Here they are, the 9 games that scared me more than any others over the past ten years. To get the full experience, it is imperative that the games are played alone in a dark room late at night, with at least 5.1 surround sound.
1. F.E.A.R (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) 2005
It’s called F.E.A.R for goodness sakes. This game was so utterly terrifying, that I could scarcely make my way through the first half. The whole “pale little girl with dark wet hair” thing was utterly horrifying, along with the haunted whisperings and generally dark silences, which were occasionally interrupted by creepy inexplicable paranormal murmurings.
2. System shock 2 (PC) 1999
It may be old, and looking through screen shots now, it is difficult to understand how this actually scared me, but it did. Set in space, System Shock 2 puts you on an adrift starship. Your character awakes from a cryogenic freezing, only to discover that everyone is dead and he has amnesia. The creepiest part of System Shock 2 is SHODAN, the artificial intelligence that manipulates the player throughout the game. Everything about System Shock was gripping and frightening.
3. Alien Versus Predator 2 (PC) 2001
This was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying gaming experiences I ever enjoyed. Like many other titles on this list, it borders on being unpleasant. Shifting timidly though dark metallic corridors as a marine, watching and hearing the beeping of you radar accelerate as the faint clattering of claws rattles across the ceiling in the darkness is undoubtedly one of the most unnerving things one can do on a PC.
4. Doom 3 (PC) 2004
Doom 3 takes all your regular paranormal fears, and puts them in outer space, which is cold, dark and generally quite spooky. Like other titles on this list, Doom 3 makes excellent use of darkness. In a twisted and cruel design choice, the developers made it so that the player often has to choose between either wielding a flashlight or a weapon in particularly dark areas. Disturbing and unidentified paranormal sounds are broadcast through the player’s radio, along with the sounds of other marines being brutally slaughtered by demons, adding to the generally tense atmosphere; as if bodies and blood strewn about the dark, silent corridors was not enough.
5. Dead space (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) 2008
Like F.E.A.R, the title pretty much says it all. Sent to check out a distress signal emitted by a mining ship in deep space, you play Isaac Clarke, an engineer. It becomes immediately apparent that the distress signal was no ordinary call for technical assistance, and the ship has been overrun by an alien species called Necromophs, who are arguably the most terrifying and creatively rendered aliens in a game ever. The game makes use of silence, tension, darkness and sound in order to evoke maximum fear in the player. Special mention must be made for the sound in Dead Space, which is incredibly detailed and rich and adds heavily to the immersion factor.
6. Clive barker’s undying (PC) 2001
This game simply oozed atmosphere and creepiness. Set in a haunted mansion in Ireland, the game’s artistic direction is truly inspired, and Clive Barker’s influence on the story telling added invaluable depth to the experience. This game was more unsettling than it was frightening, and had a unique way of working itself into the players head in a subtle yet sinister way.
7. Silent Hill 2/3 (PS2, PC, Xbox) 2001/2003
The Silent hill series may be the creepiest on this list. The back-story to Silent Hill is deep and compelling, intensifying the degree to which the player relates to events as the play out. The mysterious, foggy town of Silent Hill has a very dark and eerie past, and the generally disturbing atmosphere pervades the entire experience. Then there is Pyramid Head, who is undoubtedly one of the most memorable monsters ever conceived of in a game.
8. Resident Evil series(PC, PS2, Gamecube) 1996 – current
This list would not be complete without the inclusion of the king of survival horror gaming. The Resident Evil franchise puts the player in a morbid, dark and immersive environment, and says “hey, here’s a gun, off you go”.
9. Bioshock (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) 2007
Many would call Bioshock an odd choice, as it is hardly meant to be a horror title. However, the sheer isolation and immersion that one feels upon entering Rapture for the first time creates one of the creepiest game atmospheres that I have ever experienced. That coupled with the grotesquely mutated splicers scuttling across the ceiling in oddly mismatched masks covering their hideous faces makes for something quite scary.
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