Anyone else think Saw should be banned?

[Archem]

So, rewinding a little bit, I used to be a bit of a pussy. Everything scared me (look back for my victory over OoT thread), so all the things you guys are mentioning were childhood fears.

But then I was 16, and it all became un-intimidating. The Butcher was all "Ah! Fresh meat!", and I was all "**** your mother!", and things went beautifully from there. The room with a zombie in RE went from "Gah! Where's the power button?!" to "Gah, why can't Jill aim for his head? I need those bullets!". And of course, the chatter-jawed Deku Baba went from archfiend nemesis to beautifully trimmed lawn.

So I used to be frightened by things (more so than most), but it all just ceased to be at a certain point. Now, I just sort of hope that the games are fun, because nothing horror is horrifying anymore. Movies are becoming more about gore (which never terrified me, but always repulsed me), and games are becoming more about action (which is kind of nice, since they're not scaring me anyway. I do miss the attempt to create a creepy atmosphere and high-pressure puzzles and exploration, though). It's not really the best direction, if you ask me.

[Prpl_Mage]

I'm proud of you Archem. A whole post and no mentioning no boobs even though there was a slight boob discussion.

Also yeah, if I replay diablo now I can laugh of the guy lying in front of the church all cut open and slay the butcher.
I can kill all them zombies and shoot those regenerators.
But when playing a new horror game I keep asking myself "How much do they want to mess with my head?" While walking down a corridor. Will there be bugs coming out of those vent shafts? Is there something behind that door? What happens if I press this button? Why does the sign says danger? Why am I falling down into a pit of spiders now?

'cuz if I directed a horror game then I'd be a total *** and throw whatever possible at you and also add some kind of randomize so that they do not spawn on the same location every time. Kinda like clocktower...

[Archem]

The only horror game that I could think of that might still be able to scare me would be Eternal Darkness. I've never played it, but all the things I hear about it suggest that it has exactly what I need to be scared.

Even if only a little bit.

My fearlessness isn't a result of playing now what I feared then, and overcoming a longtime terror. I'm simply not frightened by things anymore. People tell me of the fear in Bioshock and DOOM 3, and I can only wonder how they can feel that way. Of course, I believe those games are a bit low on the horror scale, but they're just examples.

[Prpl_Mage]

We're grown ups... So sad.

[Cerebus]

I like the creepy ambiance in Silent Hill, but I am not scared by it. Only things that might "frighten" me are sudden weird noise or creature/people/whatever appearing right in front of me (or both at the same time!) but that's not being scared, more like a little unexpected thing that makes me step. After the first time, it's gone.

[SaiKar]

You guys are about as classy as this banner ad that keeps showing up on the front page.

This site has banner ads? I wouldn't know. 

Anyway, don't be afraid guys. We have nothing to fear but fear itself!

And Midnight.

[HackersTotalMassLaser]

You are a sad, sad man.

Oh, whatever.

[Valiere]

It's usually the audio that gets me. The radio static in Silent Hill, the sobbing woman in Eternal Darkness.

Eternal Darkness hit a little close to home, because I look almost exactly like the main character. And same age, same build, also a college student. Eerie.

[fruckert]

...woah.
That's...
...
Eerie.

[Valiere]

Pic's a little old but...I wear my hair the same too!




If I had my webcam, I'd try to recreate her shotgun pose.

Also, if I had a shotgun.....

[Zerlina]

The Butcher scared me shitless. I had nightmares of him coming in through the window. I couldn't listen to knives because they reminded me of axes.

Also-

[Razor]

Not that I play scary games ever on purpose,
but the last scary thing to happen in a game for me was in Stalker.

So I was down early game, running about in some sewers as you do, looking for that pesky Strelok's secret stash. Eventually I've run the course of this skanky place, and I've had my fill of soldiers and invisible bloodsuckers constantly trying to ruin my ****. According to my map, the exit is just a few rooms ahead. I have done it. I am out, and scot free.
I turn the corner. It's a long narrow room that leads to another long narrow room with the exit. Too easy.
I'm halfway there when THE CAMERA IS TAKEN OUT OF CONTROL AND I LOOK BEHIND MYSELF AND THERE'S SOME CTHULHU FACED THING WITH HIS ARM RAISED SENDIN ALL SORT OF PSYCHIC BLASTS UP MY ****.
I run the other way. I'm getting damaged by the blasts but I keep running. I make it up the ladder, back to the over world.

Thank god that's over.


But wait.
What's this?


On my map, I have not completed the objective. I swear to myself, realising I forgot to do the thing I went down there to do in the first place. There's no dicking way I'm going back down there now, though.

I've surfaced in the middle of some military camp, so I kill my way out as carefully as possible, and eventually I am back at the sewer entrance.
So I figure, well this is easy. I go down, find the objective, go back the way I came and win without ever having to face my literal demon. Well, mutant.
And so I do; I get there, find the chest and I'm about to head back when... I look at the map.
It tells me to leave via the exit. It's the only way. To complete the mission, I have to leave via the exit.

Dreading the inevitable but at least armed with some knowledge, I head to the end, trudging through these eeriely deserted sewers (because you know, I killed everything). As I reach the corner, I equip the most powerful weapon I have, a sawnoff shotgun with little ammo. What I am expecting is to turn the corner, reach that halfway point and then have to run back and kill this thing.

What happens catches me off guard completely, when I turn the corner and he is there, standing, waiting for me at the end of this first room. He raises his hand, the mind blasts start. I run in, shooting as fast as possible. By the time I make it near the end of the room, I have almost run out of shells, but he is dead. He didn't have any loot, so that was awful.

In conclusion, I don't think they should ban Saw because I am not a big set of girl parts. No disrespect to you Zuhane, as you made my signature.

[Prpl_Mage]

Val I actually think you got what it takes to be any female character. Alex is like one of the very stereotypical type and reminds me of Samus after all.

[Archem]

Long story about how Razor's a pussy.

I remember that. Oddly enough, I made a similar mistake with having to re-walk the sewers. I mean, it didn't scare me, but that's because I have an iron will.

I loved that game. It was so perfect in all the ways that really mattered (except for the massive bugginess, of course).

Gotta tell you, Razor, that if that scared you, I can't imagine what it was like when you went through the place with the psychic monsters that kept making random **** fly at you and setting you on fire (assuming you've already played up to that part).

It was the closest I'd been to being genuinely frightened since I was 15. I was tense as hell, which is about the best anything can do to me these days.

Tension is my new fear, and nobody knows how to create it properly.

[HobomasterXXX]

Penumbra was scary as all **** until I realised the majority of the enemies can be dispatched with a pick axe.