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Underappreciated Games you have a real soft spot for.
- Thread starter kenjigreat
- Start date
EricTheRed
Member
The Fear Effect games. Both are fantastic, but especially the first one. It's a mix of neo-noir, crime and mystical horror.
They're really disturbing games still to this day.
And I doubt I am, but it always feels like I'm the only one who remembers that these games exist and that they're really good. I wish they were on PSN so I could recommend them.
They were both on EU PSN last time I checked. Only played the first, but remember it being great for its time!
I remember thinking XIII looked really promising before release
and was really surprised at its somewhat timid reception.
Ended up getting it years later and found it to be pretty solid,
guess it was destined to be a hidden gem.
Yay another fan of Space Rangers! What an awesome game it is.
Many good picks already (Vexx, Sphinx. Fur Fighters, Croc).
Would like to add as always in these kind of threads. Two of my favorite gems.
Barrel Cannon
Member
Flawed but I love it.
I swear like all of GAF loves it. but GAF is GAF
Machinehead
Member
So glad to see Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles My Life as a King, Glover and Phantasmagoria on the front page.
I have two picks:
Wanted, for the Master System; one of the better light gun games I've ever played - even with that infuriating final boss xD
And Killer7, a masterpiece in writing, setting, characterization, and mood. Miami and Suda are really geniuses. People bitch about the way gameplay works, but it works perfectly for the game they were aiming for; it made sense, helped setting the horror vibe, and was varied enough to keep it interesting. Too bad people hate weirdly different things. I believe the community would be much more open to it nowadays. Please remaster it, Capcom <3
I have two picks:
Wanted, for the Master System; one of the better light gun games I've ever played - even with that infuriating final boss xD
And Killer7, a masterpiece in writing, setting, characterization, and mood. Miami and Suda are really geniuses. People bitch about the way gameplay works, but it works perfectly for the game they were aiming for; it made sense, helped setting the horror vibe, and was varied enough to keep it interesting. Too bad people hate weirdly different things. I believe the community would be much more open to it nowadays. Please remaster it, Capcom <3
Majin And The Forsaken Kingdom
It was really charming, had decent aesthetics and the boss battles were quite well-designed.
What is the general gameplay like? I've been wanting to ask more about this game (for PS3) for a while.
Khort
Member
The Fear Effect games. Both are fantastic, but especially the first one. It's a mix of neo-noir, crime and mystical horror.
They're really disturbing games still to this day.
And I doubt I am, but it always feels like I'm the only one who remembers that these games exist and that they're really good. I wish they were on PSN so I could recommend them.
same here!!! Loved the two games and recently I re-watched the trailer for the canceled third game (fear effect inferno on ps2). I wished they were on psn for some vita game session on them!
Have you played the PSX game, which holds up incredibly well? It's an isometric platformer.
Here's a hilarious excerpt from the GameSpot review, which gave the game a 5.8:
Sounds terrible, right?
Funnily enough, the graphics hold up far better than most PSX games:
You can see the game got a whole range of review scores:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/spot-goes-to-hollywood/mobyrank
Here's HG101's article on the game:
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/spot/spot2.htm
This wonderful gem of a game is a 3D isometric platformer. The controls take a bit getting used to, but once you get the hang of them, they work wonderfully. The game is not easy. There are some Hollywood Stars (think Star Coins in Mario) and Secret Exits we still haven't been able to find. It's packed with content and a true hidden gem. I can't recommend it strongly enough. I just hope one day we can 100% it!
The PSX and Saturn versions, per the HG101 article, are virtually identical; the Genesis version is quite different as I understand it.
Granted I haven't played it in a long, long time and if I went back to it now I probably would not like it but -
Never really seen anyone talk about it, probably not worth remembering over Ratchet and Clank.
Aww man I loved this game XD
What is the general gameplay like? I've been wanting to ask more about this game (for PS3) for a while.
It's like ICO, only decent. The big guy has to deal with the enemies and the little guy is quicker for platforming. You use both when solving quite interesting puzzles.
I prefer this one much more than ICO. Both games to me were about controlling one character and a partner. This one, at least, is a joy to play.
Sounds great. Thank you. Is it mainly dungeons or...? Is there an overworld? And, how violent is it compared to a Zelda?
User 479360
Banned
No, sir. I didn't even know it existed. I only knew about the SNES game.
It looks good, though
Tenshin
Member
Damn right!!
Nuff said.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Threads of Fate and mainly because how a sequel could really make it spectacular.
