http://kotaku.com/more-then-anything-ive-read-this-is-the-deal-breaker-511778528

Yes, it's Kotaku. But well, they're reporting everything that everyone else is reporting, straight from the horse's ass...er...mouth.  Yes, MS has finally confirmed everything that we've all been hoping for was just rumors and bullsh it.  Well, now it's just sh it.  MS may not issue used games fees (hurray?), but we'll most likely see publishers themselves try it. This is actually where I'm hopeful they won't, considering EA's thrown out the online pass.  There's ridiculous restrictions when it comes to giving games, and trading games will be practically impossible. Oh yeah, and if I want to GIVE you a game, you better have been a friend of mine for at least 30 days... This is ludicrous.  Oh, and the rental market is now fuc ked. 

And then there's the final confirmation.  The one that's the deal breaker for everyone that I've heard against the Xbox One.  The 24 hour connection check.  Oh, and if you're playing one of your games on someone else's system, that goes up to an hourly connection check. 

Let me just address this one right now before someone posts it. 

"But, if you have the Internet to complain about the Xbox One, you have the Internet to play Xbox One."

True, but the difference is, I care about the gamers who DON'T. I don't support this kind of jackassery. There are MILLIONS of gamers WORLDWIDE without the necessary 1.5 Mb/s connection MS requires to utilize Xbox One online. They won't be able to enjoy Xbox One as a result of this. The reason why you're hearing perfectly enabled gamers complaining about the mandatory connection checks is because we're exercising something called sympathy.  It's a powerful emotion that helps keep us from devolving into nothing but a bunch of greedy, selfish uncaring jerks. Do you REALLY need the Xbox One that badly that you would support such unfriendly business decisions? Do you not care that MS is basically pissing on your consumer rights?  Will MS even have games good enough to justify this?

So, this brings me to my blog title. Will the games be good enough?  Right now, the only game that comes close enough to generating any interest into the system is Quantum Break, and that's only because of the pedigree of the developer. Now, I hear that DICE has something in store for us at E3, and it's been rumored - and I stress rumored - that Mirror's Edge 2 will be Xbox exclusive and if this is the case, it will test the limits of my resolve, because I REEEEEEALLY want that game. To put it into perspective, the only game that I want more than Mirror's Edge 2 is The Last Guardian. I do not want to back down, cave in and buy a machine that I'm strongly against just because of a few choice titles. I also want to own them if I ever would buy them, but MS has made it clear at this point they no longer want their customers owning anything they buy. 

Let me just go back to the "I have online, so I'm not affected" bit. You don't know that.  You have no idea what kind of things can happen that can disrupt your enjoyment of the Xbox One. Your router could fry as a result of power surge. Your ISP could down, or you lost your job and had to cut back on montly expenses. Your job has relocated you to a remote town where there is no Internet, or at least BB. Some construction worker severs a fiber optic cable leaving you without net for several days. Something may happen that will cause you to say, "Fu ck, why did I buy into this?" It may never happen, and you might enjoy the Xbox One without a hitch for years. But why do you want to game under a Damoclean Sword? Why aren't you bothered with the fact that MS will be watching your every move, making sure each person playing isn't some kind of pirate? 

So, no. I don't care about MS's offereings this E3. I don't think there's one single game that's going to be amazing enough for me to be able to look the other way on the DRM issues and the 24 hour connection check and the trading and loaning restrictions. It's not going to happen this year. It may not happen next year.  If it will ever happen, it will be when MS's cloud is long dead and powered down, which will be the only way you'll be able to play the Xbox One completely free of an Internet connection.... or will it?  

Will any game be good enough to buy, knowing you'll never be able to play it again in the future? To be rendered a worthless piece of plastic only fit for a coaster? NO game is good enough for that! 

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I know most these sites,magazines and such give virtually the same score to virtually sport games like soccer/football every year, I play them and go eh same as last year why am I wasting my money on this rubbish. I don't use certain reviews as a guideline. If it has an interesting concept or I am a fan of a particular series I will play it and judge it for myself.

