SUPER COOL GAMES......
#10 – Watch Dogs ($68 Million)
“Watch
Dogs” is one of the two newest games on this list, and was released in
May 2014 by Ubisoft. “Watch Dogs” is an open world game that was
designed to allow players to explore a fictionalized version of Chicago
and bears a slight resemblance to the “Grand Theft Auto” series, which
you will hear more about later. “Watch Dogs” places you into the role of
a hacker, who is also pretty handy with a gun.
“Watch
Dogs” received a lot of hype when it first came out. Many critics said
that the open world version of Chicago gave players plenty of time to
explore, even if they weren’t active in a mission. When 2014 finally
came to a close, “Watch Dogs” sold more than 10 million copies, making
it the best-selling game in the Ubisoft’s history. Of course, despite
the success, that doesn’t stop some gamers from complaining about the
company or the game’s features.
#9 – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots ($70 Million)
The
“Metal Gear Solid” video game series is one of the most legendary of
all-time. The first “Metal Gear Solid” video game came out all the way
back in 1987 on both the MSX2 (which you probably didn’t have) and the
NES (which you probably did have). Character development was not very
important in the 8-bit days, but the “Metal Gear” franchise has
significantly improved over time.
The
fourth “Metal Gear Solid” edition features an elderly version of Solid
Snake, the main character in the series. Made in 2008, the fourth
release was set in 2014, which was technically the future at the time.
“Guns of the Patriots” is a direct sequel to the hit game, “Sons of
Liberty”, and is based on Snake setting out to embark on ‘one last
mission’ with an array of stealthy attacks and gun battles against
humans and cyborg ninjas alike.
#8 – Defiance ($80 Million)
“Defiance”
is what is known as a Mass Multiplayer Online game (or MMO, for short).
It was developed in collaboration with a TV show of the same name that
debuted on the SyFy Channel in 2013. “Defiance” takes you on a journey
of fighting off the alien race that’s destroying humanity after the Pale
Wars in the San Francisco area. Trion and the SyFy Channel really
wanted to make this game so more people would watch the show. With five
years in development, the game ended up costing a fortune.
The
reviews for “Defiance” weren’t great; it is now even free to play on the
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. “Defiance” wasn’t a critical or
commercial hit like many of the others on this list, but more of a long
production with a lot of delays that caused the high budget. If you can
find someone to play “Defiance” with you, consider yourself lucky.
#7 – Red Dead Redemption ($90 Million)
Rockstar
Games is known for their big budget open world titles, and this is the
first of many to appear on this list. The game studio is better known
for “Grand Theft Auto”, but has produced a couple of other hits,
including “Red Dead Revolver” for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. “Red Dead
Revolver” was a big enough success that a highly anticipated sequel was
released in 2010, called “Red Dead Redemption”.
“Red
Dead Redemption” takes place in the beginning of the 20th century out
in the old west. You play the fictional outlaw John Marston and do
bounty hunting jobs for the government because they have your wife and
son held hostage. Since there were no cars out in Mexico/California at
the time, you ride a horse around instead. That horse becomes your best
friend during the game, and ends up having far more sentimental value
than any car.
#6 – Too Human ($100 Million)
The
only entrant from Canadian game developer Silicon Knights is the sixth
most expensive production in video game history. “Too Human” wasn’t
supposed to cost that much to make, as it was planned to be a four disc
game for the original PlayStation console. After those plans fell
through, Nintendo took a shot at the game but never released it.
Microsoft came to the rescue and finally released “Too Human” in 2008,
nine years after it was originally set to release.
“Too
Human” takes a page from Norse mythology and is set in an alternate
universe in the future. The Norse Gods that you know from mythology are
actually androids in this game, and have to take on Loki as he tries to
destroy humanity (which is a bit of a common occurrence). Baldur is the
player controlled God who is deemed “Too Human” because he isn’t
android-like, apparently. No wonder it took this a decade to get
released!
