Right, I’ll start by explaining what’s going on here.

This was originally going to be a piece about ‘must-play’ games from this generation (Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii), which likely would have resulted in me telling you about games you have already played or encountered in some way. There’s your Halo 3, Killzone 2, Mario Galaxy, BioShock and so on.

Instead, I wanted to take a slightly different angle and bring you ten games that haven’t been so popular, and maybe urge you to give one or two a try if you’ve already passed them over. These aren’t ‘obscure gems’ or poorly-scored cult classics, there’s at least a couple that have sold well and earned a tidy profit for their publishers and studios. For various reasons, however, each of these seem to lack some kind of wider acceptance despite being (in my opinion at least) games that deserve more attention.

In the interest of fairness I should state that of the three home consoles, I only own a 360. Since it would be boring for me to just talk about games I’ve played on that, I’ll be referring to trusted sources when talking about games I’ve not had the opportunity to play myself.

Prince of Persia (360, PS3)
If there is one thing that people seemed to universally agree on in regards to Prince of Persia, it’s that it is absolutely stunning to look at. The world in which this game is set is staggeringly beautiful. Sorry for the hyperbole, but if nothing else can be taken positively, it will always have that.

So visuals aside, this is one that was very quickly dismissed as ‘too easy’, and to a degree, I can understand that. The game has a tendency to feel linear despite its open-world approach, often giving you a single route to your chosen objective; it also uses platforming controls that can feel more like a game of Simon Says (the dreaded Quick Time Event syndrome) than what people may be used to from the Sands of Time series. While I would agree that allowing the player more room for mistakes could improve the experience, I believe that player progression through the game must come ahead of repetition and frustration.

In short, I would say that as long as you’re not looking for a tremendous challenge, PoP has a great deal more to offer than its sales figures and review scores suggest.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7tA-6mlbNY

Mirror’s Edge (360, PS3)
And here we have a striking opposite to Prince of Persia, both in its appearance and difficulty.

To start with, Mirror’s Edge breaks with tradition by using a first-person perspective, which is rather unique for a game essentially about platforming. Where PoP features heavily stylised, comic-book style visuals, ME takes on a surreally crisp, clean, yet very ‘real’ aesthetic. The gameplay is similarly different in that its approach to platforming is far more challenging, but potentially more rewarding as a consequence.

Finding the fastest line between two points (which is the point of the massively under-promoted Time Trial mode) is hard, but leaves you feeling suitably proud when you finally nail a perfect line. You will fall repeatedly, get caught on scenery, and get lost, but you can’t help but smile as you string together a perfect sequence of moves and glide effortlessly across rooftops. The difficulty in the main story fluctuates wildly (due almost entirely to the combat), including a few points where it’s very easy to get stuck and enraged. My suggestion is to play it on Easy and reduce the stress that brings. Hey, you can always try the free demo and see if it’s your thing.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N1TJP1cxmo

Flower (PS3)
This is one I haven’t played, so instead I shall tell you why I want to play this.

In Flower you control the wind, swooping over fields and meadows and causing their flowers to bloom. Essentially that’s the point of the game, one of grace and elegance rather than action and high scores or survival. I’m a sucker for an open green field with the sun overhead, and Flower seems to appeal directly to that part of my brain. I take interest when a game tries to be different, and appreciate when a developer tries to explore new ideas. Flower appeals to me because it’s not trying to burden you with a thousand different tasks and inputs within a complex plot (which is something I love, elsewhere); it takes a simple concept of flying over fields and turns it into a tranquil experience for you to enjoy.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcU8Yw43BuU

Zack and Wiki (Wii)
Zack and Wiki is a game with ideas and execution that I can appreciate despite the fact I haven’t played it myself. Being an adventure game, something I grew up with, I already feel a certain attraction to it, even if I can recall the frustrations of these games just as easily as the joys (attempting to use every item in your inventory with every other object on screen, for instance).

Z&W’s appeal really lies in the way it encourages the player to interact with the game. Where the Wii often falls down is with uninspired or poorly-executed use of its motion-sensing controls, which is a shame because games like this highlight how much they can contribute to the experience when implemented properly. Using the remote frequently and intuitively in its puzzle solving, the game gives the player an extra dimension with which to interact.

This is the kind of approach I want to see more developers take with these controls, using the tools available to them to make their games more immersive and rewarding.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QC_88YezQM

Viva Piñata (360)
I think it would be fair to call this the most schizophrenic game on the list. At first glance it is unquestionably targeted at children with its bright colours, cutesy characters, simple controls and sometimes-patronising tutorials.

