5 Games From the 2010s You Forgot Were Awesome

The 2010s were one of the best decades for gaming. Fans started the decade enjoying the end of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360’s lifecycles, which was especially important for the former console, as it took developers some time to really take advantage of its Cell microprocessor, so those last few years were filled with bangers. In the middle of the decade, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch hit. Two of those consoles (sorry, Microsoft) went on to become best-sellers filled with incredible games. Between all of those great consoles, players had plenty to play, which means several hidden gems fell through the cracks.

Listing them all would take forever, but here are five of the best games from the 2010s that you forgot.

5) Mad Max

Mad Max developer Avalanche Studios is best known for its Just Cause series, but in 2015, the studio decided to make its take on the Max Rockatansky character. Despite releasing the same year as Mad Max: Fury Road, this game isn’t an adaptation. That gave Avalanche plenty of room to play with the character, which they used to produce one of the most action-packed vehicular combat we’ve seen in years.

While Mad Max‘s characters and open world got their due praise, it was the in-car battles that were the star of the show. Players who have been pining for the days of Twisted Metal and Road Rash had an intense new car battler with just enough unpredictability to keep you engaged throughout. The on-foot action wasn’t up to snuff, but you can get past it to get to the good stuff.

4) Deadly Premonition

I am an unapologetic super fan of Swery65’s work. I’ve often said that if I won the lottery, the first thing I’d do is back a truck of cash up to his house so he can finish D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die. That said, Deadly Premonition is the best game in his lengthy career.

Yes, Deadly Premonition wears its Twin Peaks inspiration not just on its sleeve, but essentially has it tattooed on its forehead. However, there’s nothing wrong with taking something great and using it as a building block to deliver one of the most delightfully weird video games of all time.

Look, Deadly Premonition‘s gameplay is, at its best, competent. You shouldn’t come to this expecting to have your mind blown with tight controls and excellent gunplay. If you let Deadly Premonition’s utterly bizarre mystery wash over you, you’ll have a much better time. It’s not a game for everybody, but if you can match its vibe, it might become your favorite game of the decade.

3) Ridiculous Fishing

Vlambeer went on quite a run in the mid-2010s. Between Ridiculous Fishing, Luftrausers, and Nuclear Throne, the indie team put out three great games in just as many years, and helped show that the Dutch developer scene was a force to be reckoned with.

For my money, Ridiculous Fishing is the best of the bunch, mostly because it came out at what felt like the peak of predatory phone games. Not to say we aren’t still in the thick of those, but everyone and their mother was trying to make a buck on mobile in the early 2010s.

Ridiculous Fishing went up against that deluge of slop to give phone gamers a ray of sunshine in the form of a quality video game. It’s a relatively simple premise: you cast your fishing line down, picking up as many fish as possible, and then shoot them out of the air with a shotgun. Isn’t that how everyone fishes?

2) Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a profoundly overlooked title. Developer Ninja Theory originally pitched it as a CGI film, which is easy to see in the final product. Writer Alex Garland’s (28 Days Later, Annihilation) script and the performances from Andy Serkis and Lindsey Shaw lend a Hollywood-feel to the story, while the visuals were jaw-droppingly gorgeous for the time.

Combat was relatively simple, functioning more like a thing to do between story beats to keep the player engaged, but it wasn’t bad. Platforming and light puzzle-solving helped break things up, though Ninja Theory could get a little hand-holdy at times. That all said, the reason to hop in is to see the relationship between Monkey and Trip. It’s one of the best and most believable dynamics we’ve ever seen, making Enslaved an easy game to recommend.

1) Sleeping Dogs

On the surface, Sleeping Dogs is a Grand Theft Auto knock-off set in Hong Kong, but that’s doing the game a massive disservice. Sure, it’s a crime drama in a large open world filled with side activities to do, but developer United Front Games did so much more with Sleeping Dogs.

One of the biggest advantages Sleeping Dogs has on the series it’s inspired by is that United Front’s game has great melee combat. Wei Shen is an expert martial artist who dominates opponents with speed, agility, and a willingness to slam his enemy’s head into an air conditioner. The gunplay is a little weak, but with melee combat that rivals Batman: Arkham Asylum, why would you bother getting into a shootout?

On top of that, Sleeping Dogs lets you choose between earning cred with the Triad or the Police. Shen is an undercover cop, but you’re given the option to drift further into illegal activities if you want. There aren’t different endings, just different flavors of the same scene, but your decisions do affect gameplay. It’s a shame both the sequel and spin-off were cancelled. There is a film adaptation in the works, but United Front closed its doors in 2016.

What do you think? Leave a comment below with your favorite hidden gem of the 2010s and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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