Getting a little disinterested with recent releases, any stand outs?

[Overusedname]

I've been feeling like this for a while now. I'm mainly referring to big AAA studio games, for the record. Even though Steam Greenlight is slowly becoming a twenty car pile up (if all the cars were garbage trucks), I still like the indie scene overall. The 3DS is a haven of creativity right now.

I'm also a game reviewer and designer myself, so this disinterest makes me feel both motivated to do something new and interesting, but also makes me feel a little disconnected. So on the current generation of all three consoles and PC, what are some creative stand outs with a bit more of a budget behind them? Even just a polished version of a typical sort of game would be fine.

I have varied tastes, so I'd just avoid traditional MMO's and modern/near future FPSs. Any recommendations?

 

[Zhukov]

Well, on the big-budget side of things, Shadow of Mordor was pretty sweet. It's like Assassin's Creed but not shit, and basically steals the combat system wholesale for the Batman Arkham games. Story is complete arse, but never mind that.

Alien Isolation was also a very pleasant surprise. Big budget horror that actually remembers to do pacing and suspense instead of just handing you an assault rifle and calling it a day. It actually manages to make the titular Alien somewhat scary again, which is a bloody accomplishment in itself. Although I haven't finished it yet, so take that with a grain of salt.

If you liked Dark Souls/Demon Souls and have a PS4 then the 'spiritual sequel' Bloodborne just came out.

On the cheaper side of the fence, there's that Cities: Skyline game. Haven't played it myself, but city-builder fans have been going nuts over it, so if that's your bag then it seems worth a look.

If you like Civilization-esque games, then there's Endless Legend. Similar deal with some neat refinements and notably distinct factions.

Also in Indieville, Transistor was a neat little game. Sort of an isometric take on the VATS system from Fallout 3, if that makes sense. Very pretty too, with fantastic music. Story is a bit vague, but interesting.

 

[SoreWristed]

I had a grand old time with Sherlock Holmes : Crime and Punishment.

One of the first detective games I can think of that truly rely on you, the player, thinking about the case and all the things you can figure out. It allows you to be wrong, without automatically failing your game. You can send the wrong guy to prison or to his death and the game allows you to do that. There is a button at the end of each case that allows you to find out if you were right or wrong, but you need to push it, the game doesn't tell you flat out.

The game also does not keep track of every clue you see, so you can't really solve the case if you were to only look at the facts that are being kept.

Spoiler: example, but also a tiny spoiler

In one case, it is said that the maid found her mistress during the night, because she heard screams and sounds from an intruder. But her skirt shows a coffee stain, which indicates that she found her in the morning, when bringing her the coffee. The game does not tell you this in a dialogue prompt, you need to see this and figure this out by yourself

It really incentivises thinking about everything and finding out all you possibly can, since accusing someone after the first couple of clues usually means the wrong choice. Sometimes the right one, who knows...

Compare it to other detective games who tend to feel like a guided tour around the country side, letting you occasionally click a button that makes the guide go to the next interesting bit.

Can't really call it AAA, but certainly a great game! On steam for 49.99 here, from frogwares and focus home interactive which you might know from EVERY sherlock holmes game ever made. Their previous games feel a bit like the guided tour thing,

 

[Gdek]

You could look at Cities Skylines. It's a citybuilder in the style of Sim City 4 made by a small dev team and shipped with impressive mod support. It is really cheap considering the content that you get and the graphics look pretty nice as well.

 

[Rolaoi]

I've enjoyed both Toxikk and Shadow Warrior. Toxikk could really use more maps, though. It's a solid arena shooter, though.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I'm getting very lost in Elite: Dangerous.

It's an MMO version of the old Elite/Frontier titles despite Frontier's claims to the contrary, but deep space exploration is strangely enthralling. I'm 2500 Light Years from home at the moment and haven't seen another player since leaving the civil war wracked Lugh System.

It is a lot like a first person Eve Online though, but with a 1/1 scale model of the Milky Way to play in.

I'm also quite liking Subnautica, but that might be worth waiting another six months before picking it up since it's still Alpha stage at the moment.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Right now? Bloodborne and Dying Light. And from last year: Alien Isolation, Assassin's Creed Rogue, Far Cry 4 and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

 

[Scow2]

If you can get it to work, I suggest Ori and the Blind Forest. It's an absolutely beautiful 2-d platformer.

 

[Worgen]

Legend of Grimrock 2 came out somewhat recently, I've been playing a ton of it lately.

 

[Prime_Hunter_H01]

If you have a joystick and are in for a bit of a learning curve, try DCS World. I tried it last week and liked it so with a sale that's going on right now I got a couple of modules for it, Flaming Cliffs and The Ultimate Argument, though before you jump in try out the free planes it gives you.

Its a hardcore combat flight simulator, which is why I say, if you have a joystick and are prepared for a learning curve. Though like any good simulator (not the joke/shovelware ones that have been poping up) there is a fun even with uneventful flying, and then you get the treat of fighting when you reach your destination.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Since you mentioned the 3DS(which I agree is probably my favorite console at them moment), Codename Steam is pretty neat. While not a perfect game, it's a cool new IP, and Intelligent Systems proves they really know how to make fun strategic games.