Nightwatcher's Halloween Pt. 1

Top 10 Spine Tingling Video Games

It's that spooky time of year again. Halloween is nearly upon us, and what usually comes to mind right about now? Costumes. Jack-O-Lanterns. And enough kilo tons of processed sugar to make every little kid comatose until Christmas. Sometimes we also enjoy watching our favorite Halloween themed television specials and movies. But what we don't usually think about for this season is video games. Now I know what you're probably think as you read this: "Video games? For Halloween? Say What?!" True, only one of these bares the name of the holiday as it's title, but the games listed here are good to play while eating your candy. Enter the creepier side of the R Zone if you dare...

10. Halloween
Released-1983
System-Atari 2600

I was only a toddler when this came out but I can still safely say, WTF?! Halloween was published by Wizard Studios, which was only one guy working out of his basement, and was probably the worst horror movie themed video game in history. No one really liked it, parents or gamers alike, and I don't blame any of them. You play as a poorly rendered babysitter (her "skirt" looks more like an inner tube and her pig tails look like they are growing out of her neck) who is trying to save as many children as she can from the knife weilding maniac Micheal Meyers. Fail and you lose your head (in a surprisingly bloody mess) to Micheal, which shouldn't really matter since your head is practically non exhistant anyway. Succeed and you, and the kids you've saved, may live to see another day. Oddly enough, none of the characters in this game have names. For all we know the original concept may have been about a domestic dispute between two neighbors that went out of control. The only things in the game that seem to have anything to do with the movies are the pumpkins at the top of the screen and the now classic theme song which starts to play every time the killer comes on screen. (And which I hear is so annoying that it can make you as nutty as Micheal himself).

9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Released-1982
System-Atari 2600

Well, at least the geek at Wizard was a little more on par with this one. It came out a year before the first game on the list but that's okay, you geat the idea. This may have been a video game first as you actually played as the bad guy this time. That's right, you are Leather Face and you get to go around lopping people's heads off with your trusty chainsaw. That's pretty much it, you simply keep your chainsaw's tank full by picking up gas cannisters, kill as many people as possible and avoid obsticles like bull skulls, bear traps and...empty wheelchairs? Woah, weird! This game didn't sell as well as Halloween because of it's violent nature but is considered today as a primitive precursor to Splatterhouse. Sick!

8. A Nightmare On Elm Street
Released-1989
Systems-NES and Commodore 64

Cool, a game you could play in your sleep. Okay, maybe not. The premise sounds interesting enough: you play as a young hero named Johnny Teenager (eh, whatever) as he battles the evil, psychotic advances of Freddy Kreuger, and his famous steak knife claw glove, through the real world and Freddy's 'boiler room from hell' nightmare world. Unfortunately though, despite the fact that certain elements from two of the movies were used in the game, the concept as a whole doesn't seem to have carried over to well. Once again, fans of the movies that the game was based on didn't seem to be to thrilled with it. Could they at least have given the hero kid a real name? I just hope they weren't trying to dis my favorite actor Johnny Depp, who appeared in the first movie. It wasn't over yet though, the game's publisher LJN had another card in their hand...and they played it.

7. Friday The 13th
Released-1986 (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum)
1989 (NES)

As far as Freddy vs. Jason goes, Freddy rules the movies but when it comes to the video games the Hockey mask wearing Jason Voorhees is king. In this game you play as a councelor at Camp Crystal Lake named Paul who is trying to protect the young campers during Jason's latest onslaught. Collect weapons and items to help you on your quest but also remember to watch your back because Jason could be hiding anywhere, waiting to attack. Can you defeat the grotesque goaley and escape with your life? This may have been another first for video games as, not only was it one of the first NES games to feature a first person view mode when you enter the cabins (the only other NES game to have this feature that I know of is The Goonies II) but it was probably also the first game that could make you soil yourself. Jason would pop out of nowhere at any random time and so suddenly that it could actually startle the player which possibly makes this the first real survival horror game. As if having a deadly wake of over two hundred victims wasn't enough, it looks like Jason made yet another landmark.

6. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Released-1993
Systems-SNES & Genisis

They say every family has it's nut, and in this case that nut is Zombies Ate My Neighbors which has to be one of the craziest games of the sixteen bit era. Lucas Arts made ZAMN as a spoof of early sci fi movies esspecially between the 1950's-1980's and it was published by Konami. You play as one of two main heroes, Zeke or Julie and use a zany arsenal of weapons against an array of enemies ranging from zombies to chainsaw weilding psychopaths (sound familiar?) to alien invaders. The object of the game is to save as many neighbors as you can from certain death while searching for the source of the evil hordes. Each version of the game had different features and most fans consider the SNES version to be the better of the two. The SNES version is also now available for download from the Wii Shop Channel. Lucas Arts and Konami reunited for a 'semi' sequal called Ghoul Patrol. It was released a year later in 1994 but wasn't as well received. "WOO, HA, HA, HA!"

