This year I anticipate that there will be several titles for both the PS3 and 360 that will shock the gaming community. With all the major releases that have come or are coming this year, it appears that many are overlooking several titles that will undoubtedly be astonishing.
Now I am looking forward to Metal Gear Solid 4 or Gears of War 2 just as much as anyone else, but find myself being drawn more and more to new IP’s. I find it to be a breath of fresh air to take control in a plot and setting that you have never seen in a video-game before. As long as the game is put together well, (see Mass Effect, BioShock or Uncharted) I always find myself to be entertained for hours on end. It is comical to find yourself playing a game until 4:00am and not realizing what time it is.
With that being said, the most underestimated games of 2008 are:
1. Too Human – Silicon Knights, Potential Rating 9/10Diablo meets Devil May Cry, sounds good to me. I have done a vast amount of research looking into this game. At first I wasn’t all that excited especially following E3 2006. However, following GDC 08, I found myself to come back to this franchise and cannot wait to try it for myself. I recently watched a new video put up at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/748783/too-human-part-1/videos/toohuman_SkillTree_050508.html ) that overviewed the RPG elements of the game and I must say that it reminds me a great deal of the Diablo series.
`` Inside this shell you'll find more than enough statistics, classes and inventory items to justify the "RPG" side of developer Silicon Knight's "Action RPG" label. Baldur (who's the, ur, bald protagonist) can be outfitted head to toe with various armors, melee weapons and guns, all of which may affect his defensive capabilities, attack power and reach. Various runes and skills will modify attacks or inflict status effects on enemies, and a robust set of development paths are available to each of the game's five classes. Whether you play as a rampaging, dual-wielding Berserker or simply wish to dole out a healing touch as the BioEngineer, customization seems satisfyingly deep and immediately apparent in gameplay.Coupled with Too Human's extensive and elegantly produced cutscenes (one exception: the obligatory and criminally unskippable "you have died" sequence), I suspect the game's main strength will lie in its RPG foundations. Still, like Mass Effect, it's encased in a genre that would have you value quick reflexes and a spirited offense in order to succeed. That certainly is the case with Too Human, but it diverges from Mass Effect in a several ways.”
Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-hands-on-with-too-human/
2. Left 4 Dead – Valve, Potential Rating 9/10Now I at one point was a huge Counter Strike guy. Left 4 Dead is actually being developed by the same group that developed the Counter Strike source engine and as such, I have a reason to be excited. Multiplayer is a big reason why I play games as I tend to get worn-out after playing hours on end of a single player game (see Mass Effect). Games like COD4, Halo 3, and Gears are amongst my favourites so far this gen. I am hoping that Left 4 Dead lives up to its developers resume and delivers.
“Left 4 Dead is absolute chaos. It is intense, fast-paced, thrilling, exhilarating, and exhausting. It is everything you could ever hope for a game to be and more - every single expectation I had for the game was blown away entirely. I was literally in awe over how fun and unique of an experience it offered and I have to say that it was honestly the best gaming experience I've had in my life. We as gamers seem to hear this kind of sensationalism for unreleased games far too often, and believe me that I too have been the victim of such unwarranted hype - but I promise you that these are not empty words. This game is truly original and it offers up a pure gaming experience. Everything in Left 4 Dead is geared towards reaching that mindset of pure gaming bliss. It is challenging, and you will fail. You will scream, curse, laugh and cry, and love every single second of it”.Source: http://www.left4dead411.com/left-4-dead-preview-pg1
3. Alan Wake, Remedy, Potential Rating 9/10
Little is known about Alan Wake but I anticipate that it will be Resident Evil like. I would say that RE2 was probably in my top 5 games of all time and of course am excited for its release next year. Now a “psychological action thriller” is a hefty title to live up to but in the end I am hoping for a really good action adventure game hopefully with some form of multiplayer component.
“After teasing us with their technical abilities, a weakness that both developers and gamers have in common, Remedy starts taking up the story again. The story will be told in episodes like a TV series, each part of the story having a little beginning, middle and end. Wake decides to head to his cabin on a nearby hill and the Max Payne-like narration kicks in, describing his feelings. His book is coming along OK, and he's reached this part in the story where the lead character picks up a hitchhiker who kills him. Then, in the game, Wake picks up a hitchhiker. Wake narrates that he's not sure why he instantly starts spouting the details of his book to this seemingly quiet hitchhiking man. He tells the hitchhiker that in his dreams the hitchhiker...just then he's interrupted by the passenger, who perfectly finishes Wake's thoughts. Wake is confused, but before the thought can develop, he pulls the car over. An accident has happened, blood is splattered everywhere, and a female body lies still on the pavement appearing dead. Wake gets out and inspects it. But the accident happened near a blind turn and a semi truck flies around the corner, sees Wake in the middle of the street, veers left and smashes into Wake's car. Unfortunately, the hitchhiker is still in it. Wake then passes out.”.Source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/736/736486p1.html
For me these three games represent the crème of the crop for underrated games of 2008. All new IP’s I anticipate that they will all do extremely well. InFamous is another game that has tickled my attention and will definitely be looked into when more information surfaces.
What are your underestimated games of 2008?
