Underrated Games.

[Nintendoga]

Okay, so we all known about games like Ocarina of Time, Sonic Adventure, and Super Mario 64, but what about games that people either dismiss upon seeing, or due to lack of advertising, nobody cared about that game. Here you post your favorite underrated game, tell us about it, and why it's so good. I'll go first. My favorite underrated game (which is also my favorite RPG) is Threads of Fate.

Not many people know about this game because of one reason, it was released in in the summer, when Square had released three other games, (One of them being Chrono Cross) and people didn't care about it because of it's simple story for an RPG. But Gameplay and Music made this game for me. In it, a boy named Rue is after a relic to revive his killed sister, and a girl named Mint is trying to take over the world after being overthrown by her sister on the throne.

The lead female character, Mint, attacks with a pair of chakrams, known as the Dual Haloes, and is a proficient magic user. The lead male character, Rue, is more physical and attacks with his axe, Arc Edge. He also has the ability to transform into various monsters that he defeats, utilizing their attacks and powers. It is actually a pretty simple concept, as you go through the world as either rue or Mint, meeting up with each other, and eventually their stories branch together into one, dare I say, Thread of Fate. This is a pretty fun game and my favorite game of all time. It's fun game that you have to play to really get into. So like I asked before, Tell us what your favorite underrated game is and why

[Tornado]

*INB4 Two Dozen People Post NiGHTS, Showing Complete Misunderstanding For What The Word "Underrated" Means*

I loved Threads of Fate. Awesome Action RPG, and the platforming segments were even pretty fun (albeit occasionally annoying). And the music was absolutely fantastic. Quite a shame it was sandwiched between FFIX and Chrono Chross.

[Sean]

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is possibly my favorite 2D platformer and it's generally overlooked in favor of some of its more famous brothers. While it's well-regarded in its own right (as are most Kirby games), it came out later than Super Star and is criticized for feeling like a step back in terms of slower gameplay, powers, and graphics. This game has always appealed to me much more, however. I love pretty much all Kirby platformers so I'm not railing on Super Star here, but DL3 is humble and seemingly more focused on a single adventure. I enjoy playing as the friends and I adore the crayon-like graphics, and the game actually is a little difficult for a Kirby game if you try rushing it. I like the missions, even if some of them are incredibly not-obvious, but the mini-games can go to hell for all I care. Most of all, I even find this game emotionally enduring, in part because of the child-like charm (even in comparison with other games in the series) and gorgeous music, which is a solo effort by one of the series' founding fathers, Jun Ishikawa.

KDL3 encompasses just about everything I love about the series in one nice pack, and it's a shame that it's a bit on the obscure side.

[Nepenthe]

One of my favorite platformers that's been completely obscure is this weird thing:

Take the original Crash Bandicoot titles, add a creative yet tricky magnet mechanic, dip it in a bright, cartoony art style with silly and satiric characters, and you have Super Magnetic Neo.

More note on the magnet mechanic- Your head acts as one. You can either attract or repel yourself from airborne magnets around the playing field, managing to hold onto a swinging vine or make a long jump from the middle of a pit. As you progress to later worlds, levels themselves take on a commendable flow where you're doing nothing but swinging and repelling yourself to the finish line. It requires quick reflexes in a manner reminiscient to Splosion Man and is subsequently difficult but nonetheless addictive. I remember facing problems wherein levels requiring you to go backwards did not have the camera view to compensate, but that's a rather minor problem in what was overall an amazing experience. I wish I could find all my Dreamcast components and finish this game off. The last world, or what I assume was the last world, ate my little uncoordinated self alive all those years ago.

[Vertekins]

You know 360 Unleashed is grossly underrated when it's Wii version is typically rated higher even though it's cut down in practically every area, is a pale imitation, has comparitively weedy graphics and where the day stages are nowhere near as long or as prevalent as the night ones.

That said, I firmly believe that Starfox Adventures is horribly underrated. I thought that it was mesmerizing, with thought-invoking and original puzzles, flawless and gorgeous visuals and some very endearing characters. The battle system is samey and boring but it doesn't matter compared to how high the production values are.

