Spooky Games Suggestions

[nullPointer]

Typically for me the month of October brings with it the lure of gaming. What I mean is that I've always lived in areas in which the Winter months "strongly encourage" one to keep one's ass indoors for long stretches of time. And October is typically the onset of colder weather in Montana (ususally starting with our current weather pattern of cold wind and rain). So what better time to get lost in gaming for a while?

Having said that, I also feel that October is the month that may be most perfectly suited for gaming in terms of general atmosphere. I'm referring mostly to Halloween here, but what I mean is that the things we associate with October and Halloween are also generally closely associated with gaming. Zombies? Check. Ghosts? Check. Menacing Aliens? Check. And the list goes on.

So ... I'm looking for good games to play during the month of October. I'm not looking for a particular genre or era so much as a great creepy/spooky/scary atmosphere. Past favorites of mine for this time of year include:

• Silent Hill 2
• Resident Evil 2
• Splatterhouse

So what do you guys suggest? Anyone else go in for creepy games at this time of year in keeping with the spirit of the season?

[Draco1962]

Wizard of Wor, Satan's Hollow are a few that come to mind.

[Adultery]

I'd like to see Dungeons & Dragons make it in there.

Or ms pac-man, the ghosts are kind off Halloween-ish.

[Draco1962]

Was there a Castlevania arcade game or similar with ghosts and other creatures of the night?

[Adultery]

Not besides the PC-10 version. Too bad though, that would have been a good one!

Which metal slug had the portion that turns you into a zombie? 4 maybe? Or 3? That would be a cool one to play.

[nullPointer]

Wizard of Wor, Satan's Hollow are a few that come to mind.

Oh good call! I always forget about Satan's Hollow. That's a game that's been on my "Must Play MAME Games List" for a while. I'll have to take it for spin this October.

I'd like to see Dungeons & Dragons make it in there.

Or ms pac-man, the ghosts are kind off Halloween-ish.

Shadow Over Mystara is such a great game! Actually this comment took me back to high school, when the other variety of D&D was a prime Winter pastime. I definitely have some good memories of epic campaigns taking place over the Autumn/Winter months. Not so much my thing these days, but talk about nostalgia!

Also a good call regarding Pac-Man! The fact that one of the cornerstones of all gaming features ghostly protagonists really cements my theory that October is the perfect month for gaming (at least in my own twisted little mind )

Was there a Castlevania arcade game or similar with ghosts and other creatures of the night?

Castlevania is one of my favorite series in general, but it's practically an essential pick for October gaming. You're absolutely correct that Castlevania (or Akumajō Dracula if you prefer) was ported as an arcade game called Haunted Castle I believe. Any hoo, Castlevania 2: Simons Quest is probably my favorite game in the older series (i.e. pre-Symphony of the Night). Come to think of it I haven't played Symphony of the Night in a long time either ...

Edit:

I modified the thread title so as to avoid any confusion between this thread and the GOTM Selection Thread for the month of October. Naturally whichever game is selected for the for the Hi-Score Competition Game of Month should be a shoe-in for everyone's October playlist!

Edited September 30, 2013 by nullPointer
Modified thread title

[DazzleHP]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent looks right up my street as an atmospheric horror and i've wanted it for a long time! I will get it one day, but the reason i mention it is because the supposedly even scarier sequel was recently released:

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. They could be a great couple of games to keep you busy through the winter months.

Although it's aging a bit now i will always bring this up when the question arises - the original F.E.A.R! This game has some of the jumpiest, creepiest moments i've ever experienced in a game. Be warned though you have to be very alert and observant to get the most out of it - if you're the type of person who ploughs through games, not paying close attention to what is happening around you then you will miss a lot of what the game is good at - messing with your head. If however you like to get into games on a deep level, and like to explore every nook and cranny then this game will give you genuine shivers, real "OMGWTF" moments and extreme panic. I highly recommend it

[Draco1962]

What about Ghosts & Goblins?

[hansolo77]

Alan Wake is a good horror type game, reminds me of the Silent Hill stuff. There's also Dead Space.

[nullPointer]

These are all awesome suggestions you guys! I had almost forgotten about the Amnesia games. I have the first game installed through Steam, but I haven't really played it yet. F.E.A.R. is another one that's been on my radar, but haven't played. How are the sequels to this game? Does it stand strong as a series or is the first game the standout title?

Alan Wake is another game that looks very interesting! It seems to have a real Steven King sort of vibe to it.

And of course Ghosts n' Goblins is another classic!

