February 3, 2010

Dead Space 2 Less Scary, and That's Scary


According to Visceral Games' senior VP, Nick Earl, the follow up to critically acclaimed Dead Space will have a more action orientation than horror.  I'm bummed.

I admit my sadness at the same time I staunchly hold my ground in that I don't like "horror" things.  It really depends on what the "horror" is because, judging from the last several hours, you can tell that I LOVE the Alien franchise.  However, I'm not a fan of the gore, but the saga, the human stories painted on the backdrop of Alien threats is so well told; plus the Alien species is probably the scariest thing ever created.  Sensational horror in the vein of Jason Vorhees or George Romero is not my cup of tea, and I wish weren't anyone's.  Horror in video games is a tad different, in many ways, good and bad.  Where horror on the screen usually has us observe ultra "realistic" violence, video games have you participate in digitized violence.  But then, to my conscience, it depends whether you're defending yourself against humans or creatures, or just being cruel to innocents, which is why I enjoy Dead Space so much (and didn't mind the violence in Resident Evil 5).  It is a perfect blend of atmosphere and survival horror.

I am a fan of suspense, and though Dead Space is survival horror, dang ... I've never been in so much suspense for so long in my life!  The whole game!!!  Hands down, scariest game ever.  Even if I can't play the game longer than 30 minutes at a time, the suspense keeps me coming back.  Claustrophobia.  Dark corners.  Moving corners.  Every duct or fan could house a necromorph.  It's masterfully done.  Maybe a bit long, but engrossing nonetheless.

I'm sad to hear that in space someone will probably hear me scream.

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