But then you encounter a character called the Scarecrow who employs mind tricks to weaken Batman Okay

But then you encounter a character called the Scarecrow who employs mind tricks to weaken Batman Okay, fine, that's canon — but the Scarecrow level design in Arkham Asylum isn't just playing with Batman's head It's playing with yours. "Swiss replica Rolex 16600 B Men's watch During the Scarecrow levels we wanted to provide a constant sense of tension and vulnerability, as if they're constantly just inches from the Scarecrow's grasp," explains Jamie Whitworth, designer on Arkham Asylum

"We compared this to common scenes in slasher flicks when the protagonist is attempting to hide from the villain whilst both characters are in the shot and would usually end in a panic stricken dash to safety. "But unlike a slasher flick Swiss replica Rolex 116713 BSO Men's watch where you're yelling at the dumb bimbo to run or call 9 1 1, you're the one responsible for getting Batman through the levels unscathed You see him cough and know he's been Fear Gassed by Scarecrow

Then the lighting begins to change and the long corridor down which you're walking skews to one side Little by little as you walk down the hall, the pieces of the realistic setting fall away to reveal things you know can't be true — like rain falling Swiss replica Rolex 114270 BKAO Men's watch inside a building But your eyes are still seeing them The gameplay communicates to your hands that, yes, that is, in fact, a gap you can fall through in the floor

The image is so shocking that for a moment you don't realize what's happening to this person Then he shifts backward

The image is so shocking that for a moment you don't realize what's happening to this person Then he shifts backward and slams his head against the wall so hard his skull cracks and he falls down dead His smashed head leaves a red smear on the gray replica Tag Heuer wjf131e.ba0572 watch wall. That part of the game stuck with me almost more than the creepy aliens that still retain fragments of the human bodies they took over It's beyond scary to me — it's flat out disturbing. "Scary is the result of lot of things," Milham says

"The first thing you've got to do is give the world and what happens in it consequence and reality and make it super grounded So … when you see something terrible, you really believe it in a way [that you don't normally believe with a video game]. "A big Swiss replica Rolex 16623 BLSO Men's watch challenge the Dead Space team had to face was *** you believe that you were powerless as the main character – even though you're able to make him run away from danger or shoot aliens with space weapons

"One of the things I said [to the design team] is ‘No Final Fantasy effects with weapons,'" says Milham "If you're too fantastic with something, you don't really believe it All the scary stuff just kind of goes away. "Head Games: Arkham AsylumHere's another game that can freak you out, even though it's not a horror game: Batman: Arkham Asylum In this game, you're following a story based on familiar characters from a comic book Swiss replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Men's watches series with an established history Batman seems nearly invulnerable because of his high tech gadgets and rippling muscles

Horror games need gameplay elements that don't distract you

Horror games need gameplay elements that don't distract you, level design that leads you into danger in ways you can't predict and art direction that plays with your head so that you buy into what you're experiencing instead of rationalizing replica Tag Heuer waf1451.bb0814 watch away as "just a game. "Scare Tactics: Dead SpaceHere's how a game can use its gameplay, level design and art direction to utterly freak you out: see Dead Space In this game, you're a space mechanic stranded on a ship overrun with creepy, crawly aliens

On a superficial level, it's no different than a zombie shoot em up game However, there is so much going on at a deeper level in Dead Space that it creates a multifaceted horror experience. For example, art director Ian Milham explains that the use of replica Tag Heuer waf1418.ba0812 watch differed lighting over a setting that looks like the inside of a rib cage was a big part of *** Dead Space scary "In a horror game, when you're walking around, you walk slower than … in a shooter game," he says

"You look at the world a lot more intently because you don't know where [enemies] are and you get kind of spooked out So the ribbed motif created hard scissor lines in the background and moving shadows — there's a lot for the light to replica Tag Heuer wac1214.ba0852 Ladie's watch play across. "The effect creates the scene that gives me goosebumps You're walking down a hall where all you see is harsh shadows Then you round a corner and see a mutilated person banging their head against the wall The light from a nearby doorway plays across the gray steel wall and the red, ragged flesh hanging from the man's torso

originally scheduling it for a November 3 release GameFly says the Wii version arrives

GameStop says every version hits December 8, originally scheduling it for a November 3 release GameFly says the Wii version arrives November 26, but puts a more ominous December 31 on the PS2 and PSP versions Walmart. 's release dates for replica Tag Heuer waf141d.ba0813 watch Silent Hill: Shattered Memories are closer to GameFly's, with the PlayStation versions arriving Christmas Day. Maybe Konami feels the horror game could capitalize on a bit more Christmas cheer or it's finding new awards to paste onto the game's cover

Regardless of their reasons, we've asked about the slipping date, but have not yet heard back. Thanks to Manuel for the tip off. How can a video game be scary? Unlike horror movies where you're stuck watching some hapless victim succumb to replica Tag Heuer wjf1311.ba0573 watch scary stuff, video games empower players to fight back Or at least run away It's October Time to identify horror gaming's essentials Some of the scariest experiences I've had in my life come from video games I can remember running from the family computer room in tears after a wax skeleton in an Are You Afraid of the Dark game chased me through a basement.

My chest still gets tight whenever I hear a burst of radio static, thanks to Silent Hill. And there is this one scene in Dead Space that gives me goose bumps whenever I think about it. Horror in video games is more complex that what goes on in horror movies True, the feeling of terror you're supposed to experience is similar Scary video replica Tag Heuer waf1311.ba0817 watch games and movies both rely heavily on pacing, shocking imagery and music However, games are an interactive experience There are consequences for the player that nobody in a darkened movie theater could relate to