5. Resident Evil
Debut-1996
Systems-Multiple

Zombies are created by an evil chemical company and run rampant in a spooky, fog filled city. That's the premise of the original game, released for the first PlayStation in 1996. Who would have thought that all these years later, this undead frag fest would still be going strong. There have been several games released in the series so far each with it's own hero (or set of heroes, the favorite so far being the sexy Jill Valentine), is usually set in Racoon City and revolves around said heroes taking down hordes of zombies which are created by the evil Umbrella Corperation. I'm not a fan of this series myself, mostly do to the wacky control scheme (how am I supposed to play the game if the controls are in reverse?!), but it has apparently done well since it now has five titles in the main story line and also a chain of movies (currently four in all). There are also comic books, novelizations, action figures and tons of other collectibles. Looks like Resident Evil won't be driven into an early grave any time soon.

4. Silent Hill
Debut-1999
Systems-Multiple (usually PlayStations)

A Father would do anything to protect his daughter and this is proof...witha vengeance. Harry Mason and his adopted daughter Cheryl go for a road trip on a vacation they will never forget. A mysterious event causes Harry to lose control of his car. He crashes and is knocked unconsience, and when he comes to he discovers that Cheryl is missing. Upon exploring his surroundings, Harry finds himself in the dreary (and creepy) little town of Silent Hill which seems curiously empty and very foggy. Harry must solve the mystery of Silent Hill and save Cheryl from a swarm of (what a surprise) zombies. With seven installments in the main series, and an eighth on the way, plus various collectibles and even a movie, Silent Hill has struck a chorde with horror fans along the same lines as Resident Evil. Go zombies!

3. Echo Night Beyond
Released-2004
System-PlayStation 2

At first glance this may not look like a Halloween type game (heck, it's not even retro yet)...but look again. This sci fi type ghost story stars a young man (you) who has lost his blushing bride-to-be after a crash landing on the moon (yes, you read that correctly) after the, now botched, first lunar marriage. Their ship crashes into the side of an abandoned space station who's long dead inhabitants don't seem to be forgotten. Echo Night Beyond is a first person explorer in which you play as our would be groom and must solve the mystery behind what happened aboard the space station and find your bride. This game is unusual for a first person as you have no weapons to defend yourself with, only your space suit and your wits. It's also the third game in a series but for some reason, it's also the only game out of the sereis that has reached American shores. Go figure.

2. Legacy of Kain
Debut-1996
Finale-
Systems-PlayStation & PlayStation 2

A game in the same vein as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you play as one of two main characters, Kain (a vampire) and Raziel (a soul devouring creature of the spectral world) in a story so epic that spans five games. The details of the plot are to long and complicated to explain here but the feeling one gets when playing as a blood and/or soul sucking creature of the night is quite exhilerating, in an undead kind of way. The only problem that fans of the series (including yours truly) had was the sort of wacky order that the games were released in. The corect order is: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Blood Omen 2, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Reap the life force from those puney human sheep! Fey Victous!

1. Fatal Frame
Released-2001
System-PlayStation 2

Welcome to Himuro Mansion, where your worst fears are realised. Fatal Frame stars a young (and really cute) lady named Miku Hinasaki who has foolishly crossed the thresh hold of Himuro in search of her older brother Mafuyu who disappeared inside it's haunted walls several years before. You rely on only one tool, the Camera Obscura, to help you in your blood chilling quest. (The camera can capture the essence of a ghost by simply taking their picture). As a ghost hunting enthusiast, this is my favorite survival horror game so naturally it gets the #1 spot on my list. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I hope you enjoyed my Halloween video game list. They're not just cool and spooky, they're also retro (at least for the most part). Hopefully there will be two more parts coming so keep your eyes peeled for part 2. Hope to see you there.

Comments

First person view on the NES was also in Deja Vu.

I remember playing Friday the 13th when I was a kid and it scaring the s*** out of me. A couple of years ago I read something somewhere saying how it was just this terrible, terrible game, and I decided to revisit it. Well, I have to say it's definitely not the best game, but it's far from the worst as well. To date this is the only Video Game that I have never been able to beat. It is the most obscenely hard game ever made, and I would like to challenge you to try and beat Jason without cheating and WITHOUT save states. I really don't think the creators of this game intended on anyone surviving Jason's onslaught, and I never have. There aren't any checkpoints, passwords, or save features of any kind. You play till all the kids are dead and then it's game over and you have to start again.

On a side note: The first (and the 2nd) silent hill rules all. My and a friend would play it together in completely dark room with the volume turned up about two feet from the tv and would get so freaked out that we would have to take frequent breaks in order to keep playing.

I have always have considered Silent Hill to be the scariest game ever. To this day whenever I hear tornado sirens or something similar I still get pretty freaked out, as I expect my reality to descend into hell for half a second. In my opinion, atmospheric horror is so much better than the *monster loudly enters from nowhere* approach of most other horror games (and movies too).

