The Top Ten Scariest Games of All Time
Posted by James Hawkins at 10:41 AM Feb 18, 2010
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| Top Ten Scariest Games |
From Aliens to Zombies, video game developers have covered a massive array of horror concepts. Here at Joystick Division, we have compiled a list of the most horrifying, disturbing, and innovative horror titles of all time. Spanning the old and the new, the best-selling titles and the sleeper hits, we look to bring you the best of the scariest. So grab your adult diapers, because we've got the games that will make you have to leave the lights on. Enjoy!
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| Uh...plannin' to chop some wood with that there hatchet...Mister? |
10. Siren: Blood Curse (2008)
PlayStation 3
In 2003, a Japanese survival horror title called Siren hit the PlayStation 2. The story centers around a number of protagonists scattered about an isolated little village in the mountains of Japan (automatically scary, right?). One night the town got disturbed and, in turn, a cult got pissed off and produced a bunch of fast, smart zombies. Siren: Blood Curse is a loose remake/update of that original title. Brought to the PlayStation 3 with improved graphics and an updated overall gameplay, this survival horror game blends tension, compelling storytelling and gruesome monster design. Oh, and this is also partly a stealth game -- your arsenal is limited, so don't expect to blow away all of your problems. And you will have a lot of problems.
Scariest Aspect: Sightjack. Hands down. It may not produce the most jumps, but nothing is creepier than watching a zombie annihilate you through its own eyes.
9. System Shock 2 (1999)
PC
This is a game of subtle fear. System Shock 2 was released over a decade ago, but its influence remains a definite constant in the video game industry. In the then-unique, sci-fi RPG/FPS hybrid, you take the role of a soldier, code-named G65434-2, who is commissioned to escort a light-speed vessel on its test run. During the mission, the crew receives a distress beacon from a nearby planet and goes to investigate. This is where things start to go haywire. On the planet, the rescue team finds a bunch of strange eggs. So, like so many brilliant space explorers, they decide to take some samples back to the ship. Then people start acting very weird. A few months later, soldier G65434-2 wakes up from a cryogenic sleep, remembering nothing. From there, you discover a vibrant setting where you battle your way through alien-infested enemies -- all crew members of your ship. And, as it turns out, you are being led by your former arch-nemesis (from System Shock), who is called SHODAN. Not only are you a lonely soldier battling mutated foes, you have to rely on someone who has screwed you around a bunch in the past.
Scariest Aspect: Discovery. When you wake from your cryo-chamber, you don't know what the hell is going on, and you certainly don't have the weapons to deal with those that oppose.
8. Doom 3 (2004)
PC, Xbox, Mac OS X
Scariest Aspect: Sightjack. Hands down. It may not produce the most jumps, but nothing is creepier than watching a zombie annihilate you through its own eyes.
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| Best friend/Arch-nemesis |
9. System Shock 2 (1999)
PC
This is a game of subtle fear. System Shock 2 was released over a decade ago, but its influence remains a definite constant in the video game industry. In the then-unique, sci-fi RPG/FPS hybrid, you take the role of a soldier, code-named G65434-2, who is commissioned to escort a light-speed vessel on its test run. During the mission, the crew receives a distress beacon from a nearby planet and goes to investigate. This is where things start to go haywire. On the planet, the rescue team finds a bunch of strange eggs. So, like so many brilliant space explorers, they decide to take some samples back to the ship. Then people start acting very weird. A few months later, soldier G65434-2 wakes up from a cryogenic sleep, remembering nothing. From there, you discover a vibrant setting where you battle your way through alien-infested enemies -- all crew members of your ship. And, as it turns out, you are being led by your former arch-nemesis (from System Shock), who is called SHODAN. Not only are you a lonely soldier battling mutated foes, you have to rely on someone who has screwed you around a bunch in the past.
Scariest Aspect: Discovery. When you wake from your cryo-chamber, you don't know what the hell is going on, and you certainly don't have the weapons to deal with those that oppose.
