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[jshackles]

Another underrated game I thought of:

Got a ton of flak at the time it was released because it was nothing like the wildly praised (and perhaps overrated) Two Towers and Return of the King movie tie-in games. It also brought in a lot of criticism because your characters were not "main characters from the movies" but instead just kinda like background characters that interact and have a story of their own woven into the LOTR books and movies. Instead of being an action game, this is a straight up turn based RPG that shares more in common with Final Fantasy X than most Final Fantasy games.

The combat is fun (though it gets somewhat repetitive) and the skill progression tree is an interesting take in the genre.

By the end of the game, your stats get pretty insane and you essentially steamroll everything

In true EA fashion, the game was released on absolutely everything at the time (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, PC, GBA, etc). I liked it for what it was - not great - but good. Most people hated it because it was kind of billed as a sequel to EAs other LOTR games and just... wasn't.

 

[deadlytoothpick]

What games make you think "Wow why is nobody ever talking about this game? It's so good" here are some games that make me think that:

Sudeki: The best non-japanese JRPG I've ever played, out of all the games I chose this is the one that makes me think "why no one ever talks about this" the most, it's a real hidden gem.

I'm glad to have finally found another person who liked this game. I beat this game during a week without internet and couldn't play FFXI anymore so I played Sudeki. I don't remember anything about the game, but it was enjoyable I do remember that.

I feel like Judgment isn't getting the recognition it deserves but, I may have just missed the discussion when it came out or something.

 

[SaturnSaturn]

Not sure if underated, but it sure as hell never gets the credit it has earned. Test Drive Unlimited

imo the best open world racer ever, there is no competiton at all, this game was so far ahead of its time that its ridiculous, i racked up hundreds of hours in both the xbox 360, pc, ps2, psp verisions of the game, its just that good. Remember reading about it in some magazine before it got released and was hyped since then, tried the demo at a friends 360 and was sold.

I also built my own pc 6 months later for the pc release and played it to death, and picked up the psp game to play ad hoc with my firends, such good times where had with this game. If you like racers pick it up, it still holds up, shame that the online servers are closed. My absolute favorite game of all time i would go so far to say.

 

[stranno]

Not sure if underated, but it sure as hell never gets the credit it has earned. Test Drive Unlimited

Certainly not underated. There are russian mods with 1,500+ cars for the game. The community behind is gigantic.

 

[Danjin44]

There is another one I forgot to mention...

My favourite arcade racing of all time.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

It just not about the score, it’s more about not many people play them, to me they are pretty damn good games and more people should give it chance. Thats really what I mean when I said “underrated”.

That's why i said the thread should be retitled, and i too enjoyed both games but i would never say they are huge hidden gems that needs to be played by everyone but rather they're deeply flawed games with good ideas that you will enjoy if you get them for no more then 20$.
For example i'm interested in Rage 2 but i watched reviews and read people's impressions and it has a lot of flaws but great gunplay and it scored an average of 70 on MC, i won't rush to get it for 50-60$ but if i found it for 20$ i would buy it, and if i enjoyed it despite it'smmajor flaws i won't go "guys this game is so underrated MS Media are a bunch of hacks!", price always makes a difference.

Games can be underrated for some people and not for others!

I agree but one man's trash is another man's treasure and a lot of games that are 60$ but scored a 6-7 can become a 8-9 at 20-25$, and some game flaws i can overlook other players cannot and that makes all the difference.
In short number scored are useless a review is an opinion that should talk about the pros and cons of a game and let the watcher/reader decide if the game is worth thier time and money.

 

[Danjin44]

That's why i said the thread should be retitled, and i too enjoyed both games but i would never say they are huge hidden gems that needs to be played by everyone but rather they're deeply flawed games with good ideas that you will enjoy if you get them for no more then 20$.
For example i'm interested in Rage 2 but i watched reviews and read people's impressions and it has a lot of flaws but great gunplay and it scored an average of 70 on MC, i won't rush to get it for 50-60$ but if i found it for 20$ i would buy it, and if i enjoyed it despite it'smmajor flaws i won't go "guys this game is so underrated MS Media are a bunch of hacks!", price always makes a difference.