I mean I didn't throw a 10 at Mass Effect 2 because all the sites were doing so. I did it because it was an amazing experience with an excellent camapaign and brilliant characters. I have given games like Killzone 2 a right bashing because it bored me to no ends and I even went on end to say L.A Noire was dissapointing even though people didn't agree I don't care they are not me and it's my opinion.

Also I don't throw high scores at Mario or Zelda games because I am biased. I think most in the series are excellent games. I mean I gave New Super Mario Bros 2 a 7.0 and Paper Mario Sticker Star a 6.5. I gave them those scores because they were forgettable I didn't give them those scores because IGN,Gametrailers,Gamespot or EDGE gave them that same said with Mario Galaxy,Uncharted 2 and Resident Evil 4.

I am just here to clear things up and say that who cares what these sites/magazines give these games they are not us and it shouldn't put us off buying certain games either.

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http://gengame.net/2013/06/report-microsoft-post-e3-media-roundtable-cancelled/

Basically those of us hoping E3 would answer our questions about all the stuff the Xbone is trying to do. Used game blocking, used game fees, Kinect always watching, the always online once a day thing and all the stuff that has us all up in arms, well don't expect to learn that at E3? Though at least they promised "no TV talk." Don't worry I'm sure we'll get a fair amount of Kinect gameplay with bad actors. lol

But honestly this shows that Microsoft is really trying to sidestep the issues everyone has and a reviewer at IGN said it best "Either tell us this stuff or were going to make sh*t up."

Microsoft, you messed up big time with this reveal. No one cared about your voice controlled TV box. None of us care that your system will have more EA Sports and Call of Duty with realistic arm hair, moving fish and motion capture dogs. Are you going to let us play used games or not? Does Kinect always have to be on? Doesn't matter how good a game is, if it's going to be too much of a hassle to just pop it in and play, then I want no part of it. If I want to deal with something that I can play used games with that forces me to install and be online, I already have a PC, thanks.

Also I hear that they are dragging out the limping, wheezing, ready for euthanization beast that is Rare and bringing back an old franchise. I want to be excited but at the same time, I worry what will come out of a stripped down, barely breathing Rare. Honestly I thought they were repurposed into the "Kinect game makers."

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My Office trial is over on my laptop and I've switched to using Open Office which is free and similiar to Office. I'm converting Word files to Writer (Open Office version of Word) on my laptop while my desktop has Office 2007. It's free and pretty good.

I'm hoping to play The Infamous Collection, Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2, and Fallout 3. I'm trying not to get any new games PS3 games since I've nearly gone through my backlog but since I got back into Naruto I may pick up the games. Animal Crossing is the only game I actually plan to buy this summer. I'm not buying any games unless buy 2 get 1 free occurs and I can go.

I got an air conditioner so summer won't be so hot his year. It works real good after I let it run for awhile. It's going to be a pretty good summer... hope that didn't jinx it.

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I find it funny that people are in an uproar over GS' review of the Last of Us.  An 8.0 is a very good score and, despite what you may think of Tom McShea, I felt he gave an honest, trite assessment.  Would you have preferred Tom McShea had handed down a 7.0?  Or a 6.0 instead?  I'm sorry, but get over it.   It's only a number.  Opinions are based on personal experiences and shouldn't be representative of the integrity of the overall final product.  You the consumer determine whether or not it was worth the time and money.

I can recall when most people got upset over Bioshock Infinite's 9.0 score, which many had felt deserved a 10.0. 

It's troubling to see people get so worked up over a few numbers.  Numbers can't do anything.  A game's worth is determined by individual experiences and what a gamer gets out of it overall.  If they themselves found the game enjoyable and fun, then a number score can do little, if anything, to diminish that.  It should be noted that the Last of Us is, thus far, receiving universal acclaim from many major publications anyhow.  It already won well over 25 or so awards, including best PlayStation exclusive game of E3.

