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[fart town usa]

RE7 in PSVR. Even more so when my character had no weapons. For me the immersion was so good that I truly felt more anxious in the game if I did not have a weapon. The simple act of even having a gun (even if it only had 2 bullets) made me feel more safe.

No other game has done that to me before or since.

I recently got to play through it in VR. I had to really adjust the audio settings cause it was too much. Jack stalking me in the beginning always makes me anxious as fuck and with the 3D audio, I was having a hard time even moving, lol.

Village is surprisingly effective in cinematic mode. I play on the largest screen setting, somewhat intuitive because you have to turn your head to see the edges of the screen. Again with the audio though, Lady D chasing me and hearing her get closer, super intense. Village in actual VR would be frigging amazing.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

I avoid most actual scary games, so the last time I felt terror, was when I saw the big boo ghost in that hallway in Mario 64.


It's something about that big ass ghost just being there that activates the "fuck this I'm out" pathways in my brain. I never got to meet Yoshi in Mario 64 because of it.

 

[Fess]

Dogs crashing through the window in Resident Evil is probably my first time. I was shaking for minutes afterwards.

Silent Hill 2 made me so anxious I started playing it with the sound off to at least avoid the scary sounds. After two days I gave up and sold the game because it felt like I would be forever mentally ill if I kept going.

 

[Azelover]

Wow.. good question.. I don't think I've ever been "truly" terrified in a game.

Closest would be Silent Hill, I think. And even that is kinda low balling it.

EDIT: No, Ecco The Dolphin. Particularly this moment:



I was running out of air, and I just went right into the octopus. I almost shit my pants.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Silent Hill 1 is the only piece of media since my childhood that had me consider sleeping with a bedlight on for a few nights.
The game had a way of creeping into the back of your mind and haunting you that was absolutely genius. It was a descent into hopelessness and despair that I've never experienced again in quite the same way. SH2 was almost grotesquely bland in comparison to me, like a botched attempt to recreate the first game with a prettier coat of paint; but I understand if you didn't play the first game beforehand, it could have the same effect as SH1 on you.

it is curious how everyone mentions this specific part of the game
I wonder what made it so special
because the lighting, the sound effect, etc. ...absolutely nothing about that scene was intentionally scary. nor was the dog even half as terrifying an enemy as the Licker or Nemesis but the memory of this scene has still somehow managed to remain strong in our minds
I think all children share a fear of dogs

It's because it's completely unexpected.
You're coming from a series of empty rooms (unless you've ventured into the alcove in the statue room). There's no music, only the sound of your footsteps on a thick carpet. No sound of zombies, the only enemy you've seen and expect in the mansion so far. The hall is brightly lit. The camera shows a corner in front of you, so you naturally expect any danger to be behind it.
Then everything explodes at once - the glass, the music. It's so abrupt it obviously catches you off guard, and back when the game was new almost everyone had some degree of trouble with tank controls, so it's pretty easy to fumble with the controls and do something you don't want to. And the dog is so much faster and unpredictable than a zombie.
That scene is a marvelous example of something you can only experience in a video game. It's brilliant, really. It's no wonder everyone remembers it so vividly.

 

[H . R . 2]

Silent Hill 1 is the only piece of media since my childhood that had me consider sleeping with a bedlight on for a few nights.
The game had a way of creeping into the back of your mind and haunting you that was absolutely genius. It was a descent into hopelessness and despair that I've never experienced again in quite the same way. SH2 was almost grotesquely bland in comparison to me, like a botched attempt to recreate the first game with a prettier coat of paint; but I understand if you didn't play the first game beforehand, it could have the same effect as SH1 on you.



It's because it's completely unexpected.
You're coming from a series of empty rooms (unless you've ventured into the alcove in the statue room). There's no music, only the sound of your footsteps on a thick carpet. No sound of zombies, the only enemy you've seen and expect in the mansion so far. The hall is brightly lit. The camera shows a corner in front of you, so you naturally expect any danger to be behind it.
Then everything explodes at once - the glass, the music. It's so abrupt it obviously catches you off guard, and back when the game was new almost everyone had some degree of trouble with tank controls, so it's pretty easy to fumble with the controls and do something you don't want to. And the dog is so much faster and unpredictable than a zombie.
That scene is a marvelous example of something you can only experience in a video game. It's brilliant, really. It's no wonder everyone remembers it so vividly.

yes I was going to say the same thing , the tank controls plus the fact that you need to turn around as it happens right behind the character's back makes it all the more terrifying

 

[Jigsaah]

I was freaked out by the sound bit on The Legend of Zelda on the NES when you found a secret. The obtuse melody was haunting to me as a young boy. I've since obviously grown out of that. It sounds like a strange thing to be afraid of, but I am extremely sensitive to sounds. I suffer from Misophonia to this day. It's so bad that I can't have dinner with my family without a nonsensical urge to punch one of them in the face due to the chewing noises.

