Survival Horror

From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.

Survival Horror is a genre of video game that came to popularity in the mid-1990s with the video game Resident Evil. Some may argue that the first true survival horror game was Alone in the Dark; while this may have been true at one point, the existence of Alone in the Dark and its sequels has generally been purged from the collective memory of humanity ever since the series was ravaged by cinematic rapist Uwe Boll. Other well-known survival horror series include Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Clock Tower and Santa's Christmas Beach Party.

[edit] Gameplay conventions of Survival Horror

Survival horror is well known for various gaming conventions, and many have become cliches. One such convention is the use of cinematic camera angles. As the player progresses through the ravaged city streets, haunted house, or paint thinner factory that is the game's setting, the action is displayed from numerous angles that attempt to provide a cinematic feel. It is also used as an excuse by the game designers to hide important information from the player until the critical moment an evil monster launches an attack, causing the player to shout curses and possibily even urinate in his or her pants.

In order to compensate for the constantly changing camera angles, many early survival horror titles used a control scheme that allowed the player to move the on-screen character like a radio-controlled car. For example, "up" on the directional pad or analogue stick will always move the character forward in the direction that he/she is facing, "left" causes the character to turn to his/her left, and "down" is used in a vain attempt to right characters that have stupidly fallen over after hitting a surface at an awkward angle. This control scheme has been widely criticized by gamers for being archaic, and so many modern games have offered up alternative control schemes for those whiners.

Survival horror games typically put the player in the role of a person that must contend with some form of supernatural enemy. Common foes include zombies, ghosts, moldy peaches, and creepy Japanese girls that pop out of television sets. Santa's Christmas Beach Party, however, was unique in its choice of adversary; green-clad elves driven insane from centuries of building toys in arctic, sub-zero temperatures.

The methods with which the player may fight these foes varies greatly from game to game. Depending on the setting, the player may have access weapons as diverse as guns, vials of holy water, photo cameras, and wooden planks with nails protruding from the end. The one element that all of these weapons have in common is the fact that despite the large arsenals at the player's disposal, those that use ammunition don't come with any, and all melee weapons are as effective as a baseball bat against a brick wall. Thus, the majority of combat in the survival horror genre is spent impotently brandishing useless weapons at the approaching hordes before running away and hoping the enemy's artificial intelligence isn't smart enough to use doors.

[edit] Common protagonist archetypes

Unlike most video games, the identity of the avatar the player assumes in a survival horror game is not a nigh-invincible Rambo clone. Rather, the average genre protagonist is a fairly average human being that suffers from physical and/or emotional frailty that just happens to look like a fashion model. However, the Silent Hill series is known to buck this trend by depicting its protagonists as fashion models addicted to heroin. Specific character archetypes include:

• The Average Joe: A man with a non-desript day job, usually in a box factory, typically going against the supernatural to find a loved one, such as a wife or daughter. Typically walks around in a confused stupor, and despite the complete lack of prior weapon or tactical training is usually far more capable in dealing with supernatural forces than an entire police force. Finding a shotgun is mandatory.
• The Unfortunate Cop: Usually a 23-27 year-old man (but occasionally a woman) who is first to respond to some sort of public or home disturbance. The type of cop ranges anywhere from forensic detective to the wage slave cop to the SWAT specialist, covering any and all in between. The cop usually finds him or herself driven to survival after finding themselves knee deep in some sort of bizarre conspiracy, usually involving zombies, while at the same time trying to solve some insignificant case. Whether or not they have been trained, their weapon proficiency is far beyond that of any average person's abilities and usually borders on the superhuman. A paycheck is never seen, which only adds to the disturbed nature of the cop. A disgruntled or disturbing past is optional, but generally it's a given.
• The Schoolgirl: A fifteen-to-seventeen-year-old girl that physically appears two years younger than the stated age in the game's instruction manual. Spends the game dressed in either a school uniform or an outfit comprised of the most recent trends. Most commonly seen in the Clock Tower series, wherein the schoolgirl must elude a freakish scissor-wielding pervert that wants to slice up her uniform and slather Cool Whip under her skirt. Commonly armed with a camera, which uses film as ammunition. Why rolls of film would be laying around an abandoned haunted mansion is still a mystery.
• The Rogue Female: An archetype not uncommon in any video game genre, the rogue female can be a woman trained in multiple forms of martial arts, weapons, and is a certified master of unlocking, but she will revert to timid behavior and call for the nearest male's help at the first sign of danger. NEVER has better weaponry than any male protagonist.
• The unbelievably helpless child: No weapons, no training. Luckily, the most you will ever have to do when playing as this archetype is dodge, like, one zombie and a few zombie Dobermans, grab a few items, and then let the somewhat more competent Rogue Female take over again.
• The wad of tofu: A large block of tofu with a knife. It's as badass as it sounds.