Boo!
It's the start of the month of October 2022, which means it's time for a new poll of the month! This might be the first time I'm actually on the ball with getting the POTM up on the first, but it's only because I've been thinking about this one ahead of time already.
As it's October, that means one of a few things: Tree leaves are starting to change color, pumpkin spice comes out of hibernation to be added to all the things, and horror games are very much en vogue.
That begs the question then: Do you have a favorite horror game or series that you like to replay at or near Halloween? Perhaps you like to go back to the Dead Space games, or maybe it's a particular Silent Hill game that gets your horror motor running. Alternatively, maybe you just play a random assortment of horror games, a mix of new and old ones.
Feel free to cast your vote in the poll and post below what your favorite go-to horror games are or what your horror gaming plans may be, if any, for this spooky season.
Note: I've made the poll multiple choice so you can choose more than one option if it applies to you.
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As for me, I chose the first two options in the poll. Friend and I recently played through Dead Space 3 co-op again for the first time in years. And yeah, while it's super not "horror" it's still from a horror franchise, so I'm counting it. We'll probably do Phasmo at some point I'm guessing. I still need to finish my RE4 play through with the HD texture mod that I started a few months back.
As for new games: Probably the latest Dark Pictures game, not the new one coming out, but the previous one. Haven't played that yet. I'm also playing through Days Gone, which also isn't exactly "horror" but it's sure as hell pretty tense when you come across a wandering horde.
I don't mind horror games, so long as they're good horror games. Ones that just do LOUD NOISES = SCARY are the worst kind. So shit like Nun Massacre and whatnot aren't my cup of tea. I'm definitely more for the psychological horror and ones that are tense.
Much like cikame I agree that a lot of horror games are just really formulaic. I can't recall the last time I actually got scared by a horror game, save for when a deer ran up right behind me as I was fueling my bike in Days Gone the other day. Every once in a while though you get a good horror game that at least gets the heart racing a bit without cheap tactics.
nossirrah Weirdly enough even with my anxiety I don't mind horror games for some reason. It's probably just because I've played so many that there just isn't anything "new" that surprises me most times. I used to watch Markiplier a lot waaaaay, waaaaay back when near he was just starting out. Loved watching his Amnesia content when his reactions were a bit more grounded. Then the fame started to hit and he started doing those loud reactions more and more (which I assume you mean when you talk about their reactions) and it actually put me off of watching him. It just felt so fake/manufactured. Which is great for their business, of course, but I wasn't his target audience anymore.
With that said, this is the best time to come back to try Phasmophobia again. Actually I would've warned you to hold off on it at the time of your posting, as the game's latest update (again, at THAT time) had a nasty memory leak that slows the game down over time. Needless to say, Kinetic Games HAULED ASS to hotfix that memory leak out, and even added a few more quality of life changes.
Speaking of quality of life changes, that's why I said this is the best time to come back. Ignoring the very latest update, there has been many changes to make this game far more accessible than the earlier days. There's certainly more content (ghosts, maps, etc.) and optional challenges to make things more difficult, but the focus of the updates over time has been to make the game less frustrating to play.
An example? Hate Asylum? Suffers from Halo corridor effect? Get lost too easily? Too damn big? No problem, it's gone. Sunny Meadows is a replacement asylum that is very large, but the layout is much more intuitive so you can find your way around. Hate the size? No problem. You can play the "Restricted" version where a random slice of the map is open each time you play it. This newest map is designed to have main doors that separate each main section of the building, and lock up if you play the "Restricted" version of the map.
Another example? Parabolic Mic blocks your view? It's semi-transparent glass now. And it's been tweaked for improved functionality. I'm still not entirely sure how to get consistent readings, but it does catch whispers from other ghosts, or a unique Banshee scream (not ear-splitting, but unique enough so you KNOW it's a Banshee).
Another example? How about the biggest feature of them all? THE VERY LONG AWAITED AND ANNOUNCED A LONG TIME AGO CUSTOM DIFFICULTY! This is the main reason you and your friends should come back for Halloween gaming. The best way to improve accessibility is to let you customize EXACTLY how difficult the game will be, if at all. You have full control over MANY aspects of the game with this. You probably don't know what Nightmare mode is (another new feature), so don't worry about it. You can make a ghost that never hunts, and your sanity never drops if you want. I don't know how that's fun, but it's good practice! Assuming you don't use practice mode itself.
And of course, since it's been a while, you have your graphical changes (the lobby is brand new for Halloween), tool refreshes (updated looks, improved functionalities), new UV flashlight as a preview (intentionally not usable outside of the lobby at this time), new item purchase/selection interface, new profile system (goodbye whiteboard), new minigames to play in the lobby (Jenga, bowling, ring toss, and cornhole), new truck, and new Halloween event (candy buckets, Jack O'Lanterns, themed ghost), etc.
... I guess I play this game more often than I realize. Huh. Anyway if you and your friends need a ringer, and I'm not at work (weekends/statutory holidays are ideal), let me know.