 

[Gamerguy84]

No game ever bothered me until PT, that was freaky.

 

[bArTl3bY]

It's been mentioned several times already but for good reason - Resident Evil on PSX definitely did a number on me. I was just getting into Horror films around that time and was really excited to play it. That is, until I found myself out of ammo and desperately trying to move forward in the game.

I spent many nights loading a save knowing I probably couldn't kill whatever enemy was ahead with a knife but it taught me item management, consider that a win.

Honorable Mentions - 7th Guest and Harvester

 

[Kataploom]

First time seeing Hitman: Absolution title screen... Didn't even bothered with the game, I felt so angry that devs put that thing there that I felt like they didn't even wanted a lot of people to play it

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Silent Hill - PS1.

I had played RE0-5 by this point, but I had always heard that Silent Hill was more "graveyard at midnight," than "haunted house on Halloween," like RE, so I tried the first game out. Was immediately unsettled by the sound design and the alley. But when I got to the first Otherworld segment at Midwich Elementary School, that's when it clicked. This bizarre, labyrinthine, twisted mirror world where regular rules don't apply and everything is in a perpetual state of tits up. So good.

 

[H . R . 2]

No game ever bothered me until PT, that was freaky.

the worst/best thing about P.T was how it masterfully combined creative puzzles, great sound design (Lisa's constant sobbing, the rattling sounds, the fetus crying) environmental storytelling, superb lighting with that excruciating sense of suspense as well as a variety of phobias [ claustrophobia, agoraphobia, Arachnophobia, cockroaches] (even the fear that you might have broken your PS4, see below). it also went against the grain by tackling horror tropes and cliches ("look behind you"). at first, I scoffed at some of the ideas thrown out there as to how to finish the demo (ideas such as turning on your mic, playing the game while in a forum, taking only 10 steps in the final section, etc.), by the end of the 4th night I was trying the very same methods I had initially made fun of. This game's most remarkable achievement was its ability to put you on the edge of your sanity without breaking you

First time seeing Hitman: Absolution title screen... Didn't even bothered with the game, I felt so angry that devs put that thing there that I felt like they didn't even wanted a lot of people to play it

you mean the snake?

 

[BlvckFox]

Easily PT. I've played my fair share of horror games but that was the first time I felt truly unsettled/horrified.

Honorable Mention. RE7 VR
Not necessarily any particular sequence but I remember being in the opening area and saying out loud, "Fuck, I dont want to be here." The resolution was god awful but it gave you so much immersion, you could easily get lost in that world. This game is a major reason I believe in the future of VR.

 

[H . R . 2]

Easily PT. I've played my fair share of horror games but that was the first time I felt truly unsettled/horrified.

Honorable Mention. RE7 VR
Not necessarily any particular sequence but I remember being in the opening area and saying out loud, "Fuck, I dont want to be here." The resolution was god awful but it gave you so much immersion, you could easily get lost in that world. This game is a major reason I believe in the future of VR.

P.T with VR integration would literally hospitalise people [head injuries, heart attacks, PTSD]
I always refer to PT as one of the scariest experiences [ not just games ] of my life and I don't scare easily

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

This scene in Eternal Darkness:

A few of the Sanity Effects got me too. Crazy game and I really wish we could see another run at that sort of horror.

 

[Yerd]

I can't say I've been scared in a horror sense. But I get startled by jump scares.

What I will say though, is there are times when I'm playing a game and maybe being too aggressive or too confident. Something like a souls game where a death means you lose something. In those times I may come close to death or might hug a cliff during battle, or dodge too close for comfort. Those situations get my heart pumping for sure.

 

[farmerboy]

Dead Space but mainly cos space terrifies me anyway. I blame Event Horizon for that.

 

[eastcoastkody]

Resident Evil and Alien Isolation are the only things that have gotten me

 

[Icymanipulator]

I can't remember the first time, but most recently a few years ago I was legit scared running from the alien in Alien Isolation

 

[H . R . 2]

Dead Space but mainly cos space terrifies me anyway. I blame Event Horizon for that

cosmic horror is extremely effective
it's survival horror even if it isn't designed as one. everything is hostile and you're powerless and helpless against your enemy and space itself. it is also quite immersive as you don't have too many preconceived notions of what space is like so you're more likely to accept everything as is, as opposed to games with realistic environments where everything has to be spot-on to immerse you

 

[laynelane]

Way back, I rented Silent Hill without any knowledge of what it was about. Went in with no spoilers or opinions and I was fine with the game except when it went to the Otherworld. Considering what's out there now it seems pretty tame, but I'd never seen images like that before.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Literally never, it's fake, there's no getting "scared" let alone terrified of something that isn't real; there's no difference for me watching horror, or comedy or action, it's entertainment.

