Sometimes the best games are the ones that are not as well-known. Whether it be from getting gifts from family members or picking something up from the bargain bin, I’ve happened across quite a few of these diamonds in the rough that is third party development. Here are three great games from the past that you may have missed, and can pick up for only a small price, considering you can find them.
Everywhere Road Trip/Road Trip Adventure (2002, PS2, Conspiracy Entertainment, Everyone)
This seemingly childish racing game is a lot more than it seems. The story is corny. You need to get a racing team together to win the Grand Prix to become President. But everyone is a car, and they can talk, fly, and even golf. Yet, this game is actually somewhat of an RPG in disguise. Outside of racing, you must travel across the vast world to help cars across the country, as well as play some rather interesting mini-games, all to earn money to build your own city and purchase upgrades. The rainbow city in the sky may scream childish fantasy, but the entertainment from this game is all real.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (2004, PC, Relic Entertainment, Mature)
Based off of the popular tabletop game, this is one Real-Time Strategy game I almost missed. The concept is pretty simple: Build structures and acquire resources until you can build up an army large enough to vanquish your enemies. But feel free to ignore the campaign; the fun in this game is setting yourself up in random skirmishes with computers and having the battles of a lifetime. Put yourself in some near impossible situations, seven on one, for example, and have fun trying to scrape up a strategy. You may lose in the beginning, but if you build up enough resources, as well as upgrade your buildings at the strategic points in the game, you can summon powerful allies such as the demon Avatar of Khaine, to vanquish all in your path. Play online multiplayer with your friends, and this game gets even better, as you try to conduct a strategy that leads you to victory. Or, maybe you’ll just kill each other.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (2008, PS2, Atlus, Mature)
Okay, so this game is only four years old, but it’s still one that a surprising amount of gamers don’t know about, considering the fact that it’s been raved about by critics. The Persona series is a spinoff of the Megami Tensei series, and focuses on teens who can summon beings called Personas to help fight off shadows. In Persona 4, a group of teens team up to solve a series of supernatural murders that are being foreshadowed on a mystical television show on rainy nights. To prevent the murders, they have to travel into the world inside the television to confront the shadows, including shadow versions of themselves. Inside the T.V., the game is a typical RPG, where contacting an enemy brings the characters to a battleground where they choose commands to fight. Outside, however, it is a simulation game where the protagonist can build relationships to gain powers inside the T.V. realm. It’s a mystery game, an RPG, and a simulation game all in one, creating a unique experience with an awesome story.
These three games are some that you don’t want to miss, so pick them up if you can, and you won’t regret it.
