9. Max Payne 3

It has been nearly a decade since Max Payne 2. This game was developed solely by Rockstar games and uses the RAGE engine. It looks gorgeous and gritty.

Stylistically the game differs from the former 2 but I do not think that is a bad thing. Series must evolve or die and this iteration seems like a change in the right direction. The game has less the feel of a playable comic book.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Max Payne series these games are 3rd person shooter that offer a well written dark and gritty story. The first 2 iterations had single player only but Max Payne 3 offers multiplayer as well.

Max Payne 3 follows the main character, Max Payne (Bet you didn’t see that coming), through his job as a security guard protecting Rodrigo Branco. A rich Brazilian living in Sao Paulo Brazil. Max has left New York City in an attempt to escape his past. The gameplay is exhilarating and intense. It requires twitchy skill instead of positional planning.

The bullet time mechanic is really fun and so satisfying to dive towards a couple enemies and pull off perfect headshots.

Max Payne is a dark, gritty, diving, bullet time, slug fest of awesomeness.

8. Rise of the Tomb Raider

This is less a shooter and more a 3rd person puzzle/RPG/ openworld/stealth/shooter game.

The Tomb Raider franchise has been around for a very long time. I can’t remember a time where I was gaming that Tomb Raider wasn’t around.  This franchise has been around for 20 years. That’s an eternity in the gaming industry.

So how does this reiteration match up against the legends of old?

Well the cinematic set pieces of this game are truly spectacular. Reminiscent of Uncharted or The Last of Us. However sometimes the cinematic scenes do not involve interaction. I hate having to button press. That was my biggest complaint of the rebooted Tomb Raider. The fact that there just a lot scenes were Lara felt like she was a victim of her environment and all you had to do was press a button.

In this game however those mistakes haven’t been completed eradicated but they have been largely minimalized. The opening sequence, while stunning and epic, is rather boring as a player. More movie and less game. Mercifully it is over soon and then you get to the large open areas that Tomb Raider is known for.

Within those large areas there are collectibles and hidden items. There are also optional challenge tombs. These are some of the most difficult and intricate challenges but they are consistently worth the challenge. They provide you with skills that will help you defeat your enemies. Once you get past the first part of the game you enter a more expansive area, one in which you can explore. The exploration is required so you can gather equipment and resources to craft items and gear. The crafting system is a new feature. For the first Lara can craft on the go. Another benefit of this exploration is the lore and information that you discover. You learn the intricacies of the storyline and of the people that used to inhabit these places.

All in all this game has some things that are negative, such as the occasional lack of interaction of certain scenes combined with the occasionally too easy areas. That being said this predecessor is exactly what a sequel should be. An evolution and improvement on what made the original successful without making it feel like a totally different game.

7. Dead Space 3

I hate horror movies and by extension I do not enjoy horror games. What I hate about them is the horror. I see no reason why I should purposely scare myself.

But Dead Space is such a compelling series it is most certainly worth the try, even if you do not enjoy the horror premise.

The original Dead Space was far more a horror game than this latest iteration. EA did what EA does best and tried to increase sales by working their “broadly appealing” magic. Sadly what they have yet to realize is that this actually makes the game less appealing as it no longer is unique.

That being said, Dead Space 3 is a wonderful game full of scary moments but not so full that the game needs to be put down. It is a bloody, gory, slaughterfest where you have to spend time exploring derelict ships while the Markers (the zombie like things) pop up (or down) and scare the sh*t out of you. You also spend a substantial amount of time on Tau Volantis, an ice planet that reminds me of an entire planet consisting of Canadian weather.

Dead Space 3 is by no means a perfect game but despite that you will immensely enjoy yourself cutting the limbs off of Necromorphs and co-ordinating with a co-op partner so you both can get scared together.

6. The Last of Us

The Last of Us is a cinematic video game. Meaning it feels more like a movie than a video game. That being said, It is quite well put together and breaks the conventional barriers of what a video game should be.  It is certainly not a fun, uplifting game, but it is certainly a great one.

The game takes place in a bleak zombie world, it pulls ideas from every single post-apocalyptic theme you have ever seen or heard of. But it does this quite well and works very well. It’s a dramatic story.

But (there is always a but) I find the gameplay lacking. There is copious amounts of walking, slow walking, ladder climbing, and other rather boring aspects. However, it is still a good game. Just its not to be played to for constant action and twitchy shooting. Its about slow paced shooting, sneaking around, choosing who to attack first.

It’s a thinking game, not a reactionary game.

You scan the area, watch the way the guards move, pick your path and slowly, ever so slowly execute your plan.

Whether that plan is going in shooting or you are going to sneak around and strangle people.

My biggest problem with this game is that those parts where you get to plan an attack or where there are many different options. Those moments are too few.

5. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

This is a game that brings out the little boy in you. You are a shoulder pad wearing golden massive warrior that wades through a sea of orks. This is a game that has perfected weight.

As Titus you swing a Thunder Hammer and smash  ork after ork. You are an overpowered indestructible space marine that is charged with saving a world. Not THE world, just A world. But this game makes you feel like you really need to save this world. They do a good job of making you feel like a massive hulking behemoth of a man.

The story is a typical story, nothing crazy there.

This game is for you if you feel like you want to smash hundreds of orks and other enemies.