Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

(360/PS3/Wii)

Spider-Man 3 was pitifully boring, and even more pitifully ugly; after that, we’d nearly given up on getting a good Spider-Man game. Then Web of Shadows snuck up last year and surprised the hell out of us. It isn’t leaking innovation from every pore, but does what many of the other superhero simulators inexplicably couldn’t: it makes hurdling oneself between buildings and beating up villains a blast.

If you have any interest in Peter Parker, don’t assume that all of his games are craptastic cash-ins. Just most of them. Web of Shadows is actually worth a go.

Current availability? $30 new on 360 and Wii. $50 new or $30 used on PS3.

Virtua Fighter 5

(360/PS3)

My, how the mighty have fallen. For a good long while, Virtua Fighter was gaming’s premiere fighting franchise. The original arcade machines were so successful and so technologically impressive, they now sit in the Smithsonian. The PlayStation and Saturn ports are beloved classics. Virtua Fighter 4 is one of the highest rated PS2 games of all time.

The fifth entry on 360 and PS3 is great as well – the decade long culmination, and ultimate evolution, of an already very deep and rewarding model. Everything fans loved about the first four is included, only with far prettier graphics and slick online play for Xbox owners. Yet the two editions combined for less than a million copies sold… compared to nearly 2 million for the previous game on PlayStation 2 alone.

We’d say the lack of real change hurt its success, but look at Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and SoulCalibur. Same stagnation, but much higher numbers.

Current availability? $20 new.

Link's Crossbow Training

(Wii)

Who’d have imagined that a game bundled with the Wii Zapper would actually be worth playing? Or that a whored-out Link would carry his quality across to a collection of shooting gallery games?

Yet here we are, trying to get our Mii’s head on every top score. Crossbow Training is utterly addictive, with hidden bonuses in each area genuinely making a difference in how you play. Crossbow Training looks great, with styles and locales inspired by Twilight Princess. And ironically, Crossbow Training is best played with that stupid official Zapper. Seriously, who’d have thought?

Current availability? $20 new.

Dark Sector

(360/PS3/PC)

Dark Sector has sold about three quarters of a million copies, but considering how solid and addictive the third-person action gameplay is, we expected better. Sure, it sometimes feels a little like Gears of Resident Evil, but the lead character’s wicked glaive weapon goes a long way in carving Dark Sector a unique identity.

Throwing that blade in slow-motion, and watching as it curves around poles and decapitates enemies, never grows old. In fact, the developers have been tasked with creating BioShock 2’s multiplayer modes… a definite testament to their great level design skills.

Dark Sector has been out for just one year and has already seen some of the most radical price drops of any game this generation. Take advantage.

Current availability? $5-10 new.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

(PS3)

Also known as God’s gift to anime and JRPG fans, Disgaea games often play second fiddle to more popular strategy series such as Final Fantasy Tactics. Like previous titles in the series, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice comes packed with ridiculous characters, hilarious dialogue, a rocking soundtrack and loads of customization options.

Set in the Netherworld’s Evil Academy, a school for demons where honor students skip class and cheat on their homework, you play as Mao, the son of the Overlord. After wasting his life on RPGs and manga (hmm, sound familiar?), he decides to sacrifice and walk the path of a true hero. Level-up lovers and collectors will especially love unlocking new classes and hidden characters as they grind their party up to the highest stats.

Current availability? $40 new.

Ninjatown

(DS)

The cyootest widdle ninjas in the world must defend their hometown from attacking hordes of demons and other (evil) ninjas! Won’t you help them?? Adorability aside, Ninjatown is a Tower Defense-style game with great four-way multiplayer and tons of imaginative, personable characters. Astonishingly, it sold less than 100,000 copies despite averaging an 81 on Metacritic. Perhaps their ninja skills made them a little too invisible.

We forgive you if you assumed that a DS game based on an indie line of plush toys was utter crap, but they’ve managed to wrap a solid game around these hipster collectibles. Now that you know, you have no excuse for passing over Ninjatown for MySims.

Current availability? $30 new.

Culdcept Saga

(360)

You’re forgiven if you think Culdcept Saga doesn’t sound quite right for you. A fantasy-themed twist on Monopoly in which you protect your squares by summoning monsters to fight the enemy’s monsters in collectible trading card battles? The only way this can get geekier is if you add in a dork in his bathrobe throwing marshmallows and squeakily shouting “lightning bolt!” So yes, you’re forgiven - but you’re also wrong. This game is fantastic. 

If you give it an hour, Culdcept Saga will sink its insidious hooks into you and refuse to let go. It’s not as nerdy as you think, matches are more tense than you’d imagine, and the gameplay is not only far simpler to grasp than you’d expect, but also fathoms deep.

In fact, Culdcept Saga’s only real problem is that the CPU opponents will wipe the floor with you repeatedly until you learn to customize your deck, adding in the more powerful cards you win after each match. Unless you’re a total adrenaline junkie, you’ll hate yourself for not trying it sooner.

Current availability? $60 new (a sign of cult appeal, perhaps?) $20 used.

Resistance 2

(PS3)

Yeah, yeah, Resistance 2 has sold plenty of copies… until you compare the numbers to its predecessor. What happened? The sequel built upon the first game in nearly every way – the visuals are improved (hey, colors other than grey!), the environments are more varied and the multiplayer has been expanded to allow a whopping 60 gamers at once. Even if you miss the original, you can play through its scenarios again with eight-player co-op.

We’re just not sure the majority of PS3 owners have given this alien-blasting follow-up a chance. Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 were distracting, we know, but come on.

Current availability? $35 used.

Tales of Vesperia

(360)

With dazzlingly smooth, rainbow-saturated graphics and real-time combat, Tales of Vesperia might seem at first glance like a shallow hack-and-slasher. It’s not. Over time, your eyes adjust to the visual chaos and you learn to pull off complicated combos, exploit enemy weak spots, cast spells, hot-swap to take control of other members of your party on the fly, give tactical commands, use items and spells, and tweak the battle plan for your CPU-controlled cohorts all at the same time.

As you might expect, it’ll take you some time to get used to the combat. But don’t worry – in the meantime, you’ve got those hypnotic graphics, endearing characters, a decent plot and a huge open world to keep you motivated. If it said Final Fantasy on the box, Vesperia would sell zillions. Your only excuse for not picking it up today is that you’re waiting for the PS3 version.

Current availability? $60 new. $45 used.

Call of Juarez

(360/PC)

This game takes chances. Hell, just making a Western geared towards today’s audience is a risky move, but Call of Juarez doesn’t stop there. You play through two characters’ narratives. You pilot a horse in first person. You use realistic guns that jam and overheat. You crack whips and distract enemies with The Bible.

Need more? If CoJ’s swear happy, damn near Deadwood-esque dialogue doesn’t do anything to bring out your inner Man, here’s another abbreviation: POVBJ!

Current availability? $10 new on PC. $15 used on 360.