1. Zeno Clash - 2009

BRUTAL. COLORFUL. AMAZING

 First person fighting game set in a punk fantasy world where apparently everyone wants bash your head in for what you did. But, believe it or not, almost everybody that wants to see you in a pool of blood, are closely related to you.

How closely related? They are your family. But why would your own family want to kill you? 

Simple, you killed their father and mother at the same time by setting off an explosion, that orphaned your numerous brothers and sisters. 

 This is (was)  Father-Mother, a hermaphroditic creature that is both father and mother to you, and to most of the people that reside in the town of Halstedom. After the ferocious battle you waged with the creature, you regain consciousness and you run-away from town while being chased by a horde of angry siblings. 

 During your travels in the amazing world of Zenozoik you are accompanied by Deadra,  a stunningly beautiful woman who saved you from apathy , to which you hold high sentiments of love.

Even though Zenozoik might fool you because it looks amazing, it is actually a really dangerous place for wanderers. The forests are populated by an insane group of people and creatures called Corwid of the Free, a group of people you used to be part of. Regardless of your past allegiances you still have to fight them when they are encountered.

Then come the deserts populated by immense elephant-like four legged creatures and mercenaries that use those said creatures as transport.

Eventually you will reach the end of the world in search of a mysterious being called Golem, an all knowing entity that will guide you back to where it all started, the reason for this is that ‘all conflicts will end‘. 

At first, the combat system might prove to be a little difficult for beginners, but rest assured, after you will get the hang of it, you will love punching, kicking, kneeing everybody that stands in your way. There are plenty of boss fights, each being more difficult and different than the last one. And even though you might prefer your fists to do the job, there are times when weapons must be used. All of the weapons available are really ingenious crafts made out of bone , metal and gunpowder. 

2. Arx Fatalis - 2002

NOTHING COMPARES TO PLAYING AN OLD-SCHOOL RPG ON A RAINY DAY.

Waking up is always hard, but waking up in a goblin prison after a strong blow to the head is even harder. Well that happened to our protagonist, who escapes the prison and hopes to regain the memory he lost due to that bang on the skull. He is called “Am Shaegar” by his cell buddy Kultar, which means he-who-has-no-name in a long forgotten language. 

After briefly stabbing the guard with a broken bone, he leaves his cell and breaks out of the reeking lockup. The protagonist goes around helping humans, trolls, dwarves and even goblins alike, in hope of finding something out about himself.

The story is set in a world filled with desperation, where the sun has vanished from the sky and every being who lived above ground, now crawls through the dark caverns of Arx. 

Just like most games of this kind, you have to earn experience by slaughtering monsters and completing quests. The path you choose in the game must be very well set, if you don’t stick to it you will struggle to complete the game.

Even though the adventure lacks humour, it makes up by having peculiar easter eggs (try clicking multiple times on a chicken and see what happens).

3. Gothic - 2001

A MASTERPIECE OF THE EARLY RPG's.

Single player role-playing game that was very innovative for it’s time. Sadly, in today’s graphic standards it would be poorly received. 

In this game you play as a character who is referred to as “The Nameless Hero“, in a world that has been torn apart by the war between the human and orc races. 

In the beginning of the game you are being tossed, like all the other criminal scum of the world, in the mining colony of Khorinis. This colony is magically isolated from the outside world by a barrier, meaning people can get in but they never come out again.

In the confusion that precedes the creation of the barrier, the “ore barons” kill all the guards and take control of the penal colony. Now the ore barons trade the precious magical ore with the king so that he may forge enchanted weapons in hope of defeating the mighty orc horde.

Before being thrown into this colony,  you are given a letter to deliver to the mages that dwell in the castle. Once you are in the colony you can roam freely to your heart’s desire. However, it is recommended that you join one of the 3 Factions that have formed due to the collapse of law and order: The Old Camp, The New Camp and the Swamp Camp. Each camp comes with a its own set of unique quests. 

You go around and slay all kinds of creatures, all this killing making you a more experienced fighter. The skill points that you gain after leveling-up are used to enhance your combat, magical and thieving abilities.

Some of the areas in the game are restricted to the player until he has reached a certain point in the story line. It’s the first game of a very successful series of games. 

4. Crime Life: Gang Wars - 2005

IT'S AS REAL AS IT GETS.

Life in the hood is harsh, not a day goes by without fights, thefts or crimes happening, however if you are fortunate enough you can join a gang, that always has your back.

Trevor, known as Tre is one of the kids in the poor part of Grand Central City who aspires to join “The Outlawz“, one of the 3 gangs in GCC, the other 2 being “The Headhunterz” and “KYC” 

 His ascension through the ranks of the gang happens at a quick pace. One day he struggles to join the gang, the next he fights other ‘soldiers‘ for territory. He acts on his own instincts and does not give in to greed, always stays strong and does not abandon his friends.

The game features actions varying from: spray-painting, robbing stores and breaking someones spine for looking at you the wrong way.

Funny thing is, you can kill as many black males as you wish, the police won’t mind it, but be careful when you rub a respectable civilian up the wrong way.

The audio of the game is mainly hip-hop, most of the songs are provided by the American hip-hop group ''D12''. Not only they provide soundtracks for the game, they also voiced many of the key characters.

5. The Guild 2 - 2006

 WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR IN MEDIEVAL TIMES?

The life in the Middle Ages was never easy, but it was absolutely unbearable for the poor ones. The underlying lesson of this game is that you should never back down from slander, bribing, thieving and that you should also commit murder if it’s for the well being of your dynasty.

There are many game modes to chose from including the dynastic mode, which can last forever or until you get bored of it . The game features 4 classes to choose from: Rogue, Craftsman, Patron and Scholar, each class possessing unique abilities and capabilities.

The game is based on a real life saying known as: “Spend money to make money“. The everyday life of the in-game characters includes casual pick-pocketing, dueling and even murder in broad daylight, however the main theme of this game is political intrigue.

When you've had enough of the single-player campaign fear not! Go on multiplayer and have some fun with your friends. 

The Guild awaits.

This post was taken from theOUTLNDS a blog I own which deals with lesser-known pearls like movies, video-games and anything entertainment related.