Crew Post: Halloween Recommendations & Scary Games

Concerning Crew Posts

Dear readers, let me introduce you to the very first Crew Post! On Mondays (though not necessarily every Monday) we will publish a post wherein all members of The Crew are invited to give their two cents on the topic or question at hand. One of us will set the affairs up and be the first voice in the discussion to get the ball rolling. They will then pass it on to the rest of the interested crew before deadline time.

Although we hope the dialogue will not end there. We would love to hear what you have to add (or take away) from the conversation. Can you not believe we left out that game or did not mention so-and-so? Do you whole-heartedly agree with Trent, but have a bone to pick with yours truly? Whatever your reaction to the Crew Post (or any post on the site for that matter) we would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Halloween Recommendations & Scary Games

With All Hallow's Eve falling upon us this week I thought it would be fitting to have our first Crew Post relate to this spooky season. It's a popular time for horror films and TV shows, but how does it affect the world of video games? Are there any games you recommend others looking into this Halloween? As a follow-up question, what is the scariest game you have ever played?

J.S.:

At least I can always trick-or-treat in this virtual world... Costume Quest (2010)

Last year I embarked on my Double Fine's Costume Quest, a light RPG that has you playing as a neighborhood kid looking for his kidnapped sibling on Halloween night. I never got around to finishing it (I blame "Skyrim" and "Minecraft"). When October rolled around again I finally committed to finish the experience and it gave me a healthy dose of nostalgia and fun. It would be frowned upon for me to go trick-or-treating at my age, but I believe playing Costume Quest is my next best option. You can look for my review of Costume Quest on Halloween day!

It's always a good time for good (because there are plenty of bad ones) zombie games, but this month I further found myself restarting Dead Rising and purchasing the HD re-release of Resident Evil 4 on Xbox Live. I've played them both in years prior but never got around to beating them. I'm looking forward to spending more time with both of them this week. Also, I have been playing and mostly loving what Telltale Games has been doing (episodically) with their creative use of The Walking Dead license. I have a feeling that game is going to end up on a lot of end-year best-of lists.

A rare instance where someone isn't trying to scare you to death. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)

As far as the scariest game(s) I have ever played go, I must mention Condemned: Criminal Origins, which released early in the 360's lifecycle and later appeared on Windows. It may be the closest thing we have to a video game equivalent of David Fincher's Se7en, which you can try to imagine how terrifying some of those situations would be if you were in the detective's worn shoes. The gameplay? Close quarters, darkly lit, never enough ammo, and an artificial intelligence that is both smart and creepy as hell. Sure, the game got a little supernatural, but it is endured since 2005 has a hallmark of horror games.

I still need to dive further into Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but after surviving the demo I am sure it belongs on the table in this discussion. Memories from The Suffering, Doom 3 and Fatal Frame II: The Crimson Butterfly are beginning to surface. Oh! And what Silent Hill game was I watching you play Casey that had those babies who really shouldn't be called babies? I better stop. I'm getting scared...

Ritchie:

Launch title for the Gamecube. Luigi's Mansion (2001)

When I think of Halloween I think of spooky scary, but spooky scary doesn't always have to be...spooky scary. Such is the case of Luigi's Mansion. Nintendo wanted to make a parody of the survival horror genre for the soon to be released Gamecube, so they threw Mario's brother into a haunted mansion, gave him a vacuum, and tossed in all sorts of ghouls. It's not a particularly scary game (although Luigi may disagree), but its got ghosts, dark hallways and all that stuff that's normally associated with all things spooky. If you're lookin' for a break from all the terrors and scares, but still want something in the vein of horror definitely give Luigi's Mansion a play-through.

I've played my fair share of terrifying games. I've played the Condemned series, I've played the Fatal Frame series, I've played Amnesia: The Dark Descent; but I don't think any game has spooked me quite as much as Half-Life 2 and its Ravenholm level. 

"We don't go to Ravenholm." Half-Life 2 (2004)

Half-Life 2 isn't a horror game, but when it drops you into this hell hole that all changes. The sun does not shine on Ravenholm. All you have is darkness, zombies, and a feeling of dread. I think what makes it even more unnerving is the fact that Half-Life 2 isn't a horror game. In games like Silent Hill and Condemned you expect the scares, they're your reasons for playing the game. But in Half-Life 2 its forced upon you and all you want is out. So if you get the chance give Ravenholm a visit this Halloween season. I guarantee you'll get more than a hand full of scares.

Casey:

Halloween for me has always been a time for spooks and thrills, and for that means two games in particular: Silent Hill and Resident Evil 3. Yeah, they are old games, but that's exactly what makes them scary. Old graphics and clunky controls gives both games a whole new level of tension!

