Top Ten Scariest Video Game Monsters and Villains

Continuing in the Halloween spirit we're rehashing another old,  but seasonally appropriate post:

Video games have an opportunity to provide us with horror in ways that television and film can not. A video game puts us in control. We decide our fate and we're the ones that need to figure out how to escape a deadly nightmare. Sometimes control is good and sometimes it's terrifying to literally have the power of life and death in these game worlds. On these twisted journeys through nightmares we will find monsters and villains of course, but some leave more of an impression than others.  That in mind we have compiled this list. For one reason or another, I believe that these characters have something to offer a true horror fan, even if sometimes you have to dig deep to see it. After all, horror is nothing without imagination.
The Top Ten Scariest Video Game Monsters and Villians of All Time

10. The W Star (Drahkken, SNES)

So to claim anything scary can happen in this particular title may seem odd at first, but there are a few moments that are noteworthy at least to nerds as big as we are. Drahkken is an old RPG from the early nineties which tried to utilize a three-dimensional, first person environment. It couldn't be called successful implementation (at least not in the SNES port) but did make the game unique for it's time. One aspect of the game was time change, days passed more or less normally as you were playing.  As with so many  frightening events, nightfall hit is when the terror strikes. The player would notice the many stars in the sky, shining quite brightly. As you trek forward you may notice a W-shaped set of stars in the sky,

The Monster itself

looking much like our earthly constellation of Cassiopeia. Thinking nothing of it, you continue on, when suddenly, those stars start to move, flapping up and down like a crazed bird while an eerie downward scale plays. Then suddenly you hear a loud, low "boom," and the whole world stops of a second. Then a flying creature with a skulllike head comes careening out of the sky and attacks. You inevitably think "What the
HELL is that?!" and proceed to fight this thing, hoping you're leveled up enough to take it on. This occurance actually happens with multiple sets of stars in this game bringing out different monsters.The first time we saw this though was with this set, earning the name we gave it, the W Star.  While the monster itself is certainly horror material (for 1991 anyway)  but the really element of terror comes from how bizarre and unexpected it is. Who expects the sky itself to attack you?

9. The Cyberdemon (DOOM, PC)

One of the greatest first-person bosses of all time in arguably the greatest first person shooter of all time. The Cyberdemon's level starts off with a warning, as you first enter his level their are dead Barons of Hell chained up on the wall (which, before this point your hapless space marine assumes are the baddest thing on two legs). Once you open one of the four doors leading to the exterior of his arena-like stage, and see the flaming skulls known as lost souls. Inevitably, you will sneer at this relatively simple and weak monster, and take it out with your shotgun. However, upon the first shot of your rifle ringing out into the air, you'll hear a staggering and terrifying roar from an unknown source, followed by an unknown "crash-BOOM!" sound which continuously repeats. You realize something else is here with you. And it is big. And it is coming for you. This is Cyberdemon making his presence known to you. What will likely happen next is that you will step out into the open area, turn a corner or two, and in the distance you'll see something. "What is - " will likely be all you have time to think before a missle comes flying right into your face, instantly splattering you all over Hell's floor. Although it's hard to get close enough for a look, the Cyberdemon gets his name from the steel, cybernetic right leg he sports and the rocket launcher inexplicably grafted on to his left arm. The rest of this towering hell beast includes a hooved left leg, huge black horns on the sides of his head, and all kinds of red, bloody wires sticking in and out of him. It's not good enough that all of Hell is trying to tear you apart, but now they're using cybernetic technology to do it with. What makes the Cyberdemon so terrifying is that he's incredibly large, incredibly strong, and is equipped with a one hit kill with unlimited ammo. Technically if you have 200% health, Doom Guy might take the first hit, but it's not a guarantee. Only experienced players can go toe-to-toe with this behemoth, most of you will have to run for you life, taking it whatever shots become available to you. The goat-legged Cyberdemon's discouraging endurance, terrifying attack power and horrifying looks give him a sure position among scariest video game monsters.

