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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,
00:11what 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
00:25titles, 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.
00:38Number 10, Hi-Fi Rush.
00:40Closing Tango Gameworks will go down as one of the biggest blunders
00:43of Phil Spencer's time in charge of Xbox.
00:46Though 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,
01:18was a more colourful, cel-shaded rhythm action game where the beat of the music
01:23informed your character's combat prowess.
01:26With strong comedy writing, memorable boss battles and a striking aesthetic,
01:31Hi-Fi Rush was an injection of adrenaline on Game Pass.
01:34A proof of concept that the huge developers Microsoft had acquired
01:38could take risks on new, smaller, more experimental titles to bolster the service.
01:44Unfortunately, as we know now, that approach wasn't to be,
01:48but at least we still have this game that will stand the test of time.
01:529. Indica
01:53While 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
02:05adventuring nun warring with her faith. Set in a surreal alt-history Russia, where animals are the
02:12size of houses and the freezing expanses of the country's wilderness make a trip to the closest
02:16town a half-get-esque nightmare, this strange adventure title has you taking control of the
02:22titular character as you meet up with troubled convicts, reckon with your past, and try to
02:27navigate a world which rarely makes any sense. Texturally, its closest comparison is probably
02:33Hellblade in terms of its character-centric gameplay and horror-inspired presentation, and while its
02:39story is similarly as weighty and psychological, there is one key difference. Indica is funny.
02:46Blending humour with horror, this is a game that keeps you on your toes, moving from one gameplay
02:51idea and set piece to the next. Its purposefully abrasive content won't click with every player,
02:58but 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 in an
03:09entirely 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
03:27around there's a much larger focus on survival horror gameplay. The core idea is you play as a
03:32soldier trapped in an abandoned WW1 bunker that's being terrorised by an invading monster. It's your
03:39job to 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 appear.
03:56Your limited ammo for a revolver and slow reloading constantly has you weighing up whether to use a
04:02shot as a tool, i.e. shooting a lock off a door, or as an offensive measure to make the
04:08monster
04:08itself retreat, while other scavenged items similarly have multiple uses as you map out the most efficient
04:15way around the base. This interplay of incredible atmosphere, I mean setting a horror game in a
04:26box and experimentation makes it an amazing survival horror experience.
04:327. Pacific Drive Pacific Drive is for freaks like me who love sorting out their briefcases
04:38in Resident Evil 4. Taking place in a wilderness walled off from the rest of civilization that's
04:44home to extreme storms and otherworldly phenomena, this survival title tasks you with going out on
04:50runs deeper and deeper into the world with only a rust bucket of a car for protection. If you're
04:56playing well though it won't stay a rust bucket for long, as the game's core loop has you going
05:01into the hazardous parts of the zone to hopefully bring back loot and resources that can improve
05:07your vehicle and make it more durable to endure deeper runs against even more potent dangers.
05:13That risk reward gameplay is fundamental to the experience. The anxiety of wondering whether to
05:20evacuate back to camp while you can, or push on in the hopes of increasing the loot load,
05:25makes each run as stressful as the last, no doubt resulting in as many runs where you return to
05:30the garage with no doors or wheels as you do a boot full of goodies. It's in kitting out your
05:36car with
05:37defenses though, you know, extra tires, enhanced bodywork, headlights that consume less battery and
05:43being prepared that makes the loop so satisfying, as you slowly create a roaming tank that returns from
05:50the fray with nary a scratch. Throw in an eerie mysterious plot on top of that loop and you
05:55have one of the biggest surprises and best surprises of the year.
06:00Number 6, Returnal. Ah, my beloved Returnal. A game so good that it opened my eyes to an entire genre.
06:08As an early PS5 exclusive, Returnal followed an astronaut named Selene who finds herself trapped on an alien
06:15planet and in a time loop. Hey, what can I say, 2021 was just huge for Groundhog Day style gaming
06:22stories.
06:23Your goal is to push through the different biomes in order to find a way off the planet,
06:27but every time you die, you're back to the beginning. There are enough persistent mechanics
06:31which maintain the sense of progression even on failed runs though. As leveling up weapons,
06:37defeating bosses and gaining familiarity of the enemies and biomes, not to mention the developments
06:42in the narrative itself, all make subsequent attempts that little bit easier and that little
06:47bit more satisfying. Each area is vividly imagined as well, often with unique enemies and dangers that
06:54really drive home the Lovecraftian horror of the alien planet you're on. Audiotapes and remnants of
07:00an old civilisation slowly unveil the larger story, which is at once cosmic in scale but deeply personal
07:07to Selene's past. It's the third person combat that makes it a game you don't want to put down though.