The Last of Us will be released on Friday, June 14th.  Draw your own conclusions, have fun, and be careful out there.

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US Start Time: 7:30 PM PST 
Platform: PC

Just as a friendly reminder, tomorrow night at 7:30 PM PST we will be getting together with some GSPN members to play some Team Fortress 2!

We are going to be playing on both the PC and on the X360 (Special thanks go to Chicknfeet for setting that up).

If you're interested in playing, be sure to sign up here.

I'm also looking for a volunteer to stream the game as well. If you are interested in taking on this task please let me know at your earliest convenience.

If we get 50 people to sign up to play I'll award a TF2 emblem. 

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

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[ Watch Video ]

Genuine Optimism: Don't F*ck With Me Game Industry...and Superman



So we got some neat stuff to look forward to. And by we I mean people with actual good taste for entertainment. And by people I mean, well literally just me. Because you all are awful human beings who allow to read the gospel that is my Truth. Starting with

Company of Heroes 2: I really like the original game. I would go as far as to say it had the best RTS campaign maybe ever. Now some will point out how that's not impressive(most RTS games have lame campaigns), others will argue for Starcraft 2. And Starcraft 2 is excellent, but it doesn't have a better campaign than Company of Heroes. It flat out doesn't. Multiplayer? not even close Starcraft 2 rapes it 6 ways to sunday, but Campaign? Nah that shit is all CoH all day erryday. Bad news is that it's like at the end of the month, good news is that there is an open beta. Right now. We should play. I suck at RTS games. Don't you wanna take advantage of that and beat your Beacon of Truth into submission for all the times I've ruined all the lies you choose to live with my undying Truth?

Yes I do plan on douching up the whole Beacon of Truth thing. Dystopian really was on something when he gave me that label, but I'm not completely there with the right balance of douchery that I feel needs to be provided by this lofty praise from Dystopian. Also Dyst you're a c**t. Figure out those middle two letters f**.



The Last of Us: I really like Uncharted 2. How much? I think it's the best third person shooter this gen, by a very good margin. Do Max Payne 3 and Vanquish play better mechanically? sure, but the overall gameplay in those games is usually ruined by the gameplay. I think Uncharted 2 is expertly paced in comparison, and has some really awesome set pieces that actually were fun on replays. Go figure. All that game was missing was Big Bo, and the entire cast of Binary Domain.

Regardless I have high hopes for The Last of Us. I get that the raw concept on paper doesn't sound original, because everyone when talking games focuses on story and game worlds and shit that isn't the f*cking game to begin with. But I like that the Last of Us is suppose to be a survival game in an era where we don't get survival games. Amnesia and Penumbra may be a better brand of Horror games than Resident Evil and Fatal Frame ever were(certainly not as good as Silent Hill 1-3 though), but they lack that survival aspect that made Resident Evil special back in the day. Metro2033 sort of had it, but you had to be brain dead for it to actually mean something in the overall game. And Last Light, looks like a prettier version of 2033. Thus lame.

Last of Us looks like it could be a nice mix of old school game design being done with a modern thought process as well as hopefully a more open game than what Uncharted was. Naughty Dog hinted at how you are suppose to have multiple options in a lot of the combat scenarios in this game, including avoiding a lot of combat scenarios. Don't disappoint Naughty Dog.



E3: We have E3 next week, and frankly I'm expecting a lot of good shit in between the usual lame aspects of E3. Good game demos, tons of information on games I'm interested in, price tags on these new consoles, neogaf gifs, and hopefully some new ideas. I even came up with the most fool proof scoring system for Microsoft and Nintendo's conferences.

if Microsoft and Nintendo can go their entire conferences(direct in Nintendo's case) without ever using the words Halo and Mario. 10/10. TEN OUT OF F*CKING TEN for not using those franchises. If they do? One out of 10. I don't care if Super Mario Universe becomes my game of the year this year, I don't care if Halo 5 is the Halo game I always wanted and brings back the same love I had for Halo 2s mp. I don't care. I know those games are good and proven, but I want new stuff. That's all.

