Games: Why can't WE be the bump in the night?

[HighTide]

I have been considering for a while how Horror genre works in the current age. The player is usually dis empowered quite a lot (that's the point, it's more challenging if you can't just pop a few rounds into the evil ghost) or given a darker setting to go Call of Duty around the map and shoot'em up, I argue that the first is much more interesting, but whenever I look for a game where the player is the one trying to properly be the scary thing, it always comes up short.

Games like Rampage are neat and all, running around and engaging in absolute mayhem and destruction with little anyone can do to stop you, but the closest I can find to what I'm actually looking for is from the old AvP games where you play as the Alien or the Predator, but even then there's not a lot you can do to change the dynamic from "I'm the scariest thing you've ever faced" to "Come at me shoot'em-up."

 

I feel like this is an untapped market. Where are the games where We are the ones that go bump in the night? Where are the games where our goal isn't just to go nomming up a bunch of people, but to prey on fear itself?

 

Have I missed some games or am I right in observing that this isn't really an available medium as of yet...?

[ToJKa]

Well, there is a recent "Friday the 13th" multiplayer game, where one player plays the murderer while other try to escape.

 

But yes, playing as the monster, or event a bad guy, is quite rare in games.

[KoolHndLuke]

You can pretty much just start killing (and eating) any and everything in both the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series of games. You want to be a monster or killer feared and maybe hunted, right? 

 Starting a game to play an evil creature or killer would force the writing into a linear approach to tell a story, I think, whereas most of the popular games lately are open world sandbox that "allow" the player more flexibility towards story and choice. Is this better? It can be if those choices have significant or far reaching consequences and the overall plot and sub-plots are well thought out and well written/acted. But, I do enjoy games that take a more linear approach that focus on storytelling and maybe less world space to explore like Neir: Automata with some choices that can effect the rest of story greatly- like choosing to save one person over another- and lead to one of several or more alternate endings.

 

But, you are right in that most games do deliberately or consequently force the player into more of a good guy role- it seems. Probably because this is what the majority of ppl want to play anyway. I have heard ppl complain numerous times that they try to play a "bad guy" when given the opportunity, but just can't because at some point they feel compelled to do "the right thing"- and continue with that.

[Jazzman]

16 hours ago, ToJKa said:

[...] playing as the monster, or event a bad guy, is quite rare in games.

But exactly that is what we are always forced to become in Bethesda games. Don't get confused by the license to kill in your role as messianic leader given to you by the makers. You play the Wrath of God according to a script that puts you on top of the food chain. You're the Chosen One, the Nerevarine incarnated, Daddy's Supergirl, the other Alduin, furious Mama Matanza (manslaughter), you name it. Gosh, I've killed more adversaries per day in Boston than mi mom in six years as guerrillera in what was called the Dirty War in Argentina. They'd won that war back then and got their revenge. I'm still busy with the mass killings, even after twenty-eight months or more than four in-game years in a Commonwealth that's contrary to mi own propaganda still a not that much better place than it was before I've left the cryo tank with a Synth-like amnesia and a fuckin mission to do what? To run mad 'cause they had killed mi husband in cold blood and abducted mi baby boy. Bad mistake, ye Bostonians. Bad mistake.

[Lexi SubZero]

Well..aside the Xenomorph or Yautja in AvP...there's the upcoming Agony game where you play a tormented soul in hell and can posses higher class demons. Then maybe Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines..pick the Nosferatu clan. The multiplayer part of Dying Light let's you play as one agile zombie mofo. Project Wight also looks promising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxzNSRQG4m0

[myuhinny]

Become tentacle 1 and 2 allow you to play as a tentacle monster where you can play as a tentacle creature. First version you have to go around the world looking for girls while trying to avoid enemies and then try to get a girl 2nd one you had to chase the girls around.

[clownsister]

Anyone here old enough to remember the Dungeon Keeper games? You were the bad guy, and it was awesome. Also any GTA game, but I hate games in a modern or realistic setting. I prefer fantasy. Also Agony looks awesome but why is it only in 1st person? As an oldschool Resident Evil fan since '97 I also got super pissed when RE 7 was only 1st person. This walking simulator trend nonsense got to end. Or at least give players the option for 3rd person like in Fallout 4 and Skyrim. I prefer 3rd person for 3 reasons: You can look at your character, you don't get motion sickness, it doesn't look like an FPS.

