4. Silent Hill – (Originally made for the PS-X): Regardless of what has been said critically about later titles in the series or about the film, which is exceptional in its own right, Silent Hill is definitely a game that shouldn’t be overlooked by any self-respecting gamer. And yes, before you tell me that there have been Silent Hill games on the 360, they sure aren’t the original. Fog consistently obstructed the view of the player as they explored the city, searching for their lost daughter and the static sound emanating from the radio is enough the give anyone the creeps. But if there is anything about this game that’ll stick with me for the rest of my life, it’s the opening guitar strums as it leads into the introduction, which still give me goosebumps to this day. The intriguing story yet again serves to offer the player a sense of psychological madness and given that you play an ordinary man, the focus is not essentially on combat. Taking the HUD away years before Dead Space ever did it, Silent Hill hits the nail on the head for survival horror and while it isn’t perfect, it would still make an amazing Xbox Live remastered edition.
3. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly – (Originally Made for the Xbox, PS2): Playing one of two Japanese twins you are armed with nothing but an antique camera that is capable of exorcising the ghosts of lost souls. The problem is, a lot of these ghosts really don’t want to leave and they have no problem killing you to make sure that nothing jeopardizes that. Personally, I love the scary games that make it so you can’t look away, because if you can close your eyes, then where is the fun in that? Moving from room to room, such a basic premise becomes scary really freakin’ quickly. The story is actually very well done for being so steeped in paranormality and ultimately, I’ve never regretted playing through this game, except for the nightmares after. Regardless of a remake, you need to get this game and give it a playthrough. Keep your mommy on speed dial and a spare pair of shorts boys and girls.
2. Resident Evil – (Originally on the PS-X): For the one person in the back who hasn’t heard of Resident Evil, it’s a game where you’re trapped in a mansion after being sent to investigate what happened to the Alpha team of the S.T.A.R.S unit you belong to. Along the way, zombie dogs among other amalgamations of the undead or just scary ass monsters come from just about anywhere and everywhere looking to bite a chunk out of you. While the original version on the Playstation was good, the definitive Gamecube edition is the one that should be played and remade with a next-generation equivalent that isn’t Resident Evil 5. While it was well done in its own right, as I’ve previously stated, you never forget your first and the original is in most cases better. So perhaps it is a bit of the nostalgia getting to me, but if they ever released the original on XBLA or as a standalone title, it would be worth the sixty dollars and I would pay for it in a heartbeat.
1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem – (Originally on the Gamecube): So, I’m pretty sure I was one of the five people in the world who actually enjoyed Too Human. Silicon Knights knows how to convey story and they do the job exceptionally well. The problem is that the controls feel a bit clunky at times, but nowhere near enough to notice and break the mood of Eternal Darkness. Steeping the player deep inside Cthulu Mythology the game grabs you by the arm and drags you kicking and screaming along asphalt through the various descents into madness as it places you into the roles of various people in history. Not only that, but the game goes the extra length to mess with the player. Simulating the television turning off when your character is surrounded by monsters or “deleting” all of your save files when you clearly hit the button to “save” are just a few examples of the madness Eternal Darkness really has no problem subjecting you to as a player. As the game goes on, the insanity twists further. Too much insanity and your character’s head explodes in a rather grisly display. But then again, it’s one of the few games on the Gamecube that is rated ‘M’ and is genuinely worth playing. As more and more titles are remastered and remade, it would be nice to see an updated iteration if not an entirely new game come to the 360.
