I'm game hunting.

[TheWalrus]

Hey, it's occured to me that I may have missed out on some spectacular games the last few years. So you folks that have time and knowledge of such things are being enlisted to aid my quest for SCARY games!

I'd like ya to list horror type games that are worth checking out, be it for cool graphics, good story, good action, a sequence that made you jump, whatever. Keep it to PC please and games that I stand a chance of being able to find.

Thanks guys and gals!

[Margalis]

Silent Hill 2 and 3 (and 4, but I've never played it so I can't recommend it) are out for PC. I'm not sure how well the game translates to PC from PS2 but the PS2 games were pretty awesome. There are a few scary moments but what really make the games is the overall crushing doomy atmosphere. Silent Hill 2 is just awesome, the sound fx and monsters are just really freaky and the plot just gets more and more fucked up.

[NiX]

Fatal Frame. Find any of them and you'll be in horror heaven. The games are well done, creepy and have an atmosphere you'll never forget. Schild could probably explain this better than I. And in essay format.

[schild]

No essay format for me. I've got reviews out the yin yang to do and can't think of a way to do them. Mostly because gaming journalism is a sham and most games don't need more than 3 sentences for proper recommendation. Of course, a reviewer has to have trust of his/her fans before being able to do such a thing. But that's neither here nor there.

Under YOUR requirements - and more in detail below:
Silent Hill 3 (still easy to find on PC).
F.E.A.R.
Half Life 2 (for reasons mentioned below)
Still Life
Indigo Prophecy

And now that you realize the PC doesn't have shit for horror:

Obvious ones:
Resident Evil 4 (now now now now).
Silent Hill 2 and 3 (In that Order). Silent Hill 4 was weak comparatively.
Fatal Frame 2 (On the PS2 or the Xbox for the director's cut...whatever).
Fatal Frame 3 (On the PS2).
F.E.A.R. - well, parts of it.
Half Life 2: We don't go to Ravenholm anymore.

Not so obvious:
Condemned on the 360.
Ghost Hunter (Came out last year on the PS2 - total sleeper, great game).
For multiplayer ONLY, Obscure (for both Xbox and PS2).
Still Life (xbox/PC).
Not really scary, but Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit. Deals with the occult in a way Call of Cthulhu somehow COULDN'T.

As for Nixel, he's right. Fatal Frame, all 3. Perfect ambience and physical environment. Better control than the Silent Hill Series but not quite up to par with RE4 (Ok, nowhere near RE4). Nonetheless, for total package of pure horror, Fatal Frame is better than RE4, however... RE4 is the better game.

For RE4 and Fatal Frame, it's worth picking up a PS2. Period.

[SuperPopTart]

If you like a good deal of combat, some very impressive "fright moments" and an all around good game, try F.E.A.R. It's absolutely excellent though the Multiplayer is vile.

[Velorath]

No essay format for me. I've got reviews out the yin yang to do and can't think of a way to do them. Mostly because gaming journalism is a sham and most games don't need more than 3 sentences for proper recommendation. Of course, a reviewer has to have trust of his/her fans before being able to do such a thing. But that's neither here nor there.

EGM figured that out years ago.  Just get some of your roommates to do a brief review of each game also.

[ahoythematey]

Clive Barker's Undying.  Aliens versus Predator has scared the shit out of me on more than one occasion, but I'm not sure if it could be called through-and-through "horror".

EDIT: Forgot to mention, since I just assume most here have played it, but System Shock 2 has more than it's share of "moments".  The Cyborg Midwives still give me the heebeejeebies.

[Trippy]

There's Doom 3 as well, though the shock and horror value of that game wears off pretty quickly since the game uses the same "scare" tactics over and over and over...

[HaemishM]

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. If you can live through the asston of bugs, it's a good game with a decent horror atmosphere. Not exactly the through and through type horror game you are looking for, but it's worth it for the story alone.

F.E.A.R. is good with a hoss machine.

But really, spend the $90 on a used GameCube and Resident Evil 4 and get all you could ever want. Then go spend another $10 and get Eternal Darkness.

[Rasix]

Yah, VTM: Bloodlines is good as a horror game just for the fucking house level.  I don't think I've ever been creeped out that bad.  I'd also second System Shock 2.  It has some generally creepy moments. Those somewhat fade at the end as you've had time to get accustomed to the game screwing with your head.

Eternal Darkness isn't actually very scary, IMO.  It has some moments (tub!), but overall, you won't be nearly as scared as you would with other titles.  Still, excellent game with a prevalent Lovecraftian terror vibe.

