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DEVELOPER: CAVIA PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX TYPE: ACTION RPG PLATFORM: PS3, X360 YEAR: 2010 Finding its origins amongst the fifth-ending of the first Drakengard, NieR was destined to be an odd title. Its mix of genres, gameplay and styles don’t always gel, but provide an experience quite unlike any other. This can be seen firstly through the game’s protagonist, an ageing mercenary that doesn’t subscribe to the immaculate appearance of other RPG characters. His daughter is ill, and he’s determined to find a cure for the strange virus that threatens to take her life. In actual fact, he’s really quite bland, but those that accompany him on his quest, such as the pompous talking book known as Grimoire Weiss, provide more than enough character and entertainment to fill the stoic main’s…

DEVELOPER: THE BITMAP BROTHERS PUBLISHER: IMAGE WORKS TYPE: SPORTS PLATFORM: ATARI ST, AMIGA, PC, XBLA YEAR: 1990 The year is 2105. After being forced underground for decades, Speedball – the world’s most brutal sport – has resurfaced in order to reclaim its former glory. Fiercer than ever before, the sequel follows new team Brutal Deluxe as they work their way up a cutthroat ladder. Teams have expanded from five to nine players, all vying to control a solid steel ball – bouncing it off walls, pinball like obstacles, and players skulls – in an attempt to score goals or rack up the most points. Between matches, players can be bought or sold, upgraded or benched, with individual stats heavily affecting each player’s in-game AI. Match soundscapes are completely diegetic in…

DEVELOPER: OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: BETHESDA SOFTWORKS TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: PC, XBOX 360, PS3 YEAR: 2010 Fallout: New Vegas is a wonderful compromise, combining the accessibility and addictiveness of Fallout 3 with the hardcore sensibilities and depth of Fallouts 1 & 2. AZZZs trite as it sounds, the truth is that this is a game with something for everyone. If you want an easy-to-play run-and-gun adventure, all you gotta do is skip the dialogue and turn the difficulty down. But if you want a challenging role-playing game with a deep and rewarding narrative, then do just the opposite. The point is that you’ve got a choice. Few games offer that kind of flexibility. What really makes a F:NV a superior game to F3, though, is the quality of its dialogue and…

DEVELOPER: TAKUMI CORPORATION PUBLISHER: CAPCOM TYPE: SHOOTER PLATFORM: ARCADE, DREAMCAST YEAR: 2000 One of the rare arcade shooters to be displayed on a horizontal monitor, Mars Matrix mixes 3D elements with shoot ‘em up mayhem. Earth’s decaying, but the humans who have settled on Mars have been providing support for decades. Yet recently this relationship has become strained, and the occupants of Mars have decided to rebel, fortifying themselves for war. Players take control of Earth’s newest Mosquito class fighter, with two builds offering different stats that govern weaponry, power, mobility and speed. Instead of relying on power-ups and enemy drops, this title’s varying attacks are player controlled, with button combinations allowing for a switch between continuous streams, charge shots, and piercing cannons at will, not to mention the ability…

DEVELOPER: AVALANCHE STUDIOS PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE TYPE: OPEN-WORLD ACTION PLATFORM: PC, PS3, XBOX 360 YEAR: 2010 Just Cause 2 is an open-world action game about blowing things up. You are Rico Rodriguez: a suave Latino stereotype whose sole purpose in life is to parachute into third-world dictatorships and foment insurrection by exploding anything belonging to the regime. This includes but is not limited to: fuel depots, weapons facilities, factories, airports, skyscrapers, rocketships, blimps, statues, and offshore oil rigs. To help achieve this end, Rico has access to a dizzying array of weapons and vehicles, including machine guns, rocket launchers, helicopters, fighter jets, tanks, and – most dangerous of all – the double-ended grappling hook. Using Rico’s grappling hook to cause creative mayhem is unbelievably gratifying. At first you start simple,…

DEVELOPER: ROCKSTAR NORTH PUBLISHER: ROCKSTAR GAMES TYPE: SANDBOX ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PS2, PC, XBOX, OS X YEAR: 2002 Sam Houser – Rockstar president and Vice City writer – wanted to prove games could be as visually engaging as film, and with Vice City’s uber ‘80s kitsch, he seems to have succeeded. The Miami inspired environment blends neon menus and sun-blessed beaches with cold alleyways and smokey lounges, providing the perfect playground for its characters to recklessly lose control. With a storyline that pays tribute to films like Scarface and Goodfellas, Vice City is an exaggerated take on the corrupt, drug-filled world of crime and betrayal in America. An all-star soundtrack sets the mood with bands like Tears for Fears, Kate Bush, and Mötley Crüe blaring from the radio, while memorable characters…

DEVELOPER: BLACK ISLE STUDIOS PUBLISHER: INTERPLAY TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 1999 Placing players in the role of an amnesiac immortal, Planescape: Torment is a an earnest, philosophical game. Dauntingly verbose, it grapples with topics typically confined to musty tomes authored by dead Europeans with unpronounceable surnames. What is identity? What is responsibility? Are we merely the sum or our memories? Placed in the blood and dust-caked sandals of the Nameless One, players are forced to confront these questions head-on. It’s heavy stuff, but thanks to the masterful prose of lead writer Chris Avellone, Torment never buckles under its own weight – it never feels pretentious, or wordy for the sake of it. The characters you encounter in this fractured reality are sympathetic and memorable: you’ll enjoy spending time with…

DEVELOPER: NEVERSOFT PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION TYPE: SKATING PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION YEAR: 2000 Whether you're a fan of skate culture or not, it’s hard to deny the charm of Tony Hawk’s second outing. The game’s arcade-y nature puts players in control of a large cast of rockstar skaters, complete with the power to sail through the air with gravity defying bunny hops or chain together ridiculous combos without losing balance. The in-your-face attitude of the game’s soundtrack creates a space where four wheeled anarchy feels as natural as breathing, with punk heroes like Bad Religion, Papa Roach, and Rage Against the Machine leading the charge. Expansive levels transform everyday urban environments into pro-skating playgrounds, where both collectables and secret locations work to give players tangible goals beyond landing a ridiculous trick. But the…

