Underrated/Obscure Video Games

Shadow of Death

Grushdeva Du Kalt Misht
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Yeah, Bad Rats is sort of a meme in it's own right. It's usually about 25 cents on the steam store (I think I bought it for 24...i bought like seven copies at that price) and used to be gifted rampantly as a joke because once it's in your library you're stuck being the person who owns Bad Rats.
Not anymore though, as steam introduced the ability to permanently remove titles from their library. Happened around the same time they implemented their more reasonable refund system.
 
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Killer Beast

Kept you waiting, huh?
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My favorite game of all time is Medievil for the PS1. However, I will be the first to admit that it aged pretty poorly.
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/gallowmere/images/5/58/MediEvil_-_Front_Cover_NTSC.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110531143739
Medievil! I first played it on my PSP! Such a fun game. For my own contribution, I'd put in Advent Rising and the Thief series. The Thief series is that really influential, ground-breaking game of its time that only some devs, games journalists and reviewers seem to actually know, or have played it.
 

D96

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I just remembered this one today, but I really enjoyed playing Battle for Middle-Earth II. It was an RTS game set in, well, Middle-Earth, and you could build up giant armies of troops and throw them at each other. It was awesome playing in memorable places from the series, like Helm's Deep for example.

There was also a really fun Risk-style game mode where you had to try and conquer the entire map, either alone or on a team. It was a ton of fun to play; I wouldn't mind another sequel coming out at some point.
 

Whitetail

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The Legend of Zelda: Bookworm Hoers Princess - Definitely not unknown, but it feels like a lot of people hopped on the "this is a terrible Zelda" bandwagon. The aesthetic, in particular, although darker/grittier than other Zeldas, is beautiful at times -- especially the boss intro sequences. Not to say the game didn't have problems, but I think it gets trashed far more than necessary.
I honestly have no clue why so many people say it's awful like, aside from how looooooooong the intro is (not like every other 3D zelda doesn't have a really long intro segment either) I can't think of any problems with it - it's my fav in the series aside from Windwaker and has some of the best art direction the series ever had. Especially seeing all the people who trashed it praise Skyward Sword so hard when it's honestly the most lukewarm entry in the series imo (so. many. fetch quests. ).

As for actually obscure games one of my fav series on the PS1 - PS2 era had to be Armored Core. I'm not even sure really how obscure it is since they made so many of them but I've honestly never really heard anyone talk about it. I know the series continued on to the PS3 and onward but from what I heard they kinda skipped out on some of my fav things from the series in the past like the intense customization - never had a PS3 though so idk how well that stands up or not. Basically it's a tough cyberpunk giant robot setting where you're a freelancer mech pilot known as a raven who takes jobs from various big corperations in their wars. The series really stands out in the customization options for your robot with just how many different playstyles and combinations you can make with your robot - you can go anywhere from slow trudging armored tank type robots that quadruple wield grenade launchers to fast floating robots with light arms but are impossible to hit. With just how in depth the customization is you can spend hours trying to get your mech set up just right to fit your playstyle before taking on missions or other mech pilots in the arena.


Also glad to see Amplitude mentioned, rhythm games were so much more creative before Rockband and Guitar Hero cornered the market with periphreal series. I wish we'd get more creative ones like Amplitude, Space Channel 5 or Elite Beat Agents anymore
 

D96

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Oh man, I had completely forgotten about Armored Core! I had a couple games for the PS2 and I absolutely loved it. I always decked out my mech with giant cannons (which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the most effective way to fight). I remember there being an Arena mode where you could climb to the top and become the "World Chanpion" or whatever. I've always been curious about the newer games but I've never tried them.
 

Whitetail

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I always decked out my mech with giant cannons (which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the most effective way to fight).
Honestly by the end of almost every game no matter how I approached it I almost always ended up with a tank tredded mech with as many grenade launchers as I could fit on it because late game bosses tend to require so much damage to take down it's the most effective way to do it
 

Shadow of Death

Grushdeva Du Kalt Misht
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I only ever played one or two Armored Core games. I'd like to see that come back, especially if it ended up on PC.

I too went more for heavy hitters I think, though I usually put at least some emphasis on maneuverability.
 

hawthornbunny

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Oh man, I had completely forgotten about Armored Core! I had a couple games for the PS2 and I absolutely loved it. I always decked out my mech with giant cannons (which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the most effective way to fight). I remember there being an Arena mode where you could climb to the top and become the "World Chanpion" or whatever. I've always been curious about the newer games but I've never tried them.
I only ever played one or two Armored Core games. I'd like to see that come back, especially if it ended up on PC.