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| Good doggie. That's right. Nice doggie...ah, AHHHH |
8. Doom 3 (2004)
PC, Xbox, Mac OS X
Sometimes, a reboot to an old franchise is awesome. In 2004, Activision released the much-anticipated, non-sequential sequel to 1994s Doom II. This new version was a total make-over to the seminal Doom franchise. Set in the future, a prototype teleport machine goes haywire and brings Hell to the small space-going community on the cold red dirt of Mars. As a nameless space marine, you have to battle demons in their quest to reach and destroy Earth. Simple enough, except that the demons are hideous, frightening, aggressive creatures that want only one thing: to jack you up as quick as possible. Brought to the latest-generation consoles, Doom 3 impressed not only in its ability to scare, but also its ability to make the gamer feel like a complete badass throughout the whole game.
Scariest Aspect: Seemingly desolate hallways with demons ready to leap. Sure, this type of scare gets very obvious and predictable about halfway through the game, I'll give you that. But you can't tell me you didn't lose it the first dozen or so times you encountered this brilliant tactic.
7. F.E.A.R (2005)
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
F.E.A.R, or First Encounter Assault Recon, is an example of psychological horror at its finest. Rarely in this game do you encounter persistent, tangible terror. You take on the role of a point-man for a spec-ops reconnaissance team that is sent into abandoned technology plant. While looking for the catalyst for the destruction of the labs, the anonymous hero encounters mind-controlled soldiers tasked with defending the derelict work environment. It becomes obvious that no one wants you to uncover the secrets behind the destruction. On top of that a little girl, who bears a resemblance to The Ring's Samara, is constantly wreaking incredible havoc on your psyche. You become mentally unstable. You see her crawling along hallways, dashing between the shadows -- she is screwing with your mind. And you definitely want to get the hell out.
Scariest Aspect: Seemingly desolate hallways with demons ready to leap. Sure, this type of scare gets very obvious and predictable about halfway through the game, I'll give you that. But you can't tell me you didn't lose it the first dozen or so times you encountered this brilliant tactic.
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| Hush, Little Baby, Don't Say a Word |
7. F.E.A.R (2005)
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
F.E.A.R, or First Encounter Assault Recon, is an example of psychological horror at its finest. Rarely in this game do you encounter persistent, tangible terror. You take on the role of a point-man for a spec-ops reconnaissance team that is sent into abandoned technology plant. While looking for the catalyst for the destruction of the labs, the anonymous hero encounters mind-controlled soldiers tasked with defending the derelict work environment. It becomes obvious that no one wants you to uncover the secrets behind the destruction. On top of that a little girl, who bears a resemblance to The Ring's Samara, is constantly wreaking incredible havoc on your psyche. You become mentally unstable. You see her crawling along hallways, dashing between the shadows -- she is screwing with your mind. And you definitely want to get the hell out.
Scariest Aspect: Slogging through blood-filled hallways, cringing at amorphous creatures in the florescent backlight.
6. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
Xbox 360, PC
What makes Condemned: Criminal Origins so damn scary isn't the plot or the atmosphere. It's the gritty, visceral, brawler-style combat that forces you to get up-close-and-personal with your enemy. Set in an unnamed urban sprawl, you follow Ethan Thomas, an SCU (Serial Crimes Unit) officer, as he tracks down a violent killer called Match Maker. This killer has a distinct calling card -- he stages dramatic scenes of marital disputes with his victims -- and you are on the trail. The plot is complicated by a bit of mistaken identity and some inconvenient red herrings, but the protagonist follows his case through all the hurdles. But like I said, this isn't what makes the game terrifying... it's the weighty, physical, hand-to-hand combat that Ethan is forced to use while he investigates the murders and tries to keep a step ahead of the law. His enemies? Mostly the homeless, or the drug-addicted, the violent products of street corners and the peculiar aura that seems to inundate the city that Ethan has made his home. Watch for the dimming lights in their eyes as you shatter their skulls with a thick pipe or shovel.
Scariest Aspect: Definitely when you go from beating up regular bums to defending yourself from the rapid, vast infestation of zombie-like creatures in the subway system.
