A couple things to note here. The favorite genre out there right now is the FPS. I don't mind FPS games, they're fun, but I don't hold them in the same regard that some people do. WarRock and The Conduit are plenty enough for me, and I really have no desire to play Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty, Fallout, or whatever else. There are a couple shooters on this list, but they appeal to me for a different reason that I'll discuss when I get to them.
Also, I'm aware that many of these games are available for the PC. That's cool and all, but these games are all relatively high-tech, and my computers are all relatively not. As much as I'd like to, I'm not going to add to my already cluttered, barely functioning CPUs a game that it probably couldn't handle even if it were brand new.
So anyway, without further ado, I give you, The Games I'd Play If I Owned the Other Consoles (in no particular order.)
1. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Playstation 3, X-Box 360
I've always liked my fighting games flashy and fantastical. That's why I've always prefered Mortal Kombat and never given Tekken or Virtua Fighter a second thought beyond the 50 cents I'd pop into the coin-op in the corner at Pizza Hut. I like special moves, fire balls, and projectiles. Things straight out of a cartoon or movie.BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is about as flashy as it gets. I first heard about it on GameTrailers.com, when they posted a review. I had nothing better to do, so I watched it, and was hooked from the very first shot. From the gorgeous anime graphics to grandiose, larger-than-life special attacks and fighting, and the unique character designs, all came together to form what looks like anything and everything I would want in a fighting game.
That, combined with the opinions and reviews of the game, leave me aching to experience it myself.
2. inFAMOUS
Playstation 3
This is an action game involving a guy who is caught in an explosion and wakes up with the power to control electricity. As you go through the game, you sometimes have to make choices that either steer you down a dark, twisted, evil path, or help you to find redemption and save the city.It's told like a comic-book superhero story converted to a video game. I like comic books and superheroes, so that's cool. I've heard the story is good but not groundbreaking, and the choice-path system isn't all it's cracked up to be. That's all fine with me.
What sold me for it was the gameplay. I tried out the playable demo at Best Buy and instantly loved it. I picked up the controller and was hooked. I didn't want to leave the store because I was having so much fun. The game sort of reminds me of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with it's similar protagonist and ability to control lightning, but done far better. If I owned a Playstation 3, this would be a definite buy for me.
Oh, and speaking of SW: TFU...
3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition
Playstion 3, X-Box 360
My brother has Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Wii. I tried it, and to be honest, it was mediocre. Very very average. Not remarkable in any way, shape, or form. I've heard it isn't much different on any of the other consoles. So if that's the case, then what's the point? Why would I want a game I've already played and didn't think was that great to begin with?Well, I like the story. As a huge Star Wars fan, I enjoyed the story of Starkiller and the way the game linked the two trilogies together. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it was pretty cool. I enjoyed it. Then I saw this:
My opinion on DLC has always been, "blah." It's neat to expand your game, but I've always felt that if you buy a game and don't get everything the developers programed for it (DLC), then you're getting ripped off. I don't have to worry about this, since there is no DLC on the Wii, but I would happily make an exception for this. Like I said, I'm a Star Wars fan, so taking Starkiller up against Luke Skywalker and into the original trilogy is a pure nerdgasm. Even if the original game wasn't that great, I'd happily buy it again for this DLC.
4. Blue Dragon
X-Box 360
The biggest complaint against this RPG on the X-Box 360 is that it's too generic. It's too cliche, it's too traditional and too much of everything that's been done in RPGs before. You couldn't really deny that accusation. Of every game genre out there, RPGs have become the worst victims to their own cliches. I say, so what? The reason those conventions are so overused is because they're successful.The thing that caught my attention was Akira Toriyama's artwork. I'm a big fan of his stuff, so admittedly, if he was involved, I'm probably already biased in favor. After looking into it, the game honestly looks like something I would enjoy. It wouldn't be the first brightly colored, ultra-cliched RPG that I've loved despite the oversaturation of common RPG traditions. It's gotten enough praises. Artwork and cliches aside, it really seems like something I would enjoy.
5. Mass Effect
X-Box 360
There isn't really an accepted genre for this game. It's either an action-adventure RPG with guns, or a shooter with a strong, interactive story. If you read teh Force Unleashed section, you'll know I like sci-fi. Mass Effect, like Star Wars, is a space opera. It's gotten praise as both an action game and an RPG, which means it's got a good story behind it.That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy the action. The game has an enormous fan following and has garnered tons of rave reviews. I doubt the game would get such attention if the actual gameplay wasn't good.
