Hundreds of video games come out annually, some enjoying success while others are forgotten and fade away. But what about the games that deserve attention, are head and shoulders above the competition, and yet still don’t achieve success?
It truly is sad when good video games don’t succeed, which is why we decided to put a spotlight on some great, yet overlooked video games. If you’re looking for a forgotten gem, something that perhaps isn’t on the mainstream radar, you’ve come to the right place. These are the video games that deserve more attention, having not gotten success at their time of release.
Evil Within 2
If you know the original Evil Within, you probably also know that the 2014 release didn’t live up to expectations. The game saw major publicity prior to 2014, with marketing teams heavily emphasising that industry legend Shinji Mikami was directing. Mikami is, of course, the brain behind industry classic Resident Evil 4. So you know what Mikami is capable of.
Only, upon release Evil Within didn’t exactly hit the mark. Although not a bad game, the story was bizarre and confusing, the action a little stale, and the gameplay bog standard. Because of this the sequel, Evil Within 2, didn’t get much attention. The thing is though, that Evil Within 2 is an exceptional game. Featuring a much better story, far better gameplay, and excellent graphics, this is a game that didn’t deserve apathy. If you haven’t played Evil Within 2, and are a fan of survival horror, you certainly won’t go wrong.
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
By the time Shadow Of The Tomb Raider came out in 2018, you were probably already starting to get a little bored with the formula. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider is, after all, the third in the trilogy, with Rise Of The Tomb Raider coming out just 2 years prior. So did Shadow bring anything new? Not really. Did it revolutionise the Lara Croft character like the games before it? No. Best to just overlook it then, right?
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider is better than you think it is, plain and simple. It doesn’t do anything shocking or revolutionary, but does nicely wrap up the trilogy with a neat bow. The story is a little darker, and the characters a little more human, plus the action a lot more graphic. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider is, all in all, a great game that saw little to no fanfare. That lack of fanfare certainly wasn’t warranted, and if you’re keen on action platformers like Uncharted, look no further than Shadow Of The Tomb Raider.
Rage 2
Remember the hype building up to Rage 2? There sure was a lot of it, only for the game to drop, receive mediocre reviews, and simply get forgotten. A damn shame, especially considering that Rage 2 is rather good. It isn’t amazing, and won’t blow your mind, but does deliver great action in a very unique setting.
The idea is that you awake in a post-apocalypse, only to realise that everything’s gone a little Mad Max. Not to worry, you’ve got a whole lot of guns, a bunch of super abilities, and all the rage necessary to do some damage.
All in all, the biggest problem with Rage 2 is that it takes a long time to get going. The world also seems a little empty, with only a few side activities providing distraction from the main quests. As far as the combat goes, it all seems rather dull and bog-standard, at least to start with. The more abilities you unlock, the better the game gets, letting you truly wreak some wild carnage.
As far as the side activities go, you’re not going to fund more than races and battle arenas. So if you really do want some distractions, you can always just close the game and check out Blackjack at Treasure Mile instead.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War
You probably remember what a disaster Shadow Of War was at release. For unknown reasons, other than greed, developers Monolith made the poor decision to pack microtransactions into the single-player game. Fans rightly took offence, slamming the developers for the extremely shady tactics. Monolith did take out the microtransactions eventually, though the damage was already done. Sadly, most simply didn’t play Shadow Of War, which is a damn shame.
Without the shady microtransactions Shadow Of War is an excellent sequel, offering everything that made the first game great, plus much more. If you haven’t given it a try yet, do so. You’ll quickly realise that the bad first impression is now long gone, and that the game is pretty exceptional, if perhaps just a little bloated. Either way, this is a game that deserves much more attention.
Spec Ops: The Line
Aren’t familiar with Spec Ops: The Line? Sadly, most aren’t, despite this being amongst the most underrated games of all time. Spec Ops: The Line, dropping 2012, is a standard squad shooter on the surface. But the more you play, the more you realise that this isn’t a military shooter like any other. Spec Ops: The Line is, instead, a military shooter that isn’t afraid to break down the real complexities of war.
By the end of the game’s campaign, you won’t feel like a hero. You’ll rather feel like a monster, having done unspeakable things to other humans in the name of war. The ending, as depressing as it is, dares you to question if military shooters are nothing more than the glorification of truly horrific real-world situations.
Honourable Mention – Mirrors Edge
A quick last mention to Mirrors Edge, 2008. Back when EA actually made an effort to venture into new territory, Mirrors Edge let you experience first-person parkour. The game is an excellent, nail-biting affair, though didn’t get much success at launch. If you can stomach jumping across rooftops at high speeds, check out this forgotten 2008 gem. Mirrors Edge is even one of the few games available for Mac hardware, if that’s your preference.
