Confessions from the Bargain Bin: The Best of the Worst...

This time of year isn’t great for gamers.  Software publishers generally drip-feed us with their B-list titles and those end-of-year superhits will usually have grown a bit stale.  Do you really fancy a game of Halo 3 right now?  Thought not.

So what’s a gamer to do?

Well, next time you are in your local games emporium, try looking a little lower.  Below the new releases (Quake Wars for £50… do fuck off!), past the 2-for-£40 shelf (Tony Hawk Proving Ground and Shadowrun… Shadowmum more like) and right down to the lower reaches.  To the depths, the dregs… the bottom of the barrel.

You see, that bottom shelf may contain modern-day gaming horrors like Spiderman 3, but with a little patience and understanding you never know, you may just end up finding a hidden gem and, if you’re anything like me, you might actually get more fun out of them than you would with the so-called ‘AAA’ titles like COD4 and GTA4.

Of course, that depends on you and what you look for in your games but here’s my list of my favourite 360 underdogs.  I’m not saying they’re the best games ever, I’m not saying they’ve not got faults that’ll have you gnashing your teeth in frustration but I am saying that they aren’t as bad as the FPS-obsessed media may have you think.

Disclaimer: bear in mind, I really liked Alone in the Dark.


Earth Defense Force 2017

Genre: Third-person Shooter
Pay no more than:  £15
Metacritic average: 69

Okay, I know 69% isn’t a bad score at all but this game did get some shockingly derogatory reviews (as low as 35%) so if anything it’s a cult hit. Perfect fodder for a quick pick up and play session, EDF is highly underrated.

The game puts you in the middle of an alien invasion, pitting you against giant ants, spiders, robots and flying saucers.  Oh, and lots of them.  Expect to see the whole screen crawling with Starship Troopers-style enemy forces faster than you can say "ohmygoshthey’reeverywhere".  Luckily, you get to unlock a huge array of wildy varied and insanely destructive weapons to help even up the odds a little.

With some exceptional graphics, fun gameplay and some truly magnificent moments, EDF2017 is one of the strongest budget hits on the system.   The 360 does tend to protest noticeably when there is a lot happening on-screen and the game is overly long, but in short doses this is some of the most accessible arcade-style gameplay you’ll have seen since the Dreamcast.

Two Worlds

Genre: Action RPG
Pay no more than:  £17
Metacritic average: 50

One of the most misunderstood titles on the 360, Two Worlds made life difficult for itself by being announced as an ‘Oblivion killer’.  As fans of The Wire will know: "If you come at the king, you best not miss". Unfortunately the battle proposed was a mismatch of Real Madrid vs Tooting & Mitcham United proportions.

Without wanting to sound like a raving lunatic however, Two Worlds did improve on some aspects over Oblivion.  The leveling up was far more accessible and understandable (and yes, I did know how to power-level in Oblivion), the item stacking was immensely addictive and the combat was more exciting.

Best of all, Two Worlds has a beautifully chilled out multiplayer mode which generally acts as a shopping trip most of the time.  Leveling up your armour and weaponry can become obsessive.

It’s not all good news though.  Numerous glitches, some awful voice acting, a horrible interface screen and a framerate that often seems to drop to single figures all conspired to spoil the party, but nearly everyone who plays this properly seems to end up enjoying it a lot. (Stockholme syndrome? Ed.)

Two Worlds II is eagerly awaited.