The AAA game is a unique space these days. It’s often considered copycat slop that doesn’t do anything unique or original. While they sell by the boatload for mainstream gamers, they’re often ignored by those that consider themselves in the more hardcore range.
Because of that, a lot of people might miss out on some AAA games that are actually pretty damn good. This could be due to poor reviews, or poor advertising, but I’m willing to be there are a ton of games in the AAA space that very few people have played.
13 AA Games With AAA Appeal
Sometimes it’s about the gameplay, sometimes it’s about the visuals, but it’s always about the quality, so let’s check out some double-A games.
We’re going to check out a bunch of games that got overshadowed by another game, or just released at the wrong time to get the traction needed to stand. Here are a handful of AAA games you might not have played, but are worth going back for.
10Ryse: Son of Rome
The Only Path To Ancient Rome
Ryse: Son of Rome
Ryse: Son of Romewas supposed to be a system seller for the Xbox One. It was not able to live up to that reputation, and it got annihilated in reviews primarily for being incredibly short.
That’s not incorrect, but today, you’re able to find the game for incredibly cheap, whether on PC or Xbox One. What you get is one hell of an action game, albeit a brief one.
Playing as Marius, you take part in your very Hollywood-type romp through Ancient Rome as a general looking for revenge. It’s told in a unique way, as you reminisce through battles that ultimately led to you being trapped in a room with another character at the beginning of the game.
Those battles are absolutely awesome, with a spin on the Arkham-style combat system where, striking at the right moment, chaining combos, parries, and executions are paramount. The action is incredible to witness, as time slows during the executions 300-style to deliver some gory takedowns. Overall, the graphics are amazing even today.
It’s a weekend’s worth of fun, but definitely worth a look as it’s one of the more underrated AAA games out there.
9Horizon Forbidden West
Guerrilla Games Sucks At Release Timing
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden Westis a great game that was just ignored because it released the week before the absolute behemoth of Elden Ring. People were not all that willing to shell out $70 for games two weeks in a row and, with the reputation of FromSoftware, it was pretty clear where consumers' money was going to go.
That’s not exactly fair, as Horizon Forbidden West really is a fantastic game. This is still probably the best-looking game ever created, andthe main story this time around is far more compelling than the first game’s.
The combat is also far more varied, requiring tons of different strategies for the massive amount of robot creatures you’ll face off against throughout the game. Some of the fights are on a scale that would put Monster Hunter to shame.
Most years, Horizon Forbidden West would’ve been Game of the Year, but Elden Ring just overshadowed every game in 2022, and it had no chance to become the huge hit it probably should’ve been.
8The Order: 1886
Cinema In Gaming Form
The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886is the best of the games that last under 10 hours in the past 10 years. That’s a unique space to be in for sure, but I will beat the drum for this gameuntil someone decides to make a sequel. It’s a great story, visually remarkable and, overall, one of the best third-person shooter games ever made.
Hyperbole aside, what you have here is an awesome take on Arthurian legend, with The Order being a sort of steampunk version of the Knights of the Round Table and you being in the boots of Gallahad.
It’s a tale of werewolves, vampires, betrayal, and politics, and it’s all done within 10 hours, and for good reason. It’s just not finished. The ending is not an ending but just an ultimate tease for a sequel that probably will never come.
But up till that point, you get some awesome set pieces, great and creative third-person shooting mechanics, and overall, just a damn fine shooter that will entertain you for a weekend and leave you wondering what was supposed to come after.
7Sleeping Dogs
The Best Open World Crime Sim
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogsis a masterfully done game that was missed by so many players when it came out. It was a year before the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5, so maybe people didn’t have any bandwidth for an open-world crime drama. Either way, they missed out on something special.
You play as Wei-Shen, an undercover cop who is infiltrating a gang and gets caught up in a turf war with all sorts of classic twists and turns.
The highlight is the combat, which, in my opinion,puts Arkham games to shame. Your arsenal of moves grows throughout the game, but your basic move set with grabs, counters, and weak and strong attacks is plenty enough, and you can use environmental attacks as well.
It’s so brutal and realistic, and it fits this world incredibly well and heightens the stakes of the missions. The story is also fantastic and well acted and, overall, it feels like a game that would be a huge hit. And yet, the sales did not reflect it.
There is little chance we’ll see a sequel for this one, but I’ll hold out hope because it’s an awesome game that doesn’t get the love it deserves.
A Forgotten Gem
Mad Maxis a game I’m pretty sure you didn’t play. You probably didn’t even know it was out due to how quiet the marketing was for it and how gaming and social media weren’t quite in tune at that point in time.
It was released after Mad Max: Fury Road, but perhaps a little too far after it to catch that popularity train. It also released the same day as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, so talk about asking to be dead on arrival.
The game itself is an awesome depiction of that world though, and while it’s not based on the movie outside of the setting, it fits right alongside any of the films.
You play as Max, and your mission is to find the Plains of Silence. Along the way, you’ll run into the War Boys, and chaos ensues. Combat is done through vehicles and on-foot action, and it’s some of the best in the open world genre.
