Shenmue&Shenmue II have been underated, and they were great games.
Quoted For Truth.
I can't even begin to count the number of magazines & websites that have talked unfair & idiotic crap about these games over the years.
I would also like to bring up Namco's Tales Series (at least here in America).... Another great series that the media has turn gamers off from (IE 200 character reviews & scores of 6-7).
That game actually looks quite fun. I think I'll keep an eye out for it. Any idea if it runs on XP?
I have it on Steam and it works fine.
Its also on GOG.com where they test and fix all their games to make sure they work on XP and vista (soon windows 7 as well)
I hate to bring this back, but the underrated game I like is Emo's Matchmaker, which was created by the same Tobler family who did Riddle of the Sphinx and The Omega Stone. You not only have to match hearts, but you also have to match Hemos with Shemos to score bonus points. What is unusual, though, is that the game kind of plays like a Bible game? It's true, you know? Every time you match a Hemo with a Shemo, Bible verses appear when you check on the "Words of Wisdom" in the Options menu. And when you exit the 30-minute demo version or check on the "30-Min. Limit" in the Options menu of the full version, it gives you "more to life than Emo's Matchmaker", which kind of reads like a church pamphlet on Jesus and healings and stuff.
Would you believe that I still have the Darth Vader recruitment poster that came with Force Commander on my wall next to my computer?
While we are on the subject of, uh, commanders, I loved the two MechCommander games, even more than their much more popular MechWarrior brothers. I even played in a short-lived MechCommander league where I lead the armed forces of the Free Rasalhague Republic and got CRUSHED by the Clans, just like in the series' fiction. Some would say my group sucked. I would say that we were just staying true to the canon.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for Discworld, even though I think a lot of the puzzles in that game completely lack in any of reasonable logic the average person would comprehend. ( I'm talking to you, butterfly in the past that somehow creates a rainstorm in the present for some reason puzzle! )
I think a lot of people got lost in the strangeness of this one. The world and the storytelling are so odd at times, combined with an odd gameplay type (first-person brawler), the audience who would appreciate it just didn't become very aware of it.
The art style is amazing, kind of a mix of Jim Henson's darker works, with Mercer Mayer and a little bit of Planescape: Torment. The game is gorgeous and the character design is distinctive. The voice acting is excellent, and really fits the world.
The story is bizarre, but well told IMO. Parts of the end are clearly telegraphed from early on, but that's only a minor mystery compared to some of the bigger questions about what's happening. There are also some truly great character moments along the way, including a boss fight that had me laughing so hard I had to stop playing and recover.
Admittedly the gameplay is flawed. The difficulty curve is uneven, but there haven't been many games in this genre and it works well enough for me to enjoy (and I the only fighting games I like are Smash Bros.)
Wild Arms 3 is fantastic up to the last bit of the game. Any time I bring it up though, people sort of thrash me for liking it better than Wild Arms 2. I've yet to figure out why, specifically and no one's ever given me a good reason.
Well, I personally always thought Twilight Princess is a serious contender against Ocarina of Time for best Zelda game ever made. Perhaps best video game ever made (with the exception of games from the Monkey Island franchise.)
It always seemed to me that people who complain about the midi music or no voice acting are either critics who just want to complain or newbs who haven't been around the game industry long enough to remember playing any games that are older than Halo.
And maybe when people review it for Wii, they always feel the need to say "it looks like a GameCube game." Well, IT IS a GameCube game that was ported to Wii. It was released for Wii first only because Nintendo wanted it to be a Wii launch title.
I think nobody mentioned "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines" yet.
It is definitely underrated and people keep saying that it is buggy.
But it is not (anymore)! Get the latest patch and you get one of the best RPG games ever.
I think nobody mentioned "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines" yet.
It is definitely underrated and people keep saying that it is buggy.
But it is not (anymore)! Get the latest patch and you get one of the best RPG games ever.
I like that game, never really got further after I got through the haunted hotel, the game is just really scary and dark. But still a good game.
I just remembered the games Dragon Rage and Drakan 2, The Ancients Gates.
Both great games, but not really as liked as I would think they would be.
They where both really good games, and I have completed Drakan 2 a few times.
I never really completed Dragon Rage, but I really liked the idea behind it. I think it was one of the last games 3DO made before they went bankrupt.
From my understanding too Twilight Princess was never overrated.
Yes, a lot of people think it's slightly inferior to WW.
But the general concensus is that it's a great addition to the line of Zelda games.
To be honest, when I saw screens of the game I was put off a little because of the grim colours and dark screenshots. But I borrowed the game from a friend, played a little, gave him his copy back and purchased my own. It became obvious that these were only the twilight parts of the game.
It's a great game. Great dungeon designs, great characters, beautiful big world where you'll clock in a lot of hours. Great value for your money.