DEVELOPER: CAPCOM PUBLISHER: CAPCOM TYPE: FIGHTING PLATFORM: ARCADE, DREAMCAST, PS2/3,XBOX/360 YEAR: 1999 Street Fighter III: Third Strike is something of an oddity in the Streeties series. A commercial flop at the time of its release, over the years it gradually attracted a hardcore following and became a popular fixture at tournaments like EVO and Super Battle Opera. Now it’s widely regarded as the pinnacle of the series – even better than SFIV and Super Turbo – and it’s easy to see why. Third Strike is an extraordinarily elegant game, expertly tuned and almost perfectly balanced. What really sets it apart is the completeness of its roster: playing competitively, each character occupies their own niche in the game’s tactical ecology, necessitating a unique approach, a unique overall strategy for controlling the…

DEVELOPER: SIMOGO PUBLISHER: SIMOGO TYPE: PUZZLE PLATFORM: IOS YEAR: 2013 Text-based adventures are nothing new, but DEViCE6 is so text-heavy it walks the narrow line between game and book. Yet this title is so beautifully laid out and original that it’s hard to feel anything but engrossed. Each chapter requires the user to follow protagonist Anna as she explores a strange island. Lines of text tiptoe across the screens as if laid out in an E.E Cummings poem, splitting into different paths that bend and wind, often requiring the user to physically shift their device in order to follow the journey. Multi-layered pictures scroll in different directions, while scientific diagrams dip in and out of colour and interactivity. At first glance things might seem strange and pointless, but as chapters…

DEVELOPER: FREE FALL ASSOCIATES PUBLISHER: ELECTRONIC ARTS, ARIOLASOFT TYPE: STRATEGY PLATFORM: ATARI 8-BIT, NES, IOS, ANDROID YEAR: 1983 The original battle chess, Archon takes high fantasy characters and throws them on a checkered board. Both sides host a unique cast of creatures: seeing light and dark represented by dexterous unicorns fighting fiery dragons or lumbering golems battling dolorous trolls. Movement is grid based with each tile providing an advantage for a matching colour, yet this is about as far as strategy will take you – as the real time battle system can often cause huge upsets. The “King” piece takes the form of a magic user, able to use spells instead of moving to heal, revive or teleport their team in order to gain the tactical advantage. Yet victory isn’t…

DEVELOPER: VALVE CORPORATION PUBLISHER: SIERRA STUDIOS TYPE: FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER PLATFORM: PC, XBOX, MAC, LINUX YEAR: 1999 Beginning as a humble mod of the ever popular Half-Life, Counter-Strike quickly became known as the quintessential FPS multiplayer experience; a mouthful, for sure, but the game’s simplicity is what allows it be so successful. Two teams – terrorists and counter-terrorists – face off, each with their own arsenal of weaponry and the ability to expand these as rounds progress. Success is governed by eliminating the opposing team or controlling a map: whether it be through planting or disarming a bomb, rescuing or securing hostages, or meeting any other prerequisite that might be set. While these modes offered a distinctive goal, it was important that they remained simple, as things always came down to…

DEVELOPER:NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: PLATFORMER PLATFORM: WII YEAR: 2007 Mario games are (almost) always a lot of big dumb fun, but Super Mario Galaxy is something else altogether. This game is a joy to play: it sparkles with infectious glee, skipping and flipping with such vivacity that it’s almost impossible not to get caught up in it. If you have any kind of a soul at all, it is almost guaranteed to make you giggle, big and loud and dumb, like an idiot schoolgirl: “HEE HEE HEE!” It’s a happy game and it wants you to be happy too. It also represents what is arguably a highpoint for the series in terms of level design. Liberated from the confines of gravity and a strictly contiguous world, Nintendo’s designers let their…

DEVELOPER: CCP GAMES PUBLISHER: CCP GAMES TYPE: MMORPG PLATFORM: PC, MAC, LINUX YEAR: 2003 When it comes to being transported to another world, it’s hard to find one as dense and engrossing as EVE Online. The amount of hours this game requires for any form of success is insane, but it’s all due to the complicated nature of the community driven sandbox. Players have a generous amount of control by any game’s standards: huge political alliances are formed, user generated banks rise to manage the complicated economy and epic fleets are built over years and years of hard work. Yet with this control comes a surprising lack of boundaries. Where in other games you’d get banned for certain shady behaviour, EVE rewards the clever rogue. Key bankers have embezzled billions…

DEVELOPER: NANAON-SHA PUBLISHER: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TYPE: RHYTHM PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION, PSP YEAR: 1996 The father of all rhythm games, PaRappa the Rapper is simultaneously original, whacky and fun. Forget microphones, this isn’t about a bunch of tone-deaf gamers dishing out terrible rhymes, but rather utilising the PS1 controller to support main dawg PaRappa on his mission to become “the man with the master plan”. Under the tutelage of characters like Chop Chop Master Onion, players must match button combinations with beats in call and response situations. Tunes jump between straight rap, hip-hop, and reggae as they take the influential young pup through everyday life lessons like getting his driver’s licence, learning kung fu and even falling asleep at the wheel. Not only does this quasi coming of age narrative gives…

DEVELOPER: TREASURE, G.REV PUBLISHER: TREASURE, SEGA, ESP SOFTWARE, ATARI TYPE: SHOOTER PLATFORM: ARCADE, DREAMCAST, GAMECUBE, XBLA YEAR: 2001 Ikaruga won’t blow you away with originality, but it’s a rare example of meticulous design that you won’t find in many other titles. It all comes down to pure simplicity: the screen is limited to a vertical tube, with excess screen room being blacked out on the left and right; controls are tight and responsive; and gameplay revolves around a simple black and white mechanic. Enemies make up one of the two colours, with the players ship being able to switch between each. Having the same colour means devastating damage done to foes, whilst also allowing players to absorb incoming attacks in order to charge their special meter. The downside? They are…

DEVELOPER: FROM SOFTWARE PUBLISHER: NAMCO BANDAI TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: PS3, XBOX 360, PC YEAR: 2011 The armoured bull bellows and charges, its enormous horns aimed squarely at your fragile little body. One hit from this rampaging monster was enough to almost kill you. Another will certainly finish the job. You’re out of Estus, you’ve got no firebombs, and 2000 souls to lose. You’re frazzled and frustrated. And then something magical happens. With a precisely timed roll, you dodge the beast’s assault and leap at it from behind, driving your spear into its spine. As you watch its life literally fade away before your eyes, you clench your firsts and yell: “Eat it, you bastard! I GOT YOU.” Moments like these – these jump-from-the-couch, fist-pumping moments of bloodthirsty elation – represent…

