Cry of Fear

My favorite survival horror game on the Gold Source engine. It's like an early 2000's game, at least it feels like what the game was going for. Cry of Fear executes tension very well and represents depression uncensored with its guts spilling out. The environments are dark and cramped, allowing for monsters to get close and personal with you, which I liked about the level design. I do wish to warn you however: this game doesn't like modern systems and crashes with prolonged use unless you download the developer's 64 bit fix on ModDB. Why this isn't included in the Steam download is a mystery to me. I managed without it anyway, just remember this if you experience crashes or have issues loading. [h3]Pros:[/h3][list] [*] Great tension, OST, and atmosphere. Understands quality horror doesn't mean only jumpscares. [*] Intriguing story from an era unconcerned about reaching the masses (uncensored views on depression). [*] Plenty of weapons to use and environments to explore. [*] Simon while not a beacon of a role model, came across as a realistic character both in his vocal performances and troubles. I liked playing as him and going through his journey in the game; I'd wish him well. [*] Praiseworthy improvements on the Gold Source engine, it really pushed it to the farthest.[/list] [h3]Cons:[/h3][list] [*] Can feel old school confusing and/or difficult at times without consulting a walkthrough. Has backtracking a lot. [*] Multiplayer server browser has been broken for years and needs extra time to figure out how to play the co-op. [*]Occasional 64-bit performance dips and crashes if you play for too long (but has an off-Steam developer fix on ModDB).[/list] It may feel a little slow to start with, but for me it was worth playing through both the campaign and co-op epilogue. I never played this genre before and thought it was a good introduction to it. Cry of Fear is free, and I can say it was worth my time experiencing. 9/10.