Games To Play When It's Halloween

Well, it's almost here again. Halloween, my favorite holiday of them all. This time of year, I tend to become a little obsessed with the dark, the spooky, and/or the macabre. I like to break out stories by Edgar Allan Poe, or watch movies by Tim Burton or John Carpenter (the original Halloween movie is still one of my favorites). You get the idea.

I love the fact that Halloween falls right on the very last day of October. It basically gives me an excuse to spend the whole entire month getting into the mood and preparing for the big day. In addition to reading stories and watching movies, I also spend that time thinking about costumes and jack-o-lantern designs, and of course, playing video games. There has been an abundance of decent Halloween-related games over the years, going all the way back to Haunted House on the Atari 2600. While I usually don't go back quite that far, here is a list of some of the ones that I do like to play:

Castlevania
-Developer: Konami
-Platforms: Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance, Wii, Wii U, 3DS

Let's start with a true Halloween classic. Right alongside Pac-Man and Super Mario, the Castlevania series is one of the longest running game series of all time. There have been many excellent titles over the years, (just about) any one of which would be a great pick for this time of year. For me, the NES original is still the best though. Take control of vampire hunter Simon Belmont as he makes his way through Dracula's haunted castle, fighting zombies, skeletons, ghosts, mummies, Frankenstein's monster, the Grim Reaper, and of course, Dracula himself. How's that for a scary good time?

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Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge
-Developer: Capcom
-Platforms: Arcade, Saturn, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Great Halloween games haven't only started out on home consoles. One of my favorite series made its first appearances in the arcades: Darkstalkers. All three entries to the series are pretty fantastic, but my go-to choice is almost always the second one. Like Castlevania, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge contains all the classic monsters you'd expect to see, plus a couple extras, for good measure. You can engage in classic Capcom 1-on-1 fighting action with a vampire, a Frankenstein-esque monster, a werewolf, a mummy, a zombie, and more... There's even a sasquatch and a succubus! It's the perfect game to liven up any Halloween party.

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Ghostbusters
-Developer: Terminal Reality
-Platforms: Steam, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

This game really needs no explanation. Ghostbusters (the video game) allows you to play as "the new guy" and travel to different parts of New York City trapping ghosts and reliving some of the great moments from the legendary '80s movies. Best of all, all four original Ghostbusters, and Janine (the secretary) are in the game and voiced by the actual movie actors. How awesome is that?!?

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Resident Evil
-Developer: Capcom
-Platforms: GameCube, Wii, Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Resident Evil (aka REmake) is the only unoriginal game on this list. Even so, the 2002 GameCube remake put the 1996 original to shame in nearly every possible way. Capcom did an absolutely incredible job. The remake was so beautiful and well-crafted, it was eventually ported over to the current systems. (And with very few changes needed even after nearly thirteen years!) Whatever system you play it on, this game is truly an amazing experience. The mansion the story is set in is a terrifying place to explore and would make for one hell of a Halloween attraction if it was ever to be recreated in real life.

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Batman: Arkham City
-Developer: Rocksteady
-Platforms: Steam, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

You may not immediately think of Batman: Arkham City as a Halloween game, but I can assure you that it most definitely is. Allow me to explain: you've got a man who can turn into a bat, a black cat (-woman), an insane clown with an evil harlequin sidekick... Are you with me so far? Because there's more: Solomon Grundy is basically a straight up cross between a giant zombie and Frankenstein's monster (see above image). Additionally, the whole story takes place over the course of one long night, and all the while there are dudes in crazy costumes running amok all over the city. Also, if you happen to go and visit Calendar Man on certain actual calendar holidays, notably October 31st, he will tell you a creepy story in honor of the occasion. Have I sufficiently made my point?

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Costume Quest
-Developer: Double Fine
-Platforms: Steam, GOG, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Last but not least, we have Costume Quest. Hands down the most Halloween inspired video game ever created. After your twin sibling is taken from you on Halloween night, you must save the day (or night, rather) by trick-or-treating for candy and battling monsters. Explore the neighborhood, swap costumes, get candy, and rescue your sibling before it gets too late. Costume Quest is an absolute joy to play and really does a superb job of putting you in an appropriately festive mood.

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What about you? Which games just scream Halloween to you? Which ones do you feel I should have included in this list? Please share them in the comments.

(This is a repost of an article that originally appeared on Twinstiq.)

[Images: Double Fine, Konami, Capcom, Atari, Warner Bros]

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[AJ Amideo]