Games you consider Underrated?

[PukeSter]

Let's talk about underrated games.

Rules:

1. Has to be something not well-known and loved, that is called underrated.

Example of bad pick: Zelda: Majora's Mask

2. Can't be a game with notable, major problems, that is irrationally liked by few

Example of bad pick: Sonic Lost World


I'll start. Marvel Land on Genesis, one of my favorite games on the console. Not a perfect platformer (jumping is floaty, pretty slow, repetitive albeit good tunes), but very solid, and has many well executed ideas. Prince Paco has some cool power-ups, such as the dragon wings. For example, all boss fights are mini-games, and warps are everywhere. Namco character cameos are abundant, and the theme park setting is great. Also a fantastic port, but with different enemies and level designs (and also 7 levels per stage instead of 4). I guess similar in this way to the Bravoman and Valkyrie ports.

Here is also an excellent shrine dedicated to the game. http://marvelland.doublemole.com/

[BigusSchmuck]

Deadly Towers for the Nes. Man that game is hard. If you can get past the repetitive mazes there is a good game here. Oh yeah and the music is very catchy too in a simplistic way.

[PunkCryborg]

Kickle Cubicle

[roflmao]

Double Dungeons. Few people (other than me) seem to like it, but I think it's great! I have fond memories playing it 2-player, and the music will stick to my brain for days. Sure, there's not a lot of depth to it, but I think that's one of the things I like about it.  It's perfect for playing on the Express on a road trip.  You can hold a conversation with people and kill stuff at the same time!

[jeffhlewis]

Shadow Blasters / Shiten Myouou for the Genesis/MD. Side scrolling action platformer where you switch between 4 different characters. It's not early-shatteringly original but it's just a solid, fun game. Killer soundtrack, too.

[burn_654]

I will stand by the fact that I LOVED Resident Evil 5. Played through it twice with a good friend and my brother, and aside from some definite interface issues/quirks I truly just had fun with it. It's not worth playing singleplayer, but team up with someone serious, put time in to playing the campaign together, divy up your weapon strengths so you can cover more ground (I went sniper while someone else put money into upgrading shotguns/explosives for instance) and it just works well. Yes it lost some of the survival horror aspects but it does retain the tension of very limited ammo/items when you consider it has to be adequately shared with another person.

Resident Evil 6 lost some of that for me when they made pickups duplicated for all players. It felt like there was less tension in the co-op experience and the second player was just tagging along. 5 just had a solid co-op experience, imo.

[Mzo]

I'm pretty sure that the people who didn't like RE5 didn't play through with a good co-op partner.

Playing with the AI would probably make most people dislike the game.

[TR0N]

I'm pretty sure that the people who didn't like RE5 didn't play through with a good co-op partner.

Playing with the AI would probably make most people dislike the game.

I like RE5 and i did play allot in co-op.Sure RE5 is just a action game and not survival horror,but i thought it was a good game regardless.

[TR0N]

My pick for a underrated game for a modern one at least.
The Psychonauts Trailer

[wildfruit]

Alundra!

[PCEngineHell]

Time Killers. People don't get it, they don't understand how to play it (anyway who can at least play Tekken or Soul Edge can handle Time Killers), and they label it a MK rip off even though the game was released at about the same time.

[TheClash603]

I will give two picks that are themed...

Yo Noid

Yo Bro

Apostrophes and exclamation points purposely left out, because I knew I would fuck them up.

[majors]

Target Earth on Genny, it might not be underrated but ppl did not like the difficultly. I also adore Flink on SegaCD.

Tho I do not share the same love for Double Dungeon that rolfmao has (i.e. I'm selling my copy), I do have a appreciation for Victory Run along with Power Golf(1 and 2!).

[SmaMan]

Double Dungeons. Few people (other than me) seem to like it, but I think it's great! I have fond memories playing it 2-player, and the music will stick to my brain for days. Sure, there's not a lot of depth to it, but I think that's one of the things I like about it.  It's perfect for playing on the Express on a road trip.  You can hold a conversation with people and kill stuff at the same time!

Y'know, from seeing screenshots and footage and stuff, Double Dungeons always looked like something I would enjoy. But with everyone saying it sucked I never really went for it I guess.

[bartre]

Strider on the NES.
everyone pops it in expecting the arcade/MD game, but it's an entirely different beast.
i feel the game gets judged unfairly based on that.

[Nando]

Taz-Mania on the genesis. Fun platformer with some decent challenges and simple puzzles, a great one to play with kids.

