El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron - have you ever heard of it?
El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron – have you ever heard of it?

Readers name their favourite games that nobody else ever seems to talk about, from Blood Bowl to Killer Instinct on Xbox One.

The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was inspired by reader Truk_Kurt (PSN ID), and asked what’s your favourite niche game that never seems to get the recognition it deserves? Does your opinion go against the majority or is it just because the game is really obscure?

We had plenty of suitably non-mainstream suggestions, but what was interesting, given the loot box-related news of the last few days, was how many of them were free-to-play. Proving that as long as companies are fair most gamers have nothing against them.

 

In real life

Sadly, I think that XCOM probably falls into this category for most people. But let’s not count that and instead I’ll go for El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron. I know it has a few fans on the Inbox, and GC gave it a good review at the time, but as you might guess from the name alone it was not a hit and I’ve never met anyone in real life that’s actually heard of it.

The director worked on Devil May Cry and Okami and you can see a bit of that in the presentation and gameplay. But the story is surprisingly cool and the art style is really pretty great for a low budget last gen game. I think there was some vague rumours about a sequel but I really doubt that’ll ever happen. I’d love a remaster but it was published by some weird Disney off-shoot so I guess that’s not happening either.
Minter

 

Forgotten by all

I can think of a few games that I’ve really enjoyed over the years that no seems to ever talk about. Even games that are relatively recent and received good reviews, such as Bulletstorm, Bit.Trip Presents… Runner2, and Might & Magic: Clash Of Heroes that were all on the Xbox 360, seem to have been virtually forgotten.

The first game that came to my mind when I saw this Hot Topic however was MoHo on the original PlayStation. It’s a difficult game to describe but basically you played one of a selection of robots trying to earn their freedom from some kind of futuristic prison by completing a series of deadly obstacle courses, as well as a few other events. There were even multiplayer modes involving things like American football, King of the Ring, and golf!

I looked up the game on Metacritic, as I seem to remember it reviewing fairly well at the time, but this is the page for it. Not only are there no reviews it doesn’t even mention that there was a PlayStation version…
drlowdon

GC: It’s because it’s called Ball Breakers in the US. We honestly don’t know which name is worse.

 

Free advice

Card Hunter.

It’s a charming free-to-play game that combines elements of a card game with a turn-based role-player. It’s playable on a low-end PC or a tablet. Your party equips gear that is associated with three cards each (movement, attacks, dodges, blocks, etc.), and as you play the game you draw and play the cards to navigate the dungeon and deal with the scenario.

It looks great, and is presented as a Dungeons & Dragons style campaign, with dialogue between different characters outside of the actual adventures. When you take on each mission you can move your cardboard style party around the board, and see things like dice and books on the edges, Micro Machines style.

Topically it’s a free-to-play game, with loot boxes, but it’s very generous and is easy to play without paying anything.

I would really recommend anyone who enjoys turn-based role-playing games to give it a try! It’s on Steam these days, or you can download it straight from the site.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

 

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Niche fan

I do love me some Cave shooters and I’m afraid to say they all count for this Hot Topic. Heck, the whole of shmup genre does, since I don’t know anyone else that likes them or has heard of anything other than R-Type.

You can pick most of the games up officially in the West now, via consoles, Steam, and even smartphones – which work surprisingly well. Difficult to say which is my favourite but DoDonPachi Resurrection on Xbox 360 might fit the bill I think. But they’re all great really.

For those that don’t know the Xbox consoles get lots of these games because in Japan they’re viewed as super niche and only bought by the hardest of hardcore gamers. I don’t know why, but that almost adds to the allure to me.
Simpo

 

Worth a turn

My favourite game of all time is also one which is undeniably niche. The game is Blood Bowl, which is the video game adaptation of the board game by the same name. The original video game version was PC only but the current iteration, Blood Bowl II, is available on PC and console. As the game is totally faithful to the board game rule set, it plays exactly the same on both.

So, what is it? Well, it’s a turn-based strategy game; picture chess crossed with American football, all wrapped in a fantasy setting. It’s a Games Workshop creation, so it’s based off their Warhammer fantasy world, although lore-wise it’s a tongue in cheek spin-off from their more po-faced tabletop battler. In short, the story goes that the Warhammer fantasy races discovered this new, ultra violet sport, and now use it to resolve all their battles.

