Bad things come in threes, the saying goes. It's superstitious nonsense, of course. It doesn't explain Jedward, for one thing. But whether bad things come in pairs, quartets, alone or in armies, there's no doubt that today's been rather trying (for me at least).

It's been a day of headaches, crashing software apps and bad sandwiches. I got home and drove into my own bin. Then I rubbed chilli in my eyes while making a curry. Temporarily blinded, I staggered around the kitchen for a bit, weeping and knocking over small jars. Like I said, a trying, ill-starred day.

On a vaguely related topic, therefore, here is my list of the six most atmospherically dark, evil and downright sinister games ever to sully our computers and consoles.

Manhunt

A sick and nasty take on the stealth genre as only Rockstar could make it, Manhunt manages to create the most palpably grim atmosphere imaginable. The hackneyed plot, borrowed from 30s movie The Most Dangerous Game, sees you take on the role of a monosyllabic man-mountain 'rescued' from death row only to be plunged into a series of sick cat-and-mouse encounters with increasingly well-armed goons. Enemies are dispatched with plastic bags, ropes and shards of glass, and there's a risk/reward system that triggers bloodier executions for the stealthiest kills. The kind of game Daily Mail journalists love to hate, Manhunt is justifiably regarded as one of the most shockingly violent games of all time.

Madworld

Clearly influenced by Manhunt, Platinum's ultra-violent brawler blends the visual style of Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez's Sin City movie with spectacularly bloody deaths by chainsaw, spike and dustbin. Along with House Of The Dead: Overkill, Madworld was Sega's attempt to court a more adult market for Wii. Unfortunately, Madworld's self-conscious use of swearing and violence make it seem all the more puerile, and all the gory signpost-through-the-eye deaths can't disguise its repetitive gameplay.

Resident Evil 4

With the sluggish zombies and fixed-perspective viewpoints of the Resident Evil sequels becoming increasingly predictable, Capcom's decision to reboot the franchise with RE:4 could not have been more timely. While the game is more action-oriented than earlier entries, it remains one of the most atmospheric sequels, and the lightning-fast Los Ganados pose a new, disquieting threat.

The Suffering

In many ways a traditional third-person shooter, The Suffering was distinguished by an unusual setting and plot (there aren't many games - or film, for that matter - set in a prison overrun by the denizens of Hell, after all) and grim, tense atmosphere. The ability to turn into a Hulk-like, enemy-mashing monster took the tension out of some scenes, but the game's build up, full of long shadows and creatures scuttling about in the darkness, is surprisingly effective.

Silent Hill 2

It's hard to believe now, but the original Silent Hill was a genuinely atmospheric game for its time, and one with a palpable air of menace. The steadily ramping tension reached its zenith with the introduction of the genuinely freaky Pyramid Head, an executioner-like character whose head is entirely obscured by a huge metal triangle. And what he does to those poor mannequins really is disturbing...

F.E.A.R

Its seemingly endless maze of corridors and minimalist offices may have made for a repetitive, colourless landscape, but there's no denying the sinister charisma of Alma, the psychic girl capable of turning an entire squad of soldiers into pink vapour. Making an FPS scary is a tricky proposition - you are clutching an automatic firearm for protection most of the time, after all -  yet F.E.A.R, through its mixture of well-paced storytelling (influenced by movies such as The Shining, Dark Water and Ringu) and perfectly orchestrated shocks, created a game that genuinely fulfilled the promise of its title.

After finishing this column, I noticed that I'd just made my 666th tweet on Twitter.  It's a good job I'm not superstitious...

Ryan writes his gaming column every week at Den Of Geek. Last week's is here.