4. Clive Barker's Undying (PC) (2001)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMRSfFSAJmw Many people are familiar with the works of Clive 'Hellraiser' Barker. What many people don't know is back in 2001, Clive Barker turned his attention from writing books and movies to video game development. The result: Clive Barker is now responsible for one of the greatest stories ever committed to a video game. The 2001 PC release 'Clive Barker's Undying'. 1923 Paranormal investigator Patrick Galloway receives a letter from old war buddy Jeremiah Covenant requesting his old friend immediately visit him. Trouble has befallen the aristocratic Covenant family estate and Jeremiah believes only Galloway can help. Over the coarse of the game, players must unravel the dark mystery's surrounding the family estate and unraveling the curse that has fallen its unfortunate occupants. The writing and atmosphere is a clear nod to the works of H.P Lovecraft; The fear of a chaotic, invisible force is present throughout the game. An FPS at heart, Undying featured the ability to shoot weapons with one hand while using various occult spells with the other. The 'Dual-Wielding' mechanic was a fairly rare gameplay element at the time. Destroying Cthulhu-esqe monsters with a shotgun in one hand and a fireball with the other was about as cool as it got back in 2001. With the mixture of gunplay and spell casting, it isn't unfair to compare the gameplay to that of the more recent Bioshock games. A sequel to Undying was planned but never developed. Barker eventually returned to game development with 2007's 'Jericho.' The game achieved better sales than Undying, but received a mauling by critics. The instruction manuel to this game was written in the style of diary kept by Jeremiah and is probably the most entertaining instruction manuals ever written (that sentence is shockingly nerdy, I know).