5 VIDEO GAMES THAT WILL SCARE UP PLENTY OF DEMENTED FUN.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio Staff Writer

October is the sole property of Halloween and all the merchandising that comes with it. The game industry has taken notice, using this month to release some of its freakier titles.

Here are five highlights from the past few weeks. In the spirit of Halloween, these games have either creatures, costumes or are just plain twisted. A few of these games have gallons of bloodshed in them - so parents should pay attention to the ratings.

``Indigo Prophecy'' (Atari, M for Mature, Xbox)

This is one of the more strangely named games you'll find on the console front, but it's also one of the more somber and creepier experiences you'll run into this year.

The game opens with the main character, Lucas, locked in a trance and stabbing someone to death in the middle of a men's bathroom. Gameplay starts right after Lucas snaps out of it and sees what he's done. Of course, he freaks out.

``Prophecy'' is a game of choices, and at the start, players can decide if they want to clean up the mess Lucas made or simply bolt out of the diner. Everything you do alters how the game's movielike story unfolds, especially where the other playable characters are concerned: Carla and Tyler, the two cops assigned to the case, as well as Lucas' brother, Marcus.

All of the game's action sequences are unique reflex and endurance tests in which players move the thumbsticks in a certain direction when prompted.

The game also uses these sequences to help develop the characters. For instance, we learn that Carla is claustrophobic, and players must use the trigger buttons to regulate her breathing when she decides to go into a tight space. Messing it up leads to Carla panicking and running out of the room.

``Prophecy'' treats itself like an extremely interactive DVD movie, and its pace and control scheme might not be for those who want a quick action fix. But it's got a few good scares in it.

``The Suffering: Ties That Bind'' (Midway, M for Mature, Xbox)

Blood splatters, entrails spill and expletives flow in this psychotic follow-up to ``The Suffering.'' You play a hardened prisoner named Torque seeking revenge on Caleb Blackmore, voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan. Blackmore had something to do with the death of Torque's family, so, naturally, he has to die.

The issue with Torque is that he's completely bonkers and has a nasty habit of attracting hellish creatures. There are also sudden flashing images that evoke ``Hellraiser'' and a cascade of voices that raid Torque's mind. Other than that, he's OK.

For the people who like to blast and smash things, ``Ties'' definitely delivers. You might want to check your aim, though, as the game features a morality scale that determines the kind of ending you get, and there are plenty of chances to go either way.

For instance, if you keep the monsters from killing a junkie you find, you'll get the props from the voice of Torque's dead wife. Blast a hole in him, and you'll earn points with Blackmore. It's your choice.

To top it all off, Torque can turn into a raging beast and slaughter anything that walks in front of him, usually treating players to a slow-motion view of a creature's insides flying across the screen. Not a breakfast game. Did I mention it was rated Mature?

`Ultimate Spider-Man'' (Activision, T for Teen, all consoles and PC)

Anyone who enjoyed the unbridled freedom of ``Spider-Man 2'' should enjoy the slick delivery of ``Ultimate,'' which is based on the comic series of the same name.

While the free-roaming concept of the last game remains intact, developer Treyarch has increased the size of the New York City playground, adding Queens to the mix.

There's also a slew of new Marvel characters to deal with, including Venom, which players actually get to use. Venom's attributes add another dimension to the game's combat.

While Spidey would bounce around and beat enemies with speed, Venom tears through his opponents with feral power, and he occasionally gets to feed on them to appease his energy needs.

The game was touted as a living comic book, and it won a People's Choice award at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The game uses 3D inking technology that makes the color jump off the screen, separating this title from any other game that features a cel-shaded look.

``F.E.A.R.'' (Vivendi Universal, M for Mature, for a heavily juiced PC)

Holy cow. That pretty much sums up the reaction of anyone who has ever gotten a taste of this first-person shooter. It won tons of props at E3 and garnered even more buzz with its downloadable demo, building the hype up to ``Batman Begins'' levels - meaning that many believed there was no way this game would be bad.

In a nutshell, you're part of the First Encounter Assault Recon team (F.E.A.R), an elite group that specializes in neutralizing special and strange threats, much like the S.T.A.R.S. unit in the ``Resident Evil'' series.

And there's nothing you can't do - the coolest gameplay feature could be the melee combat, which has always been something of a sore spot for the first-person shooter genre.

This game has the potential to go down as one of the scariest and most gorgeous games in a long time, and there are already debates among the PC gamer crowd as to which game is better, ``F.E.A.R.'' or ``Half-Life 2.''

The lone issue with the game is that it requires your machine to be pretty yoked up to fully enjoy it, so some players might have to spend a little more than $50 to dive in.

``The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogies Revenge'' (Buena Vista Games, Rated E10+ - everyone 10 and older - Xbox, PS2)

Children and general Tim Burton fans should check out this title, which manages to maintain the atmosphere and quirky fun that made the movie so popular and turned Jack into a (no pun intended) cult figure among people who haven't even seen the movie.

The game is pretty straightforward. Jack maintains his feud with Oogie Boogie, his enemy from the movie. Jack is armed with a weapon called the ``Soul Robber'' and he can also change into different forms, such as the Pumpkin King and Santa Jack.

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