Walliwallipaloo
Member
I don't even know where to start. So many truly excellent games went totally under the radar, especially in my time when there were just so many games to play that perfectly great games went by as "mediocre."
King's Field IV: One of the best games I've ever played. Its soundtrack has stuck with me for years. Easily the most approachable and most accessible of the King's Field games, in my opinion, and the dreadful beauty of its world leaves quite the impression.
Return Fire: At its heart, it's a PvP competitive capture-the-flag top-down vehicle-based shooter. It's simple by modern standards, but the mine-laying and helo-rocket-gunning shenanigans made for a real laugh riot when I was a kid. Helped to foster my love of classical music early on, blaring classics like Mars, Bringer of War by Holst and Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner as you demolished buildings and squished their fleeing inhabitants. Plus:
Live-A-Live: The gameplay is nothing special, but it's full of heartful moments end-to-end. I'd go so far as to call this game "beautiful." It managed to get me once or twice. It manages to make a hug between two tiny character sprites one of the most impactful moments I've ever witnessed in fiction. "Beautiful" is apt.
Breakdown: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this experimental first-person shooter/brawler was one of the coolest games ever made. It's got lots of problems - its Japanese developers really wanted to do a FPS thing, but didn't have a lot of experience under their belts. But they pulled off a thrilling Half-Life alike that I wish hadn't flown completely under the radar. There's nothing else like it.
Kill.Switch: People probably tire of stop-and-pop cover-based shooters now, but this one was the first - and I'd argue that it did it best. It was fast-paced, frenetic, and relentless, rather than formulaic and slow like so many that came after. The action didn't let up from beginning to end, and though the game was rather short and simple, it was satisfying. I actually really appreciated Ubisoft for doing so many callbacks to this game with Rainbow Six Vegas 2: its main character's name is Bishop, and Bishop's armor set was in the game's customization feature.
Shibuya Scramble: This quirky quasi-FMV adventure game had me till the very end. Though the anime it is based on is absolute garbage (in my esteemed opinion), this game was one hell of a ride.
Scratches: This is one of my favorite adventure games of all time. Its underlying mystery was a thrill to uncover, and its atmosphere was phenomenal, shifting expertly from creepy to haunting to nerve-wracking as each of the in-game days passed. Much more than your typical "haunted house" adventure, this game spun a narrative full of red-herrings and subtle interpersonal drama. It had an awesome soundtrack to boot.
So long as you're playing the original release, mind. The "director's cut" utterly ruins the atmosphere, and destroys one of the most poignant scenes in the game (a little music box that just barely manages to miss finishing its tune one last time). I guess sometimes things just need to stay cut.
Gray Matter: Another great adventure game. When people think Jane Jensen, they usually (and rightly) think of the excellent Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers... or perhaps the much less-excellent third game in that series. But I like to look fondly back at Gray Matter, a game I did not play myself, but one that I did watch my wife play. The ending left us both feeling sad, but satisfied. It handled its reveals smartly enough, and the characters were strong. Holding with tradition, the music was exemplary... and appropriately moody. Moody the game was, but not so much as to crush you with its atmosphere.
Front Mission 3: One of the best JRPGs ever made, and so few remember it. Its two-sided story mode hammers home its central message with the force of a sledgehammer: in wars, someone has to lose. Between playthroughs, you watch well-developed characters die sad and terribly final deaths, even though in the other campaigns, they are friends, allies, and even more. It's poignant and striking, and besides this, also happens to be a legitimately fun game to play.
Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time: So underrated. A great, fully-fledged JRPG with a focus on tactics and a cast of characters it's hard not to love. Art by the legendary Satoshi Urashihara (I hope I spelled that right) that just pops right off the screen. There's a huge focus on giving the player lots of things to say in conversations. We all know that not every single one of them matters, but you'll be surprised how many of them do. In fact, the game's full of choice points, one of which still haunts my wife to this day (and makes me glad I didn't screw it up, because, man, that hit hard).
Criminally underrated.
I could go on for hours, honestly.
King's Field IV: One of the best games I've ever played. Its soundtrack has stuck with me for years. Easily the most approachable and most accessible of the King's Field games, in my opinion, and the dreadful beauty of its world leaves quite the impression.
