Study measures scariest Xbox 360 game

By Tom Phillips Published 9 September, 2011

Tests gamer sweat levels, body temp.

The scariest video game on Xbox 360 is EA's sci-fi survival horror Dead Space 2, a new scientific study has determined.

The survey, undertaken by usability studio Vertical Slice, tested both core and casual gamers' heart rate, sweat levels and body temperature while playing Alan Wake, Resident Evil 5, Dead Space 2 and Condemned, reports Gamasutra.

Players exposed to the first half hour of Dead Space 2 demonstrated varying degrees of shock at the events on screen: "None of the players' interest was stimulated during the cutscene that played at the start," the report details, "at least not until Isaac witnesses his dead wife become a necromorph in a horrific fashion."

"At least four of the participants found this moment distressing, and were frightened further still when throttled by the orderly, only to have him gruesomely slaughtered by a grotesque creature."

Unsurprisingly, experienced players labelled "core gamers" dealt better with the scares than the wussy subjects labelled "casual".

All test subjects experienced rapidly increased heart rate, "stunted breathing", and a rise in skin temperature, however.

Some even expressed their fears vocally. "Olivia suffers her first direct attack from a necromorph," the study notes. "Clearly, her irregular GSR [Galvanic Skin Response] patterns are aligned with this moment, and she was shouting, 'God, Oh my God, this s**t is so scary!'"

Games initially considered but found not scary enough for the study included Left 4 Dead 2, Gears of War 2, Condemned 2, Fear 1 & 2, Dead Space 1, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Alone in the Dark and Mass Effect 2.

The sweat-inducing first 15 minutes of Dead Space 2.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (89) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • darleysam #1 9 months ago

    Uhmmm.. it's not his dead wife who transforms at the start of DS2.
    Whooops.

    Now I'm the pedantic game nerd pointing that out.

  • X3Entente #2 9 months ago

    everybody knows silent hill on ps1 is the scariest game ever

  • Spekingur #3 9 months ago

    If Amnesia would have been released on consoles this study would be very diffirent.

  • Pastici #4 9 months ago

    I've not played Condemned 2, or completed the first one but whats so different between them that the second one doesn't qualify for being scary?

  • A_Nonny #5 9 months ago

    "and she was shouting, 'God, Oh my God, this s**t is so scary!'"

    What a sarcastic test subject.

  • iwantmynameuk #6 9 months ago

    i`d have thought `my horse and me 2` puts the fear into core gamers the most....

  • FogHeart #7 9 months ago

    There are two kinds of scary, though - the monster assault that these test games present, and the eerie creeping horror in games like Fatal Frame. Maybe the latter don't send your heart rate soaring and make you break out in a sweat, but the horror has a resonance, it stays with you. The ghosts of loved ones in Dead Space had the potential for putting that kind of horror in, but they didn't really manage it. Still, the monster assault horror is of such quality that the game really stands out in a genre where over-saturation has inured us. Resident Evil can't scare me anymore.

  • Buztafen #8 9 months ago

    Amnesia reduced me and mate (two 30 year old's) to quivering wrecks when we played it. Whoever made that game was molested as a child.

  • CloisterBlack #9 9 months ago

    "at least not until Isaac witnesses his dead wife become a necromorph in a horrific fashion."

    ^When did this ever happen in the game?..

  • daninthemix2 #10 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:46:59 28-04-2012

  • Silent-Hal #11 9 months ago

    Interesting study, though limiting it to only four games (one of which is RE5, the least frightening horror game ever) sort of hinders what they can find. Particularly interesting was the distinction between how scared 'core' and 'casual' gamers get playing these games; seems that more knowledge of the 'language' of game design better prepares you to handle this kind of stuff.

  • wizlon #12 9 months ago

    Dead Space 1 was scarier than 2, which was more action orientated and frankly a complete disappointment.

    And if you're measuring heart rate, sweat levels and body temperature then I think Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball will prove to be the "scariest".

