Gaming moments that scared me to my core.

I see my self as someone that doesn't get scared too easily. Sure I will leap a mile high at the sight of certain eight legged merchant of death or even let out a tight throated squeak when faced with public speaking, but those things scare me for about a minute before I move on. I shake it off and address my audience, or I grab the vacuum cleaner and suck the little bugger up. There are however 5 key moments  I've experienced during my life as a gamer that have clung to me, that haunt my dreams every so often. And here they are. Please don't laugh...

5. Fable 2 - Winter Lodge

"That scared you? It looks so pleasant and inviting!" - Fools!

I told you not to laugh! Ok so let me explain. Throughout the game there were 'Demon Doors' that you had to perform certain things in front of in order to open them. They usually contained secret chests filled with rare weapons or gold. This one was filled with pure hatred and trolling. What lulls you into a false sense of security, with its tinkly music and 'Christmas' like feel of warmth and love, instantly changes to a scene of horror and the feeling of something waiting to carry you off in the night, the moment you step foot in the door.

Apparently there is a chest up the stairs containing a Master Sword. I never got it. I high tailed it out of there, saved, switched of the console and wept over the shattered pieces of my trust.

4. Resident Evil: Nemesis - West Wing Stairs

I will never trust an action cut scene again

I was likely too young when I played this, my brother had been with me through the first portion of the game, letting me know when to expect the baddies and showing me where to find herbs and ammo. By this point, I was feeling brave. It hadn't been too scary so far, I can play it alone. I went up some stairs to an office to find a key needed to access another room. All was good. Upon descending the stairs, however, I noted that it have given me a mini cut scene of walking down from Jill's point of view. That was weird...

Oh wait, now I get it, its because Mister No-Lips is going to crash through the window with a rocket launcher and annihilate me! The game used this tactic to unnerve me and drop my defences before giving me the fright of my life. What a bugger.

Needless to say, I ran Jill into the dark room under the stairs, saved, turned of the console and told my brother I wasn't into that zombie game any more... crap game... stupid.

3. Fable 3 - The Desert Madness

"I don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like it" - Nuttylamb

What can I say... I liked Fable, so when weird stuff happened, it effected me. I know its not a horror game, but different things scare different people. Feeling like I'm tripping on acid is one of the things that scares me. It just felt like a strange occurrence in the game, I simply wasn't prepared for the long walk across the dessert that would send me mirages of all the bad things I'd done that would then proceed to attack me. I don't remember much else about the game aside from wonderful voice acting by Jonathan 'wossy' Ross and Stephen Fry, but this stuck out and I still don't think I'm over it.

I stuck it out this time though, I carried on playing until I was tired. I didn't sleep, but that's besides the point. 

2. Alan Wake - The Taken

All yo' buggers need flash lights.

There is nothing worse than wandering the dark woods at night and hearing an axe fly past your left ear and then seeing six of these fiends materialise in front of you. Even after playing through Alan Wake and knowing they were out there and they would come in their swarms, they still surprised me and erupted many a squeak from my throat. Every. Damn. Time.

Adding to the initial fear was my lack of proficiency with keyboard and mouse controls which made the whole effort of having to blast them with a flash light before I could shoot them down actually nightmarish. These buggers will be staying with me for a while...

 

1. The Walking Dead - Protecting Clementine

Parenthood, most terrifying thing in the world.

I cannot be the only one. When playing The Walking Dead, my world became about that little girl, and with each and every point where Clementine wasn't right next to Lee and bundled in cotton wool, my heart froze. This game issued a fear that not many gamers under 30 would have experienced. It wasn't done with cheap jump scares or high definition gore. It was done by giving you something that you would love and dangling it above a bath of acid... and sharks. 

Even now the games been over and I haven't played in a long while, I'm still scared for Clemmy! Awaiting a sequel, TellTale...


Some of the games featured on this list are available to watch as Let's Plays on my channel, so please head over there and see the fear first hand.

Thank you all so much for reading, have a great day and Happy Gaming! Buh-bye!