[Sean]

By the way I forgot to move this to games forum.

[TwoTailedFox]

Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights

That game was just pure awesomeness. Classic Scooby-Doo stuff

Garfield: Caught in the Act

I got this game when I bought "Sonic & Garfield Pack" last year for the PC. The music is really good. Plus, it's really cool how Garfield changes his outfit depending on the level (pirate hat in Revenge of Orangebeard, space helmet in Alien Landscape, etc.)

Edited July 5, 2011 by TwoTailedFox

[JonoD]

I do have a ton of games which I loved which never really got that much attention.

First being an adventure/Point and Click game called Simon the Sorcerer.

It looks beautiful in motion, and on top of that the writing and humor was tops as well. The tunes were incredible too. There's a longplay on Youtube for the Amiga version, just watch a little bit of it and you can get an idea. Unfortunately... the series really fell after the second game.

Secondly, I'm going to put this out there. I LOVE pinball sims. So I wholeheartedly recommend that any of you that like your pinball look up the following:

Psycho Pinball was and still is THE best pinball game I have played. The music was fantastic for all of the tables, the game was set up realistically (Well... Apart from Psycho which linked all of the game's tables together) and most of all it was a blast to play. Look up what you can on it or download the Rom for Gens. If you're a pinball fan, you certainly won't regret it.

I do have a ton more... those two are just the most prominent.

[LunarEdge]

The Boktai series as a whole.

Made by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami, not many people played this series started on the GBA because it was a game with a solar sensor on the cartridge and had to be played outside during important parts of the game (such as purifying a vampire and figuring out puzzles). Being a "gothic-like" game, a lot of people didn't like the idea of going outside to play, especially in the hot sun. The game plays similar to MGS1, with the over head look, walking against walls, hitting said walls to get the attention of enemies.

In the first game, you used a Solar Gun (Gun Del Sol) that had interchangeable parts to change the damage, range and etc. In the second game, you have your gun taken away and gain the ability to add the power of the sun to other weapons, such as swords, hammers, spears and ultimately, you get a Mega Buster later and your gun back. In 3, you just have swords and the Solar Gun, however, instead of each different sword had the same generic look, each individual sword had it's own sprite/look.

Later down the road, they released Boktai on the DS as Lunar Knights in America and other locations outside of japan (Bokura no Taiyou, Django and Sabata in Japan). It's a really fun series, with a good story and fun game play mechanics.

Boktai 2 even had a cross over game with Megaman Battle Network 5

which was pretty fun and Boktai 3 had a crossover game with Battle Network 6, but it was taken out of the American version. Lunar Knights even had a cross over mission with Megaman Starforce, but it was taken out of the American version due to lack of popularity on Boktai's end.

Edited July 5, 2011 by LunarEdge

[SuperStingray]

I don't like the words "underrated" and "overrated" because they imply my opinion is worth more than that of everyone else who disagrees. But there are some games I believe deserve more attention than they got.

Cubivore

This Atlus gamecube title was all kinds of dark and bizarre, taking place in a world of square animals whose bodies change shape when they eat the limbs of other square animals. It stood out to me for its calm, passive tone mixed with its simple, geometric art style that I can't help thinking of whenever I see minecraft. If you can still find it, I recommend giving it a go.

Echochrome

Some might remember seeing this one a few years ago. Now that I think about it, it had a similar tone and art style to Cubivore, but it was a puzzle game set in a world with M.C. Escher logic. You get a character to pass several check points on a geometric structure by connecting paths with the camera's perspective. If you make it look like two points are connected, they are. Or at least most of the time; the game gets kind of glitchy with complex structures, but it's a unique game (and quite relaxing as well) if nothing else, at least worth checking out if your into that sort of thing. There's also sequel for the PS3's Move that takes an alternative approach using shadows and lighting rather than raw geometric structures.

Shatter

Whenever I play a breakout clone, I'm not usually stimulated for very long because, frankly, I've played it before. That's not how I felt with Shatter. It has a stimulating art-style with fast-paced gameplay and extremely dynamic elements that make it feel very fresh and challenging compared to others of its kind.