DEVELOPER: PLATINUM PUBLISHER: SEGA/NINTENDO TYPE: BEAT-EM-UP PLATFORM: PS3, XBOX 360, WII U YEAR: 2009 Bayonetta is gratuitous. It is ridiculous and obscene and nonsensical in the extreme. Its titular protagonist is a bootylicious witch with weaponised hair and guns strapped to her stilettos. She is an assassin hired by devils to kill angels and her preferred method of dispatching her targets is to transform her hair into an enormous gnashing serpent and consume them whole like cocktail wienies. Because her clothes are also made of hair, executing this attack leaves Bayonetta almost completely naked. See what we’re saying? Gratuitous. Obscene. Nonsensical. And totally, totally awesome. But craziness isn’t the only thing Bayonetta has going for it. The brainchild of Hideki “Devil May Cry” Kamiya, this is one of the tightest…

DEVELOPER: INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: GAMECUBE YEAR: 2004 Gamer or not, everyone’s crossed paths with Nintendo’s rockstar plumber at some point, but whether they’ve tackled his RPG adventures is a different story. Building on its previous iteration, Thousand-Year Door sees Mario traipsing through a paper thin world in order to rescue the princess from someone other than Bowser. Joined by a host of unlikely companions, such as a ponytailed Goomba who can tattle on enemies, a timid Koopa who loves breakdancing, and a sultry Cloud Spirit full of hot air, Mario leaves his reckless head bopping ways behind, opting for an active turn-based system instead. Fights play out onstage, with crowd participation creating an ebb and flow to the farcical combat. Audience members throw helpful items or…

DEVELOPER: KLEI ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT STUDIOS TYPE: STEALTH PLATFORM: PC, XBOX 360 YEAR: 2012 The weird thing about videogame ninjas is that they’re seldom very ninjaish. Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu, Ninja Blade’s Ken, Shinobi’s Joe Musashi… they all look like ninjas, sure, but they don’t really act like ninjas. Instead of being stealthy killers that strike from the shadows, they’re more like bloodthirsty berzerkers, chopping down anyone and anything unfortunate enough to get in their way. Mark of the Ninja’s unnamed protagonist is the exception that proves the rule. He’s a master of stealth, darting silently from shadow to shadow, using misdirection and fear to keep hapless guards in a state of confusion until the perfect opportunity to strike presents itself. Uninterested in brawls, he is the king of the silent…

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO EAD GROUP NO. 2 PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: THIRD-PERSON SHOOTER PLATFORM: WII U YEAR: 2015 A non-violent multiplayer shooter, Splatoon splashes colour all over the genre’s ever monotonous greys and browns. Two teams face off in an isolated arena. Armed with three types of weapons – a main, a sub and a special – both sides aim to flood levels with their respective colours before time runs out, kind of like a dog that pisses on everything. Enemy players can be forced back to respawn points by being soaked in ink, causing them to explode in a burst of goo. Yet this is only a temporary solution, as these aren’t regular kids, they’re Inklings, with the ability to dive into the floor and swim at great speeds through their…

DEVELOPER: SMILEBIT PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: ACTION-PLATFORMYSPORTS THINGY PLATFORM: DREAMCAST, PC, XBLA, PSN ETC. YEAR: 2000 Few games have stood the test of time better than Jet Set Radio. With its vibrant cel-shaded visuals, impossibly funky soundtrack, and uniquely subversive premise, it feels as fresh and relevant today as it did when it was released 15 years ago. This is Sega at the top of its game: confident in its voice and unafraid to take risks and pursue the new – even at the expense of mass-market appeal. And though it saddens us to say so, it’s easy to see why JSR never found the mainstream success it so clearly deserved. It’s an odd game and just a little bit too counter-cultural for conservative tastes. Look at who you’re playing: a…

DEVELOPER: HAL LABORATORY PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: FIGHTING PLATFORM: GAMECUBE YEAR: 2001 Nintendo is responsible for some of gaming’s most recognisable faces, so a title that brought these superstars together was inevitable. Yet the fact that Super Smash Bros managed to be more than mere fan service – rather providing a fresh, accessible brawler – surprised gamers the world over. It wasn’t long before Smash 64 became an a-lister party game; but when Melee rocked around, things changed. While the game remained as accessible as ever, controls became honed, mechanics tightened – making room for more serious players to take root. Advanced techniques like the ability to wavedash or DI (directional influence) divided casual and competitive gamers, creating a nuanced battle of timing and skill over the button bashing smash-fest it…

DEVELOPER: KUNOS SIMULAZIONI PUBLISHER: 505 GAMES TYPE: RACING SIMULATOR PLATFORM: PC, XB1, PS4 YEAR: 2014 Simulating reality is a huge ask. We’re still a long way from perfection as – let’s face it – making someone in their living room feel like they’re on the track is fairly ambitious. Assetto Corsa understands this. It may not be as pretty as other games, nor have as many vehicles, but it stands out among its competitors because it focuses on the points that really matter. First of all, it’s made for a racing wheel: the force feedback is hectic (and haptic), with hairpin turns causing you to literally fight against the wheel for control, unlike the underwhelming rumble of most titles. Pit stops, which are as crucial to racing strategy as the…

DEVELOPER: MOJANG PUBLISHER: MOJANG, MICROSOFT STUDIOS, SONY COMPUTER ENETERTAINMENT TYPE: SANDBOX PLATFORM: EVERYTHING THAT’S NOT NINTENDO YEAR: 2011 If you haven’t encountered Minecraft yet you’re living wrong. The procedurally generated open world sandbox is a playground of possibilities, and one that is so malleable it’s able to shift with every turn gaming seems to take. Currently appearing on a ridiculous number of platforms, the build-it-how-you-see-it title draws upon our basic instinct to create. Middle Earth, Azeroth, and even a fully mapped out Death Star are but some of the amazing user-created content this title has spawned, not to mention a working 16-bit computer. But creation is only one aspect of the title, with other players focusing on exploring, adventure, combat or taking part in fan made multiplayer minigames. What the…

DEVELOPER: KCET PUBLISHER: KONAMI TYPE: ACTION-PLATFORMER PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION, SATURN, XBLA, PSN YEAR: 1997 Symphony of the Night was a radical departure for Castlevania: a thorough and inspired reinvention that would define the trajectory of the entire series for years to come. You see, before SoTN, Castlevania was a fairly standard side-scrolling action-platformer: levels were self-contained and character progression non-existent. Realising this venerable formula had passed its expiry date, directors Toru Hagihara and Koji Igarashi looked to the Nintendo classics Zelda and Super Metroid for inspiration, introducing rudimentary RPG mechanics and replacing individual levels with a single vast, nonlinear overworld. Thus the “Metroidvania” was born, and – with the exception of a few less-than-memorable oddities – the series hasn’t looked back since. Just as importantly, SoTN is the first game in…