Return Fire: At its heart, it's a PvP competitive capture-the-flag top-down vehicle-based shooter. It's simple by modern standards, but the mine-laying and helo-rocket-gunning shenanigans made for a real laugh riot when I was a kid. Helped to foster my love of classical music early on, blaring classics like Mars, Bringer of War by Holst and Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner as you demolished buildings and squished their fleeing inhabitants. Plus:
Live-A-Live: The gameplay is nothing special, but it's full of heartful moments end-to-end. I'd go so far as to call this game "beautiful." It managed to get me once or twice. It manages to make a hug between two tiny character sprites one of the most impactful moments I've ever witnessed in fiction. "Beautiful" is apt.
Breakdown: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this experimental first-person shooter/brawler was one of the coolest games ever made. It's got lots of problems - its Japanese developers really wanted to do a FPS thing, but didn't have a lot of experience under their belts. But they pulled off a thrilling Half-Life alike that I wish hadn't flown completely under the radar. There's nothing else like it.
Kill.Switch: People probably tire of stop-and-pop cover-based shooters now, but this one was the first - and I'd argue that it did it best. It was fast-paced, frenetic, and relentless, rather than formulaic and slow like so many that came after. The action didn't let up from beginning to end, and though the game was rather short and simple, it was satisfying. I actually really appreciated Ubisoft for doing so many callbacks to this game with Rainbow Six Vegas 2: its main character's name is Bishop, and Bishop's armor set was in the game's customization feature.
Shibuya Scramble: This quirky quasi-FMV adventure game had me till the very end. Though the anime it is based on is absolute garbage (in my esteemed opinion), this game was one hell of a ride.
Scratches: This is one of my favorite adventure games of all time. Its underlying mystery was a thrill to uncover, and its atmosphere was phenomenal, shifting expertly from creepy to haunting to nerve-wracking as each of the in-game days passed. Much more than your typical "haunted house" adventure, this game spun a narrative full of red-herrings and subtle interpersonal drama. It had an awesome soundtrack to boot.
So long as you're playing the original release, mind. The "director's cut" utterly ruins the atmosphere, and destroys one of the most poignant scenes in the game (a little music box that just barely manages to miss finishing its tune one last time). I guess sometimes things just need to stay cut.
Gray Matter: Another great adventure game. When people think Jane Jensen, they usually (and rightly) think of the excellent Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers... or perhaps the much less-excellent third game in that series. But I like to look fondly back at Gray Matter, a game I did not play myself, but one that I did watch my wife play. The ending left us both feeling sad, but satisfied. It handled its reveals smartly enough, and the characters were strong. Holding with tradition, the music was exemplary... and appropriately moody. Moody the game was, but not so much as to crush you with its atmosphere.
Front Mission 3: One of the best JRPGs ever made, and so few remember it. Its two-sided story mode hammers home its central message with the force of a sledgehammer: in wars, someone has to lose. Between playthroughs, you watch well-developed characters die sad and terribly final deaths, even though in the other campaigns, they are friends, allies, and even more. It's poignant and striking, and besides this, also happens to be a legitimately fun game to play.
Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time: So underrated. A great, fully-fledged JRPG with a focus on tactics and a cast of characters it's hard not to love. Art by the legendary Satoshi Urashihara (I hope I spelled that right) that just pops right off the screen. There's a huge focus on giving the player lots of things to say in conversations. We all know that not every single one of them matters, but you'll be surprised how many of them do. In fact, the game's full of choice points, one of which still haunts my wife to this day (and makes me glad I didn't screw it up, because, man, that hit hard).
Criminally underrated.
I could go on for hours, honestly.
Mayar
Member
It usually changes, as I'm constantly playing and experiencing new things. But if I were to take this particular moment...
I am amazed at my own originality.
Of all the games I've recently played, or am currently playing, this one probably fits the bill the best.
P.S - Before this, this game was in the lead.
I am amazed at my own originality.
Of all the games I've recently played, or am currently playing, this one probably fits the bill the best.
P.S - Before this, this game was in the lead.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
breh
Angry_Megalodon
Member
I'm waiting for that one on console
And ALSO for this, which looks fantastic. I loved the demo.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Problem?
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Breeh
EerieArcade
Member
Koudelka maybe. Alundra is a good shout, too.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Raven117
Member
How they didn't expand on this, and instead give us 2, I'll never understandCome on now
Don't buy at full price, it usually goes on sale for very cheap.
hinch7
Member
Sleeping Dogs. Still one of my favorite open world games to this day and severely overlooked. Perfect blend of excellent crime story, interesting characters and satisfying combat set in Hong Kong that makes it so much fun to play. Just about right game length as well and doesn't outstay its welcome. The game is a goddamn masterpiece in my eyes. Shame we never got a sequel.
