How do you feel about horror games?

Before I continue, I, for one, am very afraid of horror games. Whenever I play any horror games, I would get a bolster and hug it whilst holding the controller. One of the most recent games I played was Ju-On: The Grudge for the Nintendo Wii in my friend's house. It wasn't fully scary because I have 2 of my friends playing and commentating alongside with me. My hand was literally trembling due to the atmospheric music the game has. Mind you, the game has one of the most cheap scares you'll ever see in a horror game. Some examples of cheap scares are while opening a door, there would be a small cinematic sequence and suddenly a hand reaches out for your hand and you're forced to look at a woman with a rather distorted, bloody face. It's very scary, but you will feel it's so cheap that it's not worth going forward anymore. Anyway, horror games make me feel insecure. It never fails to make me think about myself, about what I've done. It makes me guilty once a while, and I believe in karma. In short, horror games make me lament on my past.

I was introduced to Fatal Frame from one of my friends. The first time I played was Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly during a sleepover at his house and as we play, we could not take the pressure and everything around us just felt cold. The scariest moment about Fatal Frame 2 was when we took a break, we did not pause the game, we just let it run as we relaxed. Apparently, the game still haunts you while taking a break. A creepy screensaver comes out of nowhere and loops over forever. It was the image of the Limbo Woman. Somehow, only one of my friends and myself noticed it and the rest didn't. That screensaver alone have set the mood for my whole night; terrified. You can view the screensaver here.

One of the earlier horror games I played was the F.E.A.R franchise. It featured a long-haired girl in red clothing and supposedly, she follows you whenever you go. The first time I heard that, I had nightmares. Back then, I was only 17 years old. I was quite timid but now, I grown more immune to horror. The atmosphere in F.E.A.R is incredibly scary. It's all silent as you move forward and you'll hear every interaction happening in your environment. Be it soldiers talking, objects dropping or of course, scares. Unlike Fatal Frame, you don't feel vulnerable at all. You have an arsenal of weapons to fight against enemies and in Fatal Frame, all you get is an upgradable camera. F.E.A.R is nothing compared to Fatal Frame in my opinion, but it is still an honorable mention.

Of course, I'll be looking forward to any horror games releasing this year. I really hope there will be a Fatal Frame 5, an improved Silent Hill from all the crap releases and F.E.A.R 3 hopefully.

Thanks for reading. Peace out.

John