Halloween video game roundup: ‘Alan Wake II’ and ‘Dead Space’ bookend a horror-filled year

Although this is the year of the big role-playing games, the horror genre shouldn’t be overlooked. The “Dead Space” remake started off the year strong and as 2023 winds down, “Alan Wake II” is injecting another strong dose of scares.

The two titles are fantastic bookends for a strong year in horror. Fans should have no shortage of frightening games to thrill them over the weekend and through Halloween. Here are the ones that should be at the top of your list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLpt9JCVZ-c“Alan Wake II” — It has been 13 years since Remedy Entertainment released its cult classic, and the sequel is worth the wait. Told almost like a TV serial, the game follows Saga Anderson and the titular hero who makes his return.

The familiar action returns as light becomes one of the defenses against the mysterious Dark Presence that takes over humans, animals and other parts of Bright Falls. At the same time, the developers add a heavier mystery element as Saga and Alan try to solve their respective cases. There’s a whole system where players have to piece together clues on a wall or board to figure out the next step in the campaign. It’s reminiscent of parts of “Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth” and introduces almost like police procedural element.

Remedy does a fantastic job of crafting a narrative that hooks you with a bizarre, “X-Files”-ish mystery, and doesn’t let you go as it constantly builds the tension and peels back the layers of intrigue. “Alan Wake II” launches Friday and is well worth your time this spooky season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Xv2lM9wes“Resident Evil 4” — Capcom’s remake efforts continue to one of its most cherished entries in the series. As U.S. agent Leon Kennedy, players have to rescue the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, in a Spanish countryside with some unsettling secrets. When it was first released, this sequel was a revelation that rewrote the book on the survival-horror genre.

The team that worked on the remake tried to fulfill the original vision of the team by using the power of today’s technology to do away with quick-time events so that big moments fold seamless into the action. It’s a game that captures the tension, scares and even the campy nature of the original while also updating the gameplay to be more responsive and fun.

The remake offers veterans a fresh look at a classic while introduces a masterpiece to newcomers, who may have passed on it because it looked dated. “Resident Evil 4” is available now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKocYiRHYlI“Resident Evil Village” — Every year, Apple narrows the gap between its devices and modern consoles. If previous iPhones offered players graphics on par with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, then the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPads with the M1 chips are nearly PlayStation 5 levels.

As proof of that, Capcom has brought “Resident Evil Village” to the latest Apple devices. It looks and plays almost as if you were playing on a console. The game itself is one of better chapters in the survival-horror franchise with a twist that players won’t see coming as they again control Ethan Winters, who is on a mission to rescue his daughter Rosemary.

It’s a survival-horror title that’s more action-oriented than its predecessor and is packed with enough scares and thrilling moments that you’ll lose yourself in the game. “Resident Evil Village” for iOS comes out Oct. 30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctQl9wa3ydE“Dead Space” — EA took a page from Capcom’s book and decided to remake its own classic survival-horror game. The update revamps everything about the original from the visuals to parts of the level design and gameplay. It’s still terrifying as players take on the role of Isaac Clarke and venture through the USG Ishimura.

The vessel has been taken over by monstrosities called necromorphs, and players will have to investigate what happened to its crew and how the ship fell into disrepair. Motive Studio did an exemplary job of amplifying the dread and tension of the remake by taking advantage of the power of modern machines to create an environment that’s more realistic. The developers also take advantage of the darkness and great sound design to make it seem as if enemies could pop out of anywhere.

The “Dead Space” remake is a reminder of how good the original game was and how in the right hands, it can be improved. “Dead Space” is available now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gghRJv_tdb0“Callisto Protocol” — One of the minds behind “Dead Space” was Glen Schofield, and after spending a few years working on “Call of Duty,” he returned to the survival-horror genre. As head of Striking Distance Studios, he created another sci-fi frightfest, but this time, it’s set on one of Jupiter’s moons.

Players take on the role of Jacob Lee (played by Josh Duhamel), a freight transporter who ends up at the UJC-operated Black Iron Prison after his ship crash lands on Callisto. Now an inmate there, he discovers all is not right when an infection that turns the inmates, guards and staff into terrifying creatures spreads throughout the facility

Jacob has to find a way out of the prison and along the way he discovers the secrets behind the facility and the outbreak.

Although the game has echoes of “Dead Space,” it’s more linear and focused on melee combat and stealth. Ammo is extremely limited and players will often have to dodge and counterattack the infected inmates and their more mutated forms. The melee-focused combat makes encounters more tense than ones players would face in “Dead Space.”

Best of all, “Callisto Protocol” is free as part of PlayStation Plus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agkom8TA-5k“Scorn” — When this title first came out as part of Xbox Game Pass, it was a gory revelation. The developers at Ebb Software created a game inspired by the work of H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski. That means players will see a world that looks a lot like the environments from the “Alien” franchise.

In this creepy setting, players take on the role of a silent protagonist who wakes up after trying to reach a citadel called The Crater. From there, the campaign takes players through strange facilities where bodies are repurposed and biomechanical enemies roam the halls. Players have a toolgun to help them fight, but ammo is extremely limited, so it’s often better to avoid confrontation.

They’ll also encounter strange puzzles that take a while to figure out because they’re so alien and will take time sussing out. “Scorn” will shock players with its gruesomeness and it will be unsettling especially because the game takes place in the first person further increasing the immersion. It’s an adventure that’s not for the faint of heart.

“Scorn” is still available on Xbox Game Pass. It is recently available on PlayStation 5 for the first time.