core238
CAG Veteran
This is one of my fav topics always looking for those sleeper gems of games (on any and all platforms) that deserve a lot of attention yet usually gets almost completely overlooked by the masses at large.
Last year was without a doubt one of the best years on record for these kinds of games. Such tremendous gems like Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, Armed and Dangerous, Tak and the Power of Juju, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and the king of all sleepers, Ubisoft's Beyond Good and Evil.
Well its that time of the year again as the glut we love to refer to as Q4 quickly approaches to take a quick look out and see if we can spot some more of these wonders of games that remind us what gaming is all about. Yet for reasons of marketing and hype (or lack thereof) will go largely untouched by the shopping masses. This year (so far) I have a few games on my list and with any hope it is a list that will grow as the year end draws near.
GRADIUS V
First up on my list is a game that has already seen release and has won much praise here on this board and around the internet. That being Graduis V. Developed by members of Treasure for Konami and budget priced at only $30 ($20 if you caught it on special) to say this game is a gem is an understatement. It is a classic shooter done only the way that Treasure can do a shooter - which is unbelieveably outstanding. Needless to say, very few gamers are ever going to even know of the existance of this game, but that does not mean that you should ignore it. If you own a PS2 and do not own a copy of Gradius V, then you can start chastising yourself now. Gradius V is a gamers' game, so go out and buy it now!!!
ASTROBOY: OMEGA FACTOR (GBA)
Second up on my list, is also a game that has seen release recently. Another game by Treasure (this time for SEGA) Astroboy:Omega Factor for Gameboy Advance is one of the best games this year on any system - period. To own a GBA (or GBP or the upcoming NDS) and to not own this game is sacriledge to all that is holy in videogaming. You owe it to yourself to own this one. For a good time, call 1 (55A) STR-OBOY and I guarantee you that you will not be dissappointed.
BLINX 2: MASTERS OF TIME AND SPACE
Third up on the list is a sequel to a sleeper from 2002. The very fact that MSG approved a sequel to Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a shock in itself. The original game was already a solid effort which featured some very innovative gameplay elements and to date, one of the most innovative uses of a HDD ever in a videogame (not even Fatal Rewind on the Amiga, Blinx's closest cousin, dared go the direction that Blinx has paved). Well that wonder game is recieving a sequel this fall in the form of Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space and I hear a $10 reduction in pricetag to boot. As I pointed out before, the original was already a very solid and very fun gaming experience, however Artoon (former members of Sonic Team and Smilebit) have seen to it to work on and fix all of the problems that plagued the original and kept it fromtruly achieving greatness. To add to that, they are also adding in a whole slew of new gaming goodness. Combined this is promising to be one of the better games this year - a game that no doubt very few gamers will even bother to give a second glance. But that does not mean you should ignore it. Show your gamers pride and defintely give this game all its due attention.
SCALER
Fourth, we have a little title from A2M (not to be confused with AM2) which stands for Artificial Mind and Movement and is being published later this year by Take-Two under their budget Global Star line (the same line that is now publishing the ESPN Sports line for SEGA) called Scaler. Until recently little was known about this game, but apparently as it's release nears, the blinders have been taken off and what has laid hidden behind them looks to be shaping up into quite the platformer. In the game, you play the role of Bobbie Jenkins who while visiting a neighbor discovers that he is training the lizards of the world to rise up and take over the Earth. It is up to you to put a stop to this dastardly deed. Recently released videos of Scaler in action are very colorful and exhibit an amazing amount of what looks to be quality platforming gameplay. Bobbie can transform into various lizard species and utilize all the various attribute to each type, to solve the games numerous puzzles. The game also features special abilities, a power-up system, puzzle solving, stealth and of course platform jumping and sliding. Hopefully the final product will live up to the game's visual presentation. Scaler should be out in October to all three consoles.
