Survival horror is a prominent video game genre in which the player has to survive an onslaught of opponents, often undead or otherwise supernatural, typically in claustrophobic environments in a third-person perspective. Horror movie elements are used liberally. The player is typically armed, but not nearly as well-armed as the player in a shooter game. The player's goal is generally to escape from an isolated house or town that is inhabited mostly by zombies and/or monsters through shooting and puzzle solving. Isolation is generally one of the most recurrent themes within this genre.

Survival horror is possibly the only video game genre that is defined primarily by theme rather than gameplay style. Though most commonly associated with the Resident Evil mechanics described above, the genre is also home to beat 'em ups (Nightmare Creatures, Splatterhouse), role playing games (Sweet Home), first-person shooters ( Dark Corners of the Earth, Hungry Ghosts), and text adventure games (Kamaitachi No Yoru). Other games such as the Doom and Castlevania series include horror elements, but such games are not typically considered survival horror because horror is not the defining gameplay characteristic. However, the subjective nature of such discrepancies can make survival horror a difficult genre to classify.

History

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The term Survival horror was first coined by Resident Evil (1996) which creator, Shinji Mikami activly credits Capcom's earlier title Sweet Home (1989) for his inspiration. The Japanese version of Resident Evil (Biohazard) was marketed under the previously non-existent Survival horror genre on the game's cover. A line of text also displayed the phrase "Enter the world of survival horror..." while the game was loading. Although the survival horror genre was popularized by Resident Evil, it was heavily influenced by earlier works such as Alone in the Dark, Sweet Home and Clock Tower: The First Fear (1995).

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Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:47:05 -0800
$139.99 - $299.98 from 11 stores. User rating:4.3 out of 5. After dominating the handheld video game market for over a decade with the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, Nintendo diverges from its winning brand with the Nintendo DS. First announced in spring of 2004 and scheduled to launch near the end of that same year, the Nintendo DS is based on an unusual design that suggests possibilities of innovative player interfaces and new styles of gameplay. The most prominent feature of the DS, or "Dual Screen," is its two backlit display screens. The rectangular Nintendo DS is about the same size and shape as a contemporary PDA. It has a clamshell design, with a conventional display screen above, centered on the inside of the lid, and a touchsensitive screen, which can be used for both display and control, on the bottom of the unit. The two screens are aligned, one directly above the other, when the Nintendo DS is opened for use. Both screens are about three inches measured diagonally, comparable in size to the screen on a Game Boy Advance. Games for the Nintendo DS are stored and sold on DS cartridges, which are similar in size to the flash memory cards used in digital cameras and PDAs; considerably smaller than Nintendo's previous handheld media formats. The DS is backwardcompatible, however, and can also play the sinlgeplayer modes of nearly all existing GBA games. The device features two separate cartridge slots to accommodate the two media formats. Game Boy cartridges fit in a slot on the front of the handheld, and Nintendo DS cartridges go in a slot on the back. The control buttons of the Nintendo DS are somewhat similar to those of a Super NES. A crossshaped Dpad is to the left of the bottom screen and four action buttons "A," "B," "X," and "Y" are arranged in a diamond to the right. In games that support the distinguishing dual screen design, the bottom display may also be a primary means of control. The touchsensitive screen can be used with a precision stylus that comes with the handheld, or simply with the player's fingers and thumbs. The Nintendo DS also has two shoulder buttons. The overall performance power of the Nintendo DS has been equated to that of the Nintendo 64 console. The handheld is designed to produce audio, video, and 3D rendering of speed and quality comparable to the late1990s console. The DS supports both IEEE 802.11 and a proprietary format of wireless connectivity, allowing two or more players to join in multiplayer DS games without a physical "link cable" connection. The handheld also features a headphone jack (unlike its GBA SP predecessor) and microphone input for voicerecognition functions. A builtin, rechargeable battery provides an estimated 10 hours of gameplay. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide
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