Horror videogames scare up record sales

Video-game tracking firm the NPD Group said Capcom has sold 1.94 million copies of "Resident Evil 5" to date.

"Resident Evil 5" is a survival horror videogame where players fight off zombie-like enemies.

"Individual games like Capcom's "Devil May Cry" and Atari's "Alone in the Dark" have been big, and there are a few new games that hit the genre like Electronic Arts' "Dead Space" and "Dante's Inferno" which will do pretty well, but to date, the "Resident Evil" brand is exactly half of all sales," said Pachter.

Fans can blow away new zombies in Capcom's Wii exclusive, "Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles," which goes on sale from November 17.

"Resident Evil: Afterlife," the fourth movie based on the horror game franchise from Sony Pictures, is currently filming in Toronto. The first 3D movie in the franchise will hit theaters next year. Konami has the latest installment in its best-selling "Silent Hill" franchise out in December. "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories" offers a new perspective on the original game set in the haunted town of Silent Hill and known for disturbing psychological horror.

Electronic Arts has a pair of horror offerings for gamers. The publisher recently shipped "Dead Space: Extraction" for Wii, which is a prequel to last fall's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC hit. "Dead Space 2" is in development for next year.

This sci-fi horror franchise pits players against lethal aliens that come in all different monstrous shapes and sizes.

EA and Valve Software release "Left 4 Dead 2" on Xbox 360 and PC on November 17. The original game, which pits humans against zombies that have taken over the United States, sold over 1.92 million copies on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in the United States.

(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)