Hidden Gems: The Games that Seemingly Only You Played

[SpiderJerusalem]

We all have those favorite titles of ours that don't really get discussed all that much, so I'd love to see people post their favorite underrated games. I don't mean like "64 is really underrated compared to Melee and Brawl!!!1!" or "omg dae think Fallout 1 and 2 > 3???", I mean like post the games that nobody talks about.

I'll start off with this game

Super fun hoverboard racing game that was a lot of fun. Hell, still play it with friends when they come over (still love my Dreamcast!)

P.S. Sorry if this thread exists elsewhere

 

[finalark]

You know, for as much praise as it gets, I've never met anyone else who has ever played Eternal Darkness (btw, it wasn't all that great IMO /opinions).

Actually, given the persistence of the internet I feel like there's a lot of games that get praised on reputation alone but you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has ever actually played them *coughIicocough* *coughnightsintodreamscough*

Oh yeah, and Katawa Shoujo. Wonderfully written and incredibly engaging, never met anyone else who has actually played it.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

You know, for as much praise as it gets, I've never met anyone else who has ever played Eternal Darkness (btw, it wasn't all that great IMO /opinions).

Actually, given the persistence of the internet I feel like there's a lot of games that get praised on reputation alone but you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has ever actually played them *coughIicocough* *coughnightsintodreamscough*

Oh yeah, and Katawa Shoujo. Wonderfully written and incredibly engaging, never met anyone else who has actually played it.

Yeah I have a feeling that a lot of people just jump on hype/bandwagons without ever playing games just to fit in.

I own the Ico/SoC collection but have not played either of them. I have played Nights Into Dreams and its woefully bad sequel as well, I would love a new *good* installment.

I downloaded Katawa Shoujo but haven't played it, I'm a VN fan though so it seems up my alley

 

[finalark]

Yeah I have a feeling that a lot of people just jump on hype/bandwagons without ever playing games just to fit in.

Well, to be fair Eternal Darkness was good enough to hold my attention all the way through, but it's far from being "OMG SCARIEST/BEST HORROR GAME EVER"

I own the Ico/SoC collection but have not played either of them. I have played Nights Into Dreams and its woefully bad sequel as well, I would love a new *good* installment.

I've played SoC, but not Ico. Actually, I've only ever met one person who has ever actually played Ico. As for Nights, well I played Journey of Dreams and thought it was alright. Maybe its because I haven't played the original but I don't see why the sequel gets so much flak.

I downloaded Katawa Shoujo but haven't played it, I'm a VN fan though so it seems up my alley

That tends to happen with this game. Everyone I've recommended it to downloads it and then forgets about it.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Well, to be fair Eternal Darkness was good enough to hold my attention all the way through, but it's far from being "OMG SCARIEST/BEST HORROR GAME EVER"

Again, it's on my list but I have like 20 other games in front of it lol, but I think a lot of the praise came from being one of the only Gamecube horror games

I've played SoC, but not Ico. Actually, I've only ever met one person who has ever actually played Ico. As for Nights, well I played Journey of Dreams and thought it was alright. Maybe its because I haven't played the original but I don't see why the sequel gets so much flak.

The sequel was just kinda flat compared to the original, the non-on rails sections were pretty mediocre and the controls were gaaaarbage compared to the original control scheme

That tends to happen with this game. Everyone I've recommended it to downloads it and then forgets about it.

One of these days!

 

[finalark]

Again, it's on my list but I have like 20 other games in front of it lol, but I think a lot of the praise came from being one of the only Gamecube horror games

Not true, there was also the Resident Evil games that Capcom made for the console, RE1 remake, RE3 port, RE0 and RE4.

Eternal Darkness is pretty competently designed, and it does do some pretty creative stuff, but it's far from being scary IMO.

The sequel was just kinda flat compared to the original, the non-on rails sections were pretty mediocre and the controls were gaaaarbage compared to the original control scheme

I played with a classic controller and had no problems, but I guess one day I'll eventually get around to playing the original and see what the big deal is.

 

[mYzeALot]

Phantasy Star 0 and Dragon Quest IX for DS were so amazing. I think some people have played the dragon quest, but not that particular phantasy star.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Easy answer.

No 2 games have ever "stuck" with me like these 2 have. Couldn't recommend these gems enough to anyone who enjoys an engaging story with big plot twists, compelling characters, and challenging puzzles.

 

[Minato]

Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Ghost Trick
Klonoa

They definitely have followings, but they're underrated to what the majority of games people play. Hotel Dusk was pretty fun too. It wasn't amazing, but the atmosphere was great.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Not true, there was also the Resident Evil games that Capcom made for the console, RE1 remake, RE3 port, RE0 and RE4.