So is games that have high score that deeply flawed as well, for example RDR2 has lots issue that turn me off from the game even tho it got bunch of 10/10 scores from most reviewers.

 

[thelastword]

Rule of Rose

 

[Corderlain]

40k Space Marine was just fun as fuck especially the multiplayer. The bad net code and some of the gimmicky weapons like the vengeance launcher killed it but if you can get a lobby it is still super fun to play. Plus all that customization is lovely.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

So is games that have high score that deeply flawed as well, for example RDR2 has lots issue that turn me off from the game even tho it got bunch of 10/10 scores from most reviewers.

That's why i said scoring is useless, RDR2 has a lot of positives and some very glaring flaws that the majority of those who played overlooked or didn't mind and they enjoyed the overall experience.
This cannot be said about the Drakengard Trilogy however, they have ugly graphics a story that won't make sense the first time an average player plays them especially with all the censoreship the first game got, it has a lot of performance issues despite it's graphics, the direction is weird and all over the place, the gameplay is a worse musou style with nothing to break how mind numbingly boring it is, BUT it has a story that will make you go......WTF!? and the music is always nice and you can enjoy the best parts of these games by watching them on YouTube unfortunutelly because they aren't worth your time IMO, i played DoD 1 and 2 at the time and enjoyed them mostly for the story and nothing else and won't recommend them to anyone these days instead they should play Nier and watch DoD/Drakengard 1-3 on YouTube.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I always thought it looked like the dude on the right was about to grab her ass.

 

[Danjin44]

That's why i said scoring is useless, RDR2 has a lot of positives and some very glaring flaws that the majority of those who played overlooked or didn't mind and they enjoyed the overall experience.
This cannot be said about the Drakengard Trilogy how ever, they have ugly graphics a story that won't make sense the first time an average player plays them especially with all the censoreship the first game got, it has a lot of performance issues despite it's graphics, the direction is weird and all over the place, the gameplay is worse musou style with nothing to break how mind numbingly boring it is, BUT it has a story that will make you go......WTF!? and the music is always nice and you can enjoy the best parts of these games by watching them on YouTube unfortunutelly because they aren't worth your time IMO, i played DoD 1 and 2 at the time and enjoyed them mostly for the story and nothing else and won't recommend them to anyone these days instead they should play Nier and watch DoD/Drakengard 1-3 on YouTube.

That will be true most cases with any game regardless of the score, most games has flaws depending on your taste you either able to enjoy them despite its flaws or you cant which was case for me with RDR2.

With that being said I give you about Drakengard 1&3, those games are really hard to recommend to just anyone, the original game's gameplay didn't aged well at all and the 3rd game is technical mess and both have true final boss fights that will piss most people off.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

That will be true most cases with any game regardless of the score, most games has flaws depending on your taste you either able to enjoy them despite its flaws or you cant which was case for me with RDR2.

With that being said I give you about Drakengard 1&3, those games are really hard to recommend to just anyone, the original game's gameplay didn't aged well at all and the 3rd game is technical mess and both have true final boss fights that will piss most people off.

You didn't play DoD2? I really liked it at the time more than 1 especially because of this guy.

 

[Danjin44]

You didn't play DoD2? I really liked it at the time more the 1 especially for this guy.

I personally didn't like DoD2 because story is much more in my opinion "ordinary" compare to rest of the series it was only game that wasn't directed by Yoko Taro. That guy in the picture is Caim, he was the MC from original game. I believe DoD2 follows the ending when Angelus sacrifice herself to become next seal.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

I personally didn't like DoD2 because story is much more in my opinion "ordinary" compare to rest of the series it was only game that wasn't directed by Yoko Taro. That guy in the picture is Caim, he was the MC from original game. I believe DoD2 follows the ending when Angelus sacrifice herself to become next seal.

