T-900

Does anyone fell that horror video games manufactured specifically in Japan are the most frighting in the genre? I own silent hill origins on PSP, and Forbidden Siren 2 for PS2, and in my opinion, there both scarier then the resident evils games, as well as Alone in the Dark, which I own on 360... Maybe it's the low quality experience that has an effect on the horror, but the ideas the Japanese have for creatures etc are so unique and strage that your left with a unsettled freaked out feeling while playing the game: I absolutely love it

Can anyone recommend any more Japanese tittles? FS2 was only $20 which I only picked up yesterday, I'd gladly spend more depending on how good the game is...

Larry C.

Luigi's Mansion

kgrogers1979

Uh, Resident Evil is a Japanese game... If you don't think RE is scary, then you most likely have only played RE4 and 5. They were much more action games than horror games. RE1 and 2 were very scary, especially the remake of 1 on the Gamecube.

I can't say anything about the newest Alone in the Dark game since I never played it, but the old-school Alone in the Dark from the mid 90s freaked me out. I don't think your choice of the newest Alone in the Dark game is the best example of western horror to use however since that game got mediocre reviews and has mostly been forgotten. There are plenty of western horror games that are really good. Eternal Darkness, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and F.E.A.R. all come to mind.

Chris_D

If you like Siren, you absolutely have to get Siren: The New Translation on PS3. It looks great for an oldish game, and it's more of a reimagining of the first game than a HD port. There were some bits I found horribly frustrating but if you made it through Siren 2 you probably won't have any problems.

Silent Hill 2 is generally considered the best in the series (and I agree with this), so that's a must play if you haven't yet. Silent Hill 3 is also outstanding.

The Fatal Frame series seems to come highly recommended. I've only played a bit of the first game and was scared away, mostly by the horrible dub. If you plan to dip into the series, it seems that Fatal Frame 2 might be a good place to start.

Resident Evil is generally thought of to mainly rely on shock tactics, such as a zombie dog suddenly jumping on you. The atmosphere can't compare to games like Silent Hill although I think they are still pretty fun.

dugan

Haven't played it, but Song of Saya/Saya no Uta looks awesome as hell.

RichC2

I can't say I get freaked out when gaming so much. Monsters don't make me jump or creep me out, but I enjoy a good forboding atmosphere, something that has been sorely lacking as of late.

Doom 3 had some excellent atmosphere at the beginning that was creepy, but that quickly gave way to action and repetition. Fatal Frame was always too slow for me. RE has been weak on the actual "horror" aspect since #2.

I always did enjoy the Clock Tower games, old school adventure games with a horror theme, good stuff.

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Chris_D

Oh, how could I forget. Haunting Ground from Capcom is a great cheap pickup for the PS2. You're a girl stuck in a creepy castle (kind of unsure how you got there - there's a freaky opening fmv). You have to make your way through the castle, avoiding the dangerous denizens within. Rather than have a ton of enemies, there is usually just one main enemy in each area, each with a lot of personality, like a lecherous ogre or an insane maid. As a girl, you can't fight back but need to make use of hiding spots located around the castle. You have a dog you meet early in the game who can retard the enemies movement (but can take damage), and also locate clues and items for you.

It's really atmospheric and graphically pretty for a PS2 game. I dunno, it's difficult for me to give this game the spiel it deserves but if you pick it up I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Groucho

While it's neither Japanese nor particularly "scary", I've always cited Eternal Darkness as my favorite horror game.

Chris_D

The trailer for Haunting Ground to give you some idea:

starseed1981

Scariest game I've ever played was probably Fatal Frame 2. That was creepy. Silent Hill 3 was pretty intense too imo.

kgrogers1979

Haunted House on the Atari 2600. That game scared me (but I was 3 years old at the time).

Maxflier

Haunting Ground looks really cool, I need to track down a copy of that.

T-900

Thanks for the recommendations guys, and yeah, I haven't played the Gamecube remake version of RE, I have however played the newer games, which aren't scary. Alone in the Dark is still a great game on 360, and sets a dark mood, but it's not very scary which was obviously there intentions. I'll be looking in to Silent Hill 2, Fatal Frame 2 & Haunting Ground since these seem most6 interesting to me...

Oh and I must mention: Alone in the Dark for PC back in the 90s was scary, so was the PS1 version..

T-900

I'm thinking about skipping "Silent Hill Homecoming" on Xbox 360 because of its poor reviews, and go for the new Silent Hill game called: "Silent Hill:Shattered Memories". Has anyone seen or played it yet? and should I buy it on PSP (I already own Silent Hill origins on PSP and it's quite chilling) or should I buy it on PS2?

Chris_D

I wish I could tell you more about Homecoming because I do have it but haven't got around to it. A lot of people shat on Origins and I thought that was a perfectly good Silent Hill. So, Homecoming may be the same deal, it is by the same guys.

The stuff I've heard about Shattered Memories makes me a bit wary. Not a lot of character and story development, very short, no enemies half the time (there are only enemies when you're in the ice world). The Wii version is apparently the best version to get. On the PS2/PSP they had to map the Wii gestures to various button and stick combinations.

Rival11

Not sure but all I can say is that Dead Space is the scariest\freakiest game I think I've ever played - no game has ever had me that on edge before.

wlj

Condemned 1 is the scariest game I have played. I couldn't finish it.