I too went more for heavy hitters I think, though I usually put at least some emphasis on maneuverability.
This! I adored Armored Core back in the day. I got so attached to my silly giant mech. I played AC1, 2, 3, and none beyond that. I gather they introduced rigid body physics at some point, which I guess would make some of my designs way unbalanced. And not in the "too powerful" way, but in the "this will actually fall over" kind of way. :)

I hated any AC that had the goddamn grenade launcher.
 

D96

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I remember getting annihilated early on in Armored Core 3 by some mech with a grenade launcher, so I worked to get it for mine as fast as possible. Then I realized how heavy it was, so I just made my mech as big as possible with the strongest but slowest parts. I distinctly remember having a giant shoulder mounted grenade launcher, a plasma railgun thing on the other shoulder, and a handheld grenade launcher; I tore through the competition so quickly with that combo!

...Now I really wanna play some Armored Core. Anyone know if the newer games are worth picking up?
 

Stars

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I always thought Armored Core 4 looked amazing (dat intro), but last I checked it was hard to find, at least at a good price.

My impression of the game from what I've read is that it's mostly 95% customizing your mechs and 5% battles that are over way too fast. But I still want to try it because I'm a sucker for both customization and mecha.

Now I'm also thinking about Steel Battalion and its redonkulous controller, which looks amazing and I would be sorely tempted to buy if I had an Xbox. Not sure if that counts as obscure, but I can't remember the last time I saw anyone bring it up outside of one SBF video.
 

Ambris

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Does the Shantae series count? It's starting to actually get a little mainstream traction, but for the most part it flies under people's radar. I think Shantae deserves way more attention that she gets.

Here's the kickstarter trailer for the latest game

I just love the bright happy colors and cute character designs of Shantae. The writing is pretty funny too.
 
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Gamerdude854

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Does the Shantae series count? It's starting to actually get a little mainstream traction, but for the most part it flies under people's radar. I think Shantae deserves way more attention that she gets.

Here's the kickstarter trailer for the latest game

I just love the bright happy colors and cute character designs of Shantae. The writing is pretty funny too.
I personally wouldn't consider Shantae too obscure, especially considering all of my friends know who she is. Also the only game in the series i've played so far is Pirates Curse, although I plan on playing the other games in the series at some point
 

Ambris

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I personally wouldn't consider Shantae too obscure, especially considering all of my friends know who she is. Also the only game in the series i've played so far is Pirates Curse, although I plan on playing the other games in the series at some point
It's kind of a borderline. Like, most people have at least heard of Shantae, sure--but how many have actually played a game thoroughly? Or the whole series even? In my circle of friends, I'm pretty much the only one. I'd argue that it's at least underrated, if not relatively obscure. XD

As for playing them, I definitely recommend Risky's Revenge, the 2nd game. It's quite good and has aged well. (Though I think Pirate's Curse is still better)

But for the first one, for the GBC, I can only recommend if you're determined and have a tolerance for trial-and-error. . .or just use a walk-through. It's still a decent game, and probably seemed better when for it's time. But now it seems a bit dated when considering it's lack of conveyance. There is a ton of back and forth and no real indication at times for how/where you proceed on the overworld--the answer usually being fairly obscure.
 
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Laurel Crown

Leader of the Proud Nation of Velvetia
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It's such a shame that Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective didn't got the recognition it deserved.
I know its existence because it was directed by Shu Takumi, the same guy who made the Ace Attorney original trilogy and when I decided to play it on emulator, I got stunned by its presentation.
I really enjoy the style of the game filled with quirky characters drawn in a peculiar style and their animations are truly gorgeous... and it's a game for the NDS!
The puzzles are not hard... but not even easy. They're mostly based on trial-and-error and quick thinking and the music doesn't help other than making you anxious of botching it... even though the game has a "Reset" option.
Can't say anything for the story because I still have to finish it. All I can say is the premise is really interesting and keeps you playing until the end.
 

