Silent Hill 2 (PS2, Xbox, Windows)
The second entry into the Silent Hill franchise is still one of the best to date, with a big focus on character and psychological horror. Whilst other series focused on shock and moments of surprise to induce horror, Silent Hill 2 focuses on atmosphere to deliver much of its fear.
The story follows James Sunderland, a man haunted by the death of his wife, who becomes drawn to the mysterious town of Silent Hill, where he must not only face his own inner demons, but the truth of the death of his wife. Despite being an older game, Silent Hill 2 can still shock and scare as well as when it was first released. Plus, the recent HD re-release means that the game is now available on newer consoles with a glossier look.
Outlast (PS4, Xbox One, Windows)
Whilst many games in the survival horror genre will pit you against foes much stronger than you with few ways to defend yourself, Outlast gives you absolutely no way to do so. Outlast has you running and hiding instead of fighting as you investigate your way through an asylum full of terrors.
You play as a freelance journalist, armed with only a video camera, who decides to investigate the mysterious Mount Massive Asylum, and the inhumane experiments taking place there. A mixture of jump scares and atmosphere, Outlast will have you jumping out of your skin as you try to stay alive in a setting that maintains the terror between foes and jump scares.
Dead Space 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows)
Dead Space 2 builds upon the solid foundation of the first game and improves upon it in almost every way. The game expands its mythology and story, gives us a bigger and scarier setting, introduces new enemies, and even allows Isaac to speak.
Following the events of the first game, Isaac awakens in an asylum on the Sprawl, a densely populated space station on one of Saturn’s moons. Unfortunately, a Necromorph outbreak has already hit the station, decimating the population. What follows is a game that explores the madness that Isaac is now experiencing, the conspiracy behind the Necromorph outbreak, and one of survival.
What is your favourite survival horror game? Have we missed it on this list? Let us know in comments or on social media.
Awesome list, Dead Space was great but Resi 7 truly is the pinnacle of survival horror. The GameCube may not have been the finest console but Eternal Darkness deserves a mention, it was a fine game with some clever tricks such as fake blue screen crashes and restart logos.