Lux R7
Member
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this game kicked my ass several times over. the attacks were fun. the soundtrack was pretty damn awesome, and the art style was pretty awesome as well.
And it's sequel. And this;
User 479360
Banned
Shinobi was fun until the final boss made me want to break things. I never did beat him.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Downhill Domination - a really great SSX-style bicycle game with amazing graphics.
Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey - my only N64 game for a month until I was able to get Super Mario 64. I don't even like hockey, but this game was so much fun, so fast paced, controlled so well, it really worked. I think it's right up there with NFL Blitz and NBA Jam, but never caught on in the same way.
Bulletstorm - I think this is one of the top 2 or 3 action games of last generation. The mechanics are so good, it's really funny, the story is really well done, and it looks amazing. I just wish somebody cared so they could get rid of GFWL on the PC version. If it goes BC on One I may pick up a 360 copy just to play it, even though it would look and run worse than the one I already own.
I played it on Dreamcast. It was awesome.
Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey - my only N64 game for a month until I was able to get Super Mario 64. I don't even like hockey, but this game was so much fun, so fast paced, controlled so well, it really worked. I think it's right up there with NFL Blitz and NBA Jam, but never caught on in the same way.
Bulletstorm - I think this is one of the top 2 or 3 action games of last generation. The mechanics are so good, it's really funny, the story is really well done, and it looks amazing. I just wish somebody cared so they could get rid of GFWL on the PC version. If it goes BC on One I may pick up a 360 copy just to play it, even though it would look and run worse than the one I already own.
I absolutely love this and don't understand why it was received the way it was.
I played it on Dreamcast. It was awesome.
Same! Till this day.
User 479360
Banned
One of the cheapest boss fights out there.
I love this game so much. It has such great atmosphere and just feels so unique, it's an awesome game to play through. One of my favorite ps3 games of all time.
I admit it's janky and the story ends just as ot seemed like it was taking off, but it was somehow both an intimate and grand adventure at once. I alos remember enjoying the combat. Haven't touched it since it came out, so I'm due for a replay.
Yeah, same here. Game is janky as hell but it feels like such a small, personal story set on a large explorable world. That gave the game a really nice atmosphere for me and I would be totally down for a sequel. It will never happen but man I love that janky mess.
Crab Milk Mickey
Member
Damn shame the PC version never came to be because of publisher politics. Conceptually it still holds up to this day, but the framerate performance leaves a little to be desired. Regardless though, very cool blend of Halo-inspired gameplay principles and Double Fine-esque humor, with enough creativity of its own to make it stand out. Handily beats the likes of Binary Domain too in terms of feedback when shooting robots to shreds.
drtomoe123
Member
Japanese, charming, and absurd -- what more could you want in a game?
This game as far better than it really had any business being considering the fall from grace the driver series has gone through.
The shift mechanic that let you jump from car to car was really novel and really fun.
themagicalkitsune
Member
There's a small group here that likes Breath of Fire 3 but I've even read people referring to the series as C-tier. Most seem unaware of how great 3 & 4 are.
The Order 1886
got way more hate than it deserved in my opinion.
sure, it had problems, of course it was no perfect game.
but on the other hand it had so much going for it.... interesting characters, setting, presentation, awesome gunplay and a fresh story, that will unfortunately probably never be finished.
many people screamed it down because they couldn't accept the linear way, the game told it's story.
i paid 65€ for it...~70 dollars ... absolutely no regrets.
got way more hate than it deserved in my opinion.
sure, it had problems, of course it was no perfect game.
but on the other hand it had so much going for it.... interesting characters, setting, presentation, awesome gunplay and a fresh story, that will unfortunately probably never be finished.
many people screamed it down because they couldn't accept the linear way, the game told it's story.
i paid 65€ for it...~70 dollars ... absolutely no regrets.
John Rabbit
Banned
of all the words you could use to describe Rez, i don't think "underappreciated" is one of them. pretty sure everyone appreciates it if not outright loves it.
i'd have to say:
you play as the sword on the cover (not the girl) "Maken" and hop to different locales around the world, "brainjacking" different people. each person sort of manifests Maken in their own unique way, and the game has multiple branching paths for the story, which i can hardly remember any of at the moment. i'm pretty sure it ends with you fighting the President or something.
anyway it's a real interesting action game that's played from a 1st-person perspective and is 100% Japanese weirdness.
drtomoe123
Member
of all the words you could use to describe Rez, i don't think "underappreciated" is one of them. pretty sure everyone appreciates it if not outright loves it.
i'd have to say:
you play as the sword on the cover (not the girl) "Maken" and hop to different locales around the world, "brainjacking" different people. each person sort of manifests Maken in their own unique way, and the game has multiple branching paths for the story, which i can hardly remember any of at the moment. i'm pretty sure it ends with you fighting the President or something.
anyway it's a real interesting action game that's played from a 1st-person perspective and is 100% Japanese weirdness.
