FEATURES | Fun Scary Games to Play this Weekend

TRUTH be told, this writer is a scaredy-cat when it comes to horror games. I bought a copy of Resident Evil for the Playstation in the early 2000s but only got as far as the first zombie encounter. This was followed by multiple purchases of remakes, remasters and demake. All of which I barely attempted to even try finishing the game. So forgive me for not having a desensitized cynical view about horror games. But if it’s B-movies, I’m all in. 

Also, since 2020 is essentially the year of endless horrors, I think we just need to take a little break and a step back (or two) and rummage through our collection to find something a bit light-hearted to play during this Halloween weekend. Here are some of our all-time favourites fun scary games to play:

1. Monsters in my Pocket (NES)

Konami’s classic 1992 game is not to be confused with the Pokemon series. Here you play either The Monster (an obvious Frankenstein’s monster stand-in) or a Vampire as you battle through five stages to reach Warlock and stop him from achieving his goal of becoming too powerful. It’s a wonderful beat-em-up that while short, is challenging and still holds up today.

2. Luigi’s Mansion series (GameCube, 3DS, Switch)

As a launch title for the GameCube, we weren’t quite sure how Luigi would stack up in his first solo adventure. Well, two sequels later, I guess there are more ghoulish adventures to be had with our plucky underrated brother.

3. Creeping Terror (3DS)

There’s not a lot of horror games on the 3DS and I've only stumble upon this gem through random browsing. It plays like Clock Tower for the SNES, as you join a bunch of kids investigating some really creepy places. As the 3DS days are numbered, and the game’s relatively cheap price, this is a nice title to have as part of your digital 3DS horror collection. Or you know, you can always get Dementium Remastered from the eShop.

4. Splatterhouse (PS3, Xbox 360)

While this game got a lot of slack for being an unpolished turd, it’s the unlockables that we’re looking at for this game. With all the original Splatterhouse series accounted for, this is the best way to take on hideous monsters without breaking the bank. Although you may have to play through the main game to access these gems. 

5. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (NDS)

As far as point-and-click adventures go, this one is a doozy. It’s less of horror but more of a puzzler where you, as a recently deceased spirit, you can possess inanimate objects to solve puzzles, find evidence and save lives. With a very clever narrative, the game is really entertaining up til the end. From the makers of Phoenix Wright, it’s sad that we never got to see any sequels.

6. Braindead 13 (SAT, PSX, 3DO)

If you felt that Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace needs more of a B-movie horror element thrown in, then this is the game for you. As a precursor to the quick time event (QTE) gameplay, you're a technician who must find a way to escape a castle inhabited by monsters and ghouls that are out to murder you in various ways. It's a short but there is fun time to be had.

7. War of the Monsters (PS2, PS4)

There are a bunch of kaiju based games, but War of the Monsters really capture what makes a B-Movie grade monster fight so lame and yet endearing. Pick from a few monsters as you battle it out in the highly destructible cities.

8. Organ Trail: Complete Edition (multisystem)

This 8-bit journey through zombie-infested roads is a great twist to the Oregon Trail games. You have to manage supplies, the car needs to be well maintained, deal with unexpected “special” events and ultimately try to survive the journey to your destination. It’s often a gut-wrenching affair when you lose supplies and even car passengers as you try to make it through this world’s new normal.

9. House of the Dead Overkill (Wii & PS3)

If there was ever a game that wanted to capture how a badly made movie can gain cult status, then this would be the game for it. Stiff and awkward dialogue, nonsensical story beats, gore and carnage, and over the top action, it has it all in this light gun shooter from Sega.

10. Dead Rising (multisystem)

If you totally ignore the time mechanics, saving people, you can find a lot fun from just focusing on chopping through hoards of zombies with an array of weapons and items for good measure of carnage. Once you're done rampaging through the undead, there’s also a great game underneath.

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