The survival horror genre is a one of a kind when it comes to video games yet it seems that the genre has a new king on the throne.
There are not as many games out there that provide the scares, the tension and the terrifying atmosphere that gamers seem to enjoy these days. Resident Evil and Silent Hill are the two series that come to mind when a person thinks about survival horror games, yet it seems that while one is evolving on to other things the other is fading away.
One of the most iconic moments in video game history has to be when players encountered their first zombie in Resident Evil. Heartbeats quickened and many gamers panicked as they encountered something they had never seen before in such grizzly fashion.
Resident Evil continued to thrive on the success of that feeling adding an even more terrifying and iconic Nemesis later on in the series, before it finally peaked with the atmospheric and foreboding Resident Evil 4, which till this day is one of the finest survival horror experiences out there.
Yet with Resident Evil 5 there was a seemingly blatant change in gameplay dynamics. Not only was co-operative gameplay introduced, but for the first time the game took place in broad daylight and had more of an action feel to it than the survival horror that gamers had loved for so long.
That is not to say Resident Evil 5 was a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but it was not survival horror.
On the other hand we have Dead Space, which no one had heard about before yet anyone who played the gruesomely atmospheric game fell in love with it the first time they had to run for their lives through claustrophobic corridors, without any weapon.
There was a real sense of impending danger behind every corner and every locked door, with lights going off randomly the game really did scare the player and made him feel that every action he performed was for his own survival.
Cue Dead Space 2 and while it was more action oriented as well, it still retained a huge chunk of the survival horror feel which has made it all the more endearing to fans.
It would not be unfair to crown it the new king of the genre as it does everything the Resident Evil series was known for and does it well. The Necromorphs have become as iconic as Isaac Clarke and his devastating Plasma Cutter and the ambience in the game is unrivalled.
Also one has to see the trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 6 and the statement by Capcom to understand that the Resi series will not be going back to its roots. Capcom stated that they wanted to attract Call of Duty fans to their series and therefore made the move to make the game more action oriented.
Whether one calls it evolution or not, one thing is clear and that is the fact that Resident Evil, for the time being at least, is not a survival horror series looking into the future, whereas if one was to look at the early reports and rumours surrounding Dead Space 3, it seems that that particular series is continuing to build on the elements that has made it so successful.
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
Tags: