The Masher’s Most Slept-On Games
Monday, December 31, 2007 3:42 PM
As we stick a fork in ’07, the internets are afire with “best of” lists. Thing is, almost all the attention is going to the obvious (albeit totally deserving) picks like BioShock, Halo 3, Rock Band, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect and Portal.
But we here at The Sideshow thought it best to fill you in on a few great games that you may have missed...
Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, Wii (Capcom)
Silly name and childish graphics aside, Zack and Wiki ain’t no kiddie game (unless, maybe, you’re The Kid with the 200 I.Q.). This puzzle-based pirate game is seriously complex and I was occasionally frustrated into nabbing clues from an online walkthrough (which says more about me than the game). But mostly it's ridiculously fun with each level its own environmental puzzle to be cracked with help from the Wii motion-sensitive controllers (for in-context actions like sawing, turning knobs, etc.) while single-handedly reviving the point-and-click adventure games of yore.
Eternal Sonata, Xbox 360 (tri-Crescendo/Namco Bandai)
With most (non-Wii) now-gen developers competing for photo-realism, Eternal Sonata’s creators took a different tact for their lush anime RPG set within a fever dream of classical composer Frederic Chopin as he lies dying of tuberculosis. Yeah, you read that right--a classical music-based role-playing game. No aliens. No dystopia. In fact, the pastoral fairy-tale environment (where only the terminally ill have magical powers) is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen in gaming and a refreshing fix for those of us suffering from seasonal affective disorder.
skate, Xbox 360/PS3, (EA Black Box/EA)
Fuck Tony Hawk. Seriously. That dude has turned virtual skateboarding into a series of ever-more cartoonish combos with achieving air as easy as pressing X. Thing is, what makes skating exhilarating is the speed and the difficulty, which makes every landed trick a triumph.
In this skating sim--set in San Vanelona, an amalgam of San Fran, Vancouver and Barcelona--realism is a higher priority with every trick rooted the ollie, which is performed by flicking the analog controllers, not button-mashing. It may be harder to nail that Christ Air, but it’ll be much more satisfying when you do.
Resident Evil 4, Wii (Capcom)
But wait, you wonder, isn’t this just yet another “wii-make” of a super-famous franchise? Well, yes. But unlike the numerous other cash-grab ports that have flooded the Wii since it began printing money, Resident Wii-vil is actually better than the already-classic 2005 original. The kidnapped first daughter storyline and zombie-esque Euro-cultists remain the same, but being able to aim with the wii-mote makes it a new and improved fan-fraggin’-tastic experience.
Overlord, 360/PC (Triumph Studios/Codemasters)
Countless videogames have been made where you must roam Middle Earth-inspired lands, battling the minions of some evil overlord. Well, now you get to be that dasterdly dude and have your own hordes to send after hapless heroes. Unlike the GTA games, here being bad is played for laughs (albeit darkly satiric ones) as you burn villages, slay hobbits and otherwise pillage the lands with demonic minions who you order about via a hilariously Pikmin-like control scheme. Besides, any game that lets you play either evil or really evil is wicked awesome.
Honourable Mentions (aka stuff I’ve already blogged about):
Odin Sphere, PS2 (Vanillaware/Atlus)
J'eanne D'Arc, PSP (Level 5/Sony)
Hotel Room 215, DS (Nintendo)