Sony? eh I guess I'm only disappointed if they show nothing new besides Knack from one of their major studios. Like if their PS4 announcements for E3 are Resistance 4, Ratchet 70, Uncharted 4, and God of War 4. 1 out of 10. Again not a knock against those games, as much as this should have been the time they showed something new. I want to be surprised. Not more of the same shit.



Superman: I really want Man of Steel to not suck. Like I really want a Superman movie to be good, because as stated earlier my Superhero power rankings are the following:

1: Batman
2: Superman
3: Who gives a f*ck

So yeah. On the other hand here are the following issues it is facing

1: It's a superhero movie. For like the billionth time since Spiderman in 2001?
2: It's another f*cking origin story. Hold on hold on. There will be an opening period where he doubts himself. Then he becomes the hero. Then the villain kicks his ass, and then some inner monologue or words of wisdom inspire him to make a last ditch effort to help himself. ANd then at the end he comes roaring back to be the Hero and save everybody.
3: Snyder. He sucks.

So don't disappoint me one more time Superman.

This video made me laugh, and I don't usually like people who do CoD commentary.

[ Watch Video ]

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Mortal Kombat 9 is AMAZING.

I love playing as Sub-Zero, Kenshi, Mileena and Jade!!

and um

xbox one more like xbox why

okay bye

-Lauren

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Watched Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on Friday evening, excellent movie, interesting take on American history and plenty of violence! Well worth a watch.

Then on Sunday afternoon finally got round to watching The Hobbit on 3D BluRay on our ( fairly ) new 3D TV. Hadn't seen the film before and really enjoyed it. The 3D effects were very good and had a constant "oohhh" and "my god" etc from my kids

Oh yeah - my second eldest became a teenager on Friday so that's 2 in the house now.....RUN

That's all for today  

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Yet I would tell you this: you may not necessarily have a favorable hindsight about the game if you are on the verge of being enticed to play this latest game from Klei Entertainment.

That said, I would mention my very brief two-cents on Don't Starve; this is not a review, of course - that's for me to write much, much later, and with far more text than this blog post would carry.

IT IS NOT EXACTLY MINECRAFT OR TERRARIA

There is some hulla-baloo in the indie community about the comparisons made between Don't Starve and Mojang's flagship product or Re-Logic's baby. However, I would tell you this: no one is absolutely right on whether or not Don't Starve is comparable to either game.

The hardcore purists of Don't Starve would tell you that Minecraft or Terraria is child's play compared to Don't Starve, but that's only because they play their sessions on either the default settings or if they are even more sadomasochistic than one would expect, the even harder settings.

If the player is to set the settings to very favorable conditions that do not apply overbearing pressure on the player to spend his/her efforts on merely surviving, e.g. no hound attacks and such other wussy choices, he/she can well play the game like Minecraft - and get bored quickly.

Don't Starve is strictly a 2-D game that uses sprites and it doesn't even have a grid-like system for building things as seen in either Terraria or Minecraft; in other words, it doesn't have the gameplay elements that is needed for artistic expressions such as those that could be achieved with either Terraria or Minecraft.

On the other hand, a player with a lot of time to burn can attempt to create art out of the map system, but I don't think that anything more could be done.

You can attempt to create some weird silhouette art from uncovering the fog-of-war, but don't expect praises for having so much time in your hands.

PLAYING DON'T STARVE DOESN'T MAKE YOU A MORE AWESOME PERSON

There are those persons that take pride in playing very difficult games and persevering in them. They may even consider that "success" in such games is a badge of honor or something equivalent that makes them stand out from other gamers.

Well, in the eyes of wiser people, their experience with these games make them stand out alright - as stupendously stubborn and perhaps even perversely determined people.

If you so much as touch that second button ("Customize World"), you may be called all kinds of things by the purist fans of this game.

