Scariest game you ever played?

af_thefragile · 20-12-2010 3:27pm #1

For me its Dead Space.

It literally gives me the creeps!! The whole concept of being alone in deep space on a spaceship overrun by hellish creatures. And the sound track where at points you hear faint whispers though your headphones and random screams. Couple that with the fact most of the time I'm playing with very little health and almost zero ammo. Just enough to kill one guy or two and hope he drops something useful when killed!!

I played a bit of FEAR 2, it was scary at times but mostly it was just like any other FPS. Dead Space was scary throughout from the start till the very end!

Wossack · 20-12-2010 3:32pm

I remember breaking off the numpad enter key with the mouse I jumped so much, the first time a headcrab leapt at me

Greyfox · 20-12-2010 3:39pm

Dead Space was a superb game, some really scary bits, the silent hill games has a few scary moments as did the Resident Evil sequels but for me the original Resident Evil is by a mile the scariest game ever made

Dubhthamlacht · 20-12-2010 3:45pm

Dead Space had a great atmosphere. You were always on edge thinking something was about to jump out at you from the shadows. Limbo on Xbox 360 had a very creepy feeling to it. There was an air of menace and impending doom around it. The part with the giant spider had the pulse racing for sure. Lastly Bioshock 1 and 2 had some great scary moments. I think when the lights in the room went off and yoiu could hear the taunts of the incoming Splicers was especially brilliant.

xRodge · 20-12-2010 3:45pm

Have just recently got a ps3 and have Dead Space, looking forward to getting into it!

I remember getting my mate to play Resident Evil on the PS1. Turned the lights off for atmosphere and kept very quiet at the bit where you walk through the long hall and the dogs break through the window. My mate was so scared, he yelled out and dropped the controller!

For me, Silent Hill on the ps was the one that scared me most. I used to always try to play it with the lights off when the house was quiet. Lots of nights, I couldn't sleep afterwards as I was literally trembling and could still imagine hearing the hissing and the slight scraping noises you get in the game

chin_grin · 20-12-2010 3:47pm

FEAR and Doom 3 on the PC. Shouldn't have played it while wearing headphones in a dark room. Both scared the bejaysus out of me.

Although I do agree that Dead Space has an awesome sound track (checked out some of the tunes on youtube). Very atmospheric.

Silent Hill was a series I had to play in two minute chunks of pausing/leaving the room/coming back to it.

RuggieBear · 20-12-2010 3:51pm

system shock 2 on pc or maybe eternal darkness on gamecube...both built up the dread

Monty Burnz · 20-12-2010 3:53pm

X-COM UFO Enemy Unkown - that often had me jumping out of my skin.

Retr0gamer · 20-12-2010 4:07pm

Prefer my psychological horror to the cheap scares of resident evil and dead space.

Silent Hill 2 would be one ofthe scariest games ever for me. It's just so opressive and depressing. Wonderful writing as well.

System Shock 2 is an absolute classic and underpants stainingly scary.

The new one I'd add is Stalker. That game just radiates creepiness.

chin_grin · 20-12-2010 4:11pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

The new one I'd add is Stalker. That game just radiates creepiness.

Was that intentional? If so, I tip my hat to you sirrah.

zero19 · 20-12-2010 4:11pm

Doom 3 was pretty good from what i remember

AnCapaillMor · 20-12-2010 4:15pm

Doom3, deadspace, resi 1.

doom3 in its original form where you had to lower the gun to use the flashlight before the patch sorted that.

Deadspace zero gravity no sound and something flashes by or jumps at you.

Res1 becuase it was a league of its own at the time.

SeantheMan · 20-12-2010 4:16pm

FEAR

Going round a corner to see the sihlouette of a creepy ghost girl .....freaky

af_thefragile · 20-12-2010 4:17pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Prefer my psychological horror to the cheap scares of resident evil and dead space.

Silent Hill 2 would be one ofthe scariest games ever for me. It's just so opressive and depressing. Wonderful writing as well.

System Shock 2 is an absolute classic and underpants stainingly scary.

The new one I'd add is Stalker. That game just radiates creepiness.

I love the Silent Hill series. Its gone one of the most amazing storyline in a game. I love the complexity of its characters and monsters and the town itself.

Though I really don't find Silent Hill that scary. Like its thrilling and interesting but I wouldn't really say scary. The monsters are easy to fight off or you can just avoid them. I think the other world is kinda creepy. Especially in the 3rd and 4th game. But the rest of it you're just walking around finding clues and solving puzzles most of the time.