KATAMARI DAMACY
Fifth up, Katamari Damacy. A very unique game from Namco that has the player creating instead of destroying as the game's premise. You are the Prince of the Cosmos and unfortunately for you, dad in a fit of insobreity has gone about the task of destroying a great many of the stars across the universe and it is your responsibility to replace them. Gameplay has you collecting items, everything from miniscule stuff like paperclips and tacks all the way up to sky scrapers, as you roll them into a ball of an ever increasing size to the point where it reaches critical mass and ignites into a star - think of it as being in control of the a cosmic lint remover. Once you get rolling, almost anything and everything in your path is fair game to wind up in your cosmic ball of lint. As the ball gets larger, so does its gravitational field, and larger and larger objects are attracted to the ball. The ball does not roll like a ball either. As objects are added, they affect the shape of the ball and hence affect the course that the ball will take. Everything that I have seen about this game so far points at a lot of positive press surrounding it, and if the final game is anywhere near as fun as the early versions have been said to have been, then we are certainly looking at bonafide sleeper this fall. Katamari Damacy is due out exclusively on the Ps2 (to bad too, as I think this game would have done very well on Gamecube this holiday) and is set to retail for only $19.99.
ALIEN HOMINID
Sixth up, Alien Hominid. Okay, this game has been mentioned here before, but before you completely forget about it, I have to bring it up again. The twisted, Metal Slug clone that could is what this game should be called. Originally starting out as a free flash game for download, the game was deemed so good that a full blown console version just had to be made. And here it is heading to your Gamecube and PS2 later this year. Taking pages from such side-scrolling classics as the affore mentioned Metal Slug, Contra and Gunstar Heroes, Alien Hominid is a hand-drawn, 2D tour de force of all that is good with 2D side-scrollers - the bosses are huge and the action is hard, tense and totally unrelenting and you get to play the part of the alien who is sent to take over the Earth. Pick it up later this year for $30 and revisit a time gone by in gaming.
CLOSE COMBAT: FIRST TO FIGHT
Number seven on my list is Destineer's Close Combat: First to Fight. To be published by Take-Two (either under their Gathering of their Global Star line) this fall exclusive to Xbox and PC. Think the offspring of Rainbow Six 3 with Full Spectrum Warrior and you have pretty much hit the nail right on the head with this one. Developed in conjuction with the USMC as a training aid for R.T.F.A. doctrine, Close Combat features both the the strategic manuver and firing commands of a game like Full Spectrum Warrior combined with the more action intensity of Rainbow Six 3. The game features online play via XBL and has some of the most insane graphics that I have seen in any game this year. Think FSW, with higher res texturing and normal-mapping, and retails for a mere $39.99. I have no doubt that as this game gets closer to release it is going to be surrounded by more advertisement than you can shake a stick at, however on the off chance that this is not the case, here it is on my list - miss out on this goodness at your own peril.
PIKMIN 2
At number eight, comes in a Gamecube exclusive that is the sequel to the only new franchise that Nintendo has created this entire generation. The original Pikmin was a bonafide sleeper title that was for some @#$%$@# stupid reason was completely overlooked at E3 2001 and overshadowed by the less than mediocre Luigi's Mansion, despite the hard work and loud voices of gamers like myself trying to draw peoples attention to a game that was labeled as Miyamoto's "pet project" - when the greatest game designer of all times sets down to do a pet project, that in itself should be reason enough to pay attention. Well since then Luigi and his stupid mansion have gone on to a fruitful life of mediocraty while Pikmin has slowly become the stuff of legend amoung the hardcore - bloody told you so!!! The game was unbelievably awesome and the sequal just released a few weeks ago to Gamecube is even more so than the original (does anyone see Luigi's Mansion getting a sequel). Now the addition of new class of Pikmin, new objective, new kinds of puzzles and multiplay have taken an original and proven formula to even higher heights. This game is superb in everyway, and anyone can pick it up and easily start enjoying it right away. If there is anything missing from this game, it would have to be online play. But considering that it is a Gamecube exclusive title produced by Nintendo, that is to be expected. If you own a Gamecube and do not own Pikmin 2, then go slap yourself for stupidity. If you own a Gamecube, do not own Pikmin 2 and have never owned the original Pikmin, there is a VIP parking spot in hell with your name on it. Save your soul and buy one of the Pikmin games today.