Yes! It's also got Kaneko designs and music by Meguro. Definitely recommended for anyone who appreciates SMT.
T`here have been some great answers here that I had forgotten about:
El Shaddai -- I bought this game on the strength of its art style alone. One of the most beautiful and unique games I have ever played.
Bulletstorm -- A friend of mine insisted it was great and made me buy it. I don't regret it. The little I've played of it was amazing fun and the controls are fantastic. I need to go back to this.
I've loved every moment I've spent in Kingdoms of Amalur. I haven't gotten far enough to get bored of the tepid story, but the combat is the best of any large-scale RPG I've played, much better than Skyrim's, which is its contemporary. I will definitely play more (once I'm done with Witcher 3).
El Shaddai -- I bought this game on the strength of its art style alone. One of the most beautiful and unique games I have ever played.
Bulletstorm -- A friend of mine insisted it was great and made me buy it. I don't regret it. The little I've played of it was amazing fun and the controls are fantastic. I need to go back to this.
I've loved every moment I've spent in Kingdoms of Amalur. I haven't gotten far enough to get bored of the tepid story, but the combat is the best of any large-scale RPG I've played, much better than Skyrim's, which is its contemporary. I will definitely play more (once I'm done with Witcher 3).
Platinumed Amalur and while not bad, the poor game balance just wrecked this for me. Didn't particularly engage with its lore and world either, but its a subjective argument. Far too early on you just become a powerhouse to the point that the hardest difficulty may as well have been easy mode, even without the use of heal-over-time perks. Not enough variety in how you approach combat due to limited enemy combat options and design. The environments were colorful but very rarely offered interesting locales to actually explore(caves and areas almost felt repeated to pad out the massive world).
Not a bad game as I did stick with it for pure curiosity(including DLC), but it never really elevated itself to meet my hopes for what it could have been.
UpperCaseN
Member
and to a lesser extent, Anarchy Reigns
I really liked AP but I got stuck on the coke snorting boss; I don't have the ability everyone references to beat him. Maybe I'll pick it back up eventually.
I really liked Driver 2 on ps1. I finally beat the mountain pass level after 300 tries or so.
I also love the 16 bit NBA Live and NHL series but I don't think those fall under "under-appreciated."
TheBlackMarvel
Member
Call of Juarez -series, except the Cartel. And Gunslinger is quite appreciated, so basically those two first games.
Of Orcs and Men. Because of characters and story. Gameplay wasn't that great. Same goes to Spec Ops: The Line and Heavy Rain. Actually, for me, atmosphere was the thing in the Heavy Rain imo.
Of Orcs and Men. Because of characters and story. Gameplay wasn't that great. Same goes to Spec Ops: The Line and Heavy Rain. Actually, for me, atmosphere was the thing in the Heavy Rain imo.
MoneyLaunderer
Member
Two Worlds II.
Considering the first Two Worlds game was really buggy and the voice acting was horrid, it was nice to see the sequel step the game up. Was a really fun, deep RPG with the best magic system I've ever used in a RPG before.
Considering the first Two Worlds game was really buggy and the voice acting was horrid, it was nice to see the sequel step the game up. Was a really fun, deep RPG with the best magic system I've ever used in a RPG before.
Def Jam: Fight For NY
Mostly went ignored for being some Licensed game with rappers, but holy shit, it's one of the most complete packages you can get on the Ps2/XBOX/GC generation.
The game included the following features:
-Achievements: before they were even a thing, the game would award you wit in game trophies for completing specific milestones and challenges like breezing thru the first act in a certain time, developing your character past certain point and clearing one time events.
-Innovative Difficulty system: You could change the difficulty setting at any point in your home base, the catch? Playing in lower dificulties awarded you less money/development points, if you played the game entirely in easy mode you wouldn't be able to max out your character, however, playing in harder dificulty meant you were risking losing one time events or not getting time sensitive achievements, so you had to think carefully about changing the difficulty setting and thus, playing harder was more rewarding.
