The lesser-played games of 2010

[HotChops]

We all know of the big titles like Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption, here's the place to give your honorable mentions to games that won you over, but not necessarily everyone else.

 

Aliens vs. Predator

 

When I tried the online demo of the game, I found it to be horrible. When I rented it through Gamefly though, I found the single player campaign to be flawed, but very enjoyable.

 

Strength(s): Like Batman: Arkham Asylum, AvP succeeds in making the player feel like an Alien, Marine or Predator.

 

Weakness(s): The main problem with AvP's single player is that it's really three small games in one. Each species has it's own unique controls and nuances. Rather than having one smooth learning curve, it's like three sharp consecutive curves, like a roller coaster.

 

 

Just Cause 2

 

Most didn't play the first JC as it was released during that transition time between consoles in 2006. Unlike Aliens vs. Predator, the demo for Just Cause 2 won me over; being absolutely massive enough that many people just played it over and over again for 30 minutes at a time.

 

Strength(s): This game would be nothing without the Avalanche Engine, which is responsible for the gorgeous and massive Panau archipelago. The game world is so large that it can take up to half an hour or more to circumnavigate the map in a small plane, and one can free fall for up to four minutes before reaching the ground. The grappling hook is great for getting around, allowing the player to infinitely grapple and soar much like the Spiderman games of the early decade.

 

Weakness(s): The combat is terrible. Enemies take too many bullets to die, and they constantly respawn behind the player in large numbers. IMO, this game is best played on easy mode and combat should be avoided.

 

 

Transformers: War for Cybertron

 

Transformers: WfC was fast, intense and very fun. The single player campaign (which also can be played co-op) is full of great characters and intense battles. The battle for Iacon echoes the great battle for Autobot City depicted in the original Transformers: The Movie in 1986. Multiplayer was also very strong, offering a great variety of classes, perks and abilities.

 

Like most unsung heroes of the gaming world, Transformers suffered criticisms that frankly, weren't really true. Ammo is plentiful, most players simply didn't know what it looked like, nor did they utilize their vehicle weapons which in some cases were very powerful. Another complaint was that the levels all looked the same. Oddly enough, I felt the same way at first. Once the player's eyes become accustomed to the shiny surfaces, the differences between the levels become very apparent. Iacon is like ancient Rome with beautiful statues and large domes. The Cybertronian underground glows with energon rivers. The Kaos prison is a twisted labyrinth among a constant lighting storm.

 

Strength(s): The gameplay and the characters make this Tranformers game the best ever made. The abilities to tranform, drive, shoot, and use special abilities blend well together to make the action interesting and fun. The Generation 1 cast is well-portrayed by the writers and voice actors.

 

Weakness(s): Squadmates are pretty much worthless in the story mode. Their weapons do next-to-no damage, leaving you to do all the actual work. They frequently get in your way or fall behind only to spawn right behind you when you reach a checkpoint or elevator.

 

 

Your turn, what games did you love, but felt were underrated by others?

[RadiantViper]

Alpha Protocol ... most underrated game of 2010. Lots of interesting concepts with rewarding gameplay and a great plot.

 

Only real problem I found was the dumb as rocks AI, and maybe the length but it has superb replay value.

[HotChops]

Being a huge fan of Mass Effect, Alpha Protocol certainly caught my eye. I see the plot involves the CIA, would you say the plot is realistic or down-to-Earth?

 

and I forgot another 2010 game that I liked: Medal of Honor

 

I think Medal of Honor worked for me because I was never interested in the multiplayer. I tried MoH because I wanted a military FPS that actually felt real -- real characters, real settings, real military details.

 

That's exactly what I got. I absolutely loved MoH's story. I can't stand when critics call it unoriginal or boring because if you look up Operation Anaconda, you'll see that most of the major events in MoH actually happened.

 

I loved the little details like the way that your gun will accumulate dust over the course of a mission, or that the sound of gun changes as the magazine or belt runs out of ammo. I love that they constantly use military jargon and acronyms that probably sound like another language to most people, but is music to the ears of a military history junkie like me.

 

Medal of Honor has a lot of flaws. The multiplayer was a bastardized hybrid of Battlefield and Call of Duty, and the single player is filled with bugs, glitches and faults that scream "unfinished game." For example, your squadmates never use their nightvision goggles. In one mission, Dusty runs around in the dark wearing his damn sunglasses.

 

I think if MoH ditched multiplayer completely and focused on marketing to the authenticity/history-loving crowd the franchise could do a lot better.

[RadiantViper]

It's not super realistic, it's about as accurate as any other game/movie/whatever in the 'spy' genre. I think it would compare to some James Bond movies, so some things are exaggerated to fit that style of storytelling.

 

But the actual plot and characters, and how they shift/react over the game, are very well done and really display Obsidian's writing prowess.

