Hi, everyone! I was looking over some of the different search engine terms that have brought people to our site and one that stuck in my mind was "a list of the best horror playstation 2 games". Well, while I can’t say I’ve played every single horror-based game on the system, I’ve played my fair share of them, and I thought I’d focus on that for an article. So, without further ado (because we know how long ado’s take), here’s a list of horror games for PS2 and what I, personally, thought of them. As I play more, I’ll have more updates, and hopefully even head into PS3 territory soon.

Fatal Frame

I know I covered this one in a two-part article, but I just love this game. For those of you who haven’t read about it, you play as a young girl who heads into an old, abandoned Japanese mansion in search of her missing brother who’d gone in before her. Along the way you encounter ghosts of various viciousness which you must fight with an old-fashioned camera (later games dubbed this the Camera Obscura). This game… no, this series… is one of the best I’ve played of any genre, and I stand by my earlier rating of 5 out of 5.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly

One game I’ve been wanting to review for a while but haven’t gotten around to it, yet. It takes the basic gameplay of the first game, throws in a little back story (while the main characters you play as in FF2 aren’t related to the first game, the ghostly events are), advances the camera controls a little more and throws in some more replay value. This game was my friend Vicki’s entry into the series and I’m sure she’d agree that 5 out of 5 works for it, also.

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented

I haven’t gotten to play this one as much, thanks to a prolonged loaning to my previously-mentioned friend, but I definitely enjoyed it. The game closes the gaps between the two previous games with the player taking control of three characters: Rei Kurosawa, the main character whose guilt over the loss of her fiancé causes her to enter a strange mansion in her dreams, the House of Sleep; Kei Amakura, uncle of Mei and Mayu, the main characters of Fatal Frame II; and Miku Hinasaki, the main character from the original game, who works as Rei’s assistant. As the story progresses, the House of Sleep expands and so does the influence of the spectral forces on the waking world, as Rei starts seeing strange things appear in her house. I give this another 5 out of 5.

Siren

Another game that takes place in Japan, rather than the US, this game consistently spooks the hell out of me. During the course of the game, you take up the controls of one of ten characters, hoping to get out of a nightmare world where the living dead roam the streets, searching for you. This game features the unique mechanic called "Sightjacking" where you can view the surroundings through the eyes of any character, enemy or ally, in the area. The game focuses more on stealth than attacking, with most levels requiring you to conserve ammunition and stay out of sight of the enemy (indeed, several missions give you no ammunition whatsoever to start with, or weapons). I’ll give this a 4 out of 5 due to some of the frustration involved in certain missions.

Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill was one of my favorite games on the original PlayStation and when this game came out, I played it as soon as I had a chance. While very enjoyable, it wasn’t my biggest favorite of the series. Players take on the role of James Sunderland, a man whose wife died three years prior. He’s approached Silent Hill as he received a letter recently from his wife asking him to meet her there, "in our special place". Players also encounter Angela Orosco, who’s there searching for her mother; Eddie Dombrowski, whose reasons for being in Silent Hill are, initially, unclear; and Laura, a small girl with a connection to Mary, James’ wife. This game introduces the concept of the town of Silent Hill playing with people’s perceptions, making them see things from their own subconcious. While successfully creepy and foggy, I have to give this one a 3 out of 5.

Silent Hill 3

I felt this game was a big improvement over Silent Hill 2. The plot has a direct connection to the original Silent Hill and while it sometimes mentions the psychological effects of the town, I didn’t really feel it overpower the story as much as with SH2. This time, you take the role of Heather, a teenage girl living in an unnamed town near Silent Hill as she first encounters monsters in the mall, then on her way home. The story takes some good twists and serves as a good finisher to the original game’s storyline. I give it 5 out of 5.

Silent Hill 4: The Room

This is my least favorite of the Silent Hill series, mostly because it just doesn’t feel like Silent Hill. You play as Henry Townshend, a man with a problem. He’s stuck in his apartment. Not that he’s afraid of going out or anything like that, of course; somehow a strange locking mechanism appeared on his door that will not let him exit no matter what. He finds a way out through holes in his walls. That lead to other areas, kind of like Alice in Wonderland, though there’s no "friendly" White Rabbits or Mad Hatters on the other end, just monsters and an immortal killer who’s trying to complete a ritual. All in all, I score this a 3 out of 5.