After reviewing my Steam list, I remembered that I've also been saving The Walking Dead (the Telltale adventure game) for an appropriate time. Based on the accolades this game received last year I may start out with this one to see how it goes. Has anyone else here played through The Walking Dead?

[DazzleHP]

F.E.A.R. is another one that's been on my radar, but haven't played. How are the sequels to this game? Does it stand strong as a series or is the first game the standout title?

To be honest i only played about an hour of the 1st sequel - they completely changed the genre for some (probably) crazy reason. As far as i could tell in the little i played it became more of an action-shooter with gouls thrown in, rather than an atmospheric horror that the original was. Don't let that put you off though! The 1st one is a great stand alone title with a unique, almost movie style method of bringing on the goosebumps and tension. There are some great in-your-face moments in it but it's what you see (or think you see) in the corner of your eye that gets your heart pumping In my opinion it's one of the "must try before you die" games, infact when i sold my xbox it was one of 3 that i couldn't part with.

Oh and i like what you did there "almost forgot about the Amnesia games"

[nullPointer]

That's good to know about F.E.A,R. To be honest I think I based my opinion of the entire series on the previews and advertising I'd seen for F.E.A.R. 2, which as you point out seems a bit like Call of Duty meets Ghostbusters. You've definitely piqued my interest in the first game! It certainly sounds like something unique with a lot of atmosphere.

[DazzleHP]

That's good to know about F.E.A,R. To be honest I think I based my opinion of the entire series on the previews and advertising I'd seen for F.E.A.R. 2, which as you point out seems a bit like Call of Duty meets Ghostbusters. You've definitely piqued my interest in the first game! It certainly sounds like it's something unique with a lot of atmosphere.

Yeah i don't know why they ruined it like that - probably to get on the multiplayer moneytrain. The 1st is a shooter too, but it feels a necessity to have a gun in your hand given the situation you've been thrown into, rather than the main focus and training for multiplayer. If you do go for it make sure you play with the sound up - you will hear some freaky sh...

[KRC]

I would suggest Forbidden Siren or Clock Tower.

[nullPointer]

I had forgotten about Forbidden Siren (or simply Siren in the U.S.). It definitely looks intriguing! I've never gotten into the Clock Tower series all that much, but it's entirely possible that I've never given it the chance to grow on me. Thanks for the awesome suggestions guys!

Does anyone care to chime in on Dead Island? I'm a bit curious about it, but I also have a feeling that it comes pretty close to my limit for over-the-top gore in a game (I actually have this same reservation about Dead Space). Just like in the movies, adding buckets of gore doesn't make something scary, it only makes it ... gross (YMMV ). I guess I'm more into atmosphere than shock value. So am I missing out on an epic gaming experience if I skip over Dead Island (or Dead Space*)?

* To be honest I'm pretty sure I'll still play Dead Space at some point simply because it seems like it has tons of atmosphere. I'm kind of a sucker for that cold, gritty sci-fi stuff, and Dead Space seems to have that in spades.

[KRC]

Illbleed for the Dreamcast is pretty neat aswell.

[hansolo77]

Dead Space is like Resident Evil in space, sorta. I haven't played the sequels yet, but the first one has a lot of shock if you play it at night, in the dark. The game itself is very dark, so it helps with the atmosphere to play it IN THE DARK. Doom 3 was like that for me when I first played it. It's those incidents where you figure everything is going fine, then all of a sudden something flashes, theres a loud screech or orchestra single note hit and it makes you jump a mile. They get you when you least expect it. Sure it's more in the horror category with blood on the walls, etc, but there are definitely some intense OMG moments.

[hansolo77]

If you want something REALLY scary, play some rare Japanese imports that you've never heard of before and they'll will make you raise a serious eyebrow and say WTF? Now THATS scary... lol

[nullPointer]

LOL. Yes I think Boong-Ga Boong-Ga is probably the most terrifying game ever devised. Is this emulated in MAME? I hope not!

So any hoo ... I started playing the Walking Dead this week. This game is fantastic guys! It's been a while since I've played a really good adventure game, and this one fires on all cylinders. I'm really impressed with the well written story and the way the game gets you vested in the various characters. The one knock I can mention is that the game does feel like it's "on rails" from time to time, but I totally understand that this isn't an "open world adventure" sort of affair. And when the writing is on this level it's tough to really make that stick as a strong criticism.

If you're a fan of adventure games and enjoy the TV series or comic (or just zombie stories in general) I can wholeheartedly recommend this game. It captures the tense, dark tone perfectly; you're never sure whether the greater danger is from the walkers or your own traveling companions. Two thumbs up from me.