The hand-to-hand combat is shockingly good, using the Arkham-style system of all things to make for some brutal and crunchy combat that lets you feel every hit.
The vehicular combat is bombastic too, with you upgrading your vehicle to ridiculous levels to wreak havoc on the War Boys as they try to take you out on the open road. It’s a great game that came at the wrong time and is usually available for a discount these days for those who are curious.
5Deathloop
Closing The Loop
You didn’t playDeathloopbecause it wasn’t Dishonored 3. Fans of that series were looking for a true sequel to that fantastic franchise, and instead, Arkane Austin went a different route and created somewhat of a roguelike,immersive sim hybrid. The concept is: you live, you die, you repeat the day again from the start.
That concept alone makes for a tough point of entry for many players, and it’s a big reason why the game wasn’t a hit. Despite great reviews, Deathloop was not much of a success in 2021 despite having nearly no competition. It got end of the year award buzz, but still never caught on with a wide audience.
The game is actually really fun though, as the open combat that the Dishonored series was known for is here once again in the next gen. You’ll have tons of guns to play with, as well as some interesting powers to use as you fight your way trying to figure out the puzzle that is the island you’re stuck on.
The main antagonist is Julianna, who shows up trying to kill you periodically, and her purpose is never fully revealed until the end, which is a mind-bending experience when you finally get there. Figuring out how to pull off a better run each time around is enthralling, and though the gameplay isn’t that novel, the overall experience is unique and worth experiencing.
4Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
They Waited Too Long
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2was a long time coming, and perhaps too long in this case. Hype for a sequel was big after the first game’s groundbreaking success, but it took 7 years for Ninja Theory to manage a sequel. When it released, the reception was lukewarm.
It’s a short game for sure, butit’s one well worth playingthanks to jaw-dropping visuals and strong combat. It feels like a playable movie in the best way, with many different environments this time around and a good story on top of that.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Stumbles In All The Wrong Places
Just like Senua in this new story, Hellblade 2 constantly feels unnecessary.
The biggest leap from the first game is the combat, which is far more cinematic this time, with more moves available to Senua in her arsenal. It’s a short game for sure, but what’s there is still pretty compelling.
I think the fact that fans waited 7 years for 7 hours of gameplay sat very badly with people and, ultimately, it made people not all that interested in paying a lot of money to play a game when that length of gameplay is just not acceptable in this gaming age.
3Watch Dogs: Legion
Ambition And Over-Promising
Watch Dogs Legion
The gaming landscape was pretty packed in 2020 between Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us: Part II, and Cyberpunk 2077. There wasn’t room for other titles to shine.
I think that’s partially whyWatch Dogs: Legiongot ignored. It’s not as good as the first game in the series, but it definitely does some very interesting things that other open world games don’t even try.
The recruitment system is at the top of that list, making it so that literally anyone you pass could be a potential recruit. This is done with a procedurally generated system that assigns the NPCs a specialty and a loyalty mission to gain them on your side, resulting in countless hilarious and often interesting combos.
It takes away any concept of a personal story, but instead shifts it to managing a team, where you have permadeth for whichever member you lose. It can be anything from construction workers to grandmas, and the gameplay changes vastly depending on the class you’re using.
The gameplay is a ton of fun, with a number of stealth, hacking, and full-on combat options depending on who you recruit. The DLC brings back Aiden from the first game to finish his story, which makes the experience well worth it as you can play the entire game as him from that point on.
2Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Left On Last Gen
Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Assassin’s Creed: Roguewas the forgotten child of the franchise when it came out. It released hand in hand with Assassin’s Creed Unity, and while it was praised in some ways, it was largely forgotten about.
Those that were stuck on last gen consoles at the time, which were the Xbox 360 and PS3, had Assassin’s Creed Rogue as their own. With it, one of the more unique games in the franchise.
For the first time, the game stars a Templar as you play as Shay Patrick Cormac on his revenge mission against the Assassins, who aren’t all that good, it turns out.
The gameplay is similar to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag in many ways, from the ship combat to the on-foot combat, but it’s the story that makes this one worth playing.
Like many games on this list, it’s quite short, but it’s a really fun time seeing how the Templars work and understanding the enemy by playing as them. It has some interesting implications for the rest of the series that really never got explored in the way they should have been.
1Titanfall 2
The Best FPS Franchise Of The 2010s
Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2is a game that gets talked about a ton, but I feel like so many people still haven’t played it. If they did, there would be some kind of event to get a sequel to this game; a parade, a riot.Somethingwould happen, because this game is too good to ignore.
Titanfall 2 has probablythe best first-person shooter campaign of all time, with some electric set pieces, incredible ideas like a time-bending mission, and just an overall high-octane experience.
The shooting mechanics are incredible, but the usage of the Titans, these giant mechs, is second to none. Mechs in a first-person shooter shouldn’t work, but here it does to perfection, and the seamless jump from being on foot to climbing in the Titan is amazing to witness.
The multiplayer was also awesome, but the campaign is the main event here and as good, high budget, and impressive as any other AAA game.
