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The only thing we have to fear…
…are zombie sharks and musical frauds
By Marty Sliva
Artists like Stephen King, John Carpenter, H.P. Lovecraft and Milli Vanilli have been frightening the tinkle out of audiences for as long as any of us can remember.
As this series regarding emotions elicited by video games continues to roll along, it’s about time that we get to the most primal of all feelings that anyone can display. No, this week is not revolving around the overall feeling of queasiness that so many of us have to endure on most Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Better yet, the topic of discussion is centering on fear and all of the fun effects that go along with it.
The creation of dread can be found fairly easily in every medium. Artists like Stephen King, John Carpenter, H.P. Lovecraft and Milli Vanilli have been frightening the tinkle out of audiences for as long as any of us can remember.
Adding to the list of iconic pieces of horror, I offer you the original Playstation’s “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill.” Released respectively in 1996 and 1999, these two games epitomize the fear and general insecurity that the medium can deliver.
On one hand, “Resident Evil” delivered all of the jolts and yelp-inducing moments that George Romero movies have been forged upon since the ‘60s. Zombie dogs crashing through windows, zombie crows pecking out your eyeballs, zombie sharks swimming about maliciously, and zombie zombies stumbling around in your immediate vicinity created some of the most memorable moments in video games history.
The only downside to the fear created by “Resident Evil” was the fact that a lot of it stemmed from a camera system that was about as archaic as a pre-IMDb internet, and a control system that felt like I was driving a Panzer through the streets of Poland circa ‘39. Also, the voice acting was so bad that is surpassed being good and somehow became bad again.
A few years after audiences finished struggling with the fear created by “Resident Evil,” players had their minds blown by the horrific madness that was “Silent Hill.” Instead of delivering the single-serving moments that populated its predecessor, this game was all about developing and maintaining a very specific mood.
That alloy of a mood contained equal parts fear, dread, panic, confusion and whatever emotion it is that causes someone to yell “Gwaa!” at random moments.
Hardware limitations forced the creators of the game to have to have the titular town immersed in a hazy fog, severely limiting the distance of sight for the player. Thankfully, this sensory disability only added to the concoction of elements that allowed this game to both scare and scar audiences.
Audio factors such as a radio that emits static in the presence of a creature and incredibly intricate musical cues made this the perfect game to play with the lights turned low and the sound turned high.
The demons that inhabited the game also succeeded at pushing the fear envelope in the realm of gaming. Foregoing the usual zombie or monster design, the game is populated by hideous creations that always have a hint of humanity to them.
As an armless and faceless form shambles down the street, the player is torn between feeling compassion and overwhelming dread.
Both of these games have received numerous sequels throughout the past decade that have varied in success. However, this over-saturation can’t take away any of the emotions created by the original entries into the series.
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