DEVELOPER: SEGA, ANCIENT PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: BEAT ‘EM UP PLATFORM: ARCADE, MEGA DRIVE, XBLA, PSN YEAR: 1991 More 80s than the 80s, Streets of Rage 2 blends cutoffs with neon nightlife as a cast of hip teens take to the streets to clear out the trash. The city is overrun with criminals – AGAIN – and original fighter Adam has been kidnapped. Old hats Blaze and Axel return as playable characters, joined this time around by newcomers Eddie “Skate” Hunter and a big grappling lad named Max Thunder. The quintessential beat ‘em up, Streets of Rage 2 stands out in the series as it discards the previous game’s handicap system, working to differentiate characters via unique move and skill-sets. Tweaks like Skate’s ability to dash if the right D-pad is…

DEVELOPER: CLIMAX ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: ACTION RPG PLATFORM: SEGA MEGA DRIVE YEAR: 1992 At first LandStalker looks a lot like its RPG brethren – a fantasy character fighting fantasy monsters in a top down fantasy world. Yet take a closer look and you’ll find something a little more surprising. Gameplay is incredibly active, with the ability to jump drastically changing navigation. Flat levels suddenly become vertical playgrounds as platforming elements allow players to climb and descend like no other fantasy title of its time. Combat is in real time, with sword swings being triggered at the push of a button, and random encounters are thrown to the dust – for LandStalkers enemies stand brazenly out in the open. And boy does it look good. Environments are expertly rendered, with…

DEVELOPER: Q ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: BANDAI TYPE: RHYTHM-PUZZLE PLATFORM: PSP, PS2, PC, XBLA ETC. YEAR: 2004 Lumines is bliss. Playing it – particularly with headphones on – is an experience comparable to contemplating a Zen koan. It sends you into a meditative trance, purging your mind of any concern that isn’t directly related to the arrangement of falling multicoloured blocks. In crass, earthly terms, it’s a puzzle game a bit like Tetris: multicoloured blocks fall from the sky and your job is to arrange them into single-coloured squares. Unlike Tetris, though, Lumines features a soundtrack of top-shelf electronica that rhythmically regulates the action on-screen. A line – called the “timeline” – sweeps across the screen in tempo with the music, clearing away completed blocks. If there aren’t any blocks to clear,…

DEVELOPER: PIRANHA BYTES PUBLISHER: JOWOOD ENTERTAINMENT, ATARI TYPE: ACTION RPG PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 2002 When it comes to open world fantasy adventures, the Gothic series is criminally overlooked. It achieves so much, especially considering when it was released. Characters are free to grow however they like, with the ability to wield a vast array of weaponry alongside many forms of magic. Different world factions, such as dragon hunters, mages, and templars, make the world feel vibrant and alive while the choices you make have tangible rewards/consequences. Yet what makes this series so clever is that skill-point allocation isn’t purely about buffing – it is physically noticeable. Sword fighting, for instance, is a real-time mix of chaining the right moves together to block, parry or dodge, alongside four different directional attacks.…

DEVELOPER: SEGA AM2 PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: FIGHTER PLATFORM: ARCADE, PC, PSN, XBLA YEAR: 1994 The large array of sequels in this list are proof that gaming doesn’t suffer from ‘sequelitis’ quite as much as some like to believe, and Virtua Fighter is the perfect example of a second game done right. As one of the first games to enter the 3D world, Virtua Fighter already had a unique push – but its focus on a rock, paper, scissors style of gameplay is what really set it apart form other titles. With more control, a smoother frame rate and a much needed graphic overhaul, Virtua Fighter 2 takes what made its predecessor so good, and simply does it better. Staying true to its nature, there are still no magical fireballs, rib-crushing…

DEVELOPER: BIOWARE PUBLISHER: LUCASARTS TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: XBOX, PC, IOS, ANDROID YEAR: 2003 In hindsight, it’s hard not to regard Knights of the Old Republic as a kind of prototype for Mass Effect. Both are space-opera RPGs that follow implausibly charismatic protagonists and their mixed-species entourage as they traipse from planet to planet in a bid to stop galaxy-ending evil. Both feature real-time combat that can be paused at whim, dichotomous morality systems, and a hub ship where all your companions stand around waiting for you to solve their personal problems. Both were directed by Casey Hudson and star Jennifer Hale and Raphael Sbarge. But of course the big difference between the two is KOTOR is freakin STAR WARS. It’s lightsabers and wookies and blasters that go pew pew pew.…

DEVELOPER: SILICON KNIGHTS PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: SURVIVAL HORROR PLATFORM: GAMECUBE YEAR: 2002 Survival horror games often see players walking down dark hallways, dreading what they might find around the next corner. Eternal Darkness is no exception, yet what actually lurks in the darkness is quite out of the ordinary by any game’s standards. While the generation-spanning story still offers up plenty of traditional ghouls, ghosts, and villains, these only act as a catalyst for the real scares, seen as characters slowly begin to lose their minds. Strange things start to happen – and not only to the characters – but to the players themselves: televisions will suddenly mute during important dialogue, controllers will disconnect just as a zombie horde strikes, or, most horrible of all, game data will seemingly delete…

DEVELOPER: SENSIBLE SOFTWARE PUBLISHER: OCEAN SOFTWARE TYPE: SHOOT-EM-UP PLATFORM: AMSTRAD, C64, SPECTRUM, AMIGA ETC. YEAR: 1987 Ah, the 80s: when a few pasty garage-dwelling weirdoes could make a game about a magic laser-shooting cabbage and have it published by a major software distributor. Wizball is a strange game: the kind of game that is very obviously the product of severe technical limitations and a great deal of hallucinogenic substances. You are the eponymous Wiz: a wizard whose planet has been invaded and turned monochrome by a race of evil aliens. Apparently lacking other options, Wiz turns himself into the aforementioned laser-shooting magic cabbage and collects paint from the aliens he destroys, which he then uses to restore his planet to its natural, multichromatic glory. But don’t let its weirdness fool…

DEVELOPER: UNITED GAME ARTISTS PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: RHYTHM SHOOTER PLATFORM: DREAMCAST, PS2, XBOX 360 YEAR: 2001 An abstract rail-shooter set in a Tronish computer generated universe, Rez combines electronica with mutating gridwork visuals to create an arresting audiovisual experience unlike anything else. It overwhelms the senses, intermingling sound, sight, and touch to create a kind of synthetic synaesthesia – the hallmark of designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. When it comes down to it, you don't really play Rez so much as you experience it. Yes, there are goals, and enemies, and levels and so on, but they're very much secondary to the simple pleasure of BEING in this captivating digital landscape, of floating along its glowing vertices, of letting the sound and visuals wash over and consume you. Indeed, the truly great…