[bob]

I love double dungeons. Great game for express as noted. All you have to do is follow one wall and you will get pretty far I noticed. The repetitive backdrop can get you lost immediately. It's great fun anyway.

I'm a huge fan of warios woods which doesn't get much exposure.

[roflmao]

Y'know, from seeing screenshots and footage and stuff, Double Dungeons always looked like something I would enjoy. But with everyone saying it sucked I never really went for it I guess.

Well then you ought to pick up Majors copy and let us know what you think!

Tony, it doesn't surprise me a bit that DD isn't your cup of tea. It's not a shooter.

[majors]

Y'know, from seeing screenshots and footage and stuff, Double Dungeons always looked like something I would enjoy. But with everyone saying it sucked I never really went for it I guess.

Well then you ought to pick up Majors copy and let us know what you think!

Yes, get it out of my house! It's just a loosey though, in case SmaMan is a collector.

[munchiaz]

My choice goes to Vanguard Bandits. I love this game, but it seems to always get overlooked by people. Everytime i bring up the game, people just try to mention other "better" SRPG's but honestly, VB is one of my favorite games on the ps1. Here is a site dedicated to VB

http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/psx/vanguard/

[sirhcman]

my vote goes to J.J. & Jeff!

[Otaking]

my vote goes to Kato Chan & Ken Chan! 

[Mzo]

I'm a huge fan of warios woods which doesn't get much exposure.

This is a great choice.  The game is a lot of fun to play and the amount of control you have over Toad is impressive.  Nobody seems to talk about it much, though =/

[ClodBusted]

I'd like to throw Kemco's Top Gear (SNES) in the mix. Back in the early '90s, I felt it was overshadowed by F-Zero and Super Mario Kart. But surprisingly enough, it has aged well and thus is still very playable today - unlike its Lotus series predecessors on the Commodore Amiga.

What made the game unique for its time were the day-to-night transitions and pit stops, which added some strategic twist depending on what car type you were driving.


This game should be enjoyed with a friend in the cooperative multiplayer split screen mode.

[PukeSter]

my vote goes to J.J. & Jeff!

Always liked it. Never beat it though. Enjoyable, but has big flaws like the short range of the kick, and random dinosaurs.

The night/sewer music is orgasmic though.

[Psycho Punch]

I'd like to throw Kemco's Top Gear (SNES) in the mix. Back in the early '90s, I felt it was overshadowed by F-Zero and Super Mario Kart. But surprisingly enough, it has aged well and thus is still very playable today - unlike its Lotus series predecessors on the Commodore Amiga.

What made the game unique for its time were the day-to-night transitions and pit stops, which added some strategic twist depending on what car type you were driving.


This game should be enjoyed with a friend in the cooperative multiplayer split screen mode.

F-Zero? Here in my country no one cared about this game, it was Top Gear all the way, people often mention to this day that the best Racing game they ever played. Of course people often exaggerate but it was very popular at the time.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Hydlide 3: The Space Memories (Super Hydlide)


also who said Double Dungeons sucked?  Retards? 

[ClodBusted]

F-Zero? Here in my country no one cared about this game, it was Top Gear all the way, people often mention to this day that the best Racing game they ever played. Of course people often exaggerate but it was very popular at the time.

It's great to hear that Top Gear at least got its well deserved love in some places of the world. Just out of curiosity, where are you located?

[Psycho Punch]

F-Zero? Here in my country no one cared about this game, it was Top Gear all the way, people often mention to this day that the best Racing game they ever played. Of course people often exaggerate but it was very popular at the time.

It's great to hear that Top Gear at least got its well deserved love in some places of the world. Just out of curiosity, where are you located?

Brazil. Two games that got more love here for SNES if I recall correctly: Top Gear and International Superstar Soccer.

[SmaMan]

Y'know, from seeing screenshots and footage and stuff, Double Dungeons always looked like something I would enjoy. But with everyone saying it sucked I never really went for it I guess.

Well then you ought to pick up Majors copy and let us know what you think!

Yes, get it out of my house! It's just a loosey though, in case SmaMan is a collector.

Sure I'll take it. I have too much fun with my collection to be called a "collector." That said, especially with PCE games, I do like to have the case, if anything just so it's protected. The other matter is that I have an unmodded PCEngine, not a TG16. Not sure what region yours is for. (I was talking to someone on here about getting it modded, but they suddenly dropped off the face of this forum and stopped replying to my messages.)

Back on topic, I'm gonna throw Starfox Assault for the Gamecube on this list. Everyone pans the crap out of this game, (and really every StarFox game post-64... and you wonder why we haven't gotten any lately) But it's a whole lot of fun. My friends and I stayed up till 4am some nights playing the multiplayer. Good, good times!

