What are the best retro Halloween games?

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JustLikeHeaven1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » October 22nd, 2014, 2:01 pm

So with Halloween around the corner and the Critic having his spooky banners in high rotation...what better time to discuss Halloween games.

I'm not interested in newer stuff.  Let's keep this to N64, PS1 SAT and earlier.

These are must plays in my book.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors - Has there ever been a videogame that is more of a love letter to classic horror than ZAMN?  I don't think so.  It's got everything from werewolves, zombies and vampires, to giant ants, blobs, killer dolls and mummies.  It's got it all.  

Ghosts n Goblins - Zombies, devils, ghosts, cemeteries and more.  These games are great and providing a nice medieval setting with haunted locations and memorable enemies.  The difficulty might be the scariest thing of all!

Castlevania - Probably the most well known game about vampires in all of gaming.  I just love how the original game has practically every classic Universal Movie Monster from Dracula to the Gill-man.  Playing this as a kid sent my imagination into overdrive!  

Mr. Bones - This overlooked gem for the Saturn is great for Halloween.  Skeletons, graveyards, fog and electric guitar solos...what more could you ask for.  This is a weird collection of games but around this time of year it's essential!


What are some of your favorite retro Halloween classics?

Sut1
Posts: 789
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby Sut1 » October 22nd, 2014, 2:47 pm


Cauldron 2: The Pumpkin Strikes Back (ZX Spectrum).
Not sure if this game ever got over the pond (maybe on c64 ?) but I used to love this game as a kid, you control a pumpkin who is seeking revenge against the evil witch. Great way to get around system limitations and one of the more colourful Spectrum games.

http://youtu.be/pApGyw45QF8

House of the Dead (Saturn)
It really is one of the greatest light gun games ever (IMO better than it's sequels). Yeah the graphics are a bit of a mess but it plays great especially with a Sega Stunner.

kew9820001
Posts: 87
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby kew9820001 » October 22nd, 2014, 7:31 pm

Since nobody has mentioned it yet: Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Even to this day those games scare the crap out of me.

Vexer1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby Vexer1 » October 22nd, 2014, 11:04 pm

One Halloween game i'd like to see the critic review is Beetlejuice on the NES.

JustLikeHeaven1
Posts: 2971
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby JustLikeHeaven1 » October 24th, 2014, 4:20 pm

After going back and revisiting the original Splatterhouse I can safely say that it has withstood the test of time.  Great 2D side scroller, with eerie music, good graphics, simple gameplay and lots of surprises.  My favorite thing is that there is something new and unexpected to discover in each level.  

While the series never reached the popularity of say Resident Evil, it was pretty much of the big names in horror videogames during the 16 bit era.


Has anyone played the SNES version of Clock Tower?  How about Sweet Home for the NES?  I've always been curious about tracking down copies of them...

Rev1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby Rev1 » October 24th, 2014, 5:55 pm

I've played a lot of Clock Tower over the last few months and I have to say it is an excellent Halloween title. It's so different from almost every single game on the SNES. I also love the fact a full run through can be done in about an hour, leaving you plenty of time to get the other endings (there are literally like 13). The game also shuffles every time you start a new game so the first few times can feel like completely different experiences.

If you don't believe in repo carts I would highly recommend emulating it.

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VideoGameCritic
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What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby VideoGameCritic » October 25th, 2014, 10:54 am

[QUOTE=Vexer]One Halloween game i'd like to see the critic review is Beetlejuice on the NES.[/QUOTE]

This sounds like a good one!  Doubt I'll be able to review it before Halloween, but I put it on my list.

JWK1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby JWK1 » October 25th, 2014, 4:29 pm

This will sound like a strange edition to the list but... Snatcher on Sega CD.

It's not ALL horror, of course, but there's plenty of legit disturbing images and dark atmosphere to warrant a playthrough in October.  The still with Jean's head cut clean off was shocking in 1994 and still shocking today.

For anyone who hasn't played it, try Puppeteer for PS3.  Not exactly "retro," I know.  But it's a gorgeous 2D side scroller with gallons of style.  About half the game is like playing an interactive Tim Burton movie.  It's awesome.

The king of these games will always be Zombie Ate My Neighbors on SNES.  I know it's been mentioned but it doesn't get any better than that.

Astrosmasher1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby Astrosmasher1 » October 26th, 2014, 8:01 pm

I am going to go for Haunted House.  It was the first survival horror game.  I still play it from time to time and think it is very good. Also it is a deceptively simple game. Unlike the various remakes Atari (whoever owns it now)have put upon us. 

scotland171
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

What are the best retro Halloween games?

Postby scotland171 » October 26th, 2014, 11:24 pm

The C64 has a few, such as Friday the 13th with nightmarish C64 digitized screams, and Maniac Mansion. You could also just with creepy gothic black and white...a text adventure like Infocom's The Lurking Horror. Wandering about steam tunnels (in glorious ASCII) is kinda spooky.  Available on several old platforms, and you can set th mood by putting on your Halloween sound effects CD. If you need some graphics, how about Dark Seed, based on the art of HR Giger, the original Alone in the Dark, or the 7th Guest adventures all from the early 90s.


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