Following yesterday’s post, I was asked by the fine @starven to recommend some specific titles outside of the mainstream that were worth trying. So rather than doing it half-heartedly, I thought I’d do it properly, with categories, links and all that nonsense. These are the titles which sprang (almost) immediately to mind, but they should provide plenty of entertainment to get you started with. This list covers titles I’ve played, not just games I’ve heard are good.
Here we go then. Bear in mind some of these games are a little older, but that’s actually a good thing, as it usually means they’re 1) cheaper and 2) likely to run on almost anything. All prices will be in GBP because I can’t remember the thing you put on the end of the Steam URL to show prices in dollars.
For further discussion of “underappreciated” games, be sure to drop by the Squadron of Shame and check out our podcast.
Adventure
Classic adventure games aren’t dead by any means — the ludicrous amount of money that Double Fine raised on Kickstarter should be evidence of this. Here are a few adventure games that are most definitely worth your time. I’ve also lumped a couple of visual novels into this category since the adventure genre is arguably its closest cousin.
Ben There, Dan That!/Time Gentlemen, Please!
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £2.99
A double-pack of point and click adventure games from Size Five Games (formerly Zombie Cow Studios) that have a deliciously British sense of humour. While neither have plots that could particularly be called “thrilling”, the best thing about these two games is the humorous banter between protagonists Ben and Dan. These games are strongly reminiscent of “golden age” LucasArts titles such as Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max Hit the Road.
The Longest Journey
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam, Good Old Games
Price: £5.99
A lengthy point and click adventure that isn’t afraid to swear when necessary. Features an interesting “parallel dimension” story, a strong, attractive female protagonist, some truly memorable characters and only one infuriatingly stupid puzzle. Its sequel Dreamfall is good, but not as good as the original.
Digital: A Love Story
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Where to get it: Official site
Price: Free
Technically a “visual novel” rather than an adventure game per se, Digital: A Love Story takes place entirely on the virtual desktop of an ’80s computer. To reveal too much more would spoil it completely.
Analogue: A Hate Story
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Where to get it: Official site
Price: $15
Follow-up to the above from the same author, Analogue: A Hate Story once again sees you interacting with the game via a virtual computer system, though this one is much more futuristic. There’s a lot of reading in this one and it’s initially bewildering, but the way in which you have to piece together the story yourself is fascinating.
To The Moon
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Official site
Price: £7.99
Freebird Games’ retro-styled story left me an emotional wreck by the end thanks to its beautiful soundtrack, emotionally engaging narrative and good balance between storytelling and interactivity. Again, to reveal too much would be to spoil it completely.
Corpse Party
Platform: PSP/Vita
Where to get it: PSN Store
Price: £11.99
Corpse Party is, like To The Moon, an adventure/visual novel which chooses to tell most of its tale through the use of 16-bit style top-down RPG sprites. Rather than To The Moon’s emotional tale, however, Corpse Party tells a horrifyingly gruesome ghost story that doesn’t pull any punches.
Ghost Trick
Platform: Nintendo DS, iOS
Where to get it: App Store (iOS)
Price: Free demo, £6.99 for full version (iOS)
An excellent puzzle adventure from the creators of the Ace Attorney series (which you should also play if you haven’t already). Ghost Trick spins a convoluted but entertaining tale about death, time travel, fate and the consequences of your actions. Notable for making use of some very unconventional game mechanics for the adventure genre.
RPG
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £12.99
Combining elements of Animal Crossing and Diablo while lampooning every JRPG you’ve ever played along the way, the utterly charming Recettear is a fine way to spend at least 40 hours of your time. The gameplay is simple but addictive, but the true star of the show is the excellent translation job by Carpe Fulgur.
Dungeons of Dredmor
Platform: PC, Mac
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £3.49
If you’ve never played a roguelike, this is a good place to start, since it has several levels of difficulty and the option to switch off permadeath if you’re a big wuss. It also features a delightfully offbeat sense of humour and enjoys excellent continuous support from the developer.
Cthulhu Saves the World/Breath of Death VII
Platform: Xbox 360, PC
Where to get it: Xbox Live Indie Games, Steam
Price: £1.99
Two short, retro-themed JRPG spoofs that are immensely entertaining to play. The creator is currently working on the third episode of Penny Arcade Adventures.
Dungeon Defenders
Platform: PC, Mac (soon), XBLA, PSN
Where to get it: Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, PSN Store
Price: £9.99
Combine Diablo with Gears of War‘s Horde mode and give it a charming cel-shaded coat of paint and this is what you get. Up to four players take on incoming hordes of monsters in a frantic blend of action RPG and tower defense. Best played online, and the PC version is the best option due to its mod support and regular free DLC promotions.
The Witcher
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam, Good Old Games
Price: £12.99
Arguably one of the best RPGs ever made thanks to its excellent story, memorable protagonist and uncompromisingly adult nature. The Witcher is all the better for the fact it focuses on a small geographical area rather than providing a globetrotting adventure. It’s also notable for being a game which doesn’t treat you like an idiot, with the consequences of your choices not falling into neat “good” or “evil” categories, and repercussions not necessarily becoming apparent until considerably later in the game.