The default settings of Don't Starve's world-generating feature generally makes the game tougher and tougher as the player character survives for more and more days, purportedly to match the increasing experience and familiarity of the player.

Also, it would appear that major content updates for the game introduce much tougher biomes or new mobs that are more troublesome than the last ones.

Sure, they come with new rewards - but they often require players to jump through a few hoops. For example, the new Cave biome comes with renewable sources of rocks and flint stones, which were non-renewable before, but they have to be obtained through obviously dangerous rockfalls.

[ Watch Video ]

Also, Klei Entertainment nerfs reliable winning strategies regularly, the most notable nerf being the drawback that was introduced to make Meat Effigies riskier to use.

Not as good an insurance policy anymore, eh, Willow?

Also, Klei Entertainment nerfs reliable winning strategies regularly, the most notable nerf being the drawback that was introduced to make Meat Effigies riskier to use.

It would take a special kind of person indeed to keep looking forward to and liking the kinds of things that Don't Starve would throw at oneself.

"LEARNING IS REWARDING!"

That would be something that the hardcore, unapologetic fans of this game would say to you when they try to encourage you to play this game.

I would tell you this though: if you don't take the wussy (but probably wise) way to learn about the content in this game by checking the Don't Starve wiki whenever you see something weird and bizarre on-screen, chances are, your dude/dudette DIES from your lack of knowledge and/or stubborn refusal to read spoilers.

When TV Tropes uses Don't Starve as illustration for one of its entries, you know that this game is HARD.

In addition to the excuses that Klei Entertainment has used to paraphrase its refusal to include built-in game-saving as rogue-like gameplay, Klei Entertainment also has an excuse for not including a tutorial or official manual with the game package that can be summarized as follows:

"Learning is rewarding" - of course.

TAKE-AWAY: If you want a very, very convincing survival game, Don't Starve is indeed one. However, if you want Don't Starve to be a rewarding game, you have to be a glutton for punishment.

P.S. I am aware that even though this blog post is not exactly favourable towards Don't Starve and Klei Entertainment, I may well have promoted Klei's game anyway. I am conscious of this, and I will say that I happen to support Klei's efforts to create a very convincing survival game - even if I don't personally like it.

P.P.S. I am still affected by the LiveFyre comment glitch.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

In the eyes of the modern gamer, though, this new duo should not come as such a significant surprise. Both companies are products of the same gaming era, and everything they have gone through has somehow reflected on rather similar philosophies. Back when Nintendo and Sega were learning the quirks of the still young industry, hardware power was awfully limited, and - as it has so often happened in human history - difficulty and constraints are the perfect breeding grounds for creativity, which caused both companies to produce games that besides covering a huge amount of genres, presented the fantastic unreal element that had to be taken advantage of in an era where realism was out of the question. As time went by, and Sony and Microsoft arrived on the battlefield with an horde of franchises grounded on reality, Sega and Nintendo remained solidly faithful to their original core of games, which ended up developing into a more family-friendly branch of the industry.

The two companies that created franchises with somehow parallel spirits always had an angry river between them that stopped the construction of any possible bridges, but that river ended up settling down when Sega dropped out of the console race in order to focus on its game-making magic. Aside from the fact Sega no longer manufactures any kind of hardware, another huge difference separates the modern version of the two giants. Sonic and Mario battled over the gaming market for over a decade like two legendary heavy-weights fighting for the boxing crown during the course of many title matches, with the belt always alternating between one and another. However, on the transition to 3D, Mario was able to maintain his top-notch shape, while Sonic struggled to find direction and motivation, leaving Mario without an equal. This distinction, much like Sega's withdrawal from console production, served as the initial supports for the connection that would be built between Sega and Nintendo.

