GAMES: GameSpot GameFAQs MOVIES: Metacritic Movietome Comic-Con
Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009

Halloween is almost upon us, the time where everyone breaks out their favorite slasher flicks and gamers pull out some good old-fashioned horror games. Now, scaring the living daylights out of the player is one thing, but making them shriek like an opera soprano is another. Listed are 12 games guaranteed to do the trick for you this halloween:

NOTE: Some clips may be graphic (but I've made sure to include the least graphic ones as humanly possible) and I couldn't find a video that was appropriate enough for some.

12. Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, 360)


Boy, the recession's taken a toll! *ba-dum, psh*

Though not intended to entirely be a horror game, there are plenty of instances in the Vault Dweller's adventures that involve plenty of unwanted close-ups with feral ghouls in the dank underground caverns, abandoned buildings, sewers, and like locations. In fact, almost any enemy in those claustrophobic areas will make players jump more times than they imagine.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ipOMNQA8Ho

11. Dead Space (PS3, 360)

Survival Tip #1: Wear armor. Always.

Released by EA fairly recently, Dead Space is a combination of The Thing and Alien but set in space and the main character isn't much of a military man to begin with. Walking through the dark, empty, foreboding corridors of the tattered USG Ishimura is made all the more unnerving when the distant wails of enemies taunt your every step and, at times, jump from out of absolutely nowhere for a cIassic jump scare.

Taste of fear: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadspace/video/6191260/dead-space-official-trailer-2?tag=videos;title;1

In my opinion, there are few games that pull of atmosphere so well nowadays.

10. The Suffering (Xbox, PS2, PC)

Edward Scissorhands gone very, very wrong

A game from Midway that came and went, The Suffering mixes up action and atmosphere by having short periods of atmospheric horror between the dominant run-and-gun gameplay sections. Running through the island of Carnate with little enemies around is creepy at the very least. However, even these brief, quiet moments get interrupted by sudden images flashing across the screen.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py8OY-YBHjY

9. Killer 7 (GC, PS2)

"Smile!"

A strange game by any standard, Killer 7 provides one of the most confusing, convoluted stories ever to be told in a single interactive installment (although there are various other ways of following the full story) and also some of the creepiest characters this side of cell shading. Invisible to the naked eye, the Heaven Smile need to be "scanned" in order to be seen. The little snickers they let out to make you aware of your presence are unsettling in the worst way possible.

Taste of fear: Yeah, the least graphic clip would be way too graphic to post.

8. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS, N64, DC, PC)

Something tells me the road construction won't get finished.

A modest entry of the storied horror series, Resident Evil 3 implements multiple choice scenarios in which, usually in a state of panic, the player is forced to choose quickly. Adding this level of involvement aided in making Nemesis a title that didn't feel like a re-hash of the second installment. Also, the scares to be had in RE3 were all very effective.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpuv9AZG66g

7. Cold Fear (Xbox, PS2, PC)

"Hello, Mr. K...Oh wait a minute."

Overlooked in favor of the much more popular Resident Evil 4, Cold Fear utilized the same control system as its more famous counterpart and, in my opinion, did a much better job at making the controls fluent. Instead of the zombie-slaughtering officer-turned-agent Leon S. Kennedy, Cold Fear presents us with a Coast Guard member named Tom Hansen. Instead of a Spanish island, the game takes place on a Russian whaler ship lost out at sea. The creaking and tilting of the camera associated with the ship's current situation in a massive storm can be nauseating at times, making the sudden scares from enemies lurking in the dark that much more terrifying.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPRyR41QxM

6. Doom 3 (Xbox, PC)

Hide and seek with demons is not a good idea.

Undoubtedly one of the most recognizable First Person Shooters in gaming history, Doom 3 provided a level of fear that was unchallenged in its genre at the time. From subtle atmospheric lighting to more abrupt jump scares, Doom 3 wears the player down to terrified frustration until the very end. Also, it should be noted that its the only game I've played that is still scary with God Mode turned on.

Taste of fear: Once again, the clips are far too bloody to post on this site.

5. Silent Hill 3 (PS2)

"Come to Silent Hill, we have great hospitals!"

In which the first installment mixed atmosphere and scares and the second further pushed the boundaries of storytelling and atmosphere, Silent Hill 3 was the more abruptly terrifying title. From the ear-hemorrhaging distorted wails of foes to the surrealistic visual design, no detail was spared in making the third installment something gamers would never forget.

Taste of fear: http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/silenthill3/video/6030259/silent-hill-3-trailer-4?tag=videos;title;3

4. Condemned: Criminal Origins (360)

I'm gonna go all Gordon Freeman on your face!!!

