Top Five Horror Games to Play for Halloween

Chandler Kilgore-Parshall ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

Halloween’s right around the corner, and you may be looking for a game that will have you leaping out of your chair and cause you to sweat. Emtertainment Monthly list popular hair-raising, suspenseful horror games that will make you wet your pants on the 31^st:

1) Outlast (PC, PlayStation 4)

While far from perfect, Red Barrels’ Outlast brings the horror back in survival horror video games. You step into the role of Miles Upshur, a freelance journalist, who investigates the dark secrets that lie in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Inside he encounters manic inmates that try to kill him at every turn. The game is about running and hiding, as Miles is not a fighter or a gunslinger. The atmosphere’s thick with suspense and anxiety as you’re hoping the lunatic wielding a large knife doesn’t find you beneath the bed. It’s simplicity in gameplay and creepy tone is what makes Outlast the scariest game this year.

2) Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Resident Evil 4 redefined the formula of survival horror with its inventive gameplay mechanics. After the President’s daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious Spaniard cult, special agent Leon S. Kennedy infiltrates a deserted village to save her. What makes the game so intense and suspenseful is that Leon has stand still to shoot his opposition, while the villagers will constantly move around and flank you. The surrealism of what means the villagers use to kill you is absolutely terrifying. Some of the humanoid enemies will even use chainsaws and booby traps to ensnarl you with. Although Leon has an arsenal of firearms, semiautomatics and rifles, you never feel like you’re untouchable. Many odds are stacked against you. As you progress throughout the story mode, there will be more types of horrifying freaks to fight, and cinematic events to partake in. Resident Evil 4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and I still replay the 24-hour campaign, which doesn’t even include the unlockables and extras. RE4 is a title that must be played for any hardcore gamer.

3) Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (PC)

Afraid of the dark? Well, if you’re playing Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, then you should be. Like Outlast, the concept is getting from one objective to the next while surviving the horrors that lie in the darkness. In Amnesia, you’re armed with only a lantern, trying to piece together your lost memories and maintain your sanity. Monsters aren’t the only obstacles, if you’re in the darkness for too long, then it’s game over. It forces you to be more conservative and careful with your sources for light. A Machine for Pigs is a deep, psychologically challenging horror game, with an interesting story full of disturbing creatures.

4) Silent Hill 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)

Be prepared to be engrossed with the tragic story of James Sunderland as he searches for his dead wife in the quiet town of Silent Hill. This 2001 game focused on puzzle solving, exploration and character development, while delving into very dark taboo territory. Mysterious forces like the iconic Pyramid Head will be chasing James throughout the story, without any intelligible reason why. He may be equipped with weapons, but these relentless beings will charge at you no matter what. Silent Hill 2 will tug at your heart strings and test those nerves of steel.

5) Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)

Dead Space 2 can be summed up as a high stakes sci-fi gore fest. This well-rounded sequel brings the traditional scares back while bringing new creative game dynamics. As Isaac Clarke, you’re fighting a breed of bloodthirsty aliens known as Necromorphs, while surpassing internal hallucinations. You will explore the darkest regions of space that house the necromorphs. From gory death scenes to dismembering alien limbs with Isaac’s gun, the faint of heart and those with a weak stomach are bound to be disgusted. Dead Space 2 is a bloody good game.

There are so many survival horror games on the market these days that it’s hard to choose something actually scary. These Halloween picks cover a lot of different styles. Like the feeling of powerless in the face of terrifying danger; Outlast and Amnesia are the perfect titles. Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space 2 give you a chance to fight back against impossible odds with a variety of weapons and abilities, yet you never feel overpowered.  This Halloween; turn off the lights, put on your headphones and play one of these games! Can you survive the horror?