  • -cerberus- #13 9 months ago

    All of the above are a bunch of horror-themed action/shooters. If only true survival horror games would get a release on the platform... Sadly, the few true survival horror games are found on the science damn Nintendo Wii. And the best one has to be imported from Japan.
    Edited by -cerberus- at 09/09/11 @ 15:27

  • kinky_mong #14 9 months ago

    Issac doesn't have a dead wife who transforms into a necromorph. He has a dead girlfriend who he keeps seeing the ghost of as his mental state deteriorates.

    I don't remember being throttled by an orderly in the intro either, I remember some guy freeing Issac from the room he's captive in only for him to be turned into a necromorph rather gruesomely.

  • SteveHolt #15 9 months ago

    The scariest games aren't from this gen: fatal frame / project zero 2, call of cthulhu dark corners of the earth were much scarier than anything that came this gen IMO.

  • thebuttonz #16 9 months ago

    Horseshit! We all know Banjo-Kazooie's Mad Monster Mansion was the scariest ever http://banjokazooie.wikia.com/wiki/Mad_M...

  • Thunderbolt #17 9 months ago

    Dead space 1 was carrier as the player did not know what to expect. Ds2 was just a retread imo

  • mr_pink #18 9 months ago

    Project Zero 2 is the only game that ever actually gave me nightmares, it has both creeping dread and shock scares. There's a bit in it where you can only run in slow-mo, like in a dream - horrible. Wish they'd make a new one for 360/PC.

  • slippysloppy #19 9 months ago

    I shat my pants on more than one occasion playing the original Condemned.

  • Goodfella #20 9 months ago

    Aye, those who mentioned Amnesia are spot on, by far a more disturbing and flat out nerve wracking game.

    Sitting huddled in a dark corner of a room trying to hide from those freaky shambling monsters, only made worse that you can't look at it or else it will likely spot you or make your sanity plummet.
    Edited by Goodfella at 09/09/11 @ 15:38

  • SecretStage #21 9 months ago

    What about 'Viva Pinata'....oh man! its this game where pinatas come alive and try to feast on your flesh, it'll mess you up seriously.

    But on a serious note i wish Amnesia:Dark Descent would come to XBLA/PSN, Would really like to play it especially at night with my headphones and become immersed.
    Edited by SecretStage at 09/09/11 @ 15:48

  • Silent-Hal #22 9 months ago

    For the record, there are lots of different factors that contribute towards how scary a game is. How vulnerable your protagonist is, how hard the game is and how unbroken the immersion is are all contributing factors. It's a big part of why the modern RE games and the FEAR games fail as horror titles and why people flock to titles like Project Zero and Amnesia.

    With this in mind, I'd like to declare that the scariest game ever is the original Forbidden Siren on the PS2. Anyone who claims they beat that game without using a walkthrough at least once is a liar.

  • Stranded87 #23 9 months ago

    Two of those games aren't scary, and the fact that they even considered Mass Effect 2 for the test is madness.

  • evild_edd #24 9 months ago

    @Pastici

    I only played (to completion) the original Condemned, but the reviews for the sequel gave the impression of a more action oriented title. Seem to remember them saying that the scare values of the original were lost along the way.

    The original had some terrifying moments, in particular the scene in the department store with the mannequins........I still see them in my sleep, skulking in dark corners and watching me......always watching........

  • edhe #25 9 months ago

    The first Condemned isn't scary until you get much later into the game. Mannequnns / pool.

    Mirrors were only sparingly used so managed to crank up the fear every time you neared one.
    Edited by edhe at 09/09/11 @ 15:44

  • Stranded87 #26 9 months ago

    Jesus I almost had a heart attack in that department store bit. Fully terrifying.