[Rack]

Who you gonna call? Ghost Master! If you want an out of date strategy esque title about this.

 

Oh and Mark of the Ninja is amazing at this. You don't literally feed on fear but terrifying enemies debilitates them to the point they are easy prey.

[ToJKa]

Mentioning Dungeon Keeper reminded me of Evil Genius. Show those jamesbonds how a non-incompetent criminal mastermind protects his base of operations.

[HighTide]

Evil Genius was amazing, I heard recently that they're working on a second one (oh so hyped!)

It's true you can turn into a vampire/werewolf/straight-up-murder-hobo in skyrim but the moment you try to pickpocket or intimidate anyone the entire town has drawn swords and bows. I think even the kids try to kill ya

 

but, I'm not necessarily saying that the player would be Evil in this scenario, but rather just a monster in a very literal sense. The core mechanic of use not being violence but actual Fear.

 

Imagine one of these VR horror games where, rather than being subject to all the jump scares ever, you were to build anticipation without being caught too early-your goal was to incite panic and make the place you're in too frightening to return to?

-You crawl around the floor and up walls and ceilings, as long as you're grabbing a surface you're going across it

-You find bottles, books, things the subject isn't currently watching, and bump or break them

-You open doors they closed behind them, you take away their keys, you suck out the energy from their flashlight and phone batteries, you cut the power

-When they're finally frightened enough to back into a corner somewhere you crawl up above them, down the wall, and finally lunge your head right in front of theirs and give THEM the jump scare.

 

...be honest, who here wouldn't play that?

[echotest123]

Hu... The newer 'Dungeons' (1-3) games? They are somewhat inspired by Dungeon Keeper, but they are their own little thing with a unique and very entertaining humor.

 

And yes, you play as the 'Ultimate Evil', leading your monsters and Snots to virctory.

[JelloBiafra]

I've recently started playing War for the Overworld which isn't bad if you are looking for a "successor" to Dungeon Keeper, they even have the same narrator. As for games where you play the monster I can only think of the original AvP game and that has already been mentioned. I think it would be very difficult to balance such a game so you didn't become overpowered or to stop it from becoming tedious after awhile.

[shadowlord445]

Overlord was pretty fun.

[polonius]

7 hours ago, clownsister said:

Anyone here old enough to remember the Dungeon Keeper games? You were the bad guy, and it was awesome. Also any GTA game, but I hate games in a modern or realistic setting. I prefer fantasy. Also Agony looks awesome but why is it only in 1st person? As an oldschool Resident Evil fan since '97 I also got super pissed when RE 7 was only 1st person. This walking simulator trend nonsense got to end. Or at least give players the option for 3rd person like in Fallout 4 and Skyrim. I prefer 3rd person for 3 reasons: You can look at your character, you don't get motion sickness, it doesn't look like an FPS.

They were hilarious. I still remember the tone of contempt when the narrator did lines like these:

"Eversmile. Set in the realm of joy, the people of Eversmile are plagued only by aching facial muscles, and not anthrax as we had hoped. Eversmile is a disgusting land of good humour and polite frivolity."

— The Mentor, Intro

 

They turned the franchise into a crappy tablet micro transaction game last I heard. I just added Dungeons to my steam wishlist. Thanks for the heads up echotest123.

 

[KoolHndLuke]

6 hours ago, HighTide said:

Evil Genius was amazing, I heard recently that they're working on a second one (oh so hyped!)

It's true you can turn into a vampire/werewolf/straight-up-murder-hobo in skyrim but the moment you try to pickpocket or intimidate anyone the entire town has drawn swords and bows. I think even the kids try to kill ya

 

but, I'm not necessarily saying that the player would be Evil in this scenario, but rather just a monster in a very literal sense. The core mechanic of use not being violence but actual Fear.

 

Imagine one of these VR horror games where, rather than being subject to all the jump scares ever, you were to build anticipation without being caught too early-your goal was to incite panic and make the place you're in too frightening to return to?

-You crawl around the floor and up walls and ceilings, as long as you're grabbing a surface you're going across it

-You find bottles, books, things the subject isn't currently watching, and bump or break them

-You open doors they closed behind them, you take away their keys, you suck out the energy from their flashlight and phone batteries, you cut the power

-When they're finally frightened enough to back into a corner somewhere you crawl up above them, down the wall, and finally lunge your head right in front of theirs and give THEM the jump scare.

