10 Great Video Games For Horror Genre Fans
10 Great Video Games For Horror Genre Fans
Guest writer Stanley walker wrote the hell out of this Horror Vid game review!
10) Manhunt
An oldie but what a goodie! Rather than zombies or flayed dogs doing all of the dastardly mayhem, this game’s antagonist is actually YOU! In a Madonna ‘Like A Girl’-like twist, gamers actually play the baddie. If you thought it was difficult to put the characters in HEAVY RAIN through some of their paces, you will likely have a nervous breakdown being forced to commit the heinous acts in this one!
Released: 2003
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse/Sick Ass Shit
Available on: PS2, Xbox, PC
Special Interest: If you are an eye-for-an-eye type, then this game will hold a very special place in your heart as you go around dishing out grueling retribution to a sordid cast of sociopathic killers.
9) Silent Hills
So we have two Silent Hill entries in the list already. But those are last generation. But a demo was released on PSN announcing to the world that the creepy and twisted world of Silent Hill will be coming to PS4. Download the demo and you will see that the team is taking full advantage of next gen platform capability. If the demo is any indication, the title will lose not an iota of the franchises eerie environs and sick imagination.
Released: Muhuhahahahahaaaaaaaaa (They haven’t said; they just put the demo out to drive you crazy with impatience because they are eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil.)
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse
Available on: PS4
Special Interest: Um, two words: Silent freakin’ Hill sequel! Okay, so that is not two words. I am so excited I actually lost the ability to count for a minute. Just when I thought my faculties returning, I learned that Norman Reedus (Mr. I-have-a-crossbow-and-I-knows-how-to-use-ittttttt-Darryl of The Walking Dead) has lent his talents and his likeness to the project. Now I’ve gone cross-eyed and can no longer type.
8) Until Dawn
So, if you are reading this blog, the odds are that you have at least a passing interest in slashers like Halloween and H20. If so, then this game is for you! Instead of there being zombies and grotesque mutants menacing around the corner, gamers are trapped in a remote cabin as one of eight playable characters being hunted by a psycho (apologies to the homicidally imbalanced out there if that term is not terribly PC). The objective will be to survive the night with success or failure hinging on gamers’ choices in classic horror movie situations.
Released: Was going to be a Playstation Move title back in 2012, the game has been retool
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse/Slasher Films
Available on: PS4
Special Interest: The game is focused on achieving Horror Movie Realness™ and leverages talents like Hayden Panettiere to show it means business. All eight characters can live or die depending on your decisions. It is like a modern day Choose Your Own Adventure novel.
7) Resident Evil 4
I am going to get poo from hardcore gamers for putting this one so low. Resident Evil 4 was truly a game changer with its imprint still felt across the genre. That can be good or ill as the title brought the more action-y feel to the fore for the franchise. But one thing that cannot be argued is that the game’s over the shoulder playstyle (much preferred to the gun-barrel-on-screen look of most shooters) added a layer of fun to the scares and mayhem that has become an industry standard.
Released: 2005
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse/Sci-Fi
Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, GameCube, PC, iOS
Special Interest: When this came out, the controls and the feel of the gameplay in the Resident Evil franchise were very different. By ‘different’, I mean stiff and a bit clunky. The 4th installment really streamlined the experienced and added responsiveness and agility.
6) The Walking Dead
Okay, so this is more a fanboy pick for me. I loved the first season of The Walking Dead and the current season is shaping up to be a real nailbiter. Naturally, I was stoked when the The Walking Dead franchise branched out to include games! It may not be the scariest in terms of graphics or zombie related scares per se, but it did a good job of capturing the trademark brutality and difficult choices native to the comics by Robert Kirkman. They approach the scares from a different angle—players’ inherent
Released: 2012
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse
Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Vita, iOS
Special Interest: Based on the hit show derived from the hit comic book series!
5) The Last of Us
While this game was mostly touted for developer Naughty Dog’s outstanding visuals and its incredibly emotional story and well developed characters, it appears on this list because it is scary as hell! The gameplay is tense and you will freak oush! In addition, the story has roots in existing phenomena in nature which only increases its ability to get under your skin and give you nightmares. Making your way through the abandoned cities is eerie and infiltrated the dark dilapidated structures is nerve racking as danger lurks around every corner! And NOT just from the zombies!
