This is really just my opinion of what I find most frightening in a game. I absolutely love horror games, especially sci-fi ones. I think system shock 2 was the first game to really scare me back in the day, still love that game.
But what is it that does the trick? For me I find it's when the player feels completely helpless. Most fps games are not scary because you have superior firepower in some way or another. Fighting cyborgs in quake 4 would be terrifying in real life, but not so much in a game. Hard to feel frightened when you have a railgun to smash through the scumbags.
But to go back to SS2....you start the game with a crappy wrench. When you eventually find a handgun, it has almost no bullets and it's probably broken anyway. Once you get a working one you don't have enough ammunition and it's probably going to break when you need it the most. Meanwhile you're getting gangbanged by a hoard of mutated hybrids while the security alarm calls in more.
The next game I found truly frightening after SS2 is alien isolation. The link here is obvious. You don't have much in the way of weapons and the alien is an enemy that is overwhelmingly superior. You can't fight it. Even the flamethrower only gets it off your back for a very short time.
All the above and lots of atmosphere to pull me in.
Just some random thoughts. Comment, argue, whatever.
BTW when are we going to get good scary games again?
But what is it that does the trick? For me I find it's when the player feels completely helpless. Most fps games are not scary because you have superior firepower in some way or another. Fighting cyborgs in quake 4 would be terrifying in real life, but not so much in a game. Hard to feel frightened when you have a railgun to smash through the scumbags.
But to go back to SS2....you start the game with a crappy wrench. When you eventually find a handgun, it has almost no bullets and it's probably broken anyway. Once you get a working one you don't have enough ammunition and it's probably going to break when you need it the most. Meanwhile you're getting gangbanged by a hoard of mutated hybrids while the security alarm calls in more.
The next game I found truly frightening after SS2 is alien isolation. The link here is obvious. You don't have much in the way of weapons and the alien is an enemy that is overwhelmingly superior. You can't fight it. Even the flamethrower only gets it off your back for a very short time.
All the above and lots of atmosphere to pull me in.
Just some random thoughts. Comment, argue, whatever.
BTW when are we going to get good scary games again?