The 2000s was an influential decade for horror games and had a very distinct aesthetic across the board. As of this point, the indie scene wasn’t dominating the horror genre yet. Instead, AAA titles were developing their own brands of horror in unique ways. In many ways, this decade could be seen as some of the best for pure survival horror. It was this decade that laid the groundwork for what would turn out to be one of the biggest booms in the horror genre for gaming in the upcoming 2010s, whether it's obscure indie titles or iconic AAA titles.
The likes of Silent Hill 2established the immersive psychological horror aspect that would quickly dominate the horror genre in the next decade. In contrast, Resident Evil 4 popularized the “action-horror” genre, and for better or for worse, it made zombies a mainstay of the games industry for years to come. Whatever the case may be, the 2000s were important to horror’s success.
10 Dead Space - 2008
This iconic space-faring survival horror puts players in the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent to investigate a mining spaceship, The USG Ishimura, which is overrun by gruesome, monstrous creatures known as Necromorphs. With the tools of his trade, Isaac must cut a bloody path through the ship and find a way to escape.
The 2023 Dead Space remake makes improvements on an already impressive game. Dead Space was proof that, even in a post-Resident Evil 4 world, there was still room for a genuinely horrifying and bleak experience. It inspired dozens of developers to pursue the dark horrors that lurked in the great beyond of space, a rarely explored setting for horror.
9 Resident Evil 4 - 2005
This action-packed entry of the Resident Evil franchise follows Leon S. Kennedy, an agent of the U.S. government, who is sent to a remote part of Europe to rescue Ashley, the president’s daughter. Upon arriving, however, it’s quickly revealed that a monstrous virus has taken over, and Leon must once again brave the horrors of another plague to save Ashley.
There are plenty of good reasons to play Resident Evil 4 again, but the best one is to experience why it’s widely considered one of the best video games of all time. Resident Evil 4 was equal parts spectacle and horror, an odd combination that certainly worked in its favor. Plenty of Capcom’s horror games moving forward took on a campier approach as a result.
8 Dead Rising - 2006
A very different horror is Dead Rising, which offers a hilarious new take on the zombie genre. Dead Rising's story is an exciting and engaging tale of survival against overwhelming odds. The game follows Frank West, a photojournalist who finds himself trapped in a mall overrun by hordes of zombies. As he fights to stay alive and uncover the truth behind the zombie outbreak, Frank has to face off against a bizarre cast of psychopaths, and a sinister government conspiracy.
Far before Dead Rising 4 ruined the franchise, its beginnings made it known that horror didn’t need to be all doom and gloom. Much like how movies had Jason X, so too could horror games take some time to make fun of themselves. Dead Rising’s blend of real human evil with the zombie apocalypse also did a good job of keeping it scary through the laughs.
7 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem - 2002
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem follows the journey of several characters throughout different time periods, all connected by a powerful ancient book and a mysterious force known as "The Ancients" that has the power to manipulate reality. As the characters uncover the truth behind the book and the Ancients, they are plagued by hallucinations and sanity effects that blur the line between reality and madness.
Eternal Darkness was a subversive horror game that shook up the genre with its unorthodox style of scares. Instead of relying on jumpscares or pure atmosphere, Eternal Darkness directly messed with the player’s mind by breaking the fourth wall. In the next decade, games such as Doki Doki Literature Club and Pony Island would showcase the effectiveness of this style of meta-horror.
6 Fatal Frame - 2001
Fatal Frame begins its cult classic horror status with the story of Miku, a young woman investigating her brother's disappearance in an abandoned mansion, where she soon discovers that the house is haunted by vengeful spirits. With only the assistance of a single helpful ghost in white, Miku must brave the mansion’s secrets to find closure for her lost brother.
Fatal Frame popularized Japanese urban legends in several horror games, and its influence on the modern Japanese horror scene is evident to this day. Even its gameplay and aesthetic go past Japan, and all across Asia, as games like DreadOut showcase their own folklore in the style of Fatal Frame.
5 BioShock - 2007
The atmospheric deep-sea horror of BioShock takes place in the underwater city of Rapture. A so-called utopia where the city's inhabitants have been driven to madness by a powerful genetic substance called ADAM. Players take on the role of Jack, a man who finds himself in Rapture after a plane crash and has to fight his way through the city's twisted inhabitants to uncover the truth behind the downfall of Rapture.
BioShock was a spiritual successor to the sci-fi horror FPS gameSystem Shock, and it updated that already influential franchise to modern standards. It blends visual narrative in such a unique way that many first-person games hadn’t done at the time. BioShock would go on to inspire a whole swathe of utopian horror games, though as We Happy Few shows, to varying degrees of success.
4 Left 4 Dead - 2008
During the decade when Valve was still making video games, it released the beloved zombie action game Left 4 Dead. This apocalyptic co-op shooter follows the story of four survivors: Bill, Zoey, Louis, and Francis, who are fighting their way through hordes of zombies in order to escape urban locales filled to the brim with the Infected.
There have been many terrifying yet mostly forgotten zombie FPS games after Left 4 Dead’s success, but it’s hard to definitely say that any of them were better than the progenitor. The seamless integration of co-op into a fun yet still horror-laced experience is something that many zombie games moving forward struggle to capture. Regardless, that hasn’t stopped them from trying.
3 Penumbra: Overture - 2007
Although somewhat obscure nowadays, Penumbra: Overture was the prototype for what a decade of first-person horror games would look like in the 2010s. It follows the story of Philip Buchanon, a normal physics professor who finds himself stranded in a remote Arctic mine after following the instructions of his dead father’s will. Rather quickly, the mine reveals secrets that were never meant for any human to see.
Penumbra: Overture was created by the devs that would go on to create Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Perhaps the most important influence it takes from Penumbra is the emphasis on puzzles and true survival horror, as opposed to the action that had started taking over the genre in the wake of Resident Evil 4’s success.
2 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - 2009
The Silent Hill franchise got very experimental towards the latter half of the decade, and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is one of the most ambitious entries. This game reimagines the story of Silent Hill 1's Harry Mason, a man who is searching for his missing daughter in the haunted town of Silent Hill, which has taken on a chilling new aesthetic.
This game leaned much harder into the psychological aspect of horror by changing the game’s narrative based on the minutia of what players did. Horror games actively judging what the player did would become a huge trend in the indie scene during the 2010s, and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories inspired that trend in many ways.
1 Silent Hill 2 - 2001
Silent Hill 2 is often considered the gold standard of psychological survival horror. The story's protagonist is James Sunderland, who receives a letter from his late wife. In the letter, she instructs James to find her in the mysterious town of Silent Hill. As he delves deeper into the town, he uncovers dark secrets and disturbing truths about his wife's death and his own past.
It’s difficult to summarize just how much influence Silent Hill 2 has had on the genre because almost every horror game since has taken some form of a cue from Silent Hill 2’s cerebral narrative, uncanny story, and immersive horror gameplay. In short, if there’s a horror game after 2001, it probably has Silent Hill 2 influence somewhere in its DNA. Its lasting legacy means Silent Hill games in the pipeline for 2023 and beyond most prominently include the highly anticipated Silent Hill 2 remake.
Source:gamerant.com