  • darleysam #27 9 months ago

    Condemned 2 has some of the most terrifying moments. That abandoned hotel early on, where you go look in a mirror and a meth addict charges up behind you? Or when you see a mannequin down a corridor, walk towards it, turn round and BAM FIFTY MILLION MANNEQUINS ALL UP IN YOUR FACE OH SON OF A BITCH ITS THE WEEPING ANGELS SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO BREATHE.

  • bad09 #28 9 months ago

    Condemned is the only game that made me go cold, absolutely evil game. I feel sick everytime I go into a clothes shop now, keep expecting the bloody mannequins to surround me! ARGH!!!!!

    Shame about the rubbish sequel though could have been a wonderful horror series.

  • Darren #29 9 months ago

    Although, Dead Space and its sequel are superb games, I didn't especially find them scary, although they did make me jump in a few places when the tentacles grab Isaac (well, up to a point before they became predictable). They have the right mood though but it's difficult to be scared by a game which I play in third-person as I'm always aware that is not me on the screen. That said, I found Silent Hill 2 and Shadow Man to both be downright creepy, especially the latter, which I'd love to see an HD remaster of some day.

    I think Condemned and, to a lesser extent, its sequel work better at scaring me as they're first-person, which means you feel part of the action, not detached from it like all third-person games. It's far easier to get lost in games like that and get carried away with what's happening around you.

    Oh and F.E.A.R. 2 and 3 were just not scary at all IMO...

  • edhe #30 9 months ago

    I did crap it once when playing singularity - really early on there's a sort of mishmash of what happened vs what's real and they play brilliantly on that to the point where i was ripped apart when i was sure i was safe.

    Took me a moment to re load.

  • Darren #31 9 months ago

    No mention of Amnesia: The Dark Descent there, no doubt because it's PC only, but the demo I played was very unnerving because you have no weapons at all which really adds to the tension factor IMO when you're being chased by ghouls and monsters. It was a deliberately dark game too, forcing you to seek out light, and the sound effects were genuinely terrifying at times, especially if a light went out and you could hear a monster nearby! The demo freaked me out so much I couldn't bring myself to buy the full game! :o
    Edited by Darren at 09/09/11 @ 15:58

  • Fightclubber #32 9 months ago

    Amnesia is without a doubt the only game that can force shit out of me even when I dont need a poo. Dead Space 2 as amazing as it is is about as scary as my nan punching me in the face. Its just jump scares, that stuff gets tired as hell after about an hour

  • bad09 #33 9 months ago

    Dead Space 1 wasn't exactly "scary" in the horror sense it was scary that the monsters were really tough and you had "OMG that door has locked and now I'm being attacked by lots of the ugly gitbags!!! ARGH!!!!" moments. It was more about the uneasy feeling of dread you had as wondered through the ship and things were quiet....to quiet.....


    Dead Space 2 was RE5 in space though most dissappointing, making the necromorphs easy to kill and just throwing more at you was a huge mistake.

  • sonicyoda #34 9 months ago

    Condemned 2 was disqualified for starting scary and then descending into stupidity. "Am I... am I actually shouting at enemies to kill them? What the fuck is this shit!?"

  • Spungles #35 9 months ago

    Dead Space 2 wasn't scary, it was horror by numbers. Making you jump is easy and cheap, not is unsettling at all. In fact I wondered why they had made a game at all, they seemed to prefer to be making a film.

    The scariest game is Halo 3. If you talk shit enough in multiplayer you'll get death threats.

  • SvennoJ #36 9 months ago

    I found sire blood curse, dead rising and heavy rain more scary then those 4. Dead space 2 didn't have any clowns!
    I haven't played condemned but in RE5, AW, and DS2 the enemies are always easily dispatched which doesn't make it scary at all.

  • Silent-Hal #37 9 months ago

    Why is everyone acting like Amnesia is the first horror game ever to star a completely defenceless character? Unless you're not a regular survival horror player nothing the game does is particularly special, it’s just that it does those things quite well.