8. Michael Myers (Halloween, Atari 2600)

It might seem laughably improbable that an Atari game could do anything in the way of scaring you, but read on. In this game, you wander a house which is a series of  seemingly endless hallways, taking children to the safe rooms and looking for a weapon. Meanwhile, every time you enter a room (other than safe rooms) within seconds you'll be confronted by Michael Myers, with an Atari-appropriate version of the classic Halloween theme playing during his screen time, "Dee doo doo dee doo doo dee doo dee doo dee doo doo dee doo doo..." as the collection of pixels known as Michael Myers stalks towards you in a constant stabbing motion with the four or five white pixels that make up his "knife." If he gets you, you'll enjoy a rather humorous animation of your female character running frantically with her head cut off, red dots spewing from her neck. Michael will also decapitate the children if you let him, and I do mean "if you let him," as the game allows you to grab onto the children to take them to safe rooms for points, but you may also decide to use them as bait, as Michael seems more interested in killing them rather than you. So at first this isn't scary, just silly. But as levels progress, and you continue to stab Myers with the black knife, which for some reason you can only use once and then have to seek it out again, he gets faster and most aggressive until soon, you can barely outrun him. What's worse is that you'll enter rooms with faulty "wiring" causing the screen to flash from normal to pitch black while Michael's in the room with you. "Oh God, where am I?" you'll wonder and you hope to have run past the derranged mad man, only to find yourself headless once the lights come back on. With time, Michael Myers will make this one of your most stressful experiences in gaming.

7. Mr. Graves (Haunted House, Atari 2600) 

 Another Atari release. This time, you are in as the name suggests, a haunted house, trying to escape with all of the pieces of the urn of Mr. Graves. You enter the dead man's mansion and wander around, your character only being a part of eyes. You hit the button to light a match which will give you a small orb of visibility. Only with the match lit can you find items and realistically navigate the black squares and lines that make up this house.  There are a few enemies like an errant bat or two, but they're fairly easy to navigate around. So so far it's not very scary. However when entering certain floors, you may hear a noise which could be either thunder or wind. Then suddenly, the ghost of Mr. Graves appears and he blows out your match, leaving you essentially blind and helpless as he chases you down. Sure, he may look like one of those sheet-wearing ghosts from the cartoons, but this guy's not playing around. Something about the speed and frantically waving arms of this character gets you all high strung and desperate to escape. Should Mr. Graves, or any of his buddies such as the bat or spider touch you, your little eyes will violently roll around as thunder and lightning strike, costing you one life. This game is considered to be a classic and even prompted a remake on the Wii under the same name (which is somehow less frighting even with 2 years of technological advances.

6. Jason (Friday the 13th, NES) 

The Hockey Masked killer we all know and love naturally got his own video game back in the day. However it wasn't exactly the greatest piece of media you could own. That being said One thing this title has going for it, is it's undeniable ability to give you a cheap scare. The main idea was that you wander camp Crystal Lake, killing zombies, wolves, bats, and birds until an alarm sounds, indicating that Jason is attacking either the campers or a fellow counselor. You check the map to see which cabin was in distress and race to the location before time runs out. Upon reaching the cabin, the inhabitant(s) thank you for coming, and you search the cabin in pseudo-3D mode. This is where the scare takes place. As you turn corners and advanced forward, eerie but calm music would play as you found a lot of corners and spaces. Then without warning Jason appears before you. A loud and horrifying noise blares while Jason, tries to punch, slice, or axe you to death. You use whatever projectile you have to try and defeat him while dodging his attacks, repeating this entire process until he's gone. But Jason doesn't only appear in cabins. Without warning, you can be walking along the dirt road, totally care-free (as the zombies are annoying but far from scary), and them BAM - it's Jason! Hurling axes at you will sporting his baby blue hockey mask and purple jogging suit. Jason is also sometimes randomly in a cabin that isn't even inhabited. These random appearances are actually sort of the genius as being attacked totally out of the blue is something even modern games miss. Even if he looks silly, Jason IS very unpredictable and can get the jump on you like he did so many randy teenagers in his classic films. This game will never be noted for it's quality but is noted for its intense difficulty. Taking down Jason is a slow, methodical process that spans three stressful "days" and will likely be fruitless to you in the end.

YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD. GAME OVER.

5. Nemesis (Resident Evil III, Playstation) 

Resident Evil III eschews some of the main mechanics in there series. Instead of slowly peeking down dark hallways in the hopes of taking out your zombies before they get close enough to rip a few chunks out of your flesh, you spend the entire game running for your life. In essence, as you play through this game, you are constantly being stalked by Nemesis, a mutated version of Tyrant, or in other words, a really big, really powerful zombie. However, unlike Tyrant, Nemesis doesn't simply rely on brute strength, he has a rocket launcher with an endless supply of rockets. We really do mean constantly being stalked. You never get a respite (other than the safe save rooms), at every point in the game you're essentially running from him, and he's never too far away. He'll burst through doors and crash through walls to get to you, all the while never quickening his step beyond a walk. There's nothing like the feeling of constantly being chased, and Nemesis will never allow you a moment of ease, making him a high ranking monster in the video game world. The fact that he's a huge, lumbering pile of rotted flesh helps as well.

4. Sae (Fatal Frame II, Playstation 2) 

All of the Fatal Frame series is absolutely terrifying.  The concept of Fatal Frame is that you are attacked by ghosts and aparitions, but you cannot attack them, merely snap pictures of them to harm them. It sounds a little silly but it's absolutely terrifying. Fatal Frame II takes things up a notch. So you take the powerlessness of that situation, tack on the detail of not having even your camera, and then include a demonic ghost child which will kill you instantly with just a touch, you've got yourself a game that even a hardcore horror fan isn't necessarily eager to try and tackle. You're in a labrynthine area full of dead ends and little hope and Sae, an evil 15 year old girl who was murdered as an act of ritual sacrifice, stalks you while eliciting horrifying laughs and a exhibiting a taste for death. Go ahead, run into a different room and close the door behind you. Sae will open it up and follow you right in there. Hide in a closet, hope for the best, but if she thinks he knows where you are, she'll open that door right up. In the split second opportunity you'll have to run, you'd better hope you don't find a dead end, or you will indeed be finished. You can't kill her, you can't hurt her, you can only run. In most instances that's just delaying the inevitable.

3. Piggsy (Manhunt, Playstation 2)

 "Holy Shit!" is probably the first thing you'll say when you face this Pig Skin wearing miscreant at the end of Manhunt. You get the Leatherface experience with this character in slightly different packaging. Piggsy is a crazed, naked man who wears a pig's head as a mask, starring in many snuff films by Lionel Starkweather, an ex direction who essentially owns the city of Carcer. If his unsettling appearance weren't enough, as you'll find while you're walking down the seemingly quiet hallway of a dilapidated attic-like area of Starkweather's mansion, Piggsy also carries a loud, powerful and remarkably loud  chainsaw. He introduces himself and his favorite toy running right at you from behind a corner, revving it up while screaming at you. Again, "Holy shit!"  This obese man somehow manages to give you a frantic and brain-scrambling chase, the chainsaw roaring hungrily for your blood. With luck you'll find a shadowed area to hide in, while Piggsy stands just a few feet in front of you, searching the area as the motor of his massive-bladed chainsaw idles, intimidatingly. Piggsy is surprisingly smart for someone who looks like he'd be too dumb to be in Deliverance, he tries trick you into dashing out into the open by revving up the chainsaw once again, even if he doesn't actually know where you are. If you're patient and quiet, he'll lumber away to search elsewhere. You'll spend the first several moments of this time paralyzed with fear. When you can blink again, you may inch out of your hiding spot and take the nearby glass shard, trying to see if you can spot the location of the chainsaw-wielding maniac in the distance. You'll turn slightly, looking in a difference, direction, completely unaware than Piggsy has once again caught side of you from another angle until that saw revs up again and he charges you. As your brain and hands freeze in horror, you hope your mental capacity return in just enough enough for you to hold down that run button and get the hell out of there....

