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00:00 [Gunfire]
00:05 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at 10 licensed games that don't suck.
00:10 "You're about to find out."
00:13 A lot of licensed games have negative reputations for being soulless cash grabs.
00:17 But, for this list, we'll be looking at those that went above and beyond,
00:21 adding something great to the legacy of their IPs.
00:24 What licensed game do you think stands out among all the rest?
00:27 Let us know in the comments.
00:29 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long,
00:33 so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:37 Middle-Earth, Shadow of Mordor.
00:42 "Why did you come back to save me?"
00:44 "I had a family, Watts."
00:48 "A wife, and a son."
00:53 "And I buried them along with everyone I even knew."
00:57 While we had gotten a few games set in the world of Lord of the Rings before,
01:01 none of them hit quite as hard as Shadow of Mordor.
01:04 Set in between The Hobbit and Tolkien's epic trilogy,
01:07 players set out on a quest to avenge their family,
01:10 slain by the hands of Sauron's minions.
01:13 On top of being an interesting original tale in a vast world we already loved,
01:18 it was ridiculous fun slaying your enemies, in particular thanks to your wraith abilities.
01:23 The game's most notable feature, the Nemesis system,
01:26 showed off impressive enemy AI by having certain foes remember you and your actions.
01:32 Plus, it didn't come with a bunch of tacked-on microtransactions like the sequel,
01:36 so bonus points for that.
01:38 DuckTales Remastered.
01:45 Amidst the mostly terrible licensed games shoveled onto the NES,
01:55 Capcom's DuckTales stood out as a terrific platformer with insanely catchy music.
02:00 When it was remastered in 2013, developer WayForward did everything right.
02:06 As Disney's Scrooge McDuck, players pogo their way through different areas around the globe in search of treasure.
02:11 The stunning hand-drawn character sprites popped,
02:14 and the music blended the 8-bit originals with orchestral flair.
02:18 There were also a couple of new levels while the older stages were expanded on and given new objectives.
02:24 It may not be the most remarkable remaster ever made,
02:27 the original game is only 5 levels long after all,
02:30 but it does a fantastic job at respecting the nostalgia while adding its own spin on things.
02:36 Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.
02:50 In a galaxy far, far away, thousands of years before the movies take place,
02:55 one of the greatest Star Wars stories of all time occurred.
02:58 Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic has been credited not only as one of the studio's strongest,
03:03 but one of the best RPGs in existence.
03:06 It's easy to see why.
03:08 The story placed emphasis on player choice.
03:11 Your actions determined whether you leaned towards the dark or light side of the force,
03:15 which in turn led to different abilities.
03:17 Although your character was custom,
03:19 those around you were deep and engaging,
03:22 with players still proclaiming their love for them 20 years later.
03:26 Naturally, it shows its age, so we eagerly await the remake announced in 2021.
03:32 South Park The Stick of Truth.
03:39 One might expect a video game set in South Park
03:47 to be just as crude and depraved as its source material.
03:50 While The Stick of Truth definitely delivers on the vulgar humor,
03:53 it's also a surprisingly well-balanced turn-based RPG.
03:58 You begin as the new kid in town,
04:00 joining in with the other children in a make-believe fantasy war.
04:03 Of course, this being South Park, things quickly go off the rails
04:07 as your team contends with various supernatural threats, including aliens.
04:12 Due to the show's simplistic animation, the developers were able to perfectly imitate it,
04:17 making it legitimately feel like you were playing through an episode.
04:20 It already received a superhero-centric sequel in 2017,
04:25 so here's hoping there's more on the way.
04:27 Marvel's Spider-Man.
04:40 Insomniac's 2018 release is not the only good Spider-Man game,
04:45 but in our opinion, it is the best one.
04:47 The developer made the right call, setting the story a few years into Peter's tenure as the hero,
04:52 allowing room for many villains to appear and for the team to include tributes to the character's history.
04:57 More importantly, it was an absolute joy to play.
05:01 Web swinging through open-world NYC felt sublime,
05:04 ensuring we would never use the fast travel feature.
05:08 Combat focused on Spidey's agility and mobility,
05:11 with just enough gadgets to keep things fresh without being overwhelming.
05:14 Its open world was a little overstuffed, and we could do without the MJ stealth sections.
05:20 But everything else is a Webhead fan's dream come true.
05:24 Alien Isolation.