Released: 2013
Genres Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse/Sci-Fi
Available on: PS3 and PS4
Special Interest: Originally developed for the PS3, it was SO good and so successful it got a Hi-Res makeover and a complete port over to the PS4! The visuals and sound design for this title are stunning and worth the cost of the game alone!
4) Dead Space
The best recommendation I can give for this title is this: me and two friends sat in a room to play this title and we ALL panicked and were freaked out during the first attack. This game’s design team do a magnificent job on not only the creature designs—which are DISTURBING—but also on the atmosphere and the sound design. In space, no one can hear you scream, but the same will not be true for your neighbors.
Released: 2008
Genre Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Zombie Apocalypse/Sci-Fi
Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Special Interest: This game has spawned two successful (though much more action-y and less horror-y) sequels and at least two very scary animated films filling portions of the franchise’s narratives. In addition, the Rumor Mill of the InterWebs postulated that the grossly underrated sci-fi actioner Pandorum was a possible test for a Dead Space film. I cannot attest to the validity of that one, but I can verify that no actual Dead Space live action vehicle has been released as yet.
3) Silent Hill & Silent Hill 2
Okay so it is one entry but two games. Yes. However, I just had to include two because of the introduction of the incredibly creepy Triangle Head!! The franchise boasts some of the most atmospheric locations in gaming but the creature designs are really and truly disturbing! I dare you to play either of these with the lights out! Those images will haunt you the rest of your life!
Released: 1999 and 2001, respectively
Genre Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Sci-Fi/Creature Feature
Available on: Playstation and Playstation 2, respectively
Special Interest: Both titles use a liberal amount of fog to obscure view of the environments and the creatures which triggers your brain to actively participate by filling in what you can’t quite make out with your own fears. One easily gets that lost, panicky feeling similar to when you have stumbled into a uneven unknown terrain in the dark. This was serviced in the first feature film based on the franchise as was the franchise’s penchant for darkly disturbing creature designs.
2) Resident Evil
While there had been scary games before this one, it was this titles terrifying exploits in now fabled Raccoon City that kickstarted the genre and enabled just about every other title on the list. Full of surprises from unexpected sources, Resident Evil still causes sweaty palms and dry mouths to this very day.
Released: 1996
Genre Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/ Zombie Apocalypse/Sci-Fi
Available on: Playstation (that first one from way back when though a remake may be coming soon to all platforms)
Special Interest: This title not only spawned a legion of sequels but it has become a sprawling multimedia empire with toys, comics, CGI films, and of course the extraordinarily successful Milla Jovovich starring film franchise!
1) Alien Isolation
I was torn about the placement of the Number 1 spot. Alien Isolation, a newcomer and some would argue the first good video game derived from the iconic horror/sci-fi franchise, is only just out after all and, like all other entries on the list, owes a great deal to Resident Evil. However, I ultimately picked it due to the fact that there are few creatures that come even close to rivaling the fear factor the franchise’s titular threat wields. Everything about the creature’s design touches on our most primal fears right down to the fear associated with a threat one quite simply cannot dispatch in an outright engagement. For that reason, it tops the list. Your guns? Your flamethrower? Yeah, this creature laughs at the former and the latter is a mild annoyance at best. You die a LOT in this game. That is, of course, unless you accept the fact that one is physically outmatched and there is no amount of badassery or ammunition that can purchase a victory. No John Wayne b.s. here—survival is the best you can hope for. That really ups the ante and makes for a highly immersive and terrifying run. Even passing fans of the film franchise and its various print media tie-ins should check out the title. But horror fans run and grab it, lock themselves in, dim the lights, and prepare for white knuckle scares and thrills.
Released: 2014
Genre Itches Scratched: Survival/Horror/Sci-Fi
Available on: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox360, XboxOne
Special Interest: Add on content lets players pit their wits against the creature aboard the original Nostromo itself to survive as Parker, Dallas, or Ellen freakin Ripley herself! Original cast has lent their voices and their likeness to the project. Once you’re gone geeking oush, go and get this game!!
