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[Yoshiya]

Nier, like others have said, is the perfect game for this topic. Despite being very original and indeed excellent is many ways, the game received a generally negative response from western critics and so many of the game successes went unrecognised. The game has now built a significant fanbase on GAF, but only long after the game was released and after positive word of mouth and sharp declines in price got people to try it out. The game is the textbook case of a cult classic; issues with budget and presentation limit its immediate appeal, and it admittedly lacks gameplay hooks that would allow a demo to make a compelling sell. What it does right (story and music perhaps the most notable) though it does so in a way I haven't seen a game do in a long time. Nier stands out to me as an experience that actually sticks with me, as opposed to the entertaining but ultimately forgettable experiences so many games end up.

All that said, these sorts of games are often divisive, as Manmademan has already shown. Some enjoy it (if they do, they generally seem to love it), others don't, as it's a game that ultimately was never created with universal appeal in mind. For that reason, it's a game that can't really be unreservedly recommended, but it certainly didn't deserve to be as universally panned as it was.

 

[Dead Man Typing]

Rock Band 3

It's easily the ultimate music game where they're eliminated every last flaw of the series, down to the most minor things, and on top of that they've added keyboards, they've added pro mode for three instruments, they've totally revamped the career for the better... it's an incredible game that should have been in the running for game of the year in every outlet, but didn't get even a mention anywhere.

This. But also - this:

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Lost in the controversy of whether this was a true Splinter Cell game or not, was the fact that this is actually a brilliant action game with stealth elements. When I played through it the first time, I was trying to play it like a Splinter Cell game, and I think that tainted my opinion. I thought it was fine, but nothing special.

I have since went back through it and played it for what it is, not what I thought it would be, or what I wanted it to be. The action is something genuinely unique for a third person action game. Marking 4 enemies, dropping down from the ceiling on top of a fifth then hitting the Y button to instantly execute everyone in the room may go against everything that the original Splinter Cell games were about, and you could even say that it's broken or a win button... but it did look cool.

Besides the single player campaign, the main reason I think this is underrated is that I never hear anyone talking about the amazing co-op mode. The co-op campaign is a nicely told little adventure with one VERY memorable moment -

Spoiler

The epilogue where you and your partner receive separate orders

and the co-op challenge modes make the game nearly infinitely replayable if you have a good co-op buddy.

Maybe it wasn't underrated, but I feel like it came out early in the year and a month later was forgotten about. But Rock Band 3 is my real pick.

 

[tiff]

We did have this thread already, or at least a very similar one:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=415930

Anyway, my answers are Nier and Alpha Protocol. And Resonance of Fate. That's from a general perspective, not so much here on GAF.

I'll judst go with my pick from that thread:

Sakura Wars: So Long My Love was one of my favorite games of the year. Criminally underappreciated.

 

[heringer]

 

[iconoclast]

Seconding the Nier and Resonance of Fate votes as well. They're definitely two of the best RPGs this generation.

Death Smiles 2 is fairly underrated as well, though it's still not as good as the original.

And Crimzon Clover is very underrated. It's better than all of Cave's most recent games.

 

[EatChildren]

Nier is worth it for the bullet hell bosses alone. The characters, story, dialogue, music, and cheeky shifts in genre are the many cherries on top.

 

[Man]

I kinda hate it in some ways (awful humor) but Deathspank is a beautiful budget Diablo clone done right on consoles. Controls and flow feels just right.
Runs natively in 1080p and has a spinning globe world ala Populous the beginning.

 

[Jigsaw]

yakuza 3...it was huge,it was fun...yet it only has 79% on gamerankings :|

alpha protocol and nier (deserves 90%+ for the soundtrack alone) as mentioned

hot shots tennis / everybody's tennis (psp) it's not just a tennis game,it has a freaking open world story mode,think of pokemon gameplay,only with tennis matches

 

[Metalmurphy]

It definitely has problems, but it didn't deserve to get panned so hard.

You are one weird individual.


Couldn't agree with you more though, I feel that many people got shocked by their first impressions and never gave it a chance. The core of that game is pretty much sublime. It's a rough diamond.

 

[Trick_GSF]

From the games I've played last year, Mafia II and Enslaved.