Quite possibly the most passive-aggressive game of this generation, Condemned brought the largely ignored idea of indirect action to build tension and ran with it. Every level consists of enemies scampering across the screen, taunting you for the entire level and sometimes not even bothering to show up. All the emotion that builds up to nearly every fight is headache-inducing, making the player wish that the enemy would simply show his face. However, Condemned rarely grants such comfort.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQRT2jfT4QE

3. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GC)

Try to find the 5 monsters hidden in this picture!

Boasting a degree of mindplay that has yet to be matched, Eternal Darkness is a criminally overlooked game that any fan of the horror genre should pick up. Scaring the player through unconventional means (e.g. illusions), the game made players think a wealth of different things were buggy in the game when, in reality, it was all part of the plan. By far the most sinister illusion was tricking you into thinking the game was deleting all the data off your memory units.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9wSR6uInZ0

2. Clock Tower (PS)


Uh...oh...

A little bit forgotten nowadays, Clock Tower is a game that will make you nearly have a heart attack every time you see that shady man with the giant scissors. Running and hiding is the wisest option, which makes it supremely terrifying whenever Scissor Man walks into the same room as you, sometimes taking the time to search around for possible hiding spots so he can shear you in two.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXPgKxHTFp0

1. Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2, Xbox)


Ghosts are not photogenic.

Ugh, this one gives me the chills just thinking about it. Crimson Butterfly is an interesting little piece of sheer terror that uses a camera as the main weapon against a horde of ghosts haunting a Japanese village. Honestly, almost everything this game has to offer is compelling in every sense of the word. An excellent story, perfectly creepy atmosphere, and pants-wetting scares make Fatal Frame deserving of being the most terrifying game of all time.

Taste of fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9czbIFtje3o

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rock back and forth in a corner.

Category: Editorial
Posted by THE_DRUGGIE, 5:54pm
243 Comments | Post a Comment

Comments

Page 1  2  3  4  5 
« prev  |  next »
Good choices!
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:06 pm PT
Good list. Also check this one...

http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/top10/1977.html
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:12 pm PT
I thought RE4 is scary, well to me. Especially the zombie monks part in the castle. but that's just me, hehe
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:20 pm PT
Fallout 3 isn't scary at all, and the only one that's the scariest is Dead Space. Which in my opinion is the only scariest game I've played to be honest.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:24 pm PT
Very nice list, Fatal Frame and Silent Hill were pretty much obvious to be here. I like how in 2 lists that I've seen (including yours) people put Dead Space. I liked that game a lot, even though it scared the living soul out of me. Very nice and complete.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:29 pm PT
Good choices, but where's the Gamecube remake of Resident Evil?? That game still scares the ever living crap out of me.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:37 pm PT
Excellent list! I was happy to see Eternal Darkness ranked so highly...it's one of my all-time favorite games .
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:42 pm PT
Eternal Darkness was truly creepy.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:46 pm PT
I've played all of these except Eternal Darkness. Sounds pretty interesting, and will probably try it sometime . But to me, Dead Space was the scariest, especially on low brightness settings. x.x
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:52 pm PT
Silent Hill 3 is indeed one of the scariest, though I think Forbidden Siren 2 should be up on this list
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:54 pm PT
I find Fallout 3 pretty scary. I think it is because one becomes so engrossed in the world and oppressive atmosphere, when a feral ghoul does run at you pants are inevitably soiled.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 6:58 pm PT
wtf wheres luigi's mansion
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:03 pm PT
I agree with nearly all of these except for Dead Space. It just wasn't scary. Condemned scared and scarred me for life.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:03 pm PT
Great list. That last picture actually made me jump, so I can't image how scary the actual game must be.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:19 pm PT
fatal frame was pretty crazy, i loved it haha
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:43 pm PT
This is a good list. I played most of these games and they are scary.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:45 pm PT
Fallout 3 had some very tense moments, but not really scary. It was the atmosphere that got to you, not the enemies. You could hear the ghouls coming from a mile away.

Personally I thought the first Resident Evil was better than the 3rd for scare factor, you weren't quite sure what to expect. Overall, great list though.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 8:48 pm PT
Clock Tower was definitely one of the scariest games of all time. The music when Scissorman was near, the sound his shears made, definitely freaky. I was relieved to finally finish it and lock the game away and throw away the key.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 9:08 pm PT
Sounds like a good list to me, but have you overlooked Siren and FEAR? I thought the latter did a pretty good job with their scares, the former's just plain creepy.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 9:40 pm PT
Great list, though I haven't played some of them.. Looks like I need to get into some serious horror gaming, heehee.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 9:47 pm PT
Very good. Glad you posted Silent Hill 3, Dead Space, Eternal Darkness, Fatal Frame II (Though I personally thought 3 was scarier) and condemned 2. Fallout 3 was an odd choice.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 10:03 pm PT
Why did you put RE3 on there? Imo its far from the most scary, sure there are some panic moments in there that gets on your nerves, but RE4 is like that all the time.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 10:39 pm PT
The lack of the original Silent Hill is scary.
Posted Oct 27, 2009 10:56 pm PT
Um. On a better, less mature note. Where is Leisure Suit Larry?
Posted Oct 27, 2009 11:31 pm PT
yeah I almost stopped reading at Fallout 3,