SCRAPLAND
Number nine (I feel like Casey countin'em in reverse). Here is a game that I have been hearing a lot about since earlier this year, and everything that I have heard about it is resoundlingly good. Scrapland is an action game described by the producer as "a noir murder mystery set inside a world full of robots". Think GTA meets Deus Ex meets Metal Arms and you are pretty much in line with where the designer American McGee is taking the game. An open world where you are free to roam and play as you feel with tons of mini-games, yet the core game of solving the murder mystery is always there anytime you wish to come back to it. The game's adventure has you pulling double duty as you get to both control vehicles which you build, borrow or steal and running around in 3rd person to interact with other denizens of Chimera. During the 3rd person mode of the game, there is puzzle solving, stealth and the ability to jack other bots to use there abilties to get further along in the game. The "driving" sections of the game consist mostly of racing and shooting. Did I say driving? More like flying as all the vehicles in Scrapland fly and allow the player a full 360* of motion - think Crimson Skies and you are right on the money. Scrapland is being developed by Enlight and published by Mercury Steam later this year on the Xbox and PC for only at $39.99. A Ps2 version is due out sometime next year.
THE BARD'S TALE
Here is one that I totally allowed to skip my mind. I used to play these back in the day (1985) and The Bards series has always been a winner. Well the original Bard creator, Brian Fargo, who helped to form Interplay and has since left to form a new studio, inXile Entertainment, is back behind the helm of the new Bard game - and I would not have it any other way. Utilizing a modified version of Snowblind Studios engine (Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance), The Bards Tale is an action-RPG at heart, but an action-RPG filled with violence, sexual innuendos, very wry and twisted sense of humor and huge sacks - of money. Along with the humor, inXile's first game offers an interesting system based on choice. While other games, such as BioWare's Knights of the old Republic, offer dialogue choices for the Light and Dark Side, Bard's Tale takes it a step further. Throughout your adventures, you'll be able to choose to be polite or snarky. For those of us old-timers who have played the original games in the series way back when, we already know that The Bards series has never failed to deliver the goods - in spades. With Fargo back in the driving seat, there is not doubt this new retelling of the original Bards Tale will fill in the shoes nicely of its predecessors. In a style that is sure to provide a very brisk breath of fresh air to RPG fans everywhere. There has been nothing remotely like Bards Tale around in a good, long while and who knows just how long it will be before anything else likes it pops back up on the radar. This game is due out in October for both Xbox and Ps2 and for PC early next year. Don't miss out on the one RPG this year (and any other year for that matter) that is bound to have you in stitches from beginning to end. If you are having any doubts that The Bard's Tale is the game for you this holiday season, just check out this video and have all your fears and doubts removed. SWEET VIDEO FOOTAGE
SEGA TRIO OF RE-RELEASES
And finally a trio of SEGA sleepers from the past are also getting a rerelease this fall. Each at $19.99 so if you do not already own them, keep a sharp eye out for all of them. They include Rez (PS2), Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) and Panzer Dragoon: Orta (Xbox). Of course many of you here already know that you can get these games for this price or less, however hopefully with these rereleases we will see a bit more advertisement (even if its only in print) and hopefully new (better) packaging as well which for the collector in you, may make it worth owning them again. Too bad that Gunvalkyrie is not a part of that list. And even sadder that these games are not being released cross-platform. At these prices all of these games would do remarkably well on Gamecube.
Of course I cannot possibly name every game that is a potential sleeper due out this year, however that is why this thread is here so that we all can come together and help each other out in spotting some of what will be the best, overlooked titles set to release in 2004. Your contributions to what I hope will be a dynamic and growing list, are greatly appreciated.
With any luck, a thread such as this will become an annual event. I'll be looking to start up a whole new list come January of next year and hopefully every 3 to six months we will see a whole slew of new games added to that year's list. That way this message board will have a single resource for all of the games that we may have missed but should not have every year . . . rinse and repeat for 2006 and 2007 etc.
