We had a really great conversation on this week’s WhoDatJedi podcast with the creators/hosts of the Nerd Cave Retro podcast about the best video games to play in the month of October.
In the mood for some spooky, Halloween-themed video games this month? Read on to see/hear our choices.
Listen to the conversation here, and scroll down for some short thoughts on each game covered.
Luigi’s Mansion
It’s a kind of Mario meets Ghostbusters idea, it gives sidekick Luigi his own franchise for the first time, and it was a major launch release for the GameCube, so the original game in the Luigi’s Mansion series has plenty of reasons for you to play. It’s also a great game, involving “hunting” ghosts and is accessible for kids. The only downside is it’s short.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
More of the same here, but with the added benefit of being easier to track down and play since it’s a recent release for the Switch. That also makes it a prettier game by default, so that’s cool too.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Released for the Super Nintendo, it’s a multi-player run and gun-style game, where you sprint through a neighborhood, blasting zombies. There’s also plenty of exploration elements, as you hunt for power-ups and the best possible paths forwards. Finally, it’s got those great old-school, 40s and 50s shock value touches, making for a true retro experience.
Ghoul Patrol
If you can’t get enough Zombies Ate My Neighbors (and we understand; it’s pretty great), its direct sequel, Ghoul Patrol, will scratch that itch for you a second time.
Left 4 Dead 2
If you’re reading this, you may live in New Orleans (or at least have an affinity for the place), and this game is really cool because it’s set there (among other Southern cities). Running through the French Quarter blasting zombies sounds like a good time to me. And what’s even cooler: This game, released in 2009, JUST received another update. Like, it happened a couple of weeks ago. That speaks to a longevity (and quality) in gaming that’s difficult to achieve.
Doom
Hey, feel free to lump in whatever sequels, remakes or homebrews you might prefer here, but that’s because the original formula is so good. A gateway to hell spawning beasts of doom that you have to annihilate just to survive — in a space/Mars setting — remains a compelling sell to this day, and the gameplay remains super fun. Sometimes you just want to turn off your brain and blow away demons for awhile.
Castlevania
We ended up recommending three Castlevania games for this list, and while you can certainly go in many other directions in terms of which Castlevania games you’d like to partake in this Halloween, these three are undeniable classics. First up is the original Castlevania for the NES, which pioneered the concept of grafting classic monsters from Hollywood and literature into an exciting platforming experience. The music and stage design are great — which became a reoccurring theme for the series — and the whole thing ends up being a must-play.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
This sequel, released for the PC Engine in Japan and eventually ported over to the U.S. MUCH later on (it’s now pretty widely available), was a natural end-point for the original style of “Classic-vania,” the more linear experience with fewer exploratory elements. It featured branching paths, multiple playable characters, CD-remastered versions of the original chip tunes, animated cut scenes, and just a heck of a lot of creativity and fun. For many, this remains the Castlevania pinnacle.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
This game propelled Castlevania into a full-born exploration-driven experience, and it built off of the events and visual style of Rondo — making it an ideal pairing with that game, both as a comparison point AND a contrast point. This was where Castlevania went “Metroid-vania” and it basically stayed in that realm for another decade-plus, but at least that game style proved enjoyable. This first true foray into that style may also have been the series’ best. At minimum, it WAS first, and given its ties to the classic games in the series, it’s pretty much a must-play.
The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest came along during an era in which PC gaming was really exploding, and its horror elements make it a fun experience even today. It involves a kind of murder mystery plot where you take control of an amnesiac stuck in a haunted mansion, and then you’re charged with solving a series of puzzles to get to the end of the game. What made it cool for its time was its use of full motion video to advance the plot, which is seen more as gimmick today, but was employed very effectively here. This is a damn creepy game (and it had a sequel too, if you’re interested).
Eternal Darkness
Lauded for its spooky plot and bizarre game effects, Eternal Darkness was a GameCube release that didn’t get nearly the amount of love that it deserved. Jumping across multiple eras, it tells the story of a fight against an evil entity trying to enslave humanity, but it stands apart in HOW it tells that story. Game play changes from era to era and is even effected by a “sanity meter” that creates distortions/effects in the game that can be difficult to overcome (screen distortions, false game over notices, etc.). It’s an immersive experience and an underrated gem.
Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
The original game was lauded for being the best of its kind, a vast improvement on its precursor, and an all-time classic for the consoles on which it was released (N64, Playstation). But when the game was re-made for modern consoles in 2019, it absolutely blew away what it had previously accomplished, improving the visuals and problems in game play that had previously kept the game from becoming its best possible self. It made a classic game BETTER (not just prettier). In other words, this is what a remake should be.
Super Metroid
The classic Metroid games were all about creating a particularly lonely and frightening mood through level design, graphical touches, and particularly through the soundtrack … and the SNES edition of the game was the best of the bunch. The end result is a game about blasting aliens on an alien planet that is more Alien than Aliens and is perfect for the season (particularly if you play it late at night).
Honorable Mentions:
Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Parasite Eve, Outlast, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Maniac Mansion, Shadowgate, Mortal Kombat