In other news I was browsing my game list the other day and remembered that I had been saving Costume Quest for the Halloween season. After enduring the stark grimness of The Walking Dead I might be giving this one a spin for something on the lighter side. It's not exactly "spooky" but it's practically made to play on or around Halloween. Tim Schafer for FTW!

[hansolo77]

The Walking Dead series has totally caught on in the world as a MAJOR success. The comic books have been selling since about 2003, and the TV series has only been on since 2010. Since the TV series is so popular, the comics have really seen a huge increase in value and rarity. I only wish I had bought the series when they were brand new. I've always seen the books on the shelf ready to buy but I always passed them up thinking the premise of a zombie apocalypse was just dumb. But now that the show is hugely popular, I wanted to give it a shot. I haven't seen the show yet. But I found my store sold the Compendium (volume 1 (link)) which was basically the first 48 issues in one HUGE book. I bought it, but again, haven't read it yet. A few weeks later he was selling volume 2, so I went ahead and grabbed that too. Volume 2 contains the next 49-96 issues. As of today, issue number 115 is about to hit shelves tomorrow. So I'm caught up for the most part, I just need to read them. I'm a true believe in the philosophy that "the books are better than the movies/shows" so I really wanted to read the books before I gave the TV show a chance. I'm sure with all the popularity of the show, that it won't be a let down. The stories are so much more about the individual character's growth as opposed to just a long drawn out fight after fight, which is why I'm going to give it a chance.

That being said, the games are probably just as good, but I'm not interested in playing them until I've read the books and seen the show. I don't really want to play the game before hand and ruin everything else. Of course, the game might just be taking place in the same time/place/universe but not even involving any of the main cast of characters, in which case I'm just being dumb. But on the other hand, it might be central to the main characters as either a direct reimagining of events already happening, or a side story. In either case, I still want to wait.

Have fun playing it though, I've heard it's good.

[Draco1962]

Slightly off topic, but The Walking Dead starts Season 4 this Sunday at 9PM EST on AMC! Yeah BUDDY!

[KRC]

I purchased a copy of Resident Evil Revelations off ebay today as this topic inspired me to do so, it sort of goes with this whole theme of spooky.

[nullPointer]

That being said, the games are probably just as good, but I'm not interested in playing them until I've read the books and seen the show. I don't really want to play the game before hand and ruin everything else. Of course, the game might just be taking place in the same time/place/universe but not even involving any of the main cast of characters, in which case I'm just being dumb. But on the other hand, it might be central to the main characters as either a direct reimagining of events already happening, or a side story. In either case, I still want to wait.

Have fun playing it though, I've heard it's good.

I think having read (some of) the comics and watched the show has increased my enjoyment of the game, and naturally the comics are probably the best introduction to the world in general. The show is absolutely brilliant as well though. Season 1 has some hit or miss moments IMO (which isn't to say it's bad by any means), but I think it's generally increased in quality as it's gone along (although I think S01E01 is one of the best pieces of television I've ever seen). I haven't read the entire comic series by any means. I'm planning on really digging in at some point in the future.

At any rate I will say one thing about the game and that's all I'll say since the potential for spoilers is huge in this series be it comics, show, or game. The main characters appearing in the game are unique to the game, so it's a side story to the events going on in the central series. There are a few cameo characters from the main stories appearing in the game (maybe more - I've not completed the game yet), but they appear before the events chronicled in the main series. So in that sense it's probably more rewarding to have some foreknowledge going in, otherwise you miss out on that, "Oh my god that's so-and-so!" effect.

Hey 'tis the season for zombie stories - maybe it's time to dive into that compendium!

[DazzleHP]

although I think S01E01 is one of the best pieces of television I've ever seen). I haven't read the entire comic series by any means. I'm planning on really digging in at some point in the future.

Agreed - it's a masterful piece of cinematography but i watched s01e02-4/5 and i got bored. I'm a bit of a zombie phreak, i love all that "my son is diseased, i love my son, should i risk getting diseased for my son? Oh i love my son" stuff, but i also get switched off when there is too many dramatics, and after 4/5 episodes, it seemed to me anyway that dramatics were the focus of this show. Don't get me wrong i like story backlogs and character building but you gotta have more tense moments! I may be totally wrong about this and should probably give it another shot, but don't open with such an amazing pilot, only to quiet down. Just saying.

[hansolo77]

The drama is what this series is about (from what I've read/heard). That's why I'm interested. If it was just action all the time, I wouldn't bother.