So here we are; the fifth and final piece of Electronic Theatre’s Unsung Heroes puzzle, Unsung Heroes: Xbox360. With the largest catalogue available of any of the Current-Generation home consoles, selecting just five titles for this feature has been quite a challenge. We’ve taken onboard all the suggestions we received, looked at as much press coverage from before, during and after launch and played each of these titles to their fullest.

For those of you not yet familiar with the Unsung Heroes series, the rules are as follows; games eligible are those disc-based releases that Electronic Theatre feels have been underrated, undersold, or treated unfairly since launch. And for Xbox360 (along with every other system) we’re keeping it based strictly on titles that have seen UK launch. The positive reception we’ve received to the Unsung Heroes series has been very much appreciated and we’ve got plenty of other new feature ready to roll your way soon.

BladeStorm: The Hundred Years’ War

            KOEI’s Real-Time Strategy title with quite a substantial difference has often been misjudged from it’s first unveiling. Brushed aside by the haters as yet another Dynasty Warriors spin-off, BladeStorm: The Hundred Years War is anything but.

            With the player filling the role of an aspiring mercenary, flitting between the French and English forces as to wherever the most bounty lays, the player commands a single unit in real-time on the battlefield. With their on-screen avatar, a player marches between units taking command of any troop type he/she may wish – with the options running into hundreds – and can flit between in the hest of battle, before moving onto the next objective. Unique and refreshing, BladeStorm: The Hundred Years War offers more than one hundred hours of entirely enjoyable and addictive strategy gameplay; more than a simple Dynasty Warriors expansion to say the least.

Dark Sector

            Often overlooked due to its lesser-known developer and publisher, Dark Sector is a game that rather astutely considered its target. Taking elements from games that are often considered the current leader of their respective genres – Resident Evil 4, Gears of War, The Legend Of Zelda and BioShock, to name a few – and liberally scattering them throughout an adventure filled with nice touches, Dark Sector proved that wholesale borrowing can create an entertaining game. When considering that the story itself is enjoyable in its Sci-Fi purist’s roots, and visual fidelity of the title is clear-cut, Dark Sector is possibly the title with the highest production values you’ve never played.

Frontlines: Fuel of War

            Frontlines: Fuel of War is a production borne of a love for Battlefield. Developed by Kaos Studios – a one-time Battlefield 1942 Mod Team turned professional – Frontlines: Fuel of War was perfectly pitched to fill the gap between Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Battlefield: Bad Company. However, a lack of faith in the mainstream press lead to lack of faith in the consumer, and some decidedly bad Achievement decisions cut-short the interest in online play for many of the GamerScore-hungry Xbox360 gamers. The game prematurely dropped in price, and never truly established the online community it deserved. However, THQ and Kaos Studios have done well to keep the game alive, with it still being relatively easy to find a match even today.

Just Cause

            In the modern industry, playing a videogame often pits you as an everyday man in an unusual situation. While the Half-Life series may be the most obvious example of this, the Call Of Duty series also casts you as an average number when it feels necessary, even Grand Theft Auto, although always giving you the boots of an extremely large character to fill, opens with the player cast as what could be any of a number of people in a similar situation. Just Cause, however, is different. In Just Cause, you play Rico Rodriguez; a one-man army. The super-spy that’s effectively a certain Mr. Bond with a slick Enrique Iglesias twist, the player swoops down in their freshly liberated helicopter and takes down entire battalions armed with twin machines guns, before grapping a nearby jet and making a getaway. Setting the scene for the fantastically enjoyable Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, expectations are high for the forthcoming Just Cause 2.

Viking: Battle for Asgard

            After the highly enjoyable Spartan: Total Warrior for the Previous-Generation systems, The Creative Assembly turned their eyes to the horsepower of the then Next-Generation machines. Refining the art of what creates an enjoyable Roaming Beat-‘Em-Up title, and creating open Maps for the player to explore at their leisure, Viking: Battle For Asgard demonstrated some of the impressive directions the genre could take on Current-Generation hardware. Heavily criticised for featuring much random trudging throughout the Maps, many overlooked the cleverly exercised exploration of the genre The Creative Assembly had fashioned.

Kev J.

26/10/08