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10 DOUBLE A Video Games You Need To Play
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00:00AAA games are of course here to stay and just like everyone else I love indulging in the
00:05latest big blockbuster, but I also concede that AAA games can be a risky investment,
00:12what with them often being hundreds of hours long, pretty darn pricey and sometimes just
00:18completely botched at launch.
00:20So with this in mind today we're casting our eye to the AA games, those lower production
00:26titles, those lower cost games that have just as much to offer as the biggest blockbusters.
00:32I'm Josh from WhatCulture.com and these are 10 AA video games you need to play.
00:3810. Hi-Fi Rush.
00:40Closing Tango Gameworks will go down as one of the biggest blunders of Phil Spencer's time in charge
00:45of Xbox. Though the studio was relatively young, only releasing a handful of games,
00:50it had proven itself as one of the most promising and diverse rising talents.
00:55After a wobbly debut with The Evil Within, the team followed it up with one of the most
00:59inventive and confident sequels from the past decade with The Evil Within 2,
01:04a game which, in a just world, would have sold millions of copies.
01:09It was Hi-Fi Rush which teased the studio's true capabilities though.
01:13Moving away from M-rated horror shoot-'em-ups, this smaller title, Shadow Dropped on Game Pass,
01:19was a more colourful, cel-shaded rhythm action game where the beat of the music
01:23informed your character's combat prowess. With strong comedy writing, memorable boss battles,
01:29and a striking aesthetic, Hi-Fi Rush was an injection of adrenaline on Game Pass,
01:34a proof of concept that the huge developers Microsoft had acquired could take risks on new,
01:40smaller, more experimental titles to bolster the service. Unfortunately, as we know now,
01:46that approach wasn't to be, but at least we still have this game that will stand the test of time.
01:529. Indica
01:54While all of the games on this list are broadly recommendable, Indica, by design, is not for
01:59everyone. There's nothing quite like this story-driven esoteric game where you play as an adventuring
02:06nun warring with her faith. Set in a surreal alt-history Russia, where animals are the size of houses and
02:13the freezing expanses of the country's wilderness make a trip to the closest town a half-get-esque
02:18nightmare, this strange adventure title has you taking control of the titular character as you
02:24meet up with troubled convicts, reckon with your past, and try to navigate a world which rarely makes
02:30any sense. Texturally, its closest comparison is probably Hellblade in terms of its character-centric
02:36gameplay and horror-inspired presentation, and while its story is similarly as weighty and psychological,
02:43there is one key difference. Indica is funny. Blending humour with horror, this is a game that
02:49keeps you on your toes, moving from one gameplay idea and set piece to the next. Its purposefully
02:55abrasive content won't click with every player, but those on its wavelength are in for a treat.
03:018. Amnesia the Bunker
03:03Amnesia the Bunker is the perfect example of how to take an established franchise and push it
03:08in an entirely new direction. Now, full disclosure here, I've never actually been a huge amnesia guy.
03:15Its hide-and-seek gameplay and period settings have never had much draw to my horror tastes,
03:21but the changes the bunker makes to the core concept have finally made me a fan. This time around,
03:27there's a much larger focus on survival horror gameplay. The core idea is you play as a soldier
03:33trapped in an abandoned WWI bunker that's being terrorised by an invading monster. It's your job
03:39to explore the underground caverns and find a way to escape. What keeps that goal intense, though,
03:45is the constant resource management. You need to keep the generator at the game's one save point full
03:51of gas if you want to keep exploring with the lights on, which makes the monster less likely to
03:56appear. Your limited ammo for a revolver and slow reloading constantly has you weighing up whether to
04:02use a shot as a tool, i.e. shooting a lock off a door, or as an offensive measure to make the
04:08monster itself retreat, while other scavenged items similarly have multiple uses as you map out the
04:14most efficient way around the base. This interplay of incredible atmosphere, I mean setting a horror
04:20game in a WWI bunker is in and of itself genius, and gameplay that encourages thinking outside the box
04:26and experimentation makes it an amazing survival horror experience.
04:327. Pacific Drive
04:34Pacific Drive is for freaks like me who loved sorting out their briefcases in Resident Evil 4.
