Underrated and Overlooked games of 2012

As the big releases are coming up, in addition to the holidays, I just simply felt that it would be a good idea to try to look at some games that you think were overlooked, either in sales, critical and/or public reception, or both. Also, do place an explanation as to why you think they are worthy of a second look. Here are some of mine.

Lollipop Chainsaw: Suda 51's zombie slaying action game, which was heavily criticized for being too short and rather shallow. I personally think that they must have been playing a different game. Not only does the game require you to use combos and has plenty of replay value, but it also has some of the wittiest writing and characters I have seen in a game this year. Juliet Starling is one of Suda's most likable characters, and overall, it nails what games are supposed to be, fun.

Asuras Wrath: What many see as just a whole bunch of QTE events is actually much deeper than that. The game seamlessly blends together shoot-em-ups, beat-em-ups, and interactive cutscenes together to create something that is wholly unique from any other game on the market. It is about the closest one will ever get to interactive anime. Add in a detailed and surprisingly touching story, solid voice acting, and some of the best uses of the QTE, and this is an experience like no other game.

Spec Ops The Line: Do I really have to add on to what other bloggers are saying about it? Many have just brushed it over as another military shooter with a good story, but that is doing a great disservice to the developers. This game has taken a serious look at the very concept of gaming and our interactions with them that I haven't seen since Metal Gear Solid 2. Daring to question the entire foundations of the military shooter, this is a game that was sorely needed in an age of Call Of Duty and Battlefield clones. It is the kind of game that only gets better upon further analysis, and it has become one of the biggest inspirations for my writing. I can't praise it enough.

edited 27th Oct '12 10:53:03 PM by LDragon2

Those games are underrated/overlooked? I thought the whole internet loved the crap out of them.

I haven't heard that many great things about Asuras Wrath.

On the internet yes, but not so much in terms of critics and actual sales. This is for those kinds of games.

Give it a chance. You'll be surprised in a good way.

Warlock Master Of The Arcane: a damn fun turn based strategy game...look past the Civ V inspired UI a bit and there's surprisingly good strategy game there...also it's crazy hard and fun to survive against monsters and trying to explore new dimensions...just read here for multiplayer beta impression, it can be pretty crazy...

Analogue A Hate Story: it's a VN, but I really do love the story...also examination of women's role in Joseon dynasty-like culture...it's hard to explain further though...(...seriously, 62% Metacritic?)

I won't call FTL Faster Than Light, Waveform or Wargame European Escalation exactly overlooked (and they're definitely not underrrated)...but if others disagree I can expand why they're good...

Personally I wouldn't touch Spec Ops The Line with a 10 foot pole...

edited 28th Oct '12 1:17:46 AM by onyhow

What do you have against Spec Ops?

The story, specifically...I generally really don't like the "the only winning move is not to play" thing (why the hell should I buy your game then?)...and that's not original either...saw it before in Immortal Defense...

There's better ways to show you the true horror of situations and such without the need to attack the player itself...like Iji...

edited 28th Oct '12 2:14:58 AM by onyhow

Oh god I'm 100% with you on Spec Ops, it's one of the best stories I've ever experienced in gaming. I couldn't stop shaking after I finished and no other game has left me as profoundly disturbed and emotionally drained. Pro-Tip, to quote my friend, play it in one setting, it's pretty short as it is and you'll gain the most impact from it. Oh, I also love that it not only has the balls to make the player feel bad, but like a complete monster. To quote my friend once more, "It turns you into a prick.".

As for other great overlooked titles.... Binary Domain, loved that game to pieces. It has the feel of a really cool, old-school Geneiss/Dreamcast era Sega title, the robots are some of the most fun enemies to kill and the squad-mates are actually useful! It also has a playful, broad sci-fi feel that's a nice contrast to some of the more self-serious cyberpunk titles out there. This and Vanquish prove that the Japanese not only can do awesome Third Person Shooters, but can often do it better then their Western counterparts.

edited 28th Oct '12 4:30:42 AM by Firestorm

^Which version of Binary Domain? I want to play it, but heard PC version is problematic...

V The problem is that I don't have any consoles...

edited 28th Oct '12 2:22:01 AM by onyhow

360. I heard the PC version is actually pretty well done, but the console versions are fine too. You should be good no matter what.

EDIT: Ahhh, well, there is a demo for it up on Steam. Would recommend downloading it and seeing how well it runs on your system.

edited 28th Oct '12 2:26:35 AM by Firestorm

Forgive the double post, but just wanted to recommend these three incredbile pieces on Spec Ops.

edited 28th Oct '12 2:41:54 AM by Firestorm

Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk 2.

It got terribad reviews and only grabbed the attentions of a certain niche. People keep ignoring the fact that underneath the layer of moe animu gurlz and (copious) fanservice, there's actually a really decent JRPG. It's not particularly deep, and the story isn't very good, but you can't deny that fluid, refined, intuitive battle system. And it got a bungload of endings, one of which is just about the darkest anythings I've seen in a game lately.

Overrated this year: Asura's Wrath and Lollipop Chainsaw.

Underrated this year: Prototype 2 and Fez.

I don't think games that get relatively mixed reviews (Asuras Wrath and Lollipop Chainsaw) can be called overrated.

Funny, because I feel the exact opposite of your feelings. I felt Fez was pretentious and Prototype 2 completely ruined the interesting story that the first game built up.

Also, those articles you mentioned Firestorm were quite awesome. Just shows another reason why I <3 Spec Ops.

So what games would you mention as underrated/overlooked Demongod?

edited 28th Oct '12 8:26:21 AM by LDragon2

Asuras Wrath would technically count as this, but I think that as a whole, their really isn't anything else, other then what has been said in this thread.

Didn't we already have an underrated games thread?

Then you've got the ending; they couldn't even be bothered to include it with the game, so Asura's Wrath is the first game where the ending is actual DLC.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:25:22 AM by Scardoll

Except no, it was never intended to be an ending in the first place.

It was originally sequel material that was turned into an extra DLC for the final part.

and Plus it's an Interactive Anime which most people seem to miss the point of it being.

Oh, thank God. So it's only retroactively a game where they don't give you the ending and make you buy it as DLC. That's so much better!

Ending a game on a cliffhanger is a horrible idea by any measurement.

So is every other game that ends on a cliffhanger with no resolution.

And being an interactive anime is what makes Asuras Wrath so interesting and fun, it's not meant to be viewed as a traditional action game and should be viewed as it's own beast.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:32:48 AM by Demongodofchaos2

Wait, what part of the battle system was good? I thought it was one of the worst I've seen in a long time.

Why don't we make threads for individual games instead of these generic topics that inevitably devolve into complaining?