Night Time Terror: 4 Horror Games to Play After Dark

Nothing beats a good horror game. The thrill of what might happen next. I adore a game that can get me sitting at the edge of my seat with my grip iron tight on the controller. It's the heart racing, palm sweating, jump scare inducers that get me excited to set up to play in the middle of the night. Nothing sets the mood for a good horror game then playing in a dark room. Of course, if you get to scared its best you play during the day or with all the lights on.

Now, be warned that the games I'm about to list can become rather graphic, so if you are not fond of gore or violence these may not be the games for you. Remember that these are just my opinions, and that you may have a different outlook on the game once you've played. All of these games were very well done in my opinion.

1. Resident Evil 2

When I found out they were remaking this game I was filled with this intense level of excitement. I was just a kid when my parents bought the very first Resident Evil game for PlayStation. I remember back in the day watching the pixel figures walking about on my television screen and being traumatized by my first encounter with zombies as a seven year old. My parents didn't know what they were buying at the time and weren't sure what to expect, so it wasn't really their fault. Plus, this was an experience that shaped me into the horror lover that I am today.

So, when the release for Resident Evil 2 was announced my brother and I were hyped. We got it the moment it came out, and I'm going to have to say that we were not at all disappointed. Let me start by saying that they out did themselves on the graphics for this game. With new technology they used scans of models faces which changed the appearance of a few characters in the game, but works to make the game look amazing.

The zombies are hard in this game which gives you the thrill as a player of being on edge. You never know when you'll have enough bullets to face an enemy or if running is the best option. The graphics on the zombies are excellent as well, and the deaths can be rather gory. Sneaking about comes in handy with certain creatures such as the lickers while they're distracted are crawling around on the ceiling. The game keeps you going and was very well executed.

2. Resident Evil 7

After the 6th installment of the Resident Evil franchise the 7th game was a nice refreshing blast of horror. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard diverges completely from the action oriented path of its predecessors to take on a whole new level of back woods creepy. Delving into survival roots and emphasizing on exploration, the game has you trapped in a house with a cannibal family solving puzzles and trying to get out.

The environment of the game is haunting in appearance and really sets the mood of horror as you explore the house. The characters that you are forced to encounter are terrifying and can send you running in circles trying to escape. I know I was lost trying to get away from a few of them repeatedly.

The game has a good storyline, and it's even got a decent set up of downloadable content that was released later. I would definitely recommend this game if you're looking for a good scare.

3. Layers of Fear

Intelligently done, this game isn't a survival horror game like Resident Evil. This is a psychological horror game about a disturbed painter who is attempting to finish a work of art. As the painter you go through the game complete tasks and puzzles that slowly unlock secrets and reveal key pieces to your unsettling past.

The game play starts off slow, but it builds momentum as you play. The jump scares are good and there are different paths you can take as the player to unlock different endings. The story itself is very in depth and pretty disturbing once it's all explained. As the game progresses the jump scares do intensify. I enjoyed this one thoroughly. It's not an extremely long game which is nice if your looking for something that is heavily story driven but not to drawn out. I finished it within a night.

4. Until Dawn

I really enjoyed this game for it's cinematic value. Until Dawn is an interactive survival horror game that plays out like a movie. As the player you get to control eight characters in the game who have to survive through the night of terrors ahead. The game features a butterfly effect system that effects the path in which the story takes. What I love about this game is that all these characters, depending on you as the player and your choices, can either survive or die. It's all solely up to you.

Another fun aspect of the game was all the twists it took. As you play the game you aren't really sure at first what kind of horror you are facing. You know it's something terrifying, but you just aren't quite sure, and the game keeps you guessing for some time. I also like that the game plays it's self out like episodes in a television series. It ends scenes to keep you in suspense and pulls you into new scenes to keep the momentum going.

The controls are very simple, so if you're looking for something challenging this is not the game for you. I recommend it if you want something with a great set of actors, a good story, nice twists, and some good scares.

This completes my list of the four horror games that I would recommend playing this summer. There are a great amount of horror games out there that are amazing. This list is just my opinion of a few that I really enjoyed.