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Survival horror. Sounds like a scary word on its own doesn't it? Well, games of this genre will definitely scare the pants off of you if you're an edgy person. But that is one of the many reasons why this genre is so very much successful, because of the shrieks and the terrors. Did you know quite a few household franchises are survival horror? Even the ones that are underrated and underappreciated, or just plain cheesy have their own cult following and niche.

Pretty surely, the Resident Evil series comes to mind for this genre's name. In fact, its probably the most popular of this sort. Spanning with more than 11 games to the series and even 3 chronological movies, plus a CG animated one, this is definitely the king of survival horror. What makes it so popular? Probably the fact that you have run for your life while shooting a bunch of undead coming at you. Also the fact that there's genetic engineered creatures running amuck designed to give you the creeps.

If you're new to this genre, its very recommended to give this series a play through. You probably won't be disappointed and will more than likely be on the edge of your seat. Another big franchise that is pretty known is the Silent Hill series. How is it known to be popular as well? It indeed has a movie to itself as well. Although these games are very much different from Resident Evil, they are quite eerie with the foggy atmosphere, the walking through the quiet town of Silent Hill until you hear the pounding noises of the creepy monster incantations. That's what this survival horror game is all about, its about people's minds and spirits, its a very Japanese style of horror and as many know, that style can be the most heart piercing.

Silent Hill games also have very powerful soundtracks to them, to fit the daunting mood. So you don't go running around and blasting creatures, but when one does show up, you can also shoot it with your pistol and or club it with an five iron. Are these the only two survival horror games? Nope, they're just the most known. There's many others that can be just as scary or even scarier. Take the Clock Tower series as an example. It may not have the best production values, but having mass murderers running after you while you have no weapon at all and all you can do is hide behind curtains or under table is pretty heart pounding.

There's also games such as Fatal Frame, which puts into the shoes of a young girl in Japan, which you just know by the word Japan, it's going to be pretty alarming. Especially since all you can do in that game is take photographs of grueling ghouls in a dark dimly light house. Another Japanese horror series is Siren, which I just couldn't finish for some reason. The atmosphere and strange ghosts really terrified me but the frights are still there for anyone who loves shaking in their boots.

If you're wanting to try out this genre of games, be sure to check out the ones I listed, there's all interesting and will give you the spooks and chills you've always been curious about.

Learn more about this author, Annalyn Andriyenko.
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