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Resident Evil 4 not only revolutionized the RE series - it changed perceptions of what a survival-horror game could be. But like all the other games in this article, even it had moments when mind-blowing terror gave way to abject stupidity. And nothing was more stupid than sawed-off little villain Ramon Salazar, the arrogant castellan who went so far as to make a giant statue carved in his own image:
Above: Right, like we didn’t see this coming six miles away
It was obvious just from looking at this thing that it was eventually going to chase us, so when it finally broke free from its moorings and lumbered in our direction, we couldn't keep from laughing. It was a little creepy, maybe, but in the middle of a game filled with mutant insects, giant parasites and berserker chainsaw murderers, it wasn't exactly scary.
Of all the twisted creatures encountered across the six Silent Hill games, the silent hunter known only as Pyramid Head left the biggest mark on gamer psyches. Voiceless and faceless, he'd appear at inopportune times throughout Silent Hill 2, his presence announced only by the scraping of his big, big knife on the floor.
Above: Remember, kids – Pyramid Head hates you
When you confront him for the last time, you'll have that knife in your possession, and you'll be ready to shove it up his undead ass for all the times he popped up and tried to murder you. And you’ll apparently have two chances to do it, because he’ll double-team you with a spear-toting clone of himself. Sadly, your revenge ends up kind of empty; while you can deal some damage, the killing blow doesn’t come until the Pyramid Heads get bored and kill themselves in unison. That's kind of terrifying, we guess. In a completely non-terrifying way.
(And before you complain, we're not counting the infamous dog ending, because it's intentionally not scary. That's just too easy.)
ryno - January 4, 2009 2:03 a.m.