 

[MYE]

When GoldenEye was announced I was sure it would suck. The first videos had it look like a cheap Call of Duty clone, and this coupled with Activision as the publish had me convinced this game was no more than a cheap cashin on a game that didn't need to be 'rebooted'.

After playing it, however, I'm convinced this game has one of the best single player shooter campaigns of the entire year. Yes, that includes all your fan-dangled 'next gen' cinematic shooters. The multiplayer sucks, but the single player is great. Really, really bloody great. It has a wonderful balance and pacing, some fantastic set pieces, and blends in some of the best stealth I've seen in ages. You know how people like the simple but enjoyable stealth of Uncharted 2? This is like that. Its easy to understand, fun to execute, and rewarding when you can pull it off.

Eurocom also managed to reinvent the GoldenEye story in a respectable way. When they were all "We're making this for Daniel Craig's Bond" I didnt expect good things, but it actually feels like the story was written specifically for his kind of Bond. The updates to modern day conflicts and themes worked really well too.

All in all, GoldenEye was some of the most fun I had in all of 2010, as a single player game anyway. It did a lot of things that I wished more shooters would do. It was simple, but clever in its execution. It had really fantastic gunplay and level design, and some really rewarding stealth sections. It feels like a genuine 'modern' update of the mechanics that were present in oldschool shooters like the original GoldenEye and No One Lives Forever.

People who skipped it should give it a look. Its easily the best shooter on the Wii, and in my opinion was one of the best shooters of 2010. And if pointer controls are that much of a problem for you dual analogue hethens, just use the classic controller.

^ This and

 

[2San]

Nier. A random positive comment on neogaf made me pretty much impulse buy it. Best 10euro's I've spent in a while.

 

[semiconscious]

resonance of fate
sakura wars: so long, my love
yakuza 3

if you passed on these, you passed on a whole lot of fun ...

 

[Slime]

Yes, it got lots of love from GAF people and hardcore Metal Gear fans, but sales weren't amazing and I rarely ever hear people in the gaming press singing its praises.

Personally, it was some of the most fun I had last year, and I never understood why no one else I knew seemed interested in it. In fact, it provided a lot of the same enjoyment Dragon Quest IX did; namely, a fully-featured on-the-go experience with multiplayer gameplay options and a shitload of side and post-game content. And, dare I say, it might have actually been the finest game in the series.

 

[bobbytkc]

Yes, it got lots of love from GAF people and hardcore Metal Gear fans, but sales weren't amazing and I rarely ever hear people in the gaming press singing its praises.

Personally, it was some of the most fun I had last year, and I never understood why no one else I knew seemed interested in it. In fact, it provided a lot of the same enjoyment Dragon Quest IX did; namely, a fully-featured on-the-go experience with multiplayer gameplay options and a shitload of side and post-game content. And, dare I say, it might have actually been the finest game in the series.

One of the top 3 games I've played last year. I consider it the best MGS after 3.

Deserved to sell millions D;

 

[chixdiggit]

Stalker is the most under rated series ever. So good.
Also Darksiders was really good. It doesn't really start showing it until half way through.

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

Enslaved. My favorite game of 2010, most likable game characters in a very long time, and most beautiful colors of any game I've ever played.

 

[Vanillalite]

The pinnacle of the PSU franchise it's basically everything they learned from PSU and it's expansion + updates along with PSP and all of it's stuff. Plus they didn't make the Japanese mistake like they did with one and only include local co-op. PSP2 has online play built in for free which makes it infinitely more usably for the west. It also helps that the dev team had learned alot from PSP1, and they got some extra members from the PSZ who also got to put their ideas out there for a 2nd go round.

One of the best PSP games out there.

 

[theBishop]

MAG!!!

I spent more hours with this game than any other in 2010. GAF clans haven't been that much fun since Resistance 1.

Honorable mention to Enslaved.

 

[theBishop]

This. But also - this:

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Did you play it on PC or 360? I'm looking for someone on PC to check out the coop stuff.

 

[nincompoop]

If it was on any other platform it would be hailed as a GotY contender.

Not to be an asshole guys, but as someone genuinely looking to be sold on games in here, posting the boxart without a description as to why it's underrated isn't really helping anyone and is only making it harder to sort through this thread.

