Nowadays, many prefer to get their scares not from movies, but from video games, which offer old-fashioned thrills and chills with a minimum of sadism. There have been a few spooky games for the Wii, although the spookiest is probably Fatal Frame IV, which was an exclusive game that never came to the U.S. Here are 10 spooky games that did make it to North America.
Deadly Creatures
Arthropodologists won’t find this game spooky; it’s just a bunch of bugs trying to kill each other, after all. But if scorpions and spiders give you the creeps then this atmospheric action game set among multi-legged desert critters makes for a somewhat eerie adventure.
Gruesomely realistic graphics.
Exhilarating combat.
The story is paper thin.
Boss battles, while exciting, are few and far between.
Spooky Creatures: Spiders, scorpions, rats
The Last Story
There aren’t a lot of ghosts in this game, but it does feature the best-haunted house we’ve played since The Masquerade - Bloodlines.
Haunting soundtrack and exceptional voice acting.
Online multiplayer is fun if you find others to play with.
Combat is too easy at times.
The graphics look a little drab.
Spooky Creatures: Ghosts, living skeletons
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
There are a lot of ghosts in this game for the simple reason that almost everyone in the entire world has died. Some ghosts are perfectly nice, and just need your help; others definitely have a bit of an attitude. If you’d like to wander through a world of spirits, this is your game.
Highly detailed game world is fun to explore.
Immersive visuals and sound design.
Combat and inventory management can get tedious.
The story seems to drag on near the end.
Spooky Creatures: Ghosts, killer robots
Cursed Mountain
Would you like to use a magical staff to battle Tibetan mountain spirits? Do you appreciate a game with an unusual snowy-mountain setting? Are you tolerant of poor production values and haphazard controls? This is the game for you.
Unique graphical style creates a chilling atmosphere.
Cleverly incorporates Buddhist mythology.
Stiff controls make combat unnecessarily challenging.
Sometimes the snow effects are visually distracting.
Spooky Creatures: Ghosts
House of the Dead: Overkill
This take-off on cheesy ‘70s horror flicks isn’t as funny as it thinks it is, but its stylish delivery and first-rate rail-shooter gameplay make for an entertaining ride. Not the scariest game ever made for the Wii, but certainly one of the most entertaining.
Original soundtrack perfectly matches the game’s grindhouse feel.
Abundance of unlockables adds hours of gameplay.
Frequent graphical glitches and frame rate issues.
Might be too gory for some gamers.
Spooky Creatures: Zombies, more zombies
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
This rail shooter takes the player through memorable moments from previous games in the series; think of it as a zombie sampler. It won’t make a lick of sense if you haven’t played the previous games, but for those who have, it’s like going through a box of old photographs.
Makes near perfect use of the Wii motion controls.
Non-stop, fast paced action.
Lacks the puzzles that made the original games fun.
The upbeat music doesn’t match the game’s dark tone.
Spooky Creatures: Zombies
The Calling
This survival-horror game aims for “The Ring”-style J-horror, offering spooky atmosphere interspersed with some cheap shocks. While the gameplay is a little weak, this is still the closest experience we’ve ever had to living in a J-horror movie.
Clever use of the Wii remote controller.
Multiple endings encourage multiple playthroughs.
Very unoriginal story.
Battles with ghost are disappointingly easy.
Spooky Creatures: Hostile ghosts, the internet
LIT
This clever title asks players to make their way through a series of dark rooms by breaking windows and turning on lamps to create pathways of light to the exit. Step into the dark and you will be swarmed by carnivorous bugs. It’s a spooky little game, brilliantly conceived and intriguing, but expect increasing frustration in the later, uncompromising levels. It was later released as a free mobile game, but with so many ads that we couldn’t stand to play it.
Addictive puzzle solving.
Generous difficulty curve encourages players to keep trying when they fail.
No in-game tutorial, so you have to figure out what to do on your own.
The music is repetitive.
Spooky Creatures: Ghosts, creepy crawlies hiding in the dark
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Ever have a nightmare where hideous creatures are chasing you, so close you can feel their breath on your neck, before finally grabbing you and pulling you down and tearing you to pieces? Well, whoever made Shattered Memories must have had those nightmares and decided they would make a great game. They weren’t entirely right — these chases are often more annoying than terrifying — but it’s still one of the most unusual — and at times unsettling — games to have hit the Wii.
Captures the horrifying tone of the original while improving the gameplay.
Choices you make have a great impact on how the story ends.
Very short; can be beaten in a few hours.
Some puzzles are a little too easy.
Spooky Creatures: What on earth are those things?
Dead Space: Extraction
With its shaky camera and weird visions and voices, this eerie rail shooter makes for a particularly stylish and effective horror tale. The game is dripping in atmosphere as you explore a creepy alien world with companions who may soon go mad and try to kill you.
Interesting story that expands upon the “Dead Space” franchise lore.
Includes unlockable comic books with full voice acting.
Aiming reticle takes up a sizable chunk of the screen.
Camera angles often make aiming more challenging than it should be.
Spooky Creatures: Crazy people, monsters, the voices in your head
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