Here's a little divergence from my normal, philosophical rambling.I was very deep into the God of War game series (had just defeated Ares in God of War I) and was searching for a new game to play when my boyfriend dropped Resident Evil 4 on my lap and told me I should try it. Now, John has never steered me wrong, especially not in terms of video games. He is the one who lead me to God of War and Final Fantasy X, both of which I completed, and Devil May Cry, which I took a break from to start Resident Evil. I popped the disk, settled with John on the couch, and began to play.
At first, I was not impressed. I have never dealt well with horror movies, and the Ganados (zombie-like Spaniards) encountered in Resident Evil 4 were certainly frightening. I would scream or screech every time I turned around to find a monster lurking behind me, and had some difficult mastering the controls...especially since I tend to get flustered in moments of intensity. It was frightening, high-intensity, and complex, and I longed for the days of hacking and slashing with Kratos in God of War.
But, a few playing sessions passed and I found myself absolutely absorbed in the game. I loved the deep and complex storyline and grew attached to the plight of the characters...especially the main character, Leon Kennedy. After completing Resident Evil 4, I promptly played it a second time. John and I then moved on to Resident Evil 2, completing the A and B scenarios for each character, and finished the main series with Resident Evil 3. Yes, we were on a Resident Evil kick. A bit of a momentary obsession, perhaps. And I wondered what it was that got me hooked...especially since I was so apprehensive about it, in the first place.
Even though I've never been good with horror movies, it eventually struck me that I've always loved survival *horror*. Event Horizon, Doom, Pitch Black...I've always loved movies about being trapped in a difficult, frightening, fantastic situation, and having to use your wits and available resources to survive. It's quick, faced paced, and exhilarating, and there is never a free moment for the characters to react...they must act instantly in order to get past the zombies, vampires or monsters which face them. And, if they are sharp and in-shape enough, they will make it through.
That's what survival horror games bring to the table, while transporting you and making you involved in that world. It is a game of eat or be eaten, and it brings back the most basic of instincts...to avoid being hunted. It evokes emotions unlike those found in any other game...those of fear, suspense, dread, shock, surprise, and upon success, exhilaration. Sometimes you need to step away from the game, if you are not in a place or in the mood for fear, or if frustrated by a particularly difficult foe...but it's intoxicating to experience these feelings that you don't really encounter in real, civilized life. Emotions that are dead outside of a real battlefield.
Not only that, the Resident Evil games, and likewise series, are rich in storyline and huge on character development. They use similar characters throughout each of their games, such that you become attached and interested in the fate of each character...be it Leon, Ada, Jill, Claire, or Chris. The plot, which is woven and entangled through each installment, keeps you coming back for more and coming back to the games to unfold new plot details. That's what makes it addictive.
Survival horror. Indeed, there is no genre quite like it.
Oh yeah. Also, you get to be pretty bad-ass with a shotgun.
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