We live in the era of competent game-making. These days, it feels like everything you pick up plays well. There are quite a few games that are unquestionably good, while also not really doing anything to stand out. Which is why I’ve brought you this list of games that are defined by asingleaspect.
Not all of these standout aspects are enough to carry their respective games, but, at the very least, every one of these elements helps otherwise ordinary titles distinguish themselves among the rabble. There is even an example or two where that notable aspect may have catapulted its associated game into the realm of greatness.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is notable for its introduction of the Nemesis System governing enemy AI. As Talion, a Ranger of Gondor, you must team up with the ghostly Celebrimbor on a mission of revenge.
Let’s kick this off with the first example that likely popped into every reader’s head: the oh-so-famous Nemesis System. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a pretty standard, open-world game. From skill trees to map-unlocking towers to the general feel of combat.It is so Ubisoft it hurts. But then there is the Nemesis System.
This mechanic creates a complex weave of different orcs that will fight you, remember you, fight other baddies, and climb a complex social hierarchy. It is one of the coolest mechanics we’ve ever seen implemented in this type of game. Unfortunately, Warner Bros patented it and only ever used the mechanic in the Mordor duology. Since then, we’ve never seen another game tackle this incredibly cool system. Why do you have to be like this, Warner Bros? Why?
Time and Eternity
The seventh generation of games was a bad, bad time for RPG fans. There were only a handful of releases, and most of them were pretty unremarkable. Time And Eternity was one of these releases, and word of mouth spread fast: it is a completely unremarkable game, and it isn’t worth your time. However, despite having heard the word on the street, I bought it anyway. Why? Man, justlookat it!
Time And Eternity isn’t cell-shaded;it is properly hand drawn. To this day, the aesthetic is still wild. Especially in a game set in a 3D world. It is, unquestionably, a visually stunning title. As for every other element of the game, well… calling it average may actually be overly generous. The story is outright grating, and its sense of humor is more than a little icky. The combat is fine, but the enemies are spongy, and there isn’t a ton of variety. So yeah,probablynot worth the purchase, but that graphical style isstillentrancing.
Days Gone
In Days Gone, a PlayStation 4 exlusive on launch, you play the role of Deacon St. John, a biker outlaw who must find his missing wife in a post-apocalyptic world. It features a vast section of the Pacific Northwest, with various camps and missions to complete on your journey.
This one comes across a little harsh, as the story works well enough, and it has some good performances, but it is yet another open-world game stuffed with collectibles, a wise-cracking protagonist with a dark past, and that third-person perspective every Sony-affiliated game coming out at this time had. The zombie element isn’t exactly a fresh angle either. However, it did one thing better than any other zombie game I’ve ever played: it featuredunfathomablylarge zombie hordes.
No, I will not call them ‘Freakers’. You can’t make me.
Technically, the Dead Rising gamers were able to have more zombies on screen at a time. However, context is everything. Dead Rising’s zombies tend to shamble around. The Hordes in Days Gone, on the other hand, would sprint at you. Having hundreds of screaming zombies, clawing over each other, spilling over vehicles, and forming blob-like masses that fill the screen is still, to this day, incredibly impressive.
The First Berserker: Khazan
The First Berserker: Khazan is a hardcore action role-playing game. The player will become Khazan, the great general of the Pell Los Empire, who overcame death, and sets out to reveal the incidents that led to his downfall and seek vengeance on his enemies.Khazan and Ozma, the heroes who saved the Pell Los Empire from Hismar the Berserk Dragon and the Dragon Legion. However, General Khazan, falsely accused of treason, becomes a wretched outcast as he is condemned to exile beyond the empire through brutal torture.YOU MUST PREVAILSurvive the relentless pursuit of imperial forces, navigate conspiracies aimed at killing Khazan, and overcome the harsh environments you encounter.YOU MUST REMEMBERYou were once a hero in the history of Arad, a once-in-a-lifetime figure. Recall the forgotten skills of battle learned through brutal torture and slay the enemies who defame and stand against you.YOU MUST RECLAIMFind all potential enemies, reclaim everything that was taken from you, seek revenge, and regain the honor and glory that rightfully belong to you.StoryThe First Berserker: Khazan is a game that adapts the universe of DNF (one of Nexon’s globally known intellectual properties), dealing with the story of Ozma and Khazan.The player will become the hero “Khazan,” the ancestor of all Slayers and the one who defeated Hismar the Berserk Dragon, proceeding to uncover the truth of his downfall within the empire.ActionThe First Berserker: Khazan is a hardcore action role-playing game.Experience DNF’s frantic hack and slash style mixed with hardcore action as Khazan’s devastating battles await you.GrowthThe First Berserker: Khazan is an RPG with various equipment and perks to customize your own way of growth.Play as the protagonist “Khazan,” upgrading not only character abilities but also combining different types of weapon and armor abilities to match your playstyle.