I'm aware, I said one of. Eternal Darkness and RE0 are the only two horror exclusives I can think of, RE4 was on PS2.

I played with a classic controller and had no problems, but I guess one day I'll eventually get around to playing the original and see what the big deal is.

It's really great, wonderful level design and it's a blast.

Easy answer.

No 2 games have ever "stuck" with me like these 2 have. Couldn't recommend these gems enough to anyone who enjoys an engaging story with big plot twists, compelling characters, and challenging puzzles.

Haven't played VLR yet, but 999 is one of the best games I've played in a long time. Very engrossing story that was an emotional roller coaster.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Ghost Trick
Klonoa

They definitely have followings, but they're underrated to what the majority of games people play. Hotel Dusk was pretty fun too. It wasn't amazing, but the atmosphere was great.

All great games

 

[teluoborg]

Spiderman 2.

Everything in this game is ridiculous in the bad save for movement.
The controls are complex and take some time to master but once you get things down it feels incredbly rewarding to simply move through the city, and the hardest challenges actually require you to have a complete mastery of Spidey.
So yeah it's more like a game within a game, and I can't recommend people to play through the story mode, but if you wanna feel like you're Spiderman that's definetely the game you want.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Spiderman 2.

Very nice choice! This was one of my favorite games when I was little. I wouldn't even do missions I'd just spend hours swinging around the city as fast as I could.

Haven't played VLR yet, but 999 is one of the best games I've played in a long time. Very engrossing story that was an emotional roller coaster.

Hopefully you get the chance to play VLR since it's a direct sequel (and even better than 999 IMO) but if you don't own a 3DS/Vita I'd recommend watching a Lets Play on Youtube or Twitch.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Hopefully you get the chance to play VLR since it's a direct sequel (and even better than 999 IMO) but if you don't own a 3DS/Vita I'd recommend watching a Lets Play on Youtube or Twitch.

I own a 3DS! I'll probably get it when I have $$$/time, it's on my list

 

[LivewiresXe]

Resident Evil 0 was pretty good, and I'm guilty of downloading Katawa Shoujo and forgetting about it. I remember thinking a bunch of PS1 games were underrated and/or forgotten about, like the first 2 Parasite Eve games. However, usually what comes to mind is these three:

Such a good series, and this was the FIRST game I got with my PS1. The intro/opening theme song is forever stuck in my head, and the whole "JRPG meets wild west" thing is pretty cool.

Just straight up love. The game's got multiple routes, is like 80 hours or more on each route, gives you a ton of customization, and I've played through it like 3-4 times on each route regardless. Back when it felt like Square did more than just Final Fantasy.

Probably one of the best RPGs I've played in a time when I was playing all RPGs all the time. The way they switched up the battle system a bit to keep it more involving was good, and generally everything from music to story to all around stuff to do was really good. It got a lot of acclaim at the time, but even then it seemed like nobody really played it.

 

[finalark]

Such a good series, and this was the FIRST game I got with my PS1. The intro/opening theme song is forever stuck in my head, and the whole "JRPG meets wild west" thing is pretty cool.

I remember seeing this game all the damn time at a local used game store that used to be by me (before GameStop came in and ate up all of the local shops). I always wanted to give this one a go, especially since around the time I discovered it I had also just discovered Trigun and was really enjoying it. Sadly, I never got a chance to play this and I haven't seen it anywhere since.

Oh yeah, and since you mentioned it, Legend of Dragoon. I've never gotten past the first hour of that game because every copy I have ever owned has always frozen about an hour in. Eventually I just gave up.

Skies of Arcadia is another good one. I never met anyone outside of the net besides myself who has actually played it, sadly.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Just straight up love. The game's got multiple routes, is like 80 hours or more on each route, gives you a ton of customization, and I've played through it like 3-4 times on each route regardless. Back when it felt like Square did more than just Final Fantasy.

tbh the only thing I know about Front Mission is the s***ty reboot they did for Xbox 360/PS3

 

[LivewiresXe]

tbh the only thing I know about Front Mission is the s***ty reboot they did for Xbox 360/PS3

Yeahhh...To be honest, since 5 was never released in North America, to me I disowned the series at every game after 4.

 

[APC99]

THIS GAME.

It's like Double Dragon. BUT WITH SPONGEBOB AND INVADER ZIM.

