Top 10 Horror Games: #3 Silent Hill 2/3/Shattered Memories

 I know. I'm cheating because I listed three games. Here's the thing though, I love all of them for different reasons and I can't choose between them because each one of them has something that makes them great. 

In Silent Hill 2, you play as James, a man who receives a letter from his dead wife, Mary, telling him she's waiting for him in Silent Hill. It's not the scariest game I've ever played, but it has a very emotional story and it will stick with you long after you've finished playing. My PSN name was even inspired by Mary's letter to James.

Silent Hill 3 has you playing as Heather, a teenager set on avenging her father's death. To me, this is the scariest game in the series. I may be lying a little bit, the ghosts in Silent Hill 4 stressed me out to much I couldn't even finish playing it, but I think it's unfair to compare unkillable enemies to a game that's genuinely scary without resorting to those tactics. Every time I have to go into Borley Haunted Mansion, I need to psych myself up for an hour. Silent Hill 3 feels much darker than its predecessor, amplifying the feeling of dread you get while exploring. My favorite line in the entire series comes from this game, when Vincent is talking to Heather about the enemies she's killed and he says, "Monsters..? They looked like monsters to you?" He claims it's just a joke, but imagine the implications if it weren't.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the original Silent Hill. Here, every action you take affects the outcome of the story. It changes the appearance of the enemies, characters you come across (in terms of appearance and personality) and Harry himself. Various therapy sessions throughout the game will also have differing effects on the environment. Once completed, based on your actions throughout, the game will profile you, giving you a detailed analysis of yourself. It's a unique experience for this series.

As a final note, throughout all of these games, one thing that is so integral to how creepy they are is the soundtrack created by Akira Yamaoka. I really liked Silent Hill Downpour, but without Akira Yamaoka, it wasn't the same. To me, he is Silent Hill.