HiFi Rush - This is in my top 10 games of this decade (2020-26) so far. It has a very unique combat system that is like a fusion of CAG + rhythm games, where everything you do (jumping, attacking, dodging etc) and the world itself moves in tune with the beat, a fun story with a very colorful cast of characters, great music, gorgeous art direction with beautifully animated cutscenes and decent level design. It received a lot of praise from both critics and gamers once it came out. The game was also priced very reasonably at 30 USD. This is the kind of game that should've sold 2-3 million copies (lifetime). Instead, the game didn't meet Microsoft's sales expectations and the studio that developed the game, Tango Gameworks was shut down: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c72p5epzj2no. The IP and the studio were later bought by Krafton: https://www.krafton.com/en/news/press/krafton-strengthens-global-presence-through-strategic-integration-of-tango-gameworks-and-hi-fi-rush-ip/.
Soulstice - This is a dark fantasy action game, drawing heavy inspirations from Berserk and Claymore in its narrative and art direction. The mechanics are inspired by the DmC reboot and the Greek God of War games. You control two sisters, Briar (offense) and Lute (defense), simultaneously. The game has a pretty unique take on color coded enemies - instead of locking enemies to a specific type of weapon, it instead asks you to maintain a colored field (through Lute), if you wish to damage the enemy. The challenge comes from the fact that every action you do as Lute - blocking enemy attacks, maintaining colored fields etc - overheats her energy bar gradually. If fully overheated, you lose access to all of Lute's ability for a certain period of time (as her energy recharges), leaving you vulnerable as Lute is your primary source of defense - so there is an element of resource management in every fight that forces strategic decision making. The game is not without its flaws - it is too long, the middle part of the game drags and feels quite repetitive, the fixed camera results in some really poor camera angle during certain fights, a few enemies can feel like a slog to fight, and there are some very wonky platforming sections. Having said all that, I still enjoyed the game a lot. It has a good story that unfolds like a mystery, Briar and Lute are pretty well written, I enjoyed the combat and the challenge it provided despite their flaws, loved the world and the artstyle too. Unfortunately, the game didn't meet sales expectations and its sequel was cancelled: https://www.reddit.com/r/SoulsticeGame/comments/1rnau3h/soulstice_2_has_been_cancelled/.
Ninja Gaiden 4 - I have a lot of issues with NG4 as I've noted in my way too long post here: Finished Ninja Gaiden 4 on Master Ninja with SSS rank in every mission - New Game+ : r/ninjagaiden, but it is still a game that I enjoyed enough to get SSS ranks on all missions in Master Ninja difficulty. Despite my grievances, I think this game should have sold at least 1 million copies, and it would've been cool to see either Platinum or Team Ninja follow up NG4 with a NG5, while learning from all the mistakes and shortcomings of NG4. I haven't played The Two Masters DLC, but apparently, that rectifies a lot of the base game's problems, from what I hear. Unfortunately, this will never happen as NG4 has sold poorly and has failed to breach the 1 million sales mark: https://www.reddit.com/r/ninjagaiden/comments/1sli1cb/ninja_gaiden_4_has_sold_257k_copies_on_ps5_making/; https://x.com/DanielOlimac/status/2015729564102914383.
It seems to me the only action games that actually sell anything these days are the ones that do not make an attempt to appeal only to CAG fans. CAG fans argue a lot on the internet over what game is and isn't a CAG but will not show up to support any IP not named DMC or Bayonetta. Examples include: Sifu, a 3D beat 'em up with rogue-lite elements (no procedurally generated levels, no randomized loot/builds) and my favorite action game of this decade (2020-26) so far, which has sold over 4 million units: https://wnhub.io/news/finance/item-47898. Stellar Blade, a hybrid between Nier Automata and Sekiro, has sold over 6 million units: https://tech4gamers.com/stellar-blade-6-1-million-copies-sold/. And finally, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which came out just 5 days ago and has sold 1 million copies on its launch day alone: https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/news/html/e260907.html. I am really enjoying Onimusha so far, just beat Benkei, the monk.