Hey! How bout the Splatterhouse games? huh

the one game that always scared the bejesus out of me was Maniac Mansion..i loved that game, but I remember as a kid whenever you got caught I was like "oh sh^t!!" and then you'd try to run like hell but they'd always get you!
also the first time Jaws attacks on the NES game was pretty intense!

Ahhh, I've seen screens shots of the C64 version of ANOES and definitly looked different from the NES version. I'm gonna check it out on YouTube! And I'm still blown away that they havent made any new FT13th or ANOES games, especially for ANOES. Since it takes place in the dream world where possibilities are endless. But as always, Movie based games suck 95% of the time :p

The C64 versions of NOES and Friday the 13th were VASTLY different than the NES ones. Nightmare was an awesome dungeon crawler, and Friday the 13th was just straight hunt and kill Jason, and Jason liked to hide as fellow campers/counselors. The only way to find if he was hiding was to hit people with a weapon. Kill a friend and your sanity goes. Walk in on a dead body, your sanity goes.

And of course Jason can just beat you to death.

Not retro, but some great Horror games come out from Frictional Games, i.e. the Penumbra series and their newest Amnesia. I always liked Horror games as a kid but no so much now. I realized that the only thing that made a Horror game scary is the horrible controls, when you can't react as fast there is a certain amount of tension(think resident evil games, the screen switches and you need to get oriented quickly because there are zombie dogs in the screen). Now controls are better so horror games are just puzzles, mysteries, or the worst just gore. Frictional Games has a different approach, they make your character really weak and just looking at the 'monster' freaks him out, as a player you never get a good look at anything because every thing goes dark/blurry when you character is really scared. I would think if someone made a H.P. Lovecraft video game that was actually worth playing it would have to work like this.

I mean one of the scariest moments in my gaming history is in the first game when a Zombie catches me off guard in a hall way and I cower behind a pile of boxes praying he doesn't see me and walk by. The whole time I have my character staring at the wall and I can hear the thing breathing and dragging it's foot against the floor and my character is so freaked out he has blurry tunnel vision. Now that makes me think of a few freaky nightmares I had when I was a kid. Freaky freaky games that studio makes.

Yeah, horror is my favorite movie genre but the games always suck nowadays, puzzles, mysteries, and gore just don't scare me. There has to be some kind of unique play mechanic that is interwoven into the big 3 mechanics that Japan throws into Horror games it puts out now-a-days.

Dude,the Friday The 13th game was TERRIBLE! Ask AVGN. Oh well, great article.

And holy crap, I never realised that the character you play as in ANOES looks like Glenn(Johnny Depp) from the original Nightmare. Not only that, but his name's 'Johnny Teenager'? Well that's an obvious give away! I seriously wish some of the characters from the films were in the game. You should of been able to play as Nancy! Not some Mullet sporting Johnny nobody in a muscle beater. The game could of been so imaginitive and creative like in the movies for an NES game, but LJN(those talentless dumb asses) spat out one of the most generic piles of crap period.

And how cool would it of been to play as Nancy and fight Tina in the bodybag? ;D And why in the hell wasn't Nancy's House(ok maybe it was, but it looked like the inside of a haunted house...) or the school, or even the hospital ect ect used in the game? So many possibilities and tie ins with the movies could of been bade....Oh well, at least we got Will's Wizard power from 3: Dreamwarriors! That....and uh, Ninja star throwing skills and an olympic spear thrower, yep just like in the movies!...uh

I definitly would of threw in Splatterhouse(Arcade),2 and 3, along with Super Castlevania IV, Shadow Gate and maybe Decap Attack. Anyways nice list

Friday the 13th was god awful, mainly due to the insane difficulty, horrible map and that ear grating music! I still have it on the NES. ANOES while mildy fun, could of been soooo much better, but ended up being uncreative, garbage compared to the films, and came off like some spooky stock haunted house game with ghosts, bats, frankensteins...ya you get the point.

Resident Evil is a freakin' classic however, I have such fantastic memories playing that one. Easily the best on the list. Yet I've always disliked Zombies Ate my neighbours for some reason. While Silent hill was disturbing, had horrific eerie and effective atmosphere, memorable and sick monsters and a freaky soundtrack...The gameplay however, felt like a poor man's Resident Evil, and the repetitive Hallways and doors in most of the indoor areas were so confusing and frusturating, it all looked the same! Even the outdoor areas were too huge for their own good causing you to get lost, wandering around forever and ever. And the experience overall was pretty damn depressing and half of the time boring. I'm sure Silent Hill 2 is much better! Yep! I'm done.lol

Actually, it's vae victis. It means "Woe to the vanquished".

I could sware I put in the finale year for Legacy of Kain, but apparently it didn't save. It was 2003 here in North America. Sorry about that

Jason popping out of nowhere was scary enough but the music alone in Friday the 13th really creeped me out.

The first Silent Hill scared the poo out of me. I made my friends come over to watch so I wouldn't be alone.

I actually own about 6 of the Resident Evil books and for a breezy read or at least a creative way to learn the puzzles of the games, they aren't bad.