Horror Game Design

Kevin over at Game Hermeneutics has written an interesting guide to “generic” survival horror game design. Kevin seems to be mostly talking about Resident Evil, but his points are still valid. I’ve been thinking of writing an article in a similar vein for a while now. I think Kevin’s done a good job of scratching the surface, but there seems to be so much more we can generally state about the genre.

What kinds of design ideas do you think make an excellent horror game? What ideas should be avoided?

Thank the Good Lord

Polygon Magazine is reporting that Siren will be released in both North America and Europe this spring. Thank the Lord in Heaven!

Sony’s latest PlayStation 2 horror game entitled “Forbidden Siren” is scheduled for release worldwide. After selling more than 150,000 copies in Japan and South Korea, Sony plans to release the game in Europe and North America later this spring.

Take it, Zombies.

Thanks to Craig for posting this interesting link in the forums. According to this report at GamesRadar.com, Capcom has decided to drop zombies entirely from Resident Evil 4. Instead, you’ll face “villagers,” who apparently will be much more intelligent and cunning than the mindless undead we’ve come to know and love. All evidence suggests that Capcom is really trying to take the series in a new direction with this game: the environments are realtime 3D, the enemies are significantly different, and the series has finally become a member of the “flashlight or no light” horror game club.