Best non-AAA games of this generation

[BathorysGraveland2]

Amen. Did you try the Game of Thrones Mod? That pulled me back in for at least another fifty hours...

Unfortunately, I have never seen/read anything bearing the Game of Thrones name, so it would be a little strange to play a mod about that world/series. The mods I have played are Brytenwalda and Floris Expanded, both of which are very excellent.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

- Lone Survivor (Seriously, anybody who misses classic Resident Evil or Silent Hill should get this)

ow on Earth did I forget this? It's one of my favourite titles in years!

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

walking Dead, Dark Souls, i really enjoyed Hotline Miami

aw, should have come with a poll

EDIT World of Goo but not Little Inferno

 

[gamernerdtg2]

It'd be more interesting if this thread was asking about non-AAA but also non-indie titles. One of the things I feel like had been the most jarring change with this generation is that the middle ground between indie and AAA is getting smaller and smaller. The PS2 era had a plethora of games that occupied this middle ground. The soar in developing costs seemed to have polarized these games somewhat. Indie hits to me feels like it occupies an entirely different market for some reason.

FTL is the poster child of indie hits - born out of a Kickstarter success story. Minecraft of course with its non-standard delivery/purchasing method.

In terms of non indie though I think all the Platinum games count (Bayonetta, Vanquish). Binary Domain was good, does Spec-Ops: the line count?

Oh and El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. That game was never destined to sell well but man did that game have some beautiful landscapes and imageries.

I have to get back into El Shaddai - would you believe that 360 Live had it available for 2 or 3 bucks as a download? I missed that, but I'm wondering how El Shaddai actually plays beyond the demo. You say it was never destined to sell well because of the gameplay, or some other factor?

It was never destined to sell well because of so many things. First of all its squarely aimed at the Japanese market (for example- the effeminate character design ). The name is awkward as hell and platformers are out of fashion at the moment. Basically everything about it is the antithesis of what a typical western Cod player would be looking for in a game, couple with the small budget and the lack of advertising, of course.

Wow, that's a very broad view, but one I can appreciate. It's super interesting that you didn't mention anything about the game itself. I don't really care what's fashionable - if the game is interesting I'll buy it. Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom for example. Very strange, but engaging enough. Perhaps El Shaddai will be one of those games in the future that people will drift towards...I have no idea. It is really wild to realize that games don't sell themselves anymore, as you've pointed out.

 

[Ascend]

Killing Floor
Reccetear
Bastion
FTL
STALKER:SoC
Frozen Synapse
Spec Ops:The Line
Mirror's Edge

 

[MysticSlayer]

I'm not sure if it counts, given that it was published by Nintendo, but Xenoblade Chronicles would easily be my favorite non-AAA game of this generation. I guess I find it hard to view it as AAA when the only advertising I saw of it was in Nintendo's newsletter and it was only sold at Gamestop. In any case, it nailed pretty much everything I'm concerned with in video games, and while it certainly had some flaws, those flaws hardly hindered the experience when held up to its many strengths.

For those who don't accept games published by large companies like Nintendo, then it would be a toss-up between Braid and Super Meat Boy. Braid, regardless of its extreme pretentiousness, is a game that I just fell in love with and I go back to play it probably more than any other game this generation. Super Meat Boy was just a really fun experience that brought me back to many of the good 2D platformers I played growing up.

 

[LAGG]

- Lone Survivor
- Magicka
- Eador: Masters Of The Broken World

 

[gamernerdtg2]

I forgot about "Dust" An Elysian Tale. That demo kicked digital arse.

 

[havoc33]

If we're talking about strictly non-AAA games then:

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Yakuza 3-4
Bayonetta
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The Walking Dead
Bastion
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam
Minecraft
Transformers: War/Fall of Cybertron

You could argue that some of those games had a big budget, but they certainly did not have the marketing that most AAA games do. They certainly didn't get the media exposure, even Ni no Kuni, which had Studio Ghibli involved. I consider them to be B-list games. A decent budget, a little marketing, but nothing as crazy as what today's AAA games get.

If we're talking strictly low budget games, then just throw out anything that isn't indie on that list.

Finally someone mentions Yakuza! What a brilliant series! Here's hoping SEGA will release Yakuza 5 in the West as well. Have you signed the petition? Spread the word!

Other underrated titles are Sonic Allstars Racing Transformed, Binary Domain, Silent Hill: Downpour (this game honestly did not deserve the beating it got in reviews) and Deadly Premonition.

 

[Zeckt]

Orcs must die 2
Don't starve
Defender's Quest
Sang-froid tales of werewolves

I had more fun with these then full price games.