Sega's fumbling created gigantic opportunities for an approach, and - as of today - the approach is being performed. Though the recent Sonic Colors was an undeniable peak to the hedgehog on the aftermath of Sonic Adventure 2, it was still not even close to reaching the level of modern platforming masterpieces, which is a standard a character like Sonic should always aim for. If outside the gaming industry it is a good practice of the market for a company to seek the aid of third-parties whenever there is trouble in the deploying of some new technology, then there is no reason whatsoever why Sega should not try to use the same strategy to achieve the goal of finally giving Sonic the game he deserves. And this seems to be precisely the case with the partnership that has been revealed a few days ago.

Though the development of the recently announced Sonic Lost Worlds is accredited solely to the always polarizing Sega Team, it is not very hard to see that Nintendo might be more involved than it seems. The first evidence is visual; Sonic Lost Worlds looks like a faster version of Mario's two greatest games of his thirty-year career, the two Super Mario Galaxy titles. The second, is political; Sega has announced a set of three Sonic games that will be exclusively released exclusively for Nintendo platforms, and no company in the world would make such a decision without any sort of return, given that going multiplatform is always more profitable. As a consequence, it is not far-fetched to narrow it down to two possibilities: either Nintendo has given Sega a huge amount of cash, or there is some technical and creative support effort going on behind the curtains. Given how Nintendo has constantly stated that it refuses to make deals with third-parties based on handing out money, it is likely that the reason Sonic Lost World will be a Wii U exclusive for life is that people from Nintendo EAD are in direct contact with developers from the Sonic Team sharing expertize and creative input.

How can Nintendo aid Sega then? Well, in endless areas. For starters, the environments present on Super Mario Galaxy are mostly very complex, and they require an extensive amount of camera work to be playable. While Nintendo's automatic camera for Super Mario Galaxy was not flawless, it was still a major technical achievement, and given how much trouble Sonic Team has had with cameras on a multidimensional plain, the help is certainly welcome. Secondly, Nintendo seems to know quite well how to do storytelling on platformers without falling into a pit of juvenile and cringe-worthy situations, and that is a corner the Sonic games have always inadvertently walked into ever since it was wrongfully established they were in need of some extra layer of plot development. And finally, no company has as much knowledge on the Wii U's hardware than Nintendo itself, and that partnership could end up unlocking enough bits and processing power on the Wii U in order to turn Sonic Lost World into a graphical juggernaut that could compete and surpass Pikmin 3 on the graphical achievement scale.

More relevant than the initial benefits brought to the Sonic franchise, though, is what could be in store for the future of this joining of forces. At first, Sega and Nintendo's teamwork has a set deadline and limit of three Sonic games. However, it is impossible not to sit down and imagine what else we might end up getting if these three initial projects, out of which Sonic Lost World is bound to be the highlight, wind up being judged as productive by both Nintendo and Sega. It could open the door for the reworking of a large number of franchises and the creation of some gargantuan IPs born out of this merging of creative forces. And it could all start right here. The Wii U is off to a very slow start, and while this exclusivity could pump some oxygen into Nintendo's system, the partnership could also work in the benefit of both Sonic and Sega. We could be witnessing the birth of quite a monster.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

These are the books that I currently have in my possession, with the exception of Eisenhorn, which is being ordered online from bookdepository.com. The Horus Heresy series serves as a backgrounder for me regarding the (fall of?) Imperium of Man and its structure, and the first 3 books are part of a trilogy that sets up the whole shebang. All Warhammer 40k novel readers swear by Dan Abnett being the best Black Library author, and I can see why. He writes atmosphere well, made the seemingly superhuman Space Marines surprisingly human, plants seeds of foreshadowing throughout the first book, and it was all a great set-up for the rest of the trilogy. Depending on how well the trilogy ends, I might continue the Horus Heresy series considering that there are 25 frickin' volumes in total. That's crazy. It apparently doesn't follow a specific order though, so I can afford to miss a volume here and there. I'm still on the 2nd book though, so I'm not gonna jump any gun just yet.