With the reputation this game has built for itself, it has to be a great game. So with the epic sci-fi plot that's right up my alley, I think Mass Effect is a game I would really enjoy.
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Playstation 3, X-Box 360
I don't think it's unreasonable to credit the recent rise in popularity of Batman with last summer's blockbuster film, The Dark Knight. That's honestly what I thought this game was, at first: a cash in riding the wave of the Caped Crusader's recent spike in popularity. (Even now, I wouldn't be surprised.)Like inFAMOUS, I played a demo of this at the store a while back. This was quite a while before the game was released, so I'm guessing it was a beta version. In this demo, you basically played as Batman, locked in a small room, and got to kick the crap out of generic thugs. The whole thing played quite sluglishly and I didn't enjoy it in the least.
Fast forward a few months, and the game hits shelves. I started checking out reviews, just out of curiosity, to see if it really did suck as much as I remembered. To my surprise, it was almost universally loved. As it turns out, the game is hampered down beat 'em up like the tech demo I tried, but a stealth strategy game.
Furthermore, the game features the voice talents of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, who voiced their respective characters in the '90s animated series. I grew up watching that show. It has permanently implanted in my head what the true Batman is. No offense to anyone else who have played or voiced Batman or Joker over the years, but to me, these two will always be the true versions of the characters. So for that, the game gets extra brownie points.
With different core gameplay from what I originally imagined, voices from the cartoon, and rave reviews across the board, I'd be more than willing to give Arkham Asylum a second chance.
7. Eternal Sonata
X-Box 360, Playstation 3
This game seems so innocent. The anime visuals are gorgeous to look at. The story of the dreams of a classical composer while he waits on his death bed sounds really unique, although I'm not sure of the details on the story within the dreamworld, in which the gameplay takes place. Still, it seems to fit in the same category I put Blue Dragon in earlier.It seems that tradition RPGs are on their way out. Fantasy storylines and turn-based attack systems have been reduced to a niche audience again. Relying on the standard conventions of the genre is usually looked at as a negative nowadays.
Like I said before, rolling with the cliches isn't necessarily a bad thing. From what I've heard/watched/read, Eternal Sonata is apparently unique enough to avoid being tacky, but traditional enough to satisfy an RPG fan.
The package, as a whole, looks like the video game equivalent of a cute little baby. Who doesn't love babies? You just want to give it a hug! Plus, games don't poop or cry!
8. Bioshock
X-Box 360, Playstation 3
If you've been reading this, then by now you should realize that I like games with a good story. That's something Bioshock has no shortage of. It's got elements of sci-fi, mystery, suspense, horror, post-apocalyptica, dystopian societies, all of my favorite plot points.I've read up on this game so much that I know everything about it. I know about the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, I know the history of Rapture, I know the plot twist, I even know both of the games two endings. And all of this without playing so much as a second of the game myself.
The more that's spoiled for me, the more I want to experience the game with my own eyes. I love dystopian-society type stories. In a time when first person shooters are all about the online multiplayer, Bioshock brings a single player experience that I want to have.
Now, would you kindly move on to the next entry?
9. Portal
X-Box 360, Playstation 3, PC
Remember what I said at the beginning about not downloading games on my PC? Well, if I were to make an exception, it would be for this game. Lauded as one of the most surprising hits of the year 2007 when it came packaged as part of The Orange Box bundle, Portal didn't even capture my attention until recently.It's a puzzle game in which you create portals to navigate you through a maze while a psychotic computer guides you. Despite being grouped as an action game within Steam, it's actually a puzzle game, albeit far from Tetris or Bejewelled or Diner Dash.
I would most likely download this game straight to my computer from Steam if I got it. I'm sure Half Life and Team Fortress are great games, but they really don't appeal to me enough to make me want to buy the entire Orange Box set when I can just get this game. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen either.
I did download the free demo to my laptop (which is more powerful than my family's desktop.) Even on the lowest settings, the game still suffered from some pretty noticeable lag. Not to mention taking up a large chunk of my computer's already low memory.
