Join us as we take a look back at the days when pixelated monsters and low-res environments frightened the living daylights out of the most hardened gamer.
There was something about the horror games of times gone by that cannot be matched by the stunning visuals and enhanced gameplay mechanics of today’s titles. Maybe we see these games through rose-tinted glasses, but that does not change the fact that playing them made for some of the scariest moments of our lives.
Silent Hill (1999) – PlayStation 1
The foggy streets of Silent Hill still haunt our nightmares. Trying to explore the game’s areas was made more terrifying by foreboding sounds coming from the shadows and the dark halls of Midwich Elementary. Combine all this with freaky enemies and you have one of the creepiest games ever made.
Resident Evil (1996) – PlayStation 1
The original Resident Evil was amongst the scariest in the series, and the moment when the zombie dogs smash through the window will always be remembered by gamers for its fright-factor. It was also one of the first games that brought zombies into the main stream. Things have never been the same since.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (2005) – Xbox, PC
One of the overlooked horror titles released on PC was Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. Released on PC and Xbox in 2005, this FPS was a classic freak show with some of the most memorable fright scenes on both platforms. The game had no HUD, and featured hide mechanics and chase scenes similar to what we have seen in Outlast and Amnesia. The scariest thing about this game was probably the sound effects during an escape. Fleeing for your life has never been more terrifying.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) – PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Yes, another Silent Hill game, they are that scary. Silent Hill 4 saw you waking up from a nightmare to find yourself locked in a room by chains across the door. You begin your escape by crawling through a hole you find, and that is where the fun begins. The entire game is made up of spine-tingling moments, and is guaranteed to scare you every time you play it.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (2002) – GameCube
A rare jewel from the days of the Nintendo GameCube was Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. It had everything you could ever want from a horror title: ghosts, freaky sound effects, and scares that made you jump. The game was set around twelve different characters in different eras in history, and sees you playing as a young girl trying to uncover the truth behind her grandfather’s murder. This was definitely one of the best murder-horror titles on the GameCube.
Tell us about your favourite horror games in the comments and forum.
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