10 better games than Hellblade 2, you can play right now
Date: 2024-05-24
It's interesting for me that it take 2 games for people to realize, that Hellblade is just a movie game, walking simulator, with so minimal gameplay, that they compare it to The Order 1886.
Day 1 on gamepass, devs are wondering why they aren't making any money. Anyway, rest in pieces, Senua! Long time, no watch!
Here are 10 games that I can recommend to play instead of Hellblade 2. Some might contain a few minutes of cinematic, others are pure gameplay. Enjoy! This list is without any order, probably how it popped into my head!
Note: as always the GOG links are not affiliated ones, just normal ones. Feel free to wait for sale.
0. Spec Ops: The Line (2013)
I hate this freaking game! The gameplay is repetitive, covershooter, which I just dislike. However the story is really well done, and it has some meta things. It's really hard to write about without spoilers, but here is a little premise. You are a leader of a 3 man squad of American Marines(?), whose task is to check out what happened in a send storm ridden Dubai. What you find, you may not like, and definitely prepare yourself for some psychological stuff. Best game of 2013? Probably.
Buy Spec Ops: The Line on GOG… game is not found…
So, apparently 2k, the publisher of the game, did not renew music license and they pull the game of all stores. Music plays an integral part in the game, and I encourage everyone to find the game in other ways. This is another example, why we need physical media, and making backup games, movies, tv shows, music, etc. You never know when the Company decides to not care about something, that you care about. Because they rarely care…
1. Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Complete
Might and Magic was one of the longest running computer RPG, and HM&M is a good fantasy, turn-based strategy game series.
Don't blame the devs if you stay up all night, in the name of "just one more turn".
2. Transistor
Beautifully animated, with amazing music pieces, comes this action-RPG game in a futuristic sci-fi setting.
3. Daggerfall: Unity
An early entry in the Elder's Scroll series, ones of those legendary RPGs, where you can do anything. Literally you can just live your life in that world, and never touch the main quest. This version is remade in the Unity engine, and has an amazing number of mods to make it however you like. Tweak the gameplay, the surrounding, almost anything.
The project is open-source as well, you only need the data files of the original game, which is now free. Daggerfall Unity 1.0 came out just before 2024.
You get a free upgrade to a free game from the 90s, dozens of hour of gameplay. What's not to love?
I am not recommending the GOG version, because it didn't work for me, and many people say it is out of date, and buggy. Just use the manual from the Github page. Works crossplatform, natively.
4. XIII
I didn't want to recommend my regular fps games, so this one is a non-usual one. It has comic book type graphics, from head to toe, and some of the effects suggest, maybe we are in a comicbook? Highly recommend the original one, as the remake was… not so good.
You are the prime suspect of killing the president of the USA, and you have to clear your name. Not remembering who you are, ups the difficulty of course.
Playable with user mod on modern machine, this one is an enjoyable action-adventure game.
5. Star Wars Episode I Racer
For a racing game, here is a non-wheely one. Relive the excitement of the best part of the Star Wars prequels.
- Sense of speed: check.
- Racing as Anakin all over the galaxy, despite he is bound to Tatooine: check.
- Racing as anyone saw in the movie: check.
- Blood rushing through your vains as you listen to classic Star Wars music by John Williams: check.
6. Blade Runner
One of the all time classic sci-fi movies from the 1980s, and this is one of the all time classic sci-fi adventure games from 1990, based on the movie version, with amazing visuals and music, we are playing another replicant in LA, investigating murders.
Made by Westwood Studios (famous for creating the RTS genre, with Dune and the Command & Conquer series), it takes forward to the fictional LA in 2019 where play as Roy McCoy, a detective, going after rogue androids.
The game faitfully recreates the movie atmosphere. The graphics and style still holds up, and it was made in a way that each playthrough is different.
Original trailer, recorded from the Red Alert CD in-game player.
Blade Runner is one of the best movie-based game ever made. And it was both a technical and legal marvel that we can enjoy this game. On technical level it had to be reverse engineered, since the game's source was lost. However the SCUMMVM people made an excellent job. You can even play your original 4 CD copy if you want to (just make sure you have a backup of them). Legally, who know what company owned it, to bring it back this legendary game.
7. Rune Classic
Run was one of the first Unreal engine game, outside of Unreal. Features a Viking-centered story, and melee combat for both single- and multiplayer game.
8. Sanitarium (1998)
A point and click adventure game, where you survived a car crash and has to figure what really happened. You go through weird places of an asylum. A wonderfully dark psyhcological horror with tons of weird stuff. I someday probably finish it. Until then, it will be on my forever recommended list.
9. The Zachtronics Solitaire Collection
A collection of 7 card games from different Zachtronics games. Beautiful artwork, plenty of hours of fun to play.
10. Syndicate (1993)
I was a little kid, when I first met this game. A futuristic, cyberpunk game, where you are a leader of a company, and your job is to take over the world, by espionage, persuasion. The only problem is that, there are many other companies like yours, so better spend your money on researching the latest cybernetic armor, weapons and tools.
The game made by the great Bullfrog guys, who also did Dungeon Keeper, In that age when you were freely be on the bad side of things in video games, those were the days…
Oh and look at that intro!
