Scariest Gaming Experience...?

[Pombolo]

For me it was the beginning of the original Unreal. You're walking around that ship, and everybody you come across is dead, and there are people screaming just "off camera," and there's something running around that you can't quite see, and you don't have a weapon yet.

Oh yes, I forgot about Unreal's opening. For me, that was hit and miss: since you were weaponles you knew that the game wasn't going to throw too much at you. Then again any time you feel your environment pressing in on you, without your own ability to affect it back, is usually scary.

[Mr Calavera]

Silent Hill 2 is definitely the scariest game I have ever played, except perhaps Project Zero (Fatal Frame for the Americans out there). The freakiest part is when you are in the hospital basement, and the world shifts, and blood begins flowing from the walls and you can hear noises you can't find the source of. The beginning is fairly scary too, when you walk down the path and it sounds like someone is following you, and when you stop their footsteps stop too.

[Clinton Huxley]

Scariest gaming experience? That was when my sister almost beat my score on QBert. Imagine, losing to one's sister

[leo-rcc]

Scariest gaming experience? That was when my sister almost beat my score on QBert. Imagine, losing to one's sister

I'm so glad that never happened to me.

[Kaison]

yeah, that was pretty damn awesome system shock 2 is kinda like that in that you're trapped on a ship with totally inadequate firepower and death roaming the corridors

Holy crap, how could I forget about System Shock 2?! Have yet to finish it, but that game is freakin' sweet. Must update list...

Silent Hill 2 is definitely the scariest game I have ever played, except perhaps Project Zero (Fatal Frame for the Americans out there). The freakiest part is when you are in the hospital basement, and the world shifts, and blood begins flowing from the walls and you can hear noises you can't find the source of. The beginning is fairly scary too, when you walk down the path and it sounds like someone is following you, and when you stop their footsteps stop too.

Is this that largish open area with an altar or something in the middle of it and you keep hearing what sounds like something running around you? That's one part of the game that's really burned into my brain. Such an excellent use of sound.

[Nickel]

Animal Crossing, after reading this that is.

[ED209]

Honourable mention goes to AvP, but come on nothing comes even close to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I think parts of Half Life had to do it for me. It's just the way the whole story was told too. I don't think any first person shooter should be allowed to have cut scenes, and Half Life demonstrated perfectly how to do it.

The marine levels on the Alien vs. Predator games too.

Once upon a time I was playing a whole lot of half-life. I was killing lots and lots of head crabs. Then the cat decided to jump into my lap and I freaked out. The end.

[owtth]

Once upon a time I was playing a whole lot of half-life. I was killing lots and lots of head crabs. Then the cat decided to jump into my lap and I freaked out. The end.

That doesn't count, unless the cat was wired to the machine.

For me it was System Shock.

[ficklefiend]

I think parts of Half Life had to do it for me. It's just the way the whole story was told too. I don't think any first person shooter should be allowed to have cut scenes, and Half Life demonstrated perfectly how to do it.

The marine levels on the Alien vs. Predator games too.

Once upon a time I was playing a whole lot of half-life. I was killing lots and lots of head crabs. Then the cat decided to jump into my lap and I freaked out. The end.

I nearly killed my flatmates rat because she dumped it on mylap when I was playing xbox. It jumped onto my neck at a crucial moment, but my reactions were faster and I managed to get myhand between the rat and my neck and swat it back down. I felt quite bad after that, but it seemed to be fine.

[Strontium Dog]

The marine levels on the Alien vs. Predator games too.

That's it for me. A lot of the games mentioned here (F.E.A.R., S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Half-Life, Doom etc) have scary moments, but none of them are constant terror, piss-your-pants frightening in the way that AvP is.

I would say the single scariest level of any game, however, is the Cradle level from Thief 3.

[Mr Calavera]

yeah, that was pretty damn awesome system shock 2 is kinda like that in that you're trapped on a ship with totally inadequate
Is this that largish open area with an altar or something in the middle of it and you keep hearing what sounds like something running around you? That's one part of the game that's really burned into my brain. Such an excellent use of sound.

To be honest, I can't remember all that well, as it is a long time since I last played it. If it was underground, it could have been the old civil war prison area.

[virphen]

To be honest, I can't remember all that well, as it is a long time since I last played it. If it was underground, it could have been the old civil war prison area.

Manny, is that you?

[Mr Calavera]

To be honest, I can't remember all that well, as it is a long time since I last played it. If it was underground, it could have been the old civil war prison area.

Manny, is that you?

With bony hands I hold my partner/ On soulless feet we cross the floor/ The music stops as if to answer/ An empty knocking at the door/ It seems his skin was sweet as mango/ When last I held him to my breast/ But now we dance this grim fandango/ And will four years before we rest.

Surely one of the best games ever made.

[feign_ignorence]

The thief series. Thief 3's abandoned hospital scared the shit out of me most memorably.

AvP as marine or Silent Hills/Resident Evil

Vampire: The masquerade

Prey/F.E.A.R

Theres another really good one but i can't remember it because it psychologically scarred me so much i've suppressed the memory.