Get Ready for Trial and Error!
While existing inside of their own fantastical worlds, many games in recent years have tried their best in order to establish some sense of realism, all in the hope of further establish a sense of immersion for players. This normally works best when applied to the characters and narratives, when it comes to actual gameplay however, the results can be nothing short of gruelling!
#5: “Insurgency†(2014)
If you thought CS: GO was the most realistic counter-terrorism FPS games out there you haven’t been looking hard enough. The laughably low time-to-kill and realistic subtleties in body positioning as players aim, peek around corners, and snipe means that experts keep a low profile and avoid exposing themselves which leads to tense firefights and slow, methodical movement. Once you’ve finally got that down it’s time to grab your night vision goggles and head on over to the night maps because there’s even more to master when it comes to dealing with fire, explosions, and muzzle flashes that restrict your ability to see and adds to the extremely high learning curve.
#4: “This War of Mine†(2014)
War is hell, and nothing exemplifies that old saying better than this incredibly bleak and depressing game that tells the story of those innocent people struggling for survival as the battles rage. The realism, and difficulty, comes from the decisions that you’ll be forced to make. Can you hold out an extra day before you start rationing, and starving? Do you let that stranger into your shelter? Should you save the woman in trouble you find in the streets? They’re all tough questions because they all have consequences, and will probably have you feeling like an awful person for choosing incorrectly on more than one occasion.
#3: “The Long Dark†(2017)
Ah, Canada. So cold, snowy, and sparse. Well, that’s the picture this title paints when trying to recreate the challenges of surviving in a frozen wasteland, and it turns out to be a brutal combination for the player. Survival requires careful calorie counting, and when you run low you’ll need to hunt. Makes sense, right? Except you can’t hunt for long, because it’s so damn cold you’ll freeze to death. You’ll need to find the animals first so short hunting trips are rare, and the long ones have you needing even more calories! It’s a catch-22 where you’re screwed no matter what you do.
#2: “Operation Flashpoint†series (2001-2011)
Don’t get us wrong, being a lone wolf is always fun, but when it comes to rewarding gameplay nothing beats splitting up with your squad to take down the enemy, and that’s where this game shines most. One or two bullets will put you down, so everything comes down to how well you can work as a team. Whether it’s flanking the enemy soldiers firing at you on all cylinders, calling for a medic when downed, or traversing long stretches of terrain to take objectives, coordination is always required in situations where one weak link will break the whole chain.
#1: “ARMA III†(2013)
ARMA’s greatest strength is its massive maps and large player counts that result in huge firefights, realistic tactics to reduce fatigue and secure objectives, and artillery bombardments to break enemy lines, but that’s not all is has going for it. Even on a smaller scale, weapons are so carefully crafted that they each have unique ballistic properties. Your weapon will heat up while firing or might malfunction underwater, and every round is subject to bullet drop and the environmental factors like wind to calculate its trajectory. It’s a complete package that has a huge learning curve, but when you see your team inches away from victory, you’ll know it was all worth it.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Hardest Modern Video Games to Beat.
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