be called survival horror.

By: Brian McNatt

Brian McNatt — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 19:28:00 +0000

No “Maybe” option?

By: Gabbi Cordero

Gabbi Cordero — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 19:22:00 +0000

correct me if i am mistaken, but despite the evolutionary leaps and milestones the genre has encountered, the point of these games remains to survive, no?

this notwithstanding, i would prefer a new term for the genre if only to emphasize it’s interactive nature of gaming whilst maintaining its association with fear. i think a new title could help showcase this genre as the gaming equivalent of Scary Movies, for example so as to raise its mainstream standing.

What I mean is we always speak of Horror as either Game or Film, but no one ever talks about Horror in general. This article notes how 1996 is when all the ingredients came together to spawn a genre defining game in Resident Evil. Didn’t the same thing happen that very same year with Scream?

By: Brodequin

Brodequin — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 17:23:00 +0000

Short answer: Outlast is (with it’s annoying defensless feature) definitely great developed survival horror. Walking Dead has nothing, absolutely nothing (pardon: has zombies)with survival horror, it’s not actually horror but animated episodic story about fucked up human nature,,where we can move few steps (sometimes even do something more) from time to time.
Ps: In my opinion the only game which iin 100% is my definition of Survival Horror is: Siren (all series)…

By: magnus dissmoll

magnus dissmoll — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 15:15:00 +0000

Short answer: No. But it might be a thing of the past unless something happens soon.. I really miss the survival-part in horror, which have been slowly fading over the years. Thankfully I got my long awaited fix with The Last of Us and The Walking Dead, which in my opinion are the best games to come out since Silent Hill 3. Though completely different games, the survival element plays a huge part along with a horror (more or less, ie TLOU) story. I still miss puzzle solving and rewarding exploration though.

By: AlanMorlock

AlanMorlock — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 07:20:00 +0000

Sidenote: Outlast is a damned great game.

By: Gregory Miller

Gregory Miller — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 03:24:00 +0000

Just seeing the words “survival horror” immediately makes me look and take notice. It’s like a beacon in the dark that draws me to it. I need that.

By: Brodequin

Brodequin — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 00:25:00 +0000

Survival horror, because of it’s complexity, lack of cool, trendy features, and because requires thinking and reading, will never become top selling, entertaining genre.
Here is short quote from local gamers discusion about Silent Hil: Downpour. I’ve heard this some time ago in my local GameStop:
“Dat is shoit game bud, i’m tellin’ ya: No cool cars. No juicy birds. No cool music. No fookin’ guns!!! No multiplayer bud!!!
It’s fookin’ useless crap, waste of money!
Rusty water, haha!
GTA bro! Dat is fookin’ deadly!
Fookin’ savage buid”
…..

By: Rake

Rake — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 16:15:00 +0000

If there was really limited appeal for the survival horror genre than there would never be sequels or franchises. Resident Evil, Dead Space, Bioshock would come out and make almost no money, and there would be no franchise. Developers just assume they need to broaden the appeal and in doing so they dish out a few more games until the gamers catch onto a bad taste and give up.

By: Joshua Turney

Joshua Turney — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 15:53:00 +0000

I really believe that the entire genre is alive and kicking. The AAA games released have always been action oriented, so while I cannot stand what Capcom did with Resident Evil, it does make sense with them wanting more money, but with more developers creating games like Amnesia, Outlast, The Evil Within and Alien Isolation, in my opinion it’s still going on strong.

By: Dani Rooney

Dani Rooney — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 12:30:00 +0000

It’s a shame that big companies and developers won’t compromise and go back to their roots or maybe even strive for something completely brand new. I know it’s profitable to cater to majority by tacking on the bog standard controls system that EVERY 3RD person and 1ST person game has these days. It’s accessible and familiar.

When you think of it, the older silent hills and resident evils still have HUGE fan bases, even with those limited controls and plus everyone here seems to be on the same wavelength regarding Survival Horror, so it shows there would still be profit made by making a more traditional game or by even striving for something completely new and different.

Not everyone likes games like Killer 7 but you gotta hand it to them for trying something so far from the norm with the controls system. Developers should just take a risk more often, so what if opinions are completely divided and polarized? it’s a sign of good art. At least there are the Indie developers to rely on, it would just be nice to see AAA publishers take a risk and make something reeeeally cool.

By: Trioxin83

Trioxin83 — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 12:18:00 +0000

I think survival horror has evolved from what we loved in the original Resident Evils (1,2,3) and Silent Hills, etc, to games like Outlast, Amnesia, Alien Isolation, etc…Where in the old school survival horror you had to conserve your resources and use them sparingly, and in the new games you have extremely limited resources or none at all and all you can do is run/hide to survive. I love the new survival horror games because they actually scare and make me nervous like the old ones did back in the day, but I do really miss the old puzzle solving aspect as well.

By: SaltSlasher

SaltSlasher — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 08:47:00 +0000

I believe that if a company sticks to its guns and pleases it biggest clients, then by word of mouth, those same people will broaden your brand for you. If you add ticky tack crap to draw in different crowds, it is likely to fail, and will for sure not please your main targets, hence, people hear that “game x” sucks, and it must be true cause “internet” is a big fan and knows his stuff, and if he says it ain’t good, then it must be true.

You need Survival, which almost any game with guns has. But you need solid horror. Like for god sakes you don’t call Jaws or Sixth Sense a horror movie.

If they retire the name, then they can add this tag to every game for now on: Survival Suspense (now I know why they went with horror).

By: Nick D

Nick D — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 08:46:00 +0000

As long as the term is used correctly it shouldn’t be redundant. There are still games that fit the mold like Outlast and, from what I can see, Alien Isolation. Survival Horror is the perfect term for those. Action Horror should be used more with the others which are more about shooting things to bits that running in constant fear.