 

[CatLady]

I've never been terrified by any horror games or by creepy visuals, but I was terrified throughout the entire game of Dead Space 1 due to the brilliant sound design. Such a great game, I just played it again recently and it still had edge for the entire game.

 

[H . R . 2]

I've never been terrified by any horror games or by creepy visuals, but I was terrified throughout the entire game of Dead Space 1 due to the brilliant sound design. Such a great game, I just played it again recently and it still had edge for the entire game.

hopefully, the remake will manage to capture the spirit of the original

 

[MCplayer]

When games had a purpose

 

[TintoConCasera]

I remember being very scared while playing FEAR.

My PC at the time sucked ass, so I had to play it at almost minimun settings. Between the game's eerie atmosphere and the shitty graphics, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

That segment with Alma and the ladder didn't help either.

 

[H . R . 2]

I remember being very scared while playing FEAR.

My PC at the time sucked ass, so I had to play it at almost minimun settings. Between the game's eerie atmosphere and the shitty graphics, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

That segment with Alma and the ladder didn't help either.

oh THAT I believe was FEAR's equivalent of the famous " dog jumpscare " in RE

 

[CatLady]

hopefully, the remake will manage to capture the spirit of the original

The original holds up really well especially on the Series X. It doesn't really need a remake in my opinion. especially since it wouldn't even be made by Visceral Games.

 

[Boomalla]

When my ps4 crashed as i landed the final blow on Ludwig in bloodborne after what felt like a million attempts, the terror of knowing i might have to do it all over again was horrifying.

 

[stranno]

First and only, I'd say.

 

[TintoConCasera]

oh THAT I believe was FEAR's equivalent of the famous " dog jumpscare " in RE

Haha yeah, that left me scared and wary of every single ladder in the game, and even other games at the time too.

 

[BlvckFox]

P.T with VR integration would literally hospitalise people [head injuries, heart attack, PTSD]
I always refer to PT as one of the scariest experiences [ not just games ] of my life and I don't scare easily

No question. I've played most of the horror games out there and thought they provided a great amount of fear but it wasn't until I played PT that I was truly shook.
Lisa didn't seem like AI with a pattern but just a maniac ghost with a mind of her own. I can still hear those fucking low painful moans. Crazy.

 

[Loke]

Medal of Honor Warfighter

 

[CheeseCake]

If you know from which games this is from, you KNOW the kind of heart attacks you had to go through.

 

[Dr Bass]

Silent Hill 1 I think.

 

[Hobosluz]

Oh resident evil 2 when I was in primary school and I played it before going to school… my child mind thought living in a bush land country town zombies would come out of the woods and get me… I remember riding my bike so fast to get to school day… hahaha

 

[H . R . 2]

oh my god, these two !!! so many memories

 

[H . R . 2]

If you know from which games this is from, you KNOW the kind of heart attacks you had to go through.

Slender !

 

[Loope]

Alone in the Dark, fuck that.

 

[Indyblue]

Resident Evil 7 VR fucked me up pretty good. Partly because it was scary af but also because I just felt nauseous from playing VR.

 

[Iorveth]

It's so rare to feel actualy fear in a video game. I guess Hollow Knight's Deepnest was fairly disturbing on first visit. TLoU 2 patient zero was amazing.

Best jumpscare ever would have to go Arkham Knight. Those who played it know which moment.

 

[Musashipan]

The first alone in the dark

 

[H . R . 2]

It's so rare to feel actualy fear in a video game. I guess Hollow Knight's Deepnest was fairly disturbing on first visit. TLoU 2 patient zero was amazing.

Best jumpscare ever would have to go Arkham Knight. Those who played it know which moment.

that was a good one. totally unexpected

 

[VN1X]

Sonic.

Because it was so shit.

 

[Ziglax]

Original Alien vs predator as Marine.
Alone in the dark.
Everquest, Greater Faydark to Qeynos by foot at lvl8 or so (including Kithicor forest by night of course).

 

[Dorago]

PT. I played through it twice and ended up screaming in fright/excitement at THAT moment both times. I have never played a better horror game.

Hearing all the shit about MK Ultra over the radio. Seeing the apparitions over the banister or at the other end of the hallway. NOT being able to move quite fast enough. Just perfect.

 

[KillaJamm]

Probably 'Visage'. The tension that game makes you feel is like nothing else, what a game.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

 

[The_hunter]

First time truly terrified it was the first shark encounter in Ecco Defender of the Future.

Failed to find a video of the shark chasing you with looking back camera. No other game gave me true fear like that.

Sweaty hands tense was on Clock Tower and P.T., but I do enjoy the tension of survival horror games, it's part of the fun.

I forgot about this game, I had this on ps2 back in the day.

 

[H . R . 2]

honourable mention:




did the sound effect of PS1 boot screen scare anyone?