Games you believe are Underrated?

[KimagureMachibuse]

List games you believe to be underrated or at the least more people should know about them.

The games listed below are games i very much adore for multiple reasons and think people should at the least look up more about them or play them.

NiGHTS into Dreams






This game has very beautiful dreamlike imagery in it acompied with a equally beautiful soundtrack and gameplay that yet to be replicated as well also is avaliable on ps2 and steam this game in my viewpoint is very timeless and aged like a fine wine





Nemo Arcade by Capcom 1990



This is was a arcade game by capcom released in 1990 based on 1989 film by TMS and the game is fulled with plenty of dream like imagery and a very well drawn sprites in it and a really great soundtrack it manages to follow the 1989 film well for the most part its the only thing i could complain about is this game did not get an american release over here despite nemo originating over here in America.... ironic.

also has a couple of odd unused stages in it but i really do hope it does get a re-release along side the NES game.










Pac-man World 20th Anniversary



This was Pac-mans first entry into 3D and i find it to be a pretty great game
it has 6 varied cool worlds with vibrant colors (the clown world is my favorite) and the soundtrack is incredible



Charlie Ninja Arcade

A very western inspired japanese arcade game with very cartoony visuals in it i very much do like the look of this game
and its cartoony look is a pretty cool game to me when i discovered it a while ago.




Wily Wombat



Not to be confused with Crash Bandicoot Willy Wombat is an isometric Sega Saturn game by Hudson Soft and it does not really get talked about much so though i would talk about it as more people should know about it.




Cocoron



This a game set in a Dreamland of some sort which of course i love but this game also has a really intersting gimmick with its gameplay allowing you to customize your character

Also has a Dream Wizard tapir character who i can't help but really like him and his design







Blazing Dragons



Blazing Dragons on PS1 and Sega Saturn is a point and click game like the secret of monkey island and i It has Vibrant 32-bit colors and a odd sense of humor in it but still manages to be very charming its the best point click game
in my opinion on both systems.

[Steven]

Slap Fight MD

[Air Master Burst]

Midnight Club 2 (best street racing game I've ever played, and I've played a lot)

Drill Dozer (delightful action platformer with a gba rumble cart)

Killzone: Liberation (shockingly excellent top-down shooter)

Medal of Honor: Inflitrator (shockingly excellent top-down shooter)

Zone of Enders: Fist of Mars (pretty good little TRPG)

Freedom Fighters (Red Dawn the video game, although it actually got a remaster recently so maybe not?)

Deus Ex: Invisible War (actually it fucking rules)

Capcom's Zelda games (better than any of Nintendo's except LA and LTTP)

I'll probably think of a bunch more later.

[Marc]

OutRunners. Irs the peak if Sega's sprite scalers, and its a crying shame it's vanished into obscurity.

Still maintain to this day that Ridge Racer Unbounded was a fucking amazing racer that suffered for having completely unsuitable, and already much lived branding attached to it.

[Sengoku Strider]

Koei's PS2 masterpiece, Dynasty Tactics. The best way I can describe it is Final Fantasy Tactics crossed with Dynasty Warriors crossed with chess crossed with a Rube Goldberg machine. It's one of those games that's hard to understand until you play it.

On the surface it's a Tactics-style strategy rpg. You have standard attacks, but each unit gets a certain number of special attacks called tactics, appropriately enough. These vary depending on the nature of the unit, the skill of the commander, or particular references to the actions of a notable commander in the Three Kingdoms stories. The tactics each have different effects. Like, a cavalry charge might push the opposing unit back a square. Or raid will run through the enemy unit to its other side. The decoy tactic will turn an enemy unit, potentially exposing its flank to one of your other units.

Where this becomes really cool is that activating a tactic on an enemy while you have a 2nd allied unit next to it will trigger a combo chain. For instance here, the 1st unit gets to the enemy's side, and is able to use a flank tactic and lower its defence. Since the 2nd unit is next to the enemy, their cavalry charge tactic activates, which pushes the enemy back a square next to a third ally which can then now chain a move of its own:



You can set up extremely elaborate traps against enemies involving 5-6 units getting in a shot for damage which scales up with every extra attack. It's so much fun, I'm surprised it didn't become a prominent subgenre of its own.

[To Far Away Times]

Mario + Rabbids is absolutely the best Strategy RPG of all time. I don't care that Ubisoft made it. I don't care that it has Rabbids. It fucking rules. Perfectly paced, brilliantly simplified, while still making you think beyond the next turn. It smokes FF Tactics, Disgaea, Fire Emblem, whatever.

