Sometimes, the best games we’ve played are some of the most middle-of-the-road titles. There’s something magical about them, even if they aren’t the most highly reviewed game of the year. Sometimes, it’s the gunplay. Something about it just feels perfectly fine. Othertimes, it’s the inclusion of Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit that makes these experiences something we’ll always remember. For this Waypoint Wishlist, we chat about games that may not have been the most critical darlings, but they hold a special spot in our hearts. These 7/10’s aren’t perfect, but they’ve got a ton of charm and a wrap on our minds.
Welcome to Waypoint Wishlist: 7/10 Games that Deserve More Love
Anthony Franklin II – contributor
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint will always be my pick when we’re talking about games like this. I know I’m in the minority here, but I loved this game when I didn’t have a squad. What they were going for in the story made those moments feel awesome to me. And if I’m being honest, part of me hopes it gets ported to Switch 2 so I can play it wherever.
Matt Vatankhah – Contributor
Before I actually played Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for myself, I’d only heard the same three critiques from others. It’s either: 1) the gameplay is great, 2) the story is campy, or 3) CHAOS. Turns out, all three are accurate, and I love every second of it. Stranger of Paradise is one of those games you either love or don’t, which probably explains why it’s sitting at an average score of 72 on Metacritic. Shame.
If you ask me, Stranger of Paradise is exactly what the Final Fantasy series needs. It’s got something for everyone. Souls-like combat for the sickos. A ridiculous number of jobs to unlock and experiment with. A motley crew of adventurers is trying to save a kingdom from impending doom. An overly edgy protagonist who probably fits better in a Jason Statham movie. Heaps of content and worlds to explore. And enough Final Fantasy callbacks to make any fan go, “Hey, I know that tune!” It’s really the perfect Final Fantasy spinoff, you can’t convince me otherwise, and the world needs a sequel.
Brent Koepp – Contributor
For this week’s Wishlist, I want to nominate Days Gone for a 7 out of 10 game that deserved better. Or, more specifically, I want to talk about Bend Studio as a whole, because I feel like this is a team that just can’t catch a break. Going back to the ’90s, I absolutely adored the Syphon Filter series. While I enjoyed most of the games, many of the entries in the franchise were easily 7s. But my god, were they that sweet spot for perfectly adequate gaming during the PS1, PS2, and PSP era. Speaking of PlayStation portables, Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PS Vita was another solid game they made that should have been better. I get that Bend Studio was trying to utilize all of Vita’s touchpad controls, but most of them came off as gimmicky. Still, for a portable Uncharted game, it was pretty solid.
And of course, all of this leads to Days Gone in 2019. When the zombie game first launched, it was plagued with bugs and crashes. To this day, I’ll never understand why Sony pushed the game out when it did. Most of the problems were fixed a month later. But right out of the gate, Days Gone got a pretty bad reputation with critics. Making matters worse, the game’s opening hours are pretty slow. Now, I’ll die on the hill that a motorcycle gang protagonist was never the problem. I mean, if done right, we could have had Sons of Anarchy meets The Walking Dead. The main issue with Days Gone is the bland and vanilla main character, Deacon St. John. He’s just so unlikable.
My Waypoint Wishlist Wish? For Bend Studios to Catch a Break
For all of its problems, though, Days Gone has some really cool design elements. For example, I love the game’s forest-filled Oregon setting. And Days Gone’s horde feature is still one of the coolest mechanics I’ve seen in modern gaming. Yet despite everything it does well, the 2019 title couldn’t escape its botched launch and boring main cast of characters. This also sums up my feelings about Studio Bend as a whole. They make some of my favorite games of all time that just barely fail to reach greatness. When will they finally break this bad luck streak? Or are they destined to just be the studio that only makes 7 out of 10 games?
SHaun Cichacki – COntributor
Asura’s Wrath. Oh, a game that I love deeply that is sitting at a solid 71on Metacritic. A game that captivated me in my youth and frustrates me in my older age. Why does it frustrate me, you may be asking? Well, outside of the abysmal DLC practices that Capcom was pulling back during the Xbox 360 and PS3 era of games, we haven’t seen anything new come from this franchise since its debut. Taking God of War, giving Kratos a few extra arms and a few cans of Monster Energy, and a wild-ass story, Asura’s Wrath is still one of the best beat ’em up action games I’ve ever played in my life. The number of times I think about this game is likely unhealthy. But it’s also just one of those games that rocks my socks off.
I would pay literally anything for Capcom to take Asura’s Wrath, polish up the paint, and release it on modern platforms. I know that I can play it via Xbox Backwards compatibility, but I want to see Asura get another chance to shine. Plus, if they included all the DLC and put it out there with a 120fps patch? Imagine how beautiful it would be. #WeWantAsuraBack.
Also, shout out to El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Another one of those weird games that nobody played that everybody should have.
That Ends Another Waypoint Wishlist
There are so many fantastic games that are almost there. They’re just missing a few little bits of polish, but they hold a spot near and dear to all of our hearts. Sometimes, we don’t need that perfect 10/10 game to vibe with. Sometimes, we want to play something that has so much passion and love poured into it, but it just doesn’t always hit the mark. Those memories are always more valuable in my eyes than playing the “perfect” game. But also, please bring back Asura’s Wrath. I need more of that game in my life.
The post Waypoint Wishlist: 7/10 Games That Deserved Better Edition appeared first on VICE.
