Sometimes in life, you need to go “against the grain” and just do your own thing, despite what others may think. You can’t always follow the example of other people and simply do what all “the cool kids” are doing. Or in this case, only play the videogames that the cool kids are into.
That said, the following is a list of my guilty pleasures in gaming. I know most folks can’t stand these games, and that there are better options out there. But there is something about these “crappy” games that I find appealing. So before anyone just accuses me of having terrible taste in games, let me say that I think games such as Gears of War and Call of Duty 4 are much better than the games I’m going to discuss. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… read on:
Perfect Dark Zero
Why most people hated it: People expected a lot from this game. It was an Xbox 360 launch title, and at the same time, was a follow-up to one of the best shooters on the N64: Perfect Dark. However, it really didn’t measure up to its lineage, nor did it deliver what was expected of a next-gen game. Most folks gave it a spin and moved on to Call of Duty 2.
Why I liked it: Despite its many flaws, I still found the single player campaign to be enjoyable. And it was the first shooter I tried on my new Xbox 360, so I was somewhat in awe of the system’s visual capabilities. Although it didn’t do its namesake much justice, it still reminded me somewhat of the old N64 classics (Perfect Dark and GoldenEye) that it was drawing inspiration from. Improved visuals combined with a sense of nostalgia resulted in my having a decent time with this game when I first picked up an Xbox 360.
Call of Duty 3
Why most people hated it: This was the highly-anticipated sequel to Call of Duty 2, the game that many considered to be the best Xbox 360 launch title. A different developer (Treyarch) took the reigns from Infinity Ward and unfortunately, CoD3 lacked the polish and production value of its predecessor.
Why I liked it: While I’ll attest that this is the weakest entry in the series, and games such as Modern Warfare & World at War blow this one away, I still think it offered a few fun singleplayer levels and some attractive visuals. I don’t think it’s quite as bad as some people have said and it still provides a half-decent time, even though it’s not really up to snuff when compared to other CoD games.
Dark Sector
Why most people hated it: The Glaive was not as satisfying (or cool) as people hoped it would be, and Dark Sector couldn’t stand up to the games that it was obviously drawing inspiration from. For most folks, this was just a crummy version of Gears of War, with a splash of Resident Evil 4 and a wonky weapon similar to what was seen in Krull that didn’t make you feel like the bad ass it should have.
Why I liked it: Graphically, Dark Sector was pretty impressive, in my opinion. It looked very much like Gears of War and I found the environments to be immersive and engrossing. At the same time, it felt remarkably similar to Gears, so I was able to jump in and feel right at home. I think that the campaign had some interesting and fun moments, and provided a nice distraction while I was anxiously awaiting Gears of War 2.
Final thoughts
Yeah, these games are kind of shitty in some ways, but in other ways, they aren’t bad if you take a step back and enjoy them for what they are, rather than approaching them with an overly critical eye. And besides, I’m sure that everyone has owned a game or two over the years that gets hidden away in the closet when company is over…