Occasionally games have little segments that are so wonderfully executed that gamers feel a tight tug in their chest because there isn’t more to play. I’ll give you a little example: Black Ops had Zombies mode, a segment of game play outside the main campaign, with its own characters and a very, very loose story. Other examples include segments like Mercenaries mode in Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6, Saints Row 2’s zombie mode Zombie Uprising and even DLC, such as The Shivering Isles from Oblivion.
These are all mini games, multiplayer modes or extra content separate from the main campaign but are sometimes so popular fans wish, wish, wish with all their heart that a standalone game would be released. So, for the horror genre, here is a little countdown of game segments that deserve their own full length title. Mind, this is in no particular order, and is only a personal selection. Anybody wishing to argue, please do. I would love to know what segments you want to be full length games!
1. Fallout 3: Point Lookout
Fallout 3’s best piece of DLC had it all; creepy mansions owned by a rotting foul-mouthed ghoul, maniacal swamp folk eager to swing an axe at your head, a lobotomy performing cult and sunken ships off the coast. Dripping in atmosphere, your character actually feels vulnerable while exploring the old amusement park and gloomy hotels in this challenging add on content. Point Lookout was a little map ripe for plundering as you interact with the disturbed locals dotted about. It felt as deep as the main game, although obviously not as big. Anybody who hasn’t played it really should. The three or so extra hours of Fallout content available is worth the tiny price tag to download from Xbox Live Marketplace.
Why should it be a main game?
With its incoherent, murderous locals, exploding mansions and swampy terrain, Point Lookout got away from the clichéd post apocalyptic themes by placing you in a genuinely unnerving location. Naturally there is some humour here (the hillbillies can be amusing when they start gibbering or wailing when you cripple their arm), but the setting is designed to be a fully immersive action horror game. Had Bethesda developed Point Lookout as a larger map and released it as Fallout 4, prayers for an eerie horror game would have been answered. Moving through foggy swamps at night is spooky in this DLC, and with more content and on a larger scale, this could have been successful. Really it was a missed opportunity. Yes, the Fallout series isn’t designed as a horror franchise, yet that didn’t stop the conventions leaking into this masterpiece. More please Bethesda, much more!
2. Half Life 2: “We don’t go to Ravenholm” sequence
Ah, real genius from the Valve boys. Ravenholm is hinted at in the previous chapter of Half Life 2, the massive smash sequel that betters its predecessor. As Gordon Freeman, you have to make your way through a small part of town that has been overrun by headcrabs, those parasitic creatures from the first game, and headcrab-zombies. These moaning, groaning, shuffling ghouls come about by a headcrab mating with a human host’s mouth. Armed with a shotgun, crowbar and numerous traps dotted around the level, you have to escape this place. Whatever it takes.
Why should it be a main game?
Ravenholm became a zombie paradise when an alien race called the Combine bombed it with rockets carrying headcrabs, which then infected and controlled host humans, who killed others. A character called Father Grigori now eliminates his ‘congregation’ with a high powered rifle from the town’s rooftops. Hmm, there’s a survival horror game in there somewhere.
Valve could easily set up a prequel game exploring the doomed town, perhaps as it is being bombed by the headcrab rockets. Surviving in a desperate situation like that would be very interesting, as would be facing off against headcrab-zombies made with this generation’s technology; don’t forget Half Life 2 was an original Xbox title. With a couple more sprite models, these ghouls could become horrific foes.
To make things easier, imagine Left 4 Dead with headcrabs and headcrab-zombies, and you’re not too far off. It was only a small chapter in HL2, and could so easily be expanded. Perhaps even designed as an RPG game where your player has to set up the spinning helicopter blades that slice enemies into bits. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?
It would also settle the nerves of fans; we are getting anxious and annoyed that Half Life 3 is still missing in action. Perhaps a prequel is just the ticket until they have time to announce something concrete. Let’s face it: Left 4 Dead 3, Half Life 3 and Portal 3 aren’t coming anytime soon. We crave something like this; an adventure between this long wait and those games being released. It’s fan service and a perfect horror opportunity. I really want to shoot those blighters again in a brand new game!
3. Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles: Albert Wesker Chapters
Yes, back to this franchise. Umbrella Chronicles was an odd little game in that it retold three of the other games while including some new material to flesh out the back story. And oh yeah, it was an on rails shooter much in the same vein as House of the Dead. This meant that when a monster pops out, you cannot run away.