But I am more amped up for Skyward Sword. Now THAT is great use of a colour palette.
Bokta-oh, underrated in the "everyone except me dislikes it" way, nevermind then.
Megaman Battle Network 4
Yeah, really short and having to go through the story a minimum of 3 times to even be able to get to the postgame content properly is annoying, but damn if the battles weren't pretty fun.
Castlevania Judgment
Most people just got stuck on the "eww, x character looks nothing like he used to" (yeah so what, Kojima's versions are pretty different too and everyone praises her) to even give the poor game a chance. Sure, it's not really a great game, but it's quite fun.
Oh, and since Sonic and the Secret Rings and Shadow have been mentioned. Shadow doesn't deserve as much hate, but it's not a good game, and Secret Rings was a really awesome game once you upgraded Sonic's speed and control (why THAT is stuff you need to upgrade still makes no sense to me).
(posting one of the better Lost Horizon art pieces, refraining from using the actual cover art for good reason)
You really think that's underrated? Have I been too loud recently?
Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
I replay this again and again, and have joined gog.com just to get a version that keeps running on 64bit. The press loved it, but it did not seem to sell well. In these days, Ubisoft was still a company that PC gamers could rely on. BG&E was an incredibly emotional action-adventure with a heroine for the ages. The subtle emotions on the character's faces are impressive to look at still today, and Christophe Heral's multifaceted music will run in my CD player for eternity.
Anachronox (2001)
Struggling with its generic graphics and lackluster role-playing elements, this game absolutely scores with its quirky characters, brilliant storyline, somewhat melancholic music, superb voice acting and laugh-out-loud humor. Sales, however, obviously got in the way of a second game, which is a real shame (as Anachronox ends on a cliffhanger).
Advent Rising
I my self really love that game, it's an absolute blast. I think the graphics for it's time is astonishing and the story is really gripping. Granted there where some times where the story telling is a little lacking, events is explained badly. But overall the story is really great and leaving me on the edge of my seat.
The music score is all recorded by a live Orchestra, Adult and Child Choir.
The game have been hammered down for being to close to Star Wars or Halo, and I think the game was released at the same time, so it was lost in all the hype of those 2 other games. Which I really think is a shame, because it's a diamond in the rough that could have been expanded.
And it was supposed to be a Trilogy but because of the bad sales, and bad promotion this is something I won't see happen any time soon.
Which is also a real shame, because it ends in a huge cliffhanger.
The Mustard brothers who made the game is still trying to this day to get the rights back from Majesco, but they are not giving in and Majesco have not touched the game for almost 6 years.
I actually own the soundtrack, but have never played the game. Thanks for the reminder, I think I'll listen to it... right now.
The game itself is up at GOG.com for 5.99$. Might be worth a shot.
Trust me, those money wont go to waist.
Bought the game there myself, and I have never regret it since.
It's how I learned of the game, and see what I have missed out on. And when I looked up on it on the internet, I couldn't believe my eyes all the bad reviews it had received.
Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
I replay this again and again, and have joined gog.com just to get a version that keeps running on 64bit. The press loved it, but it did not seem to sell well. In these days, Ubisoft was still a company that PC gamers could rely on. BG&E was an incredibly emotional action-adventure with a heroine for the ages. The subtle emotions on the character's faces are impressive to look at still today, and Christophe Heral's multifaceted music will run in my CD player for eternity.
Agreed/seconded! I agree with you whole-heartedly. This game deserves to be included in this thread so much! It's such an excellent game, and playing through it was one of the greatest experiences that I've had in my gaming life. It really is a shame that it sold so poorly. Hopefully sales will be given a revitalization and boost when the game's released in HD on the Playstation Network and the Xbox Live Arcade. Also, let's hope that the sequel will be met with higher sales - it would encourage a third game, and I'd love to see this franchise turn into a trilogy!
As Quoted from Wikipedia: It has been announced a full HD, re-mastered, version of the game will be released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, in 2011. It will feature improved character models, textures, and soundtrack. Achievements, trophies and online leaderboards will be also added.
Aye, the developers obviously understand that they created gold when they made this game, so they're trying to do all that they can to give it its much deserved success. And I think that it will be given this success through the release of the HD version, given that it's marketed properly to the public.
Edit: Actually, no, now that I think about it, why would anyone actually take the time to Photoshop something like that? That's ridiculous... and sad. It's like packaging Grim Fandango with juiceboxes.
For the record, I don't consider Beyond Good & Evil an underrated game - just undersold. The majority of the gamers who played it absolutely loved it.
Actually, yeah, you're correct. It had brilliant reviews, is constantly in top 100 lists, and I haven't heard a single person say that they haven't liked it. It's just that... practically no-one bought the damn thing. Like Grim Fandango, I guess. But I can't help but feel that those games belong here, so I guess we can consider this thread the 'Under-appreciated Games' thread?