ehh, Clive barkers: undying, Call of cthulu & Silent hill 1/2 are the scariest imo
Fatal Frame is a good choice for no.1
Posted Oct 28, 2009 12:08 am PT
Fatal Frame 2....damn that game. It really gave me the creeps. So much so that I never played this game at night.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 12:09 am PT
move up dead space and im happy. though fallout could tie with lots of other stuff. and for somethings you could say the series. so like resident evil games and stuff, just some sudgestions. good list though
Posted Oct 28, 2009 12:20 am PT
Thank you so much for sharing these excellent horror games--especially the last two. They could inspire me to write something....
Posted Oct 28, 2009 12:28 am PT
For me SH-2 will always be number one :p
Posted Oct 28, 2009 1:33 am PT
The scariest game that I played is by far Doom 3. It was so scary in my eyes, that I could not complete it. Dead Space was pretty scary as well and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 2:06 am PT
The scariest game of all time is curse of the monkey island... look behind you, a three headed monkey... if you give thumbs down, that means you agree with me...
Posted Oct 28, 2009 2:28 am PT
The scariest game of all time is curse of the monkey island... look behind you, a three headed monkey... if you give thumbs down, that means you agree with me...
Posted Oct 28, 2009 2:33 am PT
now, play all those games on halloween after 10:00 Pm, and try to say that you didn't have to play with a blanket!
Posted Oct 28, 2009 3:14 am PT
you forgot about PENUMBRA,STALKER....
Posted Oct 28, 2009 3:59 am PT
Thief: Deadly Shadows was scarier than doom for me
Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:03 am PT
I'm quite surprised to not see Silent Hill 1 and 2 while putting the third iteration there (I did like all of them anyway). But hey, to each his own. I would really like to try Fatal Frame - I feel a little guilty for not having played it.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:11 am PT
The only way possible requires Fallout 3 to be a scary game is the player must be btw 3-5 years old.

There are a lot of scary games left out, like the "nightmarish" nightmare creatures" (PS) my fear experience with that game started when i was 10 or 11 years old, i remember my cousin playing it in his room while i refused to even enter the room. Well, there is one day, it happened by chance i stayed in his room while he's playing the room, so i felt stuck there, i can't exit the room or he will suspect im afraid of the game so the only excuse i had to make is told him to turn down the volume .

And where RE1 and RE2 ?
Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:25 am PT
Now you've made me long for a few games I don't own - curse you Druggie!
Posted Oct 28, 2009 4:35 am PT
Awesome blog. It's sad to say I've only played Dead Space of all of these.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 5:02 am PT
I haven't played all of these, only 5. But it looks like a solid list. I would have to put Dead Space near the number one spot. I get so tense when I play it that I can only stand it in short intervals.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 5:21 am PT
I would put Dead Space higher, but glad to see Doom 3 on the list as well.

I'm a little disappointed that there's no love for the original Alone in the Dark, though. And Dark Seed. Too old school I guess?
Posted Oct 28, 2009 6:02 am PT
No RE4? :[
Posted Oct 28, 2009 6:28 am PT
I forgot how atmospheric half life 2 is until I started playing it through again the other day. The part in Ravenholme where those feral ghoul style mobs are running at you from the roof tops is sh*t scary!
Posted Oct 28, 2009 6:32 am PT
awesome list,
god job mate!
Posted Oct 28, 2009 6:33 am PT
Where is Little Big Planet? HAHAHA...
Posted Oct 28, 2009 6:54 am PT
I always thought Silent Hill 2 was way scarier. Good choices. I'm glad Fatal Frame 2 is up there. That game's cover just scares me.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 7:29 am PT
Oh man, I am sooo happy that at least one fo the Fatal Frame games made the list! Could not agree more, cept I thought the first FF was better.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 7:43 am PT
Sshock 2 should be thar
Posted Oct 28, 2009 7:46 am PT
Very good choices - especially Eternal Darkness, which was my own personal favourite of this genre....
Posted Oct 28, 2009 7:49 am PT
Page 1  2  3  4  5 
« prev  |  next »
  • THE_DRUGGIE
  • Level: 1 (0%)
  • Rank: Mogwai
  • Forum Posts: 392
  • Messages Read: 0


advertisement

Friends

My Friends