DEVELOPER: FIRAXIS GAMES PUBLISHER: 2K GAMES, ASPYR TYPE: TURN-BASED STRATEGY PLATFORM: PC, LINUX, MAC YEAR: 2010 The Civilization series has been breaking new ground since its inception in 1991. So much so that over the years lead designers from each iteration have branched off to create iconic titles such as Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, and Spore. Yet instead of becoming lost in the 4X crowd, Civilization V has cemented itself as one of the most polished strategy games ever created. Spanning from the dawn of time to the distant future, players take control of a historic leader as they set out to control a procedurally generated world. Leaders need to make a wealth of choices: ranging from passive decisions, like what technologies to research, to the more active…

DEVELOPER: ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE TYPE: FPS PLATFORM: PS2, XBOX YEAR: 2006 Urban Chaos: Riot Response is a riotous (literally) first-person shooter set in a kind of near future suburban Armageddon. A gang of Warriors-esque terrorists called The Burners has overrun an unnamed American metropolis. As Nick Mason, head of the newly-formed anti-terrorist group T-Zero, your goal is to take the terrorists down by whatever means necessary. What sets Urban Chaos apart from other, similarly scenarioed first person shooters is it’s gleeful disdain for realism and emphasis on micro-objectives: fun little tasks like “Get 10 headshots in a row” that infuse minute-to-minute gameplay with a sense of purpose beyond simply getting to the end of the level. Completing micro-objectives unlocks better equipment and weapons with which to tackle harder…

DEVELOPER: SCE SANTA MONICA STUDIO PUBLISHER: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TYPE: THIRD-PERSON ACTION ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PS3, PS4 YEAR: 2010 The fifth game in the series but the seventh and final in its chronology, God of War III pushes the franchise's trademark action to its apex. Kratos marches on Olympus with Titans in tow, ripping, tearing and maiming all your favourite Grecian myths with a guttural roar. His new arsenal of weapons cleverly expand combat beyond the Chains of Exile, with smooth changes allowing for seamless combos. The violence is unashamedly brutal, with quick-time finishers that can never be unseen (Poseidon’s and Herc’s brutal ends come to mind) yet with everything so beautifully rendered it’s hard to look away. Even though the story meddles and muddles traditional mythology, Kratos himself is a…

DEVELOPER: SEGA PUBLISHER: SEGA TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: MEGA DRIVE, PC, WII YEAR: 1993 From the epic music, to the tightly woven turn-based combat, the last instalment in the original Phantasy Star series is certainly our favourite. The world has suffered a great collapse, and planet Motvia has become a barren desert. Dune-esque sand worms hide amongst the yellow seas while Biomonsters are actively attacking the remaining population. But young hunter Chaz Ashley and his companions are on the case, fending off hordes of monsters to find out who’s truly responsible for the sorry state of things. Enemies come as varied as you would hope from a sci-fi setting, with bug-like monstrosities standing aside dark magicians and hostile robots. Narrative cut-scenes are told through a series of manga-style panel illustrations, making…

DEVELOPER: NAMCO PUBLISHER: NAMCO TYPE: THIRD-PERSON PUZZLER PLATFORM: PS2, PSN YEAR: 2004 Explaining Katamari Damacy to someone who has never played it is kind of strange. You are the Prince of All Cosmos, a tiny tube headed green kid who dances with pandas and lives in a castle in space. In order to help your father – the King of All Cosmos – recover from a drunken bender, you must push a ball around on Earth in order to collect stuff and make stars that will fill the sky. You know, pretty standard. Gameplay focuses around a snowball mechanic, you roll said Katamari ball across a field of everyday objects to make it grow in size, and as it does you’re able to attach bigger and bigger objects – but…

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER: EA TYPE: SHOOT-EM-UP PLATFORM: MEGA DRIVE, SNES, AMIGA, PSP ETC. YEAR: 1992 Designed by a mechanical engineering PhD with no prior experience making videogames, Desert Strike is a 2D isometric shoot-em-up based loosely on the Gulf War. In it, you play as an attack helicopter on a solo mission to bring down a Saddam Hussein-esque Middle Eastern dictator. Unusually for the time, stages were sandboxish and designed to be approached in a nonlinear fashion. The game would simply give you some objectives (take out the X, rescue the Y) and leave it up to you to decide how and in what order to achieve them. Because fuel and ammo were both strictly limited, planning was essential: going gung-ho was a recipe for disaster, especially in the later…

DEVELOPER: CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, NIXXES SOFTWARE BV PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION, PC, DREAMCAST YEAR: 1999 Third person action games were in a weird transitional phase in the late 90s. They had incredible vision, yet lacked the hardware to support it. That’s why revisiting a title like Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver can be a bit of a drag. But a game should be judged by the sum of its parts, and Soul Reaver’s strength comes from its rich lore, engrossing storytelling and strong characters. Kain, the protagonist of the first title, has risen to a kingly state amongst vampires, yet when Raziel, his loyal servant, surpasses him on the evolutionary front, he casts him out into the pits of hell. What follows is an ambitious adventure that pushes the Playstation…

DEVELOPER: CLOVER STUDIO PUBLISHER: CAPCOM TYPE: ACTION ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PS2, PS3, WII YEAR: 2006 Drawing inspiration from the Legend of Zelda series, Okami manages to take a well-worn formula and thoroughly improve upon it. Demons are on the loose, so Okami “Ammy” Amaterasu – Goddess of the Sun – descends from the heavens in the guise of a stoic white wolf. Every screen from the game is a tapestry in itself, as the rich art-style draws upon both Japanese watercolour and woodcarving techniques, emboldened when paired aside its classical Japanese soundtrack. Yet the game’s combat is where it really impresses, with Ammy’s attacks being dictated by the Celestial Brush, a sacred item that allows players to draw glyphs onscreen to control attacks, summon elements and alter their surroundings. This mechanic…

