Some games just plain suck. Everybody knows they suck. But others, well others just get a bad reputation. In a community built on reputations, it’s hard for those games to bounce back and earn the fame and fortune they really deserve.
These are ten of those games…
10. Clyve Barker’s Undying (PC)
Brought to us by one of the true masters of modern terror, Clyve Barker’s Undying gave the player an great mix of FPS action and suspense from the get go. This classic story of a haunted mansion put the player in the somewhat magical shoes of a psychic detective, with the unique ability to “scrye” past events or phantasmal presences by focusing his energy. Also, despite his job description, he wasn’t a new age pansy ass, so he carried a six shooter with him at all times. Like every true horror, the game utilized suspense and disbelief to a great degree. Often, you might find yourself shooting at shadows.
Though I played the game years ago, a single moment still stands out to me a clear as day as a representation of the kind of true suspense the game gave players. I was walking down a hallway. At the end of the long hallway I approached a dresser, which caused my “scrying meter” to glow, indicating it had some other worldly connections. I “scryed” at it, causing a ghost to appear in front of me. I shot several shots before realizing it was a mirror, then spun around and shot several more into thin air, as if bullets would hurt a ghost anyway. I was then totally empty on ammunition.
The game was chalk full of moments that challenged the gamer’s self control and the eventually their coordination, as the game became more focused on the FPS aspect in the second half. Unfortunately, Undying never really took off. Critics gave the game generally favorable reviews, but there simply wasn’t enough focus on the shooting for FPS players, and it had too much shooting for people looking for a good survival game. It was truly unfortunate that more people didn’t get a chance to live through this terrifying mystery.
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4 Comments
Great article, if you have achieved anything you have convinced me to get alpha protocol, a game I’ve been debating about buying for a while. One game I consider underrated is The Thing, great atmosphere like alpha protocol a bit rough around the edges but perfectly captured the feel of the movie but never gets much of a mention in great game lists
I’m so glad to see Eternal Darkness on this list. I still rate that as one of the best games I’ve ever played and I’m surprised more people haven’t heard of it.
The sanity effects were fantastic, varied and quite often unexpected. Unfortunately it didn’t have much replay value as the better you got at the game, the less you saw of the sanity effects.
You didn’t mention one of the best points. You had a choice of three gods that you could follow. When you completed the game and played again you got to choose from the remaining two and on the third play you could only choose one and got a different ending from the other times that explained everything in the terms of parallel universes. Yet another way this masterpiece messed with your mind.
Awesome article! You opened my eyes to a number of games I’ve never heard of but look forward to enjoying.
One additional game I would have added to your list is Advent Rising. This poor gem was as glitchy as hell; it was rushed to the shelves too early, and suffered greatly for it, as the game glitched and froze often, and once, after playing halfway through it, the game locked up and I had to start it completely over. But I didn’t mind as much, because the game itself was AWESOME! The leggy characters and art was beautiful, the action was fantastic, the dialogue smartly written, and best of all, the plot/narrative/story was phenomenal (written by Orson Scott Card)! It was so sad that the game was rushed out the door prematurely. Had it been given the additional months of programming it needed, it would have been a stupendous gem of a game, appreciated by all. Unfortunately, due to all the glitches, reviewers lambasted it and the game never really got the attention it deserved.
I really tried to like Alpha Protocol, but technically it was a mess.