Last Blade 2 and Garou MotW are the two best fighters SNK ever made, and I wish they had an active player base. They're as good as any Capcom fighter.

Paladins and Path of Exile are nearly perfect F2P games. Generous without ever pushing you to spend money, you get the whole game experience, and they are tons of fun. I dropped about ~100 hours in each.

Tetris Plus 1 and 2 have a very good and unique puzzle mode that sets them apart from every other Tetris game. Not the best Tetris ever, mind you (TGM3, Tetris DS, original GB Tetris, and Tetris 99 are all better), but still well worth playing.

And on the subject of "Tetris," the oft forgotten Tetris Attack is the best puzzle game of all time.

[Leandro]

Last Blade 2 and Garou MotW are the two best fighters SNK ever made, and I wish they had an active player base. They're as good as any Capcom fighter.

I think they have a player base on Fightcade. You also can arrange matches with players on Steam, me included (I suck at LB2, average on Garou). The Steam versions have great netcode.

Enviado de meu 2201116SG usando o Tapatalk

[Sumez]

As a big fan of abstract art, I gotta say that game looks appealing.

[__SKYe]

Midnight Club 2 (best street racing game I've ever played, and I've played a lot)

Drill Dozer (delightful action platformer with a gba rumble cart)

Killzone: Liberation (shockingly excellent top-down shooter)

Medal of Honor: Inflitrator (shockingly excellent top-down shooter)

Zone of Enders: Fist of Mars (pretty good little TRPG)

Freedom Fighters (Red Dawn the video game, although it actually got a remaster recently so maybe not?)

Deus Ex: Invisible War (actually it fucking rules)

Capcom's Zelda games (better than any of Nintendo's except LA and LTTP)

I'll probably think of a bunch more later.

Drill Dozer is not too well known, but I don't know about underrated. Deus EX2 was underrated for folks expecting a game similar to the first.

But are Capcom's Zelda games underrated?

[KimagureMachibuse]

Koei's PS2 masterpiece, Dynasty Tactics. The best way I can describe it is Final Fantasy Tactics crossed with Dynasty Warriors crossed with chess crossed with a Rube Goldberg machine. It's one of those games that's hard to understand until you play it.

On the surface it's a Tactics-style strategy rpg. You have standard attacks, but each unit gets a certain number of special attacks called tactics, appropriately enough. These vary depending on the nature of the unit, the skill of the commander, or particular references to the actions of a notable commander in the Three Kingdoms stories. The tactics each have different effects. Like, a cavalry charge might push the opposing unit back a square. Or raid will run through the enemy unit to its other side. The decoy tactic will turn an enemy unit, potentially exposing its flank to one of your other units.

Where this becomes really cool is that activating a tactic on an enemy while you have a 2nd allied unit next to it will trigger a combo chain. For instance here, the 1st unit gets to the enemy's side, and is able to use a flank tactic and lower its defence. Since the 2nd unit is next to the enemy, their cavalry charge tactic activates, which pushes the enemy back a square next to a third ally which can then now chain a move of its own:



You can set up extremely elaborate traps against enemies involving 5-6 units getting in a shot for damage which scales up with every extra attack. It's so much fun, I'm surprised it didn't become a prominent subgenre of its own.

Screenshot looks a bit blurry but this game does sound quite interesting may have to look it up

[Leandro]

But are Capcom's Zelda games underrated?

that one for GBA is really good. The one with the funny hat where Link turns mini. I forgot the name. I finished it last year.

[__SKYe]

But are Capcom's Zelda games underrated?

that one for GBA is really good. The one with the funny hat where Link turns mini. I forgot the name. I finished it last year.

Minish Cap, yeah. Both GBC games are great too, which is why I've never considered the Capcom games to be underrated.

[Sima Tuna]

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Otogi 1 and 2
Okinawa Rush (very slept on)
Cybattler
Vendetta/Crime Fighters 2
Battle Brothers
Huntdown (one of my favorite games)
La-Mulana

I could go on and on, just down the list of my favorite games. I could easily max out the character limit endlessly spouting praise for all these titles, but I'll leave the list there and inquiring minds can inquire.

[Air Master Burst]

Drill Dozer is not too well known, but I don't know about underrated. Deus EX2 was underrated for folks expecting a game similar to the first.

But are Capcom's Zelda games underrated?

