Halloween is just around the corner, so what better time to explore the scariest video games for this Halloween!
Below you will find my list of scariest games to play before, during, and after this coming Halloween. Now this is important to note. These are not just widely recognized horror games, indeed, some of theme few have played. Rather, I picked them for their fear-factor, for their uniqueness, and for their watchability. That's right, even if you or your friends are terrible at games, as long as one person can sit down and plat it, any one of these can make for a great horror gaming experience.
Just remember! Turn the sound up and turn the lights off. It's better that way. Also, be sure to let me know your favorite horror games and honorable mentions in the comments below!
| Amnesia: The Dark Descent is, hands down, an absolute masterpiece of horror gaming. The game creates one of the best atmospheres in video game history. Then it takes away all the power gamers generally have by removing their ability to fight the monsters that roam the halls.The terror is exacerbated by a great combination of mechanics. First, players have to hide in the darkness or monsters will see them and attack. Second, while out of the light, players slowly go insane - and light is a limited resource. The result is a stunning work of horror that is unlike any game on the market. | File:Amnesia The Dark Descent PC Games Trailer - Unknown Teaser |
|
Ok, to be honest, if you play only one Silent Hill game, it should be Silent Hill 2. However, the reason Silent Hill: Shattered Memories makes my list is because it is a Wii title that actually uses the controller effectively, all while creating a chilling experience for players and viewers alike. At times the mic on the controller acts as a cell phone and players are forced to lean in close for creepy messages and clues. Also, like Amnesia, there is no fighting the monsters - you can only run. But the best features - a very unsettling interview session with you, the player, as the subject. The entire package makes Silent Hill: Shattered Memories a surprisingly terrifying and well executed experience. |
File:Silent Hill Shattered Memories Nintendo Wii Trailer - Lost in the Snow (480p) |
| I am noticing a trend here. The stellar Fatal Frame series also dis-empowers players to great dramatic effect. The only way to fight off the game's horribly ghosts and apparitions? Take pictures of them. The better the photo, the more damage you do.Even when you want nothing more than to look away, you have to instead look closer and line up your shot. The hair-raising moments created by Fatal Frame II in particular stand out among so many other horror games. This is a great play for Halloween. | 
|
| Dead Space 3's release is on the horizon! What better time than now to play the first two entries into the series. For those unaware, the game is set in the future on an abandoned mining ship. An infection has transformed the workers and other inhabitants into horrid monstrosities with sharp appendages jutting from twisted flesh. The gameplay tweak that makes the game amazing? To kill them, you have to shop off their limbs with mining tools.Not only is the Dead Space gameplay thoroughly enjoyable, the atmosphere and set pieces are all in the vein of the Alien franchise. "Necromorphs" can be heard moving around in vents and around corners, waiting to leap from loose panels or drag the player through smoke-filled corridors. This is a great series that will only gets better. | File:Dead Space 3 Gamescom 2012 Trailer |
| Set in a nuclear wasteland, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is blend of first-person-shooter and RPG, very much like the popular Fallout series. However, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is far more punishing. Nuclear waste litters the land, making the world itself dangerous. Likewise, the creatures mutated by the destruction lurk in the darkness. With its open-world approach, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. easily deserves attention is a perfect Halloween game. | File:S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl PC Games Gameplay - Bloodsuckers |
| The F.E.A.R. series moves back and forth between action and horror for the most part. However, the games still hold up as excellent horror experiences, particularly the first in the franchise. The most notable twist are the game's numerous visual tricks that mess with your mind.Like Eternal Darkness (a classic game I was really tempted to include in this list), the game has all sorts of neat scenarios that make you question reality. F.E.A.R. 3 makes a great Halloween game in particular for its excellent co-op gameplay. | File:F.E.A.R. 3 Horror Trailer |
| Of course we have to include a nod to one of the progenitors of modern horror games. The genre would not exist as we know it were it not for Resident Evil. Of course the best game in the franchise is debatable, but I tend to favor Resident Evil 4. The game features some of the most gruesome death sequences and a consistent sense of foreboding. Likewise, the maintains the series norm of limiting the amount of ammo players find - when every bullet counts, every encounter is horrifying. | File:Resident Evil 15th Anniversary Trailer |
| I want to round out this list with something special. Lone Survivor is a completely unique game experience few have played. The game is actually a 2D side-scrolling survival-horror game. Given the game's extreme limitations, it masterfully pulls off its goals.Set in a post-apocalyptic city, the protagonist tries to survive all why questioning his sanity in the face of terror. With huge variability in play styles, Lone Survivor is a perfect indie-game to play with friends this Halloween. | File:Lone Survivor Trailer |