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Here are five of the best horror games of all time and five of the worst horror games based on Metacritic. Each game is based on an overall average, some titles have been omitted in the interest of avoiding ties, and we’re putting a cap on one title per individual series.
10 Worst: Painkiller: Resurrection - 38%
Painkiller: Resurrection is considered one of the worst video games on Metacritic. Holding a 38% for its PC release, the game is an expansion to the original Painkiller and takes place outside of the other games. The player takes control of William “Bill” Sherman as they try to venture through purgatory to bring Bill back to life.
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In spite of this, the game was generally unfavorable to many critics, with some citing that the game is filled with a lot of bugs and that it is genuinely a pain to go through. Because of all of these factors, the game was considered an unpolished mess, although it is far from being the worst horror game made.
9 Best: Resident Evil 4 - 96%
Resident Evil 4 is purported by many fans to be the best Resident Evil game — and really, given its reception, it’s a hard stance to argue against. Players follow Leon Kennedy once again as he attempts to rescue the U.S. President’s daughter after she’s kidnapped by a cult. Utilizing a new 3D camera that has laid the foundation for the later games, this entry was praised overall and received universal acclaim, garnering a sterling score on Metacritic.
8 Worst: Dead Space Ignition - 38%
A spin-off to the Dead Space trilogy, it is sadly not a very strong addition to the franchise. Dead Space Ignition came out sometime before Dead Space 2 and is unlike anything else in the franchise. It doesn’t focus on the intense horror of the first game and is instead a mixture between an interactive comic book and a puzzle game. The end result is a game that is made up of a bad story and tedious mini-games.
7 Best: Planescape Torment - 91%
An incredibly deep RPG, Planescape Torment might seem like an odd choice, but it’s known for an incredibly dark take on the fantasy genre that also delves into the multi-dimensional territory, so it certainly qualifies. Its storytelling was praised by many critics along with the incredibly strong dialogue and powerful gameplay. The game gets so much praise that it went on to win a variety of awards like the Editor’s Choice Award. Planescape Torment eventually made it to many greatest video games of all time list, with some hoping for a remake.
6 Worst: Escape From Bug Island - 37%
Published by Eidos Interactive, Escape From Bug Island is a third-person survival shooter where the player utilizes the Wii’s mechanics in order to progress through the game. Unfortunately, the game has been relatively panned by a variety of critics for a multitude of reasons. For starters, the game had incredibly poor graphics, with bad animations and terrible controls. It was also heavily criticized for how repetitive it is.
5 Best: Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem - 92%
This Gamecube exclusive title was created by Silicon Knights. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a third-person survival horror game that has similar mechanics to the classic Resident Evil games. However, it does enough different things that help it stay distinct — such as its celebrated and intriguing sanity mechanics. Focusing on stopping an evil entity from taking over the human race, the game went on to win numerous game awards and became a cult classic. Hopefully, this game takes on a proper remake or remaster one day.
4 Worst: Shellshock 2: Bloodtrails - 35%
Shellshock 2: Bloodtrails is a game that is published by Eidos Interactive. A sequel to the original Shellshock, it follows Private Nathaniel “Nate” Walker who has to hunt down his brother Caleb “Cal” Walker who had been affected with a deadly virus. The game plays as a third-person shooter during the Vietnam war, however, the poor premise and boring gameplay resulted in the game not being that well-received.
3 Best: Castlevania Symphony Of The Night - 93%
One of the best Castlevania games to ever exist in the series, Castlevania Symphony Of The Night follows Alucard, the son of Dracula, and is well celebrated by long-time fans. Acting as a sequel to the game Castlevania Rondo Of Blood, the game went on to be incredibly influential to a vast variety of similar video games and garnered a lot of acclaim from both fans and critics.
2 Worst: Vampire Rain - 34%
Published by Ignition/AQ back in 2008, Vampire Rain is a survival horror game that focuses on stealth. Playing similarly to games such as Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, the player is tasked with navigating the character through city areas while avoiding vampiric threats.
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However, despite the promising concept, it was critically panned by both gamers and critics alike — so panned that Screwattack gave it the worst Xbox 360 game of 2007. The game was criticized heavily for its poor AI and the fact that many of its core gameplay elements are too similar to its inspirations. That being said, the music was praised for fitting the tone.
1 Best: Bioshock - 95%
Although Bioshock is a spiritual successor to the System Shock franchise, this video game laid the foundation for one of the finest horror-themed games in Metacritic. It isn’t explicitly a horror game, of course, but it borrows so many survival-horror elements that it’s impossible to ignore. Following a plane crash, the player character arrives at a mysterious lighthouse which takes them to the wondrous undersea utopia known as Rapture.
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However, Rapture has turned into something far more horrific. The player gets to explore what happens to the city while also attempting to escape from Rapture. The game garnered critical acclaim from both fans and critics while going on to establish a variety of sequels.
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