Top 10 Overlooked Games of 2008

It’s bound to happen every year; there’s always going to be a handful of great games that get overlooked by the general gaming population. It can happen for a variety of different reasons – bad release date, not enough buzz, or it simply just slips through the cracks. While it’s sometimes a good thing that gamers missed out on some of the crap that was shoveled this past year, there are some quality titles in the mix that that didn’t even land on most gamer’s radars, and that’s why I’ve put together my list of the top 10 games of 2008 that were overlooked – from least to most disregarded.

10. de blob

“de blob” was the little game that couldn’t this year. One of the Wii’s most unique and inspired games this year was lost to the fact that it was the Wii’s most unique and inspired games this year. While the gaming press really loved the game, it seemed that your average Wii owner would rather buy a balance board and not use it, instead of playing a quality game.

9. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

Square Enix’s remakes are getting to be a dime a dozen lately, but the release of “Dragon Quest 4” went off with barely a blip on the radar. Maybe that was because it came out the same week as “Rock Band 2” and “The Force Unleashed” but that’s still not a good reason to pass on this DS update of a PS1 update of a classic NES title; especially since it was the first time the game hit American shores.

8. The Last Guy

Poor PSN games like “The Last Guy” just couldn’t catch a break this year. The PlayStation Network was home to some of the most original games this year, with “The Last Guy” close to the top of the list, with a new spin on zombie games. “The Last Guy” puts you up against zombies in the real world (or at least in real places), and it’s up to you to save as many people as possible. Give it a try; it’s a fun little game, and, as an added bonus, you might just get to save humanity.

7. Space Invaders Extreme

Much like 2007’s exceptional “Pac-Man C.E.,” “Space Invaders Extreme” breathed new life into one of gaming’s oldest franchises. Increasing the speed, updating the graphics and adding power-ups made this version of “Space Invaders” the best one since the original, and it’s a shame that some gamers passed on it, most likely because they were too young to be fans of the franchise. Hopefully the upcoming XBLA release will make a bigger splash than its portable counterparts.

6. Target Terror

A lot of people thought “Target Terror” was a horrible game, and I’ll agree; it was a pretty bad game. However, it falls into the very rare gaming category of being so bad that it was good, something that’s hard to come across in today’s all too serious gaming community. Sure, “Target Terror” was pretty bad … but it hurt so good.

5. echochrome

“echochrome” was the minimalist’s game of the year, with its’ monochrome color scheme and classical soundtrack. If you can manage to adapt to the finicky controls, it’s one of the most challenging 3D puzzlers to come out in a very long time. The only reason I can think come up with as to why gamers overlooked this amazing game, was that not everyone who enjoys video games enjoys having their brain tortured like they’re some kind of mental masochist.

4. Art Style Games

WiiWare’s developing a bad reputation for crap games by independent developers that have no right making games, but the three Art Style games (“Rotohex,” “Cubello,” and “Orbient”) were some of the most interesting games of the year on the platform. Sure, a couple of them were remakes of some Japan-only GBA games, but they were creative and unique games nonetheless, and just because you could only get them on WiiWare, a lot of people missed them.

3. My Japanese Coach

Did you even know “My Japanese Coach” came out? Neither did I, but why should most gamer’s care? Because most gamers bitch that Japan gets all the best games, and this is one of the first opportunities for us to do something about it, and you can teach yourself a bit of the language that bore some of the greatest games you never got to play, and maybe the next time one comes out, you might be able to make it past the title screen.

2. Soul Bubbles

A great game veiled in a Toys ‘R Us exclusive, “Soul Bubbles” may have lost out just because it wasn’t available everywhere. In a year where the DS didn’t see the same level of innovation as it did in previous years, a creative game like “Soul Bubbles” should have made its way into many a DS, but, alas, it went overlooked – and I hold Geoffrey personally responsible.

1. Linger in Shadows

Was it art, or was it a game? “Linger in Shadows” was the most interesting experiment that could be found on the PSN – or anywhere for that matter – this year. Perhaps it came across as a bit too pretentious for the gaming community, but, if you can try and be an open minded gamer (it might mean you’ll have to put down “Madden” or “Call of Duty” for 5 minutes), “Linger in Shadows” is a trip worth taking.

In retrospect … maybe I should have called this list “2008’s Top 10 Reasons That Developers Aren’t Willing To Take Chances.”

Related Posts:

• December 30, 2009 -- Top 10 Most Overlooked Games of 2009: The Hidden Gems
• January 4, 2010 -- 2009’s Best Retro Revivals: What’s Old Is New Again
• October 17, 2008 -- Mega Man 9 Review: Better Late Than Never
• October 9, 2008 -- Tokyo Game Show 2008 Video Showcase
• July 9, 2009 -- E3 ‘09: Nyko Peripherals Preview