Top 10 Halloween Themed games

You know, when I was first tasked with developing a story that fit in with the Halloween theme, I couldn’t think of anything to do. At that time, I had probably watched Friday the 13th about seven times in 3 days, which is something I could never ever advise another person to do. It wasn’t because it was good; it was just how…formulaic of an experience it was. So… unfortunately, if anyone was looking forward to it, I’m probably going to pass on writing an article about how the creepy old man is the most awesome horror movie character ever. In its place, I’ll deal with something a feel a bit more comfortable with; games. Specifically, games with a horror twist. Keep in mind that this isn’t a top ten scary games or survival horror list; it’s just games that fit in with that Halloween spirit that I highly advise people to at least give a shot. Also, the list is in no particular order, it’s just a list of stuff you NEED to play.

#10 – Zombiepox


Starting with one of the indie treasures I’ve recently come across, Zombiepox is a nice and entertaining twist on the standard destroy-all-zombies gameplay style presented in most games. Instead of trying to destroy them, you control one person with a few other humans behind you. Your ultimate goal is to protect the people behind you, but keep in mind that if a zombie comes in contact with them, they convert to the other team and you’ll find yourself trying to develop a strategy to prevent that from happening. The unique and addictive aspect of this game is the fact that instead of trying to kill all of the zombies approaching you, instead your character has brains that they can throw on the ground, which don’t go far but when a zombie comes in contact with it, they convert back to being a human, which means that in order to clear a level, you have to switch every single zombie back into a human friend, with each level increasing the odds against the player. The biggest reason this is on the list is the fact that it’s free and doesn’t require much at all to actually run it, so at least download the file if you’ve got a moment.

#9 – Cottage of Doom

In contrast to the last title, this game is everything you love about survival horror compressed into an addictive 2d experience. Instead of having to go through some spooky mansion or town, instead you’re trapped inside of a single cottage with one objective: Live. At first, the game seems easy, and it’s really creative how in this 2 dimensional game, you can actually move objects in the house to barricade doors or destroy them if you’re trying to snipe out of a window or find precious ammo, which is sparsely distributed. While it’s a simple game at its core, it’s also amazing at how you find yourself really feeling the pressure when you can tell that you’re close to dying as the zombies start to come into the rooms from every possible direction, destroying doors, windows, tables, chairs, and whatever else while you desperately fire off those last few rounds, finally succumbing to their attacks. Again, it’s another small and free game, and it’s well worth checking out.

#8 – Dead Rising

The perfect blend of action, difficulty, photography, and survival horror in my opinion. Dead Rising places you in the shoes of Frank (??), a photojournalist that has decided to investigate a mysterious barricade around a quiet suburban town. As you fly in, you get your first glimpses of the chaos erupting into town, you have no clue what lies in store for you as you’re helicopter drops you off at the top of a mall. Inside, you will literally spend hours upon hours battling your way through thousands of zombies, rescuing civilians, and utilizing any weapon you can find. From pistols, to knives to … hangers, and bowling balls, there’s endless hours of fun to be had here. While on release, many people counted off on the unforgiving save system, that part of the game is what actually gave it that survival feel, as you find yourself trying to figure out how much difficulty you’re going to have fighting back to a restroom on the opposite side of the mall and seeing if you can make it there without dying or not. While death does take you back to the beginning of the adventure, you do get to restart with all of your experience, allowing you to play through the game again more powerful than ever before, and after completing the game you unlock some nifty bonuses, such as the infinite survival mode. At it’s low price of 29.99 new, it’s a highly recommended game that is guaranteed to satisfy your thirst for hardcore zombie killing action.

#7 – Silent Hill 2


While Silent Hill 5 is the most recent entry and attempted to refine the controls and graphics, many people including myself still prefer the first entry of the series on the PS2. Placing you in control of James Sunderland, you’re sent into this mysterious town in search of your wife, who wrote a letter to you, informing you to return to your “special place.” While the graphics aren’t that incredible today, the storyline and character development, not to mention the intelligent use of the insight to each characters psychological demons if you wish to delve that far into the experience. If that’s not your game, it’s still an incredibly creepy game to this day with multiple endings and a low price if you can find it. The Xbox re-release, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams added in another chapter to the game if you want to try that out.

#6 –RE1 Remake (GC)


Another survival horror classic. Resident Evil 4 is the one that redefined the series, and while many agree that it was a good game, it crept away from the slower paced dread and tension that the player felt entering each room. Fortunately, if you’re still looking for that classic gameplay with greatly improved voice acting over the original title, look no further than the remake of the original, available only on Gamecube. While the Resident Evil 1 on Playstation is highly regarded as the first game to ever get the gameplay of the genre right, the voice acting was one of the games that left people highly divided, mostly due to horrendous voice acting. Everyone agrees that the voice acting in the game was bad, but for some people, that helped the game engulf them, capturing the feeling of a B-movie. For others, the work was done so bad that they quickly abandoned the game. Luckily, Capcom heard the pleas of many gamers years later and decided to upgrade the graphics and quality of voice acting with the incredibly successful RE-make on Gamecube. Sporting some of the most impressive graphics ever seen on the console, or perhaps even in the 128 bit era, along with new areas for vets and an exciting story for newcomers, the game holds a special place in many peoples hearts.