04:40Taking place in a wilderness walled off from the rest of civilisation that's home to extreme storms
04:45and otherworldly phenomena, this survival title tasks you with going out on runs deeper and deeper
04:51into the world with only a rust bucket of a car for protection. If you're playing well though it won't
04:57stay a rust bucket for long as the game's core loop has you going into the hazardous parts of
05:03the zone to hopefully bring back loot and resources that can improve your vehicle and make it more
05:08durable to endure deeper runs against even more potent dangers. That risk reward gameplay is fundamental
05:16to the experience. The anxiety of wondering whether to evacuate back to camp while you can or push on
05:23in the hopes of increasing the loop load makes each run as stressful as the last, no doubt resulting in
05:29as many runs where you return to the garage with no doors or wheels as you do a boot full of goodies.
05:35It's in kitting out your car with defences though, you know, extra tyres, enhanced bodywork,
05:40headlights that consume less battery and being prepared that makes the loop so satisfying,
05:47as you slowly create a roaming tank that returns from the fray with nary a scratch. Throw in an
05:53eerie mysterious plot on top of that loop and you have one of the biggest surprises and best surprises
05:58of the year. Number 6, Returnal. Ah, my beloved Returnal, a game so good that it opened my eyes
06:06to an entire genre. As an early PS5 exclusive, Returnal followed an astronaut named Selene,
06:13who finds herself trapped on an alien planet and in a time loop. Hey, what can I say, 2021 was just
06:19huge for Groundhog Day-style gaming stories. Your goal is to push through the different biomes in order
06:25to find a way off the planet, but every time you die, you're back to the beginning. There are enough
06:30persistent mechanics which maintain the sense of progression even on failed runs though,
06:35as levelling up weapons, defeating bosses and gaining familiarity of the enemies and biomes,
06:41not to mention the developments in the narrative itself, all make subsequent attempts that little
06:46bit easier and that little bit more satisfying. Each area is vividly imagined as well, often with unique
06:52enemies and dangers that really drive home the Lovecraftian horror of the alien planet you're on.
06:58Audiotapes and remnants of an old civilisation slowly unveil the larger story, which is at once
07:04cosmic and scale, but deeply personal to Selene's past. It's the third-person combat that makes
07:10it a game you don't want to put down though. It's challenging, fast-paced and demands some pixel-perfect
07:16responses, but in terms of pure combat rhythm, it's up there with Doom as some of the finest on console.
07:23Number 5, Helldivers 2. Helldivers 2 is easily the biggest surprise of 2024. The PC and PS5 game has
07:31outsold titans like Marvel's Spider-Man 2, all in the back of delivering The Unthinkable,
07:37a live-service game that actually respects the player. Though there were some quibbles at launch
07:42and Sony's attempt to restrict the game afterwards threatened the status quo, Helldivers, an archic
07:47third-person co-op shooting provides action-movie-worthy set pieces in virtually every round,
07:53as players team up to make use of extreme ordinance to keep the alien threat at bay. While the gameplay
07:59itself is silky smooth and full of spectacle, it's the wider framing of the ongoing conflict that
08:04makes Helldivers so special. Keeping the game fresh with updates that are conveyed in-universe,
08:10the meta of Helldivers multiplayer is constantly changing, throwing up new surprises for players to
08:16tackle. It's a real joy of a game to be a part of, and one that looks like it's only going to get
08:21better going forward. 4. The Medium
08:25Bloober Team is an understandably controversial developer. While they've created some popular
08:30titles, namely the Layers of Fear games, they've also struggled to create a truly exceptional experience
08:37so far. That said, The Medium comes damn close. Swapping the team's usual first-person perspective
08:44for an old-school third-person survival horror camera position, The Medium hinges around a core idea.
08:50Swapping between two different realities to solve puzzles and progress through the story.
