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Over a decade later, ‘Resident Evil 4’ remains the height of action-horror

It might be hard to believe for people that didn’t grow up with the Resident Evil series, but Resident Evil wasn’t always like this. Back in the 90s when the survival-horror genre was still in its infancy, there was no such thing as over-the-shoulder cameras or adaptive AI. What Resident Evil used to look like now seems somehow quaint compared …

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‘Neverending Nightmares’ is truly neverending

Based on designer Matt Gilgenbach’s battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, Neverending Nightmares is a psychological horror game that amplifies feelings of unease through repetition in a minimalist setting. Personally, this was the most difficult game for me to finish because of the content. There were several moments when I just had to stop and seriously question whether or not I could feasibly finish the game. I am a little squeamish around blood, which is why I refuse to see most horror movies right now, and Neverending Nightmares artistic style made sure you knew there was blood on screen.

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‘Among the Sleep’ is no nightmare, but still unsettling to play

Among the Sleep returns players to a time when they had merely two years of world knowledge under their diaper. At this tender age you are just beginning to hold conversations, everything is new and exciting, and imaginative play is how you spend most of your day. Of course, sometimes life gets a little scary. Among the Sleep uses the perspective of a two year old protagonist to remind players just how frightening the world can be, especially when dealing with traumatic events. Be warned. This game looks cute and creepy, but it deals with pretty heavy topics like alcoholism and child abuse.

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‘Lakeview Cabin’ is flooded with laughs and screams

Lakeview Cabin Hypnohustler PC Private island. Peaceful cabin. Perfect weather. These hardly seem like the elements of a horror game, but Lakeview Cabin manages to turn this scenic vacation spot into the stuff of nightmares. It’s impossible to talk too much about this horrifyingly comedic puzzle game without ruining the plot, so, SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been …

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‘Dead Space’ borrows heavily but remains frightfully effective

EA’s sci-fi horror doesn’t so much wear its influences on its sleeve, but rather takes them to a tailor and makes them into a three-piece suit. Its protagonist, for instance, is named Isaac Clarke – an eye-rolling, brow-beating reference to two of science fiction’s heavyweight authors, and its premise is, essentially, Event Horizon. But despite all this, it all works really rather well.

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‘Resident Evil 2’ still stands tall as the survival-horror game to beat

When Resident Evil arrived on the scene in 1996, it changed horror gaming forever. The almost unheard of genre known as survival-horror exploded into the stratosphere as one of the industry’s greatest success stories, and one of gaming’s most well-known franchises was born. Even as the original title was a fantastically unique and incredibly frightening experience though, it also had a shortlist of readily apparent problems. From the meme-worthy cheese of the voice-acting and dialogue to the ill-advised live-action opening at the game’s outset, Resident Evil in its first iteration lacked the confidence and clarity of vision to reach the true heights it was capable of. All of that would change in 1998.

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‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’ is the ultimate Gothic odyssey

Over the many years since the SNES and PSX had their day in the sun, their legacy and influence have still been felt with regular validity. Legend of Zelda games are still compared to SNES classic, A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy games are still measured by the stick of Final Fantasy VII, and exploratory action-platformers are leveled into a prestigious subgenre known as “metroidvania”.

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‘Alan Wake’ caps a waking nightmare with transcendant surrealism

The idea of psychological horror is one that has resonated strongly with audiences for as long as horror has been a genre. First introduced by the narrative titans, HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, the notion of psychological horror carried with it a feeling that was intensely unsettling: the idea that we may have more to fear from within than without.

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‘Condemned: Criminal Origins’ terrorizes via a macabre medley of mannequins

When tasked with choosing a particular horror game from the long and distinguished list, Condemned: Criminal Origins sticks out for a number of reasons. It was one of the best Xbox 360 launch titles, it had a nice CSI-style investigation system, and it let you smash tramps in the face with a brick. All good, valid grounds to recommend the game to others, and yet none of them come close to the one overarching element that everyone who played it will remember.

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