Clock Tower 3

While sharing the Clock Tower name with three previous games, this one has nearly nothing to do with those (outside of a villain named Scissorman that appears in a late chapter, along with his sister Scissorwoman). Players take on the role of Alyssa, a young girl who returns home after receiving a letter from her mother (specifically telling her NOT to come back home) and finds a stranger there who she assumes is a boarder at the house. Soon, she finds herself in World War II London, escaping a giant with a sledgehammer that murders a young girl. This game is freaky, using some extremely disturbing images to deliver the scares. I’ll give this one a 4 out of 5.

Haunting Ground

Known in Japan as Demento (no relation to the comedy music DJ Dr. Demento), and initially intended to be part of the Clock Tower series, this game stands on its own now. You play as Fiona, a girl trapped in an old medieval castle, trying to find a way out. Along the way you encounter some other characters, most notable of which is Debilitas, a simple man who acts as the gardener of the castle who instantly starts chasing Fiona whenever he sees her. Helping Fiona along the way is Hewie, a white German Shepherd dog who you train upon first meeting him. I haven’t been able to finish this game, yet, but so far, it’s worth a 4 out of 5.

Resident Evil: The Essentials

A box set of three Resident Evil games, this was a steal for me at $30 at Wal-Mart, you get three games in the set. First is Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, which was originally released to the Dreamcast as RE Code: Veronica. This was the first PS2 Survival Horror game I ever played, having rented it the day I bought my PS2. It follows the same gameplay pattern as the PSX Resident Evil games, making it pretty easily accessible to those familiar with them. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Next is Resident Evil: Outbreak, the first online RE game to be released. You pick one of eight characters and guide them through any of five scenarios (only one is unlocked to start with, but more become available through various playthroughs). It attempts to show an everyman’s POV of the Raccoon City infection, giving you a choice between a cop, security guard, doctor, reporter, waitress, plumber, subway worker or student. With numerous special items available, multiple outfits to unlock and different events to see, this game has more playthrough value than you might first think. 4 out of 5.

Finally, there’s the game that was sworn to never see the light of a PS2 laser, Resident Evil 4. In this game, you take on the role of Leon Kennedy, male character from RE2, as he’s on special assignment into a European country to save the U.S. President’s kidnapped daughter. Along the way, he encounters not a horde of zombies but a bunch of peasants infected with a parasite called Las Plagas. This game is very fun, and dares to break away from the classic "bioweapon" stories of the rest of the series. I give it 5 out of 5.

Resident Evil: Outbreak: File #2

A sequel to RE: Outbreak (obviously), this game reunites you with Mark, Kevin, Yoko and the rest of the Outbreak crew as they continue their attempts at surviving five new areas. Online capable again, this game actually seems a bit tougher than the first, though they at least give you the chance to pick your (offline) partners, rather than assigning them randomly as in the first game. I had fun with this game and score it 4 out of 5.

Kuon

Rounding out our tour of horror games for now, I bring you Kuon. This has to be one of the rarest games I’ve seen come out here and the only way I’ve been able to play it is by signing up for the online rental service GameFly. You play as one of two women (though a third character becomes unlocked once you beat the game with both of them) each striving to help exorcise a Japanese mansion in Heian Period Japan. It’s been pretty fun and I expect to have a full review of the game up as soon as I finish it completely. So far, it gets a 4 out of 5, subject to future events.

Well, there you go. That’s just a small sampling of the many survival horror games out on the PS2 now and I haven’t even hardly mentioned PS1 or PS3 (or any other systems, for that matter). If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail me, and let me know of any other games I can cover in future installments. Until next time, keep gaming, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

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Originally posted October 23, 2007 @ 11:56 PM MST (Arizona)

We’re getting closer and closer to the big day and there are a number of ways to spend your Halloween. Of course, there’s the ever-popular trick-or-treating pastime; there are numerous parties out there; however, if you’re like me, sometimes there’s nothing better than sitting back, getting a pizza and watching a good scary movie. But which films should you pick out? You only have a certain amount of time and you want to get your money’s worth out of whatever you pick up. So, I thought I’d give you a few suggestions on what are, in my opinion, some really good movies.

I’ll be dividing this up into three segments: movies I can recommend, movies I want to see, and movies not to even try touching with a ten foot pole. The first batch are ones I’ve seen and loved but haven’t been able to give a full review, yet. The second are films I’ve seen ads for but haven’t been able to check out yet for various reasons. The third are movies I’ve seen that I can definitely say to avoid, through personal experience… the bottom of the barrel, even for my normally indiscriminate tastes. And so, without further ado, let’s start our tour.

