Jump to content
Awoo.

Underrated Games.


Nintendoga

Recommended Posts

The Boktai series as a whole.

us_pac.jpg

I was just about to list Boktai/Lunar Knights, but I had to go to Anime Club before I even got to, so you just took the words right out of my mouth. Boktai/Lunar Knights is one of the best games Kojima has ever made.

Also, some other underrated games I would like to mention:

Psychonauts (PS2/Xbox, 2005)

I'm not sure if this would count as underrated since the game has become popular thanks to Steam, Gametap, Xbox Live Games on Demand, and GOG.com, but anyway...This is a hilarious and artistic platformer from Tim Schafer. It's about a boy who runs away to a psychic summer camp in order to learn to be a psychic, and pretty soon, he finds out that someone is stealing everyone's brains, so he must put a stop to it. Each level takes place inside a person's mind. The first few levels take place inside the mentors' minds, and then the later ones take place inside the minds of people from an asylum. I can tell that some of the levels inspired Super Mario Galaxy. Also, the humor in the game is great. There are lots of lines that will have you laughing.

Astal (Saturn, 1995)

The best platformer I have played on the Saturn. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a Saturn, or is going to get one. The game is about a world and people being created from simple jewels, the people that are created are Astal and Leda. Leda soon gets captured, and Astal has to rescue her. The game is very fun and challenging, and the sprites and soundtrack are beautiful. Unfortunately, Sega did not put much effort into the American release, Astal's high-pitched Japanese voice still remains during gameplay and he has a completely different voice in cutscenes, and there was a glaring misprint on the side of the case in which the game's title was not printed, so most people wouldn't know what the game was if it were in a glass case facing the side. Because of the case misprint and people being more interested in playing 3D platformers instead, not very many people got to play this game, which is sad.

Tempo (32X, 1995)

Not a great game, but definitely one of the best games the 32X has to offer. It's a strange platformer where you play as an anthro grasshopper who travels through various places such as a city, a circus, and the insides of a fuzzy creature, and you have to defeat ant-like enemies and bring music back to your home planet. I recommend it if you have a 32X or are going to get one.

Dino Crisis series (PS1, 1999-2000)

A survival horror series with dinosaurs. It's like a mix between Jurassic Park and Resident Evil, and it's really awesome.

Jet Force Gemini (N64, 1999)

A shooter/platformer on the N64 about a brother and sister who have to save the galaxy from alien insects. It's one of Rareware's lesser known games. The graphics and gameplay are great, and just like many Rareware games, there's a huge environment to explore and lots of things to find.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mirror's Edge.

Do I really need to explain myself here?

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I doubt many people have heard of this game, but here goes.

GUNBIRD

Gunbird.png

Gunbird (and it's sequel) is a top down vertical shoot-em-up in which you play as a variety of characters that include a robotic clown, a samurai with a bow, a 28 year old German man riding a jetpack a japanese witch riding a broom, and someone who looks like Magus from Chrono Trigger with sunglasses. the plot involves all of these characters out to collect pieces of a magic mirror for their own reasons, but the plot isn't important here. You play this game for beautiful spritework, explosions and that enticing gameplay style that most SHMUPS have ("gottagetthatpowerup-gottagetthatpoweru-YES! EAT LASERBEAMS, SPACESHITS!". Also, did I mention it was published by ATLUS?

You can find this game on the Playstation 1 under the name "Mobile Light Force" but I don't recommend it. I DO however recommend tracking down "Gunbird Special Edition" on Playstation 2 which contains the original game, and it's improved sequel Gunbird 2.

Croc 2

Croc_2.jpg

The original 'Croc: Legend of the Gobbos' was a rather underwhelming 3D platformer released during the late 90's that suffered from poor graphics and repetitive gameplay . However, the games sequel Croc 2 was a surpisingly good Banjo Kazooie clone that had better graphics, more varied gameplay and featured some kickarse music. Don't believe me? Listen to the starting music.

That's some awesome island reggae music, right there. While some people may have dismissed Croc 2 as simply another 3D childrens platformer released during a time when those kind of games were overflooding the market, I'd say that Croc 2 was a gem shining in a sea of mostly mediocre third party platformers. If you can find a copy of the game for PC or the PS1, I recommend checking it out. It's not up to the quality of say, a Rareware game, but it's heaps better than something like Bubsy 3D or Iggy's Wreckin' Ball

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That said, I firmly believe that Starfox Adventures is horribly underrated.

Edited by T-Man
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

...man, looks like I've been beaten to most of the ones I can think of. I tend to be a pretty mainstream gamer, so I can't think of too many hidden gems that I've uncovered.

