12
32-
2Game is back at it again with Weird Games 5 - our fifth major entry in the content series that explores some of the oddest games of yesteryear. No AAAs here, ladies and gennulmen - just straight-up odd games that may or may not be good. No seal of quality here, we're thrilled to say!
Of course, if you've had the chance to check out any of our previous Weird Games entries, then you'll know that this is by design. We talk about amazing games all the time. Sometimes, it's good to step outside that bubble and see what else is on the market. Doubly so if we're talking about straight-up strange stuff, such as last month's Planet Alcatraz.
Now, as always, it's also good to point out that none of the games we're about to talk about are necessarily bad, either. They're just different, and that difference can go either way. We'll have a few links to our previous Weird Games articles at the bottom of this piece, if you end up in a reading mood. Now that that's out of the way - have fun!
Weird Games 5 - The Stuff You Didn't Play
Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death
- Release: 2013
- Genre: Action-Adventure
- Niche: Character action game
- Main Draw: A wannabe franchise that sadly never went anywhere
Action-adventures and - specifically - character-action games were all the rage back in the early 2010s, courtesy of Capcom's classics such as Devil May Cry, and the entirety of Platinum Games' repertoire. Marlow Briggs came out smack-dab in the middle of this fad, and honestly, chances are that you already have it in your Steam library if you dabbled in purchasing game bundles over the past couple of years.
Through and through, Mask of Death is a genuinely great game. We can't tell if it's intentionally going after the B-tier movie tropes or not, but man does it do a good job of doing that. Even setting aside promo pitches such as "They told him to go to HELL, and he was DEAD ready!!!", the game is chock-full of pure gouda.
We're not entirely sure why Marlow Briggs never got a franchise all of his own. An angry firefighter infused with the abilities of a Mayan warrior-god is a hell of a trope, but Mask of Death is the one and only chance Briggs got to shine. Sad, but it is what it is.
Silver
- Release: 1999
- Genre: Action RPG
- Niche: Maiden-saving adventure
- Main Draw: Made many a gamer's childhoods
Silver is a title many of you will remember from way back. Having originally launched in 1999, Silver was one of the first major releases featuring full-fidelity real-time combat, even though it looked like a slightly more detailed version of an early 3D Final Fantasy game.
Basically, the way it worked is that - in combat - your mouse would directly control your protagonist's sword hand. Depending on your input, your character could lunge at enemies, sweep under their feet, throw knives, or do virtually anything else you needed him to do. Not a given during the turn of the century, remember!
Aside from that, Silver had a really intriguing 3D world for players to explore, a number of characters to interact with, and dozens of hours of fun, engaging gameplay to offer. The IP is currently under the control of THQ Nordic, so hopefully they come up with a revival of sorts sometime in the future.
Space Channel 5: Part 2
- Release: 2011
- Genre: Rhythm Game
- Niche: Dancing?
- Main Draw: It's pretty fun
Here's possibly the strangest game in this month's featurette. Despite what you may think, there's no Space Channel 4, or 3, or 2, or 1. There's no Space Channel 5: Part 1, either, unless you consider the game's original PlayStation 2 release. All jokes and misunderstandings aside, though, the '5' in the game's title actually refers to the interstellar "TV" channel that the protagonist - Ulala - prepares reports for. These reports, naturally, consist of barely cohesive dancing with both good and bad guys, depending on the context.
A Dreamcast-era game from top to bottom, Space Channel 5 is pretty fun if you can get its audio and video to sync properly - which isn't always the case. As a rhythm game, it's actually rather fun, and though the graphics haven't aged all that gracefully, it's a stellar way to spend an afternoon, all things considered.
Hexus
- Release: 2011
- Genre: Puzzle game
- Niche: Egyptian-themed super-collection of mini-games
- Main Draw: Loads of things to do
If you remember old puzzle games - such as the ones PopCap used to make - that were all the rage in the early 2000s, and if you yearn for that sort of gaming experience, nothing will beat Hexus. This game feels as if one of the high-ranking developers got sick and tired of having to switch between different games to play stuff like hidden object and mahjong, and then just mashed them all together, tying them to one another with a town-building meta-game. It's every bit as strange as it sounds.
Strangeness aside, though, Hexus is awesome. We're talking about 120 unique levels strewn across 15 different mini-games. From memory to find differences, it's all available in Hexus. As you complete various levels, you'll unlock new upgrades and improvements for your Egyptian town. Alongside said improvements, you'll also get unique character customization options to fiddle around with. We're not lying when we say that Hexus was ahead of its time. A must-play, strange as that might be in this content series!
Rogue Stormers
- Release: 2016
- Genre: Side-scroller
- Niche: Contra-like combat with rogue tendencies
- Main Draw: Features 4-player co-op
One of the most modern releases in our series of Weird Games, Rogue Stormers originally started its life as DieselStormers, and then almost got sued into oblivion by the jeans manufacturer - Diesel. Yeah, no, we're not joking here. A wholly ridiculous situation, but that's not where the tragedy stops. You see, DieselStormers was an almost entirely different game from what Rogue Stormers ended up being.
Whereas the developers originally planned for this game to feature incredible levels of character and weapon customization, its final iteration is anything but that. The final build is a grindy perma-death rogue-lite where you lose most of your progression when you die. There's a meta-layer, but it's nothing like the Early Access version of the game, which threw fans for a loop, back in the day.
A shame, really, because Rogue Stormers is still a decent experience. Doubly so if you get a couple more friends to play it with, because it's tough as nails in later stages.
Weird Games 5 Wrap-Up
That about does it for our monthly dose of strangeness, we feel. We hope we've opened your mind to a few cool games from gaming history, and that you'll check out some of them, even. If none of the above really tickled your fancy, though, we've got a few other articles in this series that you may wish to go through:
- June 2021 - Weird Games 4
- May 2021 - Weird Games 3
- April 2021 - Weird Games 2
- March 2021 - Weird Games 1
Aside from that, did you know that 2Game is giving out three copies of Capcom's recent Ace Attorney game? No, really, you've got the opportunity to win a Steam key for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, and it's easy as pie. There's still plenty of time for you to throw your hat in the ring, so give it a shot. For fans of Cyberpunk, though, we reckon that The Ascent may be a better choice.
As we said - so many good games to play that you just have to try out something strange and kinda bad from time to time, too. Right?
Get in the Game ! 
