Top 10 Epic Games That Aren't Fortnite

While Epic Games has been known for developing some of the most fun shooters of our time, they haven’t hesitated from trying something different. Alongside Chair Entertainment, Epic Games would develop “Shadow Complex”, a platform-adventure game about a man who must explore an underground facility to rescue his girlfriend. The game received stellar praise for its detailed graphics and intense combat, with some critics going so far as to name it one of the best games of 2009. Thanks to the monumental success, “Shadow Complex” would be remastered in 2015 for Windows, and in 2016 for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Throughout the 90’s, pinball had a strong presence on personal computers. So much so that some computer manufacturers would package a pinball game in the computer’s storage. However, none would hold a candle to “Epic Pinball”. Developed by Digital Extremes and published by Epic MegaGames, AKA Epic Games, “Epic Pinball” featured twelve uniquely-designed tables across three separate floppy disks. Much to their surprise, “Epic Pinball” was one of Epic Games’s first major commercial successes. One of the designers, James Schmalz, would earn over a million dollars from shareware royalties within the game’s first year! Hey, people needed their pinball fix.

If you’re a hardcore turn-based strategy player, chances are you’re familiar with “Age of Wonders”. In addition to an enthralling single-player campaign and addictive online multiplayer, “Age of Wonders” utilized a map editor that gave players almost total control in customizing their own scenarios. You can choose where cities are located, how units behave, the formation of the land, and even create different builds for heroes. The game was far from perfect with some critics taking issue with the sound design and music, but overall, it was a solid strategy game.

We often joke about games like “Dark Souls” and “Crash Bandicoot” kicking our teeth in, but back in the day, Epic Games had launched one of our worst nightmares. “OverKill” was one of the most difficult games you could play in the early 90’s, and it beat our asses while making a show out of it. For its time, “OverKill” boasted some of the best graphics and sound design we had experienced in a DOS game. Despite the dozens upon dozens of game overs, we just couldn’t stop replaying, and part of us hopes to see this game re-emerge someday.

These days, it’s hard to come by a new mobile game that isn’t mind-numbing or hellbent on microtransactions. Thankfully, “Infinity Blade II” is anything but those! While the franchise spans three games, “Infinity Blade II” is the best because of how it improved everything from the first game. It’s easily one of the best mobile games to date, complete with stunning graphics and engaging combat. The story is just as compelling, too, thanks to its branching story path and excellent voice acting from Troy Baker and Laura Bailey. Seriously, this is a mobile game you DON’T want to miss out on!

At the beginning of the decade, many developers and publishers were too focused on competing with “Call of Duty”. Thankfully, Epic Games hadn’t forgotten about players who preferred single-player shooters, and in 2011, we were presented with “Bulletstorm”. What made this game so entertaining was how it encouraged players to get creative with their kills. Where else can you kick a guy in the air and nail a headshot before he’s impaled on a bed of spikes, or gutshot a dude with a shotgun before he’s eaten alive? It may not have been a blockbuster, but those who gave “Bulletstorm” a shot found a fun experience.

Bearing the same name as its game engine, “Unreal” quickly became one of the best first-person shooters of the nineties. Thanks to its impressive visuals and amazing soundtrack, players were easily immersed into “Unreal’s” world. We guess you could say it felt...unreal. With a perfect balance between fast-paced action and exploration, “Unreal” went on to top multiple sales charts across the US. The only gripe people had was the laggy online mode, which would be addressed a year later with the introduction of another “Unreal” series.

With the successes of Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Crash Bandicoot, it seemed like everyone and their mother had a platform mascot. Very few would hold their own against this overcrowded market, and one of the few that did was “Jazz Jackrabbit”. Although, we have to give this spot to “Jazz Jackrabbit 2”. It was, more or less, the same game as the first, but with more content. In addition to two more playable characters, “Jazz Jackrabbit 2” included a level editor for players to mess around with. It even featured a multiplayer mode, both local and online, where you could compete with friends or tackle the game together. None of the big boys were doing stuff like that!

It was a tad difficult deciding on which “Gears of War” game to put on this list. In the end, we just had to go with the very first game. “Gears of War” wasn’t just the start of another Xbox-exclusive blockbuster franchise. This was a third-person shooter that managed to tell an exciting story and deliver thrilling combat. On top of that, Epic had included a multiplayer mode that took away so many of our weekends with its fast-paced action. We were considering “Gears of War 2”, but then we remembered how much slower it was in comparison.

When it comes to influential shooters, you can’t ever forget the PC gaming phenomenon that was “Unreal Tournament”. With fantastic visuals (at the time) and frenetic gameplay, this was the game to play with your friends. It even included a variety of mutators and game modes to keep the game fresh and exciting. So, was there ever any doubt this game would sell like hotcakes? Absolutely not, as “Unreal Tournament” managed to accrue nearly nine million dollars in its first year! Sounds like it took the world by storm, much like another Epic title…