As the entire game industry crumbles under the weight of predictable, big-name hits, we can count on one gamer to bring us back from the dark. Stojan is that gamer. Someone has to stand up for the...well, these aren't exactly "little guys."
Interesting that a hugely marketed, big-budget title like Medal of Honor could use some defending, but Stojan makes some pretty good points! Let us know what you think about his list in the comments.
5. Quantum Theory
Watch the trailer, and you'll see why this game barely made anyone's "find a friend to borrow it from" list, much less "to buy" -- it just screams, "Gears of War clone." It, however, is most certainly not one. The similarities stop at the beefy protagonist.
The game doesn't offer much in terms of a brilliant storyline, and the graphics can be a bit subpar. OK, very subpar. But the different gameplay features (fighting on top of creatures in motion, moving across growing, moving platforms) keep you engaged to the end. Plus, your hot co-op partner makes the dark and nearly impossible fight against evil seem not so bad.
The game launched with a whimper, barely receiving any sort of acclaim. For some, this third-person shooter may seem "business as usual" with not much to offer beyond Gears of War, but it still is worth checking out.
4. Splatterhouse
This modern update features what made the original game so awesome over 20 years ago: bloody, bloody violence. Blood is everywhere in this remake. And I do mean everywhere.
Rick is trying to save his girlfriend from an evil mad scientist, which is the same storyline as in the previous games. Near death, our hero puts on a possessed mask that grants him Mariusz Pudzianowski-sized muscles and demon powers that can chop up his monster enemies into chunks. It's what you would expect from the series: totally gratuitous gore.
The mask talks (many say his voice is annoying, but I think it's hilarious), the plot is thin, and the difficulty curve may be a bit steep for some. But Splatterhouse delivers what made the originals so great.
3. Medal of Honor
Having fallen behind the supremacy of the Call of Duty series, Medal of Honor was destined to fail. Reviewers across the world picked at every little thing they could, so they could give their awards to Modern Warfare 2 or even Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Say what you will about the texture pop-up (name one game that doesn't have that) or poor dialogue (how are Special Forces supposed to talk while they're being chased by the Taliban -- like they're at a dinner party, using $100 words?). And admittedly, the plot was very thin; it only has you fighting for strategic points and hunting down HVTs (high-valued targets) inside Afghanistan. But if anyone would bother to pick up a book once in a while, they would understand what the game is about. Medal of Honor did first what no other shooter has done before: tell the story of the real soldier.
Put away any preconceptions you have of this game, and enjoy it for what it's worth. It may garner a bit of interest from you as to why, truly, we are over there in the first place.
2. Alpha Protocol
In this RPG, you play Michael Thorton, a secret agent who does the kind of things you would want to do to save the world.
Kill everyone in your path? Knock yourself out! Be sneaky like Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher? Don't forget to take the change out of your pocket! Make allies with bad men who may help you in the end? Go right ahead. Be a smooth talker and seduce the ladies? I'll have a vodka martini....
Many called out Michael Thorton's character as bland, with no real direction. But that is where your own creativity lies. You are Michael Thorton -- make him act how you want to act. It's just like Commander Shepard in Mass Effect (let's be honest -- the acting for him wasn't that great either). It wasn't the game's fault that you can choose to be snarky in one conversation line then serious in the next.
The enemy A.I. can get atrocious at times, though.
1. Deadly Premonition
This game costs $20 new, so you really can't go wrong. The box art makes it look real dark and scary, kind of like a Silent Hill spin-off. The premise is real cool, too: In a small town, an FBI agent has to investigate a series of murders that has a serial-killer vibe to it. Sprinkle in a bit of old-town folklore, and you have the makings of a great game.
However...upon playing it, you are hit with last-gen graphics, poor dialogue and body language (think the first Resident Evils), a boring soundtrack, blah-level design, and a slow-paced story. After the first hour, you'll probably want to put the disc back in the case and never play it again.
And yet, you are drawn to it. You want to play more of it. You want to find out who the Raincoat Killer is -- the one doing the ritualistic killings in this small, quaint town. You are drawn to the sexual tension between FBI agent Francis York Morgan and Sheriff Deputy Emily Wyatt, the mysterious aura surrounding Sheriff George Woodman and town entrepreneur Harry Stewart (and his odd assistant, Michael Tillotson). And you want to find out who the hell this "Zach" guy is, the one Agent Morgan keeps talking to!
You can't stop playing, and instead of being turned away by the bad presentation and gameplay elements, you are drawn to the story and characters involved in this mystery.
Many reviewers loathed the game, some calling it "awful in nearly every way." But Deadly Premonition garnered a big cult following of fans who can appreciate the B-movie quality that makes it so endearing...people who know that sometimes a great story can make up for bad gameplay.
And I think it has one of the best soundtracks of 2010. The whistle song will stay in your head all day.
Video games have the ability to present themselves as garbage to one person and gold to another (that's how you know they're art). To come out and judge a title harshly is everyone's right. Many out there, however, can see the value in games that have been labeled "bad" or "not worth your time." It's difficult, but we as gamers still must give these poorly reviewed games a chance to be discovered and played by others.
Have any games you want to talk about? Post them in the comments below!
