Friday, September 18, 2009

Most Overlooked Xbox 360 Games - Part One

Welcome to the end of the work week on SuperPhillip Central! Up until now, we haven't covered every platform in our Most Overlooked series. That ends tonight as we take a look at the Xbox 360's series of overlooked games. This is just one of many parts that will be featured in the future, so sit back, relax, and get ready for the Xbox 360's most overlooked titles. You may notice funnily enough that all of the following games have one thing in common: they all have color!

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

A game that was overlooked despite being cheaper than usual 360 games, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts failed to light up the charts despite its rewarding gameplay. Perhaps because it wasn't the Banjo-Threeie everyone was expecting is why. I'll look back fondly on exploring Showdown Town in search of music notes and new vehicle parts, tackling the same challenge in multiple ways, and laughing at the series' trademark humor. Even so, the cartoon visuals and vehicle-building mechanic failed to entice most Xbox 360 gamers more interested in the next shooter of the month to grace the console.


Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

The aim of Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is to entice as many new pinata into your gardens as possible. Yep, this time I said gardens. Certain pinatas will only show up in different gardens from the traditional grassy plains to the ice cold arctic winter wonderland. New gardens also mean new pinatas, and Trouble in Paradise included a flurry of new ones to collect. Once again, perhaps the colorful visuals turned off a lot of would-be buyers, but if you get the chance to track this sequel down for cheap, please do so. It's a charming game with plenty of content to explore, pinatas to raise, and secrets to unlock.


Kameo: Elements of Power

It seems developer Rare is a theme on the Xbox 360 side of overlooked games, no? While their other launch title sold well in Perfect Dark Zero, their other game, Kameo: Elements of Power didn't move as many units as expected. Kameo is Zelda-like in structure. You solve puzzles, beat down baddies, and progress through the game's areas and dungeons. Kameo has the power to transform herself into one of many monsters, each with their own unique abilities from fire-breathing dragons to ocean-diving fish. The game's visuals still hold up quite well unlike the plastic-looking characters of Perfect Dark Zero.


Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata is an action-RPG loosely based on the life of famous composer Chopin. The story takes place as he dreams. With lush visuals, an engaging story, and an excellent soundtrack inked by veteran composer, Motoi Sakuraba, Eternal Sonata was a game that many 360 owners didn't give a second glance to. The sales were so low that the game was later ported to the Playstation 3 with new characters and quests. Despite what system you get the game on (the 360 version offers achievements while the PS3 version lacks trophy support), Eternal Sonata is an RPG for any fan of the genre.


Beautiful Katamari

Roll with it with Beautiful Katamari. Featuring new levels, downloadable content already on the disc (jerks), and multiple materials and objects for the Prince of All Cosmos to roll up, Beautiful Katamari may not innovate as much as past entries in the series, but it is definitely a competent game all around. For the first time ever, you can compete online against friends, family, and foes alike in multiple modes of multiple varying degrees of fun. You can pick up Beautiful Katamari on the cheap, so now's the perfect time to strike and roll yourself up a copy.


That wraps it up for this edition of Most Overlooked. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more cool features, articles, and editorials right here on SuperPhillip Central!

1 comment:

Jebby said...

This is a good reason why Microsoft should never have bought RARE. I'd love to have them make Wii games because a) they would sell well b) they would probably make more games & c) I'd really like to see platforming games brought back