The Video Game Critic

Adventure, 2600. If those chomping dragons don't scare you, nothing will.

Scariest games I know...
BioShock 1
Half-Life 2
Resident Evil Revelations
Silent Hill Shattered Memories
Project Zero 2 (aka Fatal Frame II)
Gears of War 1

Well, that's it. I mean, I wasn't terribly scared or anything, but those games have some shock moments. And anybody should play BioShock 1 (even if it doesn't scare you), it's just one of the best games of all time.

Good topic. Besides all the early Resident Evil games, I haven't played too many survival horror games, so I don't have many ideas here. But I'll say a few things... first, what do you mean by scared? If you're look to jump a couple times at some unexpected enemies or worry about what might be waiting around the next corner, I think video games can do that...but, much like movies, I don't know that they can really scare adults, because you realize it's fake. That said, if jumps and worries is good enough for you, there's gotta be something out there that can do that trick. I'd say avoid the 80s and 90s...the sound, graphics, and storytelling just weren't good enough there to create the atmosphere you need to pull this off, especially if you've already tried the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill and they didn't work for you. Personally, I'd say the more recent the better...and the less mainstream the better (i.e., obscure titles over Resident Evil games). I also don't think Resident Evil 4 would do the trick for you (it's more action oriented than trying to be scary), and while games like Eternal Darkness and Bioshock have great atmosphere, I don't think they work for scares either.

Have you tried the original Condemned for Xbox 360? I can't vouch for the game, because I haven't played it much. But I did try a demo of it back in the day and, at least in those short moments, it was probably the scariest game I've played. The Critic also gives it his highest scare rating. Pretty cheap to buy too. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot.