Underrated gems of the past generation or so that you've seen?

[NeoGC]

It seems that I always hear about gems from the older eras of gaming, but how about underrated or buried gems found within the PS3/Wii/360 era of gaming?

I got Nier back in October and while the visuals may be on the uglier side, I am having a blast with it. The game's voice acting and story are both top-notch, and help truly establish the grim world of Nier where the visuals fall flat. Additionally, the game changes through 2nd and 3rd playthrough dramatically story-wise, and new viewpoints and revelations are constantly found. The game's plot goes from almost JRPG-levels of lightness to a plot so dark and downright depressing and twisted that it deserves its title as a spiritual successor to Drakengard.

Oh, and it has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long, long time. Like, seriously listen to this music

Discuss underrated gems and make some reccomendations. Let's hear em', Smashboards!

 

[finalark]

Probably Alan Wake. It's been a while since I've played a horror game with a that really engaged me to that level. It's not a very flawed game, but the story, environment and unique light motifs really appealed to me. Not to mention that the RE4 style game play was a nice break from all of the Amnesia clones that were coming out at the time.

I've never met anybody else who has played that game and nobody really talks about it. Shame, I really enjoyed it.

 

[NeoGC]

Probably Alan Wake. It's been a while since I've played a horror game with a that really engaged me to that level. It's not a very flawed game, but the story, environment and unique light motifs really appealed to me. Not to mention that the RE4 style game play was a nice break from all of the Amnesia clones that were coming out at the time.

I've never met anybody else who has played that game and nobody really talks about it. Shame, I really enjoyed it.

I have Alan Wake on Steam and got considerably far in it, but never finished it! REALLY liked what I played of it. Still some of the best lighting I've seen in a video game.

 

[Slattman92]

What about Rage? It has some great moments, and really shows off Id Tech 5. The only sad part of the game (for me, at least) if the fact that the game just seems, well, unfinished story wise. I feel like the developers intended to release more story via a sequel or dlc, but since the game didn't sell all that well, none of that really happened.

 

[Minato]

Nier definitely sounds like one of them. It's a game I need to still grab and play. Love the music.

I can't think of any underrated gems I've owned in the past generation. Might have to look at my collection first.

 

[finalark]

Yakuza 3 is another one. I remember the game getting some buzz when it finally got a western release but after it hit store shelves everyone just kind of forgot about it. Damn shame, really. I never got a chance to try any of the PS2 Yakuzas but Yakuza 3 was really fun and it combined aspects of fighting games, beat 'em ups and RPGs in really clever ways.

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to play Yakuza 4 simply because I was in a pretty rough spot at the time and couldn't really afford any brand new games. I should give it a go some time before Yakuza 5 comes out.

 

[Minato]

Hm... looking at what I have, I suppose Catherine and Trauma Team would be my picks? Catherine's a great puzzle game with an interesting theme and story. Trauma Team was fun, but sadly sales weren't good. The series is pretty much put on indefinite hold because of it :/

 

[Spak]

Lost in Shadow:

Spoiler

Lost in Shadow was a game that was better in concept than execution. It had a really neat idea of being a shadow, moving light sources and manipulating your environment's projection in order to progress. You also learned about your story along the way by collecting memories and even fight shadow monsters. It was an interesting puzzle platformer, but there were a few parts that it felt monotonous because they ran out of some ideas, possibly because of a failing budget (Hudson Soft went out of business a year after this released) and the primary weapon gave virtually no range, causing combat to be frustrating at times. Otherwise, it's a solid game and a gem among the shovelware.

Copied this from the normal Hidden Gems thread, but I figured it deserved to be brought up in the generation-specific one. Also, I wanted to include another game from last gen:

Excitebots: Trick Racing:

Spoiler

This is a game that I have seen two copies of in my entire life; one at a Wii Jump (a place with both Wiis and Inflatables; they are now called BigEbounce) about 6 years ago and the copy that I own. It is a very interesting concept; there are style points that you get throughout the race that are earned through completing tasks (hitting a soccer ball into a goal, spinning in the air, etc.), you can crash other people's cars (they will respawn after a couple seconds) to earn you points, and while getting first in the race earns you more points, it does not ensure your victory. The person who has the most points wins the race. There are also numerous cars (all based on animals), alternate skins for those cars, and locations. There was also terrific netcode, as the online never lagged or had any racers jump around the map. In addition, the company that made this (Monster Games) has a history of high-quality games (made the NASCAR Heat games, Excite Truck, Pilotwings Resort, DK Country Returns 3D, helped Retro with DK Country: Tropical Freeze, and are making Xenoblade Chronicles 3D) and I'm honestly surprised they aren't that well-known by now.