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El Hee-Ho
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Yeah what they did with 2 was total nonesense. "Hey let's change some stuff that doesn't need to be changed while not adressing any of the complaints we've got from fans for the past 12 years". Shit sucks.
Anyway, if you want more dogma you could check out Dragon's Dogma Online. The games was revived, translated and balanced for solo play. Not as cool as the first game in some areas but still worth a go. There's tons of different enemies and places, and pawns can use all vocations which makes for some great party composition element.
Just wanted to bring this to your attention: Dragon's Dogma Online has been revived, it's fully playable and currently has multiple servers that offer different approaches to the game:
- DDON Server: basically the closest to the original.
- Dogma Rising: smaller server, with a few more custom tweaks. They've blunt some of the MMO grindiness to give a more pure Dragons Dogma experience. Leveling seems faster, and money/blood orbs seem more readily available.
StreetsofBeige
Member
Got good reviews, but an obscure shooter rarely brought up. Among the best space shooters I played. Hard game too. I dont even remember if I beat it or not but watching a video I did get to the final boss. So maybe I did.
The net say this game was never ported anywhere except PSN Japan on 2008! A shame.
Crayon
Member
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Hawk The Slayer
Member
Infernax
Punished Miku
Gaslighter Pro: 16.7 Fireflops
Read my mind
March Climber
Member
I need to figure out how to get this working on the Steam Deck.Yeah what they did with 2 was total nonesense. "Hey let's change some stuff that doesn't need to be changed while not adressing any of the complaints we've got from fans for the past 12 years". Shit sucks.
Anyway, if you want more dogma you could check out Dragon's Dogma Online. The games was revived, translated and balanced for solo play. Not as cool as the first game in some areas but still worth a go. There's tons of different enemies and places, and pawns can use all vocations which makes for some great party composition element.
Just wanted to bring this to your attention: Dragon's Dogma Online has been revived, it's fully playable and currently has multiple servers that offer different approaches to the game:
I've tried Dogma Rising...
- DDON Server: basically the closest to the original.
- Dogma Rising: smaller server, with a few more custom tweaks. They've blunt some of the MMO grindiness to give a more pure Dragons Dogma experience. Leveling seems faster, and money/blood orbs seem more readily available.
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
At the moment, Evil Within 2
I can't believe how ignored this got. Just weird and fucked up all around. I've always felt like someone's had it out for Tango for some weird reason. Hence why they were attempted to be dissolved.
There should be no reason why their games shouldn't get beyond great attention to me.
I can't believe how ignored this got. Just weird and fucked up all around. I've always felt like someone's had it out for Tango for some weird reason. Hence why they were attempted to be dissolved.
There should be no reason why their games shouldn't get beyond great attention to me.
NeverYouMind
Member
I think it is good and offers something captivating despite flaws but its predecessor is absolute rubbish lauded by insecure Shinji Mikami fans. I do not think it is majorly underrated though.
diffusionx
Gold Member
At the moment, Old World, it's the best 4X on the market but all anyone can talk about is shitty Civ 7.
If you didn't like Civ 7 play this game instead.
If you didn't like Civ 7 play this game instead.
kunonabi
Member
Most of my favorite games are ones people don't appreciate or outright hate but I'll use this opportunity to say Nightcry. I don't know what people were expecting but it was the exact serving of Japanese B-Movie horror I wanted out of it. It absolutely goes for it with no shame. The flowchart system for helping figuring out paths and endings worked really well and fixes what went so disasterously wrong with ghost head. It's not perfect by any stretch as some of the systems are a little undercooked but I can't remember the last game I was so thoroughly entertained by from start to finish.
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DirtInUrEye
Member
An unoriginal and mundane suggestion, but this campaign:
I remember players seemed to slate it for years and I absolutely hate CoD normally, but I just thought this was an absolutely badass sci-fi shooter and I've played through it twice.
I remember players seemed to slate it for years and I absolutely hate CoD normally, but I just thought this was an absolutely badass sci-fi shooter and I've played through it twice.