John · 20-12-2010 4:18pm

The original Silent Hill for sure. Going through a door into pitch blackness and the sound of radio static...

Chairman Meow · 20-12-2010 4:21pm

Dead space is for babies! not scary at all once you realise its all BOO!! mosnter closet scares.

Scariest game ever is Project Zero 2, followed lately by the un-****ing-believeably terrifying Amnesia: The dark Descent

af_thefragile · 20-12-2010 4:23pm

Chairman Meow wrote: »

Dead space is for babies! not scary at all once you realise its all BOO!! mosnter closet scares.

Its not just the BOO!!!s though that scare me about Dead Space. Its this sorta stuff you hear while playing it which creeps the crap out of you...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ZI2ACd5XQ

amnesia looks scary as hell though. I wanna play it someday. Too bad I don't have a PC...

Retr0gamer · 20-12-2010 4:33pm

af_thefragile wrote: »

I love the Silent Hill series. Its gone one of the most amazing storyline in a game. I love the complexity of its characters and monsters and the town itself.

Though I really don't find Silent Hill that scary. Like its thrilling and interesting but I wouldn't really say scary. The monsters are easy to fight off or you can just avoid them. I think the other world is kinda creepy. Especially in the 3rd and 4th game. But the rest of it you're just walking around finding clues and solving puzzles most of the time.

You see the BOO! monster closets as they have been described just don't do anything for me. The games might have been easy but even going int a new area in Silent Hill would have you apprehensive about visiting it. It's more a lingering dread created by the atmosphere inthe game. It's much harder to create that than the monster closets from other games and is better in my opinion.

Saying that Dead Space had it's moments like the bit when you come across all the embyros in the jars, now that was creepy. I do like Dead Space but just prefer a psychological horror like System Shock 2 or Stalker.

Sarky · 20-12-2010 4:33pm

The haunted Cathedral in Thief and the Shalebridge Cradle in Thief 3 were classics.

The original AVP's human campaign was terrifying.

FEAR had some decent psychological stuff in it. So did STALKER's opressive claustrophobic underground levels. And Metro 2033 wrote the book on claustrophobic creepy scary.

An underappreciated gem in horror was Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. The parts of the game that tried to be a shooter were pretty awful, but the rest was fantastically creepy. The insanity mechanic was lovely, messing about with the screen, hearing voices, and if it got too bad, putting a gun in your mouth and ending it all right there.

And Clive Barker's Undying was just f*cking fantastic.

"Doom 3" and "horror" don't really deserve to be in the same sentence unless it includes "completely lacks".

chin_grin · 20-12-2010 4:38pm

Sarky wrote: »

And Clive Barker's Undying was just f*cking fantastic.

Agree.

Sarky wrote: »

"Doom 3" and "horror" don't really deserve to be in the same sentence unless it includes "completely lacks".

I'm sorry...............what?

pablomakaveli · 20-12-2010 4:40pm

I do think Dead Space has that psychological horror aspect to it as well. There were moments when i'd have a feeling that an attack was imminent only to find nothing would happen. Then when i thought i was safe i'd be caught offguard.

I think the subway tunnels in fallout 3 deserve a mention. There have been a few times i've been exploring through them and got jumped by a feral ghoul from behind. Neraly fell out of my chair when that happened.

Resistance 1 + 2 have some creepy moments as well. Going through the Chimera factory in the first one is pretty creepy as you see the people being changed into chimera as you move through the place. In R2 theres a bit where you have to go through a dark hotel filled with those chimera that hatch from podsand run at you ,with only the torch on the gun for light.

Kiith · 20-12-2010 4:43pm

Motion Detector in AvP. Scared the **** out of me. Walking along, hearing that awesome sound and seeing a blip on the radar, only for it to be a door closing or a rat moving. Moving along, seeing more blips coming straight at you, and you start spraying bullets everywhere in the hopes of hitting something. Brilliant.

Also, System Shock 2.

Kiith · 20-12-2010 4:44pm

Motion Detector in AvP. Scared the **** out of me. Walking along, hearing that awesome sound and seeing a blip on the radar, only for it to be a door closing or a rat moving. Moving along, seeing more blips coming straight at you, and you start spraying bullets everywhere in the hopes of hitting something. Brilliant.

Also, System Shock 2.

5uspect · 20-12-2010 4:45pm

In fairness to Dead Space it does monster closet horror much better than Doom3 did.

I was always creeped out by Condemned. It had an oppressive atmosphere that appeared to drag you into madness as you brutally fought your way through it.