One that I can think of, at least comparatively speaking, is Jade Empire. Sure, it's a Bioware game, but over the years it's been almost completely forgotten. Hell, I think more people remember Sonic Chronicles than Jade Empire, and not just here. It's a pity, because while the game has plenty of flaws (it's awfully short, the combat's a little short on variety), it more than makes up for them in other areas. It's a gorgeous game by the standards of the classic Xbox, it has a great soundtrack, the voicework is solid and the fundamentals of the gameplay are good. The story's a bit rudimentary, but it sprinkles in enough twists to keep things interesting, and most of the characters are unique and fun. Plus it's got John Cleese in it. And he gives you a musket. Which you can use. In a martial arts game.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jet Force Gemini (N64, 1999)

Gya I had that game, someone gave it to me.

But I was 7 at the time and I thought it was really creepy so I hardly touched it :<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, and I loved Metroid: Other M, especially the stor - *shot*

(Well, the conspiracy part of the story, anyway. XD)

You mean the part with the villain who was just dropped from the story and never actually confronted?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Final Fantasy 9....? Not really that obscure.But I love it.I play trough almost ever year.

Edited by ChikaBoing
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.)

Holy shit i loved that game as a kid! It was very good in my opinion!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rayman 1

Seriously, Rayman's among one of my all time favourite platform games, ever. I absolutely love it, yet sadly, the original is very often overlooked by the sequel which has been said by so many to be 'better' I have tried and tried to get into Rayman's second outing, but I just absolutely hate it in every way, and just wish they'd kept to their original roots :( I just cannot see why this game's so overlooked by the god damn awful sequel ><

Edited by S o n i c
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rayman 1

Seriously, Rayman's among one of my all time favourite platform games, ever. I absolutely love it, yet sadly, the original is very often overlooked by the sequel which has been said by so many to be 'better' I have tried and tried to get into Rayman's second outing, but I just absolutely hate it in every way, and just wish they'd kept to their original roots :( I just cannot see why this game's so overlooked by the god damn awful sequel ><

This sort of reminds me, I think in terms of underrated entries in the Rayman series, I'd sooner call Rayman 3 this than Rayman 1. The first Rayman was a critical success and is the best selling PS1 game in the UK, and its sequel was lauded as one of the greatest 3D platformers of the fifth console generation. Rayman 3 on the other hand wasn't passed as anything other than a standard platform affair, which I sort of understand since it wasn't really brought out with the intent to set the world on fire. But the atmosphere was sublime, the setting was inspired, it finally got itself an identity people could recognize, and the sense of being on an epic adventure through beautiful landscapes of wonder was unparalleled. It had a soundtrack that was fucking amazing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pjY3Wjwkgc. It also gave the series what it needed; humor. Rayman 3, along with games such as Beyond Good & Evil and Psychonauts usually stand as perfect examples as to why I just loved the creativity and unique ways of developing that some companies would employ back in the sixth console generation.

This intro still makes my nostalgia bone tingle to hell and back. No one can tell me that people didn't find this awesome as fuck and got shivers down their spine when they saw this the first time as kids.

Oh yeah. You also can't tell me that the first time

you didn't jizz immediately.

... Fuck, every time I gush about Rayman 3 I want to go play it.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't believe I forgot Mirror's Edge.

Also...

Vanquish

Holy mother of god, I love this game. At first, I was kind of underwhelmed, but it grew on me over time and frankly it's become my new bar for third person shooters. It brings classic bullet hell gameplay to the Gears of War age. It's about a six hour campaign with no multiplayer (frankly, its focus on bullet time makes it impossible) but God Hard mode extends that to about thirty. I'm serious. You will die ALOT. I still haven't beaten it, but I'm proud to at least have made it as far as the final boss.

Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm took a similar approach to Vanquish in that it ties classic gameplay elements to modern forms of interaction. In its case, the gimmick is bringing a scoring system that revolves around how you kill your enemies. There's some pretty awesome weapons like an aimable sniper rifle and a drill launcher. I used to prefer it to Vanquish but not anymore for some reason, but either way, it has a lot more replay value, including a very novel multiplayer mode that blends competitive and cooperative gameplay. The biggest criticism I see is its immaturity, but frankly, I don't really give a damn about how low brow a game's writing is. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to have more prime storytelling, but if a game developer wants to make a total idfest, why not let them?

