Support the Radical, Part 2

By Ryan Treit

We spoke recently about the importance of giving risk-takers their due, as they craft games with an eye towards inventiveness and scoff at the cookie-cutter games that saturate the market. Sticking with the safe and the tried and true is no way to inspire developers to take a chance on new and exciting gameplay and design theory, but it's not easy to uncover the few titles that thumb their noses at convention and splice together games so fresh they'll bring a dew-flavored tear to your eye.

Don't weep too long, though—that's where I come in. I keep my ears open and my eyes alert for even the barest whiff of originality, and, while I can't vouch for the overwhelming quality of each of the following titles, I can at least recommend them whole-heartedly for their unique take on gaming. Check it:

Iron Phoenix: A Party Fighting Game
An unfortunate norm has ruled online combative titles, and it has stipulated that fighting games are one-on-one affairs a la Dead or Alive® Ultimate™ or Mortal Kombat®: Deception™, and, if you want more combatants to get it on with, they're going to have to tote a gun around in a first- or third-person shooter. Iron Phoenix™ is set to change all that, as it allows the mechanics of a fighting game to exist simultaneously with up to sixteen opponents. It ties together genres for an experience that has never been seen before on Xbox Live®.

Innovative brawling action.

Point and Click at Its Finest
Just the name Myst gives puzzle gamers 'round the world the warm fuzzies. It's not only synonymous with originality, but also with some of the most polished presentation you can wrap your mind around. Myst will bend your brain, it will challenge your every fiber of deductive reasoning, and it will likely frustrate you beyond repair, but it will do so in a vibrantly realized fantasy world with some of the most ingenious puzzle setups and story you'll find. It's not a new type of game, after all—this is Myst® IV Revelation we're talking about here—, but its subtle mind-racking design is incomparable. The Myst series has always dared to be different, and it's time we rewarded Myst's creators with their Xbox® debut.

Pop That Bubble, Son!
Like Myst IV Revelation, Ultra Bust-A-Move is not a new game, or even a new genre, but it exists solely within the framework of its own little world. You'll find no other puzzle game like it, and you'll find few games more fun when you're in the middle of a bubble-popping frenzy online. Lining up the perfect shots, and setting up huge domino effects and combos is as addictive as Tetris, and that's no joke. It takes more than a mouthful to accurately explain the inner workings of this ingenious little title, though, so for a full rundown of the game mechanics, check out our First Encounter.

The First Sandbox
The original Pirates defined what we now call "sandbox" games; a genre now personified and popularized by the inimitable Grand Theft Auto series, but now a re-imagining of that first great open-ended experience is upon us. The month of May brings with it the release of Sid Meier's Pirates!®, and buried within that shiny little disk will be a pirate's life for you, and one that you'll craft on your own terms and on your own time. What sort of privateer you'll be is wholly up to you as you sail the seas of the Caribbean, plunder, duel, sink ships, choose your allies, woo the daughters of powerful men, and risk everything to find your lost family members. Pirates! is also a game that melds disparate mechanics, as you'll fight naval battles from a third-person perspective, use turn-based strategy when raiding towns, engage in fencing duels with opposing captains, and even participate in a rhythm-based dancing mini-game as you attempt to impress governors' daughters.

The preceding titles all have at least one thing in common. They offer an originality that separates them from any other game within their genre. They make daring choices and refuse to play follow-the-leader. They've created an experience that truly walks its own path, and if you wish to see game development at its most unfettered, you would do well to spend some time with any (or all) of these titles.

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