Bozo Beat — Games that Deserve More Love

While many end up spending Valentine’s with the people they love, the less fortunate might spend it with the games they love instead. However, the list might get stale after a few years. Got a special someone to be with on Valentines? Try these games instead with your partner. Otherwise, the following games that deserve a little more love will hopefully rekindle your love for gaming.

Titanfall 2

The first Titanfall game had massive hype surrounding its release yet failed to deliver on its promises. Titanfall 2 is a completely opposite story. The game’s marketing was more tame and less prevalent compared to its predecessor, leading to poor sales. However, Titanfall 2 is regarded by many to be one of the greatest shooters of all time. Unlike the first which had no story mode at all, Titanfall 2’s campaign is comparable to the likes of Half-Life with its clever design and engaging mechanics. The story itself is also surprisingly compelling, specifically the bond that the player builds with their Titan.

Hollow Knight

The indie sleeper hit Hollow Knight is a game with Metroidvania exploration, allowing players to venture into the beautiful yet dark, twisted and unforgiving world of Hollownest. The world is filled to the brim with secrets that reward the player for exploring with helpful upgrades and items that make traversal and combat easier. Hollow Knight also boasts fun and engaging combat that can crush the player for not being careful, as harder enemies require precision and patience to defeat. The cherry on top of the game’s fantastic gameplay is its jaw dropping presentation. The hand drawn art style of Hollow Knight wastes no time showing the player the alluring yet grim world they’re exploring. The upcoming sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, will hopefully be able to not only deliver on what was great about the first but also expand upon it (if it ever comes out).

Batman: Arkham Origins

The Batman: Arkham series holds some of the most beloved games over the past decade. The stellar combat, captivating puzzles and colorful cast of villains were what put these games on the map. However, many only consider Batman: Arkham to be a trilogy of games. The black sheep of the series, Batman: Arkham Origins is largely underappreciated and unnoticed, even being left out of the Batman: Arkham Collection in 2019. This is largely due to the fact that the original developers, Rocksteady, didn’t work on the game. They were instead working on Batman: Arkham Knight, which wouldn’t be released for another two years. To fill in the gap and keep up with the biennial releases, WB Games developed 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins. The game serves as a prequel to its predecessors, with Bruce Wayne only having been Batman for a year. Despite being a prequel, Origins is still able to provide a compelling story, highlighting Batman’s journey from vigilante to hero as well as setting the groundwork for his relationship with the Joker. Additionally, the game still has many of the staples of the other Arkham games and even expands on some such as the combat.

Luigi’s Mansion

The second and more overlooked Mario brother got some well-deserved time in the spotlight for the first time in 2001’s Luigi’s Mansion. This GameCube launch title surprised fans as it was expected that Nintendo would want to launch their console with a more mainline character. However, not only did Luigi’s Mansion prove to be a great game, it also perfectly showcased what the new technology of the GameCube was capable of. The game allows players to explore a haunted mansion as Luigi. As with any Metroidvania-type game, Luigi’s Mansion encourages exploration as the mansion boasts many secrets that will allow the player to further progress. The game also sees Luigi facing off against ghosts in a style reminiscent of Ghostbusters. Additionally, the level of detail in not only the mansion but Luigi and his animations perfectly showcased what the new GameCube could do. Thankfully, Luigi’s Mansion spawned two successful sequels on the 3DS and Nintendo Switch.