Underrated games of 2011

Written by Erik Kubik, kube00 Thursday, 12 January 2012 06:00

There are some games that flew under the radar in 2011. For one reason or the other, they might have had good review scores but with everything else out at the time gamers passed over them. A lot of these games have already dropped below $20 and are must haves for the first few months of 2012.

Gamers can’t go wrong with Bulletstorm, which came out in March of 2011. Bullestorm is a fun, action packed game with some added multiple player. It sold moderately well but as 2011 progressed people forgot about it. It can be picked up for $20 or less on Amazon.

Shadows of the Damned is a fantastic action game and I don't know how I missed it in 2011. One part RE4, and one part Dante’s Inferno, the game oozes sex, violence, and rock and roll. Although it had low sales numbers, it got good reviews. Grasshopper Manufacture has outdone themselves again. And although its $30 on Amazon I've see it for less than $20 other places.

No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise, is probably one of the best games with Move support for PS3. The game came out in August and sold better on the PS3 and the 360 than the Wii. I personally had a lot of fun with the game and the cell shaded graphics add to its appeal. $20 or less on Amazon.

Outland, I first saw this at PAX 2011, last I checked it was $10 on PSN and 800 MS points. Its an interesting 2D platformer with polarity changes featuring color. There’s a co-op mode, and its cheap enough that everyone should go and pick it up.

Driver San Francisco, is a game CheapyD of cheapassgamer.com raved about on their podcast. At its core its a solid racing game with a sandbox envioroment. But gamers can possess different cars on the fly. Add that to multi player and it makes the game a lot more fun than the average racer. The game came out in September right when gamers were getting ready for the fall releases, so many of us passed over it at the time. Amazon has it for $30 but other stores have it had it for as low as $20.

Red Faction Armageddon, gamers had high hopes for this game based on Volition’s Red Faction Guerrilla. But the game which came out in May of 2011 lacked the competitive multi player so may people loved. Still, its a fun game and the weapons and destructible environments make it worth the time. Currently, Amazon has it for less than $20.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, I think a lot of gamers ignored this game due to it being released during the fall or that so many of us already had Dead Rising 2. There is an added Sandbox mode, co-op, gamers get to play as Frank West, and there are several other cosmetic changes. This might be worth picking up as it has more content than the original. Amazon has it for $30, unless you are a die hard fan wait till it hits $25 or less.

El Shaddai is another great game. I got to meet some of the guys behind this game at PAX this year.  It is a fantastic action game with an art style that is beyond unique. The combat is fun and simple. The game got great reviews. But the August release date may have made gamers pass over it in anticipation for the fall. Well, its $20 on Amazon and for most gamers that is the must-have-it price.

These last two games were AAA titles but I felt they deserved a mention: Resistance 3 and Crysis 2. Both are great games with good stories and solid multi player. I wasn’t really a fan of Resistance 2, but 3 blew me away. The combat and the story are very good. I think it may be one of the best FPS games on the PS3. As for Crysis 2, it too has a fun single player story and a great multi player. Who doesn't like a suit that lets you take down enemies in whatever way you like? Both games got great reviews and they sold well.

So there’s the list of some of the underrated games of 2011. You owe it to yourself as a gamer to go and get a few of these games and see what you’ve been missing.