Top 10 Games That No One Played

As a huge fan of gaming it has always been disheartening to see incredible games see little success.  It doesn’t take a genius to know that if a game doesn’t sell well it could spell doom for a franchise.  This is especially true if it’s a new intellectual property, as poor sales will most likely mean that we will never get to see future sequels.

This do-or-die sales reality has rung true for many of what I consider to be some of the best games that I have ever played, which inturn has inspired me to create this list.

Yes, it is true that some of the titles you’ll see here did not (or will not) mark the end of their respective franchise.  However, if there have been – or are going to be – any new entries to the franchise(s) you can bet that the game will be very different than the “failed” entry that preceded it.  Often, in my opinion, these changes – designed to try and address a larger audience – are for the worse.

One final note, before we get started.  This list is only contains games that I have played, and may not include many games commonly seen on these types of lists.

10.  WinBack:  Covert Operations

WinBack was a cover based, third person shooter developed long before games like Gears of War made this type of gameplay popular.  The game follows Jean-Luc Cougar, who is a secret agent that is part of a task force responsible for infiltrating a satellite command center that has been taken over by terrorists.  The command center houses the controls for operating a space based laser weapon capable of mass destruction.

The game’s story is filled with plenty of twists and turns, and plays out like a good espionage/action film.  That said, the gameplay is the real gem here.   The cover system used in this game was truly revolutionary for its time, and it lent itself to some truly great combat situations.

In addition to the fun single player campaign, there was also a great multiplayer mode that took full advantage of the game’s cover mechanics.  This was back in the day when split screen multiplayer was all the rage, and the mp in this one was great.

WinBack:  Covert Operations was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, and for the Playstation 2 in 2001.  I played the 64 version of the game, which received mostly favorable reviews.  There was a sequel that was released years later that I never got a chance to play.

WinBack is one of those games that very few people I know have ever played.  However, like me, the people who did get a chance to play it have fond memories of the game.

9.  Hybrid Heaven

Another N64 game, Hybrid Heaven was one of the most extreme mixtures of genres I have ever seen.  In all, it was a 3D action game, shooter, brawler, and turn-based RPG.  And yes, despite combining all of these unrelated genres, it worked.

The story was about an alien invasion involving human replicas, mutated monsters called “biological weapons”, and government conspiracy.  Somewhat of a nod to the Body Snatcher films, the antagonist aliens are trying to overthrow the U.S. Government by implanting aliens disguised in human form into leadership positions; including the Presidency.  In typical video game fashion, it is up to the player to uncover the plot and stop the alien baddies.

I found the story to be good and well presented.  The music is also very good, and fit the game very well.  The graphics were a bit hit or miss, but not terrible considering the year the game was released (1999).

The gameplay combined elements that you would see in a typical 3D action game of that time, but with most combat sequences taking place as hybrid turn-based brawler sequences.  The game featured a unique way of leveling up by allowing you to gain experience for individual body parts based on how often you use them offensively and defensively.  In a similar fashion, you will learn most your new moves by having them performed on you by foes.

In addition to the top notch single player campaign, Hybrid Heaven features a two player versus mode.  Honestly, this is probably the weakest part of the game.  The turned based fighting just does not lend itself to very enjoyable multiplayer combat…

HH did not get the warmest of reception at its release, which probably helped account for it being on this list.  I always enjoyed the game, and everyone else that I introduced it to enjoyed it as well.  It may have been a very different game, but I never understood the negative publicity...  For me, it was a very memorable game; and I guess that’s all that matters.

8.  Jet Force Gemini

Yeah, I know, it’s another N64 game (guess what system I spent a lot of time with growing up), but it’s a damn good game that I’m willing to bet most people reading this have not played.

Developed by Rare – that company that was churning out quality titles for Nintendo like clockwork, but then died off when they migrated to Microsoft – Jet Force Gemini features some of the richest graphics you’ll see in an N64 game; as well as being the most gory ESRB Teen Rated game I have ever played.  The story is decent, but nothing Oscar worthy; which is fine.  It is the gameplay that makes this game a classic.