Yeah, DX2 definitely had a different design focus from the first one. It has less options for combat, but more for influencing the plot and setting. People complain about the small maps, but they have a lot more to do in them than the maps in DX1. It has a much more interesting setting than DX1, and does a lot more with it. Also, I think it's the only DX game to actually make the multiple choice endings work, although I admit I don't remember much from my... (checks Steam) 48 FUCKING HOURS of playing Mankind Divided?!?! And I never even got to the DLC! Good heavens, what a mess. Anyway, I understand why people who wanted DX2 to focus more on the action didn't take to it, but yeah, DX2 is the best in the series for me and it's not even close. Super UNDERRATED game because most people don't focus on what it does well, they just bounce right off the small maps and universal ammo.

The Oracle games don't make lists of best Zelda games despite, well, being the best Zelda games that aren't LTTP. UNDERRATED!

Drill Dozer tends to get respect from the people who played it, but nobody ever played it because OMG THEY PORTED MARIO 3. UNDERRATED!

ETA:

Okinawa Rush (very slept on)

OK, I've seen you rep this enough that you've convinced me to give it a shot!

[__SKYe]

Yeah, DX2 definitely had a different design focus from the first one. It has less options for combat, but more for influencing the plot and setting. People complain about the small maps, but they have a lot more to do in them than the maps in DX1. It has a much more interesting setting than DX1, and does a lot more with it. Also, I think it's the only DX game to actually make the multiple choice endings work, although I admit I don't remember much from my... (checks Steam) 48 FUCKING HOURS of playing Mankind Divided?!?! And I never even got to the DLC! Good heavens, what a mess. Anyway, I understand why people who wanted DX2 to focus more on the action didn't take to it, but yeah, DX2 is the best in the series for me and it's not even close. Super UNDERRATED game because most people don't focus on what it does well, they just bounce right off the small maps and universal ammo.

I've only played the first two games, so I can't comment on how they fare against the rest of the series.
I think one the more common complaints was that the sequel was "consolised" as opposed to the original's PC focused, System Shock-style of gameplay. I think DX2's biggest problem was being the sequel to DX1 -- it was always going to be compared to the original game first, and judged on its own merits second (or third ).

I find DX2 a good game nonetheless, and actually deserving of being called underrated.

The Oracle games don't make lists of best Zelda games despite, well, being the best Zelda games that aren't LTTP. UNDERRATED!

You shouldn't listen to whoever makes those lists, then.
The GBC Oracle games are every bit as good as both A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, in my opinion.

Drill Dozer tends to get respect from the people who played it, but nobody ever played it because OMG THEY PORTED MARIO 3. UNDERRATED!

Yeah, Drill Dozer is lots of fun; linear and a tad too easy (the extra maps are a nice challenge, though), just not too well known.

I tend to think of underrated when games are well known but not appreciated enough -- as I mentioned above, I think Deux Ex 2 fits that bill much better. Another game I'd say fits the bill is the first Streets of Rage (MD); a really solid game that is often put down because everyone compares it to SoR2.

I would put Drill Dozer more towards the hidden gem side, even though I don't think it is unknown enough to warrant being called that either.

[Sima Tuna]

ETA:

Okinawa Rush (very slept on)

OK, I've seen you rep this enough that you've convinced me to give it a shot!

Let me know what you think. The combat system is very intricate for a 2d game. Imagine if Fight 'n' Rage actually required you to learn parries in order to progress.

I think Okinawa Rush is the best (new) game nobody is playing. The community for this game is nonexistent and I don't know why. How often do we even get good martial arts action games?

[Air Master Burst]

The Metal Gear Acid games are pretty underrated, too. Until Fights In Tight Spaces came out they were my favorite deckbuilders, but sadly they came out back before deckbuilders were something most people gave a shit about. I think these are still lumped together as "those weird PSP card games" by MGS fans.

Imagine if Fight 'n' Rage actually required you to learn parries in order to progress.

I've never really enjoyed parry systems so this actually makes it less appealing, but I'll still give it a shot.

[Sumez]

The Oracle games don't make lists of best Zelda games

Huh, they don't? Sounds like a pretty shitty list

[Kriegor]

I think Okinawa Rush is the best (new) game nobody is playing. The community for this game is nonexistent and I don't know why. How often do we even get good martial arts action games?

I picked it day one because of the Double Dragon animations (and also because I play every beat'em up that comes out) but I didn't really like it. It's a very very fast game with floatty movements and janky hitboxes. I did like the very active gameplay. The SFIII parry's there but you def don't want to get surrounded (though you helped by insane mobility) and you can play domino with your enemies (of the agressive kinds). Feedbacks are strong, moves' variety's here, and I like how you can adapt your gameplan on the fly (feels unconfortable on the ground? just play Ducktales with them!).