 

You've probably heard that it's very buggy from reviews and the like. It's kind of hard to gauge that sort of thing since it varies so much, but I honestly only had a handful of minor problems. One room had some framerate issues, I saw 2 or 3 enemies clip through walls, sometimes my character's aiming model would look messed up. Past that, everything worked just fine for me.

 

It's definitely not a perfect game but the overall package is filled with interesting concepts that I think it's worth a look.

[mintycrys]

Nier and Deadly Premonition are like the super-magical budget games from heaven.

 

Both have fantastic stories, wonderful characters, and can be purchased on the cheap.

[Hot Heart]

Just Cause 2 is awesome. And with its current ridiculously cheap price on Steam, definitely a worthy purchase for PC gamers.

[Mister Jack]

Ghostbusters. I don't care what anybody says. That was a good game.

[HotChops]

Ghostbusters. I don't care what anybody says. That was a good game.

 

I thought that was last year...?

 

I grew up being a huge Ghostbusters fan so I bought it on day 1. I'm sorry to say I regretted that. When you're doing the basic ghost bust -- wrangling it with the beam, destroying everything around you and sucking them down into the trap, the game shines.

 

The problem is that you don't do much of that outside the beginning of the game and some multiplayer modes.

[Mister Jack]

Was it last year? I thought it was early this year. If so change my answer to Transformers. It made me feel ten years old again.

[superfrogsavestokyo]

Resonance of Fate. It's the best gaming impulse buy this year. I liked the fact that I actually had to use strategy instead of constantly grinding to get over boss battles.

Once I started digging the gun customization and learning the system of the game, things got interesting. Haven't finished it yet, but it's next on my game backlog after I play Epic Mickey.

[Yantelope]

Singularity was a good game. It was a good shooter, but nothing super special. Raven software makes good games.

 

Crackdown 2 was a huge disappointment.

[diedan]

As I am without a PS3 or 360, I have no idea what you people are talking about.

 

So, I offer up Cave Story. Sooooo good. I've easily managed to put around 40 hours into it, and it's a $12 downloadable.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I never had problems killing people or with respawning in JC2 so I have no idea what the hell you are talking about. You're rarely in an area long enough for enemies to constantly respawn (maybe it's a console thing) and enemies only take forever to die before you upgrade your guns (which makes sense.) My only complaint is that the upgrade system is skewed towards people who follow the story rather than people who explore... so it's easy to max out a lot of stuff with only 20 hours of playtime.

[docsfox]

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

 

This game ate more of my time than many other games this year. It's cute, it's fun, it's addictive.

[Mister Jack]

Oh shit, how could I forget Recettear? That was one of the best indie games to come out this year, I think.

[docsfox]

Oh shit, how could I forget Recettear? That was one of the best indie games to come out this year, I think.

 

There were several great indie games this year. Monday Night Combat and Limbo were two other big ones.

[Mister Jack]

I'll be honest, Limbo's demo did not win me over. Am I missing something here, or did the demo just leave out the part of the game that's fun?

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Any Amnesia love?

[docsfox]

If Limbo doesn't win you over from the first minute you see it, you have no emotion!

[Mister Jack]

I already got suckered into Braid. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

[HotChops]

I already got suckered into Braid. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

 

I can understand what you're saying. I think Braid, Limbo and Undergarden are beautiful games, but they're mostly puzzle games and that's my least favorite genre.

 

With Limbo I think you either love it or hate it by the end of the demo. I loved it, but frankly it's a bit pricey right now and I'm sure it'll be on sale next year.

 

I loved the Limbo demo for a number of reasons:

 

- It's simplicity -- it's bereft of color, overt story, or instructions. I remember when the demo started, I just sat there for a minute waiting for the game to do something before I just pushed a button and saw him wake up. I liked that.

 

- It reminds me of an NES game. They don't tell you what to do at all, they just throw you in and expect you to figure it out. Oddly enough, I usually hate trial and error gameplay and find it outdated, but I felt like it worked in the Limbo demo.

 

- The macabre nature of the demo. I remember the first time my character fell into a pit of spikes and died a gruesome death I laughed my ass off. I literally and figuratively didn't see it coming. I also like how the game reminds me a of a bad dream.

[Mister Jack]

I don't even really dislike puzzle games, I just didn't think Braid was as good as everyone led me to believe. I have suspicions the same would hold true of Limbo.

[Battra92]

Atellier Rorona was fun for the hour or so I played it. Unfortunately my backlog is too large to play it until I finish a few other top priority games (Epic Mickey at the moment)

 

3D Dot Game Heroes is the best PS3 game of the year in my opinion.

[Mister Jack]

I had to choose at the time between 3D Dot Game Heroes and Demon's Souls for budgetary reasons. I ended up going with Demon's Souls. Fuck if I ever have enough uninterrupted free time to make any real progress in it, though.