Randy Robertson
The goriest horror games!
Halloween is approaching rapidly, and what better way to celebrate than by experiencing the best horror video games out there? Over the next few days, we’re going to list off the best games to play no matter what mood you’re in. Whether you’re looking for the scariest, goriest, or most entertaining horror games, we’ll give you a few suggestions for every category. We will also touch on the best classics, and a few recent titles that are noteworthy as well. To help compile this list, we've enlisted the help of Rob Nielsen from RedGoateeRob’s Horror Pages.
We’ve already covered the best classic titles in horror, but there’s one thing that older systems can’t do as well, and that’s gore. Gore is an integral part of horror; however, the systems of yesteryear just don’t have the power to deliver such, well, graphic graphics. As technology has progressed, games have been inching closer to realism, providing a better platform for developers to deliver that uneasy feeling. If you’re anxious to test your limits and like getting out of your comfort zone, these are the titles that will take you there.
‘Splatterhouse’
At the time of its 1988 release, the original “Splatterhouse” was one of the most absurdly violent games anyone had ever seen, and the 2010 reboot of the game ups the ante by being perhaps the single bloodiest game ever made. Retro-gaming purists will want to play the original on the Turbografx 16, and today's audience will want the remake on Xbox 360 or PS3, which comes with the original game too - but if you have a real lust for gore, either version of the game will suffice. The plot essentially involves a skinny kid who finds a mask that turns him into a hulking engine of death, and proceeds to wander into a haunted mansion and paint its interiors with the blood and entrails of its demonic inhabitants. Just think of these games as 'Interior Decorating for Gorehounds 101' and you'll be on the right track to understanding what “Splatterhouse” is all about.
‘Fallout 3’
“Fallout 3” doesn't get a lot of cred for being a bloody game, probably due to the strength of the game's plot, which outshined many of the game's other elements in reviews. Indeed, you might not really notice the gore-factor in this game either until you find yourself trapped in a derelict facility that used to be a fallout shelter/vault, with mutated monstrosities roaming the halls, their claws and tentacles covered in blood, the ceilings lined with bags containing the eviscerated bodies of the humans foolish to walk into the facility before you. Think you have a strong stomach? Reach inside one of the bloodbags and you might find a few stray bullets. Shoot one of the mutants with them and you'll see their head explode in a shower of gore. Yep, playing “Fallout 3” is kind of like going to a Gallagher show; make sure you bring a plastic tarp- you'll need it.
‘Doom’
Of course “Doom” was going to appear on the list somewhere; it is Halloween, after all. Nowhere does it fit better than here. You know you're in for some serious gore when a game gives you a chainsaw and says “See those demons over there? Go to town on them!” “Doom” was revolutionary when it first released and time has not served to dull its impact. Even today a lot of the shooters being released still don't match the pure, visceral horror of “Doom”. There was a reason the first part of this game was titled 'Knee Deep in the Dead' - because that's exactly where “Doom” will put you.
Alright, we’re going to give you a day to let your stomach settle. You’ll need it too, because tomorrow we’re all about the scares. We’ll get your heart racing and, hopefully, have you jumping out of your seat. If you think you’re brave enough to face these alone, give it a shot; but if you’re easily spooked, you might want to have a friend by your side. Either way, these scary games are worth the experience.