2. Pyramid Head (Silent Hill 2, Playstation 2)

 Pyramid head is easily one of the all time iconic video game villains, and also one of the most frightening. Admittedly, fans of this guy can prove to be irksome, especially if they are mainly familiar with the movie version of him. And sure, at times he may seem a bit overrated, but anyone who's played Silent Hill 2 knows that he didn't get his reputation for nothing. This bizarre character wields a huge knife that's so heavy, even he must drag it behind him. Sure, he may be slow, but if that knife does hit you...that's it. It's over. Not only that, but he follows you for the entirety of the game, the very embodiment of punishment. You may call him Pyramid Head, you may call him Crimson Pyramid, but you could also accurately call him the Executioner. No matter where you go, he's waiting for you, an unstoppable wraith hell bent on making you pay for your sins. The giant pyramid which makes up what you know to be his head conceals intentions and thought in a fortess of mystery, as he slowly approaches to put you down for all time. Encountering him in a tight space is the stuff of nightmares, and naturally is the way in which you will most often meet him. The battle you have with him early in the game in the stairwell will have you in a death grip of stress, as you are always no more than a foot or two out of the reach of his Great Knife, vieing for any position that may or may not be available. You'll put clip after clip of bullets in his head before he finally retreats, waiting to confront you again at a later time. And that's the truly horrifying part about Pyramid head. It's not so much having to see or fight him. It's that you KNOW he's going to come back. But you won't know where, and you won't know when.

1. Sinistar (Sinistar, Arcade Coin-Op) 

 "Run, Coward! Run Run Run!" There's only one thing worse than a giant, interstellar juggernaut chasing you down and hell bent on catching and devouring you. It's hearing him tell you about it. Yes, Sinistar is the original badass of the video game world and with good reason. Never before had a video game villain had such personality and such charisma while being so unstoppable. The idea of Sinistar is that aliens are working to build a huge monster known as the Sinistar, a demonic face among a circular border which flies powerfully and without inhibition throughout the universe. To destroy this beast, you must take your tiny ship and shoot planetoids to mine crystals to make Sinibombs, made from the same crystals which are used to build Sinistar, himself. There is no time to fool around. The sounds of Sinistar's construction act as a ticking clock of sorts as you race to be ready for the monster once he is completed. "Beware, I live!" exclaims Sinistar from somewhere deep in space as he announces his own completion. You pray that you have enough bombs to smash the Sinistar as you race away, Sinistar hot in pursuit. "I hunger, coward!" He shouts, revealing his intentions. "Run, coward!" As the huge monster comes closer, you shoot off all of your Sinibombs. You hear his terrifying screams as the bombs connect. He has taken damage but a moment later you come to the heart-sinking realization that not all of the bombs connected, having been intercepted by planetoids and smaller aliens. And now Sinistar is after you, chasing you down with no distraction, no diversion, and no mercy, knocking planetoids out of his way as if they were mere marbles. He's right behind you, as you race as fast as you can into endless space, twisting and turning, unable to shake him. What will you do? The answer - nothing. You can do nothing now. Inevitably, Sinistar will catch up to you. "RAAAAAARGGHHH!" he roars as your ship spins out of control and is pulled to his mouth as if caught in a tractor beam. Finally, as you enter that terrible maw, his teeth snap snap down, shattering your ship into dozens of tiny pieces. Approximate play time: 35 seconds. It's hard to believe a game like this was available in 1982, and it's even harder to believe the cult following it still has, today. There is perhaps no game that imbodies a seemingly inescapable chase better. Perhaps no other game can instill this kind of stress and fear in the player, either. Sinistar was a game that was well ahead of its time, and Sinistar is a villain that simply can't be matched as a character or a villain. Sure, you can destroy him. But he'll be back. And one way or another...he's gonna get you. Although this character and game may not be expected by many contemporary gamers, fanw of classic gaming, know Sinistar truly deserves to enjoy the top tier of the scariest video game monsters/villains of all time. He was groundbreaking, he was legendary, and most of all...he was terrifying.


When it originally appeared this list was largely written by regular contributor Richard, this 2013 reboot has been edited with a more general tone.