Okay, Fluidity is a great game because it takes the tilt-the-world-to-move concept seen in games like Loco Roco, and fuses it with a Metroid style open world complete with new abilities to find which allow you to access previously unreachable areas, while injecting a great deal of variety in the form of ingeniusly-designed puzzles which require you to take full advantage of the unique abilities of all three of your water forms, and wraps everything up in a tidy, extremely polished package with perfect controls and water physics, nice-looking artwork and music which is relaxing and enjoyable to listen to.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Not to be an asshole guys, but as someone genuinely looking to be sold on games in here, posting the boxart without a description as to why it's underrated isn't really helping anyone and is only making it harder to sort through this thread.

 

[pizzapizza64]

The two awesome "v" titled games: Vanquish and VVVVVV. Vanquish is probably the better known or rated of the two, but it made very few GOTY lists. I think it's a perfect take on the TPS genre...fun and relentless.
As for VVVVVV, it's just a quirky indie PC game. I doubt it was expected to be a smash, but it still deserves a mention.

 

[Dahbomb]

Darksiders and Split Second for me easily.

I had a lot of fun with both those games and completed them 100%.

 

[truly101]

Don't laugh but Toy Story 3 is actually pretty good. Its safe to play around my 3 year old, and she enjoys the Woody's Round Up sandbox stuff.

 

[GeoramA]

Just thought of another one - Mafia 2

Yep. 74 on metacritic is shocking.

 

[RobertM]

Yep. 74 on metacritic is shocking.

Too high?

 

[whatevermort]

Alpha Protocol, Enslaved, Singularity and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories are all great games, all either underrated or somewhat maligned by a small section of players. None of them sold as well as they should have - not even close.

 

[Curufinwe]

81 for Enslaved on Metacritic seems very generous to me; not underrated at all.

 

[Flavius]

It definitely has problems, but it didn't deserve to get panned so hard.

Agreed (and ignoring the folks ignoring the "underrated" portion of the thread title). This game must have stolen so many game reviewers girlfriends...

 

[ghibli99]

Underrated usually means an intrinsically excellent game, but was either misunderstood by critics and sold like crap (at first), or just ignored due to what else was out at the time/mismarketed. I see a lot of games posted in here that are just mediocre or were extremely high-profile/million sellers.

Edit: IMO, GT5 deserves the criticism. For a game that was in development for as long as it was, what we got was undercooked with a truly half-assed interface/flow. Let me be clear that I bought the CE and still play it, but I'm not just going to blindly proclaim it as the second coming.

 

[Zoso]

Mafia 2. It was probably my GOTY last year with incredibly memorable characters & story. Probably the most atmospheric game I've ever played too. But it got lukewarm reviews and the GAF thread barely passed 1,000 posts. I think it would have been better received if it was true open world.

 

[eshwaaz]

I can't top EatChildren's Goldeneye post - dead on. I thought it was the best single-player FPS of the year, period.

Another vote for Mafia 2. Sure, I was disappointed that there were not any side missions; no real incentive to explore. However, the core experience was still terrific and captured the look, feel and sound of the era beautifully. It also featured a character that was arguably the most well-voiced and endearing A.I. sidekick in gaming.

Enslaved. Worth it for just for the appealing, believable relationship between the two main characters. Combat and platforming are not particularly deep, but it's still an incredibly fun and entertaining adventure.

Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands should be played by anyone who considers themselves a fan of the series. Unfairly dismissed as a cheap movie cash-in, the level design and platforming are among the best ever in this franchise. The ability to solidify water results in some truly exhilarating acrobatics.

 

[Emitan]

Monday Night Combat is dead on 360. I own the PC and 360 versions, but anyone with only a 360 should pick it up. It's behind Starcraft 2 as my favorite multiplayer game last year.

 

[GitarooMan]

Lol, the Enslaved love here is a far cry from the other thread where it was completely savaged. Definitely one of those Alan Wake love it/loathe it type of games.

 

[Stallion Free]

-Alpha Protocol: As good as Mass Effect 2, but for completely different reason. Had some of the funniest dialogue all year, great characters, interesting story.