And I'll millionth the recommendation for RE4.  It's just really goddamn good.

[voodoolily]

But really, spend the $90 on a used GameCube and Resident Evil 4 and get all you could ever want. Then go spend another $10 and get Eternal Darkness.

Absolutely seconded. For the price of two new PC games you could get a used console and even just rent games. I think Hollywood and Blockbuster even sell older games for hell of cheap. RE4 and Eternal Darkness are classics.

I think McGee's Alice was charmingly creepy for having been adapted from a children's book (which was, granted, written by a drug-addicted madman). It's cheap, too.

[voodoolily]

omg I just had a brilliant idea: Eternal Darkness of the Spotless Mind. SOmeone should make that on The Movies. It's all yours.

[Yegolev]

System Shock seems to have trouble in WinXP, at least with the options I have tried.  I suggest System Shock 2, since I can't spell reccommend.

[Morfiend]

Yah, VTM: Bloodlines is good as a horror game just for the fucking house level.  I don't think I've ever been creeped out that bad.  I'd also second System Shock 2.  It has some generally creepy moments. Those somewhat fade at the end as you've had time to get accustomed to the game screwing with your head.

Eternal Darkness isn't actually very scary, IMO.  It has some moments (tub!), but overall, you won't be nearly as scared as you would with other titles.  Still, excellent game with a prevalent Lovecraftian terror vibe.

And I'll millionth the recommendation for RE4.  It's just really goddamn good.

I want to play VtM:B again with a different character, but I honestly dont know if I can handle going through that damn house level again. Ugh, creepy as hell.

[schild]

I was going to recommend getting a gamecube, but I just can't now. Not with RE4 and Fatal Frame on the PS2. Fatal Frame (any of the 3) is simply superior to Eternal Darkness in every way. PS2s are getting pretty damn cheap also and the library of horror is much bigger.

When I recommended a gamecube to Haem it was 8 months before the PS2 version came out and I knew what he dug, Eternal Darkness fit the bill there.

[Sky]

I've gotta get RE4. I'm about 2/3rds through RE0, I want to finish that first. I love the RE series, I'm a bit worried about the new control scheme because I liked the old controls (I think I'm the only one who did).

[TheWalrus]

Thanks fellas! Already have the gamecube, eternal darkness and RE4.

Owned Bloodlines from the day it came out.

Almost every other game there though is something I need to check out. I'll start making a christmas list. :D


Really appreciate the responses.

[Signe]

I've still not opened the Fatal Frame II box.  I keep thinking something scary will crawl out and shout "BOO!"   

[Trippy]

I've gotta get RE4. I'm about 2/3rds through RE0, I want to finish that first. I love the RE series, I'm a bit worried about the new control scheme because I liked the old controls (I think I'm the only one who did).

The movement controls are the same they just make more sense in RE4 since the game has swithed to a FPS-style "free look" environment with no fixed camera.

[Sky]

The controls always made sense to me. Push forward to move forward, etc. The "other" switching perspective control scheme makes no sense to me.

If I'm walking down a hall, I like to push forward to move forward. The camera jumps to the other end of the hall, I'm still pushing and moving forward. In the "other" scheme, when the camera switches, suddenly I'm not walking forward any more, I have to adjust my controls to every camera switch. That's dumb imo.

Like I said, most people disagree, I'm used to it. Even if I don't understand ;)

[voodoolily]

The movement controls are the same they just make more sense in RE4 since the game has swithed to a FPS-style "free look" environment with no fixed camera.

Dang though, when it comes to zombies I wanna see those fuckers from a mile away, not when they're on my ass stabbing me or chewing my pancreas. I  fixed camera on scary games.

[Sky]

I like 'em, too. With static cameras, the dev can showcase certain shots like a movie. I dig cinematography.

[Roac]

Curious about something that was mentioned.  A friend of mine bought me Fatal Frame (original), and I haven't played any of the series previously.  Nor heard of it, for that matter.  Anyway, I haven't put too much time into it, because while the atmosphere seems to work, the premise is too weird to get over.  Ghost combat with a camera?  Does the game get better once it grows on you?

[schild]

Curious about something that was mentioned.  A friend of mine bought me Fatal Frame (original), and I haven't played any of the series previously.  Nor heard of it, for that matter.  Anyway, I haven't put too much time into it, because while the atmosphere seems to work, the premise is too weird to get over.  Ghost combat with a camera?  Does the game get better once it grows on you?

It doesn't really grow on you so much as you get over it. It's wonky but they aren't trying to mimic reality. You sort eventually start suspending belief because the game is just so well put together.