Mario series
: Super Mario 3D World
Being the worst-selling mainline 3-D Mario game, it's no surprise that this game is rarely talked about or mentioned these days. I loved this game. I prefer the sandbox Mario games overall, but for me, this game pulled it off with its charming level aesthetic, energetic soundtrack, and zany power ups. The 4 player co-op mechanic was also a blast to use when friends were over and I hope it returns in some form in future Mario titles.
Donkey Kong
: Donkey Kong 64.
This game gets a lot of flak for its
insane amount of collectibles, the numerous glitches, and the tedious game and level design; and while it does rightfully deserve that criticism, but I grew up with this game and I still always have fun whenever I return to it. Nostalgia goggles? Probably. XD
Legend of Zelda
: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Easily the most divisive 3D Zelda game to date. Many people dislike the game for its motion controls and how the game's level design felt like a huge dungeon paired with the lack of a true over world. But for me, the motion controls worked perfectly, and while I did somewhat miss a true over world to explore, it was never a deal breaker. I loved the focus on story this time around, and the inclusion of stellar characters like Groose and Ghirahim. Other positives for me include the fantastic dungeons (Ancient Cistern is certainly in my top 5 favourite dungeons in the entire series), the use of an actual orchestra for the soundtrack, and the crafting feature that actually made collecting all the little knickknacks lying about everywhere worthwhile. I'd still say it's my least favourite 3D Zelda, but with it being tied to my favourite game series of all time, the game is still like a 9/10 IMO. XD
Metroid
: Although I personally haven't played it, I hear some people dislike Prime 2 for various reasons. All the other Metroid games that I've played were well received and I wouldn't exactly call them "underrated". As you could probably guess from my last statement, I've never played Other M. XD
Yoshi
: Only games I've played are Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story. No opinion.
Kirby
: I've only played a couple of the games in this series, and from what I've heard, they're ones that are considered popular (Super Star and Kirby 64), so no opinion. Kirby 64 is fantastic. XD
Star Fox
: Star Fox Assault
This game's God-tier soundtrack alone makes it my favourite Star Fox game. XD Seriously though, I love this game. Love the variety of different play styles the game throws at you. The arwing gameplay especially feels really good to play. It also had a pretty cool original story. (which as of late, is a pretty special feature to have in a Star Fox game. XD JK ) I hear a lot of complaints towards the 3rd person boots on the ground gameplay, and I can understand why people didn't like that aspect of the game, but it never bothered me.
Pokemon
: Only ever played through Gen VI, so I don't have an opinion outside of that. I have, however, heard from friends that Gen V is really underrated in the Pokemon community.
Mother
: Never played Mother 1 and both Mother 2 and 3 are well loved (and rightly so.) So no opinion.
F-Zero
: not too sure if F-Zero X is considered underrated or not, but I believe GX is the more popular of the two, but I like X more personally, as I'm pretty terrible at GX. XD
Ice Climber
: Only one game, so no opinion
Fire Emblem
: Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn
One of my top 10 favourite games of all time. for me, Radiant Dawn is fun from start to finish. The awesome story and world building, the challenging gameplay, and amazing 3rd tier promotions! This game, above all other Fire Emblems IMO, rewards a planning mindset the most; especially for its endgame chapters. I'm a huge fan of planning stuff out, so this game tickles my fancy, so to speak.
I hear a bunch of people hate on this game for its brutal difficulty, and the fact that you never stick to the same party for too long, but I personally really like these features. Especially when you have to fight one of your other parties; made even more invested in what was going on, instead of taking down generic no names every map. The fact that you can only take a locked group of 13 into the final 5 levels also adds to the game's replayability. I'm always mixing and matching different units to take in, and I always have a lot fun trying out units I would otherwise never use. I don't think I'll ever get bored of this game.
Game & Watch
: Only played Game and Watch Gallery 4, so don't really have an opinion. Fun game though.
Kid Icarus
: Only played Uprising, so I don't have an opinion on the other two games.
Wario
Only played the first WarioWare game on GBA, and I believe that's one of the more popular WarioWare games. So no opinion.
