Since there was a thread about worst game ever, it got me thinking of games i was really surprised by and i took a chance on.

Total Annihilation...I remember the week before getting TA I was already impressed with Dark Reign, and then I read Tim Chown's glowing quick take of it...I rushed out to EB just to take a chance, I was blown away by TA so much i didn't even give Starcraft much of a chance the few months later it came out! and to think when i saw screenshots and ads for TA, it looked archaic to me...i never knew how much a 3d terrain with units enahnced an RTS. And still no rts, imo, has surprised me as much as TA.

Another game i was surprised by was MS's Urban Assault (anybody here play it?) it looked like a ripoff of Battlezone and Uprising...but the game had a great balance between rts and action (imo, the interface in UA is still the best i've seen for a rts/action hyrid)...i even see alot of Black and White and Sacrifice coming from Urban Assault (though im not sure there is any direct influence). Plus they have a futuristic faction in UA thats based on World War I technology, with units made out of brown rusted metal...never seen a cooler look of a faction in a game. they even had a metal zeeplin with a humongous bomb in this game!

Last but not least my favorite game of all time was a big surprise to me, System Shock 2...I never knew a computer game could scare me off playing the game and still stay in my mind (AND keep me from sleeping!) No other game has zombies apoligizing to you "I'm Sorry!" before bashing your skull in! Also, the best fps interface ever invented...was in SS2.

All imo of course.

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Surprises for me were probably SWAT 3 and Incubation.

SWAT3 I had read good reviews for but I thought as FPS it would give me motion sickness (it doesn't for the most part due to its using crosshairs instead of manically bobbing weapons on the interface). I put off trying it for 6 months, then I really grew to love it, and I grew dissatisified with Rogue Spear's single player, confusing mission setup and basically brain dead squad AI. Ironically, some RS/R6 fans didn't like how SWAT3 squaddies were smart enough to do some things on their own. :) For me it remains ever refreshing to tell someone to cover me, someone to open a door and someone else to toss a grenade in a few blinks.

Sierra has either a sequel or something else using an upgraded SWAT 3 engine in the works (reading between the lines in some interviews), and I'm eager to see what's up.

Incubation I had heard nothing about until I tried a PC Gamer disc demo on it. I was in love right away, and while most people carped about too many puzzles, too linear, it's not 3-D X-COM!, etc., I reveled in it for a long long time.
The Team Fortress guys cited it as an inspiration for them in terms of weapons variety and balance, and I guess that's what I really remember most fondly about it, along with Chainsaws and Double Fires and Flame Throwers.

I'm still waiting for another 3-D turn-based squad combat game, but with Dreamland dead I may not see one.

On Inc, I should add, the Blue Byte guys never even played X-COM so it always seemed strange to them to be compared to it. Their main inspiration was Vandal Hearts, a very fun turn-based RPG/Strategy PSX game replete with geysers of giblets, just like Inc. :)

VH did benefit from more wide open maps and a less puzzledly feel I thought - I bought the PSX version eventually and really enjoyed it. Another neat thing VH had was "decision points" where you decided whether a character "morphed" into one of two kinds of improved characters. So you could elect to turn him/her into flying character (with lots of movement points) with okay hitpower or a slow moving bulkier character with fierce hitpower, but you couldn't go back once the decision was made.

Uh oh, I feel myself veering off topic! Help!

Back on topic (quick!) -- ones of the games I was most disappointed with I was also most surprised by: Rival Realms. As a game, it basically sucked. It was (more or less) a Warcraft rip-off. But, it had some interesting features. It was the first RTS game (that I know of) to feature an inventory and experience points for every unit. It was at least one of the first to feature unit queing (i.e. click the footman five times, and it'll keep building footmen until you have five, ala AoE2.), and one of the only ones I know of where your units regenerate health. It had some really attractive features. It's a shame the gameplay sucked. At least, it still had that "I've done this all before" feel to it, and it didn't do the important things as well as War2.

I agree with Geo on Incubation. I liked the graphics in ads I'd seen, but really had fun with it once I got it. However, the add-on pack changed a few of the alien reinforcement and engagement rules, and I chose not to finish it due to the increased difficulty.

The games that surprise me most are ones that sneak into an established genre where I'm most likely to be jaded. Comanche vs. Hokum, No One Lives Forever, Heavy Metal FAKK2, Earth 2150, and Red Alert 2 were all games I thought would be more of the same, but each won me over by being highly playable.

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and Red Alert 2 were all games I thought would be more of the same, but each won me over by being highly playable.

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I, personally, would probably have filed Red Alert 2 under the "Most Disappointing" string

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Don't get me wrong -- RA2 is pretty decent. I've passed more hours than I care to count playing it -- particularly in multiplayer mode. (Single player RA2 just doesn't do it for me.) I was just expecting more when I first heard the announcement of RA2. I thought Red Alert was pretty dang cool, and expected the sequel to be substantially better. It wasn't. (At least, not in my opinion.) I still think that the original was superior in many ways, and single player mode was much better in Red Alert than RA2, I think.