With the exception of an annoying fetch quest late in the game – exacerbated by the fact that you have to save every single member of a tribal alien race – everything is enjoyable from start to finish.  The action is top notch, and the guns are fun to use.

The game features three unique playable characters, and requires you to exploit the abilities of each to defeat the Mizar – the main antagonist – and his army of aunt-like Drones.  Each stage is set on a different planet, each of which is home to the previously mentioned tribal race that sort of resembles furbies.

The first act of the game is definitely the best, which has you pretty much just landing on each planet to gun down waves of alien drones.  The second act, unfortunately, is not quite as good.  In what may have been one of the worst design decisions of all time, you are required to repeatedly revisit each planet until each and every tribal is rescued.  The game cannot be completed until this task is done, and you are forced to repeat a stage if a single tribal is killed.  This is worsened by the fact that the damn things seem to be addicted to death, and they’re almost always positioned so that they will be caught up in the middle of a firefight…

After Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini is – in my opinion – the best game that Rare released on the N64 (probably ever).  The fact that this game has been passed up by so many is pure blasphemy; it’s a game that everyone needs to play at least once.  After seeing Rare release an HD updated to Perfect Dark, I can only hope that they will do the gaming world a favor by eventually re-releasing an HD version of this gaming gem.

7.  Brutal Legend

One of the newest games on this list, Brutal Legend is a great game that has been overlooked by a lot of people.  For those who don’t recognize the title, it’s “that Jack Black game” that was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  You know, the one where he is holding a battle axe and a guitar on the cover…

Aside from being one of the newer games on this list, it is also probably the game that has had the best sales.  That said, the numbers for this game fail in comparison to what are considered to be “successful” games these days; and the vast majority of the people I’ve talked to have never touched the title.  It was also very disheartening that the multiplayer community was dead before it even had a chance to get started…

Directed by Tim Schafer, Brutal Legend follows Eddie Riggs (Jack Black) as he tries to save enslaved humans in a world inspired by heavy metal music.  While on his quest, he meets many characters inspired by – and some voiced by – metal icons; such as Ozzy Osbourne.  Combining adventure game and RTS elements with amazing music, Brutal Legend is a high five to fans of old school heavy metal.  Hence, this is probably a big part of the reason I love the game so much.

The game is often extremely humorous, especially during the first couple hours.  Jack Black was the perfect actor for the role; not only adding to the humor, but also injecting his personal love for metal to the character.  If you’re a fan of the metal genre, you’ll find this game to be something special within the first few moments of playing it.

Brutal Legend received mostly favorable reviews, but never was able to garner a whole lot of attention from the gaming community.  A lot of this has been attributed to the fact that, while marketing, they did not do a lot of specifying on how the game would play.  This is largely due to the fact that EA and Vivendi wanted to keep the RTS elements secret, since they considered it to be a “naughty word in the console space.” (Source)

Being a lot newer than many of the other games on this list, it is still very possible for players to get a chance to play this fine game.  I’ve seen it sold for as cheap as $20 for a new copy, so there should be little stopping anyone from picking it up and giving it a go.  If you’re an old school metal fan, you owe it to yourself to try this game out.

6.  MadWorld

Not only the goriest game to ever grace Nintendo’s Wii console, but easily one of the top 10 goriest games ever made; MadWorld is a stylish brawler that demands your attention.  Everything in this game is stylishly rendered in black and white; well, that is, except for the buckets upon buckets of red blood that you’ll paint the world with.

The premise is a game show – DeathWatch – set on different parts of Jefferson Island as it is under siege by a group of terrorists known as “The Organizers”.  The terrorists have released a virus into the city that will kill the infected within 24 hours, and the only way to obtain the vaccine is to kill someone else; thus transforming the city into the stage for DeathWatch.

Enter Jack Cayman, the game’s protagonist who has a retractable chainsaw built onto one of his arms and a knack for killing.  Jack quickly becomes an audience favorite, and gains strong sponsorship support.  It also becomes quickly apparent that participating in the game show is not his only purpose for being there.