-Tons of customization: There was ridiculous amount of clothes, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, moves and styles you could use to customize your character, and outfits were not just for show, a cool outfit would actually affect your charisma stat, and higher charisma meant charging your super meter faster to unleash any of the hundreds of cool looking super moves.
-Everyone is playable: Save for the low poly generic audience memberse, absolutely every model you see in the game is playable! Every single player opponet? Playable! Those 3 cops that show up only for the intro cinema? They're all playable! The shop owners? Playable! The girls that are only there to be your potential girlfriend for plot reasons? PLAYABLE! That shadowed guy you only see his foot for a second before creating your character? HE HAS THE BEST BASE STATS IN THE GAME! And in addition to that, if you saw a character in an alternate outfit in the game, you can unlock those outfits too.
-Stage hazards and gimmicks: This game is a fighting/wrestling hybrid, but all stages have hazards and weapons you can use, plus since these are "street fights" you can get the audience involved to help you beat your oponent. More than that, there are gimmick stages to when you can win by using the enviroment, one stage takes place in a subway, so you can win by having the train kill your oponent, other stages have similarly lethal gimmicks, but that's not all, there i one stage where you can win by ring out and another that takes place in a parking lot with your car and your opponent's where you can win by totalling your opponent's car (by slaming your opponent repeatly into it).
-Decent Story mode with tones of celebrities: basically what it says on the tin, the story basically it's like a war between two pimps, but instead of whores they manage street fighters and arrange fights between them in private venues, it's kinda silly, but it's amazingly good when you realize this is a game about rappers beating each other. Having the Def Jam license, you can bet your ass all artists on the label appear as themselves here, but they also threw in a few other celebirties like Danny Trejo, Carmen Electra and Henry Rollins.
Basically this game has all the qualities of an AAA Release, but i feel nobody ever acknowledges it.
Mostly went ignored for being some Licensed game with rappers, but holy shit, it's one of the most complete packages you can get on the Ps2/XBOX/GC generation.
The game included the following features:
-Achievements: before they were even a thing, the game would award you wit in game trophies for completing specific milestones and challenges like breezing thru the first act in a certain time, developing your character past certain point and clearing one time events.
-Innovative Difficulty system: You could change the difficulty setting at any point in your home base, the catch? Playing in lower dificulties awarded you less money/development points, if you played the game entirely in easy mode you wouldn't be able to max out your character, however, playing in harder dificulty meant you were risking losing one time events or not getting time sensitive achievements, so you had to think carefully about changing the difficulty setting and thus, playing harder was more rewarding.
-Tons of customization: There was ridiculous amount of clothes, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, moves and styles you could use to customize your character, and outfits were not just for show, a cool outfit would actually affect your charisma stat, and higher charisma meant charging your super meter faster to unleash any of the hundreds of cool looking super moves.
-Everyone is playable: Save for the low poly generic audience memberse, absolutely every model you see in the game is playable! Every single player opponet? Playable! Those 3 cops that show up only for the intro cinema? They're all playable! The shop owners? Playable! The girls that are only there to be your potential girlfriend for plot reasons? PLAYABLE! That shadowed guy you only see his foot for a second before creating your character? HE HAS THE BEST BASE STATS IN THE GAME! And in addition to that, if you saw a character in an alternate outfit in the game, you can unlock those outfits too.
-Stage hazards and gimmicks: This game is a fighting/wrestling hybrid, but all stages have hazards and weapons you can use, plus since these are "street fights" you can get the audience involved to help you beat your oponent. More than that, there are gimmick stages to when you can win by using the enviroment, one stage takes place in a subway, so you can win by having the train kill your oponent, other stages have similarly lethal gimmicks, but that's not all, there i one stage where you can win by ring out and another that takes place in a parking lot with your car and your opponent's where you can win by totalling your opponent's car (by slaming your opponent repeatly into it).
-Decent Story mode with tones of celebrities: basically what it says on the tin, the story basically it's like a war between two pimps, but instead of whores they manage street fighters and arrange fights between them in private venues, it's kinda silly, but it's amazingly good when you realize this is a game about rappers beating each other. Having the Def Jam license, you can bet your ass all artists on the label appear as themselves here, but they also threw in a few other celebirties like Danny Trejo, Carmen Electra and Henry Rollins.
Basically this game has all the qualities of an AAA Release, but i feel nobody ever acknowledges it.