Yeah the story was more of a Boy meets girl and i remember at the time hating how the girl (Mana was it?) was redeemed and Caim got screwed also he became a furry? (dragon lust?).

 

[LordVader]

COD: Infinite Warfare
Days Gone
X-Men Legends 1 and 2

 

[dirthead]

Soccer Brawl was awesome back in the day. It really hasn't aged well though.

In what sense? I think it's aged fine.

 

[SpiceRacz]

 

[TheGreatYosh]

Folklore was fucking great! I wanted a sequel with a little bigger budget so bad.

 

[petran79]

Disciples of Steel

Unfairly labelled as the 48th worst game of all time

Game 205: Disciples of Steel (1991)

A blog in which a dedicated addict plays through all PC computer role-playing games (CRPGs), in chronological order.

crpgaddict.blogspot.com

 

[StreetsofBeige]

At the time, basketball games were all arcadey pieces of shit. And hardly any too. When the best basketball game at the time were Double Dribble or Lakers vs Celtics (the 1989 game was barebones), you got issues.

This game played very PC-ish with very canned gameplay, fakes teams, fake players and a season was something like 18 games.

But for the time, you could create your own players, and it kept track of lots of player and team stats. Stats mattered too.

Watch out for offensive fouls. lol. Whomever programmed how these calls were made is arguably the worst programmer ever for a sports game.

 

[Merize]

Fight Night 3 / 4 / Champion.

 

[Nigel]

 

[DS_Joost]

Guys, you slippin'...



Lots of great underrated gems. But this one, Driver SF, that one takes the cake for me. It is my one and true definition of an underrated gem...

 

[Wolfgang Jr]

Dead Space 3.

Seriously underrated. Certain survival horror fans (especially the most vocal) decided they'd hate the game before release due to the optional co-op & really optional micro transactions. Also, some rather dishonest gamers with a complete lack of objectivity decided to hate on the game because of the plot (like seriously... game scenarios have such high standards? I think not). It's a rollercoaster ride, long, fun, action horror with some pretty cool weapon mod tools & levels with semi open areas (including a great exterior space section). Guess what @ Dead Space 1 fans: that first game was also action heavy & turned into a shooter half way through the story (waves of necromorphs didn't just suddenly happen in the second & third games, no, the first game was also an action title).

People who claim Dead Space 1 was "real" survival horror whilst the second & third were "action" games are some of the most dishonest gamers out there who should take a long, hard look in the mirror & replay Dead Space 3. Because it's fun.

Why the fuck would anyone make lightning shapes for the eyes? FUCKING RETARDED GAME.

 

[Wolfgang Jr]

Guys, you slippin'...



Lots of great underrated gems. But this one, Driver SF, that one takes the cake for me. It is my one and true definition of an underrated gem...

Game is broken. This line is never said.

 

[Yoshi]

Alundra: The best Zelda clone I've ever played, some puzzles can be a real bitch to solve and IMO the combat is also better than in the 2D Zeldas, the sequel is also really good.

I would argue that Alundra is not underrated. It has some interesting puzzle ideas (though they are a bit different in style when compared to Zelda and sometimes a bit obtuse), but it also has the god-awful isometric platforming stuff in it - and loads of it. As for the best 2D Zelda clone, please play Ittle Dew 2+.

 

[TUROK]

I dunno about underrated but I wish more people had given the Syndicate reboot a chance. It's just a damn solid shooter, and it might just have the best sound design for guns in any shooter I've ever played. I just love how shootouts sound in this game.

 

[Damien Crowley]

Everything
​

A casual game in which one can play as anything and everything, from ladybugs to continents, street lights to planets. As oxygen atoms and black holes literally sing and dance, Alan Watts' philosophical musings add to the fun. Great guy to listen to. It's on Switch now!

