Obscuring the truth, you better believe it!

What was the last lesser known title that you enjoyed and thought it was better than a heavyweight title? For every genre has a game that is regarded as the best in its class, what about the lesser titles that are in some cases just as good if not better. To prove my point, when given the opportunity to choose between two similar titles, Final Fantasy XIII and Valkyria Chronicles, a vast majority of you would choose FF. For one, the franchise has been around for ages and through the years, it has build up an enormous fan base, only to be rivalled by Dragon Quest in Japan.

 

The purpose of this blog is to show that in all genres, there is always a title that gets played the most and one great lesser known title that gets played by only a few gamers. I hope that by reading this, it will broaden your horizons to at least try out these said games or they might never be made again and you wouldn't want that to happen would you?

 

Role Playing Games

 

Final Fantasy XIII vs Valkyria Chronicles

 

The Final Fantasy games have always sold well with each iteration and this version shouldn't be any different as its franchise constantly improves on its combat and with great visuals and cut scenes its easy to see why. Its a shame though, because Valkyria Chronicles deserves the same admiration that it gets and it deserves better. With that, I urge you to at least give it a try and I can guarantee that you will fall in love with it.

 

First Person Shooters

 

Call of Duty 4 vs Killzone 2

 

Not many FPS's have the same intensity and pulling power that the Call of Duty franchise commands, and with only the Halo games that can rival it, its no wonder why games like Killzone 2 and Battlefield Bad Company did not sell by the truckloads. With Modern Warfare, the series has been given an overhaul in its controls and its also regarded as the best yet.

 

If you thought the campaign was criminally short, you are not alone as that was the only blemish in an otherwise superb offering. Included in the game, is an online multiplayer mode that is both addictive and fun, as it constantly rewards you as you play the game. With a levelling up system and countless perks, the game is meant to be played for hours and that's really the icing on the cake. Not to mention, its online mode has now become a blueprint for other FPS's to follow and that's exactly what Killzone 2 did.

 

 

In Killzone 2, you assume the role of Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a war veteran of the Alpha Team, who is tasked with ending the Helghast race for good. How he ends the bloodshed wars among the races? I won't give the story away as I don't want to spoil it for you, but I have to say playing it was certainly a blast as its smart AI made it challenging by using cover and outflanking manoeuvres effectively. Believe me, there were many times where I felt like throwing my controller across the floor in bouts of frustration but I loved every minute of it.

 

Racing Games

 

Project Gotham Racing vs Race Driver Grid

 

 

Being the flagship racing game title for the Xbox, PGR has been getting better with each passing game and its easy to see why. For one, its Xbox's answer to Sony's Gran Turismo franchise and in some ways its better as it builds on the realism and trademark controls of GT. But this comparison isn't about Grand Turismo and Project Gotham Racing, its about Grid and how it didn't sell as good.

 

 

Made by Codemasters in their offshore studio in Malaysia, Grid is a hybrid between arcade and simulation racing, with the highlight being an instant rewind feature that allows players to rewind up to 10 seconds whenever they crash. While the instant replay function can be used as many times, the Flashback feature can only be used for a few times, as determined by the level of difficulty. Alas, this is another good game that is dominated in sales by the heavyweights of its genre.

 

So you see, next time you reach out and pick up a title at a store, don't just rush to the nearest aisle of Popular titles, take your time and look at the rest too for you might be missing out.

 

Peace and see you at the forums. :P