#5 - Resident Evil 2


What’s this?! There’s another Resident Evil game on the list? That’s right! Resident Evil 2 is by far my favorite game in the series, so I had to throw this one up here. It’s been on Dreamcast, PS1, and Gamecube, and N64 and is, in my opinion, the definitive RE experience. Taking you away from the drab mansion setting from the original title and placing you in the midst of the outbreak, this game sets an incredible tone and follows itself up all the way through to the end. While going back to the game, you’ll notice the graphics again don’t hold up very well, the actual gameplay itself is incredibly well, improving on the storyline elements and acting that plagued the first title. Aside from that, there’s not much to be said about the game itself without spoiling the plot, but it would probably be a good idea to play through it at least once if you’re planning on picking up RE5 to catch up on some of the elements that could be included in the plot. If you don’t feel like buying it, I’m sure there’s an ISO or ROM out there somewhere, just search for it.

#4 – Fatal Frame series


Any of the games in this series are guaranteed to scare the hell out of you at least once. The games place the player in control of a few different girls, each armed with nothing except a camera and the willpower to unravel the mystery each game sets forth upon them. For the player, one of the scariest aspects is the fact that you truly feel how vulnerable you are, walking through abandoned and haunted mansions, with no weapons to defend you from any of the horrors awaiting you inside. There are three basic types of encounters you’ll come across in the game, pertaining to ghosts. The non-threatening ones are the ones that tend to scare the hell out of you, occasionally walking through a wall or appearing in the very corners of your vision, only to disappear when you look for them. There are regular enemy fights, which aren’t frequent but each one feels threatening in its own way. Lastly, you have boss fights, each with its own unique way to defeat utilizing your camera and occasionally things in the environment. Two of the best things about the game, aside from the gameplay and graphics is the quality of the sound, especially if you’re using a surround sound setup or headphones. There’s nothing scarier than walking into a room, then hearing a door slam shut behind you, and you look around to find nothing there. There’s also the fact that the game is fun for both the player and anyone else watching, since there are so many surprises. The only flaw I’d give the games (yes, all of them) is that the storyline is never very compelling in my opinion. It’s something that you want to finish, but mainly because you want to see what else you’re going to find in the world and not so much because you’re motivated by the characters. The games are fairly expensive, but if you can find them in a video store or on gamefly, give them a shot.

#3 – Splatterhouse


This was probably completely unpredictable, and a lot of people probably don’t even remember the series. Splatterhouse isn’t exactly what many people think of nowadays as a horror game, but it terrified countless gamers back in the 90’s. The main character recently had his girlfriend taken from him and is on his quest to get her back, but in order to make it there, you have to fight through hordes of demons, zombies, mutants, and all sorts of other creepy crawlies the game throws at you. The biggest thing people remember about the title is how incredibly violent it was. In order to make it through the adventure, at the beginning of the game, your character picks up a mask, transforming him into superhuman hulking beast that is completely capable of decapitating foes with a single pucn. Even nowadays, this game isn’t for the squeamish, but for fans of retro games and looking for something short enough to finish, Splatterhouse is a title everyone needs to experience. Keep an eye out for the upcoming next gen version of it!

#2 – Brainbread (Half Life 1 mod)


Brainbread is…bizarre. I came across this mod a few years ago, and though I live in Georgia, I still fly down to Florida to hang out with some old friends, and ever since I found out about it, every time we have a lan, even with friends up here, we always end up spending a ridiculous amount of time in Brainbread. The game has a leveling system in place that is client based, so you could level up your character and join a friends server with an insanely powerful combatant, or you could start from scratch. There are a few character models in the game, but none of them are all that great. What’s really amazing about the game is the how addictive it can become. While I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the most impressive title on the market, or even in the HL1 mod scene, the zombies you fight are fun, even if they focus on just attacking you. Another thing to keep in mind is that once a teammate dies, they are transformed back into a zombie and you have to keep them from killing you, while they have to obtain a certain number of kills to return to human form against the players. That keeps the experience engaging, even though there are only a few maps. If you’ve got Half Life 1, the next time you have a LAN or just want to try a different type of game, give Brainbread a shot and let me know how it goes.

#1 – Zombies ate my neighbors


This game… Is…amazing. It’s not the most complicated game out there, but it’s a blast to play, especially in co-op. The goal is to make it to the end of the level while defeating a certain number of zombies and attempting to rescue civilians that are held up at different locations. The game itself uses this B-movie style, but plays like a weird version of Smash Tv. Instead of just fighting zombies, there are plenty of memorable enemies, such as a gigantic baby (I don’t know either). I’m keeping this brief because in my opinion, you should already be playing this instead of reading about it. The ROM has been around since 1998, so go pick it up, you’ve got no excuse not to! Oh, except..pirates are bad? Arrrr.

Honorable mentions:

Castlevania 3
Kid Dracula
Afraid of Monsters (hl1 mod)
FEAR
Dead Space
Hidden: Source

*note* this list..is ultimately just a list of stuff that has that theme. It's definitely not a top 10, so don't take it that way.