survival horror & FMV horror rundown/to-play

legend:

• U = unplayed
• D = dipped my toes in
• P = currently playing
• C = completed

golden age survival horror

• clock tower - U - point and click argento's "phenomena"? looks right up my alley!
• resident evil - P - why did i wait so long to play this one? i thought it would be mostly about resource management and puzzle solving but it's really about burning the layout of spencer mansion into your brain. once it's in there, i feel like it'll never leave.
• clock tower 2 - U - creepiest-looking graphics out of all of these.
• resident evil 2 - U - impressive for being the one and only survival horror release for n64.
• silent hill - C - my favorite horror game of all time. deserves its own writeup. when developers discovered grey pixels can be much scarier than red ones. the big gory mess near the beginning feels perfunctory, like it's what audiences expect for an m-rated horror game, before they get into the real scary stuff. probably where bethesda software got the idea for the cliff racers in morrowind.
• dino crisis - U
• galerians - U
• resident evil 3 - U
• d2 - U
• resident evil: code veronica - U
• dino crisis 2 - U
• silent hill 2 - C - my first survival horror game. i'm in the minority in liking the first game better but i wouldn't call this one overrated by any stretch. completely earns its legacy and high esteem.
• fatal frame - P - this game is too scary. i'm having a hard time playing it because of this fact. this is a huge compliment. great gameplay and atmosphere both. my favorite game i am too frightened to continue.
• resident evil remake - D - the "jiggle physics" on jill's boobs are such an embarrassing reminder of 2000s gaming culture. mikami's original vision?
• resident evil zero - U
• clock tower 3 - D - this one seems super fascinating if sketchy. i love the graphics.
• silent hill 3 - U - i should really play this one next! i've only heard good things.
• siren - U
• fatal frame ii - U
• silent hill 4 - U
• haunting ground - D - wow, this is the most insensitive depiction of someone with a cognitive disability i have seen in any medium. the game has me intrigued though.
• fatal frame iii - U
• rule of rose - U - looks really really sketchy but has a sizable cult following.

2020s throwback survival horror

• tormented souls - U - looks extremely ps2 (a compliment). the only game on this list that seems not to have a twist on the original survival horror formula. if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
• alisa - D - resident evil 1 reimagined as steampunk action. i was not expecting something in the intro sequence to make me laugh out loud. while some (excellent) monster designs made me say "nope nope nope" and skitter back to the safe room, the atmosphere doesn't seem as oppressive as your typical survival horror title.
• signalis - P - amazing graphics (especially what they do with reflections) and atmosphere. this was really made by a two-person team? an interplanetary GDR empire is a terrifying concept. references to 90s anime and "the king in yellow", first-person puzzles reminiscent of "myst". the most stylish of the retro games by far.
• crow country - P - this just his ps4 and i've been playing for a few hours and am hooked. more puzzles than combat (excellent!). graphics cute and grimy in equal measure. likeable protagonist who handles a sidearm better than jill v. and chris r. an intriguing mystery. abandoned amusement park setting. i am absolutely hooked.
• conscript - U - a very unique setting here: you play as a teenage french conscript during the battle of verdun during the great war. looks very very bleak. i would bet money there's a scene where you have to kill a teenage german conscript.
• hollowbody - U - survival horror and cyberpunk? you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!
• heartworm - U - yes, that is a hyperlink to the game's official neocities site. the full game isn't yet out, but there is a demo out on the haunted ps1 demo disc (2020).

FMV (full motion video) horror:

• night trap - U - wish me luck with segaCD emulation!
• the 7th guest - U - this looks the biggest influence on all the games after it on this list. excited to try this out.
• corpse killer - U - again, wish me luck with segaCD emulation!
• gabriel knight 2: the beast within - C - my second favorite FMV game. lovely setting and graphics. i was so happy while reading the manual when it recommended turning off your lamp and lighting a candle. i was already doing that! actually, that's a great recommendation for any of these games. pumpkin-scented if you can afford it. nothing against leah remini but i'm glad they actually cast a japanese-american actor for the japanese-american character. dean erickson is also fantastic as a more grounded take on gabriel for live-action.
• phantasmagoria - D - more games should have a hint system with this presentation. this'll probably be the next FMV game i play.
• the 11th hour - U
• darkseed ii - U
• goosebumps: escape from horrorland - U - jeff goldblum as dracula? say no more.
• ripper - U - great cast including burgess meredith's final performance
• harvester - U
• phantasmagoria 2: a puzzle of flesh - C - my very favorite fmv game, my favorite protagonist in all of gaming (that's him all blingeed up on my index page), one of my favorite games of all time. the story is completely unrelated to the first game so you can start with this one. this game deals with mature topics like trauma, mental disorders, bdsm, sexual dysfunction, trying not to end up like your parents etc. (there are multiple therapist visit scenes) while still being an absolute b-movie. the only plot beat i'll spoil is the inciting supernatural incident: our hero is sitting at his desk using his computer when something invisible punches him right in the nose. it could happen to you!
• gothos - U - open world vampire fmv game? the player character is a vampire who sounds like yogi bear? this looks incredible.
• black dahlia - U - i love how take-two made another fmv game with a legendary character actor in the lead role (see: nicholas cage's career in the 1990s and 2000s)
• the x-files game - U - this looks fun but my dream x-files game is a sidescrolling beat-em-up where you play as fbi assistant director walter "punch you in the face" skinner. i think this may have been the only fmv adventure on ps1.

many of these games deal with sensitive subjects (maturity!) so if you're concerned any of these will get under your skin in the wrong way be sure to look up content warnings.

bonus aside: "the subject", timo tjahjanto's contribution to the "v/h/s/94" anthology horror film, feels like a grimy survival horror game. which is funny because instead of having fixed camera angles it's from a first-person viewpoint.

final thought: i don't consider this a "backlog" at all, but instead a season pass to a haunted amusement park!

i also enjoy watching horror films!