There are lots of scary computer and video games out there, and even more ready to haunt store shelves this holiday season. And while there are a lot of fine horror games that offer plenty of thrills and chills, they don't all go about scaring you the same way. Some games make you jump out of your chair, others provide a creepy atmosphere, and a select few of them will even get into your head.
In recognition of the many different ways that our favorite scary games encouraged us to sleep with a nightlight, we've called out some of the best examples of the different types of terror throughout the years--the games that best exemplified these special kinds of scare. And to make things even more interesting, we've also included some upcoming games that we hope will continue these creepy-crawly traditions into the future, based on what we've already seen from them so far. So turn off the lights and sample some flavors of fear with us. Have a safe and happy Halloween.
Abrupt Scares
You know the drill: You're in a house or abandoned space station and you've searched every inch of a room for ammo, moon keys, and health packs. Every inch, that is, except for the ones in the closet. The door is closed but crooked. The lights in the room dim, and you hear what sounds like muffled breathing. It's quiet. A little...too quiet. And just when you think you're safe, that's when these horror games get you, hitting you with an unexpected scare that makes you jump out of your seat. These games offer some of the best examples of abrupt scares we've seen.
Doom 3 is like a haunted house in which you have space-age weapons, but it's still scary. Why? Well, if you want to peer into the dark, you have to use your flashlight. To use your flashlight, you have to use both hands. That means that any time you want to gaze upon the terrifying zombies waiting to eat your face, you have to put down your gun. Of course, when you finally muster the courage to shine a beam into that black abyss, you see nothing; the zombies are already behind you.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is arguably one of the most important games of all time, and the first entry in one of the most successful franchises in the history of gaming. It also has one of the best, most memorable scares in the history of horror video games. Before you even take control of your character, this game goes straight for the jugular with its terrifying dogs, which chase you from the very outset of the game in a cinematic sequence. And if you thought you managed to lock them outside, boy, were you in for a surprise. Just as you're getting used to the unusual third-person control scheme and struggling with your aim at slow-moving zombies, it makes you jump out of your seat as one of these hellhounds leaps through the window. Even worse, they run much faster than you can move or aim.
Resident Evil 2
You go into Resident Evil 2 thinking that you have zombies, dogs, and herbs under control. You simply shoot a zombie dead and then step over it on your way to bigger and better things--until you realize that it's chewing your leg because it isn't dead enough. And if you think that's shockingly freakish, you haven't seen anything yet. After making your way through a burning downtown and an abandoned (by the living) police station, you encounter one of the game's most memorable, and startling enemies, the licker--something with its brains on the outside and a tongue a mile long that leaps out at you in that first hallway.
Atmospheric Tension
Have you ever been scared for no reason? Felt your mouth go dry and your skin crawl just because the environment around you was so convincingly creepy, due to hair-raising sound effects, unsettling visual images, or both? That's atmospheric tension for you, and if used correctly, it can change the whole climate of a gameplay experience from one of casual curiosity to compelling dread. Games with great atmospheric tension keep you on the edge of your seat because they convince you that something terrible is about to happen.
The original Alone in the Dark might not be very scary by modern standards, but it deserves a great deal of credit for helping blaze the trail, both for atmospheric tension and for the genre of games that would become known as "survival horror." Alone in the Dark is the first such game to use fixed camera angles for each room along with 3D graphics. It takes place in a very spooky mansion in which the main character, Edward Carnby, must navigate the creaky, poorly lit place and survive the attacks of crazy-looking monsters that lurk just around the next corner.
BioShock
BioShock's Rapture makes a strong first impression, and leaves a lasting one even after you finish playing the game. It's beautiful and provocative, a modern utopia laid low by corruption and decay. You know something terrible can happen at any time because the mess all around you suggests that terrible things never stopped happening. And while you explore the ruins of this decadent city, you'll constantly hear the eerie audio combination of obliviously optimistic music and the nonsensical ramblings of splicers: the genetically enhanced and completely insane inhabitants of the city.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. takes place in an area known as "the exclusion zone," where a second, fictitious Chernobyl meltdown has caused the remaining wildlife to become horrible mutants. Furthermore, the disaster has led to valuable "artifacts" surfacing in the area for ambitious scavengers to recover and sell. The game's excellent use of real-world assets gave rise to realistic and highly detailed environments such as the abandoned amusement park at Pripyat. Along with the game's excellent ambient sound effects, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s environments create a memorably eerie atmosphere of desolation and loneliness that quickly turns to peril when the mutants come out to play.
It's said that "In space, no one can hear you scream." However, System Shock 2 proves otherwise, given that the terrifying computer overmind and the hideous alien collective can not only hear you--they've already killed everyone else and are actively searching for you, too. System Shock 2 presents a unique environment that combines the loneliness of high-tech deep-space travel with a sense of atmospheric dread that's not only provided by the corpses strewn about the ship, but is also, like in the game's successor BioShock, provided by the journals of fallen crew members, who offer horrifying glimpses into what happened to them…and what might happen to you.
The Thing
The thing about The Thing is that it could be standing right before your eyes, and you wouldn't even know it. It could be Betty, or it could be Jack, and you wouldn't even know until it was too late. And then it would be you (or, you would be it, or however that works). That's right, people are what make The Thing--the 2002 game that continues the storyline of the cult-classic motion picture--such an ambient and creepy experience. Anyone around you can secretly be a weird alien, and the ones who aren't, well--they completely freak out. Not only does the game do a great job of re-creating the remote atmosphere of the motion picture, but it also ups the ante with interactive characters who are always around you...and who always threaten to turn on you when you least expect it.
378 Comments