8 Games That Scare You With Lies
4. The Motion Tracker Fake-Out - Aliens Versus Predator
1999's original Aliens Versus Predator did a masterful job of leaning into player expectations for the Alien franchise, exploiting the stylistic conventions of the hit sci-fi horror series for some pulse-rocketing scares.
And the very first honest-to-God scare in the game occurs in the opening moments of the Marine campaign, where developers Rebellion Developments weaponise one of the franchise's most iconic sounds against fans.
Within literally 30 seconds of being given control of the meatbag protagonist, you'll hear your trusty motion tracker make its distinctive beep, as will surely make the hairs stand up on the necks of anyone who's ever seen Aliens - that is to say, basically everybody playing this game.
This sound triggered a Pavlovian, pant-soiling fear in most, who understandably expected a blood-thirsty Xenomorph to be waiting around the corner, but as it turns out the motion tracker was actually activated by an automatic elevator in the vicinity.
That revelation probably didn't stop you opening fire in the direction of the bloop regardless, though, just to be sure. And from that moment on, it was abundantly clear that the developers totally got the Alien franchise.