The next-generation is about to hit in full swing this holiday season and the old timers are starting to get phased out. Now's the perfect time play those quality titles many people missed the first time through. The best part is that most of these games can be purchased for very cheap. For this article I chose to focus on the Xbox library because it's the one I'm most familiar with. I also want to show that Xbox is far more than Halo, first person shooters, sports and racing games, and actually has quite a diverse lineup.
Breakdown
Another crazy action game, but this time from Namco. You actually play from the First-Person perspective here, but it can't really be classified as a first-person shooter, it's really unlike anything I've played before or since. The closest comparison I can make is to The Chronicles of Riddick because they both have first-person hand-to-hand combat. In Breakdown the hand-to-hand combat is far more important as there are a ton of movies and it serves the main way you battle enemies. What makes this game really special is the incredible story and setting that takes place within the game. You'll find yourself looking at wild scenes that are worthy of a blockbuster science-fiction movie, and a story to match. The other great part of Breakdown is the sense of power you get in the game, at the beginning you start off as a normal guy with a dinky gun, but over the course of the game you end up becoming this crazy jacked up guy that can do crazy stunts like super jumps and force waves. Enemies that scared the hell out of you at the beginning you take on 6 at a time at the end. It's not all a bed of roses though as there are some major design problems with this game. The levels can get very repetitive and picking up weapons, especially later on in the game becomes a real chore. Still, despite all of these issues I highly recommend playing the game, working through the frustrations and making it to the end, it's totally worth it. Trailer.
GunValkyrie
A crazy action game from Sega that was released early on in the Xbox's life. This title is hardcore, and has the control scheme to match. Many people faulted the game for its difficult controls, but when you master the system you find that the controls are setup in the best way possible to allow for complicated maneuvers. The learning curve is steep, and at the beginning you'll be spending most of your time on the ground, but when you get good, really good, you'll be able to go through entire levels without touching the ground once. It's extremely satisfying to take out hordes of alien scum while doing crazy boost tricks and using your grappling hook. Level designs and graphics are fantastic following a distinct steampunk style that gives the game as a whole a lot of character. The final boss in the game is also one of the craziest I've ever seen as it's some demon-baby with wings, which I think is supposed to be the girl's father. Whatever, like a Tony Jaa movie the story doesn't really matter, it's all about the action.
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders & Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes
The Kingdom Under Fire series can be pretty intimidating simply because of the sheer number of things you can do. Off the battlefield you level up your heroes, decide what units you want, level those up, buy and sell equipment and learn new magic. On the battlefield you take control of dozens of squads have to know what's going on across the entire area, choose the right troops and then position them properly for the most effectiveness, and then cast magic and take control of your hero and hack-and-slash your enemies. It's all a bit much at the beginning, but when you go through the training and get better accustomed to it all it's impressive as to how easy the designers have made it to control everything that's going on. The best part in the whole game is when two opposing units get close to each other they start running faster and everybody starts yelling and it's like a scene right out of Braveheart. There's not another game out that's like this, and it's very fun to boot. This video gives a better idea. The game can be pretty difficult though, for some levels I had to use a FAQ, but when you know what to do for a level in terms of what troops to use and how to use them you can usually get through them pretty easily. Surprisingly enough the story is pretty good as well as you go through the different campaigns and see the war from multiple viewpoints, so there is no real good and bad side, everybody has their own agendas.
Otogi: Myth of the Demons & Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors
Created by one of my favourite developers From Software and published by Sega, Otogi is not your traditional hack and slash. Gorgeous graphics, beautiful music and gameplay that can only be described as elegant. Dashing through the air, launching demons 50 feet smashing into a destructible house, and launching dazzling magic attacks. The game is difficult at the beginning as your magic is constantly being drained, replenished by killing demons, but as you level up and gain better weapons and items the magic draining becomes a non-issue. Being able to replay the same level over and over makes sure that you can level up your character as much as needed while you destroy every single solid structure to discover hidden secrets. The second game follows the same formula as the first but introduces 5 new playable characters each with their own weapons, attacks and skills. I found it very relaxing just being able to go through the levels destroying everything in my path with such grace and flow. Check out a great video here.
Panzer Dragoon Orta
A worthy installment in this obscure Sega franchise. My favourite part of this game is just how gorgeous everything is. All Panzer Dragoon titles have a similar style to one another, and the Xbox has let Sega flesh it out more than ever before. Every single level is totally different with completely new and beautiful landscapes to appreciate, and totally different enemies to battle. The enemies themselves are more than just targets as they all move with a flowing grace that makes you almost feel guilty for taking them down. Surrounding all of these magnificent visuals is an incredible soundtrack that creates the perfect mood for everything going on in the game. Presentation aside the game itself is almost flawless with perfectly tight controls, a deep and satisfying shooting system, and a lot of content as there are many side-quests and extra mini-missions. I can't recommend this game enough and will remain a permanent fixture in my collection. The game can be purchased for dirt cheap right now so do yourselves a huge favour and pick it up. Check out the Tokyo Game Show trailer here.
Phantom Crash
This game would have been perfect for Xbox Live, and it would have been one of the first online mech games ever. But it wasn't. Still, it's a fantastic game out of Korean developer Genki that is fast paced and hectic and should appeal especially to mech fans. Like any self respecting mech game there is a ton of customization and a whole load of different kinds of short, medium, and long range weapons. One of the coolest aspects of the game revolves around every mech having the ability to cloak itself, this makes for some intense matches as you hide from your enemies, or try to find them. One of the complaints that have been said about this game are the small number of arenas, which number less than 5. However, I found each arena was very well designed and fit well with a variety of play styles that always kept the action new and fresh. Non-gameplay related what I really enjoyed about the title was how they used the licensed music to promote new and upcoming korean artists. These artists are probably all old news by now, but it's cool being able to read some information about the artists, see the album cover art and hear their songs, especially before the widespread use of custom soundtracks. It's a quirky mech game that doesn't take itself very seriously, so if you want some fun robot action it's a great title to play around with, and it does have splitscreen multiplayer so it would be great with your friends.
Phantom Dust
This game from Microsoft Game Studios Japan really came out of nowhere, but as soon as it was released I knew I had to have it. It's extremely difficult to explain how this game plays. Check out the Japanese trailer (here) to get an idea of how it looks. Post apocalyptic world, crazy powers, an imaginative and unique storyline, this game is really special. It's a one-of-a-kind experience that shouldn't be missed.
Voodoo Vince
A cute platformer from Microsoft Game Studios. This game has a very unique style and atmosphere revolving around the already unique style of New Orleans. You play as Vince the voodoo doll and that's where the twist on the traditional platformer formula comes in as the way to kill enemies and bosses is to inflict harm on Vince himself. Every new way that Vince harms himself is funnier than the previous and figuring out what to do for the bosses can be quite intricate. Great gameplay and a charming character that you'll end up caring for by the end, it's a shame that Voodoo Vince didn't get the spotlight he deserved.
I've been seeing this 19.95-as-seen-on-tv-style ad on TV for the Pasta Express a lot lately and it's really been bothering me. This product claims to make cooking pasta easier and better than before. I seriously have to doubt this claim. Basically, you pour boiling water in the tube filled with pasta, and, presto! (actually many minutes later if you know anything about thermodynamics) you have crappy, soggy pasta.
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