 

...be honest, who here wouldn't play that?

That- I never have seen or heard of. Yes, I think that would be fun. Scaring the shit out of ppl is always fun! Pushing npcs to their breaking point would be so enjoyable! I can almost hear their screams of pure terror now! I mean if you can't join them.....

 

One game that I definitely enjoyed being evil in was KOTOR. But, mainly because I LOVED HK-47 and to corrupt my followers to the Dark Side. Mwahahaha!!!

[Nazzzgul666]

19 hours ago, Mr. Trigun said:

Well..aside the Xenomorph or Yautja in AvP...there's the upcoming Agony game where you play a tormented soul in hell and can posses higher class demons. Then maybe Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines..pick the Nosferatu clan. The multiplayer part of Dying Light let's you play as one agile zombie mofo. Project Wight also looks promising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxzNSRQG4m0

I had plans to replay Masquerade as Nosferatu but... after playing Malkavian the first time, everything felt a bit empty. Imho nothing beats the experience to be mad enough to start arguing with a stop sign.

[Ernest Lemmingway]

3 hours ago, Nazzzgul666 said:

I had plans to replay Masquerade as Nosferatu but... after playing Malkavian the first time, everything felt a bit empty. Imho nothing beats the experience to be mad enough to start arguing with a stop sign.

::stifles a laugh:: I knew they were nuttier than a squirrel turd, but I've only ever played Toreador. I'm going to have to replay that.

[myuhinny]

Yeah Malkavian was the only one that I ever played I think mostly so that I could get a piece of that blonde pig tailed crazy ass one. The only thing that sucked about the game was the fade to black scenes. 

[LordJerle]

Not quite what you're talking about, but Black & White was pretty free in which direction you wanted to take as an almighty deity.

[NookyMonster]

On 2/12/2018 at 10:16 AM, myuhinny said:

Yeah Malkavian was the only one that I ever played ...

 

I was the same way.  I'd start a new game and stare at the character creation screen for a long time looking through the faction options and then ... always choose Malkavian.  The dialog was just too fun.

[gregathit]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Postal 1, 2 or 3.  Hell, I ran around in Postal 3 for days peeing on folks just to watch them get sick and throw up.  Then when I got tired of that, I started lopping heads off with my trusty shovel.  

[FauxFurry]

What do you call the Batman: Arkham games then? Sure, Brucey is playing the role of supernatural entity but he plays the role pretty well despite just being a guy in a leather fursuit analogue with a belt full of wonderful toys.

Destroy All Humans probably comes the closest to fitting your description of dream game, though. Crypotsporium comes bearing gifts for mankind but those gifts happen to be death rays and anal probes for all of humanity.

The various Godzilla games, SNK's King of the Monsters series, Dark Stalkers, Stubbs the Zombie, Deadly Creatures and Spider also fit in that they put players in the role of nightstalkers but all but Stubbs lack the directness (and intentional 1950's B-Movie campiness) of Destroy All Humans.

[Etarnalazure]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/503350/White_Noise_2/

One dude is the scary monster, scaring the other players and eating them, the other players are basically the scoopy gang, they run around with flash lights trying to find clues to banish the monster.

[FauxFurry]

2 hours ago, Etarnalazure said:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/503350/White_Noise_2/

One dude is the scary monster, scaring the other players and eating them, the other players are basically the scoopy gang, they run around with flash lights trying to find clues to banish the monster.

When you mentioned a player character eating people, it reminded me of Prototype and Prototype 2. The order of business in those games is: People Eat, Retreat, Be Discrete then Repeat.

[Daedric_Cat]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 10:49 PM, KoolHndLuke said:

That- I never have seen or heard of. Yes, I think that would be fun. Scaring the shit out of ppl is always fun! Pushing npcs to their breaking point would be so enjoyable! I can almost hear their screams of pure terror now! I mean if you can't join them.....

 

One game that I definitely enjoyed being evil in was KOTOR. But, mainly because I LOVED HK-47 and to corrupt my followers to the Dark Side. Mwahahaha!!!

Thiiis. Kotor 1 was the best, though. I loved playing dark side Revan, being a total asshole to everyone, didn't have to worry about influence. And HK-47. That was so satisfying.