As mentioned above, the game is heavily stylised on American football, except it’s revels in murderous violence. Killing the other team is just as viable for winning as scoring a bunch of touchdowns. Players wear the pads and helmets we associate with the American sport, but they’re usually covered in massive spikes and worn by eight-foot monsters. Imagine 11 orcs squaring off vs. 11 dwarves, all clad in spiked plate armour, ready to fight over a spikey ball and perhaps score the odd touchdown.

The beauty of the game is its sheer randomness, which you as the team coach will do your best to mitigate. Most actions require a dice roll, with varying degrees of success depending on player skills/ attributes, the difficulty of the action and on-field conditions. The key to winning lies in good risk management, as the first failure on an action you commit results in the end of your turn. Each turn requires a plan and an evaluation of risk. The game can be maddening; it induces a fair bit of gamer rage when nothing seems to go to plan and even all your easy rolls keep failing. Yet, when it all goes right, or your team pull off an improbable move, it feels very rewarding.

There are role-playing elements to the game too, as in-game actions grant Start Player Points, which allow players to develop new, and often powerful, skills. Skills are highly important to the game, and often dictate how your strategy comes together. Teams will have basic players (linemen) and positionals. The linemen are the fodder, there to be meat shields and makeweights, while the positionals often start with good skills and stats to do the flashy jobs – ball carriers, throwers, catchers, blocking specialists, etc.

Positionals with some good skill level-ups can be sublime game-changers, capable of game-turning actions. For me, team development over a season is one of the greatest draws of the game. I love having a well-developed monster of a team, with key skills to make them reliable and effective. The game is built for custom tournaments, both public and privately organised, as well as having online matchmaking in an endless league, ladder style.

There’s no doubt the game can be tough to learn, complex, and frustrating when it all goes wrong. A single game will average an hour or so in length. Coupling all this with the format of turn-based strategy, this game will never be mainstream, but if you’re anyway inclined to strategy games I’d urge you to give it a go. The game is often on sale, at least on PSN, and there are some active YouTubers and Twitchers with a pretty dedicated (if small) community. The community is usually pretty helpful to newbies too, there are some good learning resources out there.

So, sign up, make a team and come give us a game. May your blocking dice be blessed and your injuries minor.
SimianGeorge (PSN ID)

 

Call of the Apache

Okay, if we want to get obscure how about Apache: Air Assault on the Xbox 360. This is a super weird game on so many levels because it’s a super realistic helicopter flight sim and yet it’s really good and works on a console. Even stranger it was published by Activision, when you’d think they’d have no interest in such things and must’ve known it’d be a flop, which it was.

To be brutally honest I haven’t played it for a while, so I don’t know how it stands up today but it’s not as if there’s a current gen equivalent so it’s that or nothing. I really recommend it though, I wish Activision had just named it a Call Of Duty spin-off so it sold, because it really deserved the attention.
Gaston

 

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

 

Weekly habit

I’ve written in quite a few times about my love for Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture so I thought why break the habit now?

I don’t see many people talking about it and the few that do have either not played it at all or have barely scratched the surface, yet they still dismiss it.

I don’t deny there’s not much to do. You just walk around and piece together the story. But that’s the beauty of it. It’s an experience. The setting is astonishingly realised and a joy to explore.

The soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard, and not just in gaming. It plays a crucial part in the games atmosphere too. There are poignant moments throughout the game and the music to go with each character or story element hits the right tone every time.

The fact there are three parts to the story, before the Rapture, during the Rapture and after the Rapture allows you to get a good feel for each character and their relationship with everyone else. It honestly feels like going back and revisiting long lost friends when I go back to play it. Which, as I’ve mentioned in previous emails, I do every week.

It was only the other day I completed it again and started up a new game immediately. I even have a blog which is named after one of the obscure bird books in the game, and the blog’s colour scheme is based on the game. Although I must add it’s not a fansite for the game. It was just an influence on my design choice for the blog.

I don’t expect anyone else to fall in love with this game as much as me but I do think people that have been a bit hesitant of trying it should give it a go with an open mind. Accept there’s no gaming elements to it, you’re just going in for the experience and story, and you’ll enjoy it more.
Jack_the_Ripper9 (PSN ID)/mickylynch9 (NN ID)

 

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