DEVELOPER: NAMCO PUBLISHER: NAMCO TYPE: RACING PLATFORM: ARCADE, PLAYSTATION, PSP YEAR: 1993 Before its legacy was buried under a series of E3 memes, Ridge Racer was responsible for some huge changes to the racing genre. It was the first game to introduce the simulation element to arcade racers, with players being offered a manual or automatic experience. Cars felt fast and were able to switch between first and third person views, while a cheesy commentator would announce laps and time management. It was the first title to introduce drifting as a mechanic in order to maintain speed, it was also the first mass market video game to use texture-mapped 3D graphics – which meant for the time it looked crazy good. Namco even sold it as “the most realistic driving…

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO EAD PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: UNDEFINED PLATFORM: SNES, WII, WII U YEAR: 1990 Not quite simulator, not quite action, this strange SNES launch title floats somewhere between the lofty realms of definition. To attain a pilot’s license players must perform simple tasks like landing or taking off a plane; both of which can prove surprisingly challenging – but never frustrating. Controls are minimal, with the directional pad controlling angles while a single button performs an action, like breaking or opening a parachute. The zen nature of the game make it almost a meditative experience – even when tasked with jumping bodily out of a plane with the goal to parachute safely onto a target. Those moments of 16-bit free fall, angling your body ever so slightly or somersaulting through…

DEVELOPER: RETRO STUDIOS PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: METROIDVANIA PLATFORM: GAMECUBE, WII, WII U YEAR: 2002 When Metroid Prime was revealed for the first time in 2000, Metroid fans – including many of us here at Hyper – were aghast. It had been six years since Super Metroid, and after all that time, this was what Nintendo had to offer? A first-person shooter? What were they thinking? But as it turned out, Metroid Prime was not an FPS at all. It simply took the exploration/collect-em-all formula perfected in Super Metroid and translated it into stunning first-person 3D. Even today, Prime stands as an intensely atmospheric experience: entering the Chozo Artefact Temple for the first time as rain drops snake their way down your visor and a cosmic hymn wafts through the air…

DEVELOPER: LOOKING GLASS STUDIOS PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE TYPE: STEALTH PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 2000 It might come as a surprise to some, but the original Thief found its origins amidst a sword fighting simulator. The developers were never truly happy with the combat mechanics they had created, so they pushed these aside in favour of stealth focused gameplay. Thus the Thief series was born, with the first title being responsible for most of the celebrated gameplay elements – and yet Thief II seems to be the game that steals the most hearts. By doing away with the more action oriented sequences of the first, Thief II opts for a truly stealth driven experience, placing a strong focus on sneaking and, more importantly, actual thieving. Everything and anything should be stolen, with…

DEVELOPER: DATA EAST PUBLISHER: DATA EAST, BALLY MIDWAY TYPE: PUZZLE PLATFORM: ARCADE, NES, XBLA, PSN YEAR: 1982 Games don’t always make sense. Take BurgerTime for instance: frantic chef, Peter Pepper, runs around kicking ingredients off platforms in order to make four delicious (and might we add, giant) burgers. Surly sausages and enraged eggs chase him about, eager to ruin the menu, only to be thwarted by a few precious handfuls of Peter’s perilous pepper or crushed beneath a giant burger filling. There are literally hundreds of other scenarios this gameplay could have slotted into, but for some reason we’re glad it ended up in this crazy world. The goal is to complete the menu without falling prey to your culinary pursuers, but while enemies can be defeated, the trick lies…

DEVELOPER: GAME FREAK PUBLISHER: THE POKÉMON COMPANY TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: GAME BOY, GAME BOY COLOUR, 3DS YEAR: 1999 The core mechanics of the Pokémon series haven’t changed much over the years. Sure, we now have 3D landscapes and an ability to parade our pocket monsters around like spoilt Honey Boo Boos, but Gold & Silver had just the right balance of everything. These are titles of firsts: with the introduction of the night and day cycle, trainers now have to plan ahead to catch special pokémon that only appear at certain times; dual elemental types allow for more diverse combat options; and the friendship/ happiness mechanic srengthens player relationships with their little battling buds. The starter Pokémon are solid, and the 251 available pokémon is not only a manageable number,…

DEVELOPER: SQUARESOFT PUBLISHER: SQUARESOFT TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: SNES, PLAYSTATION, DS, IOS ETC. YEAR: 1995 Developed by a “dream-team” of gaming industry superstars – including the creators of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Dragon Ball Z – Chrono Trigger is a work of staggering genius: a game so far ahead of the curve in all respects that it’s (ironically enough) essentially timeless. With an endearing cast of memorable heroes and villains, a complex but remarkably tight narrative, genuinely beautiful visuals, and one of the best game soundtracks ever written, it’s an artistic tour de force that – in our opinion – remains unequalled in all of Square’s voluminous back catalogue. But more importantly than that, Chrono Trigger is also mechanically flawless, featuring an accessible and engrossing turn-based combat system, robust character…

DEVELOPER: TEAM MEAT PUBLISHER: TEAM MEAT TYPE: PLATFORMER PLATFORM: PC, MAC, PS4, PSV YEAR: 2010 A game that’s made for speed running, Super Meat Boy is a love letter to platformers everywhere. All elements of its clever design are in some way a homage to the well-worn genre: from cut-scenes that mimic the greats, to gameplay mechanics that draw from a lifetime of jump puzzling. Levels take the form of fast-paced challenges that require players to successfully navigate through a series of spinning, chopping and crushing objects. Quick resets and level transitions make death fleeting, keeping things as fluid and well-paced as the immaculate movement mechanics themselves. For a game with this much blood, the characters are far cuter than they should be. The evil Dr Fetus – an ill-mannered…

DEVELOPER: ID SOFTWARE PUBLISHER: GT INTERACTIVE TYPE: FPS PLATFORM: EVERYTHING YEAR: 1992 Aw c’mon… we don’t need to tell you about Doom, do we? It’s DOOM, for god’s sake. The game that pretty much invented first-person shooters. Yes, fine: stuff like Maze War and Ultima Underworld and Wolfenstein all came out before it, but it was Doom that propelled the FPS into mainstream consciousness, cementing it as the premier genre on PC for more than a decade. Doom was imps and pinkies and Barons of Hell and ARGH HOLY SHIT IT’S A CYBERDEMON RUN RUN RUN. It was the shotty and the chaingun and the glorious, screen-clearing BFG turning a horde of screeching demons into harmless piles of viscera and goo. Doom was the shit – IS the shit, as…

