Games you may have missed (yes, it is a rip-off)

[davidjatt]

In the true style of a hack, I saw a good idea on this board (Films you may have missed), but found myself stupidly unable to contribute at all.  However, I thought of games that people may or may not have missed over time, so here is hoping it's an ok idea.

One that occurred to me was Urban Chaos, that came out on the PC in about 2000, I think.  I had the Playstation version, which gets a lot of stick apparently, but I found it one of the best tenners I have ever spent, even if it was ugly as sin.  They made another Urban Chaos game last year but, sadly, it had nothing to do with that first one.

[Peter Wolf]

   I thought the second urban chaos was very good. I vaguely remember the first one on PSone but never played it.

[Tex Hex]

Body Harvest on N64. An obvious Grand Theft Auto 3 forerunner, but with massive aliens. You could run about anywhere you liked, jump into any vehicle you liked (monster trucks, biplanes, tanks, speedboats etc.) , and all the (huge) worlds were dotted throughout time.

It had some really annoying bugs due to it's ambition but on the whole a very enjoyable game.

a quick search on wikipedia shows its GTA heritage (ie: Made by an ancestor of rockstar)

 
-Hex

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Harvest" target="_blank">body harvest

[James]

I see with the latest backwards compatability update for Xbox360 Jet Set Radio Future has made it in. It's probably not a game you'll have missed, but it's befinately a game worth playing if you haven't or again if you have.

[Buttonman]

Cheers saxondale, I'll take the compliment but in truth there is nothing new under the sun.

My golden age of gaming was Sega Megadrive and early PS1 when I had a flat on my own and often stayed up beyond 3am killing something. Then I played games!

I used to love Cannon Fodder (steady Monarch) where you plotted the path of a group of soldiers and had them complete missions. It was fiendishly hard with man traps and impossible jumps but totally addictive.

Recently I finished all 50 odd levels of 'Burger Rush' which was OK but felt like a job after a while. Free on Shockwave.

[Buddy]

I remember cannon fodder, wasn't that by the bitmap brothers??

Other bitmap brothers games were the chaos engin & speedball, in fact just about all bitmap brothers games were kick ass.

[ThryllSeekyr]

'Hogs of War' and 'Bloody Roar Two' were two games that kept me company and a Playstaion Two ( Which I still own.) whilst staying in caravan  living on my on a few years back.

I recall playing and completly all of 'Bloody Roars Two' staying up all night. A games with alot animal shapechangers.

 I actualley beat the game and did this playing evry single character. I had alot time on my hands.

'Hogs of War'. Just imagine Worms in 3D. Except it's got all types of Porcine (Pig) military at your disposal.

Rick Mayall lends his voice to this game. So there's alot of his witty comentry to be heard. Narrating and dialoge as well. He does all the piggish voices. It's very amusing.

I didn't finish the campaign, as spent more time just playing skirmish missons.

 

[davidjatt]

I have heard of (and wanted to play) all of the games mntioned, the only one I actually ever played there was Hogs of War, which was indeed brilliant.

[The Monarch]

cannon fodder was indeed a good game always had that tune stuck in my head for months on end.

A more recent game that you may have missed was Psychonauts

also if you have never played any of lucasarts point and click adventure games. The secret of monkey island being the most famous of them. go play now

[VampiraJen]

yeah urban chaos was good.  the other week i looked out a box with a load of old psone games in it.  cant believe i actually put legacy of kain:soul reaver in a box under the stairs.  top game.  question: were the ps2 sequals any good, coz for some odd reason i never played them.

[Peter Wolf]

  The urban chaos ps2 game was totally unconnected to the Ps1 game.

    Have you ever tried Tai Fu wrath of the Tiger ? Its very good with beautiful graphics and a different kung fu skill to learn on each level as you progress through the game.

[satchmo]

One of my favourites is Metal Marines on the SNES, it's a strategy game and an unusual hybrid of turn based and real time action. You can attack any time you like, if you have anything built to attack with that is, and all the time you're expecting the baddies to have another crack at you. It's brilliant.

Gregory Horror Show on PS2 is worth a look too, it's like a cross between Animal Crossing and Barton Fink, and is utterly mental.

[James]

Piece on Gregory Horror Show in this month's EDGE.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Peter Wolf. I once rented that game. Tui Fu.

Though, it's nothing like 'Bloody Roar'.

Looking up 'Urban Chaos'.

Didn't David Bowie do the soundtrack for that one?

This was one was on the now defunct 'DreamCast' console, wasn't it?

'MuckyFoot'

Weren't they a subsidary of 'Bullfrog'

Another game from the same company  which I managed to purchased was 'Startopia'.

Sort of like Dungeon-Keeper ( This is another good game.) set in space. Not so much a RTS as a God type game ( Like Populous.) There are quite few references to  'Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy'. Alot these references are part of the visual style of the game.

'Black N White' is another interesting a god game ( From a company derived from Bullfrog, called 'Lionshead Entertainment'.) Again almost identical to Populous, where you were the diety residing your people and their island. You could then choose anaimal to have as a giant pet creature that grows bigger and stronger if you look after and train it well. Sort like one those POkemon or Digimon creatures but with better visuals.

Another interesting game was 'Gaints: Citizen Kabuto'. A epic shooter that good enviromental visuals of archeiplegos, muti-coloured sunsets and alot of gags.

Some other games that can be brought cheaply and that you may still find enjoyable.

'Battle Realms'

Four clans, two of the them are Eastern and the other two amore western fantacy.

One of the first games to show  more realistic battle and mmovement anmations that looked more realistic. Spraying blood, dimemberment, and some very hmunerous dialoge as well. I rmebr spending alot time and money in the Competer cafe in Sydney on this game and decided to buy it when it was repackaged it as one of those ten dollar deals.

'Ghostmaster' Although not as well presented as the others, it still had it's hooks, in that it's concept was original where you were given a variety of ghosts/spooks to choose from and make into a team that would work together as they haunt houses, log cabins, mental asylums, frat houses, two-storey manshions, ocean liners and military barracks.

In each misson you were able to trigger off the fetters ( Their bond to this mortal realm.) of trapped spooks that you could add to your arsenal of creepy weirdos for the harder missions further on.

Link: http://www.spore.com/index.php" target="_blank">Look out for  Spore.

[Roger Godpleton]

The PS2 Kain games are all pretty dull. The last one where Kain and Raziel team up is just a generic hack n'slash fest.

B-Movie on PS1 was a fun little game which required you to shoot aliens in a mildly strategic fashion.

Drakengard (made by Squeenix) on PS2 is a very ropey Dynasty Warriors "huh-hu-hunh!" clone with an unremarkable and cliched fantasy setting, but it earns points just because some of the plot and story elements are so brutal. In one level you basically have to slaughter a bunch of children (they've been possessed by demons). In the cut scene that follows the character who acts as the conscience of the hero's party slips up and almost gets killed, and all the other characters laugh at him. Also, in other RPGs a silent hero is a device used to create a better sense of connection between player and avatar, but here the character's silence seems designed to drive a wedge between these two parties as we see only his unrelenting rage.

I have way too much time on my hands.