If there’s any genre in gaming that provides mixed results, it’s horror. There are so many low-effort, low-quality titles out there (especially on Steam) that it can often feel like wading through liquidised manure to find anything worth your time.
But when you do come across a horror game that hasn’t been made in five minutes with a coat hanger and a cracked, terribly corrupted version of RPG Maker, they certainly leave an impression. There are a couple of games on this list that never fail to give me a shiver, even after years of playing them for the first time.
Having already counted down some of the best PS4 horror games to wear a diaper for, it’s the turn of the Xbox One. Bear in mind that these aren’t exclusives and that they are in no order whatsoever.
1. Dead Rising 3
Not the best DR game there is but a damn sight better than the one we recently got, Dead Rising 3 is an endearingly awkward zombie game. Lumped with Kinect functionality as an Xbox One launch title, it feels slightly outdated – as well as serving as a sad reminder of Microsoft’s peripheral blunder.
Make no mistake, though: this is still Dead Rising at its core. You can mow down scores of the undead, pick up almost anything in the world, and do battle with an obese woman on a mobility scooter. You know, standard Dead Rising stuff.
2. The Evil Within
With the announcement of its sequel, critics of The Evil Within should go back and give it another shot. It may not always make a lot of sense or even be tonally stable, but when it’s at its best, it’s an unsettling and occasionally terrifying ride.
Shinji Mikami’s outrageously kooky horror puts you in the shoes of a cop embroiled in supernatural happenings with more twists and gameplay shifts than you can shake a copy of the PS1 game Die Hard Trilogy at. Anyone looking for a spiritual successor to the original Resident Evil games may be left slightly disappointed, but you should still strap in for a riveting slice of viscera and cheesy dialogue all the same.
3. Resident Evil 7
Say what you will about Resident Evil 7‘s dramatic gameplay changes (and countless fans have), but it’s without doubt one of the scariest games you can pick up in this generation. No mean feat considering how jaded people may have been with the series after countless mainline entries and spin-offs.
Taking the foundations established by the likes of Outlast without making the protagonist also helpless against the incoming terrors was a gamble worth taking, and one that won the game critical acclaim. It might have fallen short of Capcom’s lofty sales expectations, but it was a shot in the arm that the series needed. The only question is where they take the series next – it feels like it’s at a crossroads.
4. Dying Light
You have to give Techland credit for what they pulled off with Dying Light after the so-so reception to Dead Island. Arriving relatively quickly on the heels of the overhyped game, Dying Light represented a sudden and welcome shift upwards in terms of quality for anyone who enjoys booting in zombie faces in open worlds.
Blending parkour and RPG-lite elements, there’s a strange sense of relaxation to be had from scaling building, finding collectables and dropkicking zombies off roofs. Although they may be less of an issue later in the game, the Volatiles that come out at night create an ungodly amount of tension when they give chase. How you deal with the onslaught is up to you, just remember that you were warned before your scared screeching begins as the sun sets. Its DLC is also pretty damn wonderful, too.
READ MORE: 20 Best Zombie Games You Should Be Devouring Right Now
5. Friday the 13th: The Video Game
Nobody is going to claim that Friday the 13th: The Video Game is a technical masterpiece, a game that would make Kojima reconsider his career choices. It’s overflowing with bugs and may have been pushed out a month or so too soon, but that doesn’t do enough to take away from just how much fun there is to be had with Friday the 13th when all is going to plan.
Taking control of either Jason or an eclectic group of camp counsellors, it’s a multiplayer game with two wildly different playing experiences. You can run amok with Jason, cutting down counsellors thanks to knowingly hammy special abilities, or work with others as one of the besieged counsellors, forced to come up with an escape plan. It’s a real treat when it works and can even bring up moments of unbridled terror, though you will require patience to get past its shortcoming.
NEXT PAGE
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