Will I Amnt · 20-12-2010 4:51pm

This was quite freaky at the time,excellent game,never hear much about it

Sticky_Fingers · 20-12-2010 4:54pm

As mentioned earlier Dead Space is pretty terrifying though the game that freaked me out the most has to be Condemned. While monsters in space can be scary the somewhat realistic setting of Condemned scared the living bejesus out of me, so much so that I had to stop playing it and have yet to work up the nerve to pick it up again and finish it.

grunge_kid · 20-12-2010 5:00pm

Agreed! Condemned had to have been one of the scariest game that i have played, along with its sequel. I have to say there were points in that came were i just had to stop playing!

Like near the begining when you are in the hospital and the wheel chair moves as your turning the corner

sean corcoran · 20-12-2010 5:13pm

thats a hard one for me because i dont really think there were any games that "scared" me, just jump outs

the suffering was definately one that kind of got me there

the first zombie hidden around the corner in resident evil 1 was scary (but only because you couldnt see him)

thief had a scary moment of zombies nothing major

the feral ghouls in fallout 3 got a jumpy moment or 2

nazi zombies was not scary but had the adrenaline going when you were on like round 20 after all your team mates were dead

i have never had the time to get around to dead space but i am really looking forward to it

now people that are afraid of the game fear.... i cannot understand why?
i followed the little girl (insert pedobear image here) to see if you could find anything interesting (i never did:( )

there was also eternal darkness which was supposed to be scary but just made me question my sanity

i cant really say there has ever been a game that ever kept me awake or made me scared to go into a dark basement though

degrassinoel · 20-12-2010 5:14pm

definetly clive barker's undying. Doom3 was a close second, but the howlers in CBU really gave me the shivers

chin_grin · 20-12-2010 5:15pm

sean corcoran wrote: »

now people that are afraid of the game fear.... i cannot understand why?
i followed the little girl (insert pedobear image here) to see if you could find anything interesting (i never did:( )

Ah c'mon! The suspense. The shocks. Her crawling towards you from behind a burst steaming pipe. The bit in the elevator. And when she appears at the top of the stairs and Fettel at the bottom! C'MON!

sean corcoran · 20-12-2010 5:16pm

chin_grin wrote: »

Ah c'mon! The suspense. The shocks. Her crawling towards you from behind a burst steaming pipe. The bit in the elevator. And when she appears at the top of the stairs and Fettel at the bottom! C'MON!

the only part that ever slightly scared me about that game was when you were going through the air ducts and she runs around a corner at you like a dog

Holybejaysus · 20-12-2010 5:18pm

I once played pass the parcel in a Belfast pub. Never again....

Dave_The_Sheep · 20-12-2010 5:23pm

Without a doubt, Alien Vs Predator 2. The marine campaign used to scare the bejesus out of. I'm fairly sure I pissed myself a little one night when I'd had a few cans and was playing it along at home in the dark.

As someone mentioned above, it was solely down to the f*cking motion sensor. You go into a room, sensor clear, scanning the corners... it goes off, and you freak out for a few seconds only for you to realise that it was the bloody door closing behind you. You'd think you'd get used to it, but no... every time.

Lemming · 20-12-2010 5:26pm

Sarky wrote: »

FEAR had some decent psychological stuff in it. So did STALKER's opressive claustrophobic underground levels.

I liked FEAR's use of psychological creepiness, and I had forgotten about the research labs in STALKER.

An underappreciated gem in horror was Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. The parts of the game that tried to be a shooter were pretty awful, but the rest was fantastically creepy. The insanity mechanic was lovely, messing about with the screen, hearing voices, and if it got too bad, putting a gun in your mouth and ending it all right there.

Must go check that out!

"Doom 3" and "horror" don't really deserve to be in the same sentence unless it includes "completely lacks".

chin_grin wrote: »

I'm sorry...............what?

He's right chin_grin, Doom3 isn't a scary game. It has its moments of making you go "B*LLOCKS!!!" whilst simultaneously back-pedalling and emptying the contents of your weapon. But scary it isn't. And I used to play that game with the lights out, and 5.1 surround sound cranked up.

Except for that ... one .... small brief moment ... where it sent a sheet of cold sweat up my back. And it was nothing to do with

a monster or fancy graphics; it was a simple sound

Sarky · 20-12-2010 5:30pm

chin_grin wrote: »

I'm sorry...............what?

