Things you may have missed...that you shouldn't have

I've been away from the blog for far too long once more. I have so many things to talk about, but for some reason I found myself in the mood to write about this particular topic today. While those of you who check in now and then may not be - "gamers", I hope that if you feel the tug of curiosity, and do wish to pick up a game, that this post may help narrow down your choices.

It has been a turbulent few years for the gaming industry, companies have shut down while others have seen profits rivaling major film studios. Big producers, such as EA, are finally seeing backlash for their abuse of the gaming community - success has been migrating towards the smaller companies - even one man projects.

During such a time, there are a few titles that stand out among their competition, and that probably flew right under the mainstream radar. These titles may have lacked advertising, been small projects, or just somehow have been overlooked - but they are all nearly guaranteed (at least by myself) to please a wide audience. The order in which I'll be talking about these titles is irrelevant (it would take me eons to arrange these by how much I enjoyed them).


                          1.

                                                                                                         

I know, I know - if you are in any way tapped into gaming you've heard about this title. Journey is a downloadable game for the Playstation 3, and is one of the past year's most highly awarded titles. Without even discussing game play, this title is simply beautiful to just...watch.

Like I said, beautiful. The music (the soundtrack is available on iTunes and I highly recommend it) is some of the best I've heard for a media title in decades.

The actual game itself could be classified as a third person adventure title. You explore a vast desert either alone, or with the company of a random person from the internet. This person cannot speak to you in any way, except for one. The other player (or yourself) can communicate by pressing a button and chirping. You can charge this harmonic greeting up and even boost your ally's ability to float through the air.

When I first got my hands on Journey I expected great things, but was unprepared for just how amazing it actually was. I don't think there are many other ways to have such a consistently positive experience with people you don't know on internet enabled games.

                           2.

I've had a half finished blog about this title all on its own sitting on my blogger dashboard for months. Asura's Wrath (for Xbox 360 and PS3) contends on a regular basis for my favorite game of all time. 

If you are at all a fan of the epic (the mindbogglingly epic more like) then you may want to give this title a try. Asura's Wrath is a third person action title, expect extreme amounts of the following; punches that destroy planets, giant fleets of spaceships, demigods, gods, fighting on the moon against a guy with a sword that extends to be longer than the radius of the Earth, and punching rhinos. There is much more, but like I said earlier - I'll post an entire blog entry about Asura's Wrath soon.

I cannot stress just how great this game can be if you just sit back and roll with it. The writing is stellar and the characters are unforgettable as well, something you normally wouldn't expect from such a strange game.

   
                  3.

Mark of the Ninja,  another surprising sleeper hit. Widely regarded as the best stealth game to come out in recent time, this downloadable title has everything a would-be ninja could ask for. Dangling from ledges by chains and assassinate hapless guards, slipping into the shadows to avoid detection by a motion sensing laser beam, blowing up giant towers through subterfuge - great fun all and all.

Fluid game play, beautiful two-dimensional animation, and fantastic pacing set this game apart from many of the AAA titles to come out this year. I may not be a ninja, but this game is as close to being one as I've felt.

                  4.

For those seeking a more tactical approach FTL (Faster Than Light) is something you will crave. Have you ever wanted to pilot your own star-ship while on the run from a rebel fleet? Everyone has, don't lie.

The style in which the game is portrayed is simple to say the least, but don't let that speak for the depth of this indie title. With numerous types of ships, upgrades, crew members, and galaxies to explore - this seemingly tiny game just never ends.

Controlling crew members aboard your vessel as you wage interstellar battle is nothing short of addicting. The challenge is nothing to scoff at either, before I survived my first run I had run through an entire graveyard of ships.

                   5.

For those moments when you and your friends want to sit down, cooperate, and then perform heart-pounding robberies and movie-style getaways. Most first-person shooters these days have devolved into the same thing - run down hallway, shoot guys, set piece, checkpoint - rinse and repeat. Payday however offers up tantalizing bits of strategy with multiple approaches to each different heist.

For a cheap price-tag this game is an absolute blast to play with friends. The level of difficulty is balanced just enough to challenge you and keep you coming back. Leveling up your character into a more effective member of the squad only adds more re-playability as well.

Recently, downloadable content was released - however this time with a crowd pleasing twist. As long as one person owns the content, they can host it and anyone can play it - even if they themselves don't own the DLC. If you have a few friends (up to three, including yourself) and want to use a little brain power in your FPS - pick up Payday.

                     6.

Chivalry was an impulse buy. I was browsing the new arrivals in Steam and just happened to land on it - and after watching a few seconds of combat I immediately picked it up. Epic first person sword-fights, what more do I need to say? Maybe that there are multiple classes? Each that level up - unlocking new weapons and gear? A button that makes you scream in bloodthirsty rage?

All of these things are real.

If you happen to be around my age and played the Jedi-Knights games you'll be instantly at home here. Fights are intense games of patient striking, and waiting for someone to make a mistake - or tire out. If all else fails, just jam on the Z key and scream a bunch.

 Hopefully these give you a few ideas if you've hit a lull in your gaming. All of these provide fun game play that can be enjoyed in short bursts or lengthy play-throughs. I'll continue the list another time, but I'll leave you with these for now. At the moment I have something else to play...