Silent Hill is one of the scariest games I have ever played. Not only did it traumatize me as a child but it made me a die-hard fan from day one. In the original Silent Hill, you play the character Harry Mason who is on a road trip with his daughter. While driving in the middle of the night he sees an apparition in the road and swerves out of the way, crashing into a nearby cliff side  After being knocked out for several hours, Harry wakes up to find that his daughter is nowhere to be found. Harry finds himself in the nearby town of Silent Hill as be begins his search for his daughter. Little does he know Silent Hill has a nasty secret!

Looks legit, lets go through there! Silent Hill (1999)

Silent Hill is full of disturbing images, challenging puzzles, and grotesque monsters spawned from Harry's personal hell. Anyone who takes the time to play this game is sure to walk away uncomfortable and disturbed for life (this is the game you're thinking of Jared).

Resident Evil 3 follows Jill Valentine who was one of the protagonists in the first game. She holes up in her apartment after zombies begin to attack the city, then she decides to make a run for it. Jill quickly becomes overwhelmed by the hungry horde and runs into a nearby warehouse where she hunkers down for a few more days. This doesn't suit Jill so she waits until the worst is over and attempts to escape the city one more time.

Now this is a classic that's suited more for a thriller/survival horror junkie. It is also the last game feature "old school" Resident Evil game play (fixed camera, shambling zombies, oddly shaped keys for surprisingly normal doors etc.). The best part of this particular game in the series is the monster named Nemesis. Nemesis is a bio weapon designed by Umbrella to hunt the members of a S.W.A.T. team equivalent named S.T.A.R.S.. Throughout the game Nemesis will randomly jump in and chase you down until you defeat him or outsmart him. Every time I play this game, these parts always make my muscles tighten up in suspense!

AGH CRAP!  Resident Evil 3 (1999)

Now this is a classic that's suited more for a thriller/survival horror junkie. It is also the last game feature "old school" Resident Evil game play (fixed camera, shambling zombies, oddly shaped keys for surprisingly normal doors etc.). The best part of this particular game in the series is the monster named Nemesis. Nemesis is a bio weapon designed by Umbrella to hunt the members of a S.W.A.T. team equivalent named S.T.A.R.S.. Throughout the game Nemesis will randomly jump in and chase you down until you defeat him or outsmart him. Every time I play this game, these parts always make my muscles tighten up in suspense!

Josh:

When I was younger, I didn't like scary games at all.  Now though, I can't seem to get enough of them.  Haunting stories and tragic figures make for compelling gameplay. Well, when done right.  Let me suggest some games that do, and some that aren't scary but fit the Halloween spirit.

I must second J.S. in his recommendation of Costume Quest.  I beat it (and the expansion) and must say it is a lot of fun and very..."cute" in a way.  It definitely has the Halloween feel and reminded me of fantasies I had about Halloween as a kid.  The gameplay is also a bit of a throwback to the old turn-based RPG fighting, so you can relive all of your childhood in a single game.  How nice!

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is definitely a freaky game worthy of Halloween.  If you are looking for scares and pulse-pounding survival as you run from monsters and your own insanity, definitely check it out.  It did a great job of keeping me on edge and is very different from most other games in that there is simply no way to fight back against monsters.  You are literally helpless and must run for your life.  The atmosphere is fantastic: gothic, dark, and creepy.  If any game comes close to a Lovecraftian experience, this one definitely does.

If you want to take a more active role in killing the monsters trying to kill you then I heartily recommend Dead Space.  It too has a great atmosphere as you struggle to survive in a space station that is falling apart.  The monsters are also freaky as anything and make you want to shoot at every sound.  Another game recommendation is Alan Wake.  It advertises itself as a psychological thriller, which I agree it is, but it definitely has its horror moments.  I felt palpably afraid each time I had to venture out of the lights and into the woods to progress, knowing that insane "taken" would appear everywhere and try to slaughter me.  The game did a fantastic job of focusing on the theme of light and dark while making it a key component of gameplay.  I consider it one of my favorite games.

And this guy.  Can't forget this guy. Silent Hill 2 (2001)

As great as those games are, scariest game holds no contest for me.  As soon as I played the first 30 minutes of the HD remake of Silent Hill 2, I was tense as I'd ever been.  The game isn't scary because of jump scares or scrambling to survive (although those are present).  It's the atmosphere.  As you walk, you hear footsteps walk with you with no one in site.  You expect a scare, but none comes.  Darkness and fog enshroud the whole town.  Everything looks like it's decaying and withering around you, but simply won't die.  The "residents" are twisted and deformed and set off static on your radio when near.  Everything subtly adds to the game's themes and horror.  The living characters are great too.  I empathized with the main character as he tries to understand how he got a letter from his dead wife, leading him to Silent Hill.  He struggles with his own inner demons while also fleeing the real monsters trying to kill him.  It's scary, it's sad, and it's very good.  If you play, be prepared to be scared.