I'll grant the first half hour some credit, the intro was pretty engaging and hearing everything going to pot over the radio was a nice touch. But once that was done it became far too by-the-numbers. Most of the scares were of the cheap "something jumps out of a hidden door and goes BOO!" variety, and you could avoid most of those by just not picking up the obviously placed ammo/gun/armour. Once you know a shock like that is coming, it ceases to be a shock, and when a game uses them over and over again it becomes boring. The fact that the Mars base must have built in hidden walls purely because they expected people to hide in them made it all just amusing.

FEAR and STALKER were far more scary. The jump-out-go-boo scares were present, but not nearly as frequently, and they were usually triggered by something other than picking up ammo.

The other scares were more subtle. Doom 3 was actually too dark. You can't half-glimpse things in pitch black, it was mostly the two extremes of nothing or monster trying to rip your balls off. The trippy flashbacks in FEAR were very nicely done. The cramped dimly lit bunkers in STALKER were fantastic. The lighting in those games was much better at making you feel uncomfortable. With torch and night vision you could always see around you, but never perfectly- there were always shadowy nooks and crannies for your imagination to populate with something unpleasant.

Doom 3 felt like just another shooter to me. Nothing particularly creepy about it after the first 30-40 minutes.

missingtime · 20-12-2010 5:30pm

The one that springs to mind the most is FEAR but also Half-Life 2. There was a section in "We dont go to Ravenholm anymore" where you round the corner and one of those running zombies came straight at me. Frightened the **** out of me.

whiterebel · 20-12-2010 5:47pm

xRodge wrote: »

Have just recently got a ps3 and have Dead Space, looking forward to getting into it!

I remember getting my mate to play Resident Evil on the PS1. Turned the lights off for atmosphere and kept very quiet at the bit where you walk through the long hall and the dogs break through the window. My mate was so scared, he yelled out and dropped the controller!

For me, Silent Hill on the ps was the one that scared me most. I used to always try to play it with the lights off when the house was quiet. Lots of nights, I couldn't sleep afterwards as I was literally trembling and could still imagine hearing the hissing and the slight scraping noises you get in the game

Play Dead Space in an empty house with the surround sound on loud - Penneys can't make underpants fast enough.........:eek:

Sephiroth_dude · 20-12-2010 5:52pm

Fear scared the life out of me.

pablomakaveli · 20-12-2010 6:19pm

5uspect wrote: »

In fairness to Dead Space it does monster closet horror much better than Doom3 did.

I was always creeped out by Condemned. It had an oppressive atmosphere that appeared to drag you into madness as you brutally fought your way through it.

I completely forgot about condemned. The scary atmosphere is probably the games strongest point. I remeber the bit in the abandoned shopping mall where there are loads of mannequins and every now and again one would leap out and attack.

Cherry_Cola · 20-12-2010 6:26pm

Silent Hill 2 and Condemned are by far the scariest games I've played.

I got Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Still life, Deadly Premonition and Obscure to play through over Christmas, I'm also going to play through all the Silent Hills again!

Can anyone recommend any others that I may be missing out on?

Monty Burnz · 20-12-2010 6:34pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Fear scared the life out of me.

Fear was a straight-line no choice game - no freedom at all. For me that equals no scares. Basically anyone could beat that game. That and Doom 3 are everything that is wrong with modern games imo - great visuals and production values, no fun.

Agricola · 20-12-2010 6:35pm

Silent Hill. Mostly just watching other people play em. Faceless nurses, Pyramid Head....................Jaysus. Cack City.

krudler · 20-12-2010 7:02pm

Silent Hill 2 for me, its just draining to play it, and I dont mean that in a bad way, its completely oppresive, you never feel safe, the sound design is a work of art, and the concepts are so much more than zombie and the usual survival horror stuff, the monsters have meaning.

Playing Dead Space for the first time on decent headphones late at night was a mistake, sound is unbelievable in it, and the fact that it takes you out of your comfort zone a few times,

the bench where for the entire game you know you're safe, then a necromorph jumps out of it

shat.
my.
pants.

BigDuffman · 20-12-2010 7:02pm

FEAR was scary alright! When you climb up a ladder and Alma is just staring at you. Or when walking through a corridor and you get the crackles and the laughs but then nothing appears. But your ready to blast everything!

That and RE2 had some scary moments.

deathrider · 20-12-2010 7:58pm

cambo2008 wrote: »

This was quite freaky at the time,excellent game,never hear much about it

Fantasic, but unfairly under-rated game. I wouldn't put it down as very scary though, more of an action game. Though having said that, there were some quite creepy bits in it.

For me though, I gotta say Silent Hill II. Took everything that scared the pants off me about the first game, and made it infinitely scarier. The original Resident Evil also gave me good scaring when I first played it.