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On the face of it, The First Berserker: Khazan has decent Soulslike stages, a servicable story, a solid enough aesthetic, and an adequate musical score. It is the very definition of average. It doesn’t do much wrong, it just rarely excels. Until, that is, you get to the combat. You can tell the developers spent an absurd amount of time tweaking the combat, as everything feelsextremelysatisfying.
The parry timing isperfect, and it is accompanied by a satisfying sound effect every time you hit it. The dodge roll, too, feels great. Especially since timing itjust rightgives you an enhanced version.Team Ninja’s Soulslikes are rightfully praisedfor having satisfying combat, but I honestly think that Khazan feels better. I’ve even made peace with the fact that I think Khazan feels better than even most of FromSoftware’s titles. It is only bested by Sekiro, which still has the best feeling parry in a game.
If you play Soulslikes for the combat, then I can’t recommend The First Berserker: Khazan enough. It doesn’t feature anything you haven’t seen done elsewhere, but it nails the feel of all of it so unbelievably well that it doesn’t really matter.
This is a hyper-specific entry. The Attack On Titan game is the very definition of an okay game. Like so many anime games before it, the anime has been diced up into missions, and you get segments of the story wedged between them. The mission structure feels very Dynasty Warriors, except here you are fighting massive titans instead of hundreds of incompetent soldiers. But the trademark Omni-Directional Mobility Gear mechanics? They areshockinglysmooth.
The game doesn’t automate them for you either. You have complete control over this steam-based, grappling-hook-assisted, propulsion system. It is truly marvelous. Honestly, with the level of control the game gives you, I think the feel of the traversal is unrivaled. Even the Spiderman games fail to match what Omega Force managed to accomplish with their Attack On Titan games. It is an impressive feat, and one we don’t talk about enough. It is just stunning that such a magnificent mechanic was wedged into an otherwise bog-standard anime license game.
If there has ever been a game that is greater than the sum of its parts, it is Final Fantasy 15. Let’s start with the open world, which isextremelybland. The combat? It’s a complete mess, though it does look stylish at least. The story is told in an interesting way, where you only see the things that Noctis sees, but it is quite thin in the first half, and devolves into the typical campy, anime nonsense in the second. Hell, even the music is forgettable. I can’t remember a single track exclusive to Final Fantasy 15. Not a single one. I can’t say that aboutanyother Final Fantasy title.
However, the chill vibes you get when just hanging out with the bros are, as the children say, immaculate. While the cast of characters isn’t particularly well-developed, the friendship feels palpable. It is a real marvel, as I can’t say why it all works as well as it does, but the friendship just ends upfeelingreal. Final Fantasy 15 beat the odds. It was an unfinished, stapled-together mess of a game that still ends up being compelling because it nails the ‘je ne sais quoi’of it all.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Widely regarded as one of the best games ever made, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sets Link his toughest challenge yet. With free exploration of a huge open world and a story you can complete in your own order, it is a must-play for the Nintendo Switch.
Oh boy,I can see this one going poorly for me, but before you get your pitchforks, hear me out. A game carried by a single mechanic can still be great if that mechanic is strong enough. And I think this is the perfect example of how a game’s one big mechanic can carry it. Breath of the Wild’s world interactivity is, without question, some of the best we’ve seen. Ever.
The way you can scale anything, and how you can influence, combine, and affect the environment with your Sheikah Slate Abilities, as well as other objects found in the world, leads to the game being able to provide players with nearly endless opportunities for creativity. But that aspect reallyisthe game. What is BOTW with its world interactivity removed? The story isn’t particularly strong. The mass majority of the game has you fighting the same three enemies. The boss battles areincrediblybasic, and outside of Master Kohga,they havesome of the least memorable designs in a Zelda game.
The majority of the ‘puzzles’ in the shrines you’ll encounter are pretty much self-explanatory, and they are repeated frequently - hell, there are twenty shrines where you fight the same spinning robot with a slight alteration or two. The combat feelsgood, but it isincrediblysimplistic. To a fault, I’d argue. Breath of the Wild is a great sandbox game. It is built around that deep, nuanced level of interactivity. Remove that element, and BOTW would have very little to hang its pointy, green hat on.