Last year was without a doubt one of the best years on record for these kinds of games. Such tremendous gems like Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, Armed and Dangerous, Tak and the Power of Juju, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and the king of all sleepers, Ubisoft's Beyond Good and Evil.
Well its that time of the year again as the glut we love to refer to as Q4 quickly approaches to take a quick look out and see if we can spot some more of these wonders of games that remind us what gaming is all about. Yet for reasons of marketing and hype (or lack thereof) will go largely untouched by the shopping masses. This year (so far) I have a few games on my list and with any hope it is a list that will grow as the year end draws near.
GRADIUS V
First up on my list is a game that has already seen release and has won much praise here on this board and around the internet. That being Graduis V. Developed by members of Treasure for Konami and budget priced at only $30 ($20 if you caught it on special) to say this game is a gem is an understatement. It is a classic shooter done only the way that Treasure can do a shooter - which is unbelieveably outstanding. Needless to say, very few gamers are ever going to even know of the existance of this game, but that does not mean that you should ignore it. If you own a PS2 and do not own a copy of Gradius V, then you can start chastising yourself now. Gradius V is a gamers' game, so go out and buy it now!!!
ASTROBOY: OMEGA FACTOR (GBA)
Second up on my list, is also a game that has seen release recently. Another game by Treasure (this time for SEGA) Astroboy:Omega Factor for Gameboy Advance is one of the best games this year on any system - period. To own a GBA (or GBP or the upcoming NDS) and to not own this game is sacriledge to all that is holy in videogaming. You owe it to yourself to own this one. For a good time, call 1 (55A) STR-OBOY and I guarantee you that you will not be dissappointed.
BLINX 2: MASTERS OF TIME AND SPACE
Third up on the list is a sequel to a sleeper from 2002. The very fact that MSG approved a sequel to Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a shock in itself. The original game was already a solid effort which featured some very innovative gameplay elements and to date, one of the most innovative uses of a HDD ever in a videogame (not even Fatal Rewind on the Amiga, Blinx's closest cousin, dared go the direction that Blinx has paved). Well that wonder game is recieving a sequel this fall in the form of Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space and I hear a $10 reduction in pricetag to boot. As I pointed out before, the original was already a very solid and very fun gaming experience, however Artoon (former members of Sonic Team and Smilebit) have seen to it to work on and fix all of the problems that plagued the original and kept it fromtruly achieving greatness. To add to that, they are also adding in a whole slew of new gaming goodness. Combined this is promising to be one of the better games this year - a game that no doubt very few gamers will even bother to give a second glance. But that does not mean you should ignore it. Show your gamers pride and defintely give this game all its due attention.
SCALER
Fourth, we have a little title from A2M (not to be confused with AM2) which stands for Artificial Mind and Movement and is being published later this year by Take-Two under their budget Global Star line (the same line that is now publishing the ESPN Sports line for SEGA) called Scaler. Until recently little was known about this game, but apparently as it's release nears, the blinders have been taken off and what has laid hidden behind them looks to be shaping up into quite the platformer. In the game, you play the role of Bobbie Jenkins who while visiting a neighbor discovers that he is training the lizards of the world to rise up and take over the Earth. It is up to you to put a stop to this dastardly deed. Recently released videos of Scaler in action are very colorful and exhibit an amazing amount of what looks to be quality platforming gameplay. Bobbie can transform into various lizard species and utilize all the various attribute to each type, to solve the games numerous puzzles. The game also features special abilities, a power-up system, puzzle solving, stealth and of course platform jumping and sliding. Hopefully the final product will live up to the game's visual presentation. Scaler should be out in October to all three consoles.
