It’s Halloween month here at Biff Bam Pop! What better way to kick it off than with some scary video games! There have been some games that have stuck out in my head for being truly terrifying, and if you haven’t played them, you need to! So without further adieu, here they are.
Call of Duty: ZOMBIE VERRUCKT
Call of Duty: World at War’s “Zombie Verruckt” map is only available once you beat the game. While the CoD game itself is not really about instilling fear, this map is frightening. You’re boarded up in an old farmhouse defending yourself from an endless wave of zombies. It’s night time, it’s dark, it’s foggy, and the zombies constantly break through boards and window coverings and sneak in from all angles. You run and kill one, turn around and there are two or three more waiting for you. Once they’re all down, it’s a mad dash to repair the barricades before the next wave attacks. Your weapons frequently run out and and the sounds the undead make…a really low, nearly inaudible groaning really gets to you after a while. Especially if you turn all the lights off and turn the volume up really loud. A great scary experience.
BIOSHOCK
Some might argue with me on this, but the original Bioshock was one of the creepiest games I’ve ever played. The first time I played it was at night, right after a long day of work. There was no one home. I started it up, and the initial plane ride sequence got me. I think it is the combination of the old time music, coupled with the early 50’s vibe the game gives off…it gets creepy really quickly. Once you submerge into Rapture, the city where the game takes place, things go from creepy to downright frightening. Between the screeching Splicers, who are basically deformed humans with hooks and knives that chase you, and the Big Daddy, who is a hulking guardian of the ‘children’ (who have blank eyes and carry ripped teddy bears), you’re in for a frightening ride. There is blood everywhere, and the ghost scenes that happen randomly when you’re entering an abandoned bathroom or bedroom can quickly make you want to turn those lights back on.
SILENT HILL
There’s ‘things jumping out at you’ horror, which you can learn to deal with after a while. But then there’s psychological horror, the kind that plays with your mind; in my opinion, a much more frightening type of scare. And no game did that better than the Silent Hill series of games. Since the game is all about playing with your head, it creates a real sense of terror. You’re constantly second-guessing your eyes and ears, and the characters, which are all bloody and repulsive, add an extra level of gruesome. And let’s not forget the creepiest monster of them all…Pyramid Head. There’s ghostly encounters, dark empty rooms, greepy night-gown clad black haired women (think The Ring)…it’s truly frightening and will stay with you long after you’ve beaten it (if you even make it that far!)
RESIDENT EVIL
The original Resident Evil is number one on my list for a couple of reasons. The first is that it is just plain terrifiying. The quiet of the mansion coupled with the sound of your own footsteps. The limited ammo. The endless rooms and puzzles. The groaning of the zombies. It was a seriously creepy experience! The other reason that it’s number oneis that it introduced the video gaming world to the modern zombie. It’s an overused enemy today, but when RE was released, there weren’t any mainstream games that featured them. I’ll never forget the first scene where you happen upon a ‘person’ hunched over a body, walk up close and trigger the cutscene. The ‘person’ realizes you’re there, and slowly turns its head to the camera revealing bloody, torn-up flesh and empty eyes…truly haunting.
You play the same constantly expecting things to jump out or rooms to be filled with undead foes. You can’t deny that this is one of the scariest games of all time.
What’s your favorite scary video game? What are some of the moments that seriously creep you out? Let us know!
Reblogged this on Mat Langford.