Most gritty game

The original Zork titles were pioneers in video game narrative and role-playing. While devoid of visuals, the fantastical settings and easy-to-use text interface influenced many of the adventure games that would follow in its wake.

Return to Zork moved the series from Infocom to Activision and was the first in the series to deviate from its predecessors' text-based formula. Its follow-up, Nemesis , is a game that seems at odds with itself. One moment, the player is reanimating a decapitated head, and the next, the main villain makes a Toy Story reference.

While the game received a suitably tongue-in-cheek remake in the form of Bionic Commando Rearmed , it also saw a darker and grittier follow-up simply called Bionic Commando.

Asking players to take the plight of Nathan "Rad" Spencer seriously is a bridge too far, even with his bionic grappling hook. The game also sports what might be one of the most absurd plot twists in gaming. Taking the bright and colorful Bomberman franchise and placing it into a grim post-apocalyptic setting, Bomberman Act Zero was lambasted by fans and critics alike. Aside from the change in tone, Act Zero suffered from some bizarre design choices. The game's "first-person mode" is actually just a very zoomed-in third-person perspective that doesn't convey where players are in relation to other players.

In addition, there is no saving allowed in the game's 99 level single-player campaign. Finally, there is no local multiplayer of any kind - an omission that misses the entire point of the franchise.

Final Fight Streetwise goes for an "everything but the kitchen sink approach" with its attempt at a grittier tone.

The game deviates from the more linear beat 'em ups of yore and makes a half-hearted attempt at a more non-linear sandbox structure akin to Grand Theft Auto.

Characters shout obscenities left and right in a desperate attempt to be cool and edgy. The game also takes a weird supernatural turn with the bad guys undergoing mutations from the game's fictional drug called "glow. Sign Up Today. Related to this story. Most Popular. Spartans' defense smothers Bulldogs. Updated Jan 8, Updated Jan 9, Balanced Knights get back on track with win over Bravettes.

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