The problem was that behind this appearance of child-friendly simplicity, lurked a deceptively complex ecology simulator. The general point of the game is to lure different species of piñata into your garden, breed them, produce more, then use these to entice yet more in. It sounds simple enough, but soon becomes a stressful exercise in garden management as you seek to keep your current menagerie appeased while seeking to attract yet more exotic varieties.

So why should you buy it?

Well firstly if you’ve got small children and want something to play with them, you could do a lot worse than this. Secondly, beneath the childish exterior, it really is a surprisingly fun, challenging game.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVC4Wi_5Og

World of Goo (WiiWare)
Okay, this one’s maybe a tougher sell, but it’s not that expensive compared to some others on here. At its core it’s a physics puzzle game in which you use a selection of goo balls to build structures and complete the levels. There’s variety in both the characteristics of different goo balls, as well as the puzzles you have to solve which never outstay their welcome or feel repetitive. This is all held together by some fantastic audio and visual presentation which serves to give the game a fittingly surreal atmosphere. There are notable influences from Tim Burton and Danny Elfman that can be simultaneously humourous and haunting.

It really is worth a look if you can summon any interest in solving construction puzzles within a relatively unique world.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o30HZquEnuw

Braid (360 Live Arcade)
I do seem to be pairing these up in similar styles…

Braid is another game with both a strong aesthetic and gameplay to match. The core mechanic here is time manipulation, and using it to solve puzzles. These start out easily enough as the game teaches you its way of thinking and how to use the abilities it gives you, becoming increasingly difficult towards the end of each section as you might expect.

Like World of Goo, this is all helped along by some brilliant art and music which both combine to set the ambience for the level you’re playing. Outside of this there is a story that serves as a commentary on the human condition, while the game itself is designed as a deconstruction of gaming. Yes that makes it sound horribly pretentious, but this is a game that carries genuine depth and feeling where many others have tried and fallen short.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtSKkyJgFM

Condemned (360)
I would have to describe this as one of the bleakest games I’ve ever played (never having touched Manhunt).

From start to finish you are constantly pulled through dark, filthy, and oppressive environments, assailed by a freakish variety of crazed hobos, junkies and warped monstrosities. The atmosphere leaves you feeling like you need a shower just to distance yourself from it after playing. As for the gameplay, the combat is kinetic, visceral and almost entirely melée-based, resulting in every encounter being an up-close duel. There is simply no escape and very little relief.

Is all this a good thing?

Well it depends what you’re looking for, to state the obvious. It’s not a happy game, it doesn’t cheer you up. It’s like watching the film Se7en. You get to the end and acknowledge that it was fantastic, but it’s not somewhere you want to dwell for any substantial length of time.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-ULCo_8jw

The Darkness (360, PS3)
The Darkness is something very special disguised as a very ordinary game; the characters, story and setting all sound about as inspired as a bad analogy.

You play a 21-year-old mob hitman on the run from his mob-boss uncle and corrupt police, with a side-story girlfriend who you have trouble connecting with. But what you find behind these clichés is a well-written, well-acted story that is genuinely moving, surrounded by an atmosphere that is hard to forget. It’s traditional for games to try to scare you with things lurking in dark corners (e.g. Dead Space, Silent Hill), and you could be forgiven for anticipating the same here. This expectation goes right out the window near the start of the game as you are imbued with the powers of The Darkness (along with the voice of Faith No More’s Mike Patton in your head) and become that thing lurking in the shadows, out to ruin the days of the goons sent to bring you down. Seriously, great story and spikes from your shoulders. What more could you want?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSAtcrZqaaE

Dead Space (360, PS3)
Sci-fi is something of a weak spot for me, so I’ll admit I was interested in Dead Space from the start. Lone engineer fights off space zombies using an array of cutting tools to remove their limbs? Sold! What Dead Space comes over as, is a highly-polished tribute to everything good about sci-fi horror from the past 30 years. Just about every popular game or film to feature an alien or a spaceship can find its reference within, and I’m absolutely fine with that.

No it’s not hugely original, but that doesn’t make it any less scary or visually stunning. You can’t read an article about it that doesn’t give glowing praise for the exceptional sound design. This is matched by a skilled control of player-expectation which is used to set up a number of good jumps and scares. The roar of escaping air and deafening silence of vacuum is an experience in itself, which, when coupled with the zero-gravity effects, results in what I consider to be some stand-out moments in gaming. I truly have no idea why this was so widely overlooked, when the entire design and presentation is of such a high standard.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAiHfqnbGYo

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