Scary gaming moments?

[Reverend]

The new Ghostbusters game had some good scares, mostly in the Library. The bit with the children's section was particularly creepy.

Mind you I think it's best to distinguish a jack-in-the-box/BOO! moment from a genuine scare. For starters a genuine scare requires atmosphere and a slow build up, it should get you jumping at shadows when there's really nothing there or have you feel like you're really running for you life and shouldn't depend on facehuggers or headcrabs or whatever unexpectedly jumping at the screen.

 

[Servo]

The mannequins in Condemned 2: Bloodshot freaked me right out. Totally wasn't expecting them to be there when I turned around.

 

[Hermiod]

The mannequins in Condemned 2: Bloodshot freaked me right out. Totally wasn't expecting them to be there when I turned around.

I haven't played the sequel, it has mannequins too ?

 

[Servo]

The mannequins in Condemned 2: Bloodshot freaked me right out. Totally wasn't expecting them to be there when I turned around.

I haven't played the sequel, it has mannequins too ?

Only at one point in the game (so far). I'm the opposite to you though; I haven't played the first Condemned game, so the mannequins were completely unexpected.

 

[Canadave]

The sequence where you have to wait for an elevator in Half-Life 2: Episode 1. It's pitch black, and there are headcrab zombies coming from all sides. It was a hell of a rush the first time I played it through.

 

[Hermiod]

^Was that before or after the patch which reduced the number of Zombies ?

Valve's statistics showed that an unusually high number of people were getting up to that part of the game and then giving up, presumably because that part was too hard. After that, they patched the game.

 

[Canadave]

^Was that before or after the patch which reduced the number of Zombies ?

Valve's statistics showed that an unusually high number of people were getting up to that part of the game and then giving up, presumably because that part was too hard. After that, they patched the game.

No idea. I just played through the version that came with The Orange Box.

 

[Hermiod]

^Was that before or after the patch which reduced the number of Zombies ?

Valve's statistics showed that an unusually high number of people were getting up to that part of the game and then giving up, presumably because that part was too hard. After that, they patched the game.

No idea. I just played through the version that came with The Orange Box.

Ah, then it probably was the patched version as the Orange Box version came out a while later.

 

[Mistral]

My wife played Silent Hill 3 and 4. In the dark, late at night. As a passive observer I nearly jumped out of my skin a few times.

 

[LutherSloan]

-The part in Condemned where you are in the gym locker room. Your character finds a dead body stuffed in a locker, who was a lead that you were looking for. Part of the game involves searching for 'clues' with your equipment, a sort of minigame. Right as you are about to take a picture of the body, the body GRABS YOUR CAMERA AND PULLS YOU TOWARDS HIM. It turns out he wasn't quite dead, and isn't trying to kill you or anything, but having some guy with most of his face missing and is supposed to be dead suddenly grab you was a bit scary. This game is filled with unexpected moments. Most people cite the department store level with the loads of crazy people dressed as mannequins that are frequently stalking you.
-Several instances in Dead Space, especially at the beginning where you are just getting used to the game. By the last level of the game you are being attacked in the open by too many creatures to be scared, honestly.

 

[AdAstra]

Great big dog-sized alien spider thing sneaking up behind me in System Shock 2. The very first time I've ever jumped away from the computer. Plus I hate spiders. A lot.

Hell yeah!

System Shock 2 was very scary... The first time a Cyborg Midwife shows up and starts screaming at you "BABIES! I want BABIES!"... Brrr... Or those monkeys! Scary game.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

There's one part in Jedi Knight where you come across a big room filled with body parts of Stormtroopers strewn about. After a little while walking around the room, you find out what's responsible. Freaked me right out.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

^^
Which Jedi Knight game? I've only ever played Jedi Academy, I'm thinking about trying to find Jedi Outcast though...

 

[Zulu Romeo]

There's one part in Jedi Knight where you come across a big room filled with body parts of Stormtroopers strewn about. After a little while walking around the room, you find out what's responsible. Freaked me right out.

Yeah, I remember that. If I recall correctly, I think there were two of them in there.

It was in the original Jedi Knight (a.k.a. Dark Forces II).

 

[Bluejay]

Lemme see ... I can think of two instances where I was playing in the dark. Clive Barker's undying : ghosts and monsters. The main char had this ability to see into the past and it's eerie. There was this flashback where a group of monks were walking down a corridor and "I' was standing there watching them when suddenly, one of them veered and came right up to "me" and looked at "me" very closely! "wait a min, you can't actually see me can you???!" I was petrified already by the ghostly visions, hauntings and atmosphere.

Alien vs Predator. The bad point against this game is that it had fixed save points. In any case, playing as a marine, it's easy to immerse in the terrifying atmosphere. The sound of the tracker just seemed to emphasize your vulnerability, your loneliness in the dark. Every sound behind made me turn around. I always ended up following one side of the wall even though I knew they could come in any direction. And I was behaving as if I was really there because I was creeping along very slowly.

 

[Evil Twin]

The Cradle in Thief 3. It's a masterpiece in establishing "fuck no i'm not going in there" type fear through use of ambience and sound effects. (I kinda thought the latter half of the level was disappointing tho)

Ditto. Every time I replay Thief 3 I DREAD reaching this level again. Granted, I can handle the first half of the level a little better now that I know it's empty (though climbing the stairs to the attic is still a terrifying experience) but ugh, the second half of the level, just KNOWING those puppets are out there... *shudder* Needless to say I don't enter the place without a full stock of flashbombs

For the longest time I couldn't bring myself to play through "Return to the Cathedral" in Thief 1. Would always use the level skip cheat or the exploit where you could prop the front doors open with a ribcage or something. But I've managed to do it a few times now, although you have to be very careful with your arsenal in order to do a full clear (refuse to ghost it.) If one of my fire arrows misses a zombie, *quickload!*

Probably why Thief 2 is my favorite, doesn't have any scary-as-shit levels like these.

I'm surprised so many people consider haunts to be the scariest opponents in the games. For me it's the zombies. The moans and wheezing creep me out more than the whispering and laughing. And I don't mind being in close proximity to a skeleton as opposed to rotting flesh. Plus you can only take them out (permanently) with flashbombs or explosives, which are in limited supply, so you have to ration them. Haunts on the other hand go down easily with one sword backstab.

 

[Servo]

I have to say, I'm really enjoying the creepy atmosphere in Siren: Blood Curse at the moment. Shame that the gameplay is so flawed. The camera movement is a horror show in its own right.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Now that I have Batman: Arkham Aylum, may I just say that the Scarecrow is really really creepy looking. He reminds me of Freddy Krueger with that syringe glove of his.