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| How handsome. |
6. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
Xbox 360, PC
What makes Condemned: Criminal Origins so damn scary isn't the plot or the atmosphere. It's the gritty, visceral, brawler-style combat that forces you to get up-close-and-personal with your enemy. Set in an unnamed urban sprawl, you follow Ethan Thomas, an SCU (Serial Crimes Unit) officer, as he tracks down a violent killer called Match Maker. This killer has a distinct calling card -- he stages dramatic scenes of marital disputes with his victims -- and you are on the trail. The plot is complicated by a bit of mistaken identity and some inconvenient red herrings, but the protagonist follows his case through all the hurdles. But like I said, this isn't what makes the game terrifying... it's the weighty, physical, hand-to-hand combat that Ethan is forced to use while he investigates the murders and tries to keep a step ahead of the law. His enemies? Mostly the homeless, or the drug-addicted, the violent products of street corners and the peculiar aura that seems to inundate the city that Ethan has made his home. Watch for the dimming lights in their eyes as you shatter their skulls with a thick pipe or shovel.
Scariest Aspect: Definitely when you go from beating up regular bums to defending yourself from the rapid, vast infestation of zombie-like creatures in the subway system.
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Comments
The Fatal Frame series makes me poop my pants in sheer terror. I can barely play fifteen minutes without having some kind of heart attack.
Yes, I'm a wuss.
Posted 02/18/2010 at 11:09:49 AMI know, right? Who though the horror-version of Pokemon Snap would be so scary?
Posted 02/18/2010 at 02:32:42 PMAnd here comes the endless string of belligerent jackasses to complain about how shitty this list is.
Posted 02/18/2010 at 03:11:07 PMSilent Hill 2 is the only game to give me nightmares. And I was 25 when i played it.
Posted 02/18/2010 at 03:17:09 PMthis ones pretty good ur lucky fear made the list cause i would not be happy if it didnt
Posted 02/18/2010 at 03:19:34 PMI've played most of these, and I totally agree regarding Lisa Trevor. Also, I think Fatal Frame 2 is the absolute scariest game ever, because when that little fuse turned red I would dadgum FREAK.
Posted 02/18/2010 at 03:58:44 PMFair review. Condemned is one of my favorites. Bloodshot is amazing too. I'm glad to see Resident Evil as #1. Probably my favorite horror games of all time. It's the only game that's made me jump and yelp. I NEED to play the silent Hill series. I've never played it and I feel I'm missing out
Posted 02/18/2010 at 04:03:29 PMthey are scary, but i still think a nightmare on elm street flash game is gthe best online scary game:
Posted 02/19/2010 at 01:35:19 AMhttp://www.mywebcade.com/game/1112/1428-Elm-Street.html
I'd add Phantasmagoria (the first one) to the list. I remember playing that game in the wee hours of morning, scared out of my skin.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 01:40:33 AMPhantasmagoria was pretty scary back in the day.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 01:50:28 AMNeeded AVP2 Human Campaign in there.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 01:52:59 AMPARASITE EVE!
Posted 02/19/2010 at 01:59:00 AMThe author might want to do some more research into System Shock 2. That summary is mostly wrong. Can't say much for any of the other games except Doom 3 and F.E.A.R, and those look ok.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:09:26 AMLast poster -
Sorry about the messy explanation of System Shock 2. I try to be as accurate as possible and it has been a very long while since I played that title -- I cleaned it up and made sure all the facts were straight.
And rest assured, all the other ones are right.
J
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:40:59 AMno Clive Barker's Undying??
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:55:17 AMUh....S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
C'mon.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:55:59 AMClive Barker's Undying.
1. Ghosts were quick. And when they hit you, often you would get spun somehow. Cue panic to reorient yourself and find your assailant.
2. You had this scrying ability that would show you gory scenes related to the family's recent slaughter. So as you wandered through their haunted mansion, you would get to parts where you knew something bad had gone down, and you started to dread turning on the scry because you knew you were going to see something nasty.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:58:16 AMClive Barker's Undying should be on there for sure
Posted 02/19/2010 at 03:25:35 AMno Project Zero ?