RECOMMENDED MOVIES:

Waxwork / Waxwork II - Lost in Time

These are two of my all-time favorite movies. Zach Galligan, star of Gremlins (Special Edition) / Gremlins 2 - The New Batch, stars in both movies as Mark, a young man forced to battle the forces of evil on unbelievable terms: first in a wax museum where stepping into a display means stepping into the realm of the creature featured in it; and then, forced to jump between worlds where the battle between good and evil is constantly ongoing (God’s Nintendo game, one character calls it), trying to find evidence to prove his girlfriend’s innocence in a trial back home. What I love about these movies are both the storyline (who wouldn’t want to travel to another world, dangerous or not?) and the make-up effects (the werewolf’s transformation scene in the first movie is amazing and some of the death scenes are really great, as well). Featuring cameos of John Rhys-Davies (in Waxwork) and Drew Barrymore (in a short homage to Nosferatu in Waxwork II), these movies are definite recommendations from me and available on a single DVD if you can find it.

House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim

The first movie’s reputation notwithstanding, this was a really good zombie film. With a few references to the first film, this one sees a group of government operatives trying to find the source of a zombie outbreak on a college campus, hoping to find a "first generation" zombie to create an anti virus. Featuring a cameo by Sid Haig of House of 1000 Corpses fame, as well as two former Power Ranger actors (Daniel Southworth, the Quantum Ranger, as a member of the military group with the government operatives and Walter Emanuel Jones as a zombie that jumps out of a locker), this movie warrants a check even if the viewers hated the original.

Kairo and Pulse (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

The red tape from the previously reviewed Dark Tales of Japan returns in this ghost on the internet story. In this film, a group of friends find themselves entangled in a series of both suicides and disappearances. It all stems to the computer, where ghosts have found a way to contact the living, but not with a message of hope. Can the friends survive as the population of the world seems to be dwindling smaller and smaller? The American remake takes it a step further and includes some regular electronics (including a scene with a ghost coming out of a dryer that’s seen in trailers for the film), making it a story about literal ghosts in the machine, as well as making the spirits more aggressive towards people. While similar, both movies are different enough to warrant individual viewings.

MOVIES TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

Wrong Turn 2 - Dead End (Unrated)

I enjoyed the hell out of the first Wrong Turn and was excited when I saw the ad for it on wrestling one night. When I found out Henry Rollins (one of my favorite acting musicians since his role as a police officer in 1994’s The Chase ) is in it, that made me want to see it that much more. Rollins plays the host and producer of a survival reality show that’s filming in a remote area of West Virginia, where the contestants soon realize that survival takes on a whole new meaning when a family of cannibals starts stalking them.

Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane

I came across this movie when I was looking up Kevin J. O’Connor, the actor who played Beni in The Mummy Collector’s Set (The Mummy (1999)/ The Mummy Returns/ The Scorpion King) and found out that he was in this one, as well. The premise is somewhat similar to Snakes on a Plane (Widescreen New Line Platinum Series) only instead of hundreds of deadly reptiles there’s a living corpse in the hold. The passengers have to fight for survival, but where do you go when you’re miles in the air with the living dead?

MOVIES TO STEER CLEAR OF:

Vampires Vs. Zombies

This has to be one of the most misleading titles ever. First off, the only zombies seen in this movie act as speed bumps the main characters plow through. Second, there is no zombie/vampire fighting. What we have here is a retelling of the classic Carmilla story. I’ve enjoyed several movies made by The Asylum, but this one just isn’t worth it.

Asylum of Terror

From a movie by a studio called The Asylum to a movie about an asylum. Unfortunately, we paid full price to rent this one (Vampires Vs. Zombies was rented on a free rental plan so we didn’t feel too cheated). Bad acting, bad writing, horrible sound… take all of this and it adds up to a movie to stay away from at all costs! The only thing worse than watching it? I’m going to have to rent it again someday to give it a proper review on the site. Have mercy on me!

This ends my mini-review of several movies available for your perusal. Of course, ultimately, it’s up to you and there are many more good movies out there than I had time to cover in this. I hope that, whatever you do, you have a great Halloween. Take care of yourself, and as always, until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

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