11 Times Video Games Did Horror Better Than Movies

10. Outlast - Using The Camcorder As A Torch

2004's Saw might have gone on to be one of the most drawn-out laboriously-produced 'horror' franchises of all time, but in that first instalment director/writer-combo James Wan and Leigh Whannel's hearts were in the right place. A particular scene that got away from the plight of the characters and was genuinely quite original and innovative was the flashback where Whannel's character Adam has to explore his power-drained apartment using a camera's flash as the only light-source. In a brilliant move this meant the audience only saw what was right in front of him for a split-second, before being plunged back into darkness as he continued to creep around. Needless to say when the Jigsaw killer did finally emerge from a cupboard, it was one of many things that contributed to that first film's high reception.
Over to this year's Outlast and the game is putting you in charge of a similarly sporadic light source, except this time around it's a camcorder. Set in an abandoned (yeah, right) asylum, you'll have to explore a plethora of incredibly dark, dank rooms and basements, holding the camcorder up to use night-vision as the only way to properly scout ahead. Being that this is a PS4 game the graphics are superb, and also due to the fact that you're using this mode the pupils of enemy characters' eyes are illuminated the same way as whenever ghost hunters go off into the night on TV shows or movies. If you were one of the people in the audience who were just thankful that you weren't the one who had to explore the apartment like Adam, this is the title that flips that on its head perfectly.
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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.