Posted 02/19/2010 at 03:36:23 AMClearly the author has never played S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 04:28:30 AMThe Lurking Horror. Amiga text adventure with sound, from Infocom. Based on HP Lovecraft's work. The only game that's literally scared me out of my chair.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 05:05:22 AMundying
Posted 02/19/2010 at 05:08:04 AMI have no mouth and I must scream; Alone in the Dark I -these games still scare the living daylight out of me. (Call of Chtulhu is another great one.)
Posted 02/19/2010 at 05:21:44 AMResident Evil the scariest game of all time? Seriously?
Posted 02/19/2010 at 05:30:34 AMNo shit eh..... ?Ya know it's amazing, I pretty much agree with everything,(unusual for me) except I think RE4 should have been on top. It's position has probably been weakened through over exposure.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 06:09:10 AMStalker series? Yup, this is a stupid list...
Posted 02/19/2010 at 06:43:41 AMWell for me bioshock2 is the scariest thing and why don't you add silent hill that game is scray also if your not scared in any games then try playing it while the light is turn off and ur only one in your room and the effect will start lol
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:03:23 AM"Clive Barker's Undying" should be in top 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Barker%27s_Undying
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:04:12 AMWhat about Alien vs Predator?
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:38:08 AMEspecially the marine champaign?
resident evil? one of the less scary games Ive played.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:49:42 AMWow, this is some pretty cool stuff dude.
Jess
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:49:50 AMwww.anonymous-tools.se.tc
Deathgamer said: Well for me bioshock2 is the scariest thing and why don't you add silent hill that game is scray also if your not scared in any games then try playing it while the light is turn off and ur only one in your room and the effect will start lol
There's a Silent Hill title on the list.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 09:11:42 AMResident evil is a great action game, but is in no way a scary one.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 09:19:00 AMum, failure to include Call of Cthulhu, bad. you start the game off with no weaponry, and even after the game has progressed a fair bit, ammo is still hard to come by (i know, not revolutionary or new by any means). but! you start the game, the few people left in the town hate you. not just because you're a reporter, but because you're not one of them (and later you find out it's becuase you dont wander around mumbling :i'a hydra... i'a dagon..."). anyway, you check into the shitty hotel room, and you hear talking outside. they're coming to kill you. you have nothing to defend yourself with. so you end up frantically running from room to room through side doors, locking the doors to the rooms RIGHT as they get to them, and blocking shit with bookcases and beds and whatever the else feels heavy, but you better hurry, because they're still breaking down the doors and shooting at you. and you run, like a scared little girl (i should know, i wet my knickers. dont ask me why i was wearing knickers. they made me feel pretty. shut up.) hit a window, outside, and they're still hunting you. oh yeah, and there's the room you get locked in, where if you dont figure out how to get out, dagon drives you insane and makes you kill yourself. YEAH. THAT DAGON. fail! (and i still say F.E.A.R. wasnt scary. there was way too much predictable gotchaism in that for me to buy into it.)
Posted 02/19/2010 at 10:10:47 AMI found the Dark Fall series pretty damn scary, especially when played late at night :-)
Posted 02/19/2010 at 10:26:59 AMdisappointing review -- try harder guys
Posted 02/19/2010 at 10:40:08 AMI hate seeing resident evil at the top of every one of these lists; i especially hate seeing resident evil 4 being even Mentioned as a scary game (cause it was NOT scary)
that being said, man, i really want to play REmake again, like... now.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 11:31:43 AMFail.
No Clock Tower.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:58:19 PMNo Clock Tower?
Insta-fail. :3
Posted 02/19/2010 at 02:59:39 PMNo Aliens vs. Predator??? The first AVP is creepy. Also Alien 3 for genesis is extremely scary /hard. At least you got Silent Hill 2 up there.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 04:30:37 PMThank you for adding clock tower as an honorable mention. I think it should have mae the list but your list is pretty solid.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 05:23:16 PMWhoever thinks Silent Hill and System Shock 2 are scarier than Resident Evil, you are pussies and stupids!
