10 Terrifying Horror Video Game Openings

Alien: Isolation, one of this author's favourite games, set out to capture the magic that Ridley Scott subjected us to in 1979. From the set design and retro aesthetic, to the score, even the continuity from the film.

It also followed the same precedent of terrifying build up that that brought to the screen. Even if gamers hadn't see the trailer, they must have known what an Alien game would entail.

So they'd know that, eventually, one of Giger's twisted fantasy creations would show up. It wasn't a case of if, but when.

Boarding the seemingly-derelict Sevastapol station, the sense of looming dread is overwhelming. Things go bump and scuttle, bits of masonry rattle and clank that would suggest there's something sneaking up behind you...

But then it lulls players into a false sense of terror, before really dropping things behind them. Or in front, or talking in a calm, synthetic voice before smashing Ripley's brains into a partition.

Granted, it's not immediate terror, but Isolation builds that tension from the get-go that even the first few chapters feel like one long, tension filled opening.