Halloween Spooktacular: gaming edition

— David Wriglesworth, Ryan Peters, Matt Hancocks, and Ben Richichi contributed to this report.

Not feeling a big night out on Halloween? Perhaps a bit of Halloween gaming is more your style. The Linc’s culture team has put together a list of their favourite scary games for your enjoyment. What games are going to get you spooked this Halloween?

Alan Wake
After five years in-the-making, Xbox 360 exclusive title “Alan Wake” is a psychological action thriller which is sure to keep your pulse pounding and your heart racing. When the wife of best-selling writer, Alan Wake, disappears whilst on a holiday, his search uncovers pages from a thriller he doesn’t remember writing.

Using light as a weapon, Alan Wake features approximately eight hours of intense cinematic action and gripping suspense that makes for a stimulating gaming experience. With the recent release of new downloadable content, this is one game that will certainly give you the creeps this Halloween.

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
Whilst it may look like a case of bad spelling, “I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1” is in fact an enjoyable Xbox Live Indie title, available to download from the Game Marketplace.

Developed by Ska Studios, the game is a twin-stick shooter using a top-down perspective in which players’ aim to survive for as long as possible against waves of enemies. Throw in some multiplayer fun, a quite bizarre soundtrack and at 80 Microsoft Points, “I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1” is definitely a title to consider purchasing over the Halloween period.

Silent Hill 2
When “Silent Hill 2” came out way back in 2001, it turned the survival horror gaming genre upside-down. Boasting graphics that pushed the Playstation 2 to its limits and a soundtrack that remains chilling yet poignant to this day, “Silent Hill 2” was definitely a landmark title.

Anyone who has seen the film adaptation of “Silent Hill” will recognise the infamous Pyramid Head character, who makes his first appearance in this game. Including not only terrifying environments and the pointy-headed antagonist chasing the gamer around, “Silent Hill 2” also featured one of the most tragic and interesting stories in modern gaming. Want to be touched and scared at the same time? Check out “Silent Hill 2”.

Dead Rising 2
One man, seventy-two hours, and a city full of zombies. These are the components that make up the third person, free roaming, horror-comedy known as “Dead Rising 2”. What makes this a great game for Halloween is it’s mix of fright factor and moments to make you chuckle, which is what Halloween is all about.

First you are faced with the horrifying aspect of dealing with the gruesome undead and saving your daughter, but then you have to decide — use the trusty axe or grab the nearest bow and arrow and get medieval on the zombie horde? Let’s face it, how many games offer you that choice?

Dead Space
If you’re looking for a Halloween treat, there’s no scarier platform for fright than videogames and what better game to play than Dead Space?

In terms of creepiness, this game tries to make you feel as comfortable and scared as watching Basic Instinct with your nan. It’s not the actual confrontation with the monsters that‘s truly terrifying, but the build up to those encounters. Lurking around the narrow corridors, the lights flickering, a glimpse of a shadow… then bam!

Something jumps out and tears your face off. It uses a mixture of Japanese-style psychological horror, as well as a more western “jump out of nowhere and make you leap out of your skin” tactic. Lock the door, turn off the lights, and make sure the sofa is a suitable distance from the wall as you’ll be jumping behind it a lot.