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:04:05 PMResident evil got first place its not even that scary.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:22:20 PMthese are all scary games though dead space isn't that scary i reckon Fear should be way lower.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 08:57:58 PMwww.likemyscreenshot.com
Honestly I think Fallout 3 had some really scary and creepy parts to it, like The Dunwich Building. Of course it isn't really a horror game but still it was pretty scary.
Posted 02/19/2010 at 11:41:40 PMPENUMBRA, most of you will quit before even playing for 1 hour! I DARE YOU!
Follow descriptions etc. Play in dark room, follow gamma instructions etc., high volume.
YOU WILL GIVE UP!
Posted 02/20/2010 at 12:09:38 AMdead space isnt that scary
Posted 02/20/2010 at 12:06:55 PMwow no clive barkers undying
Resident Evil? Really? With games like Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame 2 on this list, RE is just a series of "boo!" scares. A Scary game is one where you're playing it at 1am with all the lights out, your mouth dry as there's nothing going on on the screen at the moment but you know that there will be soon and then... your cat brushes your leg and you nearly crap your pants.
Resident Evil is a like watching a Zombie movie made within the past 20 years. Not that scary, plenty of blood and guts and disgusting looking Zombies and a "BOO!" every now and again.
Basically, I'm displeased with RE being #1. I'd accept #10
Posted 02/20/2010 at 12:45:52 PMDon't be idiots, there was nothing scary about Eternal Darkness. Let it go and just accept.
Posted 02/20/2010 at 01:22:45 PMOk i agree with the list. I think he forgot nightmare creatures. But i think today the first place goes to Silent Hill:Shattered Memories for PSP! Omg try it, its scary as hell the games got a fking camera and u know how much its gonna scare!
Posted 02/20/2010 at 01:42:51 PMOk it may just be me but in batman arkham asylum those lunatics that would just on you and choke you scared the sh*t out of me because they just jumped out of nowhere but then again i havnt plaed any really scary games
Posted 02/20/2010 at 04:17:17 PMPlaying Fatal Frame right now. I can't play it for more than 1 hour at a time and that's with my GF next to me. Played Dead Space, RE2, FEAR and while they have their moments, none inspire the constant, unnerving dread of Fatal Frame. As a general rule, I think the more weapons you have, the scariness factor decreases exponentially.
Posted 02/20/2010 at 05:47:06 PMDead Space number 3? Really? Sure, the environments were fantastic, but they weren't scary. Startling and a bit ominous, maybe, but there's more focus on the action than subtle scares and you get pretty used to the necromorphs and there's no real surprises after you first get grabbed by a tentacle.
Posted 02/20/2010 at 09:50:10 PMhow does dead space end up at spot 3?
i mean seriously dead space is one of my favorite games, but it was not scary.
it was so predictable it was annoying, like i would walk into a elevator the lights would blow out, the camera would turn around facing the closing doors.
so i would say let me guess a necromorph is going to leap out and try to pry the doors open.
and what happened?
exactly.
also you forgot the scariest game of all time.
the suffering!
that was so epically gory it was scary.
a really old game and i still get scared shitless playing it even though i have completed it like 15 times it still scares the crap out of me.
doom 3 should be closer to the top, along with F.E.A.R
the suffering, doom 3 and F.E.A.R are the only games ive played that i could call scary.
siren blood curse is not scary, that was boring as hell!
i downloaded the first episode off PSN and thanked god i did not buy all of them, it bored the shit out of me!
sadly scary games are a dying breed though, sadly.
Posted 02/21/2010 at 01:28:07 AMlook at this list, the latest one is dead space which was not scary, so go back to the latest one that was actually scary which is doom 3 a 6 year old game.
kinda sad!
its a shame really, all horror games even horror movies these days have either turned into torture porn like SAW or turned into action like resident evil.
come on i need another doom, another F.E.A.R, another THE SUFFERING!
resident evil? what about D or alien vs predator?
Posted 02/21/2010 at 07:34:42 AMI definitely agree with #1. Lisa Trevor gave me some serious nightmares. :-/
Posted 02/22/2010 at 06:30:13 PMPenumbra : Black Plague
Posted 02/22/2010 at 09:02:36 PMIs the scariest game you will ever play.. 15 minutes into it you will agree. Good story and plenty of evil. Look it up on youtube or buy it on steam you will love it.
