Unsung Heroes of 2005

[krispyk]

Since there should be no new releases now until the New Year I thought it would be a good time to post a new topic.

There's much discussion on what the top titles of 2005 are but I am more interested in the games that probably havent received the attention they deserve.

What games have you enjoyed this year that havent been that high profile so far?


My sleeper hits of the year are -


Heroes of the Pacific - X-Box

A simple flying game of a similar nature to Secret Weapons over Normandy. I picked this up for ?19.99 in Game and although was sceptical at first found myself drawn in to it over a couple of days and was desperate to meet all the goals set in each mission. An impressive number of on screen opponents and decent graphics make this a rewarding game.

Sniper Elite - X-Box

Hugely underrated and didnt seem to get prominent shelf space on its release.
For those with a bit of patience this is a really good game and I have enjoyed it immensely.

[Lyris]

Does Psychonauts on the Xbox count as a sleeper hit?

[anephric]

Majesco cited it as a reason their profits increased Q1 05, so yes, presumably.

[112]

Id say farenheight was definatley a sleeper hit as i didnt even see it coming from under the wood work.

PS2 biohazard 4? no one thought it would be able to do it and do it well.

112

[Il Postino]

I thought Haunting Ground was quite good,

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=40685&page=1&pp=10&highlight=Haunting+Ground

It didn't exactly bother the charts, but of the people I know who played the game, most enjoyed it.

I've seen it going for less than a tenner, which seems like a good deal to me.

The Maid is very odd.

[MonkeyWrench]

I agree about Sniper Elite, a very good game. I'd also throw in Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, this is the scariest, most panic inducing game I've played this generation. Despite good reviews it has passed largely unnoticed.

[Kubrick]

Metal Gear AC!D (PSP) Not exactly a low profile game, so it probably doesn't deserve to be called a "sleeper hit" but its one that surprised me.

Upon release, it seemed to take quite a bashing in reviews and on forums before quickly disappeared under the carpet. So by the time I got around to playing it, I had read quite a lot of negative stuff and wasn't expecting too much from it - especially with it having teh OMG Cards!?! stuff, but once I got over that, I was very surprised at how much I actually liked it

[mr_sockochris]

Fahrenheit and Sniper Elite cerfainly deserve honourable mentions, but for me Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GC) has to be the most underappreciated game this year. I loved it to bit and has more fun with it than any other platformer over the past few years. I can't wait to see what the same team come up with in the future.

[Spatial]

I thought Haunting Ground was quite good,

The Maid is very odd.

Agreed, I really enjoyed it as well and it's a shame that it seemed to be mostly overlooked.

The whole Maid, mirrors, acid thing was really freaky - that woman has serious issues (along with the rest of the castle's inhabitants).

Plus the music when's she's on screen is like nails down a chalk board

[Kotatsu Neko]

Mario & Luigi 2! A superb game which seems to have got lost in the rush to play XB360, Mariokart, Animal Crossing etc.

[eastyy]

trapt for the ps2 was a nice suprise

[TheForce]

for me Forza was an unexpected dream come true,

and Call of Duty 2 for 360.... this game rocks !!

[112]

Agreed, I really enjoyed it as well and it's a shame that it seemed to be mostly overlooked.

The whole Maid, mirrors, acid thing was really freaky - that woman has serious issues (along with the rest of the castle's inhabitants).

Plus the music when's she's on screen is like nails down a chalk board

Yeah but i so definatley would! Aye a great game this (thanks m8!) Its all 3D too no pre-rendered ish. I can get annoying when your stuck on what to do and the inhabitants all keep popping up. Hey spatial, which one? the maid or the the character you play? I dunno somat about the maid gets the juices flowing.

112

[Kotatsu Neko]

for me Forza was an unexpected dream come true,

and Call of Duty 2 for 360.... this game rocks !!

Neither of which is exactly unsung though!

Wasn't COD2 the biggest selling launch game on 360..?

[Spatial]

Hey spatial, which one? the maid or the the character you play? I dunno somat about the maid gets the juices flowing.

The maid? You are a sick, sick man

The thing that unsettled me about Fiona is that she looks extremely young. The game indicates she's 18, but the whole thing made me feel uneasy and the game feels even crueller because of it.

The

->Open Spoiler<-

voyeuristic painting

bit in the beginning seemed all the more repulsive due to her young appearance, along with all the talk (and imagery) of

->Open Spoiler<-

getting her pregnant and removing the Azoth from her womb

- it just felt so very wrong.

I think it's also her naivety that enhances that image and makes the situations throughout the game all the more disturbing and unpalatable.