Halloween, for most of us gamers, is just another holiday when bad movies are shown on cable. Forget that nonsense. Lock yourself in a dark room with a bowl of candy and join GoozerNation on a quest to play some of the scariest games ever. It’s going to be hard to make a top 10 list of the scariest games. Where do I start? Silent Hill 1? Resident Evil 3? What about Siren and Fatal Frame? The list could go on and on.

It seems recently people have been getting scared by the Dead Space series. Nothing like the empty blackness of space surrounding the player as they make their way through a deserted mining ship. Based on what I played, I thought the first one was scarier but there were parts of the second game that were pretty creepy. What are you waiting for? Grab your surround sound headphones and join Issac in space where no one can hear you scream.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent needs to be on this list. Similar to games like Silent Hill, its not about combat. Its about surviving. You cannot fight the monsters, and its best to stay in the darkness. Using your light attracts the monsters, who can move very fast. But by staying in the darkness you'll slowly lose your sanity. Players will hear bizarre things. I have to say this game is very disturbing and should be played with the lights on.

Alan Wake has to be on this list. Hopefully, this game will get some sort of sequel. Alan Wake feeds off its creepy atmosphere. The player feels alone for most of the game. There were a few moments in Alan Wake where I jumped. Its the concept of the unknown. Some gamers think Alan Wake might be scarier then Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 2 is often called the best game in the series, or the most terrifying. This is another game that depends on atmosphere and sound. And yes, the siren is in the game. The developers kept the radio static from the first game. And we all know what happens when it gets louder. Combine this with the fog and some nasty enemies who by themselves look very disturbing, like Pyramid Head and you as a gamer will experience psychological fear. Here is my recommendation, play Silent Hill 2 with the lights on unless you want to scream like a child.

Doom 3 is a favorite PC game of mine. There are moments in this game that will make you scream, your heart pound, and your palms sweat. Nothing like rebooting the franchise and re-introducing hell. Not only is the game dark but it forces you to choose between using a flashlight and prepping the almighty shotgun. Doom 3 also uses ambient sounds and plenty of enemy surprises to keep gamers on their toes. Although I don't think its as scary as Silent Hill 2, its still a blast to play with the lights off.

Condemned 1-2, most gamers agree the first game is scarier then the second. I have to agree. But the second game plays off the protagonist battling his own demons. Both Condemned games force gamers to slink around in the darkness with plenty of ambient noise as strange, crazy enemies zip by in a flash. With your heart pounding, the player has to ask, what was that and where did it go? The twisted atmosphere and creepy sounds don’t make playing these games with the lights off any better.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem for the Gamecube is a game I haven’t played much. From what I do know its one of the best horror games of the last generation. The game lets you play as several characters and features a sanity meter. When this meter gets low, enter the crazy sounds, ambient noise, anomalies of your TV, and bleeding walls. Not only do the in-game characters start to lose it but you might start to lose it as well.

Resident Evil Code Veronica/Resident Evil 3, there is a tie for this series. As much as like RE1 and RE2 I don't think they were that scary, even when I first played them in the 1990s. Nemesis in Resident Evil 3 was scary and for the first time playing a game I felt scared. There was something always chasing me and I couldn’t take it down. Code Veronica on the Dreamcast with its updated graphics, there was several moments where I almost wet myself. Plenty of zombie and dog surprises await players.

The Fatal Frame series is another must-play over Halloween. And Fatal Frame 2 is considered the best game in this series and is the most disturbing. Nothing like a Japanese style horror game that requires players to explore a disturbing village and take pictures of ghosts to defeat them. The darkness and ambient noise will keep players on their toes.

Alright, so there were more than 10, its just so hard to pick which games are more disturbing. Other scary games include Resident Evil 3 and 4 and the Resident Evil 1 remake on Gamecube. There are the other Silent Hill games, 1, 3, 4, Homecoming, and Origins. Siren deserves a mention here. The Clock Tower series is another set of games that are very scary. And how can I forge Phantasmagoria? One very disturbing game. Bioshock has its scary moments as well. Looking back, System Shock 2 for the PC is another great game. So what are you waiting for? Go out and play some of these games.

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