[SuperDeadite]

Ken-Go, the "sequel" to Ninja Spirit.
Itchy & Scratchy Miniture Golf Madness
Jurassic Park (Gameboy version)
Castlevania The Adventure
Haunted Castle (Japanese version only)
Thunder Cross II

[ToyMachine78]

Deadly Towers for the Nes. Man that game is hard. If you can get past the repetitive mazes there is a good game here. Oh yeah and the music is very catchy too in a simplistic way.

LOL SERIOUSLY!! ??  I think that is in gross violation of rule #2 lol

[ToyMachine78]

Strider on the NES.
everyone pops it in expecting the arcade/MD game, but it's an entirely different beast.
i feel the game gets judged unfairly based on that.

Great choice. I concur

[BigusSchmuck]

Deadly Towers for the Nes. Man that game is hard. If you can get past the repetitive mazes there is a good game here. Oh yeah and the music is very catchy too in a simplistic way.

LOL SERIOUSLY!! ??  I think that is in gross violation of rule #2 lol

It's not as bad as people claim it to be.  Honorable mention The Immortal.  ;)

[jeffhlewis]

Think I mentioned this last time but Need for Speed Underground (the first one) consumed my life for like 3 months. It's a fantastic game if you give it a chance.

[bob]

I'm a huge fan of warios woods which doesn't get much exposure.

This is a great choice.  The game is a lot of fun to play and the amount of control you have over Toad is impressive.  Nobody seems to talk about it much, though =/

Thank you. And yes, once you get the hang of controlling toad, it can be an incredibly satisfying experience.
Almost feels unintentionally rhythmic at points.

[geise]

Violent Storm (arcade)
Kendo Rage (SFC/SNES)
Kiadan 00 (PC-E SCD)
Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.
Philosoma (Playstation) cut scenes still look good
Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)

[bob]

Legend of Kage

[TR0N]

The Goonies II

[esteban]

I was debating whether to keep this strictly TURBOPCE or not. I went with my "stream of consciousness" mode, so I don't know what will happen.

KARNOV (NES). I've written about it too many times. Suffice it to say: I love the ridiculously long list of tools/items that are available and the opportunities (if you experiment) you have to use them. Some things are used constantly (ladders), whilst some are so wonderful, ephemeral moments (flying with wings). The stage design <-> exploration <-> item usage strikes the right balance for me. I think of Karnov as a platformer (linear, at heart), with some extra goodness layered on top to prevent linearity from being boring (especially on replay). This keeps things moving relatively briskly and encourages replay (You don't have to slog around, or back track, or whatever, that kills replay in a game that aspires to be more). I think the atmosphere, graphics, music are cohesive, it feels great to unleash your fully-fired-up inferno on opponents, especially a boss. I think love was out into this game (designers play-tested it and got balance right). It is NOT a very difficult game, but I find it charming and replay it all the time.

GAIN GROUND SX. Another game I've promoted in the past, but I think this is a harder sell. It is much more challenging than, say, KARNOV, and can frustrate folks because of its quirks: many characters are a tad to sluggish for modern tastes (I think this was a compromise to balance out size of screen vs. reaction time vs. speed of enemies vs. speed of projectiles...if you concede that this is a strategy game AS WELL AS an action game, you might be forgiving). Personally, I think the games quirks can be appreciated and add to the charm. Some characters are slow, sure, but this makes you appreciate the one who are swift. The range of characters seems more authentic when you have slugs in there. The variety of weapons, and the different strategies you devise for various projectiles, is nice (especially after replaying the game a bunch of times...you'll gain a greater appreciation for the distinct feel of each character and how to handle weapons). THE RED BOOK SOUNDTRACK IS VERY NICE. I usually prefer synth pop and old skool chip tunes, but something about this soundtrack just FUCKING WORKS and complements the game perfectly—lie, this game had a majestic vision that was only partially executed (the graphics, controls, speed are not perfect), but, finally, the Red Book tunes usher in the respect and sincerity and Grande Visione that beat at the heart of this friggin' sweet game.

I gotta de-ice my car and go to work now. DAMN.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Yarr, Gain Ground SX is pretty sweet.  I recently played through it and found it to be rather easy, especially if you play on the default difficulty setting; once you learn how all the different characters move/shoot, you can run right through it, kicking ass and taking names.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Yarr, Gain Ground SX is pretty sweet.  I recently played through it and found it to be rather easy, especially if you play on the default difficulty setting; once you learn how all the different characters move/shoot, you can run right through it, kicking ass and taking names.

