There are hundreds of game developers and publishers, but only a handful of them are well known. And of those well-known companies, very few of them have their own distinct style that even casual gamers recognize. But with Rockstar being the king of open-world games, the publisher is exactly what its name suggests, a rockstar.
The company has built a formula that is impossible to fail. But to the most casual gamers they are only known for Red Dead Redemption and the Grand Theft Auto series, and though there isn’t a bad game among them, there are so many more games in the publisher’s back catalog, whether open world or linear, that are more than worth checking out.
Smuggler’s Run (2000)
Smuggler’s Run was being worked on at the same time as Midnight Club, so the game has a similar arcade-like feel to the gameplay mechanics.
However, the video-game, which is about a smuggler who has to transport all sorts of different cargo, has a huge array of vehicles. From dune buggies to rally cars to military vehicles, there are so many options. And there are three huge open levels in which players have to get from one end to the other. The game even got a sequel, but it didn’t quite reach the same heights as the original.
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (2006)
Though Rockstar has made headlines for having their games banned in foreign countries because of their violence, and sometimes even because of the game’s name, the most shocking thing the developer could have ever done was release a linear Table Tennis game.
The idea of Rockstar creating such a thing in the middle of their open-world streak sounds like an April Fool's joke, but the result is actually a great game. Though there isn’t much to it, the mechanics of the game were phenomenal, and as it was the first game built on Rockstar’s own game engine, RAGE, it was a massive success for the developer.
Beaterator (2009)
Being based on an Adobe Flash music mixer, Rockstar built Beaterator with the help of record producer Timbaland, and it allows players to build their own loops.
Though there are so many free pieces of software and apps that let anybody create music these days, Beaterator was a godsend in 2009 for production enthusiasts. It’s one of the few games Rockstar has made that was released exclusively for the PlayStation Portable without being ported over to consoles at a later date.
Red Dead Revolver (2004)
Red Dead Redemption 2 might be one of the best-selling games of all time, and its predecessor was way ahead of the curve too, but many think the first Red Dead Redemption is what started the Western series.
In fact, it’s Red Dead Revolver that actually started the series, and the reason the series is even called ‘Red Dead’ is because the protagonist’s name in Revolver is Red Harlow. Though it isn’t the cinematic masterpiece like its successors, Revolver is more of a fun linear shoot ‘em up, as players take control of a bounty Hunter, and it still holds up.
The Italian Job (2002)
Not to be confused with the video-game based on the movie remake that came the following year, The Italian Job is based on the original 1969 movie of the same name, and as is tradition with Rockstar games, there are two open-world locations; London and Turin.
The game is completely faithful to the movie, as the story mode follows the same narrative of the movie, and there are even racing circuits that have been added.
Manhunt (2003)
Being the developer’s first dive into stealth gaming, Manhunt was the most obscene concept for the gaming genre, even by Rockstar’s standards. The game depicts gruesome acts of violence as players control a serial killer, and it’s a grim concept with a scary execution.
However, the game mechanics and graphics were incredible for its time, and it set the gameplay foundation for the Rockstar games that came after. Manhunt isn’t just forgotten, but in many countries, it isn’t even known, as it was banned in several different locations outside of the US.
L.A. Noire (2011)
Taking up the other side of the law for the first time in a Rockstar game, L.A. Noire sees Detective Cole Phelps try to solve a bunch of crimes around the city of angels. Just as Rockstar is always known to do, L.A. Noire tried pushing the boundaries of gaming once again, as the game used MotionScan technology to capture different facial expressions of real actors, and incorporated that into the interrogation aspects of the gameplay.
The experiment didn’t completely pay off, and the game was criticized for the world being too empty. But aside from that, it’s the most cinematic game Rockstar has made outside of Red Dead Redemption 2, and the 1950s Hollywood game is a stunning ode to the film noir the developers were influenced by.
Bully (2006)
There might not be a new Rockstar game for a while, as GTAV is still going strong, but for the longest time fans have been clamoring for a sequel to Bully. The few who played the original all hold it close to their hearts, as the game is almost like a PG-13 version of the Grand Theft Auto series.
The game follows Jimmy, who gets sent to a boarding school on the outskirts of the fictional open-world of Bullworth, and instead of carjacking vehicles, players can use skateboards, bikes, go-karts, and scooters to travel around. And instead of gun-toting gangs, there are different cliques in the school, like greasers, jocks, and preps, among others. The game is so well presented too, as each quarter of the game is separated into seasons.
The Warriors (2005)
Though gamers might not know, The Warriors is based on a movie that was released 26 years before the game, and the low-budget cult movie was such a strange choice for Rockstar to adapt. And, considering that the movie takes place over the course of one night where the titular gang has to get from point A to point B unscathed by other gangs chasing them, it would have been hard to adapt too.
But Rockstar ingeniously based the game on the days leading up to the event of the movie, and each member of the gang are all playable characters. However, it marked the first time that Rockstar looked backward instead of forwards, as it was the first game in a while that didn’t take place in an open-world. Regardless of freedom, it’s a great-looking game, especially for fans of the cult movie.
The Midnight Club Series
Being the street racing video-game series that was always in competition with Need For Speed, Midnight Club stood on its own for its clubby aesthetic and open-worlds in cities like Paris, London, and Tokyo. Even though Midnight Club: Los Angeles sold fairly well, the Midnight Club series has been long forgotten because it has simply laid dormant for 12 years at this point.
But everything that was great about the game, such as the customization, the arcade type racing, and the vehicle options, is all basically in Grand Theft Auto V, so the idea of a new game in the series is essentially pointless.