DEVELOPER: LUCAS POPE PUBLISHER: LUCAS POPE TYPE: DYSTOPIAN DOCUMENT THRILLER PLATFORM: PC, IOS YEAR: 2013 Papers, Please is a grim, unpleasant game. It isn’t fun – it isn’t something you play to relax after a hard day at work. It is work. You are a checkpoint inspector working for the fictional but all-too-real totalitarian regime of Arstotzka. Your job is to inspect the paperwork of travellers attempting to cross the border and ensure everything’s up to snuff and on the up and up. Again, if this sounds like soul-crushing bureaucratic gruntwork, it’s because it is soul-crushing bureaucratic gruntwork. Papers, Please is a poignant demonstration of what Hannah Arendt famously calls the “banality of evil”. It makes you a solitary cog in a vast unfeeling machine and challenges you to retain…

DEVELOPER: INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: PARTY PLATFORM: WII YEAR: 2006 There are zany, crazy, ridiculous games and then there is WarioWare – Nintendo’s take on a Japanese variety show. Despite his ties to Mario, Wario’s self-made mini-games leave the Mushroom Kingdom behind in exchange for the real world… well, quasi-real world. Characters like Jimmy T jive with a legion of disco kitties as players manipulate the Wiimote – known here as the “Form Baton” – in various positions to complete bite-sized tasks. High-fiving dogs, balancing brooms or shoving false teeth into an old lady’s mouth are just a few examples of the bizarre missions players must perform, made hectic by quick transitions under a gruelling timer. It’s a title best experienced with friends, passing the Wiimote among a group…

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO TYPE: FIGHTING PLATFORM: SNES, WII/WII U VIRTUAL CONSOLE YEAR: 1994 Before Street Fighter cornered the market in fighting games starring vaguely racist stereotypes, there was Punch Out!! – Nintendo’s annoyingly punctuated NES/arcade title that played a bit like a rhythm game sans music. Viewed from directly behind your transparent (or tiny in the NES’s case) boxer man, each bout was essentially a boss fight where you’d observe your opponents, predict their patterns, and then beat them senseless. It was good cartoony fun. In 1994, Nintendo followed up with Super Punch Out!! for the Super Nintendo. Again empowered with exclamation marks, it was more of the same, but better looking and with way more opponents. In addition to returning fighters from the arcade/NES originals, SPO featured a…

DEVELOPER: SUPERSONIC SOFTWARE PUBLISHER: 505 GAMES TYPE: PARTY/RACING PLATFORM: PS3, XBOX 360 YEAR: 2012 Wrecked is a top-down combat racer where the goal is to eliminate your opponents by either outracing them or destroying them. Have you played any of the old Micro Machines games? Well it’s like those, but purely competitive. Simplicity is its chief virtue: five minutes is all it takes to grasp the basics, and then it’s just you and your mates hooning all over the place, blowing the shit out of each other with machine guns and homing rockets, trash-talking like your lives depend on it. In other words, Wrecked is the perfect party game – the kind of game that creates bitter rivalries and lasting memories, the kind of game you’ll keep thinking about long…

DEVELOPER: TEAM ICO PUBLISHER: SONY TYPE: ACTION-ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PS2, PS3 YEAR: 2005 How is it that people doubt that videogames are art when games like Shadow of the Colossus exist? That anyone could think games are incapable of the same emotional depth as cinema and literature when something as hauntingly, tragically beautiful as this exists is baffling. The setup is: you are a young man named Wander. Mono, whom you are sworn to protect, lies comatose on a slab in a mystic cathedral. To awaken her you must travel the desolate Forbidden Land and slay the sixteen colossi: towering stonework beasts as fearsome as they are majestic. The colossi are massive things – even the smallest is larger than a minivan – but they all have a weak-point. The trick…

DEVELOPER: TAITO PUBLISHER: TAITO TYPE: PLATFORM RPG PLATFORM: ARCADE, TURBOGRAFX-16, MEGA DRIVE, YEAR: 1989 The late 80s/early 90s saw a huge amount of co-operative beat ‘em ups dropped on the arcade scene. These games did one thing well: beating on bad guys was fun, yet Cadash offered a multiplayer experience with a little more depth. Combining four player madness (over two system linked cabinets) with an epic fantasy world, players are thrust into the shoes of a fighter, mage, priest or ninja tasked with rescuing the King’s daughter from the evil Balrog. Character choices aren’t mere skins, but affect how you play, coming equipped with customisable gear, armour, and skills that improve as you level up. Each has their distinct advantages: the ninja, for instance, is faster than the others,…

DEVELOPER: TROIKA GAMES PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION TYPE: RPG PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 2004 Depending on how you look at it, Bloodlines is either one of the best games ever made or a colossal turd. The writing is brilliant, that much is incontestable. Troika’s twisting narrative goes to the heart of what makes the World of Darkness appealing: manipulation, deceit, treachery – politics. Not politics in the grand sense: it’s more like office politics, petty and parochial. There are no big ideas here, no heroic contest of ideologies. There is simply greed and naked ambition. Which is great. The problem is that, sans patches, Bloodlines is an unfinished mess. For the first 20 hours or so, it’s not a huge deal, but after that... things take a turn for the worse. Creative quests…

DEVELOPER: CAPCOM, KLEIN COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE, CAPCOM TYPE: FIGHTING PLATFORM: ARCADE, DREAMCAST, PSP YEAR: 2000 A brawler that wears its arcade origins with pride, Power Stone 2 pits four players against each other in three dimensional environments. Characters have an assortment of moves to draw from, but it’s often more fun to utilise one of the many weapons littered around the landscape – or even use the landscape itself – to effectively mess up your foes. It’s a survival of the fittest, with the simple goal to keep your health bar above zero, but by far the most exciting part comes from the ever changing level design. One particular stage sees contestants battling it out on a crumbling airship. The playable area grows smaller and smaller, eventually collapsing…

DEVELOPER: GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE PUBLISHER: CAPCOM TYPE: ACTION-ADVENTURE/ RAIL SHOOTER PLATFORM: GAMECUBE, PLAYSTATION 2 YEAR: 2005 As far as auteur directors are concerned, Goichi Suda aka Suda51 is one of gaming’s finest. His distinctive style blends whacky with hyper-cool, often seeing quirky characters in the middle of over-the-top violent scenarios. Killer7 follows not one, but seven of these characters as they shoot, stab and explode their way through an intricate noir conspiracy that blurs the lines between good and evil, black and white, or “what the hell is going on?” and “yeah, ok I get it”. The characters in question are all assassins from the Smith Syndicate, dressed to the nines in stylish attire that they’re not afraid to get dirty. Each has unique characteristics and weapons such as the silent…