 

[TimeSmash]

Putting in Beyond Good & Evil for consideration. The combination of stealth and a lovable cast of characters with surprisingly dark plot lines makes for a great game that aged incredibly well

 

[finalark]

Putting in Beyond Good & Evil for consideration. The combination of stealth and a lovable cast of characters with surprisingly dark plot lines makes for a great game that aged incredibly well

Beyond Good and Evil was freaking great. Shame that we'll likely never seen a second one.

 

[Vashimus]

Shadow Hearts as a series is underappreciated in the West. It's too bad Midway went bankrupt, because I would have loved to see more of these games made. Great battle system, quirky characters, creepy-ass enemies...I really liked it. Also the voice acting made me laugh my ass off sometimes.

 

[finalark]

Phantasy Star 0 and Dragon Quest IX for DS were so amazing. I think some people have played the dragon quest, but not that particular phantasy star.

I didn't notice this earlier, but I wanna second the Phantasy Star 0. It was one of the first games I got with my DS (I was a late adopter) and I played the crap out of it. IMO it's a vastly underrated game, even if it is kinda grindy and the controls are kinda iffy at times.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Putting in Beyond Good & Evil for consideration. The combination of stealth and a lovable cast of characters with surprisingly dark plot lines makes for a great game that aged incredibly well

I just downloaded the HD version recently and I've been playing it, wonderful game

 

[War Anvil]

I have this on my Amiga emulator, and boy is it like your first kiss. Awkward, sweet, and overall memorable. :V

Seriously though, first thing you should do if you grab an Amiga (Or emulator of such, whatever works).

 

[Zink Imp]

 

[TimeSmash]

^ Did this actually come out in America? I always wondered if it existed

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Glover

They also played it in game grumps but they complained about it being bad

Glover was awesome.

 

[TimeSmash]

Glover WAS awesome. How creative!

It's kind of sad but also okay that the whole "collection-mania" games won't ever come around again. Things like Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie most notably. It was a completionist's dream.

Also, I am playing the GBC version on Dragon Warrior III, which was pretty advanced for its time. For a Game Boy Color game, it had a LOT going on

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Glover

They also played it in game grumps but they complained about it being bad

Glover was awesome.

The N64 was full of cult classics, Glover's great

 

[finalark]

The N64 was full of cult classics, Glover's great

Na, if you want a console full of cult classics get yourself a Saturn.

And then cry because every cult classic on said console is really expensive.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Na, if you want a console full of cult classics get yourself a Saturn.

And then cry because every cult classic on said console is really expensive.

Ok, correction: N64 was full of cult classics for a Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft console

 

[Minato]

^ Did this actually come out in America? I always wondered if it existed

That one did because it only contained original characters. Any of the crossover ones didn't.

Na, if you want a console full of cult classics get yourself a Saturn.

And then cry because every cult classic on said console is really expensive.

Those Panzer Dragoon prices.

 

[TimeSmash]

Mainly posting because I don't want to have 666 as my post number, but also what are peoples' thoughts on the Baten Kaitos series? I haven't heard of anything since Origins

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Mainly posting because I don't want to have 666 as my post number, but also what are peoples' thoughts on the Baten Kaitos series? I haven't heard of anything since Origins

I downloaded the games but haven't gotten around to playing them. I know they're well liked

 

[LivewiresXe]

Na, if you want a console full of cult classics get yourself a Saturn.

And then cry because every cult classic on said console is really expensive.

Still cheaper than trying to get a NEO GEO library legit.

Also, I remember an N64 game called "Mischief Makers" being really fun and good.

 

[finalark]

Also, I remember an N64 game called "Mischief Makers" being really fun and good.

I actually had a friend when I was younger who loved that game. I never got a go at it, sadly.

 

[TimeSmash]

Talking about N64 games reminded me of Chameleon Twist

 

[Zink Imp]

^ Did this actually come out in America? I always wondered if it existed

Yes. It's a little bit hard to find and it can be expensive. I've seen the game alone, without the box, for for $60+. With it in the box will be more.
I was extremely lucky to find it complete, with the soundtrack, for only 60.

I recently discovered that there's a sequel that only came out in Japan.
The main characters are also in Project X Zone.

 

[SpiderJerusalem]

Still cheaper than trying to get a NEO GEO library legit.

Also, I remember an N64 game called "Mischief Makers" being really fun and good.

It's first party, there's a sect of GameFAQs that are supporters of Marina whatever, the main character from MM to be in Smash.

 

[LivewiresXe]

It's first party, there's a sect of GameFAQs that are supporters of Marina whatever, the main character from MM to be in Smash.

It's first party, huh? That's awesome. I actually had no idea about either of those things. Hell, and I even go to GameFAQs from time to time to check things.