Halloween is soon upon us. With this comes the universal feeling shared by all of fear! Many flock to the theaters to check out the latest corny movie with a few jump scares and call it a day. I normally check out from of the classics including Nightmare On Elm Street, Aliens, and creepy Japanese movies. When I was younger I was not a fan off the horror genre in general and didn’t really start enjoying anything related to scares until 8th grade. It was then at that time I had finally built up the courage to throw in my brothers copy of Resident Evil (Sega Saturn version cuz that’s awesome) After many attempts of rage quitting due to my lack of knowledge in the survivor horror category and actually being scared to continue due to my lack of courage I gave up. Reset this a few months later a new courage level unlocked thanks to watching horror movies and building hype up for another try at Resident Evil. I try one more time and this time I’m ready and it’s on. I remember the adrenaline from opening each door the quest and excitement when I found an ammo box by randomly clicking in the corner of a room. It’s the little things I remember from my first of many play through I would have. The feelings I had playing and completing my first horror game now over a decade ago still hold fresh in my mind. Since then I have enjoyed various games in the survivor horror category. This list includes many of the popular ones you have heard about before but maybe a few old gems you might have not gotten around to play.
Shadow of Destiny
Publisher-Konami
Year 2001- PS2, Xbox
Do you like Back To The Future? Great everyone does so now your chance to experience it firsthand. In shadow of destiny you play as the main character Eike as you begin the game and you die. ok game over right ? No you are given another chance to find out who killed you. The game revolves in a lot of puzzle quest solving missions in order to advance the story and travel to the next time. As you time travel you have the option to alter the timelines or not complete objectives. This is the awesome part because shadow of destiny contains multiple endings each with some type of twist. I’ve only gotten 2 of the game endings so it leaves a lot to explore when done with. The unsettling music and atmosphere of the buildings to the cold pale look of the character designs and great story really helps pull the player in.
Dead Space
Publisher –EA
Year 2008- PS3,PC,Xbox360
Once upon a time there was a dry spell in the horror market. After the at least in my opinion failed resident evil 5 there was no horror games on the market. Then came along a game with hopes and promises of wanting to scare and revive true survivor horror. What a shock when I picked this game up on day one threw it in and got freaked out within 10 minutes. You take control as Issac Clark an engineer on board the planetary mining ship the USG Ishimura. Within the first hour I knew and felt like I did when I was younger and played my first horror games. You fight against the necromorphs and the reanimated crew that suffered a horrible fate. It’s up to Issac to find out what took place and escape. I like the fact there are multiple weapons in Dead Space also it gives the player the option to upgrade for more damage and new ways to fire said weapons. Dead Space sets the mood right with lighting, music, and action.
Dante’s Inferno
Publisher- EA
Year-2010 PS3,XBOX360, PC, PSP
Not so much a survivor horror game Dante’s Inferno provides one hell of a trip (no pun intended). Very similar to the Devil May Cry series you fight your way down the 9 circles of hell slicing through all demons, creatures, devils, and hellish ghouls that await in the pits of hell. You fight the 7 deadly sins along the way as you build up your special attacks bought with souls. It’s a game worth checking out as you can find most of the games on this list for less than 15 bucks.
Deep Fear
Publisher-Sega
Year-1998 Sega Saturn.
Like Resident Evil ? Ok good now I said most of the games on my list are cheap and that is true. However this is the only game that breaks the $100 barrier limit unless you are awesome and can read Japanese then you can snatch this gem for only $10 and I’ll be jealous of you forever… Set under the sea in a navy base you take on the task as Mayor.. no your name is John Mayor but everyone just calls you Mayor. So as Mayor the EX navy seals veteran now works for the ERS (Emergency Rescue Services). I won’t spoil a lot of the story so pretty much think this radioactive chimp + submarine + mutations = Deep Fear. The game is very nicely done and has big names attributed with it like Yasushi Nirasawa known for works on various Kamen Rider series and other sci- fi projects. Kenji Kawai is the musical composer and also has contributed to many anime and live action movies including Death Note. The game itself has other unique elements not seen in other survivor horror games. Having a limit on the air available to you for example limiting you on how long you can stay inside an area at a certain time. The backgrounds and CGI are very well done and provide a creepy atmosphere along with the music. Go pick this one up while it’s still somewhat cheap on eBay or watch one of the long plays on YouTube.
Hopefully you enjoy the small list of the many late and great games that have been out there. I tried to add some different element and play style to my list so there is a chance you might find something. Of course you should check out the greatest hits like Silent Hill, and the Resident Evil series to find out why games still scare us to this day.
