Overlooked Games

How To Survive The Summer Drought

by exterminat

©2011 Nicholas Laborde

It’s the dead of summer. As we all know, rarely does a good game come out during this hot, unrelenting period.

One thing you may or may not know is that I hail from Louisiana, and fun fact of the day: it’s the home of infamous Tigerland; Fort Polk, Louisiana, the last stop for troops being trained for the Vietnam War.

Louisiana was a key training center for troops going over because our climate is very similar to that of Vietnam (and let me tell you, living in a Tropical climate is so much fun!).

In summary, it’s extremely hot here. And we certainly don’t want to be outside in the heat and humidity, no matter where we are.

Titles can sometimes get overlooked and overshadowed due to monoliths like Call of Duty and other big AAA names during the holiday season, and sometimes just come out at the wrong time.

These are titles that are generally overlooked, and could be your ace in the hole to surviving the summer drought.

Oasis

Metro 2033

Let me tell you something personally: Metro 2033 is one of the most overlooked games of last year. I don’t know what the deterrent was; I blame lack of advertising. It’s a diamond in the rough.

The year is 2013. Moscow is happily chugging down vodka when nuclear armageddon strikes, causing its citizens to retreat into the metros beneath the city in order to survive.

Based off of the powerful novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro 2033 is centered on a lowly soul named Artyom. Born in a smaller city before the bombs, his life began in the metro, would be lived in the metro, and would end in the metro. But fate has a funny way of changing things.

Artyom’s metro is overrun and attacked by hideous (and mysterious) creatures called the Dark Ones.

He meets an elite veteran soldier (called Rangers) named Hunter that gives him a special Ranger token, telling him to travel to Polis and get help for his metro.

What follows is one of the most fascinating and well-executed stories of this generation, and is most definitely one of the more obscure experiences out there.

Metro 2033 nails one thing that games kill for: atmosphere. The atmosphere in this title is one of the most enveloping, intense, peculiar and all around horrifying things I’ve ever experienced, and more than once caused me to break out in a sweat.

I recommend playing this title on the PC (if you have the rig to run it) like I did, because not only can it be found cheapest there, but it is a very beautiful, very DirectX 11 game.

Otherwise, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t partake in this wonderfully daunting experience.

Alan Wake

Alan Wake truly released on a horrible day; in specific, the very same day as Red Dead Redemption.

You now understand why you probably didn’t play this title, but that should not dissuade you from getting lost inside the mind of Alan Wake.

Alan Wake is a “psychological action thriller” from Remedy. It’s a third-person action, and somewhat horror-based title following a writer named… you guessed it! Alan Wake.

Alan and his wife are going on vacation, and it turns out to be just a little bit more than that. Mr. Wake is a very successful author, but hasn’t written a single word in two years. To beat this block, he journeys to Bright Falls with his wife in order to gain much-needed inspiration.

Not long after arriving, something interesting happens.

It turns out he’s trapped in-between a living nightmare and his grim reality, unable to determine what’s real and what isn’t. His wife is being held for a ransom: the manuscript to his next book, which Alan never actually wrote… or did he?

This nightmare is the living version of his story, and trying to remember what happens next is Alan’s only hope of surviving.

Alan must fight “dark” apparitions using his trusty flashlight and any weapon he happens to find. It sounds a little dull, but once you get your hands on it, you’ll be in for a wild ride.

Alan Wake can be found at a very sweet price no matter where you search, and I highly recommend it to while the summer hours away.

Mafia 2

The two aforementioned titles are fantastic, but it’s time to liven it up a little bit. It’s time to go to the heart of America, circa World War 2. Say hello to Vito Scaletta.

Before the war, Vito came to America as the son of dirt-poor Sicilian immigrants. Eventually he went to school to learn English, and that led to the fateful meeting of his lifelong friend Joe.

Joe Barbaro is your typical fat-guy-named-Joe of the story, but he’s a dear friend of Vito and loyal to the end. After getting into some trouble with him, Vito opts to join the army instead of going to jail, as they needed people who spoke Italian for the invasion of Sicily (part of Operation Husky).

After a successful bout in Italy, Vito gets wounded and gets sent home for a month. Joe “takes care” of this little problem, and Vito is welcomed to America, being inducted into the Falcone crime family early in the game, soon becoming a “made man.”

Mafia 2 is rather unique in that it is, in fact, an open world title, but the world serves as nothing more than a backdrop.

You can go out and cause a ruckus if you darn well please, but that isn’t the focus or goal of Mafia 2; this is a story-based title, and you will want to adhere to that. It’s told in chapters instead of opting for a free-roaming mission structure, and leads to a very streamlined experience.

You don’t have to play the original Mafia title in order to enjoy or understand Mafia 2, but playing the original will lead to a huge advantage later on in the story.

It’s a well-told, well-executed, well-written experience that you won’t forget anytime soon. The whole affair is a solid ten hours, and it’s over before you know it.

Mafia 2 is a rare gem that certainly shouldn’t be missed, and is a perfect title to beat the summer heat.

August is so far away…

I sincerely hope you give these fantastic underdog titles a chance, as they all offer something fresh and unique in their respective genres.

Whether you decide to join Artyom on his quest of survival, follow Alan Wake through his living nightmare, or watch Vito Scaletta rise through the ranks of the Italian mob, you’ll certainly be beating the summer heat in the best way possible.

August will bring the wave of relief when we’re greeted on the 23rd by Adam Jensen in the fantastic Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Finally, September will kick off the holiday season with Dead Island, Resistance 3 and shortly after, Gears of War 3.

Until then, these games will most certainly tide you over and give you enriching experiences.

©2011 Nicholas Laborde

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Filed under: Xbox 360