Halloween Video Games

Posted 10 years ago by myetvmedia

Nocturne (1999, PC)

You are a member of the Spookhouse, a special agency put together by Teddy Roosevelt to fight the supernatural. You are given four missions to play through, involving vampires, gangster Frankenstein monsters, and the Voodoo god Baron Samedi. Set in the 20s and 30s, it captures the vibes of the era really well, and draws on the pop culture and history of the era. H.P. Lovecraft and Al Capone stand on equal footing.

Fun, fresh, and terrifying, it’s as much for fans of hardboiled noir as horror fans. Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of horror and action.

 

Fatal Frame (PS2, Xbox, 2001)

When her brother goes missing while investigating an allegedly haunted mansion, Miku Hinasaki takes it on herself to find him. Armed with only a camera, she quickly finds herself on her own against vengeful spirits, demons and a lost love that transcends the grave.

This is a great game franchise, with four main games (only three have been released in the west) and two spin-offs. It draws on extensive mythology and folklore to create a unique gaming experience. Rather than blasting through monsters with high powered weaponry or proton packs, all you get is a camera that you can upgrade with new lenses, film and additional functions. The games can move quite slowly, which has restricted their mainstream appeal, but if you play it alone in a dark room, you will need some spare pants.

 

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (Gamecube, 2002)

When her grandfather dies in a locked room with no sign of forced entry, Alex Roivas is called home to identify the body. Ordinarily, the dental records could be checked, but, in this case, that is impossible. Because there is no head.

Tormented by whispered threats and guided by ghostly visions of her grandfather, Alex eventually finds a secret room and a book bound in human flesh. As she reads the book, the secret history of the world is revealed.

Stretching from the Roman Empire to the modern day, stopping in such times as World War 1 and the death of Charlamagne, Eternal Darkness is a massive game. It revisits the same areas repeatedly, but each time is at a different point in history. What in one level is a monastery is later converted into a wartime hospital, with plenty of sick and dying people ready to be turned into monsters. Every level, though set in a repeating group of areas, is wildly different each time. Throw in a cool magic system, some of the best voice acting in any video game and the legendary sanity effects (your game deletes itself, your head falls off, armies of monsters swarm you), and you have a wildly inventive, frightening game that fights against you every step of the way.

Donal O’Connor


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Halloween Video Games

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