by norm stovall normstovall@gmail.com
With Halloween creeping upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to name a few sure-to-spook games that will definitely entertain. Some may be new, and some you may have seen in this column. Either way, you should certainly check out these scary titles.
The first game that pops into my head is the original survival-horror game, Resident Evil. RE and all of its sequels have been generally well received for their spooky environments, entertaining story lines, and fun-but-scary surprises. Anyone with a Nintendo Gamecube or a Playstation 2 should check out Resident Evil 4, by far the best game in the Series. From the same creator, you can also check out Dead Rising for the Xbox 360, which is a spooky, goofy zombie game in the key of Shaun of the Dead.
Silent Hill is another series that you can add to the mix. These games are far less campy than Resident Evil games tend to be. While playing through Silent Hill 2, I pretty much struggled to get through it. The whole game just creeps me out, and the same can be said for Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4: The Room. With Silent Hill 4, I was truly spooked to the max, being a borderline claustrophobe and all- the whole game is centered on a guy that is basically stuck in his apartment. If you are looking for a chilling video game experience, look no further than the Silent Hill series. These games are available on both Xbox and Playstation 2.
There are a few other independent titles I can’t leave out. F.E.A.R. is one first-person shooter that really mixes the action with tension-based gameplay really well, and is available on PC CDROM and Xbox 360. You can also add Doom 3 to the list of scary first-person shooters. Doom 3 (and its expansions) is full of creepy-yet action packed gameplay for Xbox and PC CDROM. For a more adventurous spine-tingler, be sure to check out the Fatal Frame series on Xbox and PS2. Fatal Frame involves navigating spooky environments using a specialized camera that allows you to photograph spirits. Based on many Japanese superstitions and Shinto rituals, this is truly spooky stuff.
The Holiday release season has officially started, and preorders for the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 have all been filled at most game retailers in Jacksonville. That’s not to say you can’t have your fun with the current gen consoles, especially with the releases this week.
For the Xbox 360, we have the Highly-anticipated Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and Lumines Live, which is available for download over Xbox live for about 15 bucks. (Highly worth it in my opinion.)
For Playstation 2, the highly acclaimed and controversial title Bully is finally available. For all its worth, Bully is an amazing game that you really shouldn’t miss, especially if you are a fan of such books as Slinger’s A catcher in the Rye or Knowles’ A Separate Peace. Expect a full review soon!
Multi-Console releases include Justice League Heroes and Just Cause, both games that are great in their own rite, in addition to Legend of Spyro: a new beginning.
On the Nintendo DS, we have the much-anticipated Nintendogs: Dalmatian and Friends.
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