Previously on TMOMYGOTGL

The "lets put a lot of video game names in a wall-like manner" trend was in full effect in the last entry. A lot of games were cut down in a very ungracefully, but needed, manner.

Today I continue cutting games away in my quest for the Wonderful 25 games that will end up making my list, but this time I will do it with slightly more finesse. (as the title suggests, I'll use words this time)

Cuuuuuuuuuut

I'll, once again, divide this segment into two. First I'll take on the games that have got this far into the blog series, only because I felt the need to give them an extra mention, not because they were ever in contention to be part of the discussion. This may sound unfair for the ones cut before, but hey, these ones actually mean something to me so, yeah, eff those other games.

The second segment will be an arena battle with small skirmishes between games that I feel like "occupy the same space". These skirmishes usually are between games from the same franchise, but in a couple of cases it will be between games from the same developer or games from the same genre.

Games that I care about, but c'mon, they don't really belong in the discussion

Broken Sword: The Angel of Death

The Angel of Death is a game that I very much care about, but its mostly not because of the game itself. The Broken Sword franchise is one of my most beloved franchises. I honestly think that both The Shadown of the Templars and The Smoking Mirror (the 2 first games of the franchise) are some of the greatest adventure games ever made and consequently some of the best video games ever made. And that's why The Angel of Death is endearing to me. The game itself is not great, although it's not bad either. It balances between the ok and good. And that's why it also doesn't belong in the discussion and has to be taken down of the list.

Half-Life 2 Episode Two

Oops, I accidentally cut down Episode One already (or maybe accidentally didn't cut down Episode Two), but what I'm saying here also perfectly fits Episode One. Similar to before, I think Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are some of the greatest games ever made and that plays a factor on my affinity to Episode Two (although I think Episode Two is in itself a better game than Angel of Death is). And while Episode Two is a fine game, it loses some of its shine if you don't place it as a chapter in a bigger picture. On its own, Episode Two doesn't really belong in the discussion.

The Ship

A tremendous idea/concept. But, that's kinda most of what The Ship has to offer. The concept of The Ship's multiplayer (one that would be later on used to some extent on AC: Brotherhood's multiplayer) is indeed a great one, but the game doesn't give it the wings that it deserves. (note that we're talking about a game that started as a mod to Half-Life, though, now that I think about it, shouldn't really be used as an excuse, should it?) The game is kinda of clunky in its execution and after the novelty wears off, there's not much to it that would keep the interest afloat.

Peggle

It's Peggle. It's fun, it's entertaining, but it's Peggle and I don't think it belong in the discussion. I may be dismissive or elitist, but so be it. (also I realized that I have many games yet to talk about and this will become a very, very long blog post)

EDGE

EDGE is a very simple, but very fun and clever little puzzle game, where you control a cube that you need to "roll" though a 3D level until you reach the exit. Like I said, the game is like my explanation, very simple. It's a small game and it looks like one. I don't think it belongs in the discussion, but that doesn't mean in no way that you shouldn't try it out, if you haven't already.

N+

This was just a cheap of me saying that N is a great game and that you should play it. It's free, it's flash-based and you can play it in almost any computer that you may find yourself with. This other game, this N+? I guess it's good too, similar to N. I don't really know, I never played it.

The Void - Cargo! The Quest for Gravity

You should play these games. Humm, let me rephrase that. You should buy these games. Ice-Pick Lodge are one of the most interesting out-there little studios currently in action. Their work, their vision and their experiments should be rewarded, therefore you should buy their games. The early ones are most definitely a hard proposition to suggest playing, but Cargo is much more approachable (The Void, less so). You should try them, even if it's only for half an hour and then say "these games are not for me".

Puzzle Agent - Puzzle Agent 2

They may not be Telltale's finest, most innovative or popular work, but it's still one that more people should give a shot. These are simple puzzle games (with puzzles very much in vein of a Professor Layton game), with weird quirky stories and its peculiar art style. They aren't the most deep, innovative puzzle games, but they're fun and clever enough that warrant a look.

Orcs Must Die!

Not much for me to say in here. It's a tower defense game (sorta-of) but apart from creating traps and defenses through the level you also control a dude which you actively play during the assault from, yes you guessed it, the Orcs. It's fun, it's simple (I have said that a lot already, haven't I?), it's a video game.