DEVELOPER: WESTWOOD STUDIOS PUBLISHER: VIRGIN INTERACTIVE TYPE: RTS PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION, PSN YEAR: 1996 It’s been almost 20 years since Red Alert came out and in that time there hasn’t been a single game with a more memorable opening cinematic. We can see it now: Einstein... Hitler... “sooner or later time vill tell”... then the tromp of boots, that badass bassline… and Hell March: glorious Hell March, the soundtrack for ending an empire one base at a time. The great thing about Red Alert is that it was so ridiculous and at the same time so utterly earnest and unironic. The sequels were all good fun, but they were too self-aware, too focused on their own overt zaniness: Red Alert wasn’t trying to be wacky… it just was. It was…

DEVELOPER: ALTERACTION PUBLISHER: ALTERACTION TYPE: DRAMA PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 2002 Masq is a strange little project that is often overlooked due to its simple presentation. Released as an episodic free to play flash game, Masq combines pulpy comic art with choose-your-own-adventure storytelling. The game puts you in the slick clothes of an up and coming fashion designer, just days before a show that could make or break your career. The prospect might seem pretty bland at first, but the everyday scenario quickly escalates into a tale full of deception, intrigue, sex and action. Playing the game will take you an hour at most, but the options vary so much that you can replay the story through multiple times without seeing the same scenes twice. You may end up beaten and…

DEVELOPER: CHUNSOFT PUBLISHER: SPIKE TYPE: VISUAL NOVEL PLATFORM: DS, IOS, YEAR: 2009 First in what is now referred to as the “Zero Escape” series, 999 is a strange and unrelentingly bleak visual novel reminiscent of horror thrillers like Saw and Cube. The premise is simple: you and eight others have been kidnapped by a masked psychopath and trapped in a derelict ship that is rigged to sink in nine hours. On the ship are nine locked doors, each with its own series of puzzles. Your goal is to solve the puzzles, get the keys, open the doors, and escape before the ship is consigned to a watery grave. Complicating matters somewhat is the fact that you and your newfound companions have each swallowed a bomb. Break the rules of the…

DEVELOPER: TAITO PUBLISHER: TAITO TYPE: SHOOTING GALLERY PLATFORM: ARCADE, NES, MASTER SYSTEM, COMMODORE 64 YEAR: 1987 A classic shooter with heavy Rambo tones, Operation Wolf’s original arcade cabinet was known for its accuracy. Interestingly enough, the mounted uzi attached wasn’t a light gun, but rather mapped via the spatial positioning of the barrel, with an in-built motor allowing for some hectic recoil. Since those days, the game has become one of the most ported games of all-time, with only a few of these (the NES, Spectrum and Sega Mega Drive versions) supplying light gun capabilities. But gun or no gun, the side-scrolling shooting gallery is still hard to top, with troops, tanks and helicopters providing an endless assault of targets to mow down. Each level has a mission: get the…

DEVELOPER: DYNAMIX, GAME ARTS PUBLISHER: SIERRA ON-LINE TYPE: ACTION ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PC, MAC, SEGA CD YEAR: 1990 Do androids dream of electric sheep? Does William “Blade” Hunter dream of Rick Deckard? The year is 2053, LA is a gritty cyberpunk hell full of low-lifes, two bit thugs and hermits that preach doom on the streets. The mayor’s rebellious daughter has OD’d on a new drug – MZT – and Blade, ex-cop turned private dick, is on the case. This point and click adventure puts players under the timer, with decision and indecision sending them towards a vast number of possible outcomes, most of which are extremely unpleasant for the gritty detective. Hunter must work through a number of mysteries, including the riddle of his struggling relationship with girlfriend Karyn, all…

DEVELOPER: KONAMI PUBLISHER: KONAMI TYPE: TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ACTION PLATFORM: PS2/3, XBOX 360, 3DS, VITA YEAR: 2004 The first thing you need to know about MGS3 is that it’s the best Metal Gear Solid bar none. It takes place in the thick of the Ukrainian wilderness – a unique backdrop that provides ample opportunity for Hideo Kojima to expand upon the stealth gameplay that is the hallmark of the franchise. The addition of mechanics such as the ability to hunt for food and equip camouflage make the world of MGS3 feel robust and dynamic. It’s like the environment isn’t just something you use to hide from guards – it’s a living entity that you need to cooperate with in order to succeed. Also, the jungle is just a really cool place…

DEVELOPER: WENDELL HICKEN TYPE: TURN-BASED SHOOTER PLATFORM: DOS YEAR: 1991 A shareware artillery title, Scorched Earth plays kind of like a tennis game with pixelated tanks. The first tank serves, adjusting the angle and power of its shot to account for the shape of the landscape and strength of the wind. If they miss, the opposing tank returns a volley, going back and forth until someone finally hits their target. The victor is rewarded with a cash bonus, which can be spent on upgrades to weapons and armour. Items like the heavy roller won’t detonate on impact, but rather roll down a slope until it reaches the bottom – ideal for tanks situated in a ravine; napalm spreads fiery death across the ground, catching foes that are just out of…

DEVELOPER: DENNATON GAMES PUBLISHER: DEVOLVER DIGITAL TYPE: SHOOT-EM-UP PLATFORM: PC, PS3/4, VITA YEAR: 2012 Hotline Miami is a top-down Nicolas Winding Refn action-scene simulator. You are a professional murderer. Somebody calls you on the phone, gives you an address – an apartment, a mansion, a nightclub – and you go and murder everyone there, as quickly and stylishly as you possibly can. Style is massively important to this game – obviously. The whole saturated-neon VHS vibe has been lifted wholesale from Drive but somehow manages to avoid feeling derivative or cliched. It’s gorgeous in its ugliness – brash and grotesque, not unlike Miami in the 1980s. Scarface’s Miami. Hotline Miami’s sense of style extends to its mechanics as well, which have been crafted to facilitate exquisitely satisfying killstreaks. Finesse is…

DEVELOPER: ACCESS SOFTWARE PUBLISHER: ACCESS SOFTWARE TYPE: ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PC YEAR: 1996 If you’ve been slugging away at any of BioWare’s titles of late, you may be interested to know that Tex Murphy is where these kinds of dialogue trees initially took root. Realised in glorious full motion video, The Pandora Directive follows the hard-boiled detective as he struggles to make ends meet. But our boy has bigger fish to fry, as the Black Arrow Killer is on the loose, the love of his life is becoming distant, and a strange, paranormal threat lurks in the shadows. Players navigate 3D spaces in first person, interrogating suspects or searching for clues that trigger cut-scenes and noiresque asides that are sometimes gritty and others hilarious. Branching dialogue options allow players to make…