Michael “Red Pen of Doom” Futter
Oh, Suda 51, I did not like you. At all. I had no fun playing Killer7, and it was a chore to chug through as much of it as I did. When Shadows of the Damned neared release, I poked a lot of fun at Drew, whose love for Suda only rivals Suda’s love for dick jokes. After he and Ken raved about the game, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Shadows of the Damned is this generation’s Beyond Good and Evil. You’ll hear people raving about it, and many of you won’t decide to play it until much later. You’ll kick yourselves for waiting, for not helping earn the game a sequel and for depriving yourself of the unbelievable storytelling. You’ve been warned.
Looking to past generations, I was reminded of a few games from that I would encourage others to give a look. It scares me that many of you might be too young to have heard of, let alone played, Dungeon Keeper and Dungeon Keeper 2. These were one part sim-dungeon, one part RTS, and one part expression of everyone’s inner maniacal overlord. The original Dungeon Keeper is available via Good old Games. I wait less-than-patiently for the sequel to arrive.
For those looking for some inexpensive XBox 360 backward compatibility titles, I wholeheartedly endorse Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and, to a lesser extent, the sequel). All of the actors from Joss Whedon’s hit television show, except for Sarah Michelle Gellar, contributed to the game, which featured well-known villains, challenging combat, and a fantastic story.
I also recommend The Bard’s Tale, featuring Cary Elwes. The game is a streamlined dungeon crawler featuring an innovative mechanic that uses The Bard’s songs as magic spells. The Bard is a sarcastic, unlikeable hero in pursuit of “coin and cleavage.” He is thrust into an adventure he does not want to undertake and complains the entire way through. The game is thick with humor and even features an Oompa Loompa-esque trio that sings a recurring song entitled, “It’s Bad Luck to Be You.”
For gamers on a budget, there is a gold mine of older titles that can be acquired used for a song.
John “Dubya” Whitehouse
One game I would have to recommend people to play and one that will have definitely been looked over is Armageddon Riders. A great racing game, with plenty of missions that involve collecting items, killing zombies and destroying cars. A cross between Burnout Paradise and Destruction Derby, you can check out my review here.
Another game that some people may skip is Alice: Madness Returns. It’s sales indicate that, although it did okay, it could (and should) have done better. A lot of retailers have it on sale at the moment, which means it is even more of a bargain.
Ken “Zero Tolerance” McKown
Alice: Madness Returns: I am still amazed how much I loved this game and how much so many others seem to think it was chock full of mediocrity. In a world full of dudebro shooters and zombie games, this was a throwback to the classic days of gaming where platforming dominated the experience. Combined with a twisted tale and some truly creative level design, this is one of my top five games of the year, easily.
Shadows of the Damned: I will echo my colleagues on Suda51 and Mikami’s recent collaboration. This game is a blast from beginning to end, with some truly creative writing and a great atmosphere. I loved most of the characters and the nods to pop culture and movies were hilarious. This is one game I truly enjoyed from beginning to end, and if you enjoy stepping outside the box you will be hard pressed not to enjoy this ride.
Child of Eden: Yeah, I am no advocate of Kinect, but this game almost makes it relevant for the hardcore. Fans of Rez will undoubtedly know where Child of Eden gets its magic, but for everyone else, you need to experience this for yourself. The trippy visuals and immersive soundtrack take you for a ride that you won’t soon forget. Even if you don’t have Kinect, this is one fantastic game, but I have to admit the motion controller really does a fantastic job of rounding out the experience.
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