5. Killer 7 (Gamecube/PS2) (2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytK7DZ25wKc Originally released for the Gamecube and later the PS2 and written and directed by
Goichi Suda, also known by the nickname Suda51; Killer 7 is, without a doubt one of the most uniquely bizarre games ever developed. It's also one of the greatest ever made. Written and directed by the master of the brilliantly-bizarre, Suda51; Killer 7 takes place inside a fully cell-shaded not so distant future. You play wheel-chair bound Harman Smith, an elderly man with links to a group of very 'special' assassins known as the Killer7. Harman suffers from an exceptional case of multiple personality disorder: He can physically transform into any of the seven personality's trapped inside his aging mind. From the dominate personality, Hitman Garcia Smith; to a Mexican wrestler named 'MASK', players can switch characters at any point during the game. Each personality has their own traits and unique gameplay style. This gives the player a wide range of gameplay options while progressing through the increasingly crazy world of Killer 7. Your main opponents are about as creepy as video game bad guys come. A virus dubbed 'Heaven's Smile has begun to people across the globe, turning its victims into grinning psychotic clowns. Unhinged laughter is usually the first (sometimes last) thing you'll hear right before being attacked by a group of the whacked out killers. The gameplay can be best described as an FPS-On Rails-Adventure hybrid. Got that? Good. Movement is viewed via 3rd person perspective with set paths layed across the levels. The player can travel in only two directions: forwards and backwards. This is controlled via one button. This simple style of movement gives way to an FPS perspective that takes control whenever the player engages the giggling psycho clowns that populate the levels. The shooting can sometimes resemble a light-gun game, it's simply that fast-paced. Among the stylized artwork (which still looks great even by today's standards), frantic action and non-stop complex plot twists, lies a far darker story about global conflict and the place of world powers in an instantly-linked global community. Though the game suffered from low sales figures, it's cult success guaranteed Suda51 future projects within the industry and at least one other game to make this list.