  • TenMinJoe #38 9 months ago

    I liked the way that Bioshock conditioned you to go and stand over corpses to search them, and only after the first hour or two, after this has become completely routine, does one of the corpses suddenly SCREAM at you and leap up murderously just as you lean over it.

  • bad09 #39 9 months ago

    @SvennoJ

    Oh yeah Siren! man that game was freaky. Not that great gameplay wise IMO but I do remember catching myself holding my breath as I hid in a wardrobe from on of those....things! What was up with that end boss though......

  • kassmageant #40 9 months ago

    i would go with the darkness - little bit more polishing, and this game easily could become classic of this generation...

    especially that nightmare world war 1-esque level was great - there was field hospital, and on one of the beds there was guy without any limbs and cut off upper part of face - he had only mouth, and he was lamenting that he can't feel his legs

    one of most disturbing sights ever

    close runner-up is bear chase from condemned 2 - Damn, that was so awesome : D
    Edited by kassmageant at 09/09/11 @ 16:16

  • BillyBrush #41 9 months ago

    Making you squeam and turn away is easy, rubbish films like final destination do it.

    There's been no project zero type game this gen, but for me condemned and alan wake are both quality games, if not out and out scary.

  • th3duckst3r #42 9 months ago

    ET on the atari 2600 gotta be the scariest game ever it was that bad.

  • mukki #43 9 months ago

    Amusing study...
    too late to use this to increase sales...
    almost as good the ad campaign gamer's mother looking at footage in disgust...
    but they should have tested more games.
    Liked both dead space games but were they scary?
    not that much and I crap myself at the thought I watching a horror movie...

  • FogHeart #44 9 months ago

    Siren was particularly harrowing. There you are guiding all these characters from a safe location through to another safe location, and then half an hour later you watch a cutscene where they just decide it's too much for them and they drown themselves or blow their heads off. You think "I could have saved you, I could have got you through this!" Of course, in that game death isn't the end for anyone, and those suicides become antagonists to your remaining survivors!

  • Snake_2011 #45 9 months ago

    @Spekingur really hope in can be one day watched a clip looks mad.

  • Silent-Hal #46 9 months ago

    Siren's Shibito are easily the scariest game enemies ever. Not only are they much stronger than you, but they can often see you from across the level (giving a flash of what they're seeing when they do, which is fucking creepy) and act like a harrowing mix of intelligent zombies and a hive of bees. That's not to mention when they start transforming...

  • FogHeart #47 9 months ago

    I've been reading through their conclusions (in fact the whole study is recommended reading), I'll be a bit naughty by pasting some interesting observations they make here:-

    -Actual combat is not as scary as the implied threat of combat

    -Cutscenes are generally not sources of fear for most players, but casual players react more strongly to them. Core players seldom find cutscenes scary.

    -Repeat failure prevents scenes from retaining any initial scariness they may have had before.(I am reminded of some people posting how the run through the psych ward in DS2 pissed them off).

    -Casual players are more easily scared than core players, but also enjoy the games more. Experienced gamers' familiarity with the medium, and their existing expectations of it, means they are less likely to become scared than casual gamers.

    -(This one is telling!)The closer a game resembles film, the more casual players are scared. Conversely, the less scripted a game is, the more the core players are scared.

    -Large numbers of enemies makes games less scary. Once players are asked to dispatch more than two or three enemies at a time, they become less scared.

  • Ahskay #48 9 months ago

    i could've sworn Hannah Montane was scarier and i only watched my little niece play it from a distance. Istill have nightmares from that.

  • Inmediasress #49 9 months ago

    Dead Space 2 isn't really scary, more like any action game your heart doesn't race because your scared it's just because of the action.
    For me one of the scariest games was SH2.
    The whole atmospheare with the thick fog and the music made it something special.
    I remember when I palyed it one night and outside probably some rats, kicked some tin cans over I almost shitted myself.
    Amnesia is also a very innovative and scary game.

