2. The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2 continues the fear of the unknown motif and it’s the latest from horror visionary Shinji Mikami, one of the key innovators on early Resident Evil titles. You play as Sebastian Castellanos: a former police detective and generally broken man. He’s a character from the original who becomes even more fleshed out as the story unfolds like most characters on this list. In the original title, Sebastian lost his wife and daughter which forces him to trust an evil corporation called Mobius. The quest to find Lily, Sebastian’s daughter has you exploring Union, a simulation world not unlike The Matrix. The game includes monsters, ghosts, zombies and other scary beasts but because it’s a simulation, they may not always resemble what you expect. Though Sebastian is constantly threatened, the world of Union also includes a shocking amount of gunpowder which is sure to help in the fight against the paranormal. The beautiful visuals are complimented by creepy old-timey music to create a dark and twisted atmosphere. The brain dead AI slightly hinder the gameplay experience but the atmosphere and lighting keep Changes added to the game such as the first-person mode make the experience even more engaging and scary. The Evil Within 2 darker and spookier than the original. The true scare factor of this game is the simulation world of Union itself and the events that transpire inside the simulation.
1. Resident Evil 2
This impressively graphically enhanced Resident Evil 2 revitalized a blocky, hilariously dated but classic Resident Evil title that follows Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield through Raccoon City as they attempt to escape. This remake has already sold 4.5 million copies across PS4, PC and Xbox One, quickly catching up to the original Resident Evil 2’s 4.96 million and Resident Evil 5’s record-holding 7.5 million copies sold. Raccoon City is infested with the walking dead in RE2 as Claire looks for her brother Chris, when Leon runs into her and they join forces to explore Raccoon City for survivors and a cure to the G-virus. This remake is clearly built from the ground up as though it follows the events of the original Resident Evil 2 almost exactly, the gameplay is refined, the graphics are gorgeous and the camera isn’t so stubborn. Though the zombies that infest Raccoon City are as scary as an Resident Evil game, the scariest aspect of Resident Evil 2 is easily the often meme’d Mr. X who will hunt you at random intervals throughout the campaign. Mr. X will chase you down hallways and city streets with a blood lust that’s only comparable to heat seeking missiles and the most deadly survival horror villains. What makes Mr. X even more terrifying aside from this persistence and his hulking size? He’s nearly invulnerable to anything you throw at him, only staggering at the worst of times. This makes running away from Mr. X the only option as wasting your ammo isn’t worth it because he’ll show up again soon and hiding is asking for a swift death. You might think he won’t fit through a doorway or he can’t make it beyond a chair that’s too close to the wall, but you’d be wrong. The Resident Evil 2 experience can be made far more challenging should you opt for the hardcore difficulty mode which simulates the original save system, forcing you to collect scarce and randomly placed ink ribbons to save your progress. Mr. X becomes a hundred times more intimidating on Hardcore mode as he can knock you back to a save from before a difficult puzzle or encounter. This combination of game mode and omnipotent boss make Resident Evil 2 our scariest Xbox One game of the year.
Did your favorite terrifyingly scary Xbox One title make the list or is it absent? Do you have any memories about these titles that keep you awake at night? Let us know in the comments below!