The Witcher 2
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam, Good Old Games
Price: £24.99
A visually-stunning RPG with challenging Dark Souls-style combat, a mature story and a ton of replayability thanks to the narrative diverging into two completely different paths halfway through. Has enjoyed a bunch of post-release support from the developer, and all of these additions will be incorporated into the upcoming Xbox version.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Platform: Wii
Where to get it: US customers will have to bite the bullet and get this from GameStop
Price: No idea, released in the US later this month.
An open-world JRPG on a grand scale, taking the best bits of MMORPGs and combining them with an excellent combat system, memorable characters, a great plot and at least 100 hours of Fun Things To Do. Also features gorgeous environments and a kick-ass soundtrack. If you enjoyed Final Fantasy XII, you’ll definitely get a kick out of this.
The Last Story
Platform: Wii
Where to get it: Not yet available in the US, coming later this year
Price: TBA
An RPG set in a small locale featuring brilliant characterisation and an unusual setpiece-based action combat system that blends RTS, character action and third person shooter elements. Also noteworthy for being over in 25 hours, making it ideal for fans of RPGs who can’t commit to the long haul.
Persona 3
Platform: PS2, PSP
Where to get it: Probably easiest to get the PSP version from PSN
Price: Check PSN or your local game store
Persona 3 combines elements of visual novel/dating sim games with dungeon-crawling and JRPG combat and manages to produce one a truly memorable video game with a great story, a bizarre but awesome soundtrack and a shitload of stuff to do. Arguably superceded by its successor Persona 4 in some respects.
Persona 4
Platform: PS2, Vita
Where to get it: Check your local game store or get the Vita remake when it launches
Price: Variable
Everything already said about Persona 3 applies here, though some say the combat isn’t quite as good. Great story and a lovable cast that you’ll be sorry to leave behind at the end.
Rusty Hearts
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam
Price: Free
Perfect World’s free to play brawler-RPG is great fun and never feels like it’s conning you out of money. You can enjoy an immensely satisfying multiplayer brawler without spending a cent, or you can drop the devs a few quid to speed up your levelling or apply some visual customization to your character. Nothing game-breaking, though, and certainly not “pay to win”.
Aquaria
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £6.99
Not technically an RPG as such, but its Zelda/Metroidvania-style progression means it can be sort of lumped into this category. A sprawling 2D underwater adventure with a great soundtrack, gorgeous artwork and an unusual, interesting story.
Games That Involve Shooting Things In Various Ways
I’m lumping anything that involves shooting things into this category, including FPS, shmups and other Games With Guns In Them.
Beat Hazard Ultra
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, iOS
Where to get it: Xbox Live Indie Games, PSN Store, Steam, App Store
Price: Variable
A brilliant twin-stick shooter that uses your own personal music collection (or Internet radio) to generate waves of enemies and psychedelic backdrops.
Gundemonium Recollection
Platform: PS3, PC
Where to get it: PSN Store, Steam
Price: £3.99
A simply marvellous bullet-hell shooter with an infectiously cheerful soundtrack and immensely challenging gameplay.
Jamestown
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £6.99
A Western take on the bullet-hell shooter based on the concept of England being at war with Spain on Mars. Outstandingly epic soundtrack and gorgeous pixel-art visuals.
No More Room In Hell
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Desura
Price: Free (Half-Life 2 mod)
If Left 4 Dead is a little too silly for you, this realistic zombie survival mod for Half-Life 2 feels more like an old Resident Evil game in first-person. Limited ammo, panicked dashes away from zombie hordes and a real necessity to cooperate with other players to survive make this a unique and rewarding experience.
Privates
Platform: PC
Where to get it: Official site
Price: Free
A “sex-ed shooter” from the creator of Ben There, Dan That! that sees players invading willies, bums and fannies (the British meaning of the latter) in an effort to wipe out various forms of itchy scrot.
Frozen Synapse
Platform: PC, iPad (soon)
Where to get it: Steam
Price: £18.99
Technically a turn-based strategy game, this unusual title’s game modes and structure actually have more in common with first-person shooters. Plan out your team’s moves for the next five seconds while your opponent is doing the same, commit your plan, watch the carnage unfold. Very tense, very exciting — and offers asynchronous play for those with a busy lifestyle.
Racing
Blur
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Where to get it: Steam, your friendly local game store
Price: £14.99
The last game from Project Gotham developer Bizarre Creations before they were shuttered by Activision, and a fine example of what happens if you combine Mario Kart-style powerups with real cars in real locations. The answer: enjoyable mayhem. Features a top-class multiplayer mode with Call of Duty-style progression.
Split/Second: Velocity
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Where to get it: Gamesplanet (PC, possibly UK-only), your friendly local game store
Price: £9.99
Best described as a “cinematic racer”, Split/Second combines ridiculous Burnout-style drift driving with the ability to detonate parts of the environment and bring them crashing down on your opponents’ heads. It’s an absolute spectacle to watch, and a thrilling rollercoaster ride to play, thanks in part to the amazing soundtrack.
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