Yeah it's definitely a easy going game, to me.


and , SUPER HYDLIDE.

GUYS.

ITS AWESOME.

hnnfnggggg

[JoshTurboTrollX]

I've always been a fella that tries to find fun in games that are often forgotten or ignored.  I find this thread facsinating!!  However, I've tried nearly each game listed so far (other than deadite's Thunder Cross 2 and Ken-go recommendations) having read/heard/discovered praise for most mentioned...

With that being said, let me see if I've got a couple underrated games I've found totally unheard of that you guys could check out.

Hook (SNES)  I prefer the SNES version of the Genesis or Sega CD versions.  I really enjoyed this one with the flying element and the challenge being pretty high in the earlier stages.  I didn't necessarily think this licensed game that doesn't suck really brought anything truly new to the table, but I have a blast picking it and playing through it.  Kind of felt like one of those Capcom SNES type games with the graphics, music and challenge.  Also, enjoyed it's spiritual sequel - Skyblazer also on SNES.

Sonic 3D blast (Only the Saturn version) - I know it's not the Sonic game we all hoped it would be, but I think all the ragging on this better than average isometric platformer needs to stop.  It's fun, has clever level design, great boss battles, awesome soundtrack and is a save feature away from being in my top 10 favorite Saturn games.  Dang it!

Micro Machines (NES, SNES, N64) all of them.  They're hilarious fun that hardly anyone talks about.

Flip Out!  Atari Jag You are*  - really fun puzzle game that kind of just plays like a quick lunch break, but sucks you in and I often find myself playing through it to the end.... Honestly a little pointless, but a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal game library.

Sonic Spike TG16 - all of you guys that just ignored it and think it's a lame Volleyball game never played 4 players.  period.  Try it.  It's freakin' awesome!

Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.

That's actually really cool, I didn't realize that Lagoon was ported from anywhere!  YAY!  Information blast!!

[bob]

I've always been a fella that tries to find fun in games that are often forgotten or ignored.  I find this thread facsinating!!  However, I've tried nearly each game listed so far (other than deadite's Thunder Cross 2 and Ken-go recommendations) having read/heard/discovered praise for most mentioned...

With that being said, let me see if I've got a couple underrated games I've found totally unheard of that you guys could check out.

Hook (SNES)  I prefer the SNES version of the Genesis or Sega CD versions.  I really enjoyed this one with the flying element and the challenge being pretty high in the earlier stages.  I didn't necessarily think this licensed game that doesn't suck really brought anything truly new to the table, but I have a blast picking it and playing through it.  Kind of felt like one of those Capcom SNES type games with the graphics, music and challenge.  Also, enjoyed it's spiritual sequel - Skyblazer also on SNES.

Sonic 3D blast (Only the Saturn version) - I know it's not the Sonic game we all hoped it would be, but I think all the ragging on this better than average isometric platformer needs to stop.  It's fun, has clever level design, great boss battles, awesome soundtrack and is a save feature away from being in my top 10 favorite Saturn games.  Dang it!

Micro Machines (NES, SNES, N64) all of them.  They're hilarious fun that hardly anyone talks about.

Flip Out!  Atari Jag You are*  - really fun puzzle game that kind of just plays like a quick lunch break, but sucks you in and I often find myself playing through it to the end.... Honestly a little pointless, but a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal game library.

Sonic Spike TG16 - all of you guys that just ignored it and think it's a lame Volleyball game never played 4 players.  period.  Try it.  It's freakin' awesome!

Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.

That's actually really cool, I didn't realize that Lagoon was ported from anywhere!  YAY!  Information blast!!

+1 for micro machines
+1 for sonic spike
i was a big fan of superspike vball for NES and sonic spike is very similar but better

[Psycho Punch]

Alien Trilogy on PS/Sat is underrated. One of the best doom clones.

[Mzo]

Chibi-Robo on the GC is underrated.

It's really charming and nobody played it...

[IrishNinja]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

recently, i got into Internal Section on PS1, and Die Hard on PCE...so crazy the latter never came here, was thinking the next copy i see, I'll donate to Classic Game Room - pretty sure Mark would love it.

[TR0N]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

For it's time ZAMN was underrated but the game is very well know now.

[IrishNinja]

^true...rightfully so!  okay i'm gonna change my vote to Rolling Thunder 2 then

[geise]

Batman Returns (SNES/SFC)  Usually movies to games translate really bad, but Konami did an awesome job with this game.