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Horror games have always been one of the most fascinating genres of video games. Despite featuring titles purposefully built to instill feelings of dread and distress, the horror genre still attracts millions of players with some terrifying experiences.
The 1990s saw the emergence of "survival horrors," with classic offerings like Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark, and Silent Hill. But it was the 2000s that eventually brought the genre into the limelight with some outstanding games featuring innovative ideas that have helped shape the modern games of the genre.
The naughties had a wide selection of horror video games, from excellent sequels to beloved classics to some of the best original intellectual properties.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.
These ten 2000s horror games are genre's pinnacle
10) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (2002)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a love letter to fans of the work of famous horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Taking inspiration from the cerebral and psychological aspect of Lovecraftian horror, it throws users down a harrowing journey of misery and despair, drastically affecting the sanity of the protagonist and the gamers themselves.
The title features a unique premise that sees players jump centuries through time to try and solve an ancient mystery while attempting to defend themselves from evil forces that are too great even to comprehend. The unique "sanity meter" mechanic is one of the most talked about aspects of the game, and rightfully so.
The sanity meter represents the protagonist's debilitating sanity but affects the users themselves. Once the sanity meter is emptied, they are subjected to some bizarre fourth-wall breaking effects, which range from illusions of the console shutting down, television audio getting muted, or even the game saves being deleted.
Eternal Darkness does not rely on cheap jumpscares or little spooks to frighten gamers. Instead, it uses subtle storytelling and unique gameplay systems to gradually instill feelings of fear and hopelessness in them.
9) Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (2003)
The plot of Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly might sound cliche, but its unique gameplay and surreal atmosphere make it a must-play for any horror game enthusiast. The game is based on Japanese urban legends, giving it a unique identity among other titles of the genre.
The Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly story sees two sisters exploring a haunted abandoned village in the middle of the night, where evil ghosts lurk around every corner. Armed with a paranormal camera capable of capturing ghosts, players must make their way through the ghost-infested village while taking photographs of these supernatural entities to survive and keep their distance from these evil spirits.
Although the camera mechanic of Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is borderline absurd, it makes for exciting and unique gameplay scenarios. Users must be close to the evil spirits to deal a greater amount of damage, but when the ghosts are of a woman with a broken neck who walks on all fours like a spider, a creepy little girl, and the like, getting close to such terrifying apparitions becomes the stuff of nightmares.
8) Clive Barker's Undying (2001)
Clive Barker's Undying is a unique mix of first-person shooter and horror gameplay systems. The story sees gamers investigate paranormal events that have led to the murder of the protagonist, Patrick Galloway's friend's family.
The title's surreal atmosphere, great action set-pieces, and haunting creatures created a visceral experience for players.
Clive Barker's Undying was revolutionary for a horror game due to its reliance on action without compromising its horror-centric themes. It allows players to dual wield weapons with a pistol in one hand and spells in the other to take their fight against the horde of evil monsters.
The stellar and inventive gameplay paired with an excellent supernatural narrative makes Clive Barker's Undying one of the best action-horror experiences out there.
7) Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
Condemned: Criminal Origins on paper feels like a run-of-the-mill survival horror experience with melee combat, but in reality, it is much more than that. The title's story revolves around users exploring decrepit and rotting buildings to hunt psychopathic killers and other outcasts of society.
Its game's best part is its AI and robust melee combat system. The enemies in Condemned are intelligent and can startle gamers as they hide in corners of buildings waiting to ambush them.
The melee combat is also exciting as players can use bats, clubs, pipes, planks, etc., to fight and defend themselves against the psychopaths.
Combat in Condemned is brutal, and the game's atmosphere perfectly complements its grizzly horror-centric tone.
6) Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason (2008)
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason is an underrated gem. It perfectly balances the slow and methodical gameplay of titles like Amnesia and Outlast and mixes it with a superb time travel gimmick rarely used in games of the genre.
The game sees users taking on the role of a meteorologist who is part of the crew of a sunken ship in the Arctic. They are tasked with finding their dead crewmates and altering time to change past decisions that led to their ship's sinking.