Undying
Posted 02/23/2010 at 12:40:16 AMtry to play that in dark room
Without any mention of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, this article is fail.
Posted 02/23/2010 at 12:49:50 AMLOL the scariest game of all time is MYST
Posted 02/23/2010 at 12:52:31 PMI can't believe none of these scariest lists ever mention 7th guest. That game was super creepy.
Posted 02/23/2010 at 12:57:11 PMI had to quit playing doom 3. I kept jumping every time something popped out at me. And knowing something was behind me, creeped me out.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 05:29:22 PMYou forgot the cream of the crop "D" and also by WARP, "Enemy Zero" You can't even see your enemies in that game. Only know their orientation to you by sound. you hear them getting closer and closer, but can't see them.
Posted 03/16/2010 at 07:24:42 AMDead space isnt THE LEAST bit scary.
Posted 03/30/2010 at 06:25:32 PMFEAR has to be the scariest, along side fatal frame
I seriously think Siren: Blood Curse should've been top dog. I literally shit myself everytime a Shibito is after me.
Posted 04/04/2010 at 12:11:17 AMpersonally i have to say dead space is the single most scariest game i have ever played can't wait till dead space 2 in janurary 2011
Posted 04/12/2010 at 01:12:08 PMHow did RE get number 1#? Sure RE 1 is hard as Hell but I wouldn't call it scary.
Posted 04/17/2010 at 07:46:51 PMSilent Hill 2 is 10X scarier than resident evil. must disagree. but lets hear it for dead space getting top 3.
resident evil 5 sucked. the franchise should end cuz its just getting worse.
Posted 04/21/2010 at 09:24:55 PMF.E.A.R 2 is scary as hell, espeacialy when Alma pops up out of nowhere,crazy naked bitch.
Posted 04/23/2010 at 03:20:59 PM... Where the hell is Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth? That exclusion makes this game invalid. You should have named it: "Top Ten scariest games that a 13 year old who shops at walmart plays" One of the worst lists ever. I mean, awful. Absolutely terrible.
Posted 04/26/2010 at 08:12:24 PMthey forgot the devil may cry series, in all honesty i think that devil may cry is scarier than resident evil, especially devil may cry 1 those things with the strings on them scared the crap out of me when i was younger and i had no problem playing resident evil
Posted 05/25/2010 at 09:28:59 PMThe Silent Hill games make me sleep with the lights on, and are easily THE scariest games ever made. Resident Evil was scary the first time I played it (I was twelve, it was allowed) but now it's lost it's effect on me. I played Condemned a few years ago with the lights off and I think I aged about ten years. And, I think I'll be purchasing Fatal Frame and Clock Tower (always wanted it, never gotten around to it).
Posted 06/04/2010 at 10:09:56 AMthis shut is scary
Posted 06/24/2010 at 06:53:40 PMResident Evil shouldn't be at number one - about 7 I'd say.
But S.T.A.L.K.E.R SOC Should be here somewhere. In lab X18, I nearly shat myself.
And in HL2 Ravenholm was pretty creepy.
Posted 07/04/2010 at 06:21:28 PMGreat list. I must admit, I literally screamed when i played all of these. Just got Alan Wake, and I nearly piss myself every so often.
Posted 07/26/2010 at 09:40:22 PMwtf!! resident evil number one??? It doesnt scares shit.
What about clive barkers jericho and cliver barkers undying?
What about the suffering?
There more games better than the ones in that list.
Posted 08/01/2010 at 01:54:41 AMWhat's d scariest game online?? On ps3 ps home ders Siren its very scary u have 2 find d key. I played Dementrium n' Dementrium 2 but not dat scary.
Posted 08/08/2010 at 02:18:23 PMclive barker's jericho, fatal frame series, f.e.a.r. series, the grudge (wii), dead space
Posted 08/13/2010 at 04:32:04 AMresident evil?
Posted 08/24/2010 at 09:32:41 PM