This one! One of the chillest gaming experiences I ever experienced. So simple, but so complex. Awesome music, stupidly fun concept and yes, the "musings" are pretty endearing.

 

[jufonuk]

Banagai-O Spirits

 

[Shrap]

More recently:

Sick game with some nice additions to the From Software formula. The moments of industrial body horror are awesome and the limb targeting system is a great idea that leads to some satisfying finishers:

Same goes for the sequel.

 

[Gaming247]

Splatoon 2 has an underrated campaign IMO. In an era of games that last for endless hours with repetitive missions it was quick and to the point.
The final boss battle is also epic.

 

[KàIRóS]

I would argue that Alundra is not underrated. It has some interesting puzzle ideas (though they are a bit different in style when compared to Zelda and sometimes a bit obtuse), but it also has the god-awful isometric platforming stuff in it - and loads of it. As for the best 2D Zelda clone, please play Ittle Dew 2+.

Actually I did play Ittle Dew 2 and it has good gameplay but I still think Alundra is the better game, I really like the depressing atmosphere, the dream sequences and the overall story in Alundra, ittle dew 2 has a very basic plot in comparison, I do agree with you on the platforming in Alundra tho.

 

[molasar]

I dunno about underrated but I wish more people had given the Syndicate reboot a chance. It's just a damn solid shooter, and it might just have the best sound design for guns in any shooter I've ever played. I just love how shootouts sound in this game.

The funny thing is that many gamers are so excited about Cyberpunk 2077 now and Syndicate (2012) was the closest game to it back then. If it sold better, we could already have a sequel.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Loads, tbh.

More recently; Operencia: The stolen sun. It is free on gamepass and worth a play to anyone who enjoys old school puzzle adventures. You will laugh, cry and shout at yourself for missing the solution sat right in front of you.

One of the best games I've played this gen tbh.

 

[DrJohnGalt]

I'd say Raze's Hell. Not a true classic by any means, but a fun experience nonetheless. A funny, satirical story. Entertaining and uncomplicated gameplay with fun 3rd person shooting. And blasting Teletubby-like creatures and their mandatory-happiness culture is pretty dang satisfying. Does it hold up today? It's a bit clunky, but I replayed it last year and still enjoyed it.

 

[thelastword]

Another underrated game I thought of:

Got a ton of flak at the time it was released because it was nothing like the wildly praised (and perhaps overrated) Two Towers and Return of the King movie tie-in games. It also brought in a lot of criticism because your characters were not "main characters from the movies" but instead just kinda like background characters that interact and have a story of their own woven into the LOTR books and movies. Instead of being an action game, this is a straight up turn based RPG that shares more in common with Final Fantasy X than most Final Fantasy games.

The combat is fun (though it gets somewhat repetitive) and the skill progression tree is an interesting take in the genre.

By the end of the game, your stats get pretty insane and you essentially steamroll everything

In true EA fashion, the game was released on absolutely everything at the time (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, PC, GBA, etc). I liked it for what it was - not great - but good. Most people hated it because it was kind of billed as a sequel to EAs other LOTR games and just... wasn't.

The lord of the rings PS2 action games were pretty good, like the one below...very nice graphics and productions at the time too...

I dunno about underrated but I wish more people had given the Syndicate reboot a chance. It's just a damn solid shooter, and it might just have the best sound design for guns in any shooter I've ever played. I just love how shootouts sound in this game.

Yes indeed, that was a fun game...… I always hoped they would remaster it...…..There is something about that game that just gelled with me.....

 

[Audiophile]

Tron run/r.

Great fun, even better with drugs.

Needed a Pro patch and VR mode though. =(

 

[stranno]

Nintendo basically lied (dont worry, Sony, MS and Sega did the same) about the Wiimote capabilities in a series of fake ads, trailers and presentations. Wiimote is quite limited when it comes to motion tracking, featuring only a 3-axis accelerometer and an ir-pointer, and no other launch title showed those limitations as much as Red Steel in his crappy katana combats. So videogame press and general public were really unfair with the game.

