The video game industry is all too good at cranking out violent
games.
Just put in a gun, some guts, and some aliens to shoot,
and call it a day.
But this Halloween, if you want some games that will have you
pausing and looking over your shoulder every few minutes,
youÃ?ve come to the right place.
IÃ?m Donald Bell, and in this CNET Top 5, weÃ?re counting down
the spookiest games of the past year, ranked by CNET resident
gaming guru Jeff Bakalar.
Starting of at #5: State of Decay.
HereÃ?s an open-world zombie survival
game that feels like a playable episode of The Walking Dead TV series.
Aside from the inherent spookiness of zombies popping out from behind
every corner, itÃ?s the human touch that draws you in.
When youÃ?re not
smashing in the skulls of the undead, youÃ?re making alliances, fortifying
your shelter, hoarding medicine, or just cruising in your car enjoying the
quiet.
Almost too quietÃ? Ahhhh!
Coming in at #4: Metro: Last Light.
Five minutes with this game, and the
idea of mowing down zombies in State of Decay will feel as adorable as
feeding rainbows to baby pandas.
This game is dark, both psychologically and literally.
YouÃ?re shooting your
way through a post-apocalyptic earth where survivors live in underground
tunnels.
YouÃ?ve got the human struggle against famine, disease, and
Nazis, and then thereÃ?s the Ã?OH MY GOD I JUST CRAPPED THE
COUCHÃ? struggle against monsters that jump out of the shadows.
If you
enjoy a particularly bleak, eastern european quality to your nightmares,
this oneÃ?s for you.
For something a little more scenic, try #3: Dead Space 3.
You get to be
terrified in outer space, on an ice planet, in a seemingly abandoned
spaceship.
You get to geek out and build your own futuristic weapons from
spare parts.
And best of all, you get a whole new thing to be scared of:
Necromorphs!
Part zombie, part alien, and in the weightlessness of space
they can sneak up on you from any direction.
And while itÃ?s true that in
space they canÃ?t hear you scream, your neighbor will probably have to
wear earplugs just to block out your high-pitched nerd squeals.
At #2: Resident Evil: Revelations.
If space doesnÃ?t do it for you, or
underground tunnels, how about a boat?
Apparently thatÃ?s where the bulk
of this mutant-monster shootÃ?em up is based.
A titanic-like luxury cruise
ship brimming over with ugly, infected mutants who just love to pop out
from behind those rusty boiler room doors when you least expect it.
Along
with Norovirus and motion sickness, hereÃ?s one more reason I will never
set foot on a cruise ship.
Alright, and now the #1 spookiest game of the past year may surprise you.
At #1: Limbo.
This little, black & white, artsy, indie game is like one
sustained childhood nightmare.
Now, a lot of you will write this off the moment you see the cute silhouette
of the main character -- but itÃ?s a trick.
The bond you feel with this little guy
makes it so much worse when you see him staked, drowned, decapitated,
electrocuted, eviscerated, set on fire, shot with arrows, and pulverised.
More than anything, this game is a great reminder that guns and gore are
really just the cheap way out.
When it comes down to it, what our reptile
brains fear most are those hazy, mysterious things that go bump in the
night.
Limbo taps that nerve so perfectly, it will make your hair stand up.
So there you go, five games that fully deliver on the promise of giving you
the heebie jeebies.
Another big thanks to CNETÃ?s Jeff Bakalar for getting
this list together.
For more Top 5s head over to Top5.
CNET.com.
IÃ?m
Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