07:12It's challenging, fast paced and demands some pixel-perfect responses, but in terms of pure
07:18combat rhythm, it's up there with Doom as some of the finest on console.
07:235. Helldivers 2
07:25Helldivers 2 is easily the biggest surprise of 2024. The PC and PS5 game has outsold titans like Marvel's
07:33Spider-Man 2, all in the back of delivering The Unthinkable, a live-service game that actually
07:39respects the player. Though there were some quibbles at launch and Sony's attempt to restrict the game
07:44afterwards threatened the status quo, Helldivers, an archic third-person co-op shooting provides
07:49action-movie-worthy set pieces in virtually every round, as players team up to make use of extreme
07:55ordinance to keep the alien threat at bay. While the gameplay itself is silky smooth and full of
08:01spectacle, it's the wider framing of the ongoing conflict that makes Helldivers so special. Keeping
08:07the game fresh with updates that are conveyed in-universe, the meta of Helldivers multiplayer
08:12is constantly changing, throwing up new surprises for players to tackle. It's a real joy of a game to
08:18be a part of, and one that looks like it's only going to get better going forward.
08:234. 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. Though
08:55we'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
09:18as 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 and keeping
09:30every finger and toe and everything else crossed that Silent Hill 2 improves on the solid foundations here.
09:373. Sifu
09:38Sometimes you just want to sit back, relax and kick someone in the head so hard that they go flying
09:44through 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,
10:09requiring you to memorize combos, learn your opponent's movesets and have quick reactions to
10:15counter incoming blows. But while you'll initially find yourself eating pavement, you will soon come
10:21to master its ways, running through enemies with the nonchalance of Neo in the opening of The Matrix
10:27Reloaded. This is a stylish action game that's way more fully realized and content rich than you may
10:34have thought. The levels are excellent, the bosses are tough and you can even use a ball staff. Hey,
10:39what'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 from
10:49a developer that doesn't even have a Wikipedia page at the time of writing, makes for a project
10:55understandably treated with skepticism. But developers Neowiz Games and Round 8 Studios
11:00proved everyone wrong by delivering the single greatest Souls-like title not made by From Software.
11:08With a Bloodborne-esque gothic horror setting and frantic challenging combat, Lies of P from its very
11:13first level is noticeably a cut above the competition in terms of polish and presentation. The enemy
11:20design successfully taps into the potential of its Gonzo story framing, throwing one mechanical puppet
11:26abomination after another at the player, alongside some infested creatures to boot. These beasties feel
11:33as good to fight as they are to look at as well, with diverse combat styles demanding the player's
11:38proficiency with a blade as well as dodging and parrying. It's the boss battles that are Lies of P's
11:44easy standout feature though. As visually memorable is the most iconic From Soft opponents, pretty much
11:50than any one of the extensive boss encounters in this game poses a tantalizing challenge for even
11:56veterans of the subgenre. Most often being two phase bouts as standard, they demand a lot from the
12:03player, but constantly offer up incredible sequences and spectacle. If you're a fan of this genre,
12:10honestly you cannot miss Lies of P. I cannot believe how good this thing was.
12:14Number one, Robocop Rogue City. Oh god, honestly, I can hear Scott Helford banging on the door to talk
12:22about this game. He never shuts up about it. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna retreat and let him talk
12:28about it.
12:29Just 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,
12:42Robocop 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 wanna literally throw motorcycles at people while choking
12:53gangsters popping heads and exploring perfectly sized mini open worlds? Robocop does do that.
12:59Even 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 choice
13:08based dialogue scenes. The control scheme too, simply because you're controlling a walking tank,
13:12swaps out standard things like sprinting and sliding to give you a shoulder charge,
13:16slow motion toggle, armor enhancements and much more. If we're talking about what it should feel
13:21like to embody a character in a video game, that pure, I love playing this escapist feel so few
13:26titles get right, it's Robocop Rogue City. Developers Taeyon built on their last game
13:31Terminator Resistance in every meaningful way, with one foot in something like the Xbox 360 era of action
13:37games and the other providing a presentation that looks absolutely gorgeous.
13:41Josh, are you listening? Play Robocop Rogue City.
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