-Singularity: Shooting felt great, puzzles were neat, setting was pretty unique, fun to use powers, solid story + characters, excellent atmosphere. <3 Raven.

-Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands: Quite pretty on PC, controls felt good as did the platforming. Scratched my platformers itch quite well.

-Blur: Very well-balanced power-ups. Pretty as hell. Splitscreen support on PC.

-GoldenEye: Fantastic singleplayer campaign that felt well-paced. Perfectly executed optional stealth.

 

[Datwheezy]

Alpha Protocol, and Blur.

Blur is the Mario kart formula perfected. Even the shitty "blue shells" have been done correctly. Sucks that it sold so poorly.

 

[bengraven]

 

[Dedication Through Light]

-Alpha Protocol: As good as Mass Effect 2, but for completely different reason. Had some of the funniest dialogue all year, great characters, interesting story.

-Singularity: Shooting felt great, puzzles were neat, setting was pretty unique, fun to use powers, solid story + characters, excellent atmosphere. <3 Raven.

-Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands: Quite pretty on PC, controls felt good as did the platforming. Scratched my platformers itch quite well.

I still need to pick up Alpha Protocol. Were the dialogue choices even more branching and story altering than ME2 (infinite time to select a choice?).

Singularity's swift price drop (from 59.99 to 29.99) made me question its quality and everyone comparisons of it to Bioshock threw me off.

 

[Flavius]

Underrated usually means an intrinsically excellent game, but was either misunderstood by critics and sold like crap (at first), or just ignored due to what else was out at the time/mismarketed. I see a lot of games posted in here that are just mediocre or were extremely high-profile/million sellers.

Edit: IMO, GT5 deserves the criticism. For a game that was in development for as long as it was, what we got was undercooked with a truly half-assed interface/flow. Let me be clear that I bought the CE and still play it, but I'm not just going to blindly proclaim it as the second coming.

Or it simply means a game that, generally speaking, rated lower than where you felt it should be.

GT5 is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but to give it a 6, 6.5???

Ree-dick-um-us.

 

[Helmholtz]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The game is fucking amazing. I don't know if it's underrated, as it's received a lot of praise from those who have actually played it, but it definitely deserves more attention.

 

[ArjanN]

Too high?

This thread is about underrated games. So no.

I still need to pick up Alpha Protocol. Were the dialogue choices even more branching and story altering than ME2 (infinite time to select a choice?).

Yes.

 

[Stallion Free]

I still need to pick up Alpha Protocol. Were the dialogue choices even more branching and story altering than ME2 (infinite time to select a choice?).

Singularity's swift price drop (from 59.99 to 29.99) made me question its quality and everyone comparisons of it to Bioshock threw me off.

Dialogue has a tremendous effect on the story in AP, more than Mass Effect for sure. You have the limited time to respond which makes the conversations have some actual flow to them. I loved Mass Effect 2, but AP definitely did some interesting things to the formula.

Singularity has a weak start, but gets crazy good about 2 hours in. I started the game one night and then did the last 6 hours the next day with a couple breaks. It was that good.

 

[mescalineeyes]

Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The game is fucking amazing. I don't know if it's underrated, as it's received a lot of praise from those who have actually played it, but it definitely deserves more attention.

it's definitely not underrated.
... but overlooked

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

Some Castlevania fans dismissed it from the get-go, and others called it a clone of GoW. It certainly borrowed elements from other high tier games but it came together as a cohesive experience. Fantastic graphics, a great art style, good score, and fun combat made it worth a look. Its definitely in my top 10 games ever.

this

 

[apana]

From what I've played, maybe Epic Mickey.

 

[Xilium]

 

[Tigel]

it's definitely not underrated.
... but overlooked

I bought it, but I'm too scared to play it

 

[Clear]

Another vote for Nier. It lacks polish but is a very good game. Critics were wrong to over focus on the flaws and ignore the many positives.

*It also seems to have the odd power of making you want to talk endlessly about it on the internet. Fear the cult

 

[ataboada]

It ranked 24 on GAF's GOTY list.

Do you think the people who voted for it didn't like it or something? Or just that too many people liked it and that disagrees with your position, so it's overrated?

Can anyone provide a link to the list? I cannot seem to find it anywhere, and it's been weeks since it came out.