Metal Gear
: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
loved this game through and through, and is my 2nd favourite Metal Gear game (first being MGS3). The stealth game play, as usual in Metal Gear Solid, has many layers of complexity and a metric ton of different options, tools, and assets to use to your advantage. The camo system is at its best in this game too, allowing you to change camo to any pattern that you're physically touching was really handy and greatly encouraged stealth. I also really liked the gun and Drebin points system. but my favourite part of Metal Gear, is its over-arching story line; and BOY did it deliver. People basically call this game an interactive movie, because of the over abundance of cut scenes, and many people say that's a negative and brings the game down, but I didn't mind at all. This game has some of the highest highs I have ever experienced in a video game. Won't spoil any of them here, in case anyone's reading this and is playing through the series for the first time, but man, is it good stuff. A fantastic finale (in terms of story line climax) to a fantastic series.
Sonic the Hedgehog
: Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PS3 version)
I've been a Sonic fan for over 20 years now. After the colossal dumpster fire that was Sonic 06, I was desperately hoping that the next mainline sonic game would be better. the next game then became my favourite 3D Sonic game. XD The boost game play in Unleashed blew my socks off when I first saw it. I finally felt like we were playing as the fastest thing alive. High octane, reflex straining, ball-busting insanity. It's so much fun. The daytime levels in Unleashed are easily my favourite levels in the boost era of Sonic. they just felt so grand and huge and being able to consistently blitz through them at like mach 3 speeds was so satisfying to experience. I also really loved the fact that the game itself was long. Having to traverse all across the planet; seeing new places and cultures and exploring every nook and cranny for sun/moon medals while just ogling at the beautiful scenery and backgrounds. for me, it truly felt like the biggest adventure a Sonic game has ever taken me on. (Sonic was pulling a Mario Odyssey nearly a decade prior. XD ) People dislike this game because of the Werehog stuff, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I like hack n/ slash games, so I felt right at home in the night stages. There's also like 50 different combos that you can unlock, so the combat always felt fresh and fun. Could do without the battle music being spammed every minute and the QTE's, but other than those gripes, I thoroughly enjoyed the Werehog sections. People also hated the sun and moon medals, but I also like collecting stuff (hell, if I can like DK64, nothing can faze me when it comes to collectibles. XD ) so I quite enjoyed hunting for them. I totally get that the game is not everyone's cup of tea, but for me, it has yet to be beat in regards to 3D Sonic.
Pikmin
: One of the very few Nintendo series that I've never played, so no opinion.
ROB
: Same as Pikmin
Animal Crossing
: Only ever played the original Gamecube game, so I don't have an opinion. It was fun though.
Mega Man
: Mega Man Battle Network.
You barely ever hear about the Mega Man RPGs, but the first one was pretty fun, from what I remember. (haven't played it in like a decade). I've only ever played Mega Man 1,2,3, Battle Network 1 and X1 and X2, for reference. All are great games.
Wii Fit
: Never played, so no opinion.
Punch Out!!
: Just recently played the NES game, and it was pretty fun. Haven't played any of the others yet, so no opinion.
Mii
: Would Tomodachi Life count? I'd say it's obscure enough to be considered underrated. Hilariously bizarre game. XD
Pac Man
: Pac Man World 2 would probably be considered underrated when compared to the original Pac Man. Pretty fun little game.
Xenoblade
: Only ever played X, so no opinion, although if there was a Xenoblade game that was considered underrated, it'd probably be X. XD
Duck Hunt
: Only one game, so no opinion.
Street Fighter
: Another series that I've never played, so no opinion.
Final Fantasy
: I've only played 6 and 7, and both are considered some of the best in the series, so no opinion.
Bayonetta
: I think both games are more or less equally loved by the Bayonetta community, so no opinion.
Splatoon
: Only played the first game, so no opinion
Castlevania
: Castlevania Bloodlines.
I barely see anyone acknowledge this awesome game's existence, but that could be because of stupid Konami never re releasing it digitally for whatever reason. This was my first Castlevania game and you don't even play as a Belmont in it, and you spend most of the game outside of the typical "transylvania castle" locations. This game's graphics and effects blew my socks off when I first played it. I swear they push the Genesis' hardware to its limits with this game. The boss fights were also quite the graphical spectacles to behold. (one of them is just a bunch of 3D gears combined together, but the way the 3D sprites move together in unison is really mesmerizing. XD ) Bloodlines encapsulates the essence of classic Castlevania, while bring fresh and awesome aesthetics to the mix. I always play through it when I hook up my old Genesis. (I didn't grow up with an SNES, so I didn't play Castlevania 4 until I was an adult, so this game along with Rondo of Blood were my favourites for a long time.)