Shikainu

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It's kind of a borderline. Like, most people have at least heard of Shantae, sure--but how many have actually played a game thoroughly? Or the whole series even? In my circle of friends, I'm pretty much the only one. I'd argue that it's at least underrated, if not relatively obscure. XD

As for playing them, I definitely recommend Risky's Revenge, the 2nd game. It's quite good and has aged well. (Though I think Pirate's Curse is still better)

But for the first one, for the GBC, I can only recommend if you're determined and have a tolerance for trial-and-error. . .or just use a walk-through. It's still a decent game, and probably seemed better when for it's time. But now it seems a bit dated when considering it's lack of conveyance. There is a ton of back and forth and no real indication at times for how/where you proceed on the overworld--the answer usually being fairly obscure.
(I'd actually never heard of Shantae until like, a month ago. orz )

Oooh, ghost trick was super fun! I actually kept getting Ghost Trick vibes when I was watching playthroughs of Murdered Soul Suspect, but that's mostly for superficial reasons. I have played through and beaten the game, and I gotta say you should totally finish it. The ending is worth it. Besides, who could say no to this face.
 

Feanor

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Original Quake, for most underrated! Classic Doom gets all kinds of love, and I understand it was kind of the beginning of 3d-shooters, but Quake was better imo. The atmosphere, monsters, and building design were all amazing. The skill balance was also good, managing to be difficult on Hard skill without throwing hundreds of monsters at you.

Overall I think ID Software took most of what was great about Doom, and improved on it with this one, but it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Most people who do remember it only talk about the Multiplayer, which is a shame because Single-player is very fun and re-playable.
 

Ambris

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Original Quake, for most underrated! Classic Doom gets all kinds of love, and I understand it was kind of the beginning of 3d-shooters, but Quake was better imo. The atmosphere, monsters, and building design were all amazing. The skill balance was also good, managing to be difficult on Hard skill without throwing hundreds of monsters at you.

Overall I think ID Software took most of what was great about Doom, and improved on it with this one, but it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Most people who do remember it only talk about the Multiplayer, which is a shame because Single-player is very fun and re-playable.
How would you say the single player compared to the likes of the original Half-life? I ask because Half-Life is the earliest FPS I'm familiar with, and I really love it. I'm curious about Quake now though.
 

Feanor

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Hard to compare, because Half-Life had all the story-line elements and npc interactions. Quake was your classic 'Shoot monster, find key, open door, shoot some more' shooter. I also liked Half-Life a lot, but they are very different types of games.

Half-Life I enjoyed for the story-line and (for its time) advanced AI and mechanics. Quake was all about the atmosphere of being this lone marine in a twisted, Lovecraftian hell hacking Ogres and Shamblers with an axe or shooting them with a nail-gun.
 

Whitetail

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Quake's basically doom but with more tech so you're not going to see much in the way of story or puzzle interactions

Tbh it's interesting how little any of the Quake games have anything to do with each other, it feels like they never really could figure out how or where they wanted to take the series so every game's been completely disconnected aside from having recurring weapons and the like
 

Feanor

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Quake's basically doom but with more tech so you're not going to see much in the way of story or puzzle interactions

Tbh it's interesting how little any of the Quake games have anything to do with each other, it feels like they never really could figure out how or where they wanted to take the series so every game's been completely disconnected aside from having recurring weapons and the like
With Quake 2 this was because the game wasn't even meant to be a sequel, they just fell back on the Quake title when they couldn't find another one they liked which wasn't already trademarked. I don't know what their excuse for Q3 Arena was. As much as it seems a disrespect to the original, I do still love the hell out of Quake 2 though, even if it does mark a point where they started making shooter games 'too easy' in my mind.
 

Ambris

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Hard to compare, because Half-Life had all the story-line elements and npc interactions. Quake was your classic 'Shoot monster, find key, open door, shoot some more' shooter. I also liked Half-Life a lot, but they are very different types of games.

Half-Life I enjoyed for the story-line and (for its time) advanced AI and mechanics. Quake was all about the atmosphere of being this lone marine in a twisted, Lovecraftian hell hacking Ogres and Shamblers with an axe or shooting them with a nail-gun.
I figured it was less story-centric; I was asking for specifically a comparison of the gameplay aspects, of which Half-life's were air-tight. Still, "Lovecraftian hell" has got my interest; I may have to check it out. I wonder if they have it on GoG. . .

This talk of old FPS games has me suddenly reminded of System Shock 2.