However, too many trash mobs (it's a festival!), I cleared last difficulty mostly relying on 3P P+J and good positioning, I didn't like the level design (you've got to randomly high jump everywhere) and I'm just much more into slower/more methodical games of that kind (I was still playing a lot of The Ninja Saviors last year). Also there are only 3 PCs and they all feel a bit the same.

Challenge wise, the story mode is very easy to clear, no matter your chosen difficulty, but arcade only gives you 1 life (after which your score is reset) and considering how fast traps kill you, getting a good score is harsh.

I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I wasn't hoping for a retro feel (because of the animations). It's something to try.

[Sima Tuna]

Trash mobs melt when you have weapons. Weapons in general in Okinawa Rush are really good and you want to pick them up strategically to deal with large crowds. Other than that, you can also set lamps on fire and kick them, killing every enemy in the path of the projectile. Or domino/goomba stomp as you said.

My criticisms of the game are minor. The menu system is undeniably shit (it's easy to select the wrong mode by accident) and I do agree it's weird Arcade mode forces you into a 1-life clear. But the game is at least easy to comprehend with regard to its modes. You learn on Story. Then you can score chase/clout chase on Arcade when you feel you are good enough. I'm not good enough and probably never will be, because Okinawa Rush is fucking hard. But at least Story mode has a lot of difficulty options to gradually pump up the challenge.

The two brothers play somewhat similarly, but the kung fu girl is quite different from them. She has chain punches and a lot of different command normals.

Okinawa Rush is the kind of game I really like to see. It's nearly one of a kind and a clear passion project. It might have some rough edges, but the core seems solid and satisfying to me. As an indie game, it's a title I wish would get a sequel (to add more modes, iron out any kinks and expand the gameplay) but it probably never will. The most heartbreaking aspect of playing indie games is finding one you like and then realizing nobody else likes it (or nobody played it) and it won't get continued because it wasn't profitable.

[Kriegor]

Okinawa Rush is the kind of game I really like to see. It's nearly one of a kind and a clear passion project. It might have some rough edges, but the core seems solid and satisfying to me. As an indie game, it's a title I wish would get a sequel (to add more modes, iron out any kinks and expand the gameplay) but it probably never will. The most heartbreaking aspect of playing indie games is finding one you like and then realizing nobody else likes it (or nobody played it) and it won't get continued because it wasn't profitable.

I can relate to that a lot. I really wish more people will buy it and enjoy it so you can one day play Okinawa Rush 2.

[Air Master Burst]

The most heartbreaking aspect of playing indie games is finding one you like and then realizing nobody else likes it (or nobody played it) and it won't get continued because it wasn't profitable.

Every month that Fights In Tight Spaces doesn't get an update I die a little more inside.

[bottino]

Virtua Fighter 3tb

Last Blade 2 and Garou MotW are the two best fighters SNK ever made, and I wish they had an active player base. They're as good as any Capcom fighter.

Yes, but outside the US SNK vs.Fighting games aren't underrated at all.

[Steven]

Speaking of underrated fighting games and Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Real Bout Special, the actual best game in the series, is way better than Mark of the Wolves is in pretty much every way aside from the number of animation frames.

Or maybe it's because Terry kind of sucks in Mark of the Wolves compared to how good he is in Real Bout Special, but yeah, RBS is better.

If you want an actual underrated fighting game that almost nobody plays, though, play Arcana Heart.

[Sima Tuna]

Arcana Heart is great. Most of my experience is with the original ps2 title, so I can't speak to the sequels. I played a little of AH3, but not too much.

Arcana Heart is one of those fantastically fun fighting games that still feel shameful to play in public (like DoA) because of the stigma they engender. Kira is probably my favorite grappler in a 2d fighting game, even so. Love all the crazy shit you can do with her massive normals and throw chains.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Why RBS over RB2?

[Stevens]

GET IN THE RING

[Steven]

Arcana Heart is great. Most of my experience is with the original ps2 title, so I can't speak to the sequels. I played a little of AH3, but not too much.

Arcana Heart is one of those fantastically fun fighting games that still feel shameful to play in public (like DoA) because of the stigma they engender. Kira is probably my favorite grappler in a 2d fighting game, even so. Love all the crazy shit you can do with her massive normals and throw chains.

The other reason that I think people don't play Arcana Heart is because of how stupidly complex it is; the latest version of 3 has 26 characters and 25 arcanas for a total of 650 possible moveset + stat combinations, and since your stats depend on what arcana both you and your opponent pick, each player is looking at 16,250 possible stat combinations or something like that before you even start fighting, assuming I did my math correctly, and then there are all of the arcanas and knowing how they change your character's properties and how to use their unique attacks and stuff, and then you have all of the mechanics like clash and the fact that literally EVERYONE IN THE GAME CAN FUCKING FLY, letting you bounce off the walls and shit at a truly insane speed...