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages is a weird game. From the guys that brought you Zeno Clash (ah, now I get why it's weird), it's a ... tower defense game slash roll a rock down a mountain and try to destroy a door at the end slash sometimes with boss battles game? And you're a Greek guy (I can't remember the name) trying to defeat other historical/mythological figures? And they make a fart noise when you do defeat them? I don't know, but I think I had fun with it. I think.

Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony

Now here's a game that I would love to see it go further into the discussion, but for some reason that I myself don't really understand, it will stop its track here. A shoot-em-up with a funny and weird story about colonies, Mars, Spaniards and aliens. Great soundtrack as well. But I guess I'm not the sort of guy that take shoot-em-ups in a very high regard. I feel like it's a fun and well done shooter and you should play it.

Alpha Protocol

Ok, I'm going to try to be very objective here. a) I really like Alpha Protocol b) I think it's a classical example of an underappreciated and underrated game c) I think there are parts of Alpha Protocol that are pretty bad d) I, for some reason, overcame those part pretty much unscathed and got to enjoy the other parts of Alpha Protocol that were pretty good e) I really like Alpha Protocol.

Deadly Premonition

I never played Deadly Premonition. But, at the same time, I've "played" Deadly Premonition. Twice. I'm obviously referring to the Endurance Run here on the site. And because of it, I have a highly appreciation for the game. But, I also know that if I had to actually play the game, I would probably never get too far with it. So yeah, it's time to say goodbye, right Zach?

Rage

Like Alpha Protocol, another game I find to be underappreciated and underrated. And that's the case because of two dumb reasons: a) it's not as good as Doom b) it's not a first-person shooter Fallout. Rage is a perfectly fine video game. It plays well and it looks great (when the textures are not popping). It doesn't have the most incredible story, setting, characters, and the driving part of the game is dumb, but not more dumb than the driving parts of Borderlands are. It's not an incredible game and that's ok. It's still a good game.

TrackMania 2 Canyon

It's TrackMania. It's weird, it's crazy, the UI is absolutely horrendous. But, there's something about shaving out seconds and milliseconds to your time that keeps the game compelling and fun. It's a very peculiar game that won't appeal to every one, not even to a driving aficionado, but to the ones it does it almost turns into a lifestyle.

Thirty Flights of Loving

A game/experiment that is worth playing for what it is, an experiment in game narration and story-telling.

Wizorb

I guess Wizorb would also fall in the basket of simple, but fun video games. An arkanoid-style game that is fun, challenging and has its own quirky style and story to it.

10000000

Ok, I promise I'll stop with the simple, but fun stuff. After this one. Bejeweled meets Puzzle Quest with some RPG elements thrown into it all played in a fast pace. It's not long, nor it's particularly challeging, but the time you spend with it it's time well spent.

Syndicate

A perfectly fine first-person-shooter with some interesting mechanics bolt into it. It's probably better than it had any right to be, regarding all the baggage that the name Syndicate brings, and it has a cool art style to it. But, c'mon Jeff, being a 2012 Top10 game was already pushing it too far.

Binary Domain

If you can look past mediocre gameplay and you are fond of weird/dumb/Japanese, then Binary Domain should be right for you. The shooting and overall gameplay is serviceable, but what brings you to Binary Domain is the weird and dumb character and the equally weird and dumb story, everything with a bit of Japanese sprinkled over it. French robots and Big Bo are not enough to keep this game on course, though.

Legend of Grimrock

A genre that I've never felt particular affection towards, but nonetheless I found myself really enjoying my time with Legend of Grimrock. Legend of Grimrock is not however your typical dungeon crawler. It's actually a big melting pot, with mechanics and features from a variety of other games/genres. It has the progression of a dungeon crawler, and a look of one, but it mixes puzzle solving in the middle of monster fighting. It's played in the first person perspective and despite you moving in a grid-based map layout, the game is actually in real time and not turn based as it would suggest initially. A very interesting game that warrants a look from fans and non-fans of dungeon crawling.

Oh God, this blog is too long already.

Coming Up Next

Remember, when I said that there would be two segments? Well, apparently the first segment took all this time and space and now I'm going Tarantino on this blog post's ass and divide it into 2 posts. So, next entry in this madness I got myself into (which will be tomorrow) will have the second segment that I talked earlier and that should have been done in this one. I'm just gonna copy/paste the description from before of what the second segment is, in case you don't remember it anymore (which it's exactly my case right now).

"The second segment will be an arena battle with small skirmishes between games that I feel like "occupy the same space". These skirmishes usually are between games from the same franchise, but in a couple of cases it will be between games from the same developer or games from the same genre."

xoxoxo