10 Horror Video Games That Turned 20 In 2022

Vigentennial horror, but which are worth revisiting?

Clock Tower 3
Capcom

Most of us don't necessarily consider 2002 a vintage year in video game history, and yet it forms an essential piece of horror canon, bringing a raft of new titles and new entries in existing series to the market, in some cases making history.

This was the era of the sixth generation of consoles -- Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube -- introducing players to a whole new level of gameplay as far as graphics, memory and sheer scope were concerned.

While few of us were flash enough to own all of these consoles, most of us owned at least one, and so shared our part in what wound up being the second act for horror gaming, as it transitioned from the arcades and into our homes, becoming ever-more complex and immersive.

While not every title in this article has enjoyed the longevity of its contemporaries, each has earned its place, turning the ripe old age of 20 in 2022 with grace, nostalgia or sheer, un-abating cringe.

Long may they reign.

10. Dino Stalker

Clock Tower 3
Capcom

First-person horror shooter Dino Stalker brings together the Resident Evil and Dino Crisis franchises to make something... not quite as good as either. But that's not to say it's a bad game.

Players take charge of Mike Wired, a World War II pilot transported into a dino-infested future and, in the vein of the light gun arcade games, must use a variety of weapons including machine guns, rocket launchers and shotguns to defend against dinosaurs while progressing through desert, jungle and urban environments.

The third entry in Capcom's Gun Survivor series (following Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica), Dino Stalker nonetheless has no distinct links with the Resident Evil series. Yet, eagle-eyed gamers will be delighted to find two easter eggs in the form of the woman drawing water statue from the mansion in the original game, and an Umbrella building.

Released for the PlayStation 2, Dino Stalker also allowed use of a real light gun accessory, which most gamers didn't have and couldn't afford in 2002, but which was surely the height of video gaming sophistication.

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