I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of right now.

[Carbo]

The sequel that was set to reinvigorate the franchise of a 20 year old game (was supposed to be released during it's 20th anniversary but suffered a delay to 2009) was placed alongside Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5 as part of Capcom's big gaming year of 2009 where fans would be spoon fed a plethora of new games and material that was sure to earn everyone's approval. The fact that this new installment of Bionic Commando existed was in itself a pretty big surprise, it was a sequel to a game that never really became a worldwide phenomenon, but was incredibly innovative in the way it handled platform gaming, and had since received a following and critical status to warrant a new investment. This big budget sequel was the product of Swedish game developer GRIN (now defunct), and the expectations were high. Adapting the Bionic Arm to a big and open 3D environment, completely new combat mechanics and swinging techniques that would translate a classic into the modern day and age. It was hard not to be hyped.

Bionic Commando was released to generally a plain positive reception that averaged at a 70 on MetaCritic, but the sales were very low, was seen as one of the many reasons GRIN were ultimately forced to shut down and became responsible for a good deal of financial losses at Capcom. By a couple of months, the title already ended up in the bargain bin, and what was supposed to be the huge epic comeback to a widely loved classic was ultimately shunned for taking a direction to the darker and edgier route, somewhat negatively received redesign of Nathan "Rad" Spencer, a loose plot and an incredibly scrutinized ending twist.

Beyond that I was pretty stunned of this reception, because it was probably the most fun I'd have had with a game in 2009. Nowadays one can't talk about the game without the preconceived notion that it's predecessor, or better yet, it's remake, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, that was made by GRIN as well to tie into this game's release, was infinitely superior in every way, something I at times consider a bit of a cheap shot since that game was a remake of a widely loved cult classic. When comparing them to each other, it doesn't deter this new sequel's status as a well crafted game. The problem seen by a lot of people was mainly in the idea that the game wasn't non-linear, a complaint I can sort of understand when it doesn't give you a bigger amount of space to maneuver midst the radiation fueled skies, but for what it was, swinging was fun and the combat was even more enjoyable with the intuitive uses of Bionic Arm combat such as throwing scenery or even enemies themselves at your foes, flinging yourself at them, kiting enemies and throw them to the far distances of the horizon (possibly even lock them up in invisible walls), and unlike games such as Metroid: Other M, this game has gameplay fun enough to excuse the sub-par plot. Not to mention, this game had an absolutely fantastic score. I've replayed this game for more than I can count and it never gets old, especially with a special achievement and collectible system that encourages replay value. What's disappointing is how barren the online multiplayer is since you'd think this would be the kind of thing that could last for extended periods with big maps where you can get your bionic swing on and fuck over foes, and what little I managed to play when it was inhabited by player was enjoyable. But sadly enough the audience who cared for the game was pretty niche, a disadvantage of big budget sequels to cult games, Capcom wouldn't market it enough and it was mostly pushed aside by the very crowd it was trying to cater to, favoring the remake instead.

At this point Bionic Commando and Spencer seemed to have reached a slightly more public audience, with the remake of the original game getting it's own sequel in form of Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, and the 2009 iteration of Spencer appearing in Marvel vs Capcom 3. Unlike the next generation sequel it seems Bionic Commando as a franchise has re-attained it's sense of humor and identity, dropping the dark and edgy route, and judging from dialogue had in MvC3, perhaps there is yet a brighter future for the cynical yet thrilled commando.

Lest we forget the ultimate attention grabber of 2011's fighting scene,

[Lightspines]

Sonic 06

[LunarEdge]

Sonic 06

[Old dead account]

Super Adventure Island II: I don't know a single person who knew about this great SNES game.