Aside from being recommended the Horus Heresy series to start off with, Eisenhorn and Gaunt's Ghost (The Founding omnibus) were almost always mentioned in forums. And I wasn't surprised to find that they were written by Dan Abnett as well. That dude is truly being worshipped by fans, I'm telling you.

Books. They excite me. But reading game novels are so beyond nerdy, I can't even feel ashamed anymore. Aside from this fledgling interest in Warhammer 40k, I also own the whole collection of Resident Evil novels (including movie tie-ins), the 2 Guild Wars novels currently out, a bunch of Japanse-to-English books of random games like Brave Story and Parasite Eve, and a complete eBook collection of Diablo and Starcraft. Nope, can't shake my head at how obsessed I am with the genre. They're so shallow, but so, so entertaining.

EDIT: I'm surprised there is no tag for "books". Why?

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Isn't it nice being pleasantly surprised by games? I wish this happened more often...

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

• Alundra (PS1)
• Batman: Arkham City: GOTY Edition (XBox 360)
• MediEvil (PS1)
• Rayman (PS1)
• Sonic Gems Collection (GameCube)
• Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS1)

I also recently picked up the Heretic/Hexen Collection from GOG.com, which has Heretic, and Hexen 1 & 2 with the expansions.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

All links provided lead to my own reviews of the games, also, this list is by no means scientific.  So don't freak out if you think a game on here has too high of a budget.  You'll survive, I promise.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
El Shaddai is one of the most surreal and beautiful games ever created.  It's really easy to see why the visuals are so wonderful when you consider the game's director was the art director for none other than Okami!  Even that game's battle system carries over for El Shaddai, and while it isn't the greatest combat, it still manages to keep you entertained long enough to see all the zany sights, characters and liberties taken with an ancient biblical story.  It's really damn cool!

Tales of Vesperia
The Tales series has never been anywhere near the level of Square-Enix's blockbusters.  Usually going for far simpler animated graphics than their monolothic competition.  But Namco-Bandai have found a way to carve a niche for themselves as one of the more well-known RPG series out there, and Vesperia is one of the best examples in the long-running franchise.

Lost Odyssey
Both Lost Odyssey and Tales of Vesperia might draw some curious looks from folks as Mystwalker's game is likely one of the more big-budget releases on this list.  But creating a throwback to the JRPG glory days on a console with a fanbase not particularly interested in that is like expecting Serious Sam to outsell Call of Duty.  The game screams vintage 90's with the good and the bad, but that's what makes it such a great nostalgia trip.

Eternal Sonata
Easily the most low-budget of the three JRPGs mentioned in a row here, Eternal Sonata was tri-Crescendo's first game and released early into the 360's life.  Animation was stilted, voice acting was wooden and yet the game has a battle system that's absolutely my favorite in the JRPG genre, a setting with beautiful graphics that make it even more inviting and one of the coolest final bosses in history.

Klonoa
A remake of a PS1 platformer that sold at almost half the cost of a new Wii game.  What more do you need to know about Klonoa and its sales expectations?  But I'll be darned if it isn't one of the greatest platformers ever created.

Mirror's Edge
In between all of the Battlefield games and their Bad Company spin-offs, DICE went and created one of the single greatest platformers of all time.  A game that was designed for replays where you would become faster and more efficient in how you understood the game's mechanics.  Most people just whined about the shooting mechanics.  Protip: you aren't supposed to shoot anyone.

No More Heroes
Suda 51's most mainstream title of the time (until he got involved in crap like NMH2: Desperate Struggle, Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows of the Damned), No More Heroes is a total low-budget, C-quality experience that screams of an old 70's action thriller that has a beat up film reel intentionally peppering your vision with scratches and cuts while making a statement on how we view life and videogames and the thrill of seeking out excitement in the mundane.  And it remains one of the single most badass experiences of this gen.  It's premise, characters and narrative take you for a ride that no videogame came close to replicating until Hotline Miami hit last year, and even that game went in a different, zany direction of its own.