MadWorld turns the violent act of ripping a foe apart and turns it into an art form.  The game features some of the most outrageously brutal gore I have ever seen in a game, and rewards you for dispatching foes as brutally as possible.  All of this is hosted sporting event style by Greg Proops and John DiMaggio.  I cannot stress how brilliant of a decision this was, as this duo does an unbelievable job.  You’ll be laughing for days at some of the outrageous comments that make as you slaughter your enemies

Unfortunately, MadWorld’s strongest selling point was probably also what helped to land it on this list; as it quickly became apparent that this insanely gory game had a very little market on the Wii.  It’s unfortunate, because I think that the game could have had a strong following had it been a multiplatform release.  I’m still hoping that we’ll see this title rereleased in HD on the PC, 360, or PS3; or even eventually on the WiiU.

If you happen to have a Wii, then I highly suggest that you try this game out.  You should be able to pick it up for fairly cheap, and you’ll probably be surprised by how much you enjoy it.

 5.  Turok 3:  Shadow of Oblivion

Yes, I know; another N64 release.  But it just so happens that there were a lot of great N64 titles that were overlooked, and Turok 3:  Shadow of Oblivion is another of them.

Next to Goldeneye, the original Turok was probably the second most popular first person shooter to grace the console; well, that is, until Perfect Dark was released years later.  Combining the simple “shoot everything in your path” mechanics that made old school fps games popular, with out of this world weapons and buckets of gore; it’s no wonder why Turok:  The Dinosaur Hunter was such a smash hit.

However, after its first sequel – Turok 2:  Seeds of Evil – the franchise began dividing its fan base.  T2 kept most of what made the first game good, but then tucked it inside of a game that focused very heavily on exploration.  You could not beat the game without thoroughly exploring each and every area for hours.  As you might imagine, this did not sit well with many shooter fans.

Enter T3, a game that would divide the franchise’s fan base even further.  Dropping exploration completely, T3 was a standard linear action fps in the vein of Half Life; and had a focused story.  This vision strayed so far from the originals that it turned off many of the fans of both original games.  This is unfortunate, because I believe that it is the best in the series.

Packing the best story of any Turok game that came before or after it, excellent graphics for the N64, two unique single player campaigns, and awesome multiplayer to boot; T3 is the definitive Turok experience.  The character facial animations used in the in engine cut scenes were the best I had seen up to that point, and would not be surpassed till years later.  A lot of the texture work was also state of the art for that time.

Another great part of this game was the music that was some of the best in the series.  Overall, I wouldn’t rate it over the music used in the second game; but it was still very good.   Acclaim, who sadly went under years after T3, should be commended for the music they had in their games; which was some of the best to be featured on the Nintendo 64.

Unfortunately, all titles after T3 have been a mess.  This is probably a direct result of this game failing to generate good sales numbers.  Since its release, there have been two series “reboots”, both of which have been terrible.  This is extra unfortunate for long time fans of the game, like me, because T3 ended with one Hell of a cliffhanger; one that I will probably never get to see play out…

4.  Metroid:  Other M

This one is going to be controversial, as a lot of people down right hate this game.  I beg to differ, and believe that Metroid:  Other M is a game that fans of the franchise should cherish.

All said, M:OM did not have that bad of sales; it just did not sell the way that it should have.  Being a return to the side scrolling action that made the franchise a success, this game should have been a smash hit.  However, the designers made the very controversial decision to make Samus speak.  This decision is what I believe has ultimately turned people away from the game.

Like Link, of the Zelda games, Samus has traditionally been a silent hero; and fans had been used to seeing her this way for decades.  Giving her a voice and a personality was an instantly risky decision, and I have to give Nintendo and Team Ninja props for making it.  Though doing this ultimately pissed a lot of people off, I feel that it was the best part of the game.  It gave a personality to one of the best characters in gaming history.