The demo only covered a few puzzles and didn't give me the full experience. Still, I got a taste of the game that makes me want to go indulge the full-fledged masterpiece that is Portal. Unfotunately, I won't be doing that anytime soon. Oh well.
10. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Playstation 3, X-Box 360
When this game was announced, it grabbed everyone's attention. And why wouldn't it? Mortal Kombat? DC Comics? Interesting. It's the perfect rival for Marvel vs. Capcom.
The chief complaint with this game is that it's toned down a lot. For a Mortal Kombat game, it's not as violent as some people would like. To that I say, so? "It's not bloody and gory enough" should never be viable criticism. It isn't like the blood was replaced with sweat or something. As for the fatalities, at least it has fatalities. That's more than you can say about the crappy "fatality" system in Armageddon.
I like Mortal Kombat, I like DC Comics, so why wouldn't I like this game? Well, to be honest, I don't actually care for 3D Mortal Kombat games. One thing about the 2D games is that they were fast. Each attack had about three frames of movement and the characters raced around pretty well. I liked that. Everything after MK4 changed that up and tried to make the combat more fluid, like Tekken or something.
That works well enough for that game, but not Mortal Kombat. I've always thought the 3D style MK games made it feel like you were fighting through a bog, and I didn't like it. Still, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sounds like an interesting concept. If I had the other consoles, I'd at least give it a rent.
11. Section 8
X-Box 360
Like I said before, I don't buy into the First Person Shooter craze. I think they can be fun. I own a few and I like them. But massive hardcore following the genre has gained recently doesn't tickle my fancy any more than any other genre does.
With that said, Section 8 seems to have a lot of originality. I probably wouldn't buy it unless I tried it and loved it, but like MK vs. DC, I would at least give it a rent.
12. Soul Calibur IV
X-Box 360, Playstation 3
The Soul Calibur games are games that I've demo'd many many times. I've always had great fun with all of them, but never took the time to actually buy one. I'm not sure why, since I've always thoroughly enjoyed the series.I'd like to digress a little and explain something. Throughout this article, I've been talking about "visuals." By visuals, I mean the art style, not necessarily the graphics. I don't really care about next-gen, high tech, HD graphics. As long as the game doesn't look like crap, I honestly couldn't care less about the graphics most of the time.
With that said, Soul Calibur IV was the first game to make me realize just how powerful the graphics on PS3 are. I played the PS3 demo and it actually made me stop and say, "wow, this game has incredible graphics!" For a game to make ME do that is certainly saying something.
I wouldn't buy the game just for the graphics, of course. I've always enjoyed the Soul games (despite my limited experience with them.) If I had a Playstation 3, I think I would finally take the opportunity to get a copy. I would go with the PS3 version, too, because it has Darth Vader by default.
13. Fat Princess
Playstation 3
Admittedly, I haven't played a lot of games online. When I have, I've been somewhat disappointed by the other people play them. The reason being, I've always like the idea of teamwork and strategy. I've always wanted to play an online game that was like a sports team. The players would have to work together and come up with plans to win.When you play Halo or Call of Duty, it's pretty much every man for himself. People go on so that they can shoot others and win. If they help their team along the way, that's well and good, but teamwork usually isn't an integral part of most online games, unless you join a clan or something.
Enter Fat Princess. It's essentially capture the flag dressed up as a cartoon. It didn't seem like much when I first heard of it, but everything I've seen since then has changed my mind. From what I've heard, this game fixes all the things that disappointed me with other online games. It's set up in such a way that it essentially forces teamwork. Without it, it's easy to stalemate and neither side would get anywhere very fast. If you want to win, you don't have a choice but to team up with the other players and come up with a plan of attack.
I would love to play that kind of game. I would love to be a part of a game in which teamwork wasn't didn't just complement the action (if it exists at all) but was an integral part of the core gameplay. Fat Princess seems to be a game that was made to satisfy me.
Well, there you have it. I don't regret owning a Wii at all, but let's face it, when it comes to decisions like this, you're going to miss out on something no matter which side you choose. While I have tons of fun playing my Wii games, if I DID own the other consoles, these games would be on my buy (or at least rent) list. They all have something about them that just appeals to me. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get tons of cash before I can experience them, and enjoy what I have in the meantime.
So what do you think? Any games you think I'd like? Are these games not that good anyway? What games from other consoles appeal to you?
Thanks for reading!
.JPG)
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