Katana combats suck so hard, cant say any good about them, but the rest of the game is amazing: Great graphics, superb style, fun gunfight, great pistol control (using really clever tricks, like measuring the distance between both sets of leds in the IR bar to triangulate the distance to the Wiimote) and good characters. Its just a great game.

The other Ubisoft first-wave FPS on Wii, Far Cry Vengeance (released one month after Red Steel), tho..

 

[jshackles]

Nintendo basically lied (dont worry, Sony, MS and Sega did the same) about the Wiimote capabilities in a series of fake ads, trailers and presentations. Wiimote is quite limited when it comes to motion tracking, featuring only a 3-axis accelerometer and an ir-pointer, and no other game -of the first wave- showed those limitations as much as Red Steel in his crappy katana combats. So videogame press and general public were really unfair with the game.

Katana combats suck so hard, cant say any good about them, but the rest of the game is amazing: Great graphics, supperb style, fun gunfight, great pistol control (using really clever tricks, like measuring the distance between both sets of leds in the IR bar to triangulate the distance to the Wiimote) and good characters. Its just a great game.

The game got a sequel that was bundled with the Wii Motion Plus addon and actually (somewhat) delivered on the promise of the original game. Shame that the franchise was too tainted by that point for anyone to notice.

 

[stranno]

The game got a sequel that was bundled with the Wii Motion Plus addon and actually (somewhat) delivered on the promise of the original game. Shame that the franchise was too tainted by that point for anyone to notice.

Yes, Motion Plus is a 3-axis gyroscope so Wiimote can track his own position in 3D space. It was a BIG improvement. Too late tho.

 

[Mr Nash]

Too lazy to dig up box art, but I always liked the Drakensang games. Good RPGs that are popular in Germany, but not so much in North America. Also, Disciples II seems to have faded to the annals of history despite being a very good turn based strategy game that could hold its own against games like Heroes of Might and Magic III. Similar things could be said of the Kohan series. A bit of a sleeper RTS that got overshadowed by stuff like Warcraft III, but those who played it knew it was a gem. Used to be a bit of a darling strategy game here around 15 years ago.

40k Space Marine was just fun as fuck especially the multiplayer. The bad net code and some of the gimmicky weapons like the vengeance launcher killed it but if you can get a lobby it is still super fun to play. Plus all that customization is lovely.

This game was so fun. It's a shame that it didn't get the chance to turn into the trilogy it was intended to be.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

Banjo Kazooie : Nuts and Bolts

i love the creating in the game, its surprisingly complex. no irony.


@Topic
i'd say Resonance of Fate

 

[Ballthyrm]

Loved that game soo much.

Was ignored because it looks like a kid's game.
Toki Tori 2+ is one of the best designed puzzle game outhere.

 

[Furozen]

Afterfall InSanity

​

A Russian* post-apocalyptic action adventure told through three incredibly different acts.

*Polish

 

[semiconscious]

this gen? nothing else comes close:

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Loved that game soo much.

This game makes me flinch whenever I fail. So engrossing.

 

[dorkimoe]

I see Metal Gear acid in the OP, i long have waited for someone to make a port of that or something, What a fun game. That was my first "turn based" card game, that was so good.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Well-known developer and franchise, but this spinoff has been mostly forgotten:

The campaign has an unusual cyber-Egyptian sort of aesthetic. Transitions between 1st and 3rd person gameplay smoothly enough to make it enjoyable for fast-paced battles. Great music and lots of mobility for a multiplayer game.

 

[Sakura Doritos]

OG Xbox and Wii games: The Thread!

Blinx The Time Sweeper
Blinx 2 Masters of Space and Time
Hunter The Reckoning
Hunter The Reckoning Redeemer
Dino Crisis 3