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BioShock, meanwhile, designed an entire ecology around Big Daddies, making them far more than diving-suit-clad foils for the business end of your shotgun. Over the course of the game, you discovered their origins, purposes, and – eventually – became one yourself. (Admittedly, however, it wasn't until BioShock 2 that the franchise really perfected that concept.) Sure, having a giant drill for a hand definitely gave the Big Daddy an upper hand... drill... thing in the memorability category, but a gradual trickle of information turned Big Daddy from a giant target into a crucial part of Rapture's existence.
There's also the matter of smart, measured build up and the air of mystique it creates. Wasteland denizens in Fallout 3, for example, whispered of Deathclaws in frightened tones long before I ever met one face-to-face. And when I finally saw one loping toward me, gangly limbs flying like vital-organ-seeking missiles? I turned tail and fled for dear life while attempting to write out my last will and testament. Lamentably, I didn't exactly make it far.
Indie horror hit Amnesia, however, really steals the show in that category. It's so terrifying not because boogie men pop out and shout “boo!” around every corner, but for the exact opposite reason: they don't. Instead, there's a constant sickening dread lurking in the darkness. Slight sights, unsettling sounds, perfectly placed shadows. Together, they create a mystique that other survival horror games simply can't match. And your character, of course, is hopelessly helpless, rendering the classic “fight or flight” multiple choice test fairly easy. The answer is D) Wet Yourself.
There's another factor, though, that I think has played a major role in the shift away from interesting, well-designed enemies: graphical fidelity. Madness, you say? Well, consider this: The more realistic graphics are, the easier it is to design enemies that look and move like people. However, as humans, we naturally fear difference. My poison headcrab phobia? I bet it wouldn't be nearly as bad if I wasn't also violently afraid of spiders. Point is, we're pre-programmed to fear things that are unlike us, because nature's creepy crawlies have a tendency to, you know, murder us with poison.
Earlier games, though, were perfectly positioned to take advantage of that. A lack of detail became creepy, inhuman abstraction. Awkward animations became herky-jerky, unnatural movements. Enemies like Legend of Zelda's life-sapping Re-Deads and dungeon-crawling (literally) Wallmasters were – on some level – a product of necessity. Technology was limited, so developers had to be creative.
Ever played SkiFree? Yes, that SkiFree. Same idea. The yeti didn't trigger minor heart attacks just because it signaled insta-death. Its rapid, oddly terrifying movements gave Child-Me many a pixelated nightmare because it ambled ever forward in a manner that was downright wrong. Happily, Minecraft's enemies – Creepers, especially – carry that torch today to some extent today, but they're the exception, not the rule.
By and large, it's all hyper-realistic terrorists this, hyper-realistic zombies that. Oh, and there's the occasional hyper-realistic giant spider in there – just to make me feel frightened in spite of myself. I want more than that, though. Give me a love-hate, life-death relationship for the ages – not another shooting gallery. Press start. Find me a new challenger.
Comments are closed on this article
brotherj
February 02, 2012 at 8:22am
I agree with all the great HL2 comments. Gonna fire it back up myself this weekend...been too long.
btw
I cheered like my team had won the championship when the Gravity Gun was suddenly able to snatch Combine soldiers and hurl them around. You can't beat memories like that.
burntham77
February 02, 2012 at 8:13am
I played the first Half-Life six times straight through. To this day, I have so many beautiful memories from that game. So many great moments that I simply had not experience up until that point. Even today, no game has matched the sense of wonder and fun of Half-Life.
Ridnarhtim
February 02, 2012 at 6:41am
Bleh. They terrified me in Half-Life, but in Half-Life 2 I just found them annoying. Like most of the game.
shommy2002
February 02, 2012 at 6:33am
If you want to relive Half-life 2 download the fake factory mod... It reskins the entire game to look valves latest source engine... Makes it feel modern, but at heart its the same game...
http://cinematicmod.com/
Caboose
February 01, 2012 at 11:45pm
Half-Life 2 stands out as the best game I've ever played. I remember when I finished it. I had a weird feeling come over me. I felt like I was missing something, I was craving something but I didn't know what it was. I had fallen so deeply in to the story, that I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to play more, and more. I've not come across any other video game that has given me the same feeling.