Daniel Thomas MacInnes
GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
If we're going to go with "underrated," then Powerslave on Sega Saturn has to be near the top of that list. It's astounding that videogame just came and went without almost no attention, at least in the States. Thank the Lord Almighty for Sega Saturn Magazine UK, which championed Lobotomy Software as often as possible. It will always be a Saturn Top 5 title for me.
cireza
Member
My pick is Night Striker on the Mega-CD.
The game is most of the time dismissed instantly because of the pixelated visuals. However, it is thanks to this that the game displays an absolutely absurd amount of stuff on screen with no slowdown.
This game is pure fire. Absolutely love this port, and prefer it to the arcade. It just feels better to play, tighter.
The game is most of the time dismissed instantly because of the pixelated visuals. However, it is thanks to this that the game displays an absolutely absurd amount of stuff on screen with no slowdown.
This game is pure fire. Absolutely love this port, and prefer it to the arcade. It just feels better to play, tighter.
TheUnicornGuy
Gold Member
Underrated or under bought? It's super common for people to say Game A is underrated compared to Game B while they both have scores in the 80s when what they mean is not enough people played Game A.
Laptop1991
Member
Singularity from 15 years ago was a really good SP FPS that went under the radar, i thought it should have been a lot bigger than it was.
Vlodril
Member
The Midnight Suns. Amazing game that was better (in my opinion at least) than the xcom games (and i love those games too). I think they managed what they wanted to do with the xcom (well the restart of the series). There was a lot of story, a lot of exploration and really really satisfying combat. Which surprised me because i almost skipped the game because i was cards eh.. Thankfully the friend i gameshare on PS5 prefered that to Callisto Protocol so we got Midnight Suns instead. Finished it was my goty for the year and actually went earlier this year bought all the dlc and replayed it. Was still as fantastic as i remembered the second time too.
I think were the game really excelled is that they nailed each hero and they all played differently which was impressive considering you got a lot of them.
I think were the game really excelled is that they nailed each hero and they all played differently which was impressive considering you got a lot of them.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Prey 2017. I think it's genius, and it's a shame it bombed so hard.
existensmaximum
Member
One of my favourite games, ever. Played the crap out of this in my childhood and still pick it up from time to time.
No mean feat to out-Zelda Zelda, but here we are. Better in every way. And I can count the number of people I've met who've played it on one hand.
PS, I still own the physical copy!
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Nankatsu
Member
It usually changes, as I'm constantly playing and experiencing new things. But if I were to take this particular moment...
Holammer
Member
For more recent games? Mercury Abbey. First few hours hooked me, it's a puzzle game similar to Professor Layton and I don't think it got the attention it deserves.
For less recent, I'll go with Armed & Dangerous. English Accents: The Game.
The juvenile humor still makes me laugh and it holds up, the early low resolution 3D Studio jank animation only makes it better today.
For less recent, I'll go with Armed & Dangerous. English Accents: The Game.
The juvenile humor still makes me laugh and it holds up, the early low resolution 3D Studio jank animation only makes it better today.
mèx
Member
I'm waiting for that 60 FPS patch that is going to be released for sure. For sure! Right? Right...
Disciple of MSSP
Gold Member
Great game but God damn that 5 minute breathing after running 2 feet was a lotCome on now
Don't buy at full price, it usually goes on sale for very cheap.
El Hee-Ho
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Yeah that shit was infuriating lol. I think it's the Strider class that has an augment that adds some stamina and there's other ways to help with that but yeah, no sense to have it being consumed when out of combat imo.
CashPrizes
Member
Ever? Vandal Hearts
Great story, characters, art design, combat scenarios are fun and varied, promotion system is solid and encourages multiple playthrus, music is great, geysers of blood!!!
In the last 10 years, Darkest Dungeon II is a good pick. I played it just as much as 1, graphics are a lot better, enemy types more varied. The Roguelike change to the progression is a double edged sword, it sucks I don't have a permanent roster but it also doesn't feel like absolute shit when my party wipes.
Great story, characters, art design, combat scenarios are fun and varied, promotion system is solid and encourages multiple playthrus, music is great, geysers of blood!!!
In the last 10 years, Darkest Dungeon II is a good pick. I played it just as much as 1, graphics are a lot better, enemy types more varied. The Roguelike change to the progression is a double edged sword, it sucks I don't have a permanent roster but it also doesn't feel like absolute shit when my party wipes.
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Kagoshima_Luke
Gold Member
Can't believe I've never heard of this game
No mean feat to out-Zelda Zelda, but here we are. Better in every way. And I can count the number of people I've met who've played it on one hand.
