The Therapist Gamer

Outlast is a game designed to make you poop your pants.  It has a pretty decent success rate.

 

You play as a journalist who receives a tip that there's trouble a-brewin' at the ol' insane asylum.  You head up there and sneak in.  It very quickly becomes apparent that your life is in danger and the remainder of the game is spent trying to escape.

 

One unique aspect to this game is that you have no way to defend yourself.  You might get chased by someone with a cleaver but really your only option is to run and hide.  I think it's a bold game design choice to take weapons away from the player, but I think it pays off - taking the sense of power from the player really adds to the tension of each situation.  Another fairly unique aspect of Outlast is that it is often very dark, and often the only way you can see anything is to use the night vision mode on a camcorder.  Don't run out of batteries!

 

Apart from the absurd depiction of mental illness and the exploitation of psychiatric hospitals, Outlast is pretty good!  I thought the ending was a bit weak and the game itself was maybe a little too long, but it's probably the best game to force your friends to play on Halloween.