Madworld
Another Wii brawler, MadWorld was Platinum's first release and you can tell it was just a small, low budget beat em up that they did for fun and little else.  It was meant to pave the way for the eventual heavyhitters Bayonetta and Vanquish, but MadWorld, despite being a budget experience features one of the coolest narratives of this generation and a surprising amount of irreverent style that just makes it a cool game to play when you want to feel as cool as you think you are.

Ys: Origin and Ys: The Oath in Felghana
The Ys series is absolutely stellar.  One of the greatest, more hardcore action RPG experiences on the market.  They are total budget games, Ys Origin releasing for $20, and Oath in Felghana for $15 (and the move to PlayStation Portable and Vita) should say enough about the niche audience the series gathers.  But it's one of the greatest series I have ever played and can't wait until September when Memories of Celceta releases and I purchase a Vita for that game alone.

Spec Ops: The Line
You've got Call of Duty and Battlefield.  Then you have their copycats.  Then you have Spec Ops: The Line, which channels Heart of Darkness on the outside, but on the inside provides one of the most scathing criticisms of the military shooter genre and one of the most important experiences videogaming has ever produced.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
We look at CD Projekt Red now and they are the golden child of RPG game development.  They hate DRM, they managed to create one of the most beautiful, deep and involving RPGs in The Witcher 2 and have massive games in development in Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (and a few smaller, unannounced games they've made mention of).  But before they managed to take the PC gaming world by storm they were a little, unassuming development team using BioWare's Aurora engine, and under their watchful eyes in Canada, produced a dated looking RPG that provided tactical depth, an involving story and one of the most compelling game worlds ever made.  AND THEN they got big.  Like, WAY BIG.

The Walking Dead
Did anyone expect The Walking Dead to be anything at all like it turned out to be?  We're talking Telltale Games here, we're talking Sam and Max, Wallace and Gromit, goofy stuff you know.  Even their licensed games that came before were considered duds (Jurassic Park, anyone?).  And here we have one of the greatest pieces of interactive fiction ever made.  And you know you love it.  You know you love these guys beating out the big guns for Game of the Year honors at many places.  It's a testament to well-written stories, fully developed characters and the emotional impact videogames can have on you.

Metro 2033
This game looks fantastic.  It also has like a quarter of the budget of the competition (Apparently it's even bigger and better looking sequel has a small budget too).  It's a very guided experience, similar to Call of Duty's campaigns but with the ability to play stealthily as well.  Metro 2033 isn't one of the elite level shooters of this generation, but it manages to impress from a technical standpoint moreso than the majority of games on the market, and it manages to tell an interesting story on top of it all.

Torchlight and Torchlight II
What do you do after creating the Diablo series in one of the world's largest development teams?  Stick it to the man, strike out indie and dedicate your time to creating an MMO.  What do you do when Blizzard creates the world's most important and biggest MMO?  Stick it to the man by going back to your Diablo roots and making it better than Blizzard's version.  I've put hours and hours into the Torchlight games.  Well over 50 with both games combined and I didn't even beat the second one.  It's got a much smaller budget than Diablo, sold at a third of the price and yet Runic games mention that they make just as much profit either way.  God damn, Runic.  God damn.

Punch-Out!!
Nintendo's Punch-Out!! sequel of sorts is one of the most entertaining games on the platform when played with motion controls and a true test of skills when played with a regular controller.  But those motion controls make it a genuine blast to stand in front of a group of people and swing like a mad man at the air.  It's clear that Nintendo never expected the game to be in the same league as their Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Xenoblade games, but for such a smaller-scale game, Punch-Out!! provides one of the coolest experiences on the Wii!

Binary Domain
From the developers of Yakuza, Binary Domain doesn't strive to be anything more than your typical cover-based shooter in a post Gears of War world.  But with insane boss battles, a healthy dose of dudebro writing and a beautiful, neo-Tokyo setting, Binary Domain ends up as one of the most fun and entertaining third person shooters of this gen!

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