Also, I realize that my description of the gameplay wasn't great, so here is a video of the game in action.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

Lost in Shadow:

Spoiler

Lost in Shadow was a game that was better in concept than execution. It had a really neat idea of being a shadow, moving light sources and manipulating your environment's projection in order to progress. You also learned about your story along the way by collecting memories and even fight shadow monsters. It was an interesting puzzle platformer, but there were a few parts that it felt monotonous because they ran out of some ideas, possibly because of a failing budget (Hudson Soft went out of business a year after this released) and the primary weapon gave virtually no range, causing combat to be frustrating at times. Otherwise, it's a solid game and a gem among the shovelware.

I need to look for this game. Was pretty interested in this when I saw some gameplay footage on Youtube a month ago.

Not too sure which game in both my Wii, DS, & PS3 collections is underrated, but I may have to go with Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for the PS3. Haven't played much of it, but it's a very good JRPG that's like playing through a Studio Ghibli movie. Don't hear that many people talk about it unless I'm wrong here.

 

[finalark]

Not too sure which game in both my Wii, DS, & PS3 collections is underrated, but I may have to go with Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for the PS3. Haven't played much of it, but it's a very good JRPG that's like playing through a Studio Ghibli movie. Don't hear that many people talk about it unless I'm wrong here.

I have a buddy who recently played through that game with his girlfriend. Aside from that I haven't heard very many people talk about it. When I find the time to play through a lengthy JRPG I'm planning on picking it or borrowing his copy depending on how much I like it.

 

[Twewy]

PS3/360 generation? Dragon's Crown. Game was a great revival of the beat-'em-up genre with the RPG twist. The whole feeling of a Dungeons and Dragons type of thing was really cool, too.

 

[finalark]

PS3/360 generation? Dragon's Crown. Game was a great revival of the beat-'em-up genre with the RPG twist. The whole feeling of a Dungeons and Dragons type of thing was really cool, too.

A friend of mine and I played through that game when it first came out. It was pretty damn solid and addictive. It's one of those games that you could easily sink dozens of hours into. And best of all, it had local multiplayer meaning that you could spend those dozens of hours with a buddy right next to you. It's a shame that the only thing this game will be remembered for is its over-the-top sexualized art. Which admittedly can get ridiculous when you have things like mermaids with human butts or nuns in suggestive poses.

Still, it's as close to Dungeons and Dragons III as we're ever going to get.

 

[Twewy]

I'm starting to worry that I'm one of the few people the suggestive themes didn't at least annoy. It never really bothered me because I was too eager to play through. Understandable reasons have been given, though, so it's not like I don't understand.

Sexual or not, the art was hella/10.

 

[RespawningJesus]

I managed to snag Dragon's Crown for my Vita when it was given out for free due to Playstation Plus. I need to redownload and play it over again.

I would say that the Lost Planet series was underrated. It was loads of fun, especially the multiplayer.

 

[finalark]

I would say that the Lost Planet series was underrated. It was loads of fun, especially the multiplayer.

I remember the first game actually got a ton of coverage back when it first came out. Then everyone just kinda forgot about it.

 

[Twewy]

I remember the first game actually got a ton of coverage back when it first came out. Then everyone just kinda forgot about it.

Didn't Lost Planet 2 sell like hotcakes?

 

[Deleted member]

Didn't Lost Planet 2 sell like hotcakes?

Why else would Capcom publish Lost Planet 3?

I actually do own the sloppy PS3 port of the first game because I didn't have an Xbox 360 until several years later. The graphics and framerate took a nosedive in that version, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed it back when it was new. Nowadays, I'm not as fond of the port or the game in general as much as I used to be, which may be partially because the online mutiplayer -- which I spent countless hours on, more than the singleplayer story campaign -- is currently a ghost town. I remember the singleplayer experience being decent, but I'm rarely ever in the mood to replay it.

As for the sequels, I've never played them, but they look okay.

 

[sonicgx101]

Not sure if anyone has heard of this one but Resonance of Fate

When I finally got that game, I could barely stop playing (it was to a point that I could barely balance that and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire)

The game also took a spin on the Rpg genre

Shame Sega doesn't give it more recognition...

 

[finalark]

Not sure if anyone has heard of this one but Resonance of Fate

When I finally got that game, I could barely stop playing (it was to a point that I could barely balance that and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire)

The game also took a spin on the Rpg genre

Shame Sega doesn't give it more recognition...

I remember getting that game way back when it first came out in 2010. It's not the best RPG I've played, but it certainly did a lot of interesting things with the genre.

Unfortunately, SEGA is a horribly draconian company so don't expect to see a sequel any time ever.