Have you tried "Bloody Good Time" yet? Pretty decent spiritual successor.
Shame that, like almost every MP game that tries something new, it'll be barren within the next few months. If even that.
Can't say I've played it myself but the GiantBomb quick look for it was rather embarrassing and those who said they bought it, quickly regretted it, even for the cheap price point and many of them were fans of the Ship. "Trying something new" doesn't necessarily mean good.
Anyway, I'd have to highlight the entire Legacy of Kain series.
The series does have quite a big cult following, but it definitely deserved more attention than it got. Really amazing story and probably the best voice acting in a videogame ever.
I'd also say anything made by Rare recently (with the exception of Perfect Dark Zero, which was still at least OK).. Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Nuts & Bolts, Kameo and Viva Pinata are all easily comparable to anything they made back in the N64 days, but are ignored by most gamers.
Comments
It's very fun, funny and a great way to pass time.
What other game lets you play as a villian that you expect to find in a James bond film?
They have it on good old games.
Quoted For Truth.
I can't even begin to count the number of magazines & websites that have talked unfair & idiotic crap about these games over the years.
I would also like to bring up Namco's Tales Series (at least here in America).... Another great series that the media has turn gamers off from (IE 200 character reviews & scores of 6-7).
It's actually 30% off this weekend.
I have it on Steam and it works fine.
Its also on GOG.com where they test and fix all their games to make sure they work on XP and vista (soon windows 7 as well)
Would you believe that I still have the Darth Vader recruitment poster that came with Force Commander on my wall next to my computer?
While we are on the subject of, uh, commanders, I loved the two MechCommander games, even more than their much more popular MechWarrior brothers. I even played in a short-lived MechCommander league where I lead the armed forces of the Free Rasalhague Republic and got CRUSHED by the Clans, just like in the series' fiction. Some would say my group sucked. I would say that we were just staying true to the canon.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for Discworld, even though I think a lot of the puzzles in that game completely lack in any of reasonable logic the average person would comprehend. ( I'm talking to you, butterfly in the past that somehow creates a rainstorm in the present for some reason puzzle! )
I think a lot of people got lost in the strangeness of this one. The world and the storytelling are so odd at times, combined with an odd gameplay type (first-person brawler), the audience who would appreciate it just didn't become very aware of it.
The art style is amazing, kind of a mix of Jim Henson's darker works, with Mercer Mayer and a little bit of Planescape: Torment. The game is gorgeous and the character design is distinctive. The voice acting is excellent, and really fits the world.
The story is bizarre, but well told IMO. Parts of the end are clearly telegraphed from early on, but that's only a minor mystery compared to some of the bigger questions about what's happening. There are also some truly great character moments along the way, including a boss fight that had me laughing so hard I had to stop playing and recover.
Admittedly the gameplay is flawed. The difficulty curve is uneven, but there haven't been many games in this genre and it works well enough for me to enjoy (and I the only fighting games I like are Smash Bros.)
^this
It is definitely underrated and people keep saying that it is buggy.
But it is not (anymore)! Get the latest patch and you get one of the best RPG games ever.
I like that game, never really got further after I got through the haunted hotel, the game is just really scary and dark. But still a good game.
I just remembered the games Dragon Rage and Drakan 2, The Ancients Gates.
Both great games, but not really as liked as I would think they would be.
They where both really good games, and I have completed Drakan 2 a few times.
I never really completed Dragon Rage, but I really liked the idea behind it. I think it was one of the last games 3DO made before they went bankrupt.
Maybe it's because I usually frequent RPG forums that I didn't knew that...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/2400/
Yes, a lot of people think it's slightly inferior to WW.
But the general concensus is that it's a great addition to the line of Zelda games.
To be honest, when I saw screens of the game I was put off a little because of the grim colours and dark screenshots. But I borrowed the game from a friend, played a little, gave him his copy back and purchased my own. It became obvious that these were only the twilight parts of the game.
It's a great game. Great dungeon designs, great characters, beautiful big world where you'll clock in a lot of hours. Great value for your money.
But I am more amped up for Skyward Sword. Now THAT is great use of a colour palette.
Have you tried "Bloody Good Time" yet? Pretty decent spiritual successor.
Shame that, like almost every MP game that tries something new, it'll be barren within the next few months. If even that.
Megaman Battle Network 4
Yeah, really short and having to go through the story a minimum of 3 times to even be able to get to the postgame content properly is annoying, but damn if the battles weren't pretty fun.
Castlevania Judgment
Most people just got stuck on the "eww, x character looks nothing like he used to" (yeah so what, Kojima's versions are pretty different too and everyone praises her) to even give the poor game a chance. Sure, it's not really a great game, but it's quite fun.
