The survival horror franchise has taken video games by storm, especially recently, with the advent of blockbuster franchises clearly defining themselves in this genre. We won’t get into specifics just yet but unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of many of these games. It seems we all like to get a little scared from time to time so without further ado, our Top 5 Survival Horror Games.
5. Condemned 2: Bloodshot – This wasn’t a great game so before we go off the rails, let’s just get this out of the way. It takes a true survival horror fan to see the potential in a game like Condemned 2 but allow me to spell it out for you. For starters this game is in first person view which is very different considering most survival horror games are in third person. You also spend most of the game getting up close and personal with the people trying to kill you. Melee is a primary means of attack and though there are some guns, it doesn’t go very far. Between the two different changes, it manages to capture the essence of survival horror quite well and for that I give it a spot on the list.
4. Siren - A relatively obscure title but don’t let its infamy decide whether or not this is worth playing because it most certainly is. This game is just downright scary and what makes it so are the enemies you fight. These aren’t zombies but possessed cultists who can operate like a person but is a lot tougher to take down. There is no running away from these guys so you will find yourself in combat when you seem them and you aren’t going to have much in the way of weaponry to stop them. You can hide but you can only do so for so long before you need move forward. If you have the chance to play this, give it a shot. This is best played in the dark for the maximum effect.
3. Dead Space - A relative new comer to the franchise but its ability to scare the pants off you is still prevalent. The fact that the game was built in the HD era of gaming, certainly helps its ability to scare people but it doesn’t rely on just effects to work its magic. What really puts this game over the top are the enemies you fight. In the game they are the deformed and tortured human crew of the ship you are exploring but they look nothing like the humans they were. When you have a virtual army of these monstrosities chasing you around a ship in space, it gets pretty intense.
2. Silent Hill Franchise – Silent Hill took the idea of the unknown and expanded it into a franchise that helped put survival horror on the map. The story telling in the series has always been top notch and that has helped get this title embraced by gamers. When you combine that with solid gameplay elements and more than a handful of truly tense moments, you get this series in a nutshell. Even the movie based on the video game seemed to be able to capture some of the tension from the games and just imagine the impact the movie would have had, had the movie done a better job.
1. Resident Evil Franchise - You have to clump these together to truly appreciate the impact that Resident Evil has had on survival horror games. Resident Evil has always lead the way and any other place other than first would not do this franchise justice. In my opinion, the original Resident Evil was one of the first horror games to add the tension and game play which helped create the genre to begin with. Sparse ammo distribution, hidden enemies and dark, dreary environments have always been the hallmark for Resident Evil and those elements were extremely strong and its impression on gamers at the time is still being felt. Few people fail to remember specific moments in the game that really gave them a scare. For that and for what it did back in the early days, as well as today, we have to give Resident Evil the top spot.