To celebrate hitting 6 figures I’m going to take a look back at the games I’ve played and pick out some best/worst of’s in various categories:

Most Surprising Game (Exceeded Expectations)

Over the years I’ve picked up a few games just because they were cheap, or was able to borrow them from a mate. Some of these titles have proven true hidden gems. This award goes to the game that has exceeded my expectations for the game the most.

3rd place: Conan – I really expected very little from this game I borrowed from a friend via AVForums. However basic the graphics and simplistic the gameplay may have been, the game was just great fun to play. A bit like the Conan movies really; simple, dumb fun smile

2nd place: Prototype – This was released around the same time as the PS3 exclusive inFamous, with very similar plots; when I bought it I did so with pretty low expectations as it had almost blocked from my radar by the hype surrounding Sucker Punch’s title. Having played both Prototype is by far the superior game in my opinion, and I’m really excited by the announcement of a sequel (hopefully without a tacked on multiplayerwink too)

Winner: Lost Odyssey – This game just blew me away completely. I really had no preconceived idea about how good the game would be as I’d seen very little about it before playing. I hadn’t played a JRPG for years and given the opportunity to borrow it from a colleague at work earlier this year I figured “what the hell, I’m not playing anything else right now”. Today, after 114 hours of gameplay, I’d rank it among the best games I’ve ever played. The “A Thousand Years of Dreams” segments contained probably the best story telling in any video game I’ve ever played. I can’t believe this one passed me by originally, and it’s a shame that I imagine many people like me wrote it off as a cynical attempt to shift some 360s in Japan when it’s actually one of the best games on the platform.

Honourable Mentions

Condemned: Criminal Origins – A rare game that put the emphasis on creating suspense and building tension. I nearly jumped out of my skin in one particular scene (at the top of the escalators — if you’ve played the game you know the partsmile).

Need for Speed : Most Wanted – Need For Speed used to be a series that I looked forward to a new release, back in the days of the PS1. Most Wanted, however, was a great game!

Earth Defence Force 2017 – Given I expected absolutely nothing from this game, the fact I put in over 100 hours, and that I wasn’t completely burnt out by the time I finished the game it’s fair to say my expectations were smashed on this onesmile