Horror games

Resident Evil: This genre focuses mainly on scenes that will make you jump in surprise/fright. It's not too bad if you're looking to start out in the survival horror genre. My first suvival horror game was Resident Evil 2 and it freaked me the heck out. I don't think it's the type of game that would give you nightmares either. The games tend to be very action oriented too to give you an adrenaline rush

Silent Hill: These games tend to focus on what hear, but can't see. They are VERY dark games both in story and in enviornment. The stories tend to be pretty messed up on many different levels. I've only played 1 and 3, which are the only two games in the series that are directly linked to each other right now. Both of those games focussed on an occult. From what I remember reading about Silent Hill 2, it focuses on the main character's guilt of conscience. Never really looked into Silent Hill 4 much due to how I heard it was regarded as the most mediocre of all the games in the Silent Hill series thus far. These games feature some action, but not on the same level of Resident Evil. Often times it seems easier to avoid the grotesque monstrosities you encounter to save both health and ammo.

Devil May Cry: I personally don't consider this a horror type series. It's very action/platform oriented. With the way its controls work it sometimes feels like Resident Evil on steroids, but since you're this badass half demon half human character, you don't feel tense or afraid.

Onimusha: Haven't played any of these even though I own the 3rd one. It's another series that I've always seen as more action oriented, but can't comment much more since I haven't played them.

Fatal Frame: Do you like Japanese horror? If you do, or you're interested in it, then definitely check out the Fatal Frame series. In this series you fight various ghosts and spirits......with only a single camera. It may sound wierd, but this series is one that totally freaks me out whenever I play any of the games. I'm still trying to finish at least one of the games, but it sure isn't easy. The Fatal Frame games combine a great atmosphere with a gameplay system that while you're not totally helpless, you definitely don't feel like you're able to laugh in the face of danger either. One thing these games have been VERY good at is always making me feel as though I'm being watched. While the ghosts wait for the right opportunity to strike when I least expect it.

Haunting Ground: In this game, you almost are playing hide and seek. The main character is a college age girl, who befriends a german shepherd dog, and is trying to find her way out of an old medieval castle that she mysteriously appeared after vaguely recalling a car accident with her parents. This game can be tense, but it can also be a thrill ride, as you attempt to out run or outwit your pursuer. You have to be careful on letting the main character not get too scared or else you will lose control of her. You can tell she's getting scared by how the screen starts to distort and become harder to see. This is also a game that is heavily focused on puzzle solving as you proceed through it. So if you like that type of gameplay mixed in with a little life threatening hide and seek, check this one out.

Obscure: Here we have a teen horror budget game. This one isn't very easy to find in retail stores anymore. Its story is largely based off a movie called The Faculty. There isn't one main character to this game, instead you choose between several students looking for their missing friend in the early 1900s highschool that they attend. The gameplay in this game is what really helped keep me interested. This is a game that features your typical guns and melee weapons like you might find in Silent Hill/Resident Evil. However it also introduces another element to the gameplay/monster fighting. That element is a flashlight. You see, the creatures that you fight have this dark aura around them that helps protect them (and hurts you). You can break through this aura by using the "boost" function on your flashlight. But you have to be careful because the flashlight can only boost so long before overheating. The other nice addition to the gameplay in this game is that it is co-op. You will have a second student tagging along whether you're playing single player or with a friend. But it is of course, a lot more fun with a friend.

Kuon: Another game that feels like somewhat of a budget title. This is another Japanese horror game, however in this one you're not fighting spirits but instead demons. You can fight with either an equiped melee weapon, or with magic spells and summons. Your character's health is represented by a vertigo effect that starts to take place as they take damage. The more damage you take, the blurier the screen becomes, and the closer your character is to dying. In order to recover from the vertigo, you have to meditate which leaves your character vulnerable if you're in the middle of a fight. It's pretty cool, and if I had to best sum it up, it would be that it's a hybrid of Fatal Frame and Silent Hill in terms of overall gameplay. Definitely worth a try IMHO.

Well hope that helps you a little bit

Jam it back in, in the dark.