Zelda Twilight Princess: Even though it got great reviews, fans give it hate just because it's not likeOoT and their comments towards it just kill my brain cells especially when they leave pathetic comments like- "Twilight Princess (which is short for TP, which is what you use to wipe yourself after you use the toilet) is a disgrace to the Zelda series. Never before have I seen a more pathetic attempt to "relive" Ocarina of Time. Nintendo screwed up with the timeline. WindWaker is the true sequel to OoT in Chronological Order. TP/shit/Twilight Princess is not. I refuse to even consider that game a Zelda game. It's god damn awful." and it being the zelda fanbase, as soon as Skyward Sword was announced, they hate it and suddenly love TP.

Almost every handheld Sonic game: whenever people talk of "Sonic's decade of fail" the handhelds like the Advance & Rush series are never regarded just because they're "lol handhelds"

[Chooch]

I've played almost every single one of the games mentioned here. I feel special. :3

It's not the most obscure or unknown game series out on the market, but I feel the need to mention the Sly Cooper series regardless. It just doesn't seem to get the praise or recognition that the Ratchet and Clank or Jak series gets. Personally, I think that it's better than the Jak series.

Edited July 5, 2011 by Chooch

[Nazo]

Hahaha, someone mentioned Sonic 06... if you are a die hard Sonic fan you must have had some bit of appreciation for it. I mean, what killed it was all the hype people had for it, like "OMFG THIS IS GOING TO BE SONIC ADVENTURE 3..." then we had a lot of time paradoxes, too many new characters, etc. I think if we ignored the really wacked up story, I think the game was pretty decent.

And Shadow the Hedgehog was... well it was creative. And funny. Which is why I thought it was pretty alright.

WindWaker is the true sequel to OoT in Chronological Order. TP/shit/Twilight Princess is not. I refuse to even consider that game a Zelda game. It's god damn awful." and it being the zelda fanbase, as soon as Skyward Sword was announced, they hate it and suddenly love TP

Funny how people still debate about the timeline... I thought the developers put it up for interpretation and most fans were fine with treating every Zelda game's history separately. Ah well.

Anyways, I like Tales of Legendia... a lot of people hate on it because of the wonky graphics, the strange artwork, and the throwing system for the main character. In most Tales game the main hero is a swordsman, but instead we have a guy obsessed with boats who can throw. I thought the throwing system was refreshing, and the story was decent because even after you finish the main story, you could continue the game to learn more about characters through various side quests. As for the artwork... yeah it's not as appealing as the other games, but why judge a game by its artwork? Wasn't that why a lot of people disliked FF9?

I won't deny that Shirley's character and English VA was an earsore- for a Tales heroine, she somehow gets on my nerves. But when you ignore the main heroine, the game is quite good.

[LunarEdge]

Super Adventure Island II: I don't know a single person who knew about this great SNES game.

I've played and beaten New Adventure Island in one sitting at a friends since he downloaded it for the ps3. Freaking hard. Super Adventure Island 2 looks easy compared to New Adventure Island

[Blash]

It's hard to say if this games underrated or not, but either way, I gotta say Deadly Premonition for the 360 (PS3 in other regions too, I believe).

If you look past the sub-par controls (which got used to as I went further into the game) and the PS2-like graphics (which I feel they add to the game's charm, oddly enough), there lies a bizarre, yet amazing story with unforgettable characters. Not to mention the mind-blowing amount of depth in the game, like the missions, specific character interactions, and other small nuances scattered throughout. I'm absolutely in love with this game, enough for the game's lead character, Francis York Morgan, to make Vyse from Skies of Arcadia step down to number two on my favorite non-Sonic characters list, which was unattainable for 10 years straight. If that's anything to you

Also, it came out at $20 retail when it was released last year, so imagine how cheap it is now. Give it a shot, if you can find a copy!

[Edward_Elric]

Ahh Tales of Legandia, I actually haven't played it yet, but I'll be able buy it soon though.

Anyways, my underrated game (and favorite PS2 title), was actually one of the first PS2 games released back in 2001 or 2002 I so do believe. The title is read as Okage:Shadow King, known in Japan as Boku to Maho (or something very similar). It's a very obscure RPG that never garnered the attention it deserved. This game had it all for me, quarky character designs (that personally love the hell out of), a fantastic and charming soundtrack, and story packed with humor that's very hard to understand for the younger folks, and a mediocre battle system that was easy enough to understand and almost easier to exploit. Not to mention the silly names for things like the healing items "Big Nuts" and "Energy Flower." This game is so great, I've owned it 3 times and beat it 6 times in total.