Oh, and there is no tutorial to tell you any of this at all lol. Lots of fun, though, as you know, and the amount of freedom it gives you to do pretty much whatever you want is unbelievable. Too bad the developers seem to be in some sort of limbo right now.

Why RBS over RB2?

Simple: I like Special's plane switching system more, I feel Special plays more intuitively, and I don't like the changes to Terry in 2. I can't play as anyone but Terry, which is why I am complete trash at KOF unless I play '98 on my AES and play the singles mode.

[Sima Tuna]

Arcana Heart is great. Most of my experience is with the original ps2 title, so I can't speak to the sequels. I played a little of AH3, but not too much.

Arcana Heart is one of those fantastically fun fighting games that still feel shameful to play in public (like DoA) because of the stigma they engender. Kira is probably my favorite grappler in a 2d fighting game, even so. Love all the crazy shit you can do with her massive normals and throw chains.

The other reason that I think people don't play Arcana Heart is because of how stupidly complex it is; the latest version of 3 has 26 characters and 25 arcanas for a total of 650 possible moveset + stat combinations, and since your stats depend on what arcana both you and your opponent pick, each player is looking at 16,250 possible stat combinations or something like that before you even start fighting, assuming I did my math correctly, and then there are all of the arcanas and knowing how they change your character's properties and how to use their unique attacks and stuff, and then you have all of the mechanics like clash and the fact that literally EVERYONE IN THE GAME CAN FUCKING FLY, letting you bounce off the walls and shit at a truly insane speed...

Oh, and there is no tutorial to tell you any of this at all lol. Lots of fun, though, as you know, and the amount of freedom it gives you to do pretty much whatever you want is unbelievable. Too bad the developers seem to be in some sort of limbo right now.

That's a shame about the devs. I was wondering why it's been so long with no Arcana Heart 4. I gave up trying to learn all the variations long ago. It's hard enough just to master one character and a couple of Arcana variations for swaps + one main Arcana.

One of the aspects of AH that works so well for me is how each character feels entirely unique. If you want a character that does a certain thing, there is one. But there is usually only the one (at least in OG Arcana Heart). But the advantage of that approach is each character archetype can be the best of that type of character in the game. Want to grapple? You want Kira as your main. She's got air throws, she's got lunge throws, she's got combo throws, she's got 360, she's got 720, grab mixups... Imagine if Hugo was running all 3 super arts at the same time in 3rd Strike and you have a notion of what she's like. But then throw in a godlike strike game with massive UNGA normals which fair eclipse in size even Hugo's biggest.

It's the same for the other characters. Want a shoto? Pick Heart, the most shoto shoto to ever shoto. Want fast aerial rushdown? Grab that flying mini-succubus jailbait character that will definitely get you looked at funny if you play AH in polite company.

The way you can use the Arcana to compliment each character is perfect too. You can play to the character's strengths, compensate for a weakness, or select an Arcana simply to add some completely off-the-wall shit into the mix. The Arcana choice can dramatically change how that character feels and plays.

Arcana Heart's small roster reminds me a little of Virtua Fighter, actually. A comparatively small roster can conceal myriad variations when each character is thoughtfully created. Rather than expanding the roster out, Arcana Heart expands the roster inwards. Allowing every character to equip every Arcana puts every possible variation in the hands of the player, while adding depth to the existing cast which far outstrips what a larger roster in a conventional fighting game could provide. And because different Arcana versions of the same character don't feel or play the same, even mirror matches become more interesting. Heart with Water Arcana isn't the same as Heart with Metal Arcana.

[bottino]

Real Bout Special is great indeed, fixing most of the problems of the first game, although Real Bout 2 is where it's at for me.

Treasure's Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen is another one worth mentioning, an incredible effort for a 16-bit console-exclusive, anime-based vs.fighting game. One of the best Mega Drive games.

Arcana Heart's small roster reminds me a little of Virtua Fighter, actually. A comparatively small roster can conceal myriad variations when each character is thoughtfully created. Rather than expanding the roster out, Arcana Heart expands the roster inwards. Allowing every character to equip every Arcana puts every possible variation in the hands of the player, while adding depth to the existing cast which far outstrips what a larger roster in a conventional fighting game could provide. And because different Arcana versions of the same character don't feel or play the same, even mirror matches become more interesting. Heart with Water Arcana isn't the same as Heart with Metal Arcana.

I like that.