Oh, and since Sonic and the Secret Rings and Shadow have been mentioned. Shadow doesn't deserve as much hate, but it's not a good game, and Secret Rings was a really awesome game once you upgraded Sonic's speed and control (why THAT is stuff you need to upgrade still makes no sense to me).
You really think that's underrated? Have I been too loud recently?
Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
I replay this again and again, and have joined gog.com just to get a version that keeps running on 64bit. The press loved it, but it did not seem to sell well. In these days, Ubisoft was still a company that PC gamers could rely on. BG&E was an incredibly emotional action-adventure with a heroine for the ages. The subtle emotions on the character's faces are impressive to look at still today, and Christophe Heral's multifaceted music will run in my CD player for eternity.
Anachronox (2001)
Struggling with its generic graphics and lackluster role-playing elements, this game absolutely scores with its quirky characters, brilliant storyline, somewhat melancholic music, superb voice acting and laugh-out-loud humor. Sales, however, obviously got in the way of a second game, which is a real shame (as Anachronox ends on a cliffhanger).
Advent Rising
I my self really love that game, it's an absolute blast. I think the graphics for it's time is astonishing and the story is really gripping. Granted there where some times where the story telling is a little lacking, events is explained badly. But overall the story is really great and leaving me on the edge of my seat.
The music score is all recorded by a live Orchestra, Adult and Child Choir.
The game have been hammered down for being to close to Star Wars or Halo, and I think the game was released at the same time, so it was lost in all the hype of those 2 other games. Which I really think is a shame, because it's a diamond in the rough that could have been expanded.
And it was supposed to be a Trilogy but because of the bad sales, and bad promotion this is something I won't see happen any time soon.
Which is also a real shame, because it ends in a huge cliffhanger.
The Mustard brothers who made the game is still trying to this day to get the rights back from Majesco, but they are not giving in and Majesco have not touched the game for almost 6 years.
I actually own the soundtrack, but have never played the game. Thanks for the reminder, I think I'll listen to it... right now.
The game itself is up at GOG.com for 5.99$. Might be worth a shot.
Thats made my day!:D
Trust me, those money wont go to waist.
Bought the game there myself, and I have never regret it since.
It's how I learned of the game, and see what I have missed out on. And when I looked up on it on the internet, I couldn't believe my eyes all the bad reviews it had received.
Agreed/seconded! I agree with you whole-heartedly. This game deserves to be included in this thread so much! It's such an excellent game, and playing through it was one of the greatest experiences that I've had in my gaming life. It really is a shame that it sold so poorly. Hopefully sales will be given a revitalization and boost when the game's released in HD on the Playstation Network and the Xbox Live Arcade. Also, let's hope that the sequel will be met with higher sales - it would encourage a third game, and I'd love to see this franchise turn into a trilogy!
As Quoted from Wikipedia: It has been announced a full HD, re-mastered, version of the game will be released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, in 2011. It will feature improved character models, textures, and soundtrack. Achievements, trophies and online leaderboards will be also added.
So they want to have it away from underrated.
Any marketing is better than packing it in with cheese.
Yeah. Let that sink in. This is actually a thing that happened.
Edit: Actually, no, now that I think about it, why would anyone actually take the time to Photoshop something like that? That's ridiculous... and sad. It's like packaging Grim Fandango with juiceboxes.
I honestly don't know whether I should laugh, cry, do a tiny tiny dance, or wet myself.
Who says you can't do more than one?
The Honorable Judge Judith Sheindlin. She just waltzed right into my apartment and said "One or the other, bucko!".
Then again, I may have partaken of some mysterious substances on that day.
(Oh lord, someone please bring us back on topic.)
OH! Yeah, underrated games. Ermmm... Alter Ego. Here's a free browser remake: http://www.playalterego.com/
Talk about a game that was ahead of it's time.
Actually, yeah, you're correct. It had brilliant reviews, is constantly in top 100 lists, and I haven't heard a single person say that they haven't liked it. It's just that... practically no-one bought the damn thing. Like Grim Fandango, I guess. But I can't help but feel that those games belong here, so I guess we can consider this thread the 'Under-appreciated Games' thread?
"Gems that sold bad"
BG&E, PS:T and Vtm:B fit right in...
THE LAST EXPRESS!
Can't say I've played it myself but the GiantBomb quick look for it was rather embarrassing and those who said they bought it, quickly regretted it, even for the cheap price point and many of them were fans of the Ship. "Trying something new" doesn't necessarily mean good.
Anyway, I'd have to highlight the entire Legacy of Kain series.
The series does have quite a big cult following, but it definitely deserved more attention than it got. Really amazing story and probably the best voice acting in a videogame ever.
I'd also say anything made by Rare recently (with the exception of Perfect Dark Zero, which was still at least OK).. Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Nuts & Bolts, Kameo and Viva Pinata are all easily comparable to anything they made back in the N64 days, but are ignored by most gamers.