But, I can be fair. As I said earlier, I think the allies have a much more fair shot in RA2 than they did in the first one, and nukes are actually worth something now. (It always ticked me off how weak nukes were in the first one.) It's fun. I was just disappointed. (I know, I should have posted this in the other thread.)

My biggest surprise currently is Summoner. I didn't expect much based on the awful demo and the lack of interest in the RPG community but I bought it after Rich LaPorte raved about it on Gone Gold. This game has really sucked me in and although it has its quirks I have to say I love it. Its kept me up to till 1 am every night except the weekend (where it kept me up till 3am).

How's PC Summoner play? Can you compare it to any other games, RPG or actionwise? PS2 Summoner was browbeaten in most reviews and seemed like a rushed disappointment. I might try it down the road.

And yeah, the Inc:TWM didn't need to be as tough as they made it-I think BB listened too much to a few of us hardcore players who thought the original release too easy. It needed to stay at a reasonable difficulty level to attract general strategy fans, IMO. But it gave us a mission editor and very enjoyable cooperative play at least. I don't think Blue Byte's ever going back down that way, alas. I know the squad I had together at the end of the original game (flamer, mine launcher, laser guy, plasma guy and double fire duo, etc.) has forever been in tears waiting for a sequel. :D

I tried Battle Isle 4, but all i could think was - why don't they do an Incubation sequel using this engine??? :)

Games Domain has a review that nicely summarizes everything about summoner: Summoner Review


My thoughts: While a lot of people cite a heavy console influence I think the game is much more of a PC RPG, which may explain why it didn't do well on the PS2. It meets Diablo and Baldur's Gate halfway with respect to where it falls on the hardcore RPG scale.

You can't create your characters and the game will determine who you can have in your party at any given time, which may be a problem for some, but it works much better story wise. Plus it forces you to change tactics periodically, which keeps battles exciting. Fighting an enemy with a full complement of warriors and magic users is much different than battling the same enemy with just your thief. For an example of how the preset party helps the game, think Betrayal at Krondor for those who remember that classic.

Combat is a lot of fun. The chain attack system is kind of hard to describe but it works great once you get used to it. Combat animations are great so its always very interesting to watch. For once, the boss battles are exciting and fair.

The environments are just incredible to explore. The graphic engine may not be as fancy as Quake 3 or Unreal, but the designers do wonders with it. The level design is varied and the game switches off between European and Oriental locales depending on which part of the continent you're on.

The story is definitely a cut above. The game is constantly throwing new twists and turns at you. There is a very detailed back story and you really get the feeling you are caught up in the epic events happening around you.

I can't say for sure why console players didn't take to it (not there style I guess). There isn't a lot of talk about in the PC world, but so far I have seen very few negative impressions. Most people trying it seem to be in for a pleasant surprise.

NOLF was a huge surprise to me (and many others, I suspect). I had totally lost faith in Monolith after Shogo and Blood2. I thought the premise sounded good, but figured they would never pull it off. After OMM publicly ate crow about the game, I decided to give it a try. Wow! The cutscenes sometimes got a little bit long, and the stealth missions were annoying, but the rest was great. I've played through the single player game three times now, and I love the multiplayer, too - I just wish there were more levels.

Yeah NOLF most recently surprised me, it was the CGO review that got me...I never even heard of the game much before release.

Ah Incubation was the first 3dfx game I had after Quake...I think it was really good too! almost forgot that one...theres almost too many games to mention.

Summoner I plan to get once i see it on sale. Surprising that I hear Rich from GG really diggin it...plus the resemblances to Darkstone make me want to play it now. Also, Volition is a pretty good company i suppose...I really loved Freespace 1 and 2.

I'd say last years most suprising games were NOLF for action, Wizards and Warriors for RPG, Com vs Hok for sim and Sacrfice for strategy.

BTW, I may be the only one surprised by B & W since i really didn't follow the previews (hadn't read any of them until a month or so ago). B & W is the best game I've played in a long time...I can't tear myself away from it...not even FoT or Kohan (games i bought arnd the same time) are getting me away from it...both good games on there own as well.

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Surprises? Oh, yeah, great surprises.
Ultima IV. After Ultima III, I thought it was going to be just another RPG. Today, I still smile to remember it.

Empire: No graphics to speak of, no sound, and it was a free download on a local BBS. More time wasted there than I can even remember, and I loved it.

Wing Commander: I'm not a big Sim guy. I liked F-19 and F-117, and that was about it. But Wing Commander (bought as a bargain CD with the mission packs included) was fun, fast, had cool music and good characters, and made me go right out to buy WC2 at full price when I was done. A great game.

There was one other. It was a Vampire game, but the name escapes me. You are a pilot who crashes in an East European valley controlled by an evil vampire. It's sort of adventure, sort of RPG. The music was very good, the plot was interesting, and overall I thought it was a very nifty game. A little slow in parts, but I've always thought that about most adventure games.

Also, TA. I got it from Chips & Bits right after it came out for like $9.99. The box was a little messed-up, and had a Wal-Mart sticker on it, but the game played just fine. I got a bigger dose of whoop-ass off of that game than any other in recent memory.