Heres a score from it's soundtrack bro:

This track is played during the second last boss battle, and it's completely fitting if you know the whole atmosphere that followed through the whole scenario.

[Blash]

Yesss, Okage! I almost forgot how much I loved that game haha. It's been sitting here in my game collection for a few years without being touched, think it's time to give it another go

[SuperStingray]

Oh, I got another one.

Dark Void

It annoys me how every third person shooter these days that ISN'T a complete rip off of Gears of War is only 5 hours long with absolutely no replay value and released at full price. Vanquish, Shadows of the Damned- Dark Void is no exception. However, it's been long enough that you could probably find it for 20 bucks easily, and I believe it's worth it. The gimmick in this game is that you can jump between a GoW cover-based combat to a Starfox-y aerial combat at almost any time. It starts slow and ends suddenly, but the majority of the game is really interesting, especially the vertical cover combat portions, and I think it deserved better attention. I was reminded of this by Carbo's post on Bionic Commando, as Dark Void too was overshadowed by a different game intended to be marketing material for it: Dark Void Zero.

[Tori Himemiya]

I have some of my own.

Odin Sphere

Great 2d sprites on PS2, great gameplay, and finally something that references Norse Mythology. If I remember correctly it was a hit in Japan but not well known in the US. Also Giant Robotnik Viking, seriously.

Dino Crisis

I feel like this is one of the greatest survival horror ever, even surpassing Resident Evil. It might sound odd how a game can be scary with dinos but that's the thing, these must had been built on steroids. Its really best to run away from the goddammed things.

Eternal Darkness

Like Odin Sphere I've mentioned, this is one of those games that makes it feel like art. The game is really great, it actually did give me some scares too since the game likes to make me think a lot. "Fun" sanity effects. I'll let you find out for yourself.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Crow the BOOLET

[Nazo]

It's hard to say if this games underrated or not, but either way, I gotta say Deadly Premonition for the 360 (PS3 in other regions too, I believe).

Also, it came out at $20 retail when it was released last year, so imagine how cheap it is now. Give it a shot, if you can find a copy!

ASFLSDGFLGHF... it was only $20? With a game with that amount of depth and length, I would at least price it at $40.

I might have to pick myself up a copy... if you enjoyed watching Twin Peaks, you will enjoy this game as there are a few similarities (not entirely, but enough for a fan to appreciate the game).

[LATER BUDDY]

Garfield: Caught in the Act

I got this game when I bought "Sonic & Garfield Pack" last year for the PC. The music is really good. Plus, it's really cool how Garfield changes his outfit depending on the level (pirate hat in Revenge of Orangebeard, space helmet in Alien Landscape, etc.)

[Covskin]

I do have a ton of games which I loved which never really got that much attention.

First being an adventure/Point and Click game called Simon the Sorcerer.

It looks beautiful in motion, and on top of that the writing and humor was tops as well. The tunes were incredible too. There's a longplay on Youtube for the Amiga version, just watch a little bit of it and you can get an idea. Unfortunately... the series really fell after the second game.

Ah, Simon The Sorceror - I really struggled with that game when I was younger. So much more difficult than the Lucasarts games I was used to, but delightfully British.

I'm looking through my games collection for something that didn't get brilliant reviews or sell well, but most of my games end up in one, or both of those camps. My usual pick is a PS1 game called Sheep, Dog N Wolf, a Looney Tunes game that mixed the Metal Gear Solid formula with a bit of platforming, as you play Ralph Wolf attempting to steal sheep from Sam Sheepdog. It was released very late into the console's life though, so I doubt it sold great.

Actually, I'll go with Zelda 2 as well. Maybe its just because it was my first Zelda game, but I really enjoy this one. Yeah, its a sidescroller and goes against most of the series' conventions, but to me it works.