Every month, I spend a lot of time in this column talking about the biggest game releases. And you probably voted for a lot of those games in the 2009 GameFly Q Awards. Well the big hits continue in early 2010 with titles like God of War 3, BioShock 2, and Mass Effect 2. What are some of the other games that may not get as much attention, but are still worth a rental? Below I take a look at five games that may be flying slightly under your radar.
The witchery of Bayonetta is out of this world.
Combine Zelda and God of War and you end up with Darksiders.
The adventure game returns in Heavy Rain for the PS3.
Coming out this month exclusively for the PlayStation 3, Heavy Rain is perhaps one of the strangest and most emotionally compelling games I've played in recent years. This action-adventure game is from the same team that created Indigo Prophecy. It plays very much like an old-school adventure game with cutting-edge 3D graphics. During the game, you play as four different characters. The story involves a series of murders by the Origami Killer. Where the game breaks ground is with its emotional storytelling. You start out by playing the father to a boy who is suddenly kidnapped. It's a parent's worst nightmare and the game does a phenomenal job ratcheting up the emotion. Heavy Rain's controls are definitely odd - this is not a third person shooter - and the voice acting isn't the game's strong suit. You might like it or you might hate it, but I guarantee you'll have a strong opinion about this game.
What are some of the other games that may not get as much attention, but are still worth a rental?
THQ is a company that has had its ups and downs. Darksiders is a game that I have been seeing for years. Originally, it looked like nothing more than a God of War clone, but over the past year it has evolved into a solid game of its own with a hint of Zelda thrown into the mix. In this apocalyptic adventure you play as War, the second of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hell has invaded earth. You battle demons as War, and as War in his "Chaos form," which makes him into a giant of sorts. My favorite part of the game comes when War rides and battles on his horse (I told you there was a Zelda connection). Darksiders won't win any awards for innovation, and it does get somewhat repetitive. Still, if you're looking for a solid action game with good core game mechanics, you can't go wrong with Darksiders.
Some call it a poor man's God of War, and at times Dante's Inferno does play like a straight-up parody of God of War. From the quick-time button press events to the crate puzzles and even green health "pools," the development team clearly had a crush on Kratos. So why play it? Well, if you own an Xbox 360 you aren't going to get to play God of War 3 (which, based on what I've seen, is another Game of the Year contender alongside Mass Effect 2). Running at 60 frames per second, you play Dante from the Divine Comedy poem. Sucked into hell, he searches for his love Beatrice across levels inspired by sins like Lust and Gluttony. Dante never really becomes a hero you care much about, but the experience is polished and the combat can be fun and challenging (don't forget to block enemies with your scythe or you'll find the combat almost too challenging).
First released late last year in Japan, Bayonetta comes from Hideki Kamiya, the designer behind Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe. Trippy and out of this world, you play a witch who battles evil forces using guns, magic, and her long locks of hair. Set in a European city named Vigrid, this game often defies logic. You battle on insane set pieces and can even summon torture attacks including a guillotine. Here's one thing I promise: You'll marvel at all the action on screen in Bayonetta. It won't make any sense at all, but it is a spectacle you can't stop playing. Fans of God of War-style games will find a lot to like in Bayonetta. One thing to note: The Xbox 360 version is far superior to the PS3 version, which has some issues with the frame rate.
Although Borderlands came out last fall, this is one game many gamers seem to have missed. Take my advice and give it a rent - especially if you're a fan of Blizzard titles like Diablo. Set on the world of Pandora (no, not Avatar's Pandora), you play one of four characters who is in search of a mysterious Vault that only opens once every 200 years. Borderlands differentiates itself in two key ways. First, there is a ton of customization as you mix up your weapons and play in one of the four character classes. Second, the game features procedurally generated combat like Diablo, meaning that the gameplay is different every time. Like an RPG, you'll want to engage in battle to gain experience and level up your character. Borderlands rewards players for investing time in the experience, and there are fun twists as well, including the addition of vehicles for combat.
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