05:33 [MACHINE-GUN FIRE]
05:36 [MACHINE-GUN FIRE]
05:40 [MACHINE-GUN FIRE]
05:41 [EXPLOSION]
05:43 [MACHINE-GUN FIRE]
05:45 It would be understandable if some fans were cautious leading up to Isolation,
05:50 considering the god-awful Colonial Marines released the previous year.
05:54 Thankfully, that didn't tarnish its chances at a legacy as the best game set in the Alien universe.
06:00 As the daughter of series protagonist Ellen Ripley,
06:03 players search for their missing mother 15 years after the groundbreaking first film from 1979.
06:09 But honestly, all the terror that audiences felt is nothing compared to when you're actually trying to avoid a Xenomorph.
06:16 The enemy AI in this game has been praised by everyone who's experienced it.
06:21 The Xenomorph is exceptionally smart, and therefore horrifying.
06:25 Drenched in a tense atmosphere, it's not a horror game you're likely to forget anytime soon.
06:32 [MACHINE-GUN FIRE]
06:37 GoldenEye 007
06:39 [MUSIC]
06:45 GoldenEye was the perfect game at the perfect moment,
06:48 which is a little surprising since it released two years after the movie it was based on.
06:53 Just as the film revitalized the Bond franchise, the game pioneered FPS games on home consoles.
07:00 The single-player mode expanded on the plot while still being unlike most shooters of the time.
07:05 But what truly set it apart was its multiplayer,
07:08 added as an afterthought, but which would be the reason people praised it for years to come.
07:13 Across the now iconic maps with a variety of modes and characters both new and old,
07:18 we poured countless hours into it with friends and siblings.
07:22 In fact, it's the reason I play Inverted to this day.
07:26 [MUSIC]
07:31 The Walking Dead
07:32 [MUSIC]
07:34 "No, Ben, help her!"
07:36 [MUSIC]
07:40 There are many subpar things tied to The Walking Dead franchise.
07:45 But as we all very well know, Telltale's episodic take is not one of them.
07:50 A new story in a familiar universe told the tale of Lee,
07:53 a former professor and convicted killer who comes to care for Clementine,
07:58 a young girl separated from her family.
08:00 Although Telltale had used its choice-based setup in previous releases,
08:04 more weight was added to it here,
08:06 primarily because a zombie-infested world makes each painful decision that much more so.
08:11 But it was still fascinating seeing how your choices affected elements in further episodes.
08:16 With so much acclaim, it's no wonder it received multiple sequels.
08:21 "Well, he's been through a lot, Clem. He's just gotten a little overwhelmed, that's all.
08:26 I'm sure he'll be fine."
08:28 "Before we leave tomorrow, will we have time to look for my parents?"
08:32 Batman Arkham City
08:34 "How should we proceed?"
08:35 "Stand down. Let two-face have his fun."
08:40 Rocksteady set a new gold standard for superhero games when it released Batman Arkham Asylum.
08:46 Remarkably, they did it again with a sequel only two years later.
08:50 The studio went open-world as Batman became trapped in Hugo Strange's prison encompassing part of Gotham City.
08:56 However, he also had to deal with the Joker,
08:59 who injected the hero with his own tainted blood in an attempt to get a cure.
09:03 It was a flawless evolution from the more linear first entry,
09:07 with plenty of rogues and objectives to tackle.
09:10 The Dark Knight's mechanics made gliding through the night sky,
09:13 solving crimes, and taking on baddies an endless display of fun.
09:17 And just like the first game, it was a wonderful reunion of heavyweights from the 90s animated series.
09:23 "I figured you could use my help, Selina."
09:26 "You're right. I think I chipped a nail back there."
09:30 The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
09:33 "Wanna talk to him? Wanna pay? Give me a bottle of something strong."
09:38 Most of our entries were inspired by popular visual mediums.
09:42 No disrespect to the book series,
09:44 but it's CD Projekt Red's games we have to thank for The Witcher's current state.
09:49 Wild Hunt released in 2015,
09:51 and still receives acclaim to this day as the finest adventure Geralt of Rivia has ever been on.
09:56 A captivating narrative, side quests, and expansions that were as good if not better,
10:02 wonderful magic and swordplay, and incredible visuals and voice acting
10:06 all combined for an action RPG that stands taller than most games in any genre.
10:11 Plus, all of that was packed into an engrossing, war-torn open world with awesome intimidating enemy designs.
10:19 The Witcher 3 is both a critical darling and a financial juggernaut.
10:24 Check out these other great clips from Mojo Plays,
10:35 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:39 [music]