Now, all this said, I do believe that there were a couple of different choices that they could have made with Samus’s character that would have helped to ease the frustration with many Metroid fans.  For one, there was a scene where Samus was literally scared senseless by one of her long time foes.  I think they went a bit overboard in this scene, since Samus is supposed to be a hard-ass.  The other is the fact that Samus spends so much time following the every order of her former commander.  This one isn’t quite as bad, since this is a pattern in many games.  However, it did end up pissing off fans all the same.  A few clever design choices may have helped to avoid this problem.

Aside from giving Samus a voice, M:OM also packed one of the best stories of any of the Metroid games I have played.  The game is chock full of fully voice cut scenes, many of which explore the back story of the historic character.  It’s a big turn from previous games, and it was all very nicely done.

Graphically, the game is a marvel.  It is one of the best looking games on the Wii, and I can only imagine what it would have looked like in HD.  Team Ninja should be applauded for the effort they put into this game’s visuals.  It’s just unfortunate that so many haven’t experienced it.

Metroid:  Other M is a firm example of why much of our favorite industry has become so stale.  Nintendo and Team Ninja took a classic franchise and pushed it in a new and exciting direction.  They tried something new, and were punished for it…  Because of this, you can almost guarantee that we will never see another Metroid game take this direction; which is unfortunate.  I find it ironic that so many gamers complain about how stale the industry is becoming, but then turn their noses to a game where something new is tried.  It’s unfortunate, and something that we need to overcome.  If not, we will continue to see nothing but Call of Duty clones released every year…

3.  Zone of the Enders 2:  The 2^nd Runner

Best.  PlayStation 2 game.  Ever.  There, I said it.  I’m sure people will disagree, but I don’t care.  Zone of the Enders 2:  The 2^nd Runner is the best PlayStation game I’ve ever played, and it is nothing short of a tragedy that so many people have never experienced it.

Published by Konami, and produced by iconic game designer Hideo Kojima, ZotE2 is a mech based spaced shooter that had some elements similar to Star Fox games.  The action is constantly intense, the story is good, and graphics are great.  In fact, this is truly one of the best looking games I’ve played on the PS2 console.

I will be honest, I never played the original.  However, you can get an overview of what happened in that game in ZotE2, so there was never really a reason to pick up the first.  I actually picked up this game on a whim.  I saw it at a used game store for very cheap and decided to try it out.  I had never heard of the game, so was not sure what it would be like.  Boy, am I glad I made that purchase!  Like I stated earlier, this is definitely the best PS2 game I have ever played.

The game follows Dingo Egret, who starts of working as an ice miner on the moons of Jupiter.  He finds the mech, called orbital frames, Jehuty while mining.  Soon after, he is attacked by BAHRAM forces – the antagonist army – and is forced to take control of Jehuty to fight them.  Dingo is eventually captured, and mortally wounded.  Fortunately, a spy working undercover within BAHRAM saves his life by wiring him to the Jehuty life-support system.  The only drawback to this is that if he leaves the orbital frame, he will die.

This game is a white-knuckle action game that should not be missed.  Though short, the intense gameplay will keep you coming back for consecutive play throughs.  It has all of the elements that you’d expect in a Kojima game, without the addition of inflated cut scenes.  Yes, there is a deep story here, but you won’t be expected to sit and watch 20-plus minute story sequences.  Also, have I mentioned the music?  Fantastic!  Some of the best you’ll here on any game on the PS2.

Zone of the Enders 2 is one of those rare games that everyone needs to experience at some point, making it all the more painful that the game was so greatly overlooked.  If you have a working PS2, I highly suggest picking this game up; if you can find it.  ZotE2 is infamously difficult to find.  If you are lucky enough to find it though, make sure to grab it!  You will not be disappointed.

2.  Metal Warriors

Developed by LucasArts in 1995 for the Super NES, and published by Konami, Metal Warriors is one of the best games I have ever played.  To this day, this is the game that I believe needs a modern remake.  The game mechanics were both unique and ahead of its time, and the gameplay was superb.