  • Samirnasirov #50 9 months ago

    Amnesia is the only game I played where i was genuinely scared. It deserves more recognition.

  • nimzy #51 9 months ago

    All I have to say is this: the goddamn eye poke.
    I had to look away from the screen.
    As I was holding the button down, and the designers had planned for this, I got to watch as I killed Clarke in an incredibly horrific way. They got me.

  • Kaonazhie #52 9 months ago

    How is Resident Evil 5 scary? It's hilarious! Run around punching zombies - that aren't zombies - so hard their heads explode.

  • Collymilad #53 9 months ago

    Amnesia is the scariest game ever.

    SH1 is the scariest console game ever. Even on 360,no way is it Dead Space 2. Maybe the first condemned.
    Edited by Collymilad at 09/09/11 @ 17:04

  • chessboxer #54 9 months ago

    @kinky_mong

    The orderly who chokes Isaac is the one who gives you the flash light and first health pack. He is also the one who was interviewing Isaac at the start of the game when Isaac hallucinates Nicole climbing on the desk in front of him.

  • richyroo #55 9 months ago

    Condemned 1, I couldnt get out of the killers basement fast enough!!!

  • mode7 #56 9 months ago

    I still have nightmares from playing the beginning of the first resident evil on the PlayStaion... When the dog jumps through the window.

  • Pehmu #57 9 months ago

    Condemned 2 and the bear scene. Hesus Christo. That was something totally different.

  • Lunatic4ever #58 9 months ago

    Mass Effects 2 ? Seriously? What pussy?

  • Lunatic4ever #59 9 months ago

    btw, Tom did u ever play dead space 2? There is no scene including isaacs girl transofrming into a necromorph rather gruesomly...

  • darkphoenix #60 9 months ago

    RE5 is not scary, at all...

    Most scary games I remeber playing:

    Siren: Blood Curse ( diabolical game )
    Dead Space 1 ( silent "Jason Vorhees" Isaac )
    Silent Hill 1
    Eternal Darkness
    FEAR
    Fatal Frame

  • Futaba #61 9 months ago

    My scariest game list:

    1.) Amnesia
    2.) Silent Hill 2
    3.) Silent Hill 3
    4.) Resident Evil (GC)
    5.) Project Zero

  • Obli #62 9 months ago

    What, they didn't consider Forbidden Forest on the C64? :) OK, probably not the scariest game nowadays but that game unsettled me when I was a kid. I'm also still surprised to find that the original Doom and Quake can still be scary... although more surprise than suspense such as when I run around a corner in to an enemy unexpectedly. The atmosphere in Quake is eerie.

    Surprised they didn't use FEAR 1. That was not just boo scares. I was dreading the appearance of the little girl, and when she did appear I was scared anticipating what she might do.

    Other games not mentioned that are worthy of consideration: Doom 3, System Shock 2 and Manhunt.
    Edited by Obli at 09/09/11 @ 21:44

  • funkateer #63 9 months ago

    I dunno, why do a study like that and limit yourself to the 360?
    They did make some interesting observations, but what does that kind of limitation do to the scientific validity of such a study?
    Dead Space 2 the scariest game? Really?!

    They should have widened the scope of this study instead of just sampling a really specific slice of gaming history if they wanted to be taken seriously in any way.

  • GamesConnoisseur #64 9 months ago

    Orginial Condemned during the launch period, when HD gaming on widescreen was new, lots of scares as playing during dark night in the basement when it was being renovated... Too eerily like the environment in the game.. Bare Walls, stripped out plasters, sticking out woods and pipes.

    Nightmares but dared myself to wuss out.. Now that the proper way to play! Create gaming environment to suits!

  • Galvatrime #65 9 months ago

    Is it just me... but did anyone find this NOT scary

  • Bluetooth #66 9 months ago

    I hope they weren't paid to do this "study"

  • EmiliasHorse #67 9 months ago

    I found the original Alone in the dark on PC scary, Dead Space 2 was one attack after another with almost no let up. It was a drag...

