I remember the first time I played RESIDENT EVIL. Never will I forget that initial moment of paralyzing fear as my throat closed up and my heart practically throbbed out of my chest. RESIDENT EVIL was the first video game to get this reaction from me, and has since been the last. Each entry used its own methods to terrorize the player and make them pee their pants. RESIDENT EVIL employed various quick-scare tactics through strategically placed camera angles: The player wasn’t allowed to clearly see around that next corner, but instead would arrive there only to be violently attacked by an array of mutated creatures.
SILENT HILL, on the other hand, employed the eeriness of weather and darkness to torment the player. Within the opaque fog or pitch darkness, you find yourself vulnerable and alone with only a lighter and crowbar to fend off the creatures lurking in the night. Just thinking about it can make the hair on your neck stand up and goosebumps cover your body. Both of these games allowed the player to not only watch the horror but immerse themselves into the dark world before them. They truly place interactive journeys of terror right at your fingertips!
Several amazing-looking titles will be issued this year, and RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOON CITY and SILENT HILL: DOWNPOUR are the frontrunners. To say I have been going fangirly about these two would be an understatement. RESIDENT EVIL began its onslaught of fantastic survival-horror goodness this week with the release of RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS. This title reveals what happened to RESIDENT EVIL veterans Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine between the events that transpired in RESIDENT EVIL 4 and RESIDENT EVIL 5. Jill works together with BSAA agent Parker Luciani as they search for Chris on a seemingly abandoned cruise ship—but of course, there are plenty of bloodthirsty monsters and other horrors lurking in the shadows of the liner.
March 20 will see the release of OPERATION RACCOON CITY, which takes players back to the titular metropolis as Umbrella Secret Service agents sent to wipe out all remains of the viral outbreak caused by the company. The game promises to literally change the history of the RESIDENT EVIL timeline as heroes from previous installments will become targets for this new cast of characters. Finally, RESIDENT EVIL 6 has been announced, and is scheduled to unleash another zombie-filled adventure on November 20. This newest chapter will see many classic characters from the series brought together in one storyline. You’ll fight off the President turned zombie as Leon S. Kennedy, try to contain an outbreak in China as Chris and discover two new characters and the role they’ll play in this epic story.
The SILENT HILL series looks to make March the scariest month in recent history with the release of two huge entries in back-to-back weeks. Out March 6, the SILENT HILL HD COLLECTION will contain both SILENT HILL 2 and SILENT HILL 3 remastered with hi-def graphics that are sure to look more frightening than the originals. Trophy and Achievement support will only add to the fun that players are sure to have with these classic titles. SILENT HILL: DOWNPOUR arrives March 13; this eighth major installment will introduce us to new protagonist Murphy Pendleton, who escapes the police only to be transported to the demented and twisted world of Silent Hill. As the title suggests, you won’t want to get caught out in the heavy rain for fear of being washed away by the large waves of enemies that will come upon you in the midst of the storm. You’ll also spend a lot of game time in the dreaded “Otherworld,” although you’ll wish you didn’t have to once you’ve seen the horrors it houses.
Whether you play one or all of these exciting upcoming games, there will surely be enough content to give you nightmares for the rest of the year!