5 Favorite Video Game Ghosts

Growing up in a video gaming household, I've played on a lot of different platforms and consoles, all the way from the Atari and DOS games through my current blood red Resident Evil 5 edition Xbox 360 Elite with Jasper chipset. While I am often drawn to horror games and have played many over the years, today I'm going to talk about five favorite video game ghosts that generally, have not been part of a proper horror game (the Seventh Guest is my only exception)

BIOSHOCK

I think Bioshock is scary, personally. It isn't technically a horror game, but considering the Splicers that jump out of the dark to kill you, and the "ghosts," I consider it to be right outside the borders of the horror genre, waving slowly with a creepy, maniacal grin on its face.

The ghosts in Bioshock are more like leftover memories, a side effect of genetic sampling. It's similar to a residual haunting except the haunting is coming from inside you and not the environment. They're good for further explaining some parts of the plot.

Ghosts entry at Bioshock Wikia
Video of ghost in bathroom

SKYRIM

Skyrim is epic. I have spent over 200 hours on it, close to 300 at this point. I'm at level 71 and trying to max out at level 81, the highest level you can attain in the game. This, boils and ghouls, is the compulsive nature of my game playing. RPG's are my love, and they are the death of me. I have a deep-seated need to get and do everything I can in the game.

One side quest I was delighted to discover is called The House of Horrors. In it, you find a house in Markarth with a reputation for being haunted. While investigating the house with an NPC, you start to hear a voice and objects fly around the home. The "ghost" turns out to be a Daedric Prince, more like a demonic possession than a haunting, but it's fun nonetheless.

The House of Horrors via the Skyrim Wikia
Video of the beginning of the quest

DRAGON AGE 2

In the companion quest "Haunted" in Dragon Age 2 you investigate a mansion that belongs to Varric, one of your rogue party members and an overall rad dwarf. I'm a fan, in my games he and Hawke are always best buddies. I the quest, Varric is trying to sell the mansion after a bad bit of business with his brother, but the new owners are saying the place is haunted. When you enter, you hear disembodied noises and witness objects that move around on their own. No, that's not deja vu you're feeling, it's very similar to the Skryim quest. In this case, it's a piece of a relic, an idol, that has possessed the house, torn the Veil and drawn over some beasties for you to battle.

Haunted via Dragon Age Wikia
Video of Haunted quest

FABLE 2

As I said before, I love RPG's. Adventure, adventure, adventure. In Fable 2, the ghost you run into hangs out near a statue. The ghost will be the same gender as your character, and tell you their sad story of being left at the altar, and how they would like revenge on their former love. You convince the would-be spouse to fall in love with you and have the choice to either enact revenge and reject them for the ghost, or marry them. What a lovely story for the grandkids, right?

Till Death Do Us Part via Fable Wikia
Video of the quest

THE SEVENTH GUEST

Okay, The Seventh Guest is a straight-up horror game and spoils the theme of non-horror games. But one of the ghosts in Seventh Guest had a deep impact on my psyche. It terrified me so much that even now when I see videos of it I cringe and want to look away. It turns out, the ghost is not as scary as I remember it. But I was only 10 or 11 when I used to play this on our PC at home, and boy was it was scary back then. The ghost I refer to is only there for a few seconds as you walk down a dark hallway, but the first time you play you don't expect it, and the effect is chilling. For a 10 year old in the 90's, at least.

The Seventh Guest at Moby Games
Video segment of game (Ghost at about 3 minute mark, see above)

Leave your favorite video game ghosts from any game, horror or not, in the comments below!