KATAMARI DAMACY
Fifth up, Katamari Damacy. A very unique game from Namco that has the player creating instead of destroying as the game's premise. You are the Prince of the Cosmos and unfortunately for you, dad in a fit of insobreity has gone about the task of destroying a great many of the stars across the universe and it is your responsibility to replace them. Gameplay has you collecting items, everything from miniscule stuff like paperclips and tacks all the way up to sky scrapers, as you roll them into a ball of an ever increasing size to the point where it reaches critical mass and ignites into a star - think of it as being in control of the a cosmic lint remover. Once you get rolling, almost anything and everything in your path is fair game to wind up in your cosmic ball of lint. As the ball gets larger, so does its gravitational field, and larger and larger objects are attracted to the ball. The ball does not roll like a ball either. As objects are added, they affect the shape of the ball and hence affect the course that the ball will take. Everything that I have seen about this game so far points at a lot of positive press surrounding it, and if the final game is anywhere near as fun as the early versions have been said to have been, then we are certainly looking at bonafide sleeper this fall. Katamari Damacy is due out exclusively on the Ps2 (to bad too, as I think this game would have done very well on Gamecube this holiday) and is set to retail for only $19.99.
ALIEN HOMINID
Sixth up, Alien Hominid. Okay, this game has been mentioned here before, but before you completely forget about it, I have to bring it up again. The twisted, Metal Slug clone that could is what this game should be called. Originally starting out as a free flash game for download, the game was deemed so good that a full blown console version just had to be made. And here it is heading to your Gamecube and PS2 later this year. Taking pages from such side-scrolling classics as the affore mentioned Metal Slug, Contra and Gunstar Heroes, Alien Hominid is a hand-drawn, 2D tour de force of all that is good with 2D side-scrollers - the bosses are huge and the action is hard, tense and totally unrelenting and you get to play the part of the alien who is sent to take over the Earth. Pick it up later this year for $30 and revisit a time gone by in gaming.
CLOSE COMBAT: FIRST TO FIGHT
Number seven on my list is Destineer's Close Combat: First to Fight. To be published by Take-Two (either under their Gathering of their Global Star line) this fall exclusive to Xbox and PC. Think the offspring of Rainbow Six 3 with Full Spectrum Warrior and you have pretty much hit the nail right on the head with this one. Developed in conjuction with the USMC as a training aid for R.T.F.A. doctrine, Close Combat features both the the strategic manuver and firing commands of a game like Full Spectrum Warrior combined with the more action intensity of Rainbow Six 3. The game features online play via XBL and has some of the most insane graphics that I have seen in any game this year. Think FSW, with higher res texturing and normal-mapping, and retails for a mere $39.99. I have no doubt that as this game gets closer to release it is going to be surrounded by more advertisement than you can shake a stick at, however on the off chance that this is not the case, here it is on my list - miss out on this goodness at your own peril.
PIKMIN 2
At number eight, comes in a Gamecube exclusive that is the sequel to the only new franchise that Nintendo has created this entire generation. The original Pikmin was a bonafide sleeper title that was for some @#$%$@# stupid reason was completely overlooked at E3 2001 and overshadowed by the less than mediocre Luigi's Mansion, despite the hard work and loud voices of gamers like myself trying to draw peoples attention to a game that was labeled as Miyamoto's "pet project" - when the greatest game designer of all times sets down to do a pet project, that in itself should be reason enough to pay attention. Well since then Luigi and his stupid mansion have gone on to a fruitful life of mediocraty while Pikmin has slowly become the stuff of legend amoung the hardcore - bloody told you so!!! The game was unbelievably awesome and the sequal just released a few weeks ago to Gamecube is even more so than the original (does anyone see Luigi's Mansion getting a sequel). Now the addition of new class of Pikmin, new objective, new kinds of puzzles and multiplay have taken an original and proven formula to even higher heights. This game is superb in everyway, and anyone can pick it up and easily start enjoying it right away. If there is anything missing from this game, it would have to be online play. But considering that it is a Gamecube exclusive title produced by Nintendo, that is to be expected. If you own a Gamecube and do not own Pikmin 2, then go slap yourself for stupidity. If you own a Gamecube, do not own Pikmin 2 and have never owned the original Pikmin, there is a VIP parking spot in hell with your name on it. Save your soul and buy one of the Pikmin games today.
