As the mythical female gamer, I have come across a number of irritating stereotypes that are sure to put me on edge. There is the rule of “no girls on the Internet”, the “TITS or GTFO”, the Chan fangirl image, the girls only play Sims, WoW and Tetris belief…a lot to suggest that we are sweet but untested gamers.

But if you grew up kicking every guy’s ass in Mortal Kombat, and still freak out when you see a good deal on Steam or OnLive, you can put those weak legends to shame. In fact, you are probably made of much tougher stuff than some of your male counterparts. After all, I can’t be the only one to have heard my macho friends screaming like my five-year-old daughter (who, by the way, can also put a few of those guys to shame when it comes to gaming skills).

Want to prove it? The horror game genre has exploded, taking advantage of improved graphics and the better gameplay possible through increasingly complex interactive mainframes. When it comes to choosing what are the scariest you can get, there will be a lot of arguments. There are enough providing genuine scares that coming down with a short list isn’t easy.

But in my opinion, these are the five games that are most likely to scare your tits off. At least, they scared the hell out of me.

• Penumbra: Overture – Part of a trilogy of games, Penumbra took the idea of a sanity meter, which had been used in some older games, and improved on it. Most people I have spoken to have named Black Plague as their favorite in the series, saying that it was much scarier than Overture. But I have to disagree…something about being in that setting for the first time, with no idea what to expect, really added to the terror.

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent - By the same creators as the one above, Amnesia is arguably my favorite game of all time. The slow pace is perfect and not at all dull, and you don’t get that feeling of constantly repeating the same thing. For example, playing a game like Slaughterhouse can get so boring by the time you have ripped your 400th monster in half. But here, you are progressing to new areas and something is building that is truly terrifying. It has a Lovecraftesque environment similar to Penumbra, but they manage to get it down perfectly here. 

• Bioshock - “Would you kindly?” Who can forget the shock of those words? Bioshock was an incredible shoot ‘em up with a great storyline, plenty of scares and more than just a few surprises. While most I speak to think its sequel was the more frightening game, I still think the original is the scariest. The Splicers manage to remain scarier than most of the boss levels, which is rare. Plus, you have the creepy atmosphere, the music and sounds, and the fact that so much happens at once that it is a true challenge to finish the game. Besides, walking around as an unknown man is way scarier than as the hulking, protective Big Daddy.

• Condemned: Criminal Origins – If you have ever walked through the mannequins in this game, you know what I mean when I put it on this list. Violent, creepy and ultra disturbing, it is a great first person shooter with a plot you can really lose yourself in. You play a special agent who has been framed for a double murder while searching for a horrific serial killer. You have to hunt him down to clear your name, but in the meantime the city has become a breeding ground for violence. For some reason, the citizens are all becoming murderous psychopaths, and you have to survive their insane attacks. You also have to discover the plot that is turning them into killers.

• F.E.A.R 3 - All of the F.E.A.R games are pretty freaky. Telepaths, psychics and cannibals…oh my! Between the coverup of the events of the first two games, which included termination of the city’s residents, and the insanity caused by the paranormal activity, there is a lot to enjoy in the third installment of this series. But the best part is that the Point Man actually hooks up with his brother – the villain of the first game – to escape the asylum where he has been held and make it through the now ravaged former city. Then there is the whole storyline about their mother, her repeated rape of citizens and her desperate attempt to keep  her family line strong. Yikes.

Have some other games in mind? Let us know in the comments!