As it ever occured to you that some of today's fads are not quite as "new" as some might have you believe?

In some cases, what seems "new", "fresh" or even "original" was attempted with little or no success years ago.

This is the case with Survival Horror.

We've all had our fill of post-apocalyptic genetic mutations. We've all seen the busty heroines and their phallic guns kicking some mutant zombie ass. And we've all heard the old government/corporate America cover-up stories.

But back in the more innocent days of the Atari 2600 - well, as innocent as a system featuring "classics" like Custer's revenge can be - the very idea of such "edgy" storylines and "mature" themes was the stuff of weird, reclusive geeks with a passion for horror movies.

It just so happens that SOME of those geeks over decided to build what would be, in my opinion, the first actual Survival Horror game - Halloween.

Think of it for a moment. You have almost every single basic building block of any and all good Survival Horror game!

  • Gore and violence (Micheal Myers stabs the innocent babysitter to death and you, in turn, can do a number on the Shape with a knife)
  • Tense atmosphere (the Shape is clearly at an advantage and you're constantly running from him)
  • Claustrophobic feeling of being "trapped" within a limited environement (you can't run out of the house)
  • "Edgy" storyline ( a murderous freak is trying to kill a young babysitter and the kid she's trying to protect)
  • Constant games of "hide and seek" between the protagonist and his/her antagonist (instead of a DOOM-like both barrell blazing attitude, one must be careful to avoid fights)


Granted, the game was repetitive and difficult to play, but it represents the very first actual survival horror game. Of course, more interesting Japanese games would come later on such as Sweet Home for the NES and, for the SNES, the very spooky Clock Tower inspired by Italian horror "auteur" Dario Argento and his (now ex-)wife Daria Nicoldi's foray into the supernatural horror genre Suspiria and Phenomena. Stilll, it's intresting to see that this "new" genre is not new at all with variou systems having their own "survival horror" games long before the Resident Evil craze hit North America.