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Best Surprises
There are a ton of games that everyone gets really hyped up for and they turn out to be awesome. But there are also a ton of games that you're just like meh whatever I'll try it and it is AMAZING. This category is for those games. I had little to no hope for these games until I started playing them, and they're all very great games you should try at some point. Note: The entire top 5 + Christmas Nights were on other lists already!
Honorable Mention(s):
Golden Axe (Sega Genesis) & Silpheed (Sega CD) - Why do I have two games in one? Well, these games both have something in common...they introduced me to genres. Golden Axe being the Beat-em up genre and Silpheed being the top down shoot em up (otherwise known as SHMUP) genre. Good but not great games, but the worlds the opened up for me as a gamer really took me by surprise.
Honorable Mention:
Christmas Nights into Dreams (Sega Saturn) - Only a demo, and already won an award. With that said, however, I didn't have very high expectations of this game. I played the original Nights into Dreams and I didn't "get it", but with this one I did. I found it to be very enjoyable and will definitely pick it up every Christmas season.
#5 - Top Gear (Super Nintendo)
This game was a part of a bundle of SNES games that I just kept popping in and out. Also, this game is relatively worthless, with copies selling for a measly $0.01 on amazon. However! This game is actually really, really fun. It was the game I played the longest out of that bundle and I'm very glad I own it. It reminds me of the great game Lamborghini American Challenge (DOS version...not SNES).
#4 - Portal 2 (Xbox 360)
This game, although highly anticipated by most, really was not on my radar. I had never played a portal game but I've watched people play it and it looked highly annoying when I was watching. However, the humor they added and the mind-bending that ensues really is quite enjoyable and is one of my favorite games for the entire year.
#3 - Virtua Tennis (Sega Dreamcast)
Who would have thought that a lame tennis game from 11 years ago that also fetches only $0.01 on Amazon would be this fun. It's currently one of my favorite Dreamcast games ever and definitely one of my favorite sports and multiplayer games. Yes, this game may sound lame. But do try it, you will not be disappointed.
#2 - SQDef (GP2X Wiz, otherwise known as Square Tower Defense)
This unknown game built into my Korean GP2X Wiz you would think would be a wash. Instead, I found myself losing track of time and playing this game past 3 in the morning on multiple occasions. Why? What's so special about it? I can't quite put my finger on it, and maybe it was just the surprise of finding a game that's extremely fun built into the system. But if you ever get your hands on a GP2X Wiz (unlikely, I know), play this game.
#1 - Albert Odyssey: The Legend of Eldean (Sega Saturn)
I'll start this off by giving you this stat: 2 games this year made my all-time top 10 list. Those games are Panzer Dragoon Saga and Albert Odyssey: The Legend of Eldean. Couple that with my expectations going into this game that it would probably suck and you have a recipe for the #1 best surprise of the year. I honestly just saw it sitting on my shelf, and by some stroke of luck put it in my Saturn. Working Designs (the publisher of this game) is one of my new favorites. I have since been scouring for more Working Designs games, and have found one of them that I will play in 2013 (Arc the Lad collection). This game totally transformed my RPG world. Unfortunately bad ending but I won't ruin anything.
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