42 réponses à ce sujet

[Winged Silver]

I was watching some of the "Let's Play' youtubers the other day, and it sort of occurred to me that Bioware could really do a great job messing with its audience (in a good way!) if they were to dabble in horror/thriller themes.

 

One of the main factors that ruins most horror games for me is that I can't get behind the protagonist. I usually tend to think they're stupid, either in their decision to not leave immediately, or because their reason for being there is just silly. But given that Bioware puts major effort into allowing us to get to know and design our characters, I feel like a horror game would be a radically different experience if one actually felt like they had to go through with their endeavor to explore the horror place. 

 

There's quite a few ways they could go about it, some classic (escape the lab, haunted house, etc.) and some quite innovative (they're far more creative than I so I won't try to guess what they could come up with ^.^), and I think it'd be pretty interesting to watch all the bad stuff happen to a character you've grown to love (or hate) over your hours of playing on them. I'd definitely feel more stressed watching a character I'd designed get chased by something evil, rather than some random guy who's face you never see. I could also see room for companions still fitting in, though perhaps in a different manner from the usual "fighter with fighting buddies" thing Bioware goes with.

 

Anyone think it might be cool to see Bioware do a horror game? Or something else branching out from the classic Fantasy and Sci-Fi they've done in the recent past?

[In Exile]

To do a horror game Bioware would have to dis-empower the protagonist. That's really the biggest key to proper horror - being vulnerable and weak. That's not something they've ever done before, besides when they trolled the audience in ME3. And their ME3 issues relate precisely to their not understanding the relationship between the player/protagonist and feelings of power.

 

I think a company could make an effective horror game by incorporating the ideas behind Bioware character writing - which apparently the Walking Dead Telltale series does well - but I don't think Bioware proper would really do well in that setting.  

[mousestalker]

They could use a modern setting. The scariest possible plot would be for a frugal middle aged PC to be trapped in a mall with only full retail pricing and no sales. I am shuddering in horror right now at the very thought of it.

[Jock Cranley]

Sounds like crappy Pewdiebait

[Geth Supremacy]

it would be so full of bugs and glitches you wouldn't even be able to get into the game.  Bioware wants the Bethesda title for games now.

 

Can you imagine what the MP would be like if it had it? dear god.

[AutumnWitch]

They could use a modern setting. The scariest possible plot would be for a frugal middle aged PC to be trapped in a mall with only full retail pricing and no sales. I am shuddering in horror right now at the very thought of it.

 

Spoiler

[Jeremiah12LGeek]

It would be pretty different from anything that they've done before, and I'm not sure how much they'll be risking themselves on brand new properties in the foreseeable future.

 

I also kind of shudder at the thought of how EA would market it, given their recent history with such things.

[mybudgee]

Wasn't Dragon Age II a horror game?

[In Exile]

Does all horror depend on lacking power, at least gunpower? Does psychological horror?

 

I would all horror depends on being vulnerable and on having that vulnerability exploited. It does not have to be physical vulnerability. But before saying more would you mind just clarifying what you mean by psychological horror? There are a few ways I think that term can be used and I'm not sure what exactly you mean by it. 

[Winged Silver]

I suppose I was somewhat considering Jack's situation. If the player had been put in a position similar to hers (when she was being experimented on), it would be very different from any of Bioware's past titles, and may allow for player 'combat'. I'd be curious to see how well a horror game could pull off anything similar to combat, as the feeling of powerlessness is indeed very useful in creating the proper atmosphere. It's probably never going to happen, but I wouldn't say no to trying it out either if it ever randomly did.

[metatheurgist]

They've already taken agency away from the protagonist. They did it with the dialog wheel and those paraphrase options that in no way represent what your PC is going to say. Maybe that could the horror story. You keep doing and saying things that are perfectly reasonable but your PC just spouts filth and slaughters people in the game. Maybe that's what being crazy feels like.

[Cyonan]

Does all horror depend on lacking power, at least gunpower? Does psychological horror?

 

For me I find that I need to have some kind of weakness to be exploited to be effected by a horror game. I just have a hard time being unnerved if I have enough firepower to level a small town. Anything that jumps out is going to get obliterated.

 

In my opinion if a horror game is going to give you weapons it should limit how much ammo you get for them, or make them dangerous to use. It can be very tense to know that you have to fight something if it jumps out, but only have half a dozen rounds left.

 

I would say it applies to psychological horror more so than anything. A jump scare can make you jump even if you do have tons of firepower, just as long as you aren't expecting it.

[Isichar]

Anyone ever played the Witchs House? The true ending was pretty messed up and disturbing.

 

One of the better horror games I've played in a while.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

I thought both Dragon Age and Mass Effect are horror games:

Rachni, Husks, Collectors, Abducting colonies, Asari, Abominations, Darkspawn, Broodmother etc.

[Fast Jimmy]

A horror romance/sex scene game? Nah... Sierra already did that.

[Fast Jimmy]

Why does horror need to have guns? Why does it need to have fighting (or conversely running away) as a mechanic?

I'm trying to argue that there can be horror without that aspect to it.

Agreed. Games can have pixel-grade graphics, be a point+click adventure (one of the most "detached" of video game immersion formats) and have a complete lack of guns and still be pretty spooky.

https://thelastdoor.com

[Winged Silver]

I thought both Dragon Age and Mass Effect are horror games:

Rachni, Husks, Collectors, Abducting colonies, Asari, Abominations, Darkspawn, Broodmother etc.

 

They've definitely got some creepy elements. I remember when first meeting the Banshee in Mass Effect 3...that was delightfully creepy without being really scary. It'd be cool to see more of that.

[In Exile]

I'll be honest, I don't play horror games. When I think psychological I think of Silent Hill 2, lauded as a game without much focus on combat.

 

As for me, I initially found Horizon and the Collector Ship mission unnerving (the Collector ship especially). It had nothing to do with ability to kill enemies (or any type of game system surrounding the brain)--the atmosphere was eerie. Same for the DA ][ mission where you search Bartrand's mansion after he's gone (in Act 3) and you find the piece of the idol (and random objects are moving in the air--I think a cup crashes into you).

 

I take your example, but I find Silent Hill 2 to have a great deal of non-physical horror. It may be a shortcoming on my part - unless I feel threatened in some physical or material way, I don't feel afraid. The Collector Ship in ME2 is a great example. It didn't feel even remotely unnerving - it was like a jaunt through the Emerald Graves the entire time. This is because there was nothing to find threatening about the experience. Same with the derelict reaper.

 

A different example of something that I did find unnerving was the haunted house in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Put that came from the fact that the PC was not quite so strong.  

[Cyonan]

Why does horror need to have guns? Why does it need to have fighting (or conversely running away) as a mechanic?

 

I'm trying to argue that there can be horror without that aspect to it.

 

Games like Amnesia have shown horror can work well without guns or even combat in general.

 

I'm with Exile in that I wont be afraid if I don't feel threatened in some way however, and if I'm not either fighting or running away and hiding from the threat then I'm not really sure what I'm doing.