#5 Fight Night Series
The Fight Night series was big during the early to mid-2000s where it received a total of four main installments. This was a boxing simulator franchise that focused on putting players in the role of a new upcoming fighter working their way to becoming the greatest of all time. Over the years, the games received positive reviews from critics though none of the video game titles including the Fight Night Champion installment was released on current generation consoles. We’re not sure just why EA Sports decided to quit the franchise but we’re hoping it’s going to pick it back up in the near future.
#4 Dead Island
Techland’s survival game may be most remembered for its fantastic first trailer, but we can’t forget that all of that zombie killing and open-world roaming is set in the middle of the ocean on a fictional island called Banoi, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Four survivors wake up to find out that everyone else on the resort island has been infected and turned to creepy-crawlies by a plague. The game’s heroes then bash lots of zombie parts with baseball bats and axes. While it can easily be argued that Dying Light is a better iteration on Dead Island, the tropical island resort setting definitely made Techland’s first major project interesting.
Oddly enough, the sequel to this title has been announced and revealed to the public a number of years ago, but it’s been in limbo. There have been a few developers who have been working on this project and it’s currently in the hands of Dambuster Studios who have worked on Homefront: The Revolution. As it stands, the sequel is still in the works, but it’s anyone’s guess as to when or if this game will ever come out.
#3 Bully
- Developer: Rockstar
- Publisher: Rockstar
Bully has been an iconic video game since it released in 2006. Being a Rockstar Games title, the game did come with a good share of controversy but despite the controversy, there has been plenty of positive reviews from both critics and fans alike. Overall, the game follows a teenager by the name of Jimmy who is sent to a private school called Bullworth Academy. It’s upon arrival that Jimmy learns that the school is filled with jocks, preps, nerds, and bullies. As you go through the game, you befriend fellow kids and help them out in return for some funds. This action-adventure game continues to have a strong following with hopes that Rockstar Games brings out a sequel but so far there hasn’t been anything announced on this IP receiving a successor.
#2 Eternal Darkness
- Developer: Silicon Knights
- Publisher: Nintendo
In Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, players control a girl named Alexandra Rovias as she investigates the murder of her grandfather. Through exploring his mansion, Alexandra discovers a book bound with human skin and bone which tells of a horrible past filled with godlike beings that attempted to destroy the human world. Quickly within the game, players learn that they must stop these creatures before they extract their plot on the world by means of solving several puzzles. However, one aspect that keeps Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem on the top of our list is the Nintendo patented sanity meter which allowed the developers to play with the gamers mind. This included small little effects within the game such as hearing sounds such as children screaming, rattling chains, and doors slamming.
However, developers also tossed in effects that broke the fourth wall such as a fake television volume indicator on the screen to technical failures making players believe something is wrong with their console. Unfortunately, the game has only released on the Nintendo GameCube and has yet to release another video game installment since. We could definitely see new ways for Nintendo to toy with gamers with the latest Nintendo Switch platform.
#1 Alan Wake
- Developer: Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
A long time in the making, this game, originally a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360, was developed by Remedy. Alan Wake features the eponymous writer, who has to unravel the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of Bright Falls, a small town in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Things go bump at night, Alan’s wife ends up missing and he finds himself on the wrong end of a police manhunt. While the game’s plot is steeped in mystery, the gameplay is strongly focused on action and surviving whatever supernatural entity that ends up in Alan’s way. Remedy Entertainment is currently working on a new third-person shooter called Control with a series following known as CrossFire. Unfortunately, there has been any word on if Remedy will ever pick back up the Alan Wake franchise despite the growing cult following to the game.
