My views on horror games

There are 2 types of horror games

The first kind is where a scary monster jumps out of a closet and tells you to be afraid of it but then you say “nah, man.  I got these massive assault rifles, rocket launchers and flamethrowers that say otherwise. Plus that pile of a million of your kind that I’ve stacked behind me as I’ve gone forward doesn’t make your scaryness worth shit.” then you blow the monster into a million pieces with a grenade (i.e. Doom 3, Dead Space, Bioshock, Resident Evil). These kinds of horror games are the kinds that usually have a good (sometimes even an epic) start but suddenly turn into mainstream first person shooters with no more content than aim and shoot. And with these “horrifying” creatures speeding towards you all the time, you seldom have time for fear. Also, the main character is often somewhat of a supernatural being compared to everyone else and it makes the whole aspect of “being scared” seem obsolete. Why be scared when you’re made to feel like super man?

The second kind is where you expect the monster to jump out of a closet but it never does and you’re left to wonder where it is and you’re afraid to turn around because you just know he’s standing right behind you breathing down your neck ready to molest you the second you start to move your mouse/controller in order to turn around (i.e. Silent Hill 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Penumbra, Fatal Frame, Siren: Blood Curse). In these kinds of horror games you’re usually a scared mediocre Joe Nobody, who doesn’t own the ability to slow down time or get rid of monsters that have attached to you, with a quick time event. The tension (in Amnesia for example) is that the monsters don’t show up all that often and when they do, your only options are to either RUN or HIDE. This is good because it leaves more to the imagination. A game where you kill countless monsters, zombies and aliens like in Doom 3 won’t give you the same scaring thrill as a game where you really feel helpless. Although after playing all the horror games I have so far in my life I don’t understand why you would be afraid of the dark in a game if you’re not in real life. It feels silly. But it does have this kind of edge to it watching your main character’s sanity deteriorate as he talks to himself about losing his mind. It does appear frustrating at times if the gameplay is evolved around a gory game of hide&seek with you as the person having to hide every round, but I would say it’s better than shooting at everything that moves.

In conclusion: I like the second type more even thought often I feel not so scared in a situation where my character is simply terrified. This just means that the game didn’t do a good enough job preparing me for a scary bit and I’m often left scratching my head thinking why was my character so scared just now?

tl;dr: a good horror game is the kind that f*cks with your mind.

NOW THEN; tell me what you think. Which type of horror game do you think is better? Also, name some good horror games. I need to play some more!