MW was a mech game set in the year 2102.  Defenders of Earth, the Metal Warriors were the last defense against an army known as the Dark Axis.  You battled this army through a challenging single player campaign where you would have to skillfully utilize the various mech/assault for success.  In addition to the single player, MW also features a 2 player split screen versus mode that was ages ahead of its time.  In fact, this versus mode was my overall favorite part of the game.

The single player campaign was not particularly long, but it made up for this by being very challenging.  It will take skill, and a lot of experience with the various assault suits, to complete this game.  Granted you have someone to play with, you’ll get a lot of practice with the suits in the game’s previously mentioned versus mode.  This is the absolute best part of the game, and the primary reason this game is ranked at number 2 on my list.

I spent many a long night playing multiplayer with my friends.  It was extremely revolutionary for its time, and had mechanics that I think would still be appreciated today.  Each mech is completely unique and requires using very different strategies.  You can also eject out of your mech at any time, and use a jet pack to traverse the maps; and hopefully find an unused mech to enter.  Though very mobile once out of the suit, you are also extremely vulnerable; and will die with a single shot from your opponents mech.

Metal Warriors is a game that I will hold dearly for years to come.  It was, and still is, one of the better games I have ever played.  It’s a true shame that so many people have never even heard of it.  Though it may be hard to find, if you ever do happen to come across it you should definitely pick it up.  If you have someone to play versus mode with, you’ll enjoy hours of the best mp you’ve ever played.

1.  Eternal Darkness:  Sanity’s Requiem

We’re finally at number one, and it is no less than the GameCube classic:  Eternal Darkness:  Sanity’s Requiem.  If you have ever played this game, then this number one spot probably comes as no surprise.  This is one of the absolute best games ever made, which makes it all the more stunning that it was not a commercial success.

Developed by Silicon Knights, ED:SR was the first Mature rated game to ever be published by Nintendo; and this was a game definitely deserving of that rating.  The game features a dark story, and often has scenes of extreme blood and gore.  It is also one of the scarier games I’ve played, and has some scenes that nearly made me drop my controller.

It is these reasons that may have lead to it being so overlooked.  The game did not get the marketing it deserved, which I feel is due in part to Nintendo being somewhat cautious of tarnishing its “family friendly” name.  Another thing that I know has lead to it being overlooked is the game’s box art.  Though the front cover is fine, the back includes a screenshot that can be perceived as “corny.”  I’ve spoken with people who said they did not pick up the game because of this, and I can admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first picked it up and saw it.  Once you play the game, you understand the context behind the shot; but if you haven’t played it, the picture gives the perception of the game being sort of lame and corny…

ED:SR was first and foremost a psychological horror.  You play through the game as several different characters, each with their own sanity meter.  Various game events can cause the meter to deplete, and cause the character to hallucinate.  Some of these hallucinations are truly screwed up, and some of them mess with you quite a bit.  The worst is when the game will pull up your save menu and systematically delete all of your data!  Of course, it’s just a hallucination; but it still made my heart stop every time I saw it happen.

This game features an excellent story, and boasted the best voice acting I had heard up to that point.  It also has some of the best music I have ever heard in a game, some of which will stick with you for long after you shut the game off.   The only aspect that didn’t really hold up that well were the graphics.  This is somewhat excusable, though, as the game was originally slated to be released on the N64.  It was decided that it would be released on the Cube, instead, late in development.

Eternal Darkness:  Sanity’s Requiem holds a very special place in my heart.  This is one of the best games I have ever played, and it was just as enjoyable each time I played through it.  There was a period where I would literally play through this game every weekend, and I never got bored of it.  With the exception of Star Fox 64 (which was meant to be played through in one setting), there is no other game I have played through as many times.  I cannot recommend this game enough.  It is a very important part of gaming history, and is not a game that should be missed by anyone!  If you are a fan of horror, adventure, or action games – or are just a fan of good games – you owe it to yourself to play Eternal Darkness.