Room for more than AAA | Jonathan Soltan

     So Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been out for a week now and no doubt many of you are already sick of it. Luckily, there are plenty of other games out there that you've probably never even heard of. That's because you won't find these games on the shelf in HMV or Gamestop. The only way to get to these games is to navigate through the magical world of the internet. However, as we all know, it's dangerous to go alone so you just sit down and let me tell you exactly which games you should get.

     The first game I'm going to talk about is, in my opinion, the best on this list. Back in March you might have heard people like me talking a lot about Journey. Had you not immediately started playing “Don't Stop Believing” in your head, you would have found out that we were actually talking about a masterpiece of videogame production and not a band from the '80's. In Journey, you play as a mysterious robed figure making your way through a desert to get to the top of a mountain. Why? It doesn't matter. The beauty of Journey is that you make up your own reason, your own story. Along the way you might come across other robed figures. These are other players with which you have no way of communicating other than a chirping noise your character can make. Bottom line: if you only get one game on this list, make it this one.The next game I want to talk about is The Unfinished Swan. The best way to describe this game would be as a “first-person paint throwing simulator” but that really doesn't do it justice. It's like an interactive storybook (narrated by the developer's own aunt, no less). Since its original unveiling, it has been compared to Journey. And not without reason; both games seem more like art than games. And I think that's really what it comes down to. Both these games are more experiences than games and are definitely not for everyone.Retro/Grade is a lot less deep than Journey and The Unfinished Swan, but still a fun game in its own right. In essence it's a rhythm game masquerading as a space shooter. It looks great with its 1080p graphics and smooth 60fps frame-rate and it gives you an excuse to finally dust off that old Guitar Hero guitar (R.I.P. Guitar Hero 2005 – 2010, we hardly knew ye). It's also a great challenge if you bump it up to the higher difficulties. All in all, a fun time waster wrapped in a silly story and great visuals.The last game I want to talk about isn't a PSN exclusive. Also available on XBLA and Steam is Telltale's The Walking Dead. Based on the comics of the same name, this game is presented in the form of five episodes with the fifth to release some time in the next month. The game deals with a separate story to the comics and TV show and, so far, it's brilliant. You play as Lee, a convicted murderer who's on his way to prison when his journey is quite rudely interrupted by the zombie apocalypse. As Lee, you interact with a whole cast of characters and make some truly heart-breaking choices that impact how the rest of the story plays out. You'll never care so much for a fake person as you do for little Clementine.What with so-called “AAA” games becoming so expensive to make these days I think we'll be seeing a lot more digital games like these around in the future. Personally, I think it makes for a convenient entry point for new talent that don't have the funds of giants like EA and Activision. And with The Walking Dead having sold well over 1 million units already, it can still be every bit as profitable as releasing a game at retail. Something I'm sure EA will appreciate.