There are too many video games. Each week brings a fresh avalanche of new titles begging to be played, each demanding tens (or even hundreds) of hours of our time. Keeping up with what’s current in this industry is exhausting, so it’s perhaps no surprise that some excellent games fall by the wayside and go unplayed.
So, here are ten relatively recent games that failed to make an impact that deserve a second chance. Best of all, the fact that they weren’t megahits usually means they’ll be available at a deep discount, so if you want a good time without spending a lot of money, look no further.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns (2022)
Firaxis Games have an impeccable pedigree in strategic turn-based action due to the XCOM franchise, and must have thought they were about to hit a home run when they won the Marvel license. The result was Midnight Suns, a strategic card-based combat game combined with a third-person social/exploration element.
The reveal that this would be card-based seems to have turned off many and Midnight Suns quickly became a commercial flop. This is a crime: the combat is deep and satisfying, the story and writing are great, and there are a ridiculous amount of Marvel Easter Eggs. Check out my review here.
No More Heroes III (2021)
The first two No More Heroes were wild rides through a bizarre assassin-filled alternative California. Eleven years after the second game the third arrived on Switch, continuing Travis Touchdown’s unlikely adventures as he battles invading aliens. Cards on the table, the original Switch version is not great, with frame-rate problems and a low resolution.
Thankfully it received a port to PlayStation and Xbox consoles a year later, on which the game gets a chance to shine. It’s a truly bonkers experience, dropping sly references to many other video games and even finds time to fit in a cameo from cult Japanese director Takeshi Miike. There’s nothing else quite like it out there.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (2021)
Supermassive Games’ Dark Pictures Anthology has been bubbling away since 2019’s Man of Medan. These are essentially interactive horror movies, with the story driven by your choices and reactions. Season one comprises Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me; of those, the third is by far the best.
Set during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, you play as four Americans and one Iraqi who disturb something that should not be disturbed deep underground. What follows is a wonderfully loopy monster movie inspired by Predator and Aliens. We won’t spoil the big twists here, save to say that the story goes places you definitely don’t expect.
Supermassive has quietly carved out a fascinating niche in the horror genre, and you should try at least one of the Dark Pictures Anthology. If possible, play it in local multiplayer with each person controlling a character!
Exoprimal (2023)
Exoprimal arrived a few months ago to justified skepticism. At first glance, Capcom’s bizarre time-travelling dinosaur team shooter appeared to be the epitome of every terrible trend in gaming: microtransactions, season passes, games-as-a-service and so on.
All that stuff is in there, though pushed into the background so far it doesn’t affect the overall experience. What is here is some of the most ludicrously over-the-top shooting action in a hot minute, with the game sending literally thousands of ravenous dinosaurs towards your hapless exopilots. Though the game starts out a little slow it rapidly opens up and is constantly throwing new game modes and raid bosses at you.
We hope it finds an audience, as it’s some of the most fun we’ve had with a game this year. Check out my review here.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2019)
MachineGames’ Wolfenstein series has a well-earned reputation for being the single best way to enjoy blasting Nazis into bloody chunks. But the black sheep of the franchise has to be 2019’s co-op-focused Youngblood. Set in 1980s Neu-Paris, you (and a friend) play as Jessie and Zofia Blazkowicz, on a mission to find your missing dad B.J.
With its RPG mechanics and equipment tiers Youngblood is quite different from the other games in the franchise, though different does not necessarily mean bad. Get a competent co-op partner who understands the support mechanics and the game suddenly comes to life.
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)
We’re going back a little further for this one, though it’s worth it for a game that appears to be getting scrubbed out of history. As you might suspect from the name it’s a prequel to the Arkham series, though was developed by WB Games Montreal rather than the usual Arkham developer Rocksteady Studios.
As such, it has been skipped over in every modern Arkham re-release collection and cannot be played on PlayStation 4 and 5. Fortunately, Xbox and PC gamers can still enjoy what proves to be a very fun game. Naturally, Origins is very similar to Arkham City, though with some fun new gadgets, a subtly different high-contrast aesthetic, and some very cool boss battles.
C’mon Warner Bros., slap a coat of HD paint on Origins and get it an official re-release on modern platforms.
Forspoken (2023)
In early 2023 Forspoken was everyone’s favorite game to kick around, with a lot of hate being directed towards the game’s lead character Frey. Those who actually bothered to play the game soon realised much of the negativity was misplaced. The story sees Frey gradually grow into a hero, so she begins her journey cynical and annoying and evolves into a far more likeable character.
The game itself has fantastic movement mechanics, a compelling story and a fun (if somewhat easy) combat system. Forspoken absolutely doesn’t deserve its reputation and we suspect it’ll get a full critical reevaluation when it inevitably arrives as a free monthly game on PlayStation Plus. Check out my review here.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023)
Nobody was asking for the storybook adventures of baby Bayonetta, but that’s what PlatinumGames served us in Spring 2023. This odd fairytale promptly vanished without a trace, with players apparently concluding that it didn’t look like it was worth the full-game price tag.
We’re big Bayonetta fans though and, to our surprise, we enjoyed Origins a lot more than the much-hyped Bayonetta 3. Like many games on this list it does something different with its simultaneous dual character controls, but get over the initial hurdle and it plays beautifully.
Plus, by the time you progress towards the final chapters, it becomes very similar to the over-the-top action you expect from a Bayonetta game. Expect to see Bayonetta Origins popping up on more and more “underrated games” lists in future. See my review here.