Editorial | My favourite horror games.

 

By Sam Coles:

Ah it is that time of the year where days get shorter and nights get longer, where the weather in England replicates an endless water bucket tipping over but it is also a time to get spooky. Horror in most art mediums has to be my favourite genre, it stimulates the human mind’s curiosity of the unknown plus it is rather fun to have the urine scared out of you. Wet trousers aside, I want to go over some of my favourite horror games. Now this is my own opinion and not in any particular order, so if you don’t see a game you like I have either not played it or not enjoyed it. Are we clear? Good!

Dead Space:

Is Dead Space really a 12 year old game? Good lord I feel old, anyway digressions out of the way Dead Space was a genuine surprise in 2008, because at that point of the games industry developers and publishers were moving away from horror games and were going for the more over the top action of Call of Duty. Dead Space is what would happen if you took Resident Evil 4, put iy in space and sprinkle elements of Event Horizon. The game’s atmosphere relied on audio mostly, where you would then get attacked by the grotesque monstrosities that are the Necromorphs. Combat was unique and fun as a plain old headshot would not put them down, the unique selling point was dismemberment of their limbs which kills them a timely manner. It managed to blend action and horror, which made for a surprising experience.

F.E.A.R:

Now I know what you are going to say “Sam F.E.A.R is not a horror game”, which I will say you are wrong. Yes it is an over the top John Woo inspired first person shooter, but when the game dials back it has a very tense atmosphere as it takes ques from Japanese horror where it relies on what you can’t see and like Dead Spaces uses audio design to its advantage. Throughout the quieter parts after filling a room with buckshot, the game has it thick atmosphere with industrial hums as you traverse the darkness where the you see the silhouettes of Alma stalking you in the shadows. Yes it is a great first person shooter, but the game really capitalises on was an overused trope at the time of a creepy little girl. Great for both first person shooter and horror fans.

Metro 2033:

Again one could argue if this game is really a horror game, but honestly if you examine it at its core it does mostly fall into survival horror. Metro 2033 is based on the book of the same name is a worst case scenario if humanity finally hit the red button, where the world is ravaged by nuclear war and humans revert back to 20^th century factions. Where we see the rise of the Soviets and Nazis again in the titular metros. Political tension are high in this world, but they all have to contend with the mutants in the tunnels and this is where the horror elements come into play, as you hear snarls and growls as you carefully check your shots with the limited ammunition you have. It truly is a tense and scary game when you are traversing the tunnels, with nothing more than a torch, lighter and a Geiger counter as you slowly get closer to radioactive areas where clicking intensifies.  

Resident Evil Remake (2002):

Now how can I do a horror video game list and not include the 2002 GameCube remake of Resident Evil, it is still the gold standard of how remakes are done within the video game industry. This felt like the game that they wanted to make because to be honestly as much as I love the original PlayStation game, it aged quickly and was overshadowed by Resident Evil 2 and 3. They took the foundations of the original and amplified it to 11, it had all the familiar rooms from the original with added visual detail, however it added in new puzzles and areas to keep seasoned veterans on their toes. The visual quality across the board was and still is stunning, it is rare for me to say a game from 2002 still looks incredible. The atmosphere of was really ramped up, with an updated soundtrack, eerie and horrifying sound design and the addition of the new Crimson Head enemies. Truly a game for any horror fanatic should play, and is widely available in HD these days.

So there you have it, some of my favourite horror games for you to play if you haven’t, what are some of your favourites? Let me know in the comments or tweet at me @BristolianGamer.