10 Most Effective Jump Scares In Sci-Fi Video Games

Taking a break from space-based scares, Bioshock's underwater city of Rapture shows that life may not be better down where it's wetter, but it's sure as hell more terrifying.

Rapture's oceanic dystopia is populated with one of gaming's more disturbing bestiaries - a motley collection of deranged mutants, super-powered psychopaths and armoured behemoths. Yet in spite of all that, the most terrifying moment in the game comes courtesy of a humble dentist.

The scare in question comes early on, when you're tasked with exploring Rapture's Medical Pavilion. This takes you to a dentist's office, which is currently filled with steam due to a malfunctioning pipe in the area. Walking around the misty office, you know something is going to emerge from the gloom and attack you. Yet even when the moment happens, you aren't ready for it.

After exploring the dentist's office and finding a power-up, your temporary sense of elation is immediately offset by sheer panic as you turn around and see a dead-eyed dentist staring a hole through your monitor. As the above .gif shows, he goes down easily - largely due to your terror provoking you into firing an unnecessary number of bullets through the surgical lamp on his head.

The dentist's time may have been brief, but he made one hell of an impact in his few seconds of existence.