    I tried the Amnesia demo and thought here is one scary game, will buy it when it appears on another Steam sale.

    Scariest console game is Project Zero 1 & 2 in my opinion.

  • Rack #68 9 months ago

    Bloody hell, I found even Mario Galaxy scarier than Dead Space 2, it was just so forced and relentless it came across as a horror game by people who know absolutely nothing about psychology.

  • Dr_Wookiee #69 9 months ago

    Resident Evil 4 for me. Walking past that Regenerator on the operating table then you see it get up on the screen in the security room. I still think about those bastards ...

  • Gastrian #70 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • robbiejc85 #71 9 months ago

    How they figured Alan Wake into this list I'll never know. It was more comedy than chiller. Cracking fun though.

    All I can say in response to these scientists is that they clearly didn't see that scene in the original Dead Space where the unfortunate colony person smashes his head to death onto a metal door *shivers*

  • NunianVonFuch #72 9 months ago

    Any fear from Silent Hill 1 is lost as soon as it goes into any of the godawful cut scenes with the terribly slow and stilted dialogue. The gameplay is quite well done, but graphically and mechanically it was surpassed by Silent Hill 2. This maintains the fear throughout and remains probably the scariest game I've ever played. The original FEAR deserves a mention too.
    Oh and the original Alien v Predator on the PC. That contains the random element thanks to the Alien AI which means you never know where they'll come from. They're coming out of the walls! Game over man! etc.

  • OmniaVincitAmor #73 9 months ago

    RE 4. Chainsaw revving up = OH SHIT.
    Most disturbing probably SH2 though. Just because it stays with you after the ending. Fuckers.
    Notable mentions - Thief and Eternal Darkness.

  • rottingyoda #74 9 months ago

    never played dead space 2 but scariest game for me was dead space 1 and resi 2

    edit - also playing as the marine in the original alien vs predator. heart sensor and face huggers scared the shit outa me
    Edited by rottingyoda at 10/09/11 @ 22:42

  • sourc0r #75 9 months ago

    things happening in the first half hour:

    Alan Wake: learn the gameplay mechanics, fight a few monsters
    Dead Space 1: run completely defenceless through a horde of angry necormorphs and after that make your way through corridors fighting an angry horde of - well placed - necromorphs
    Dead Space 2: do the fuckin same as in DS1, survive quick time events and be confronted with extreme violence, fighting these necromorph bastards included
    Condemned: do a..crime scene investigation
    Condemned 2: take down some filthy motherfuckers and after that take down even more motherfuckers, hell you still OWN those streets

    if i had ever judged games by their first 30 minutes (in which term is irrelevant) i'd have either stopped gaming or would have always picked the wrong ones.

  • Beltsu #76 9 months ago

    Dead Space 1 not scary enough for the study??? Holy sh... That game freaked me out! Took me almost 2 years to get the guts to finish it...

    (the fact that I played alone at night for most of the game didn't helped, that's true...)

  • TheGuvernor #77 9 months ago

    1st 45 mins of DOOM 3 were pretty unsettling.
    Dead Space basically copied it so i wonder why it didn't get a mention?

  • casodi #78 9 months ago

    amnesia and silent hill 1-4 are the only games to ever really scare me. I really dont understand wtf re5 is doing there.

  • 32768Colours #79 9 months ago

    Really? Condemned 2 put the shits right up me.

    Scariest game for me would be Amnesia. I haven't even bought it because the demo cacked me up so much.

    The evidence is stacking up for me being a total wuss!

  • Sharzam #80 9 months ago

    So they tried Alan Wake, Resident Evil 5, Dead Space 2 and Condemned. Seams a rather limited pool as none of thse are actaully considered to be scary games (althourgh alan wake does get immersive), how about next time actaully try real scary games.

