There is something about lists that seems to get gamers’ blood going. Whether you whole-heartedly agree with it or want to strangle the writer, when a list is spotted, it is read. This week, we present you with a list from each of us. Wrapping up our discussion of reviews, for now, we thought it fitting to look at games that we thought you might have passed over like a door with lamb’s blood just because it scored low. No, we’re not talking games in the 40’s here, but games that even scored as high as in the 70’s. That seems to be the cutoff point for a lot gamers, and to be honest, it’s a shame. So many gems fall in that range. So, here is my list of the top five games you may have skipped. Again, we used Metacritic to gather our scores. Deal with it.
5. Pokemon Snap-77
Yeah, I picked a Pokemon game, what of it? If there is one thing that I love more than mystical made up lands filled with mystical made up creatures, it’s photographing them. Wouldn’t you know it; Pokemon Snap lets me do just that! I think that this game was seen as a cheap cash-in on a hit franchise, but the mechanics work surprisingly well and become quite addictive. Once you get passed the on-rails travel and start to soak up the world, you’ll find yourself wanting to go back again and again to see if you missed anything. Sure, they could let you foot it, but where would the challenge be? Although, a next-gen, open world version of this game would be pretty badass. So, if you missed it the first time because it was a Pokemon game, get over it. It’s a cool photography game with some truly great moments, so download it on your Wii right now.
One of us. One of us.
4. NHL Hitz 2002-78
Really? A 78? Let me put this into perspective for you. I dumped more time into this game than most games I own. If I had the choice to play the multiplayer in Hitz or the multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2, you’d better believe I’d be dusting off my Wavebird and calling up my friends to mix it up on the ice. There is simply no better competitive multiplayer experience, in my eyes, than this game. I think as far as its score goes, it was a victim of being a good game that came out in a time when its genre was flooded and on the outs. A few games such as NFL Street tried to keep the hyper sports games going, but ultimately there was no saving them. I consider this to be the best of the bunch, and if you have any sense, you’ll track down a used copy, call up four of your friends, and have the best weekend ever. Buy it on the Gamecube, the controller makes all the difference.
HITZ, BITCH!
3. Kane and Lynch-65
This is, undoubtedly, a game that was tarnished because of the controversy that surrounded it. The sad thing is that it is actually quite a wonderful game. With great character development, great settings, and a good story, there is a lot to like in this game. Sure, the shooting can be a bit wonky, and the same goes for the cover system, but once you learn to work within the constraints of the game, it’s easy to get hooked. Like I said, the character development is great, not only in what you learn about the characters themselves, but in how you learn it. I never thought I’d be engaged in the actual story of a game while shooting out the back of a black van speeding away from cops (number 28 on my list of dream scenarios). A lot of people turned their noses up at this game because of everything that went down around it, and a lot of people missed out on a great experience. You owe it to yourself to play at least the first two levels.
The Denny’s Free Breakfast Went Horribly Wrong.
2. Fatal Frame-74
It’s funny how history has a way of altering our perceptions on games. As with Hitz, here we have another game that I believe was a victim of its own genre. When Fatal Frame came out, we were getting a new survival horror game every other week, and I think a lot of reviewers threw this to the wayside because it wasn’t Resident Evil or Silent Hill. To be honest, that’s what makes this game so great. It approached the genre from such a unique angle that I don’t think people got it at first. However, as time has passed, a lot of people cite this as one of the best horror games ever. So, if you missed it the first time around because you thought it was a run-of-the-mill horror game, do yourself a favor and track down a copy. Just make sure that you tell your significant other to leave the room when you play. You don’t want to embarrass yourself by screaming like a nine-year old child at the first sight of a ghost.
TMZ…Of the Dead!!!!
Of course, we’re only going to give you five through two, so be sure to tune in Monday as we reveal our number one’s on Pixelosophy.