#5 – Grand Theft Auto IV ($100 Million)
Rockstar
Games came out with three “Grand Theft Auto” games for the PlayStation 2
with “GTA 3”, “Vice City” and “San Andreas”. Those three were among the
most critically acclaimed games of all-time. Because of their success,
everyone was dying to see what a new GTA would look like on the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3. According to critics, it was everything they hoped
it would be and more, with scores ranging from 9.5 to a perfect 10
across the board.
This
version of “Grand Theft Auto” puts you in the shoes of Niko Bellic, an
immigrant who is trying to make it big in Liberty City (a fictional
version of New York City). With a compelling storyline, incredible
graphics at the time and replay value through the roof, people were
smitten with “Grand Theft Auto IV”. If you want hours of comedy, check
out some of the videos on YouTube of modifications made to the game by
PC players.
#4 – Max Payne 3 ($105 Million)
Rockstar
Games makes yet another appearance with the third game in the “Max
Payne” series. “Max Payne 3” was released in 2012, nine years after the
second game. If you aren’t familiar with the character of Max Payne, he
became a vigilante after his wife and child were killed (just like in
pretty much all of the Rockstar Games). In this storyline, Max is sent
to Brazil to become a private security contractor.
While
being tasked with protecting some of the most important people in
Brazil, things go south for Max. After he thought he had gotten away
from his problems in America, he ends up having to embark on a long
journey to make things right. “Max Payne 3” received strong ratings from
critics and got off to a hot start in the sales department with three
million units sold in its first week. The sales eventually cooled down,
but enough sales were made to make Rockstar a big profit.
#3 – Grand Theft Auto V ($137 Million)
You
might recall people crying tears of joy after Rockstar announced that
there would be a follow up to “Grand Theft Auto IV”. After years of
anticipation and months of delays, the finished product (in terms of
single player) was everything that people were hoping for. The online
capabilities struggled at first (and still slightly do), but many people
agree that this is one of the best video games ever released.
Originally
released in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V was remastered for the Xbox One
and PlayStation 4 in 2014 with enhanced graphics and extra bits and
pieces in the gameplay. GTA V takes place in fictional Los Angeles (Los
Santos) as well as the region to the north, and for the first time,
featured three different playable characters linked into one intertwined
storyline. The game was a huge hit, making $800 million in the first 24
hours alone.
#2 – Destiny ($140 Million)
From
1991 to 2001, Bungie was a relatively unknown game developer that just
made (unpopular) computer games. That all changed when the company
released “Halo: Combat Evolved” for the Xbox in 2001. The two sequels
that followed (“Halo 2” and “Halo 3”) were considered two of the most
entertaining multiplayer games ever created. However, Bungie didn’t have
ownership of the “Halo” franchise, and Microsoft parted ways with them
after “Halo 3: ODST and Reach”.
The
point of this story is that after “Halo 3: ODST and Reach”, everyone was
waiting for Bungie’s next game, “Destiny”, which was finally released
in 2014. “Destiny” takes place in a similar universe as “Halo” and
allows you to build your character in the game with upgrades. Even
though the reviews weren’t as perfect as anticipated, “Destiny” still
made well over $500 million.
#1 – Star Wars: The Old Republic ($200 Million)
One
of the most popular online multiplayer games of all-time is “Star Wars:
Knights of the Old Republic”. Many people were wondering what BioWare
had in store for them after the third version in the series “Knights of
the Old Republic 3” was cancelled. “Star Wars: Knights of the Old
Republic” was good, but it wasn’t the groundbreaking kind of game that
people were hoping for. Despite getting good reviews, the actual game
itself was disappointing in contrast to its high budget.
The
“Star Wars” universe is incredibly expansive, and “The Old Republic”
takes place after a time of peace between the Sith Empire and the
Republic. You can join into either one of these groups when playing,
depending on if you want to be good or evil. Within three days after
“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” was released, one million
people had subscribed. But just a year later, subscribers dwindled down
significantly.