Cursed Mountatain

Sometimes a night in is better (or at least cheaper) than a night out. And with October being the season for scares, what better way to spend the early hours of the morning playing scary video games in the dark while your roommates are out for the night? It’s better than sitting through an entire marathon of A Nightmare on Elm St. movies. In honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday, here’s a list of games that will surely get your adrenalin pumping, as they dish out the frights, and if you can’t handle the games, we’ve included some acceptable movie substitutes.
 
 
 
 
 

Batman Arkham Asylum

Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Release: 8/25/09
The Dark Night may have changed the way people think about just how scary of a place Gotham City is, but what makes a Batman game so scary? Well, how about the thought of being trapped inside Arkham Asylum with just about every adversary you’ve ever had, from The Joker to Killer Croc. Oh, and everyone’s pretty pissed off that you’re the one that put them there.
Acceptable Move Substitute: The Dark Knight Returns
 

Cursed Mountain

Platform: Wii
Release: 8/25/09
Your brother has disappeared and you have to climb a mountain full of cursed monks, witches, and creepy giant bird monsters to try and find out what happened to him. If the premise doesn’t scare you the game’s random cuts to screaming ghosts will. It’s kind of like during hell week, when your frat would wake you up in the middle of the night, blindfold you, and just leave you in the forest to make your way home. Ok, not exactly like that, but close.
Acceptable Move Substitute: The Thing

Dead Space: Extraction

Platform: Wii
Release: 9/29/09
This prequel follow up to last year’s spooky FPS is an on-rails shooter that helps fill in the gaps as to what exactly happened on that unfortunate space station. It’s a game that proves that all those years of education to be an astronaut, and work in outer space, don’t necessarily pay off, at least not when things go horribly wrong. Houston… we have a problem.
Acceptable Move Substitute: Event Horizon
 

Ju-On: The Grudge

Platform: Wii
Release: 10/13/09
You saw The Grudge, now play the game based on the original Japanese version of the movie. “Ju-On” sticks you inside a haunted house with one creepy little girl. All you’re packing is a Wiimote controlled flashlight, and a lot of bravado if you think you’re going to make it through with out jumping. As an added bonus, the “multiplayer” lets a second player, say your roommate, control the house, just in case you weren’t scared of them enough (no one should consume that much creatine in a day).
Acceptable Move Substitute: Ju-On (The Japanese version)

Saw

Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Release: 10/6/09
You’ve watched him taunt numerous victims in his movies, but now he’s after you. Do you have the brains and the guts to figure out Jigsaw’s puzzles before time runs out? And when that clock hits zero, it’s not as simple as “pencils down,” not even close. Also, in case you weren’t afraid of clowns enough yet, Jigsaw brought his little clown doll, Billy, along to haunt your dreams again.
Acceptable Move Substitute: Saw (duh)
 

House of the Dead: Overkill

Platform: Wii
Release: 2/10/09
Zombies over here, zombies over there, zombies everywhere. What better way to put an end to the undead than with a foul-mouthed AMS Special Agent, a stereotypical ladies man, and a stripper? The game’s grindhouse feel will appeal to not only the Quentin Tarentino fan in you, but also the Robert Rodriguez fan in that cute girl you met at the bar last night.
Acceptable Move Substitute: Planet Terror
 

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

Platform: Wii
Release: 11/17/09
What’s a scary game list without a “Resident Evil” game on it? “Darkside Chronicles” fills in some of the gaps in the “R.E.” universe’s history, taking place during or around “R.E. 2″ and “Code: Veronica.” BUt, it doesn’t really matter when, or where the “Resident Evil” games take place, as long as there’s zombies… and lots of ‘em.
Acceptable Move Substitute: The Dark Knight Returns
 
 

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Platform: Wii
Release: 12/8/09
“Shattered Memories” is so scary that it starts off with you taking a psychological evaluation test. How you answer each question will depend on your course through the game, which will not be easy, as all your armed with is a flashlight, and the ability to run, which, as anyone who has visited Silent Hill before will tell you, isn’t that comforting.
Acceptable Move Substitute: Silent Hill
 

Ghosts ‘n Goblins

Platform: Wii Virtual Console
Release: 12/10/07 and 11/86
It’s one of the original 8-bit scarefests, with everything all these other games have, and more. Don’t write it off just because it doesn’t look as “pretty” as “Left 4 Dead 2,” because what this game lacks in looks, it makes up for in challenge. Go ahead, just try and beat it – you won’t – it will destroy you.
Acceptable Move Substitute: Little Monsters (Howie Mandel under your bed is the scariest thought ever.)