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"My Experience With The Scariest Game Ever Made"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Slender'.
Mon 09/07/12 at 21:22
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
A couple of weeks ago I played through Project Zero 2, a game that at the time I claimed to be ”the scariest game on any console" which was true… until this past Saturday night. The evening I played Slender.

Slender was sort of sprung upon me a couple of weeks back with my gaming friends constantly spamming my e-mail inbox with messages like “You have try this!” and “It’ll scare you the hell outta you!” and “Why haven’t you tried this game yet?” Finally I caved and decided I would give the game a look and see just what it was all about. I mean how could a game based on some made up mythical creature from a Photoshop contest be scary? With a couple of friends over and a few beers opened we hooked up my laptop to the big screen TV, turned off the lights and started the game to find out.

The game doesn’t waste any time getting started, immediately throwing you in the shoes of a wondering person in a small wooded area, flashlight in hand, darkness surrounding you. No weapons, no map, no inventory, nothing to help you out. Instead the game simply asks you find eight pieces of paper scattered randomly around the environment whilst avoiding the deadly stare of a creature known only as “The Slender Man”. He constantly stalks you appearing randomly wherever you go. One minute you could be walking through a pipe only to turn around and have him directly in front of you, the next he could subtly appear in the distance almost blending into the scenery he so effectively haunts. The unpredictability of his whereabouts is constantly chilling and only worsens the further you progress with your treasure hunt.

Now we’ve all played games where something or someone is after you with each providing varying results, Slender however differs in a number of ways that help make it the ultimate horror experience. Firstly you have no weapon whatsoever. You feel helpless, almost like the Slender Man’s prey. What do you do if you see him? Run. Simple. That’s all you can do. It’s not a matter of if you will survive; it’s how long you’ll survive for.

Secondly the way the game presents its scares and the sheer fear is unrivalled in any video game I’ve ever played. Whereas titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill will have enemies often shuffling toward you or leaping out, the Slender Man simply appears. You never see him move, he just always shows up where you least expect it stood with his creepy long limbs, faceless head and dark suit. It even gets to the point where you believe anything could be him. That slight glimmer in the distance, the weird shaped tree to your left, you constantly doubt yourself. When you do find him, catching a glimpse in the side of the screen as you turn provides such a sense of terror as you leap out of your seat and make a desperate attempt for brief sanctuary in the distance. Even viewing him far, far away sends a chill down your spine as you know he won’t be there the next time you turn around.

The sounds are so simple yet manage to elevate your fear even further. With the background music getting more tense and severe as you collect more notes, you’ll dread finding another. The timing of the loud sounds when the Slender Man surprises you are also so perfectly done that I can’t count one time where it didn’t make me jump.

Sure the setting is nothing original but the way the game handles each landmark is so fantastically done you’ll loath exploring every one of them. Giant pipes, worn buildings, rocks, cars, things that would normally entice you to venture on and investigate are potential hot beds for scares as you nervously tip toe round every corner.

Once he catches you and its game over, you’re shown a static screen before literally being kicked out of the game entirely. It’s almost as if it knows you don’t want to experience the horror again. “Thank you, we’re saving you the time of quitting and bringing you back to the safety of the desktop.”

Our set up didn’t help ease the player either as the person controlling the game was cast aside to a corner all alone (thanks to a short HDMI cable) with the rest of us watching together from a distance. You felt a million miles away. Five of us were present and only three played. That was how much of an impact the game made. I’ll admit I nearly didn’t give it a go after watching my friend scream on several occasions. I likely won’t again though, as my playthrough not only caused me to constantly beg someone to take over, but also shake so much my character couldn’t stop looking up and down as if on a pneumatic drill.

One great example of how the game continued to surprise was when my friend started to get a little cocky after grabbing his fifth note and claiming he had the game figured out. His theory was that he simply needed to continue spinning so the Slender Man could never appear unexpectedly. Not so, as after a brief two rotations he appeared directly in front of him causing my friend to almost fall from his seat. We all jumped, we all laughed (after catching our breath) and it was fantastic fun. Just when you think you’ve got a full-proof method, the game counteracts and scares you in the process.

With Friday the 13th approaching I suggest rather than watch another repeat of the original movie, you give this a go. It’s free, it’s easy to download and will scare the living hell out of you. If you get the chance, gather some friends for a late night scare session. If you play it on your own at night, well then you’re a braver man than I.
Sat 04/08/12 at 21:21
Regular
Posts: 8
I've seen gameplay of that game on youtube nd it does look really scary.

I do think that Amnesia: The Dark Decent is just as scary as this game.