Featuring fan favourites Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker in leading roles, this game details how the Umbrella Corporation was destroyed and fills in some of RE’s many plot holes. Most notable are the sub chapters depicting series baddie Wesker’s dramatic rebirth after being impaled by a Tyrant, his escape from the Spencer Estate and then his mission to steal important Umbrella data for his own shifty purposes. This sunglasses wearing villain makes the game enjoyable and engaging with his sinister speaking, ridiculous dialogue and menacing red eyes.
Why should it be a main game?
Following Albert Wesker through the Resident Evil scenarios is actually really interesting; his motives are more engaging than simply having to survive and kill. All his sinister moments are appreciated by fans of the character, but if he was to get his own game, completely independent of the other characters, he could really shine. The horror would come from his deviousness, the horrors he is prepared to unleash, or the possibilities associated with near invulnerability.
Imagine playing as him with Resi6’s control layout; ducking, diving and dashing with inhuman speed. The character is designed for an action horror, not laughing madly from behind a concrete column or screaming with pain in a stealth plane. Fans would get another perspective playing in this character’s psyche. Or make it an L.A Noire style game; have Wesker sat behind his S.T.A.R.S desk, concocting evil schemes, dodging detectives and investigating mini outbreaks around Racoon City. There could be great interrogation scenes involving spies like Ada. Get cracking Capcom, and don’t mess it up!
4. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare
A delightful slice of things to come, this Xbox Live title saw Mr Wake turn up after the first game in an episode of Night Springs, the game’s fictional television show based on The Twilight Zone. Armed once again with his trusty flashlight and brand new weapons, including that beast AA12 automatic shotgun (from the movie Predators and The Expendables), Alan’s back! Although Alan Wake finished with a rubbish and ambiguous ending, don’t expect any answers from this 3-5 hour adventure. Being an Xbox Live game, its graphics are limited and the game areas are recycled, although this is feed into the plot. Regardless, fans should check this out, especially its brand new Fight ‘til Dawn mode. Exactly what it says on the tin.
Why should it be a main game?
This game features Mr Scratch, a nasty doppelganger, as the main antagonist. He is a character with limitless potential, and deserved better than being in this short tale. As he deviously casts his web, you may find yourself wishing that Alan Wake’s American Nightmare was made as a full game with cutting edge graphics and a longer length to fully immerse yourself in the psychopath’s game. Pun intended.
Exploiting the Night Springs “trapped in a television show!” idea was sheer genius, opening literally hundreds of possible storylines, yet Xbox Live restrictions kept it from dancing off into the rising sun. With more weapons than the original game, this felt like a blockbuster hit released straight to DVD. In other words, promised so much, yet forced into so being so little. Being a main game would have made good on those promises.
5. Silent Hill Homecoming: The Police Station battle
Silent Hill was never designed to be action heavy, yet for some reason the American developers who took over the helm on this fifth instalment didn’t see things that way. Your character is a soldier, returning to his hometown with a detailed knowledge on warfare, which is a departure from traditional wimpy -ahem, everyday- protagonists in the series. As such, fighting monsters became more important that fleeing monsters as Alex Shepherd, the good soldier, must solve some mystery or something. You know Silent Hill games. Anyway, the police station siege was particularly notable in terms of action.
Why should it be a main game?
The police station battle was so action heavy, it didn’t belong in a game titled Silent Hill; however it did reveal that Double Helix Games could do a tense scenario masterfully broken up by action set pieces. Really the segment’s design deserves to be expanded into a full length game; spooky visuals coupled with action can work from time to time. Even when equipped with a shotgun to fight off the monsters, Alex doesn’t feel particularly protected, especially as the monsters take a few rounds to drop on a harder difficulty. An entire game with this feel would finally start bringing people around to the idea of third person action horror games, which have a tendency to get bad reviews. With a bigger police station though… who knows?
Anyway, that’s what I’d like to see for 2013’s line up. It probably won’t happen, unless enough players email in demanding them. What I want to know is: which little parts of games did you find so excellent, you want to see them expanding into an entire game. It could be a mini game, or perhaps an Xbox Live title, or even just one battle in a game that could be expanded. Please comment on what you think!
