Games that genuinely scared you

Try Madison, you won't regret it.

It was recreated a couple times and put in VR. Konami had it taken down. That shit would probably kill someone, lol.

Penumbra 2 it was very good for the time as the market was not oversaturated with hide and seek style games.

I remember the first time I played the OG RE4 and came across the room with the regenerator lying on the slab and on the way out the room, it was gone. And I just sighed and told myself, "I don't feel like dealing with this right now". And turned the game off and played it the next day. I just didn't feel Iike jumpscares and stress that night

That reminds me… the first time you encountered the chainsaw guy lol

Man, I cant handle simple roller coaster in VR..lol

@hardwenzen: Dang, Wenzen. Starfield has had you traumatised for life.

Most of the games have already been mentioned , but anyway...

Resident Evil 1 & 2 (PS1) I will never forget the moment in Resi 2 when Mr. X totally unexpectedly breaks through the wall. I damn near had a heart-attack.

Silent Hill. Especially the hospital level and the crazy music. Check out the music at 8:40 if you forgot : https://youtu.be/IuNvT-wnauQ?si=hkVY22aeIGk7hzUJ

Until Dawn. The fact that you couldn't retry if a friend died made it extra scary.

It kinda did, i honestly wasn't expecting Bethesda to put such a low effort while trying to create a brand new IP to join their other two massive ones. I was absolutely certain that they'd go all in for this game, and defended Starfield for years before it was released. Look at that shit now, they even recycles the same wooden animations during conversations. Talk about an ultra disappointment.

Fear 1

Project Zero/Fatal Frame, Silent Hill 2,3,4 and P.T.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent also had its moments

@Litchie: Doom 1, 2, 64?

I felt like Doom 3 could have been more of a horror game, but once it finally gets started, it becomes a bit less of that kind of thing. A shame the early part is a bit creepy and had potential.

Lemme explain.

1. I was a child when I played them.

2.

That shit still gets me. xD

lol, yeah, there was definitely a depressing atmosphere but music kind of took me out of that. I think they could have made it scarier with simply a sound track change. Was playing Doom 64 I think a year or two back when it was re-released. It's quite good.

For sure, the early Doom games aren't scary in that sense. But I've been jump scared plenty of times, mostly thanks to that damn Baron of Hell scream.

And yes, Doom 64 is better than you'd think. I'd say it's underrated, considering no one seems to have played it.

Alien isolation was scary in parts always terrifying when you was in the same area and hiding.

Amnesia the only legitimately scary game.

I swear if anyone says Resident Evil 4 where you play as JCVD-Chad Leon or Dead Space...

That just makes you sound like you haven't played many horror games.

RE4 is an action game, but still managed to have some creepy parts, like those regenerators.

Dead Space also isn't very scary, but was filled with jump scares.

@Litchie: And you would be correct. I don't like horror.

But I've played:

• Every Resident Evil
• Every Dead Space
• Every Amnesia
• Layers of Fear
• FEAR 1-2
• Silent Hill 2 was scary af but then again I was like 8 when it came out.
• various pseudo horror games like Left 4 Dead, COD zombies, Alan Wake, Dead by Daylight, Days Gone, The Last of Us, Bloodborne, Returnal etc.

Maybe I am missing some that I have played but I am very certain I have missed many horrors.

@Mozelleple112: Then don't say Amnesia is the only legitimately scary game? :P

Yeah, those games you listed are not very scary. Silent Hill 2 though, **** that game.

Reminds me that I've had Darkwood in my library for ages, but haven't mustered the balls to start it yet. Looks fucked up.

Outlast: The first one, I haven't played the second but have no intention to regardless of how cheap it gets on PSN. :3 That game is intense and scary the whole way through. I dread it so much that I will not go back to it. It's on a whole different level than most other "scary" games.

The Suffering: PS2 game that I never played due to being too scared to play it. The enemy design, the atmosphere, the setting, the darkness... My younger brother played it and I just watched. :( I'm sure I would play it now'a days, if it were available on PSN. Ties that Bind, the sequel, though still scary, was more action packed and you felt more safe because of a "certain" game mechanic introduced.

Tomb Raider: PS1 era, the bear that comes out of nowhere. Now don't get me wrong, the wolves also spooked me, but that bear. Of course I was a child, but it was a memorable experience I haven't forgotten. Plus, any water in the game where I had to dive scared me because I feared sharks would be there.

Dino Crisis: I couldn't play this one, my older brother played it and I watched. Scary game. I nodded off when he got to a certain point, and was scared awake during the T-Rex scene bursting into the room. :O I've played the second game no problem, and would play the first if it were available on PSN. Or hopefully a Capcom remake. :3

Games like Alien: Isolation or the Resident Evil games I played were intense, butt clenching, holding your breath experiences, but weren't scary. IMO.

@Litchie:

Funny as we were talking about this, I saw this article on IGN.

Bloodborne in 17th place? The Last of US in 13th place?

Resident Evil 2 in 4th place?????

Who the **** finds those games scary lmao.

Only thing even remotely scary in RE2 is when Mr. X chases you, but its more nerve-wrecking than scary.

TLOU and BB being on the list is just idiotic.

Currently making my way through Dead Space remake.

I wouldn't say it's scary just more of an uncomfortable experience. Almost claustrophobia with tight corridors and darkness and all. So far enjoying the ride but really missing some wide-open areas.

Perfect Halloween vidya gaming.

lol :P

There were probably plenty of much scarier games that gen, but IGN must cater to what's popular. Would they list lesser known games instead of stuff like Bloodborne and TLOU, they wouldn't get traffic.

If interested, I'd try to find a list from a real person instead.

@SecretPolice: Dead Space would have been scary if you didn't have a plasma cutter that turns everything into swiss cheese.

@Mozelleple112:

Lol ;)

I'd lie if I said I wasn't pretty tense while playing Dead Space for the first time. But that was more of a "trying to be prepared for the next jump scare" more than anything else.

But yeah, those enemies are disgusting. Can imagine the dread if you didn't have powerful weapons.

I can't believe that, in my age, I still get scared by video games. Here's all the games that had me hesitating to explore the next areas:

Ocarina of Time (I was 10 when I first played it. The atmosphere, creepy noise, and music in certain sections definitely had me halting my progress and noping over to the fishing hole instead)

Jet Force Gemini (Particularly an abandoned space station level which name I can't remember. Absolute dark corridors with monster noise being heard throughout? Yeah, took me a moment to get through this.)

Evil Within (Hmmm... playing in complete darkness with the stereo on and jumpscares throughout? Yep, I played this on edge the entire time. The one chapter with Ruvik especially had me freezing up)

REmake 1 (I was around 14 years old when I first played this game.)

RE2Make (Yeah, having Mr. X stalking you with other monsters wondering around made me afraid to leave safe rooms a great deal of the time. And again, playing it in stereo with graphical setting maxed out really set the mood)

Resident Evil 7 (I still haven't gotten passed the first section of the game lmao. Must've gotten 15 minutes in, turned it off, and never returned. I plan of taking it on soon though as I slowly get through my backlog)

SOMA (Another game I haven't finished, but did at least get far. Another very intense game heavy on the atmosphere.)

I'm positive there are 1 or 2 more but these are the ones that stick out in my mind....