revolverjgw
Member
Good stand-alone games seem to have a special feel to them... some have neat design quirks or distinctive style that makes them a bit too iconoclastic to have mainstream success, others are dismissed as generic but reveal subtle strengths when you give them a chance... and you know you'll never playing anything else quite like them. So what are your favorites? They must no be part of any game series (no sequels), franchise (OG VG content, nothing based on movies or comics or whatever) or universe (no Team ICO or Torment). It's fine if they've been ported to other platforms as long as the port is faithful to the original vision and not redone with new mechanics and shit. And don't count any recent games unless you're sure they'll never get a follow-up (hold off on Alpha Protocol and Vanquish and the like).
Clive Barker's Undying (PC)- one of the most atmospheric FPS games ever, the Irish countryside setting and occult elements were ingenious. Good thing Clive is so passionate about video games, because this could have been a decent movie if it wasn't a brilliant game. More about the adventure and mood than the shooting. So of course it was put out to pasture.
Dynamite Headdy (Gen/SMS/GG)- this insane platformer with the best music ever gets around but there's been a sequel. The 8-bit ports are a bit different in content, but it's basically a case of cutting corners for inferior hardware, so I still consider this a one-off lightning-in-a-bottle event. Treasure made a few of these...
Blade of Darkness- (PC)- kind of generic looking and too hard for its own good, but this game possesses Demon's Souls-tier intensity and atmosphere. It's a prototypical cult classic that didn't quite catch fire at the time.
Blackthorne- (multi-plat)- one of the many side-scrolling action adventures in the vein of Flashback, PoP, Out of this World, but unlike them, this one never got a sequel despite its high quality and novelty (a "cover system" of sorts, and killing defenseless people with your back turned them). Everybody I knew liked this game, it really felt like a sequel should have been incoming...
The Saboteur (multi-plat)- with Pandemic dead, I guess I can safely cite this, can't see EA doing anything with it. Possibly my favorite open-world game of the last few years, with great atmosphere, tons of shit to do, dynamic mission design with some optional stealth, and a cool protagonist. Almost every story mission feels like an homage to various classic war movies.
Freedom Fighters (multi-plat)- This is one of those games that didn't look too interesting at first, but serves up first-class cheesy fun like nobody's business. Somehow I remember every scenario, I loved the premise.
Second Sight (multi-plat)- really cool action adventure with telekinesis mechanics that made it the natural competitor for fellow stand-alone gem Psi-Ops, but I greatly prefer this for its darker mood. Felt like a interactive psychological thriller.
The Cliffhanger- Edward Randy (arcade)- so many arcade games fit in here that it feels like cheating to pick more than one, so this will be my representative. There's really never been another game like this, every level is like a supercharged 2D Uncharted action set-piece. It never got a home port, not even a token spot as filler on a compilation... a real tragedy.
Honorable mention to Vice- Project Doom, Anachronox, Ristar, Mole Mania, Blast Corps, and some other games
Clive Barker's Undying (PC)- one of the most atmospheric FPS games ever, the Irish countryside setting and occult elements were ingenious. Good thing Clive is so passionate about video games, because this could have been a decent movie if it wasn't a brilliant game. More about the adventure and mood than the shooting. So of course it was put out to pasture.
Dynamite Headdy (Gen/SMS/GG)- this insane platformer with the best music ever gets around but there's been a sequel. The 8-bit ports are a bit different in content, but it's basically a case of cutting corners for inferior hardware, so I still consider this a one-off lightning-in-a-bottle event. Treasure made a few of these...
Blade of Darkness- (PC)- kind of generic looking and too hard for its own good, but this game possesses Demon's Souls-tier intensity and atmosphere. It's a prototypical cult classic that didn't quite catch fire at the time.
Blackthorne- (multi-plat)- one of the many side-scrolling action adventures in the vein of Flashback, PoP, Out of this World, but unlike them, this one never got a sequel despite its high quality and novelty (a "cover system" of sorts, and killing defenseless people with your back turned them). Everybody I knew liked this game, it really felt like a sequel should have been incoming...
The Saboteur (multi-plat)- with Pandemic dead, I guess I can safely cite this, can't see EA doing anything with it. Possibly my favorite open-world game of the last few years, with great atmosphere, tons of shit to do, dynamic mission design with some optional stealth, and a cool protagonist. Almost every story mission feels like an homage to various classic war movies.
Freedom Fighters (multi-plat)- This is one of those games that didn't look too interesting at first, but serves up first-class cheesy fun like nobody's business. Somehow I remember every scenario, I loved the premise.
Second Sight (multi-plat)- really cool action adventure with telekinesis mechanics that made it the natural competitor for fellow stand-alone gem Psi-Ops, but I greatly prefer this for its darker mood. Felt like a interactive psychological thriller.
The Cliffhanger- Edward Randy (arcade)- so many arcade games fit in here that it feels like cheating to pick more than one, so this will be my representative. There's really never been another game like this, every level is like a supercharged 2D Uncharted action set-piece. It never got a home port, not even a token spot as filler on a compilation... a real tragedy.
Honorable mention to Vice- Project Doom, Anachronox, Ristar, Mole Mania, Blast Corps, and some other games
