Eternal Darkness
Platform: GameCube
Eternal Darkness is a headfuck of a game. A survival horror that doesn’t just mess with the character, but the player too. The game will make you think that it’s crashed, it’ll reverse your controls, and will pretend to delete your save file. Getting through this is a challenge as you never know what’s real.
The game itself follows Alexandra Roivas, who is investigating the murder of her grandfather. What she uncovers is a story that includes a Roman Centurion, a Khmer slave girl, a Persian monk, and a World War 1 reporter to name but a few. The game spans multiple locations and times as it reveals a story of ancient Gods, dark magic and insanity.
With messed up game play, a globe spanning story, and a cast of amazing voice talent, Eternal Darkness is one of the best games ever released on the GameCube.
I really liked Gladius on the Xbox, but not many people seem to have played it. You had to create a faction / team of gladiators in turn-based combat. Allowed for what felt like a lot of customisation and was great fun in co-op. Had some very cool looking levels. Not sure how well it would hold up today! But at the time it was excellent.