In addition to being the best game no one played this year, Shadows of the Damned featured an amazingly morbid yet oddly likable setting, placing the player in various locations in Hell.
Credit: EA/Grasshopper Manufacture
Dark Souls (Xbox 360, PS3)
As if its slogan, "Prepare to Die," wasn't Halloween-inspired enough, Dark Souls takes players through numerous lands of the undead, where skeletons and demons are ready to cut you up at any turn. If the game's creatures aren't enough to have you shaking in the corner, the game's brutal difficulty will do the trick.
Credit: From Software
Alice: Madness Returns (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
American McGee's list of games is enough to frighten even the most jaded of players, but we really loved the Alice in Wonderland reimagining he did with Madness Returns. A sequel roughly 11 years in the making, Madness took us back down the rabbit hole for another twisted look at the classic fairy tale.
Credit: EA/Spicy Horse
Catherine (Xbox 360, PS3)
Catherine is a dark tale about what happens to a man who cheats on his girlfriend. His dreams quickly turn into nightmares as he realizes he must solve block-stacking puzzles to make it to the next level, or die trying.
Credit: Atlus
F.E.A.R. 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The third game in the horror first-person-shooter series brings with it even more disturbing imagery and shocker moments than ever before.
Credit: Day 1 Studios/WBIE
Dead Island (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Dead Island is a blast to play through thanks to a great cast of walking dead enemies. A seemingly endless amount of customizable weapons made dismembering these soulless beings a creative process.
Credit: Deep Silver/Techland
Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Flesh-eating aliens in space? What
Credit: EA/Visceral Games
Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360, PS3)
A scary games list without Silent Hill is an incomplete list. While it's been delayed a few times, the anticipated Silent Hill: Downpour has now been set for 2012. Judging from what we've seen so far of the game, this is probably a good idea. Let's hope the team can capture that same eerie feeling the Silent Hill series is universally known for.
Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
A staple in the horror genre, Resident Evil makes our list with the upcoming 3DS exclusive Revelations. From what we've played, the game reminds us most of Resident Evil 4, which should be music to the ears of the Resident Evil faithful. Handheld horror fans can check it out when it's released in the US on February 7, 2012.