SCRAPLAND
Number nine (I feel like Casey countin'em in reverse). Here is a game that I have been hearing a lot about since earlier this year, and everything that I have heard about it is resoundlingly good. Scrapland is an action game described by the producer as "a noir murder mystery set inside a world full of robots". Think GTA meets Deus Ex meets Metal Arms and you are pretty much in line with where the designer American McGee is taking the game. An open world where you are free to roam and play as you feel with tons of mini-games, yet the core game of solving the murder mystery is always there anytime you wish to come back to it. The game's adventure has you pulling double duty as you get to both control vehicles which you build, borrow or steal and running around in 3rd person to interact with other denizens of Chimera. During the 3rd person mode of the game, there is puzzle solving, stealth and the ability to jack other bots to use there abilties to get further along in the game. The "driving" sections of the game consist mostly of racing and shooting. Did I say driving? More like flying as all the vehicles in Scrapland fly and allow the player a full 360* of motion - think Crimson Skies and you are right on the money. Scrapland is being developed by Enlight and published by Mercury Steam later this year on the Xbox and PC for only at $39.99. A Ps2 version is due out sometime next year.
THE BARD'S TALE
Here is one that I totally allowed to skip my mind. I used to play these back in the day (1985) and The Bards series has always been a winner. Well the original Bard creator, Brian Fargo, who helped to form Interplay and has since left to form a new studio, inXile Entertainment, is back behind the helm of the new Bard game - and I would not have it any other way. Utilizing a modified version of Snowblind Studios engine (Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance), The Bards Tale is an action-RPG at heart, but an action-RPG filled with violence, sexual innuendos, very wry and twisted sense of humor and huge sacks - of money. Along with the humor, inXile's first game offers an interesting system based on choice. While other games, such as BioWare's Knights of the old Republic, offer dialogue choices for the Light and Dark Side, Bard's Tale takes it a step further. Throughout your adventures, you'll be able to choose to be polite or snarky. For those of us old-timers who have played the original games in the series way back when, we already know that The Bards series has never failed to deliver the goods - in spades. With Fargo back in the driving seat, there is not doubt this new retelling of the original Bards Tale will fill in the shoes nicely of its predecessors. In a style that is sure to provide a very brisk breath of fresh air to RPG fans everywhere. There has been nothing remotely like Bards Tale around in a good, long while and who knows just how long it will be before anything else likes it pops back up on the radar. This game is due out in October for both Xbox and Ps2 and for PC early next year. Don't miss out on the one RPG this year (and any other year for that matter) that is bound to have you in stitches from beginning to end. If you are having any doubts that The Bard's Tale is the game for you this holiday season, just check out this video and have all your fears and doubts removed. SWEET VIDEO FOOTAGE
SEGA TRIO OF RE-RELEASES
And finally a trio of SEGA sleepers from the past are also getting a rerelease this fall. Each at $19.99 so if you do not already own them, keep a sharp eye out for all of them. They include Rez (PS2), Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) and Panzer Dragoon: Orta (Xbox). Of course many of you here already know that you can get these games for this price or less, however hopefully with these rereleases we will see a bit more advertisement (even if its only in print) and hopefully new (better) packaging as well which for the collector in you, may make it worth owning them again. Too bad that Gunvalkyrie is not a part of that list. And even sadder that these games are not being released cross-platform. At these prices all of these games would do remarkably well on Gamecube.
Of course I cannot possibly name every game that is a potential sleeper due out this year, however that is why this thread is here so that we all can come together and help each other out in spotting some of what will be the best, overlooked titles set to release in 2004. Your contributions to what I hope will be a dynamic and growing list, are greatly appreciated.
With any luck, a thread such as this will become an annual event. I'll be looking to start up a whole new list come January of next year and hopefully every 3 to six months we will see a whole slew of new games added to that year's list. That way this message board will have a single resource for all of the games that we may have missed but should not have every year . . . rinse and repeat for 2006 and 2007 etc.
