OK, only Halloweenies stay home and play video games on a night like October 31st, but as long as you've got a bag of candy corn and a mug of cider, the Halloween vibe can last for quite a while.  So in honor of the most sugar-laden holiday around, let's take a look at the best video games to play on Halloween.

[Author's note: Survival horror games have been excluded from this article since they're too obvious of choices.]

Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry isn't exactly scary (except for that giant spider), but the setting's creepy castle and spooky mannequins definitely give off an October vibe.  The music, which consists of haunting organs and jolting screams, only adds to the chilling atmosphere.  Capcom definitely intended this to be the case, since the game was released in mid-October of 2001.

Kingdom Hearts (Halloween Town)

Those mall-core Nightmare Before Christmas fans suck.  But they don't quite ruin the Halloween Town world in the original Kingdom Hearts.  The borrowed-from-Burton level is dripping with atmosphere and is without a doubt one of the most memorable part of Square-Enix's Final Fantasy / Disney mash-up.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood

To me, the post-Symphony of the Night Castlevanias have lacked that spooky touch.  Sure, there are still zombies and skeletons galore, but there's just something missing.  That's why Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood are the best 'Vanias to play on All Hallows' Eve.  Whip those bats and impale the skeletons with crosses in these gloriously spooky 2D games.

Night Stalker

Some may say that video games didn't get scary until technology could realistically portray the physical world.  But this 1982 Intellivision game scares the crap out of me every time I play it.  You play as a guy stuck in a maze, which isn't so scary until you realize that the maze is full of bats, giant spiders, and robots.  Your gun is in the middle of the maze.  The gun only has a handful of bullets, and obstacles such as giant spider webs block your patch.  The music is as disturbing as those killer robots.

Ghouls and Ghosts

This Capcom game is so frustrating, but so awesome.  The enemies and engine and broken as hell, but it will induce Stockholm Syndrome in almost anyone that can appreciate an older game.  As King Arthur, you'll have to fend off demonic vultures, killer tornadoes, and giant hell-beasts.  The drab, Fall-like map makes it a perfect game for Halloween.

Cotton 2

Smashing pumpkins has been a Halloween staple since pumpkins were invented.  In Cotton 2, though, you'll be shooting anthropomorphic orange squash, along with all the vegetables they puke, with your flying broomstick [fast forward to 0:52 in the video].  Cotton 2's witchcraft, talking hats, and monsters might be a trick for anyone who doesn't like its cute style, but its a treat for everyone else.

Devil's Crash

Pinball is not scary.  Video game pinball with skeletons, demons, and pentagrams is a different story, though.  Some of the imagery in Devil's Crash is downright disturbing.  If it was released today, it would undoubtedly get slapped with an M rating from the ESRB.

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