Rabid Grizzly Bear [Condemned 2]
One of the most memorable moments in horror games comes from a very angry grizzly bear. Midway through Condemned 2, you’ll drop into a snowy forest guarded by an insane super-sized bear. The bear isn’t exactly a stalker — it’s more of an extended chase, where you’ll have to duck into wrecked cabins to avoid its unstoppable wrath.
The entire level forces you to contend with the monster-bear, and it’s just one scary set piece after another. If we’re being completely honest, the bear isn’t exactly the scariest thing ever; its definitely intimidating, and the bear is covered in weird black ooze, but that’s nothing compared to those things from Amnesia. The scary grizzly is more of a fun scary. But it’s still a great scene with an unkillable monster.
Mutant Rancor [Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy]
We’re going from one fun monster to another. The Mutant Rancor is at least unique — when Star Wars games were common in the mid-90ies and early 00’s, Rancor battles were basically required. Rancors were as common as Tusken Raiders. Every Star Wars games had a Rancor fight.
Jedi Academy does things a little differently. When you’re trapped in the pits of a cult, you’ll have to hide from a twisted super-Rancor that’s impossible to kill. Instead of fighting, you have to dodge into cells and avoid it completely. I just love the Rancor, so seeing a new spin on the old big dummy is a frightening joy for me.
Find more of the scariest stalkers in video games on the next page.