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Find Some Meat! Ranking the Classic Doom Monsters

 20 years ago, a software company known as Id unleashed a title onto the video game world which would forever change the face of gaming. Through the use of Shareware and trading amongst friends, DOOM captivated players and lowered productivity everywhere with its never before seen gore and disturbing satanic imagery. And of course, the game was pretty fun, too. But who can forget the cornerstone of the game's appeal - the monsters. Over the years, surely all Doomers have picked their favorite hellspawn to encounter amidst the death and mayhem, and the same is true for us as well. Here, we honor two decades of floating heads, goat legs, and horns of all shapes and sizes with our list ranking the greatness of all* of the classic DOOM monsters.


18. Former Human:

The weakest and generally most boring enemy in the game, these guys do a fine job of their cannon fodder duties but not much else. Their high point pretty much comes in the form of the ammo clips they drop.

17. Imp:

These brown pointy lumps are a staple of the corridors between important rooms, and also one of the most annoying enemies to get hit by if you consider yourself a skilled Doomsman. But their close range attacks cannot be underestimated. I once watched one of these guys take on a cacodemon one on one and win, with his claws alone. Needless to say various theme songs from Rocky came to mind seconds before I shot him in the face.

16. Revenant:

While skinny here can be a challenging monster and pack quite a punch (pun partially intended), something about a rocket vest thing on a skeleton seems more silly than cool. It doesn't help that his blood soaked legs have always and will always just look like really ridiculous, ultra-thin red pants to me.

15. Lost Soul:

 I've often thought of these guys as Hell's take on the common mosquito, and for good reason. Between the high pitched screaming and the "swarms" they are often found in, getting bit by these flying nuisances is almost annoying as the two shotgun shells you have to blow on them.

14. Chaingunner:

 The sheer number of these guys found in the Final DOOM episodes has taught me to sort of hate them, which prevents these bullet-spewing baldies from being the highest ranking former humans on this list. Still, a tougher zombie which uses and drops a chaingun was a welcome addition to the series' first sequel and added a new dose of challenge to the early "Space Station" levels. Their non-stop volly of shots even from huge distances makes the Chaingunners a genuine threat as well as hair-rippingly annoying at times.

13. Former Sergeant:

 For my money, this is the top of the line when it comes to zomies in DOOM. And I don't mind admitting that it's largely because they drop shotguns when felled, arguably the most valuable ammunition in the game. But with that said, I have to appreciate that if given the opportunity, these boys can take a good sized chunk out of your health and face, especially if you're not wearing armor.

12. Demon:

 Sometimes called Demons, Pinkies, or Pig Demons, but you'd better decide on a name for them quick because you're going to be seeing a lot of them. What makes these guys so effective is that even if they don't touch you, their toughness and numbers do a terrific job of eating away at your ammo reserves. And if you do let them get too close, their devestating jaws clamp down on your health percentage like the Playstation 3 clamped down on general quality assurance (which means, it'll hurt a lot). And let's not forget that these brutes are deceptively fast on their three-clawed feet. The invisible variant of this monster, known as Spectres, is basically the same deal in most levels but when placed in dark areas is when they become truly spooky....

11. Hell Knight:

 In my opinion, Hell Knights are just sort of a throwaway monster to create the illusion of monster diversity, a social issue that has plagued the surface of Hell for many years. Essentially just a weaker version of the Baron of Hell, these guys take enough ammo to make you regret having to waste it on them, but not so much that you feel as if you were in a real fight. They are at least a nice bridge between weaker monsters and serious monsters, and it's not to say that they can't hurt you when given the chance, earning them their spot near the center of this list.

10. Nazi SS:

A delightful throwback for the fans of Wolfenstein or an ample mind fuck for those unfamiliar with DOOM's predecessor, the Nazi SS make the two secret levels of DOOM II possibly the most memorable secret in the history of the FPS. Thankfully, this particular batch of anti-semitics aren't as deadly or comically large as their Wolfenstein incarnations, but on higher skill levels they appear in large numbers. Due to the fact that their attack sprite is only drawn from one angle, facing the player, you may enjoy the graphical glitch that occurs when one SS tries to attack another. Their position on his list is bolstered largely by their retro appeal.

