6 Best EA Games That Everyone Forgot

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Here are six Electronic Arts games that nobody talks about.

6) Shank

Shank was developed by Klei Entertainment, which most players know from the Don’t Starve series nowadays. Back in 2010, the developer was experimenting with different ideas, which is where this sidescrolling hack-and-slash game originated from. It quickly blew up on Xbox Live Arcade, which led to a PC port and a sequel two years later.

The thing that stands out about Shank is how well animated the action and cutscenes are. Klei’s showed a mastery of fluid movement that made the combat feel incredibly satisfying. Fair warning that it is filled with gore, but at least it looks great. Shank‘s only about three hours long, so you can roll through it in a weekend. If you love it, the sequel ain’t bad either.

5) The Saboteur

The Saboteur is the final game from Pandemic Studios, which you might remember as the developers behind Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and the original Star Wars: Battlefront 2. This open-world shooter isn’t as good as those games, but it does feature a few unique ideas that could’ve been great if given a sequel.

Pandemic’s swansong is set in Nazi-occupied Paris and uses color as a major gameplay element. Any area controlled by Nazi forces is in black-and-white. As you complete objectives around the world, the citizens will become inspired, slowly adding color to the district. It’s a neat mechanic that probably needed more time to bake, but sadly, EA closed the studio soon after The Saboteur‘s launch.

4) DeathSpank

DeathSpank is an action RPG from Hothead Games. That studio might not ring any bells, but the lead designer behind DeathSpank is none other than Ron Gilbert. Fans of LucasArts adventure games or the massive library of Humongous Entertainment will immediately recognize his name.

DeathSpank takes that goofy humor Gilbert is known for and tosses it into a solid action RPG. It’s not breaking any ground on the combat side of things, but when a game is as genuinely funny as DeathSpank, that doesn’t matter. Like Shank, EA quickly followed up with a few sequels.

3) Freedom Fighters

IO Interactive’s Freedom Fighters takes the third-person combat players know from its Hitman series and puts it into a squad-based shooter set in an alternate history where the Soviet Union won World War II and has launched a surprise attack on New York City.

Players inspire the citizens of NYC with their in-game actions, which means more characters join your team to help fight back. The tactics gameplay is surprisingly competent for the era, making it relatively easy to set up ideal combat scenarios and come out on top. Part of that is because the enemy AI is a little dumb, but it’s still a solid game that should’ve gotten a sequel.

2) Def Jam: Fight for NY

All three Def Jam games have their moments, but Fight for NY is by far the best one. Vendetta felt a little half-baked compared to the sequel, and Icon‘s combat doesn’t hit as hard. Fight for NY hits that sweet spot, showing that AKI still had it.

The create-a-fighter feature was a standout addition, helping turn the Story Mode into one of the best in the fighting genre. New fighting styles added much-needed variety to gameplay, and the thrill of playing as your favorite rappers was a blast as usual. I don’t know if the world needed a game that let you see Ghostface Killah and Warren G mix it up, but I’m glad we got it.

1) Dungeon Keeper

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the dreadful 2014 mobile game. This entry is specifically for the 1997 strategy classic from Bullfrog Productions. You play as an evil overlord building a dungeon to protect your horde from would-be heroes. It’s a great role reversal that instantly captivated fans thanks to the excellent premise.

Thankfully, Dungeon Keeper also brings in-depth gameplay that requires careful strategy if you want to conquer the attacking heroes. At the time, it also looked and sounded great, though it can be a bit rough to go back to. Still, Bullfrog’s trademark mix of wacky humor and deep strategy makes it oneof EA’s many must-play games.

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