The Metroid Prime trilogy came close, but no where near the level that Half-Life 2 was.
The Corrupted One
February 02, 2012 at 9:42pm
Darn, I need to go back to the Wii and beat Prime 2, thanks for reminding me, I fell into a haze of TF2.
I am a big Metroid fan.
AudioCraZ
February 01, 2012 at 11:23pm
I think that Half-Life, System-Shock 2, Fallout 3 had some of the most creative enemies, and the most creative way of killing them. They didn't just give you games, they gave you memories that made you want to play the game over and over.
Led Weappelin
February 01, 2012 at 8:25pm
You're right aferrara50. That first play-through of HL was epic. I didn't think I'd ever get to the end. And what an ending. And that headcrab at the top of the ladder scared the bajesus out of me.
Oh HL-Threeeeee.....where are you?
silent_sentinel
February 01, 2012 at 8:19pm
Im going to play all the way through on Febuary 4th, to make HL2 the most played game on Steam.
Join the group if you havent http://steamcommunity.com/groups/messagetovalve
Biceps
February 01, 2012 at 6:31pm
I just restarted HL2 on hard a week ago. That game is truly timeless. There aren't many games that have made me want to actually get out of my chair and run for my life, but HL2 and Bioshock both have.
dakishimesan
February 01, 2012 at 6:18pm
GOD, let me reaffirm the Amnesia: Dark Descent comments: that is the most terrifying game I have ever played. I am simply unable to play it with the lights off, it is that intensely scary.
yammerpickle2
February 01, 2012 at 6:15pm
I loved Half life. Even with the dated graphics I was totally immersed in that game. I forgot to move from my computer for like 12 hours straight on the first play through. I just wanted to get to the surface so bad, I could not wait to play until I could see the sun in the games sky. To this day my buddies and I can't pick up a crowbar without thinking about Gordon Freeman and bashing head crabs with one.
aferrara50
February 01, 2012 at 7:03pm
Agreed. HL and HL2 were the most memorable games of my preteen and teenage life. Every time I see a crowbar I reminisce a little about the Gordon Freeman and his badassery. They truly set the bar for my expectations for shooters ever since. To be honest, I had a better time playing the halflife series on a p4 rig than I do with any new games on a 6 2560x1440 screen eyefinity setup. Nothing will compare to my first playthrough of HL, nothing; it was truly epic.
The Corrupted One
February 01, 2012 at 5:58pm
Part of being a good gamer is controlling your twitch reflex, I jumped out of my seat when I got jumped by a marine in Half Life: Blue Shift, and I shiver when I'm in an intense part of a game sometimes.
Some of the parts of Half Life Opposing Force are scaring the crap out of me(first playthrough)
The Corrupted One
February 02, 2012 at 9:48pm
Yeah, I agree, I think that Opposing Force was a giant step foward for Valve in terms of storytelling and design.
It might be a step up from the first even (fully charges HEV suit to protect against flame)
Every decision was made to further the story, it was set later to reveal more, it used night vision instead of flashlight and pitch dark areas for effect, and added another race for even more infighting.
And as glitchy as it is, controlling a squad of marines is a bunch of fun.
I am just liking it a bit better, maybe excepting the way that you are not as solitary and there is less exploring going on.
Blue Shift sucks, but it's a minigame so it's okay, it's longer than a COD game campaign at least.
neural0
February 14, 2012 at 4:37pm
I totally agree. The thing that made OpFor playable and important was the fact it added to the story of HL. Something I didn't could get any better.
I'll NEVER forget when you open up the reaction chamber door and you see Gordon jumping into the warp field. It was epic because I remembered instantly when I was playing Gordon in HL and doing that exact jump. Pretty cool.
Marthian
February 01, 2012 at 5:31pm
pfft, I just took those headcrabs head on. I didn't hide, I'd just side step them and keep trying to down them.
There are some parts that did take a lot of retries, but it was worth it.
