Once again, please welcome my friend DIGGITY as he lists some of his favorite games that flew under the radar and asks… why the f@#% haven’t you played these yet?
With the lack of good games out right now, I thought I would do a write-up on the top games, (for me at least) that flew under the radar. Time and time again, I find myself talking to my gamer friends about games I really enjoyed only to find out they have never played them let alone heard of them. The titles I chose to write about, most have heard of but the game never graced their consoles disc tray. So if you are looking for something to pass the time until that game you are waiting for hits store shelves, hopefully the games mentioned below will keep you occupied.
Where do I even start with this one? Well first off, you can purchase this game for as low as $10-$13 if you shop around a little. The Darkness is friggin amazing. Absolutely one of the best campaigns to date for me. Well paced and full of awesome shoot outs. Although the subway sections gets a little redundant, the game gets better and better the further you get. Once the darkness starts taking over you, you’re gonna be hooked. While it’s primarily a FPS, there are some really cool gameplay elements that I found quite creative. Not only is the dual wielding mapped to the controller perfectly, but the use of minion like creatures coming from the body of your character is just plain awesome. Use one of them to rip the hearts out of your foes and watch as your minions fight each other over who gets to devouring it, making them more powerful. Use another to crawl up walls and into windows, (in first person view from the minion) to unlock doors. Once you unlock the door, watch as the minion rewinds in the exact movements you took to return to your characters body. This game is gory,and at times scary. It’s got it’s fair share of “OH SHIT” moments, especially in a Civil War/Hell level that is incredible. Multiplayer is unique, with the ability to play as minions and crawl sideways, upside down on walls and lunge to kill your opponents. Nothing mind blowing, but again, unique. Go give this one at least a rental for the campaign.
My experience with the DMC series wasn’t much coming into this one as I only played the Playstation versions a few times. I will start off by saying this one is a MUST for anyone who likes anime or kick-ass cutscenes. BY FAR the best cutscenes to date on any game I have ever played. Before you read any further, watch this video and you will see what I mean:
See what I mean? The game is full of awesome stuff like this. It’s unique mix of hack and slash and gunplay blend perfectly. The combos are insane, especially later in the game when you can shuffle through weapons and swords mid-combo. When the game begins, you play as a young character named Nero. This dude is a badass, with a demon arm that does all kinds of cool stuff. He has a revolver-style pistol and a sword 2 times the size of him with a motor that can be charged up to increase the strength of attacks. Later you get to control the orginal badass, Dante. Not only can Dante turn into a Demon, but he has dual pistols, a shotgun and also a gigantic sword. The cutscenes at the start of the game have Dante battling Nero in a church, first playthrough my jaw actually dropped and broke the thumbstick of my controller. This game is a game designer or character designer’s dream come true. The artsy style and graphics are amazing, and the bosses are some of the coolest I have ever seen in any type of game. If you don’t believe me, fire up the demo and play through the second part and fight Berial. It’s well paced and features great music, visuals and longevity. This is another one I have seen at local game stores for pretty cheap, so pick it up, STAT. Can’t wait for Bayonetta to drop soon from the great minds who made DMC 4 come to life!
This one I may be a bit biased. Yes, I am a Marvel geek and I grew up reading Marvel comic books, but that doesn’t mean this game wasn’t amazing. The arsenal of heroes in this game is astonishing including my all-time fave, the Merc with a Mouth Deadpool. Add in some downloadable content with all time greats like Dr. Doom and Venom and this game has a hero for everyone. Even cooler than the plethora of super heroes to play with is the ability to play 4-player co-op which is really where this one shines. Sure the game is awesome playing by yourself, but controlling all 4 players at the same time takes alot of concentration, especially when there is alot goin on on the screen. This game is hack n’ slash through and through, and plays very similar to Dungeons and Dragons Heroes (another great OG Xbox title) or later gauntlet 3D titles. Basically each button preforms a normal kick, punch, jump etc. or hold the trigger and each button becomes a super power. On the super-power note, each character has multiple powers or attacks to choose from. Want to provide a power up that makes Captain America and his teammates have stronger attack power temporarily? You can. Don’t want to have a power up? Then choose a power where he throws his shield and you take control of it in the air. The customization is limitless, and given the amount of powers and characters, it adds for great replay value. Another cool feature is the ability to make actual real Marvel teams, for instance 4 of the X-Men, or Avengers, and each member will receive an upgrade to an RPG-style leveling system. It’s a great game, and an added individual story for most of the characters on top of the already massive campaign makes this one a bargain-bin pick-up as well.
Not sure this one even flew under the radar, but no one I know gave it a chance after a weak ass demo. I will tell you this, the demo does not do this masterpiece justice in the least. This game is so unique, so bloody, so scary, so well designed it’s a must for anyone who likes an immersive game. Ever seen the movie Event Horizon? I almost urinated when I saw that movie as a youngster, watching it again when I was older and more mature, I realized how awesome of a flick it was. Mix Event Horizon with a dose of Aliens and you have Dead Space. Way too much to even go into on this one. The User Interface is incredible, the mapping and waypoint systems, marvelous, the graphics, unbelievable, the story, remarkable. This game was such a pleasant surprise for me as I generally do not play Survival-Horror games, but this one had just enough shooter DNA in it for me. I found the weapons and leveling system to be very realistic and unique with most of the weapons being tools for mining that are modded to be limb-cutting death machines. I absolutely loved this game, even though I had to have my wife hold me while I sucked my thumb in the fetal position, or have her watch out behind me while I played for no apparent reason other than I felt like a scared little girl. WOW was this game immersive. Give it a rent though, not much to it after it’s been beaten.
NINJA GAIDEN 1 & 2
Ok, if you haven’t played the original Ninja Gaiden for OG Xbox, or Sigma for PS3, stop reading this, find the nearest toaster and beat yourself over the head with it. No really, all joking aside, Ninja Gaiden remains my favorite game to date. YES it is hard, and YES that first boss with the nunchucks will make you want to punch a baby, but once you figure out what to do and when/where to do it, that game is absolutely amazing start to finish. Many griped over the camera system which I will admit was awkward at first but like anything, with a little practice and getting used to it became second-nature. Most people I talk to say “waaaaah, it’s too hard.” If you give up on a game cause it’s too hard, follow the above step involving the toaster immediately and sell the console you are playing. The bosses, story, music and cutscenes are all top notch in Ninja Gaiden 1. The combos are incredible, and gathering more weapons and watching them in action will make you want to play this one over and over. Ninja Gaiden 2 picks up right where part 1 leaves off. Crazy battles and blood and incredible weapons and combos. Pick either of these up, slay some fiends and tell me I am wrong, I dare ya!
While most of these are pretty brief reviews, I think the proof is in the pudding on all these games. As you can probably tell, I love me some hack n’ slash, but, let’s face it, whats better than hacking and slashing? There is more than meets the eye, (yes a Transformers throwback) in all of these titles. For the price of a couple of them, and the amount of time you get on rentals these days, all of these games are a must play as far as I am concerned. Check em’ out and holla at yo boy!
-DIGGITY OUT
What other games do you think have flown under the radar? Let us know which ones we missed in the comments below! -TGR
The Gamer Report 
Leave a comment