It certainly wasn't underrated in it's hayday, from what I understand. But it recent years it seems to be all but forgotten and it's quickly becoming obscure, in spite of the success of Bioshock series; Or perhaps specifically because of Bioshock, which I find disappointing as I actually like it more than any of the Bioshocks, for reasons I'm not sure I can articulate
 
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Whitetail

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Honestly I've never played it but isn't it more like Dues Ex? That's the impression I got from what I saw
I love that older genre of FPS RPGs - seems the only real representative of it now is Fallout which honestly I've just never been able to get into... nuclear post apocalypse generally tends to be a really boring setting imo and trying to play New Vegas the pacing and lack of a run button just feels
sooooooooooo slow

And like I love RPGs and don't mind slow pacing but idk somehow it just doesn't feel very engaging to me how Fallout does it?
 

Gamerdude854

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I figured it was less story-centric; I was asking for specifically a comparison of the gameplay aspects, of which Half-life's were air-tight. Still, "Lovecraftian hell" has got my interest; I may have to check it out. I wonder if they have it on GoG. . .

This talk of old FPS games has me suddenly reminded of System Shock 2.

It certainly wasn't underrated in it's hayday, from what I understand. But it recent years it seems to be all but forgotten and it's quickly becoming obscure, in spite of the success of Bioshock series; Or perhaps specifically because of Bioshock, which I find disappointing as I actually like it more than any of the Bioshocks, for reasons I'm not sure I can articulate
Quake is basically just more advanced Doom, although Half Life does run on a modified Quake engine so they do feel similar at times
 

Whitetail

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Might as well mention Unreal if we're going to talk about Quake and Doom tbh, the first game is surprisingly little known even though Unreal Tournament is super well known
The original Unreal is basically building upon what Quake did but trying to add in more story elements, varied environments, etc.
 
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fah_q2

Just some guy
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This talk of old FPS games has me suddenly reminded of System Shock 2.

It certainly wasn't underrated in it's hayday, from what I understand. But it recent years it seems to be all but forgotten and it's quickly becoming obscure, in spite of the success of Bioshock series; Or perhaps specifically because of Bioshock, which I find disappointing as I actually like it more than any of the Bioshocks, for reasons I'm not sure I can articulate
I recently played through System Shock 2 for the first time. I had no idea just how much Bioshock borrowed from SS2, (the vending machines and psi come to mind, even the wrench is a starter weapon in both games). The psi felt pretty useless since I only ever used telekinesis and incineration, same thing with some the of weapons. I really enjoyed the game overall but not as much as Bioshock.
 

Feanor

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I figured it was less story-centric; I was asking for specifically a comparison of the gameplay aspects, of which Half-life's were air-tight. Still, "Lovecraftian hell" has got my interest; I may have to check it out. I wonder if they have it on GoG. . .

This talk of old FPS games has me suddenly reminded of System Shock 2.

It certainly wasn't underrated in it's hayday, from what I understand. But it recent years it seems to be all but forgotten and it's quickly becoming obscure, in spite of the success of Bioshock series; Or perhaps specifically because of Bioshock, which I find disappointing as I actually like it more than any of the Bioshocks, for reasons I'm not sure I can articulate
Never played that series, as it happens, though I have heard a lot of good things about them. Quake is indeed on GoG, though they have it titled Quake: The Offering for some reason. The game-play specifically is a lot more Run-n-Gun than Half-life, with much more monsters and less puzzles.
 

Shadow of Death

Grushdeva Du Kalt Misht
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One of my favorite games of all time. The World Ends With You. A rpg with insane challenge and dope music. Im like 50% positive this is obscure. Its for the DS
Not sure about Obscure. Maybe a bit nowadays, but back when it was released everyone was raving about it.

Never got around to playing it myself though.
 

Ambris

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
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One of my favorite games of all time. The World Ends With You. A rpg with insane challenge and dope music. Im like 50% positive this is obscure. Its for the DS
TWEWY isn't so much obscure as it is niche, unique, and possibly a bit exclusive. I love that game though; I'd kill for a sequel. Compared to a lot of other JRPGs that get way more attention, I definitely think it's under-rated.
 

Whitetail

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I'd say it's pretty obscure tbh like even if it was liked in it's time it was still a relatively small audience
I wish Square Enix would take more chances like they did with that nowadays I mean come on you gave them a Kingdom Hearts cameo you gotta return to it SOMETIME
 

Velvet_The_Reindeer

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I know, and this one is quite relevant since we are on a fighting game forum.

The original street fighter, not many ever played or even saw the original, as it was just released on arcades and on home consoles on the less successfull PC Engine CD ROM and TurboGrafx-CD

Many players including old school players only knew and still know Street Fighter II and all of its editions
 
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