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[2taboosounds]

Bangai-O Spirits

1. What is it?

Created by Treasure for Nintendo DS, Bangai'O Spirits is an extremely inventive and absorbing shoot em up. It is also the most chaotic game I have ever played and grinds the DS to a halt because there is so much happening on the screen.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
I wouldn’t say it was underrated (as there were a few perfect scores) but I feel it has been ignored and forgotten as I rarely ever see it in best of DS lists.

3. Why should we play it?
Because it’s insane, hard and has a habit of stealing entire evenings by just having “one more go” to clear a level. It’s also cheap on the internet as it didn’t sell that much.

 

[someguyinahat]

Gray Matter

1. What is it?
A classic point&click adventure game by Jane Jensen, creator of Gabriel Knight. Available for Windows and XBOX360.

Plot summary from metacritic: " Gray Matter is the first adventure game by renowned author Jane Jensen since the release of Gabriel Knight 3: the story mixes eerie goings-on with supernatural events in best Jensen-style. Neurobiologist Dr. David Styles is one of the game's central characters: since losing his wife in a horrible accident some several years ago, he has become a recluse, seldom leaving Dread Hill House, his English country estate. "

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?

Lack of marketing and a troubled development and release meant that many missed that it was even released. It's very rarely talked about in gaming forums, few game journalists talks about it.

3. Why should we play it?

It's probably the closest thing to a classic Sierra adventure game we've had since Sierra closed. The 3d models are hardly the best ones, but it has great sceneries and nice comic book cutscenes, along with a fantastic soundtrack from Robert Holmes who did the music for the Gabriel Knight games. While the plot doesn't hold up at all times, it's still a very interesting one, that's told in a good pace, with good cliff hangers for each chapters. The puzzles are very old school and fun, and they come with som nice helpful features. The game set goals for each chapters for what you're supposed to achieve, and it tells if you're done with a location.

I would probably put it in my top 10 list for the genre if I had to do such a list.

Anyone looking for recent old school point&click adventures, with actual puzzles, should buy this one, and play at least two chapters of it.

I followed this game for a while, only to find that they didn't plan for a digital release. #2 could have easily read "Because it's not on Steam." What I did discover, however, is that it's on Greenlight, it's BEEN greenlit, but its possible release is "Nov/Dec 2012" and it was last updated in August...with nothing in sight apparently. I don't know what the holdup is.

 

[Dash Kappei]

The Simpsons Game

1. What is it?
It's a fun mix of 3D Jump'n Run and Beat'em Up with light puzzle elements and lovely cartoon visuals.





2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
Being a licensed title I feel like it did not get the attention it deserved from "hardcore" gamers. It has sold four million copies but my guess is that a lot of those were to sold to casual gamers. It was obviously criminally underrated at its publisher EA, considering they cancelled the sequel .




3. Why should we play it?
It's a fun, funny game that doesn't take itself seriously and successfully carries over The Simpsons' humour into the video game world. It makes fun of many popular game franchises and gaming tropes and is just generally hilarious. It's definitely not just a game for diehard Simpsons fans. The levels are also extremely varied which, combined with the fact that you get to play as every member of the Simpsons family, means the game never gets boring.




Close seconds: WET and Alice: Madness Returns

I remember wanting this game sooooooooo much! But I was wary of the dev and when the horrible impressions and reviews started coming out I forgot about it altogether.
Is there a PC port? I kinda have an urge to play it now

 

[EMT0]

This thread is like a big list of games that I never played but should. Thanks GAF. I'll back Alice: Madness Returns though, the game was fun and very entertaining.

 

[afternoon delight]

LOVE the idea of this thread, it's a damn treasure trove of stuff to find.

Skulls of the Shogun - 360, Windows, iOS

1. What is it?
A solid turn based strategy game with a wonderful world, art style, and balance.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
TPB came back in a big way, and this game is the opposite of gritty. Eat skulls like candy!

3. Why should we play it?
I heard it was made by the same people who made Advance Wars and it shows. Responsive and challenging campaign goals with a story and characters that don't make you cringe every five minutes. Like a self contained Tactics without deep RPG elements, soooo, you know, your standard TPB.

And it's usually damn cheap. No reason not to spend the 20 or so hours and finish your damnable quest.

Sword of the Stars: The Pit - Windows

1. What is it?
An overhead rogue game. Random dungeon, set classes, see how far you can make it before dieing while killing/stealing/creating/learning anything and everything from the awesome setting etc.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
It's ugly as sin. It's turn based.

3. Why should we play it?
Great sense of accomplishment with great loot, enemies, lore, mechanics, etc etc etc. Buy the original on sale for 2$ and buy the 9$ DLC and it's absurd how much there is to do and see on your many many many trips below.

* Both support controller play.

 

[Jirotrom]

LOVE the idea of this thread, it's a damn treasure trove of stuff to find.

Skulls of the Shogun - 360, Windows, iOS

1. What is it?
A solid turn based strategy game with a wonderful world, art style, and balance.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
TPB came back in a big way, and this game is the opposite of gritty. Eat skulls like candy!

