9. Unreal– Meet the Skaarj; Epic Games/Digital Extremes/Infogrames ; PC; 1998

I love Unreal Tournament but not so much the single-player FPS games. However, when the original Unreal came out, it was the bomb. No one could play it at max settings but everyone wanted to. I bought a new graphics card to see how close I could get to bad ass gaming nirvana and went to work, Unreal style. After escaping the initial ship, you find some alien ruins. Here, again, we see our friend the long, ominous hallway. About half way down the hall (of course) the lights start to turn out, one by one, towards you from both directions, eventually stranding you in the dark. You can't esacpe -- the way back is blocked by a fallen log. But you can HEAR the Skaarj...you just can't see it. You can hear its low pitched growl but you are in total darkness. This all happens within the first 30 minutes of the game. The sheer feeling of claustrophobia and terror that this caused is much more memorable than any other part of the game. - Jason McMaster ; Staff Writer

10. Doom 3 – The First 30 Minutes; id Software/Activision; PC; 2004

The year, 2004. The game, Doom 3. Yes, anything with a mention of Doom 3 in it makes for a poor start to a "I was so scared" story, but bear with me. Before Doom 3 indoctrinated the idea of the "monster closet" into our cultural lexicon, there was about an hour in the game between when the things quite literally went to hell and the moment when you realized hell is full of monsters who hide in confined spaces until you walk by. (Also that Doom 3 space marines are too stupid to know how to tape a flashlight to their weapon so they can fire and see at the same time.) During that hour or so the game is intense, foreboding, and generally atmospheric. It was during this time, with my baby girl tucked safely in for the evening, that I found myself perched in front of the computer with the lights out and the surround sound fully configured.

As the sounds of screaming and retching echoed from all sides I was in that special place where you're having a good time, but also, growing apprehensive that something unseen is not only going to come at me from behind, but that it may just leap out of the screen and into the world and devour my soul. (It can happen!) As I traversed a darkened corridor waiting for the first of what would surely be a horde of ghoulish beasties to emerge, I heard an all too familiar sound of hacking and retching behind me and every hair on my arms stood up. I was home alone except for a baby asleep in her crib and that sound was most definitely not coming from the surround sound. It was coming from directly behind me.

In other words, the calls were coming from inside the house.

I don't care who you are. You might be a tough guy. You might be the living embodiment of Ash (Evil Dead). You might be an actual marine who's had to dig shrapnel from your skull with a pen knife, laugh about it, and soldier on. At that moment I defy you not to freeze in place and contemplate the meaningless of your existence as your entire life passes you by and you realize that it probably wasn't the best idea in the world to have eaten those shrimp in Florida without first removing the shells. (A story for another time.) I rotated around in my chair and saw... my cat, heaving up the worst hairball of her life. -- Todd Brakke; Staff Writer