The Top 8 Locked Seventh Generation Games

Welcome all to another edition of The 8 Ball! This week I’m here to talk about games from two generations ago, specifically games that are still stuck there. It’s a bit of a coincidence I’m writing this column now, since Rockstar finally got off their duff and actually announced that Red Dead Redemption 1 is FINALLY coming to PC, 14 years after the game came out on consoles. Nice to know they weren’t slow about it, or anything. For the games on this list, I generally had two rules. The first is that the games had to be on both Xbox 360 and the PS3 (or Wii, but it doesn’t really count). The second is that you can’t buy the games on PC now. They could have come out on PC, but if you can’t easily find them on Steam or GOG, then they are still eligible. Let’s begin:

#8: The Bigs/Blitz The League

I’m putting both games on here as one, even though they were made by totally different companies. Both The Bigs and Blitz the League featured “extreme” versions of their respective sport, baseball and football. The Bigs was slightly more cartoony while Blitz had a more gritty vibe to it. Also, each game had turbo/slow-mo mechanics to help give you an edge as you played. I probably appreciated/enjoyed Blitz The League more, just because it was an unlicensed thing, so they created their own players/teams, and also went a lot harder when it came to the more questionable content, steroids, injuries, etc.

#7: Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom

I never actually did get too far in Majin but I liked what I played and still have a copy. You play a character named Tepeu who stumbles upon the golem-like monster Teotl and you team-up to try and save the kingdom from an encroaching darkness. The thing is, is that you never directly control Teotl. You only control Tepeu and you give commands to Teotl through some button combinations. It’s stuff like “Go here”, “Attack” “Wait”, etc., so it’s almost a bit like an Oddworld game or something, just with a bit more combat. It had a really nice, kind of chill vibe, overall.

#6: Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Aside from the obvious 1+2 Remake that Activision put out 4 years ago now, Project 8 was the last, legitimately good, Tony Hawk game since like THUG 2. I never really got a good handle on the whole “Nail the Trick” system, that had you go into a Matrix-like slow-mo mode where you could use the thumbsticks to control your feet for tricks. What I did like though, was that the world was more open and free to actually explore. It also didn’t have the weird loading tunnels that American Wasteland had. You could generally skate from one side of the city to another, if you really wanted to. Project 8 also dialed back some of the “xtreme” branding that THUG 2 or American Wasteland had, and was just a more even game than AW was.

#5: The Darkness

Man, what I wouldn’t give for the original Darkness game to be on PC. It’s odd that it never made it over since The Darkness 2 launched on PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows, all at the same time. You think they would have ported over Darkness 1 to coincide with Darkness 2 on Windows, but “nope”. I actually prefer Darkness 1 over 2, the combat is less over the top, but it just feels better. I also liked Kirk Acevedo more in the role of Jackie Estacado. The first Darkness was a way more cinematic game and had a generally better story, even aside from the World War 1 sections.

#4: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

It’s actually a bit bewildering that this didn’t get a more modern re-release. If the Deadpool game got one, then surely the actual better game should also. Wolverine isn’t the best game ever but he is the best in this game, which is a bit of a hack and slash action game. Compared to the Deadpool game, it just controls better, has a much better combat system, and honestly looks better, despite it being 4 years older. The Deadpool game managed to come out on PS4/XB1, so why not Wolverine?

#3: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

When it comes to Gears of War clones, you could do a lot worse than Blood on the Sand. I only ever got to play this game solo, but I have a friend who also has it and is dying to play co-op but I don’t want to have to hook up a Xbox 360 to do that. I imagine the music rights would be a big hurdle with this game, but it’s actually a pretty solid shooter. I actually like the small, bonus objectives, like if you kill all enemies in a room in a certain time, you get explosive rounds for a bit. Really though, I want to hit that big-ass ramp in the highest resolution I can.

#2: Asura’s Wrath

Being able to replay this game would be a lot of fun. The great thing about this game is that it is one of the best anime games ever made DESPITE it not actually being based on any anime. It is completely bonkers and over the top, and everyone should be made aware of how great it is. What wasn’t great though, was how it was released, since the ending was basically paid DLC. It also had a fun Akuma DLC pack also, that you had to pay for. Come on Capcom, put out Asura again, as a “Complete” package and let people experience it again.

#1: Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata is generally more thought of as a Xbox 360 game, though it did come out for the PS3 a year later as a bit of a director’s cut. Eternal Sonata is a RPG where it takes place within Frederic Chopin’s dream world, where he is also a character. He meets with a cast of characters as they try and stop the evil Count Waltz from raising an army against the world. It had a great day/night battle system, inventive character mechanics, and some superb music. I really wish this is a game that more people had played or could easily play in today’s world.

*******

For comments, list which games are locked on both PS3/Xbox 360 and why.

Next Issue
Top 8 Halloween Games