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7Metroid Prime 2: Echoes2004 There's something that appeals me about the Metroid games. No, its not Samus. Neither the exploration. Nor the weapons nor the enemies! It's the atmosphere. And the brilliant game design behind it.
The story follows our beloved bounty hunter Samus Aran after she is sent to rescue Galactic Federation Marines from a ship near Aether, a planet inhabited by a race known as the Luminoth. There, she discovers that the troops were slaughtered by the Ing - a race that came from an alternate dimension of Aether. Samus must travel to three temples to ensure the destruction of the Ing, while battling Space Pirates and a mysterious enemy, which could only be seen after finishing Metroid Prime if the player had gathered all the items.
At first, all you can do is explore. Go around, beating some easy enemies - but soon you realize, there are many doors, zones, and even structures that may lead to another places, or to special items that are just imposible to use. From time to time, the inner OS in the suit may scan the surrounding areas and inform you about certain energy read, or signals coming from an unexplored area.
What's fascinating is that unlocking new weapons and upgrades for the suit will not only help you against tough enemies, but unlock new areas to the different maps. Although most of the upgrades are essential to discover new locations, the fact that you want to return to a previous map and explore it all again, just speaks for how brilliant the level design is.
You have to be really aware of your surroundings, as the scanning function will often reveal you hidden objects and passages, while also giving you information of your enemies and the world itself.
I know it can be tough to explain for people who have never tried to play a Metroid game, but trust me, Echoes, with its first-person view, gorgeous graphics, and great tecnho soundtrack bring a unique atmosphere, and make for one of the strongest immersions on any videogame you'll try.
There's a Wii compilation, Metroid Prime Trilogy, which include the two Gamecube games adapted to the Wiimote, plus the third title, Corruption. And it was even re-released for the Wii U store, so you really have no excuses to try one of the very best trilogies in gaming.
6Dino Crisis 22000 On May 10, 2010, special team TRAT is selected to investigate the disappearance of Edward City and its surrounding countryside. Their mission is to travel through the Time Gate, locate 1300 survivors and collect data on what happened to the Third Energy project. Intelligence operative Regina is brought along as an adviser due to her past experiences. Shortly after arrival by patrol ship, the team's camp is attacked by a large pack of Velociraptors. Dylan, Regina and David are the only ones left alive when suddenly the ground shakes, making the raptors flee. A Tyrannosaurus Rex bursts forth from the jungle to attack the group. David manages to save them with an RPG.
His shot damages the Tyrannosaur's eye, leaving it permanently disfigured. The enraged dinosaur then chases Dylan and Regina off a cliff. Having survived the fall, they argue about how to proceed before going their separate ways. Regina returns to the ship while Dylan heads into the jungle, spotting a mysterious helmeted figure on his way to the military facility...
As you kill dinosaurs in succession, countering attacks and avoiding damage in areas, you can earn "Extinction Points", a form of in-game money that tally up as you move between locations. Throughout the game, there are computer station you can use that act as a save point where you can save and load games, but also spend Extinction Points on new weapons, upgrades, health packs and ammunition. There are also bandages, used to stem bleeding. This type of injury occurs when you takes damage from certain attacks, and it results in slow draining of the health bar.
There are two forms of weapons in the game, main and sub-weapons; you can only equip one of each at a time. Main weapons provide the most damage and are used for the majority of attacks, for example shotguns, flamethrowers and rifles whereas sub-weapons are used to get past obstacles, like the machete for cutting plant vines and the firewall gun that creates a temporary wall of fire against foes. Over the course of the game, you switch roles between Regina and Dylan; the two have different weapons, making some passages blocked for one but accessible for the other.
There are sections of on-rails shooting, such as a chase where you shoot at dinosaurs that are chasing an automatically driven vehicle and, like the previous Dino Crisis, several puzzles. Throughout the game, you find data files and documents that progress the story and give details of certain areas. Hidden "Dino Files" can also be found; these go into detail about each dinosaur in the game. Upon collecting all the available Dino Files, you're granted unlimited ammunition for weapons on the next play through.
All that text sounded like Wikipedia, right? It's cause I adapted from it
. To be brutally honest, I'm not that sure now that I'd love this game as much if I played it today - it's been almost a decade since I last beat it, so had to do some research. It turns out, the plot was more complex than I'd thought, and since it was such an addictive title, I'm really looking forward to giving it another play soon. I don't ask you to like the games of my list, or to even read my boring writeups, but to give some of these, the less-known stuff, a chance. I strongly believe they deserve it.
So, top 5 will start soon. Any guesses?