The ultimate goal is to make enough changes in the past to prevent the ship from sinking, killing most of the crew onboard.
Cryostasis is a slow burn, taking its time to unfold the tragic narrative of a lone survivor. It was met with mixed reviews on release, partly due to its slow-paced gameplay and narrative sequences.
However, the game features some great ideas with its mind-bending time travel gameplay and a psychological horror-fueled narrative that depicts the harshness of surviving a catastrophic accident.
5) F.E.A.R. (2005)
F.E.A.R. is essentially a first-person shooter with an engrossing horror-driven narrative surrounding a little girl with supernatural abilities named Alma. It takes notes from the "bullet time" mechanic of the noir classic Max Payne, infusing its fast-paced combat with a dose of time bending abilities.
The story of F.E.A.R. sees gamers take control of Point Man, a newly appointed rookie, into a military task force to fight paranormal forces. The title, at face value, feels and plays like any other military FPS, with many weapons at their disposal.
However, it is in its horror-centric levels, where players are chased by Alma, who tends to often incinerate whoever comes into her path, that makes the game special.
4) Siren: Blood Curse (2008)
Siren: Blood Curse is another highly underrated horror title that offers a unique "perspective" to the survival horror gameplay. It is essentially a third-person survival game that tells the story of a different character at each level, culminating in a broader narrative.
The storytelling technique is unique for a horror game as most titles of the genre generally focus on telling the story of a single character. The uniqueness of Siren: Blood Curse doesn't end with its narrative delivery but also stretches to its gameplay systems.
In Siren, users can temporarily tune into the enemy's POV and borrow their eyes to scan the environment they will be navigating. This helps them map their route through the level as they hide from and avoid the deadly and bloodthirsty enemies in the game.
3) Dead Space (2008)
Dead Space is universally praised as one of the best and most visceral survival horror experiences. It basically takes the premise of the original Resident Evil title and applies it to the vacuums of space.
Dead Space is lauded among fans for its stellar third-person gameplay and the fantastic psychological narrative the game entails.
In Dead Space, gamers take on the role of engineer Isaac Clarke inspecting the USG Ishimura space station, where most of its crew is either dead or have turned into grotesque creatures that look like something straight out of a David Cronenberg film.
These creatures are called necromorphs, basically zombies but with a twist. Where most enemies, even zombies, go down with a well-timed headshot, necromorphs require multiple shots to dismember them before they can be killed.
This simple change adds a lot of tension to Dead Space's moment-to-moment gameplay.
2) Silent Hill 2 (2001)
Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest survival horror games of all time, surpassing some of the best modern horror titles. Its unique and cerebral premise sees protagonist James Sunderland slowly drowning in the abyss of guilt, anguish, and inner evil as he wanders through the decrepit and isolated town of the titular Silent Hill.
The unsettling and eerie atmosphere and the plethora of grotesque creatures the protagonist faces make the whole experience truly disturbing. The title takes bold risks with its narrative and broader implications, making it and its story even more enjoyable.
The creatures and even a few people that James meets in Silent Hill 2 are the manifestations of James' degrading psyche as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his wife. Silent Hill 2 might not be the most gameplay-centric horror title out there, but it is undoubtedly one of the best narrative-driven options in the genre.
1) Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Resident Evil 4 was not only the pinnacle of survival horror experiences in the 2000s but also the inspiration for many games, even outside the horror genre, for years to come. It is the first significant departure from the previous Resident Evil titles' traditional gameplay and narrative systems.
With Resident Evil 4, Shinji Mikami wanted to revitalize the series for the modern consoles and players alike, changing the traditional game's fixed camera angles to an over-the-shoulder third-person camera. This change allowed the developers to tune it to feature a much heavier emphasis on the action while simultaneously amping up the survival aspect of the game.
With Capcom announcing a full-blown remake of Resident Evil 4, using their in-house RE engine, users are intrigued to jump back into the shoes of Leon S. Kennedy once again. He will try to rescue the President's daughter, Ashley, fighting his way through Las Plagas' infected villagers.