There are other gems, but these spring right to mind.

I guess Half-Life surprised me, despite all the hype and all the glowing reviews I read beforehand, it still very much surprised me in a good way when it wasn't giving me constant motion sickness. :)

Even though I knew to expect to encounter smart marines who were going to be radioing each other about me, tossing grenades at me and then sneaking away to find cover, it still really amazed me that first time I heard them yelling Freeman's name and hollering "frag him!" Even though I knew about that darn rocket firing helicopter in the desert, when I actually had to fight it, it surprised me. :) And when I finally figured a way to down the sucker I think I let out a primal gutteral scream of relief. :D But the whole alien world was a let down after those things, the ninjas and the giant tentacle.

I hope Chris Taylor does a TA game again...supposedly he is getting back into RTS games after Dungeon Siege...

Nothing beats a game with weapons like a Big Bertha, a Krogoth and a Pelican that has lasers and anti-air missiles.

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"Nothing beats a game with weapons like a Big Bertha, a Krogoth and a Pelican that has lasers and anti-air missiles."

Ah, memories of my dreaded "Sumo Creep" as my opponents awaited in terror.

And yes, mtkafka, I was one of those people that waited in great anticipation for Dark Reign to take RTS to the next level. Then a week after I got that, I got TA and was totally blown away. Those magazine ads just didn't do the game justice, but I was glad it took off nonetheless.

BTW, what the hell went wrong with TAK???

"BTW, what the hell went wrong with TAK???"

Ugh, poor TA:K. It was like a step backwards from TA. The spell selection was horrible, I hated the flow of the campaign, the fixed defensive structures were way too strong which promoted "tank rush" strategies, none of the 4 teams was unique enough to make them interesting, mission load times were ludicrous, etc... It's almost like the were so scared of it being TA with a fantasy skin that they tried all this new stuff, none of which worked.

Chaos Overlords surprised me to no end. A simple yet engaging game that causes the time to fly by. I can't rave enough about this little blast from the past.

Black & White has managed to surprise me. It seemed so ambitious that I figured it was going to go the way of Deus Ex. It has managed to be fun and unique, but still familiar enough, via its RTS style of play, that it isn't too alien to enjoy.

Homeworld is another of those that I thought was too ambitious to actually work. True 3D combat? No structures? It sounded like a death sentence for an RTS, but I ended up loving the game and still boot it up for a night of LAN playing with some buddies now and then.

Chris Taylor was gone - I think that about sums it up. It's probably no accident Cavedog went south after Taylor left.

"On Inc, I should add, the Blue Byte guys never even played X-COM so it always seemed strange to them to be compared to it. Their main inspiration was Vandal Hearts, a very fun turn-based RPG/Strategy PSX game replete with geysers of giblets, just like Inc. :)"

That's an interesting bit of trivia.

BTW, I wish they would patch Incubation so it would run with nVidia cards. It's a bit of a drag that it doesn't play in 3D with anything but a Voodoo card.

"And yes, mtkafka, I was one of those people that waited in great anticipation for Dark Reign to take RTS to the next level. Then a week after I got that, I got TA and was totally blown away. Those magazine ads just didn't do the game justice, but I was glad it took off nonetheless."

Dark Reign was really a pretty nice RTS. It just couldn't match up well to TA and then AOE. I liked how you couldn't force fire into an unrevealed part of the map. It made establishing line of sight very important.

"BTW, what the hell went wrong with TAK???"

Er, it was no TA and it performed sluggishly when released. I enjoyed it, but I can understand why TA fans were upset.

My latest game surprises are probably no surprise to anyone -- Flying Heroes and Shadow Watch.

I'll also put in a good word for Warhammer Liberation. I enjoyed the gameplay, though the campaign mode was a bit broken, and it had surpisingly nice cutscenes. Kazz, you're a Warhammer man. Were those taken from a proposed movie GW wanted to do?

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I'll also put in a good word for Warhammer Liberation. I enjoyed the gameplay, though the campaign mode was a bit broken, and it had surpisingly nice cutscenes.

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"Kazz, you're a Warhammer man. Were those taken from a proposed movie GW wanted to do? "

I don't think so. GW has commissioned various animations and live-action shorts for years now. They play them at conventions, use them to hype new games, and probably show them to potential corporate investors. I think the scenes from Final Liberation were some of those, but I'm not sure, since I didn't play that game all the way through. The Dark Omen and Shadow of The Horned Rat games had nice cut-scenes that were entirely done by the game company that developed the titles. Same with the Space Hulk remake that came out a few years back.

The warhammer movie scene that I saw was of a Terminator suit blasting with his storm bolter, and then a tyrannid head rearing up screeching. I've also seen pics of a life-size storm bolter and blood angel tac armor.

Starcraft wouldn't make too shabby of a movie, actually.

The game that surprised me was Warlords Battlecry. I was pretty scared of it going RTS, but I think it's the best fantasy theme RTS I've ever played. I haven't tried Kohan yet.