    Althourgh iam struggling to find proper scary on the 360, perhaps the first dead space or F.E.A.R ? but all the ones i think of are on playstations and PC such as Siren Curse and Amnesia.

  • 32768Colours #81 9 months ago

    First Resident Evil back when I first played it was utterly terrifying. Mainly because I'd never seen anything like it before either, but like anything like that, every time you play it afterwards, the scares diminish and you begin to focus more on the game itself.

    I think if I play RE now I wouldn't be scared as much as I would be just tense when the action heats up.

  • SylarsStubble #82 9 months ago

    Condemned 2 needs more love just for that level with the log cabin. That absolutely nailed suspense. Dead Space loses major points because they proper pimped it out as being a game entirely not about the cheap scares. And then about half an hour in you find out the cheap scares are everywhere.

    Amnesia deserves a good console release to get more love too. Just a shame that proper horror and suspense is a rarity in these risk averse days.

  • SalarymanDaishi #83 9 months ago

    The scariest game I ever played was the first one I ever did. The second and third came a close second and third but that's just the way it goes. Horror works the first few times around. Thus, all hail to whatever first few horror games any of us experienced - they definitely were the most awesome moments in scary gaming!

  • marblepuke #84 9 months ago

    I agree with everyone here who puts Amnesia on their top list of scary games. I have it and haven't really played it very far -- only because it's scary as hell and also the scariest game I've ever played. There are only few games that have really been so scary that I had to stop playing and the other game probably was Clive Barker's Undying when it was released.

  • Zebula77 #85 9 months ago

    DS 2 was pretty creepy and effective, but hands down the scariest games I've played are Silent Hill 1, 2 and the first Fatal Frame/Project Zero game. Games that didn't neccessarily resort to the jump scare tactics, but got underneath your skin and creeped you out to the point where you just had to turn it off. :)

    Wonder if there'll ever be a HD version of Fatal Frame. I'd love that.

  • EffEmmGee #86 9 months ago

    A mate of ours was round the other night playing Dead Space 2 for the first time (he's completed the first) and got so scared that a few times he had to stop to catch his breath, until finally he had to get up and put the light on!
    He did the same thing playing the FEAR2 demo!
    He's very vocal too moaning with fear lol!
    (FYI he's in his mid 20's)

    I think i'm imune to scary games now, I love them though. The only thing that makes me whince in games or films or real life are fingernail injuries.
    Edited by EffEmmGee at 12/09/11 @ 08:06

  • KrazyFace #87 9 months ago

    So if you're going by skin temprature and heart rate, then Gabe Newell is afraid of every game then?

    And possibly stairs...

    Go on EG, ban me again for saying something anti-gabe.

  • ShiroBen #88 9 months ago

    Well, it's good to see that there are studies being done on this sort of thing. Goodness knows the world couldn't move forward without knowing which games make people sweat the most. Actually, with the criteria given, Just Dance must be the scariest game in existence.

  • Bulbatron #89 9 months ago

    At the end of the day, you cannot really say in a definite way what is or isn't scary. Lots of people can find very differing things to be frightening to them.

    Personally, I thought Amnesia - The Dark Decent was probably the scariest horror game in years. The Project Zero games are also damn scary. I thought the original Resident Evil was scary when I first played it all those years ago, then Silent Hill came out and showed me a very different kind of scare.

    For this generation of consoles, I think that the original Condemned is probably the scariest. Condemned 2 has a few scary moments, but the overall tone isn't nearly as tense for as much of the time.

    The Dead Space games are superb and I think they definitely contain quite a few scares and some great audio, but they're certainly not the scariest games out there.

    I wouldn't say Resident Evil 5 is very scary at all. You need the Lost in Nightmares expansion to get even remotely scared during Resident Evil 5.

    Alan Wake was more annoying than scary. Beautiful graphics though.
    Edited by Bulbatron at 12/09/11 @ 15:35