I came across the picture of this list's number one spot while I was browsing the cold dark depths of the internet, and began to wonder what my top 5 scariest moments in video games were. So I popped on my nostalgia goggles and looked back at what possibly could be the defining moments of horror in the countless number of video games that I have played, and decided to share the list I came up with.

5. The angry sun-Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

Let's start out with one of the most memorable “OH SHI-” moments in video game history, the desert level in Super Mario Bros. 3. Remembering this just sends me back to a childhood of simpler games, no fancy control schemes, realism =/= brown and bloom, and scary didn't mean something was bleeding to death while it jumped out of dark corridors. I'm just strolling along (drinking a blue mondo to add nostalgia), jumping over quick sand, dodging the fire ball shooting plants, normal mario stuff. Hmm that's a weird looking sun up in the corner, it wasn't in any of the other levels, it's kind of creeping me out up there. I better watch out theres some bricks, I sure hope theres none of those fake ones from the first lev-THE SUN IS TRYING TO KILL ME FUCK!



4. Wall Masters-Legend of Zelda (Pretty much anything nintendo)

The whole part of the original legend of zelda games was that it was pretty much the polar opposite of mario. In mario, you knew what to do. You walk forward, and jump on things, no mystery here. Legend of Zelda (especially the NES one, as the series has advanced the worlds have become more detailed and you have a better idea whats going on, but theres still the element of puzzles and the “wtf am I supposed to be doing” feeling) just throws you out in the open without a weapon and tells you nothing. So you go through the world, solving puzzles and searching dungeons. You get pretty deep into a dungeon, walk into a room and this weird hand thing comes out at you. You've been trained at this point, you get touched by a monster, you get hurt, but you have plenty of hearts, so your a little careless. The wall master grabs you, oh but you aren't hurt it sends you back to the beginning of the dungeon. As you sit there shocked and in despair that you now must go through half the dungeon again, a trained fear begins to build in your mind, like a trained instinct that says, “wall masters/hands = OH SHIT RUN.”



3. Going insane-Eternal Darkness (Gamecube)

A survival horror style game inspired by the Cthulu Mythos and other Lovecraft stories, Eternal Darkness introduced something to the genre, a sanity meter. Everything you might expect will happen when you go insane, you know hearing things, seeing things, bleeding walls, things start happe........OH SHIT THE GAME JUST RESET NO I DIDN'T SAVE.......oh its back. The game likes to break the fourth wall a bit just to mess with you. You'll find th...........WHOS MESSING WITH THE TV'S VOLUME DAMN IT.



2. Uboa-Yume Nikki (Freeware)

The whole game is pretty freaky, so its not surprising to something from the game appear in this list. It's a random event in the game, contained in a certain house, involving flipping a switch. I hate to give everything about a game like this (one in that the ENTIRE game is about little secrets like this), especially since I already talked about it here, so I won't say much more. Honestly I think knowing that it's going to happen is worse than coming across it unexpectedly. The anticipation just builds more and more as you do one simple action, leave the house, then repeat. There's an Einstein quote “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”, that is Uboa. It's not OH NOES SOMETHING BLOODY JUMPED OUT AT ME, it's being driven insane, anticipating something different, sitting on the edge of you seat each time you flip the switch. Soon you may forget what exactly it is you seeking, maybe your not given enough time to forget. The first time, 20 repeats, 80 repeats? Who knows exactly how long it will take.

The video gives away uboa as a warning for those who wish not to know.


1. Phantos-Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

Phantos is easily the scariest thing in a video game, winning out over the somewhat similar angry sun. Oh look there's the key I need to open the door, up there by those creepy looking masks. OH GOD THE MASKS ARE CHASING ME, GET AWAY ITS MY KEY. Here's the door I'll make it out with the key yay! Ok outside of that room and safe.......OH GOD IT'S STILL FOLLOWING ME NOOO GET YOUR OWN KEY CREEPY MASK THING. Forget Silent Hill, Doom, or Resident Evil, this is the defining scary moment in a video game. Phantos made me afraid to pick up keys, I mean I'm sure whatever is behind the door isn't THAT important, I'll just stay out here and high jump with luigi a bit.......you suck phantos, I want your key ;_;