Edited by turbojet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never really liked the Botkai games, but I absolutely loved Lunar Knights. Never quite understood why, either.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember beating Rayman 3 about a Year ago,but I can't remember too many things about it. Rayman 2 was a whole lot more memorable to me,even tough I haven't played that game in even longer time than Rayman 3.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never really liked the Botkai games, but I absolutely loved Lunar Knights. Never quite understood why, either.

Even though Boktai and Lunar Knights were highly similar, they also had their differences that could alter one's opinion from one to the other. Lunar knights is more fast paced compared to boktai, puzzles are easier and it just has more action if you ask me. Boktai is more like Metal Gear, when it comes to trying to sneak around, avoiding confrontation and ultimately... being out in that der sun. I highly enjoyed both. It actually makes me happy that people at least got into Lunar Knights, even though it's highly unlikely that we will see a sequel.

It's funny too, most people don't realize that Lunar Knights actually (in a sense) ties into Boktai and is sort of a sequel to Boktai 3

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Deadlocked.jpg

This game usually gets a lot of flack, from some critics, and the Ratchet & Clank fanbase to a degree. Though it does somewhat deviate from the formula of the first three games, it still was an enjoyable experience. I love the game's weapons, my personal favorites being the Dual Vipers, & Harbinger. I also liked the gladiator-like setting & gameplay style. I will also give the game credit for having some of the funniest writing in the series. Oh yeah, and the game has great music, like every Ratchet & Clank game. Though this game is different from the others, it's not too different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bionic_Commando.jpg

Oh yes, i really liked this game, and i never get why people got mad about the re-design of Spencer; i can understand the Dante's case, but this?

Anyway, it's really bad that this was not well recieved and GRIN was shut down, especially because they had in program even a new Strider. And of course, the Fortress project of FFXII that was shut down almost completely by Square in the place of the Fabula Nova Crystallis.

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.

I found it at -big shock here- 7.50 €. In a Gamestop Store. This means something, but still, i think this should be revalutated too.

Also, here's mine:

-Jeanne d'Arc

Basically, an anime-sh version of the Joanne d'Arc history crossed with fantasy and some Rogue Galaxy elements (like the toad that can forge a better thing by swallowing 2 low). It was a really good tactics RPG, but was skipped for some unknow reasons.

-Eternal Sonata

A Tales of game starring freacking composer Frédéric François Chopin and characters with instrument for weapons. Just that should be epic, but the really impressive voice acting and the astonishing soundtrack for this game makes it more satisfying (especially the girly impression of Liam 'o Brien in the role of Count Waltz). Maybe there are 1-2 things wrong with the story (the Claves death scene is the perfect example), but i'm shocked on how almost no-one know about this title. It's so underrater that the PS3 version has no trophies, while the original 360 version has achievements. How bizzare.

-Legend of Mana

Ok, this game ha simply put no story but just more sidequests tied each other, but still the draw-style is impressive, the soundtrack is gorgeous and most of the character are pretty good. Sure, of that period like Xenogears were way much better, but still this chapter of the Mana series needs more attention.

Edited by Teoskaven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-1923-0-02545400-1344204656_thumb.jp

These games really deserved more attension. The story and characters are some of the best Capcom ever did in my opinion. I love how these games don't take themselfs seriously and parady a lot of movies with it's worlds. The gameplay is classic 2D beat-em-up with some awesome movie powers and some of the toughest difficulty i've played in any game.

It's nice to know that Capcom haven't completly forgotten the dude by adding him in Tatsunoko and Marvel VS Capcom, but dammit where's my Viewtiful Joe 3?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

medium.jpg?1312165830

Yeah, the graphics are incredibly dated, the camera can be at the last place you want it to be at some levels, and some people thing it's sequel Swampy's Revenge is superior, but I think (the sadly long defunct) Hasbro Interactive's first attempt at Frogger is just so addicting to play, mainly because of the platform hell that it is. I think it performs best as a very challenging arcade experience. It's also packs some pretty cool ideas in some of it's levels (one level has you go trying to maneuver down a slippery slope filled with spiders, another has you hopping on different birds going to different directions to get to different clouds in the level) as well as some rather interesting level trope choices (woods, sewers, clouds in the sky, caverns, factory/lava). Everytime I beat a level, I always get a quite satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Oh and it has a pretty good sountrack as well. This is from one of the aforementioned factory/lava levels.

Edited by Zinos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though at this point, would you want VJ3 with Clover gone?

Don't see why Platinum Games couldn't make it.

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought of that too, but I wasn't sure if any of the former Capcom people at Platinum still have problems with the company and wouldn't want to work with them, or if they don't really care.

Edited by Ekaje
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

You must read and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to continue using this website. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.