3. Why should we play it?
I heard it was made by the same people who made Advance Wars and it shows. Responsive and challenging campaign goals with a story and characters that don't make you cringe every five minutes. Like a self contained Tactics without deep RPG elements, soooo, you know, your standard TPB.

And it's usually damn cheap. No reason not to spend the 20 or so hours and finish your damnable quest.


.

super cheap on steam right now!

 

[Jirotrom]

1. What is it?
CULDCEPT SAGA... It's basically takes Monopoly and mixes it with Magic for the most addictive game ever created!

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
Basically NO advertising and to top it off at a 75 on metacritic its SEVERELY underrated! Though the user ratings give it a 9 which helps. Also the XBOX market just wasn't the market for this game... Should have released it on STEAM. Graphically the game wasn't too hot so I'm sure that gave it dings and the story is "ok".

3. Why should we play it?
Because by not playing it you would be missing out on the best game made last gen... it's sad really I remember asking the developer if they would be willing to port the game to PC on STEAM and they said "they may look into it" I feel that the PC market is a stronger market for this game. HUNT IT DOWN AND BUY NOW!!!!! This game also supports online play and still has a thriving community http://www.culdceptcentral.com/home/culdcept-news

 

[Briarios]

1. What is it?

Cursed Mountain for the Wii

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?

Let's be honest, an adult game coming out on the Wii is pretty much always dismissed. Cursed Mountain was a legit survival horror game with a great setting, but the platform left it no market. I also feel that the environments created by the developers really captured the Tibetan setting and the influences of Buddhism. The game also didn't talk down to the player. The exploration and puzzled were well paced, and the game never overstayed it's welcome.

3. Why should we play it?

It's non-gimmicky Wii game with a good story, some legit thrills, and an amazing setting.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I followed this game for a while, only to find that they didn't plan for a digital release. #2 could have easily read "Because it's not on Steam." What I did discover, however, is that it's on Greenlight, it's BEEN greenlit, but its possible release is "Nov/Dec 2012" and it was last updated in August...with nothing in sight apparently. I don't know what the holdup is.

It's on GOG if that helps.

 

[jakomocha]

Okay, here's one I'm almost 99% sure none of you have heard of. I had other close seconds, but I chose this game because it's literally unknown.

1. What is it?
Girl With a Heart Of is an adventure game with a huge focus on choice. You play as a mature yet young girl, and the game makes you question your morality a lot in a story that at first seems a little cliche but eventually grows on you.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
Well, for one it was an unsuccessful Kickstarter project started way before the "Double Fine" funding boom, so almost no one knew what it was and Kickstarter wasn't very popular for gaming. Second, the combat in the game is atrocious so people probably overlooked it for that aspect, despite it being such a minor and inconsequential part of the game.

3. Why should we play it?
Sure, the game is a little rough around the edges (or more like a lot around the edges) but the graphics are beautiful and the music is fantastic (it's one of the few games that I actually downloaded the soundtrack for). The story of course is superb as well, even though the writing is iffy. I feel like the game is available for so cheap that it's worth a try, especially considering that the developer seemed to have just disappeared off the Earth after the game was released and I would love to see him return to the industry. What a shame too, I got in a few conversations with him a while back (I backed the project on Kickstarter) and he seemed like a nice guy with a lot of potential. He did a few postmortems on the game on his blog which were quite in-depth and interesting, I'll update this post if I find them. Also, I'd just like to point out that even though the endings are really crappy in that they feel like they were lazily put together, you do feel like your choices have a humongous effect throughout the whole entire game, something which I feel most games struggle to do nowadays.


Close Second
Remember Me

EDIT (with photos):

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I love this topic. One day, after I've cleared my backlog and before I get a current-gen console, I'll have to pick up some of these. Neir and Alpha Protocol are first on that list.

 

[Asbear]

1. What is it?

An adventure game for DS from Capcom. The story is told in a similar fashion to the Ace Attorney - Investigations series. It's very story-heavy but the story-segments are evenly placed in between the actual gameplay-segments which consist of trying to avoid people from being killed through ghost tricks (as the title implies). The character you play as is killed when the game begins but apparently he still co-exists with living people even though he isn't visible. He can manipulate objects and tether with dead-people, which both serve to progress the story and function as the main gameplay-mechanics.

2. Why do you feel it is underrated?
It got praised highly by all the major gaming-sites, including IGN and Gametrailers... but it was under the radar. I guess the concept was too unappealing to people, and because of how much text was in it it didn't grow out from the same kind of niche-fanbase that Ace Attorney has, plus since there's only one game in the franchise it hasn't built the same player-base as the Ace Attorney series.

3. Why should we play it?
Ghost Trick had great puzzles, writing, characters and story. It's written by Shu Takumi who wrote all Ace Attorney games that aren't the Investigation games and the new Dual Destinies. It's a 10/10 in my book, and I really think the game was a home-run!

If someone is interested but doesn't have a DS, I think you can get the game on IOS too. It's strictly touch-based, so it should be excellent control-wise on the iPhones and iPads too.