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Which Horror Games Have Gotten Better With Age?
This weekend, I decided I’d take a break from all these exciting new releases to play something I had played before. It had been at least five years since I had last played Condemned: Criminal Origins, so I was surprised when it took me all of five seconds to get the hang of it again. Ten minutes in and I was bludgeoning crazed homeless people with a pipe I tore off the wall of a storage room. I crippled so many NPCs that day, I can still hear them screaming as I type this.
I assumed Condemned would’ve aged poorly, and it had, visually. I also didn’t expect to be impressed by what gritty, realistic visuals looked like in 2005. What did sneak up on me was how viscerally satisfying the combat still is. It also reminded me of how badly we need a new Condemned game.
I’ve had similar experiences with the underrated Saw: The Video Game — whatever your opinion is of the films, the first game is actually pretty good — and even Nightmare Creatures, which I can confirm is still a helluva lot of fun to play after nearly twenty years.
Alan Wake seems destined to join this club at some point. It’s not there yet because it’s only five years-old. The aging process hasn’t had enough time to really take effect, but when it does, it’s going to be a good thing. It’s common for weird things to go unappreciated for some time.
I’ve come up with a theory to explain this, and the gist of it is it’s all our fault. I like strange things, and I still occasionally make snap judgments of stuff I don’t immediately understand. I think it’s the quirky nature of these things that keeps a lot of people from wanting to try it. I have friends who never played Alan Wake solely because they saw a trailer for it back in 2010 and they decided it was too weird.
This has happened to me, too. I wasn’t able to glean much enjoyment out of Silent Hill 4: The Room until I returned to it with an open mind a few years ago. I still don’t love it, but it is easier to appreciate its strengths, such as the music, atmosphere and enemy designs.
How about you? Which horror game(s) do you think have gotten better with age?
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‘Hellraiser: Resurrections’ – BOOM! Studios Event Unleashes Five Brand New One-Shot Comics [Exclusive]
BOOM! Studios recently announced that three classic Clive Barker Hellraiser comic books are coming back to shelves, and we’ve got another exciting exclusive for you today.
Bloody Disgusting can exclusively report that BOOM! Studios will return to the labyrinthine horrors of Clive Barker’s legendary Hellraiser universe with five all-new one-shots this Fall!
A brand new generation of creators will explore the untold corners of Clive Barker’s infernal mythology, revisiting iconic Cenobites while introducing terrifying new stories that expand the boundaries of the Hellscape itself with Hellraiser: Resurrections.
Each week through the month of September, a new chapter of damnation arrives, revealing the forces gathering in the shadows. The descent begins with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – NEW WOUNDS #1 from writer Mike Costa and artist Paco Camallonga as they draw readers into the hedonistic world of Hellraiser.
When an investigation into the mysterious Puzzle Box goes sideways, the gateways to Hell open anew.
Then, hear the unmistakable chattering of death itself in HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE ONANISTIC RITUAL #1 from writer Zac Thompson and artist Gavin Mitchell.
The Chatterer bares his teeth for a brand-new mission. His goal? To reclaim his rightful place as the right hand of the Hell Priest himself!
Next, venture deeper into the hierarchy of Hell with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE DEEP GOSPEL #1 from writer Tini Howard and artist Jenna Cha.
The Female Cenobite was dead. Or close to it…until the Engineer found her. But when she rejects the Engineer’s plans for her remaking, she’s cast down into the harrowing Nidus: the place where the larval stage of Cenobites fight to survive. She’s been here before and made it out alive—and she’ll do it again.
The horrors continue in HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – HELL’S COUNCIL #1 from writer Nero Villagallos O’Reilly and artist Francesca Ciregia.
We saw the fall of Butterball at the end of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Now we’ll witness his rise as the wounded Cenobite is taken in by a mysterious do-gooder who slowly nurses him back to health, all while worming her way into his brain…and maybe even his heart?
Finally, the event culminates with HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE RETURN OF THE PRIEST #1 from writer Sarah Gailey and artist Alessio Avallone.
Caught in the sensory deprivation of Middle Hell, Elliot Spencer suffers the worst fate: no feeling at all. When the glory of Leviathan’s light finally sears through him, granting him the gift of pain—it’s revelatory. The Hell Priest must journey to remake himself and gather his Gash once more to bring the cherished blessing of pain to all that deserve it.
From fresh visions of beloved Cenobites to horrifying new revelations hidden within the depths of Hell, Hellraiser: Resurrections serves as both a celebration of Clive Barker’s enduring mythology and the first chapter of an exciting new era for the franchise. The series kicks off a new publishing initiative that will bring a new Hellraiser ongoing series and miniseries to life through 2027.
Hellraiser: Resurrections begins this September with five weekly one-shots from BOOM! and distributed by Penguin Random House. You can preorder the series at your local comic shops and digitally through major content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.
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