This is the first of many Top 5 lists that I plan on doing on my blog, and why not start it with one that could possibly get me executed for my opinion on what classes a game as surprisingly good.
So let me firstly say that for whatever reason, I didn't think these games in particular would be very good, when in fact they turned out to be some of the best games of the year so far.
These games go in order of worst to best, however in this case, all the games on the list are excellent games.
Enjoy.
Number 5 - Mortal Kombat X
Why I didn't think much of it
Mortal Kombat has always been a series that I have enjoyed, mostly down to the ridiculous characters, horrible continuity and buckets of blood. That mixed with some of the greatest couch multiplayer experiences and a grueling difficulty curve gives the series an unmatched blend of hardcore competitiveness and mindless murdering of all your mates.
Mortal Kombat X, was marketed with a brand new hollywood-esque story mode, packed with QTE's and cutscenes. Not to mention the new generation of fighters which replace most of our favourite characters, unless you fancy forking out the cash on some DLC.
Why on earth would I want to play a Mortal Kombat game, with a Call of Duty story mode and a cast with the average age of 12.
Why I was so wrong
When I reluctantly purchased the game, I instantly fell in love with the new fighting system. How you could interact with the environments, how beautifully the game looked and flowed, and above all how brutal the special and finishing moves were.
However I knew this part of the game would be excellent, my issues were with the story mode, and although my subheading above may be saying other, I was completely right about that.
The story mode was a 3 hour long, piss poor entry to the franchise. Not only was it cringey to watch, but there was absolutely no challenge too it. The story modes have always felt weird, but this was just out of place.
The reason Mortal Kombat X is such an excellent game is because of the sheer depth in gameplay. The choice of fighting styles, incredible character detail, realistic animation and deep level interaction makes for smooth and infinitely challenging fighting, that I didn't know was possible to bring out of a fighting game.
So even though I was right about the story mode, I never would have anticipated the amount of polish that the fighting has been given, making Mortal Kombat X one of the best games of the year so far and probably the best entry in the franchise.
Number 4 - Driveclub (Playstation Plus Edition)
I know that Driveclub was released in 2014, but I played the Playstation Plus edition before upgrading to the full version which was released in 2015.
Why I didn't think much of it
Driveclub was stuck in a bit of a development rut for a while. Planning to be released alongside the PS4, it wasn't until late 2014 that it made an appearance.
I didn't touch Driveclub for this reason, and the mixed responses from critics made me wait even longer. It felt to me like a game with a lot of empty promises, as everything that had been promised for it was either absent or delayed.
In June 2015, the Playstation Plus edition was released for free on the store, with an upgrade fee of £19.99. The free version was exactly the same as the full version of the game, however you were limited to a lot of the cars, tracks and tours. As it was free, and after hearing that the game was receiving tons of technical support and patches, I downloaded it.
Why I was so wrong
Although the single player isn't riddled with content, the social side of the game keeps it fun and interesting. Leaderboards and clubs that are so easily accessed, add a simple, but addicting competitive feel to the game.
Gameplay wise, if you look past the aggressive AI, you have an arcade racer at its core wearing the make up of a robust simulation game. The handling is easy to learn, but hard to master and graphically, the game looks astonishingly good.
Driveclub is the racer that Playstation needed, and after all the negative build up to the game following its delays and broken promises, it really is a case of trying out the free version and seeing for yourself that there is normally a perfectly good reason for game delays.
Number 3 - Dying Light
Why I didn't think much of it
Techland did themselves absolutely no favours with the Dead Island series. Eventhough I enjoyed Dead Island, it was obvious that it was a very messy game with little to no direction.
After playing Riptide, any positive thought I had for Dead Island style of gameplay vanished, and I was left wondering what on earth I enjoyed about it in the first place.
When Dying Light was first announced I was really excited, the first cinematic trailer was really awesome and it rea - oh wait, the same thing happened for Dead Island.
The idea of free running was great and all, but I couldn't help but think that if Techland cant even get you to walk straight without a bug, then how on earth are they going to develop a smooth free running system?
I was really pessimistic about this, and even after seeing a live gameplay reveal at EGX, I was still not convinced at all.
Why I was so wrong
Dying light was awesome.
I bought it on release date, even though I swore it was going to flop, and I was instantly in love.
The free running flowed effortlessly, the zombies were scary and hard; and the soundtrack.. Oh that soundtrack was just wonderful.
Its strange because on one hand you can see that this was definitely made by the studio who gave you Dead Island, but on the other I was often left thinking, how did they fuck up Dead Island so much, but absolutely nail it with Dying Light?
Dying Light is receiving a huge amount of additional content now and in the future, so it really is being well looked after, and I think Techland would be daft, not to start working on a sequel, because they really have struck gold here.
Number 2 - Rocket League
Why I didn't think much of it
Now this one is a bit different. I didn't think Rocket League was going to be bad, I just didn't think it would be much good.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed supersonic acrobatic rocket-powered battle-cars, as much as the next guy, but Rocket League snuck up and butted into the PS Store earlier this year.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed supersonic acrobatic rocket-powered battle-cars, as much as the next guy, but Rocket League snuck up and butted into the PS Store earlier this year.
When I saw it was a sequel to supersonic acrobat - etc, I thought to myself that this game is probably gonna be a good laugh for a few minutes and maybe a couple of hours if you have some friends to play with, just like the first one was.
Why I was so wrong
Rocket League is probably one of the best executed games I have played on the Playstaion 4, and that feels crazy for me to say.
It looks beautiful, it plays perfectly and it has such a simple multiplayer and single player season mode which will eat up your evenings with ease.
Number 1 - Bloodborne
Why I didn't think much of it
This is the one where I think I'll be executed.
I heavily disliked the Dark Souls games, however I always respected them as a game and could see why others liked them.
I always found the combat far too stiff, the inventory system unimaginative and boring, and I really just struggled to be interested in the bland environments and characters. The unique selling point of difficulty and that sense of achievement felt to me far too much of a gimmick, and it just didn't work on me.
I assumed Bloodborne would be much of the same, it seemed bland and pretty identical in gameplay, so I left it there and didn't really read up about it again.
Why I was so wrong
I picked up Bloodborne a couple of weeks after its release, and slowly began to enjoy it.
The combat was sleek and smooth flowing, the characters and lore was very interesting, the inventory system was easy to understand, and as was the upgrading system.
For me Bloodborne is an absolute masterpiece, and there really is so much too it in terms of story, gameplay and customization, but you as a player must find it all yourself.
And I think Dark Souls tried to do this, but instead made a clunky and unorganized game, that luckily created a cult following due to its difficulty and interesting art style.
Hopefully Dark Souls 3 will learn from Bloodborne, because it truly is a special game.
As always thanks for reading.
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