9. Pain Elemental:

 Affectionately referred to as "meatballs" in our little circle, the Pain Elemental is a great monster in that it's extremely annoying but admittedly effective. Boasting no attack of its own, Meatball here overstays his welcome by quickly filling a room with Lost Souls which he spews from his mouth. Their passive agressive attack can be the difference maker in a lot of situations and with exception to the Arch Vile, is commonly public enemy #1 in most cases. Of course if you don't mind an exuberant amount of flaming skulls accenting the room, stop to appreciate the Pain Elemental's silly look and itsy-bitsy little arms which constantly pump as he putters along. The way he blows up in death is also amusing the first several times you see it, and the way he almost literally says "Ow!" when you shoot him makes you feel almost as if you owe him an explanation. "Listen buddy, I'm sorry but I'm already inexplicably unable to jump over demons 50 feet below me, I don't need a million of those damn things around."

8. Icon of Sin/Romero's Head:

The best artistically designed monster in all of DOOM is unfortunately merely a series of flat wall graphics. The true target of DOOM II's final boss, John Romero's head, is cleverly tucked behind and below the brain graphic which is what dictates the "rockets only" ultimatum for those who don't take advantage of No Clipping Mode.The monster's attack involves spewing skull-bedazzled boxes from its brain, which spawn a random demon once they hit the ground. Although these boxes aren't aimed directly at you, they do possess the power to instantly kill the player, even if God Mode is on so you still don't want to get too close to one. Still, realizing that you are in fact trying to destroy the face of one of the game's head programmers is amusing at first but has a way of diminishing the seemingly gargantuan monster's mystique, somewhat hindering higher ascension for him on this list.

7. Mancubus:

If you want to put your fancy footwork to the test, just enter a room with a few of these tubby terrors and get ready to dance. They fire endless volleys of fireballs from what one would think would be a rather finite source, and it only takes one to make a room feel like it's just too gosh darn crowded. Pretty much every sound these guys make is amusing in its own right and their death animation is arguably the best there is.

6. Arachnotron:

 When I first laid eyes on DOOM II, these guys are what stood out to me the most. The constant clank of their cybernetic legs keeps you sufficiently on edge until they come into sight. What makes Arachnotrons so great, besides being a cute, mini Spiderdemon, is that their attack is dangerous enough to hurt you but a fun challenge to try and avoid while you attempt to blast your shells into their brainy heads. And unlike Hell Knights, these creepy crawlies may look like their larger progenitor, but their utilization of a plasma gun rather than a super chaingun makes it a completely new and intriguing battle.

5. Arch Vile:

 The manual said it best when it described these nasty bastards as "The worst of a bad lot." Their attacks are second only to the Cyberdemon's rockets in power and temporarily blind you, and they resurrect enemies you already spent precious bullets on putting down. Tack on a creepy way of moving and that chilling, evil laugh they emit while lurking about, and you've got a monster whose "bosshood" escapes him only on hitpoints. In an area with no cover, they are the stuff of nightmares. But you can't argue with results, which is why the Arch Vile ranks highly on a list of greatness.

4. Spider Mastermind:

The final Boss of the original DOOM has dealt with years of scrutiny and criticism from the DOOM community. This comes largely as a result of its low hitpoints and attack which at first appears weak. However the Spider Mastermind's strengths are undeniable under the proper circumstances. First of all, it never stops shooting at you until you can find cover. Second, it fires three bullets per shot, essentially making its weapon a gatling shotgun, and even from huge distances, this deadly spider is insanely accurate. And if you're caught at close range, forget about it, game over. Any Doomer who claims that the Spider Mastermind hasn't been responsible for a few early graves is most likely Fabricating the story of their encounters.

3. Baron of Hell:

The boss at the end of the shareware episode of DOOM, "Knee Deep in the Dead," comes in the form of a pair of these behemoths, also known as the "Bruiser Brothers." The original "oh, crap" demon of the DOOM world, what made these guys such an iconic part of the game was their terrifying roar, fast and powerfull fireballs, and marble warning signs that let you know you were getting far too close to a bad situation. Their classic design of black horns, huge fangs, and goat legs was a potent little reminder that oh yeah, this is hell. Many players were squirelling away all their rockets and BFG shots especially for when this big boy made his entrance. The perfect embodiment of what DOOM is all about, it's a no brainer that the Baron ranks high on the list.