By: re4xleon

re4xleon — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 08:10:00 +0000

I believe it should be used more sparingly, for real games that deserve that title like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. In my opinion it has one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. It is slowly dying and needs a breath of fresh air or “cpr” to bring it back to the status of where it belongs. I feel like the best way to describe that is like what The Conjuring did for any movie about the paranormal.

By: re4xleon

re4xleon — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 08:07:00 +0000

In my own opinion, i feel like games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill were the only games that deserve credit when it comes to even creating the term Survival horror. It made its mark in the gaming community and i think it deserves credit wheres credits due for helping start a whole new variety of game as well as inspiring most if not all of the other horror related games made in years past. I don’t think the term should be retired but used more sparingly. I understand where game developers are coming from when it comes to not wanting to put money into games with such low appeal but at the same time i feel like they missed a very big opportunity. It’s like what is referred to as a sleeper hit when it comes to movies, something that started out very small taking a risk for the sake of putting out their something that the creators wanted to express and it becoming a hit. There is such a big potential when it comes to “horror games” and
“survival horror games”. Not even with the potential for great stories and story lines, but with just the way games are being made and the formula behind it just like with movies. For example I love and always will love the original resident evil and silent hill titles, there will always be a place in my heart for them. Games now a days really don’t care about the story line or anything for that matter, as long as the game appeals to the masses and sells. Another point with that is length of the game. Every “survival horror game” i played always had a great amount of hours enjoyed playing the game, because of all the difficulties and puzzles presented within the games. Games now a days i can finish in a couple of hours, with barely if any difficulties, It almost feels at times like the games are guiding you to finish instead of challenging the individual, which is what made games fun, that and the fact that majority of the time it was about just getting away from the threat more than taking on the threat and no matter what being able to overcome any type of monster or creature. Games in the past had hard puzzles that always had you thinking and were very difficult and sometimes took hours upon hours to complete. And the gameplay, it seems to me games now aren’t really as difficult. Having that aspect of having little to none ammo or healing supplies is a staple in gaming that i believe should have put a bigger influence on the rest of gaming.

By: Nick Peratrovich

Nick Peratrovich — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:42:00 +0000

In reply to ohitsmerenz. FUCKIN' A

By: VictorCrowley

VictorCrowley — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:12:00 +0000

I just want the new Alien game to be badass and a new Fatal Frame. I’ll be happy.

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By: CTHL

CTHL — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 06:06:00 +0000

Always thought it was horribly misused with Resident Evil in the first place (yes, even the first ones). What comes to mind when I hear the phrase is a lack of effective fighting, the only way to win is to get away. Recently there’s been a ton of those, so I think it’s more alive and defined than ever.

By: Brodequin

Brodequin — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 05:27:00 +0000

Survival horror genre in it’s specific form almost
dissapeared. On the other hand it’s still popular in Japan. Also indie devs
and modders are keeping it alive…

By: Chip Draper

Chip Draper — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:29:00 +0000

In reply to Adam Dodd. Hot

By: ThunderDragoon

ThunderDragoon — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:27:00 +0000

In reply to edricstorm2. You. I like you.

By: ThunderDragoon

ThunderDragoon — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:22:00 +0000

In reply to Voorhees83. Exactly what I was thinking with Outlast. If anything, it deserves that term just as much as Resident Evil and Silent Hill because you have no weapons at all in Outlast. You're surviving with nothing to defend yourself with, being completely open to all attacks.

By: Sick_skwerl

Sick_skwerl — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:19:00 +0000

I don’t think that it should be retired altogether, but I think it shouldn’t be put on any game where you ever have more than six bullets at a time. The games where you have to survive dehydration and hunger and sleep deprivation etc., I think earn the moniker. But a run and gun doesn’t earn it. Let’s just call a spade a spade.
And I think about wesker and leon kissing before I fall asleep….

By: Fantasma George

Fantasma George — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 03:14:00 +0000

In reply to Adam Dodd. Not me. I think about Rebecca!

By: Fantasma George

Fantasma George — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 03:10:00 +0000

Eh I think we shouldn’t, but I can see why some people would think that. A personal case I can make about Dead Island is I had approached it as a survival horror game, I had never played through anything like a WRPG or Borderlands before that, and then I read on the strategy guide that this was a game where you actually shouldn’t run from the monsters, the correct way to play was destroying everything in sight. So I started that way with a tank like Sam, and it was really fun. Then starting all over with a weaker character like Purma I had to slow down and really alternate some fight or flight situations. And like that, it was still a horror game.

By: Adam Dodd

Adam Dodd — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 02:30:00 +0000

In reply to edricstorm2. I think about that every night before I go to sleep.

By: edricstorm2

edricstorm2 — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 02:18:00 +0000

Can you imagine if Chris and Wesker slept together?

By: Adam Dodd

Adam Dodd — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:49:00 +0000

In reply to izombiheartzoey. Agreed. Also, I think I'd classify your comment as survival horror with elements of action horror. 4/5 skulls.

By: Voorhees83

Voorhees83 — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:46:00 +0000

What exactly defines survival horror? If it’s a horror game and you’re trying to survive, I think there’s plenty of those out. Outlast for example which I’m currently playing. Based on my thought, I would say it’s not time to end that term.

Now are horror games completely different now then what they used to be? Yes. I don’t see anymore of that slow, creepy, puzzle filled Resident Evil 1 style no more.

By: ohitsmerenz

ohitsmerenz — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:45:00 +0000

Nope. Long live, survival horror!

By: izombiheartzoey

izombiheartzoey — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 01:39:00 +0000

Dude, that word gets slapped on near every game that has poor lighting.