08:55Though we've seen similar gimmicks implemented in Titanfall 2 and Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart,
09:00it feels right at home in a horror game. Moving from reality to a demonic hellscape keeps players
09:07on their toes even when they're exploring, never mind when they're being chased through levels by
09:12beastly monstrosities. Though the story doesn't quite do the complex subject matter justice just to be
09:17as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, there is an overall strong sense of focus and artistic
09:23direction that keeps The Medium entertaining for the long haul. He is hoping, and praying,
09:29and keeping every finger and toe and everything else crossed that Silent Hill 2 improves on the
09:35solid foundations here. 3. Sifu
09:38Sometimes you just want to sit back, relax and kick someone in the head so hard that they go flying
09:45through a nearby window. Not just in real life, but in video games too. And unfortunately,
09:50the martial arts subgenre and melee combat innovation in general has kind of taken a backseat
09:56this generation. Sifu, however, brings it back into the focus in a sublime way. Putting the player
10:02through multiple gauntlets and boss battles, Sifu isn't exactly a power fantasy. It's a tough game,
10:10requiring you to memorize combos, learn your opponent's movesets and have quick reactions
10:15to counter incoming blows. But while you'll initially find yourself eating pavement, you will
10:20soon come to master its ways, running through enemies with the nonchalance of Nioh in the opening
10:26of The Matrix Reloaded. This is a stylish action game that's way more fully realized and content rich
10:33than you may have thought. The levels are excellent, the bosses are tough and you can even use a ball
10:38staff. Hey, what's not to like? 2. Lies of P
10:42You know, you would be forgiven for missing Lies of P last year. A Pinocchio-themed Souls-like
10:49from a developer that doesn't even have a Wikipedia page at the time of writing,
10:53makes for a project understandably treated with skepticism. But developers Niohz Games and Round 8
11:00Studios proved everyone wrong by delivering the single greatest Souls-like title not made by From
11:07Software. With a Bloodborne-esque gothic horror setting and frantic challenging combat, Lies of P
11:13from its very first level is noticeably a cut above the competition in terms of polish and presentation.
11:19The enemy design successfully taps into the potential of its Gonzo story framing, throwing one
11:25mechanical puppet abomination after another at the player, alongside some infested creatures to boot.
11:32These beasties feel as good to fight as they are to look at as well, with diverse combat styles
11:37demanding the player's proficiency with a blade as well as dodging and parrying. It's the boss battles
11:43that are Lies of P's easy standout feature though. As visually memorable is the most iconic From
11:49Soft Opponents, pretty much any one of the extensive boss encounters in this game poses a tantalizing
11:55challenge for even veterans of the subgenre. Most often being two phase bouts as standard, they demand
12:01a lot from the player but constantly offer up incredible sequences and spectacle. If you're a fan of
12:09this genre honestly you cannot miss Lies of P, I cannot believe how good this thing was. Number 1, Robocop
12:16Rogue City. Oh god honestly I can hear Scott Hilfurt banging on the door to talk about this game, he never
12:24shut up about it, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna retreat and let him talk about it. Just let him go.
12:31Finally, Robocop Rogue City absolutely effing owned and anyone who hasn't played it needs to check it out.
12:37Sick of the same old AAA build that preys upon your free time to extract more money with less rewards,
12:43Robocop doesn't do that. Sick of the same style of Disneyfied riding that's just pure cringe at this
12:48point, Robocop doesn't do that either. Just want to literally throw motorcycles at people while choking
12:53gangsters popping heads and exploring perfectly sized mini open worlds, Robocop does do that.
12:58Even its dissection of who Alex Murphy is, which parts of him are still human, whether that gives
13:03him rights as a person or a police officer, are threaded throughout the game in really neat
13:07choice based dialogue scenes. The control scheme too, simply because you're controlling a walking
13:12tank, swaps out standard things like sprinting and sliding to give you a shoulder charge, slow motion
13:17toggle, armour enhancement and much more. If we're talking about what it should feel like to embody a
13:21character in a video game, that pure I love playing this escapist feel so few titles get right,
13:27it's Robocop Rogue City. Developers Taeon built on their last game Terminator Resistance in every
13:32meaningful way, with one foot in something like the Xbox 360 era of action games and the other
13:38providing a presentation that looks absolutely gorgeous. Josh, are you listening? Play Robocop Rogue City.
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