Also look 4 another horror game for the pc it's not as scary but I like it and it's called The Path.
Tue 10/07/12 at 20:42
Regular
"How Ironic"
Posts: 4,312
The horror genre is one of my favourites. Love games that make you jump or that draw you in and leave you at their mercy. Only game type that I can think of that you have to have the correct atmosphere to play. Pitch black room at night and go. Personally, I'm too much of a coward to go that far. But I'd love to create a 100% horror game, something that is scary but doesn't feature guns etc. F.E.A.R would've been an epic game had it been more of an adventure than an FPS. As it is, I got bored. I would literally just run through the map firing all cylinders. This sounds exactly the sort of game I'd enjoy (playing with friends of course!)

But yeah, horror gets a thumbs up from here (even if I am a coward :-D) Will have to check some video clips out of Slender
Mon 09/07/12 at 22:46
Regular
"Feather edged ..."
Posts: 8,536
Nice review ... almost as if I played it :¬)
Mon 09/07/12 at 21:22
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
A couple of weeks ago I played through Project Zero 2, a game that at the time I claimed to be ”the scariest game on any console" which was true… until this past Saturday night. The evening I played Slender.

Slender was sort of sprung upon me a couple of weeks back with my gaming friends constantly spamming my e-mail inbox with messages like “You have try this!” and “It’ll scare you the hell outta you!” and “Why haven’t you tried this game yet?” Finally I caved and decided I would give the game a look and see just what it was all about. I mean how could a game based on some made up mythical creature from a Photoshop contest be scary? With a couple of friends over and a few beers opened we hooked up my laptop to the big screen TV, turned off the lights and started the game to find out.

The game doesn’t waste any time getting started, immediately throwing you in the shoes of a wondering person in a small wooded area, flashlight in hand, darkness surrounding you. No weapons, no map, no inventory, nothing to help you out. Instead the game simply asks you find eight pieces of paper scattered randomly around the environment whilst avoiding the deadly stare of a creature known only as “The Slender Man”. He constantly stalks you appearing randomly wherever you go. One minute you could be walking through a pipe only to turn around and have him directly in front of you, the next he could subtly appear in the distance almost blending into the scenery he so effectively haunts. The unpredictability of his whereabouts is constantly chilling and only worsens the further you progress with your treasure hunt.

Now we’ve all played games where something or someone is after you with each providing varying results, Slender however differs in a number of ways that help make it the ultimate horror experience. Firstly you have no weapon whatsoever. You feel helpless, almost like the Slender Man’s prey. What do you do if you see him? Run. Simple. That’s all you can do. It’s not a matter of if you will survive; it’s how long you’ll survive for.

Secondly the way the game presents its scares and the sheer fear is unrivalled in any video game I’ve ever played. Whereas titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill will have enemies often shuffling toward you or leaping out, the Slender Man simply appears. You never see him move, he just always shows up where you least expect it stood with his creepy long limbs, faceless head and dark suit. It even gets to the point where you believe anything could be him. That slight glimmer in the distance, the weird shaped tree to your left, you constantly doubt yourself. When you do find him, catching a glimpse in the side of the screen as you turn provides such a sense of terror as you leap out of your seat and make a desperate attempt for brief sanctuary in the distance. Even viewing him far, far away sends a chill down your spine as you know he won’t be there the next time you turn around.

The sounds are so simple yet manage to elevate your fear even further. With the background music getting more tense and severe as you collect more notes, you’ll dread finding another. The timing of the loud sounds when the Slender Man surprises you are also so perfectly done that I can’t count one time where it didn’t make me jump.

Sure the setting is nothing original but the way the game handles each landmark is so fantastically done you’ll loath exploring every one of them. Giant pipes, worn buildings, rocks, cars, things that would normally entice you to venture on and investigate are potential hot beds for scares as you nervously tip toe round every corner.

Once he catches you and its game over, you’re shown a static screen before literally being kicked out of the game entirely. It’s almost as if it knows you don’t want to experience the horror again. “Thank you, we’re saving you the time of quitting and bringing you back to the safety of the desktop.”

Our set up didn’t help ease the player either as the person controlling the game was cast aside to a corner all alone (thanks to a short HDMI cable) with the rest of us watching together from a distance. You felt a million miles away. Five of us were present and only three played. That was how much of an impact the game made. I’ll admit I nearly didn’t give it a go after watching my friend scream on several occasions. I likely won’t again though, as my playthrough not only caused me to constantly beg someone to take over, but also shake so much my character couldn’t stop looking up and down as if on a pneumatic drill.

One great example of how the game continued to surprise was when my friend started to get a little cocky after grabbing his fifth note and claiming he had the game figured out. His theory was that he simply needed to continue spinning so the Slender Man could never appear unexpectedly. Not so, as after a brief two rotations he appeared directly in front of him causing my friend to almost fall from his seat. We all jumped, we all laughed (after catching our breath) and it was fantastic fun. Just when you think you’ve got a full-proof method, the game counteracts and scares you in the process.

With Friday the 13th approaching I suggest rather than watch another repeat of the original movie, you give this a go. It’s free, it’s easy to download and will scare the living hell out of you. If you get the chance, gather some friends for a late night scare session. If you play it on your own at night, well then you’re a braver man than I.

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