5 Horror Games to Play This Month

- by Ninja Ross (featuring Señor Editor), 6 October 2012

More horror, folks! As Halloween draws closer, you’re probably looking for a way to get ready. Well, I’ve put together a list of the best games to play leading up to Halloween! And, if you’ve read my "Suffering" review, you know I like my horror games! Plus, Señor Editor gives us a bonus DLC recommendation!

5. MANHUNT

I prefer monsters over slashers but sometimes a good slasher can be scarier than a monster. But what makes this slasher so unique and interesting, is that he’s the good guy.

Let's hear it for the good guys!

Forced to compete in a crazy reality TV show, the protagonist of Manhunt needs to kill gang members in the most horrific ways he can think of. The game is so horrific, it’s been banned in several countries and an edited version is all you can get in most of the places it isn’t banned.

The horror in this game comes from seeing how reluctant the character is, but also how easy it is for him to ram a crowbar into a man’s head. It creates very dark of view of the world and, scariest of all, it reminds you that this will never happen with the Kardashians.

4. DEAD SPACE

Dead Space combines two of my favourite genres - Horror and Sci-Fi. The result is more than satisfactory, giving us a game with some good scares and lasers! Pew pew!

Plus, we get monsters that resemble the evil alien from The Thing! It’s pretty darn awesome, really. But besides beautifully disturbing monsters and scenery, the Dead Space universe is forever expanding, giving us a rich history of the monsters (Necromorphs) and plenty of characters to love and hate. With online games, comics and movies, it’s easy to fall in love with the Dead Space mythology.

GAH!!

With Dead Space 3 coming soon, there’s bound to be even more added to the universe.

But Dead Space one is, obviously, the best. This one was created before EA demanded that the games appeal to a broader audience. While Dead Space 2 is a fine game, the action smothers the horror (not in a kinky way) and lacks the chills that the first game offered.

Pew pew!

3. CONDEMNED

This game starts off pretty darn slow but you’ll find, as you progress, that this only makes the horror even scarier. You’re a detective. Just a normal guy. The enemies are not normal. Thanks to the sluggish movements and lack of ammo your only means of survival against the crazed enemy is whatever you can grab. Planks of wood, metal pipes, prosthetic limbs and so on.

You have to be quick on the control triggers if you want to defend yourself before the crazy guy smashes your skull and you have to take the opportunity to attack whenever it presents itself.

Crowbar vs. pipe.

The atmosphere created in this game is what really makes the horror, though., Yes, the crazy guys who want to kill you and eat your bits is bad enough but hearing the rustling behind corners or having a crow fly out in front of you can be just as effective, if not more so. The game really takes the idea that the scariest things are those you can’t see, and puts it to work.

2. RESIDENT EVIL 4

Resident Evil 4 is, in my opinion, the best in the series. Closey followed by Resident Evil 2. Coincidently, both of those game share Leon S. Kennedy as the protagonist.

In this game you’re looking for the President’s daughter who many critics call “annoying jug ears.” Which is kind of harsh... Personally, I have no problem with her since, unlike some characters you’re forced to escort in games, she tends to stay behind you while you’re aiming.

A day in a typical Spanish village.

All the monsters in this are pretty similar. You’ve got Europeans with crazy parasites in them, dogs with parasites, giants with parasites, monks with parasites... There’s parasites. That’s the point.

While the horror isn’t as pronounced in this game as it is in others it’s still a very good game, well worth playing.

1. SILENT HILL

It’s difficult to recommend the entire franchise since some of the games are awful but the first three are well worth playing.

The CLASSIC! Shoot that birdy!

Silent Hill is disturbing, dark and has just the right difficulty to keep you playing while not making things too easy. Silent Hill 2 fixes a lot of problems the first one had (controls, graphics, etc) and carries on Silent Hill’s story, leading to a vast world of evil and monsters. The third instalment also carries on this story, drawing from the first Silent Hill. In fact, the protagonist has a direct link with the first game. A link that I can’t tell you about since it’ll spoil EVERYTHING in the first game.

The monsters are taken directly from fear itself! They are designed to resemble our very own fears. Are you afraid of hospitals? Well, you’re gonna wet yourself when you see the Nurses! Dolls? Mannequins? Spiders? Yeah, Silent Hill is made by people who really want you to soil your pants.

For pure, disturbing horror these are three of the best games out there.

* * *

And now, a bonus from Señor Editor!!!

X. RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE

Strictly speaking it's a DLC, but it's longer than many complete games nowadays, so I figure it warrants an inclusion. Also, if you got Undead Nightmare on disc then you don't even need the regular RDR to play it.

FAT. ZOMBIES. Those guys just scream for a bullet in the head.

RDR was one of the best games released last year and it's nice that Rockstar decided to do a DLC for it that goes in a completely different direction. We once again play as John Marston, but instead of playing cards and leaving tied prostitutes on railroad tracks, we are killing hordes of zombies and occasionally hunting a sasquatch or a chupacabra.

While Undead Nightmare may not be very scary, it's a solid take on the zombie apocalypse scenario. Plus, if you ever wanted to play "cowboys vs. zombies" then this is your best bet!

When playing Undead Nightmare right after completing regular RDR, you may find yourself missing being shot at, but fear not: enemies with projectile attacks aren't completely gone. You will be barfed at by zombies!

If you enjoy horror and loved RDR, Undead Nightmare is definitely worth playing. Plenty of new creatures, an eerie atmosphere, the best possible time to perfect those headshots and undead/supernatural horses that don't run out of stamina, are all a good reason to pick it up!

Tagged: video games.

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