2. Cyberdemon:

 Perhaps the Cyberdemon's success within this list and the DOOM community in general can be credited towards a host of factors beyond the monster itself, such as the awesome, arena-like level in which he dwells, and the superb accordion-driven musical track which accents this intense boss encounter. Of course, being equipped with what is essentially a one hit kill never hurt, either. Players got their first taste of a true boss when they unwittingly shot at the Lost Souls which dot the level, awakening the beast. The stomps of his hooved feet (one made out of steel) echo in the distance, telling you that something big is nearby, and your first glimpse of him is likely to be interrupted by a rocket straight to the face, effectively ending your encounter just like that. Doomers that are good with the strafe key may eventually learn to take the mammoth demon on toe-to-toe, but the fact remains that a single wrong move may bring this dance to a sudden and decisive close.

1. Cacodemon: 

 Of all the hellspawn you will encounter in the firey underworld, only one of them shows up to work with a smile, ready to take on the day. The loveable grin across the face of the demon we most closely associate with history's greatest first person shooter is just one of many features that make the adorable Cacodemon a fan favorite. The spherical body, the crown of horns, the single, green eye, it's all just a wonderful medley of a demon gone so completely right. They are the perfect balance in an enemy, strong enough to keep you focused but relaxed enough to let you enjoy your time together. Their loud, startling will make you nearly jump out of your swivel chair at times as they emerge from their dark corners, but soon you calm down and say "Oh, it's just you, Cacey," and proceed a friendly sparring session. Or sure, you'll have to kill him eventually, and he'll seemingly melt out of the air and make that most amusing sound which sounds like what something which melts out of the air would sound like, and if you're anything like us you'll feel bad about it. But soon enough, the demon will make its return in some capacity, maybe even in a pair or trio and the good times will keep on rollin'. In essence, everything about this red ball of fun is perfect and seats him comfortably at the top of our list of classic DOOM monsters.


Of course, whatever your favorite demon may be, one incontrovertible fact is that they are all great in their own, special way and are all worthy of celebration for their contributions to the most iconic First Person Shooter of all time.

Thanks for reading!

*We did not forget about Commander Keen, but he could not be reached for comment.

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Top Ten Creepiest Video Game Songs

10. The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy (NES version) - Mine & Graveyard

The Fantastic adventures of dizzy is about an adventuring anthropomorphic egg, which is an insane concept, but not really scary. Most of the music in the game is the sort of thing you'd expect from a 3rd party adventure game on the NES upbeat, bouncy, repetitive and a little annoying. This track however manages to have a distinct creepy feeling, when you go into this area where this track plays, the normally happy-go-lucky and ever-smiling dizzy looks sad and concerned. It does suffer from a really cliched creepy sound, but it's still pretty effective for an 8-bit era game.


9. Doom(PC)- Suspense 

Doom's tracks are mostly a mix of hard rock inspired compositions to get you pumped for killing hordes of  invading hell-spawn. There are a few however that are meant to impart a sense despair, dread and distress. Suspense is one of the creepiest in the purest musical sense. It's a piece that wouldn't sound out of place in a classic  Hollywood  thriller. It starts with anxiety inducing pure strings and slowly layers in low ominous bass and a baleful melody. Suspense fills you with a sense of unease as you explore the dark demon infested halls of the Phobos Lab.


8. Resident Evil Dual Shock Director's Cut(PS1) - Safe Room Music

In the Chaos that is the Mansion in the first Resident Evil the safe rooms are havens. No zombies, a typewriter, all your extra items, which makes this creepy little tune all the more upsetting. It sounds like an old dusty music box that's slowed with age, with an ethereal dark undercurrent.  It's on the surface childlike and innocent but makes you uneasy sort of like the twins in The Shining. It leaves you wondering what might be lurking in your safety. (Please note that the Director's Cut  Dual Shock safe room music is entirely different from the original cut safe room music)

 See the rest after the jump