Randomly recommend an unknown or underrated game.

[TSTR]

HSX has been on my radar for a while now. Good to know it's enjoyable.

[Ghegs]

HSX has been on my radar for a while now. Good to know it's enjoyable.

I've passed on HSX because I've only heard bad things about it, but perhaps I should give it a go.

[Xeogred]

RE: Rex Rocket

Yeah, I didn't elaborate much. Was kinda lazy. That's what my review on Steam is for! Probably still not enough information, but whatevs.

Wow. I snagged this as part of an Indie Gala Monday Bundle, and I wish I'd known about it sooner. It's an absolutely fantastic Megaman/Metroid mashup. As others have noted, it's a very, very tough game. The recent changes to the checkpointing, though, make it a much more palatable affair. Even so, you're going to die a lot, but if you've got any NES action-gaming chops, you'll make it through.

The method of conveyance is interesting, using blaster fire shooting downward. You get used to it after a while, but you've got to make holding diagonals down while jumping a habit. Bosses are tough, but still pattern-based, so if you don't succeed at first, you'll get it down eventually.

Anyway, this one came out of nowhere and really surprised me. Very much a recommended game, even if you don't get it on the cheap. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next from Castle Pixel!

Also, my opinions from beating it cross-posted from Talking Time.

Guys, I had no clue about this one. Snagged it in the Indie Gala Monday bundle because it looked interesting, then proceeded to play for a solid six hours. Only stopped because I had to go to bed. It was lots of fun. Very tough in places, not above going all Super Meat Boy at the end, but fun. The checkpointing is far more forgiving than the original release, so getting through shouldn't be an issue for NES aficionados.

Cool, how do you or others think it stacks up compared to Xeodrifter and Axiom Verge? Been meaning to get those sometime.

[Sarge]

Those are two games I need to snag. I've been holding out hope for a GOG version of Axiom Verge. I should have picked up Xeodrifter when it was in the Humble Weekly, but I clean forgot about it.

[Exhuminator]

Love & Destroy | PS1 | 1999

Here's one a lot of people haven't heard of, let alone played. Mostly because it was a late gen PS1 title that never left Japan. It was created by Inti Creates, the developer who would go on to make a lot of Mega Man Zero games. But Love & Destroy is no 2D platformer. Rather, this is a 3D mech battling shooting kinda affair. In Love & Destroy you command a team of three young anime ladies who control various types of mecha. You use the mecha to fight off invading giant monsters who are trying to destroy Japan. This game's got really nice animated cutscenes and pretty impressive graphics. I couldn't tell you much about the plot, but the gameplay is quite unusual.



Gameplay video:

Screenshots:

-----



The Immortal | Genesis* | 1990

Here's a game plenty of Genesis collectors have heard of, but probably not bothered to play. And that's a damn shame, because The Immortal is one of the best games on the Genesis, and is definitely the best dungeon crawler on the system. Oh, but The Immortal is so much more than just a dungeon crawler.

Some plot stuff from Wikipedia:

The game begins with the player in control of an unnamed wizard. In the first room, the player is given the option of viewing the image of the character's mentor, another wizard named Mordamir. He is calling for help from deep below in the labyrinth, though he is attempting to communicate to another man named Dunric.

The two main types of creatures present in the dungeon are the goblins and the trolls, who are at war with one another. This is a minor plot element in the game. Depending on the player's actions in the earlier stages of the game, it is also possible for the main character to form an alliance with one of these races.[1]

The majority of the story is revealed through dream sequences triggered when the main character rests on straw beds placed throughout the labyrinth. It is eventually revealed that Mordamir is battling against a dragon at the Fountain of Youth. The plot of the game undergoes a twist when the main character finds Dunric having been trapped by Mordamir. In the end, the main character is forced to make a decision on whom to aid, the Dragon or Mordamir.

Gameplay description from Wikipedia:

The game takes place on a 7- or 8-level labyrinth, depending on the version of the game. The player must solve puzzles, avoid deathtraps, use magic spells (in the form of books and scrolls), and acquire various items in order to survive the labyrinth. However, certain items will bring instant death to the player if used in an unwise and careless manner.

Combat in the game is offered in the form of a variety of non-player characters wandering or protecting a specific portion of the map. Fireball spells can be freely used to dispatch these enemies on the isometric field. However, they can not be used once the game has entered combat mode. Combat mode is initiated upon coming into close contact with these characters, and the game play shifts from the standard isometric view to a zoomed-in two-dimensional view in real-time. The real-time battle engine is limited to dodging opponent's attacks and performing sword swings and stabs.

In addition to walking, certain levels allow the main character to possess a magic carpet that flies and paddle through water while sitting on a floating barrel.

So what do I love about The Immortal? You mean besides its amazing atmosphere, crazy great animation, devious as hell puzzles, challenging trap traversal, and nifty magical items? Howabout its INSANE GORE FACTOR. Listen up, The Immortal was released in 1990, that's two full years before Mortal Kombat, and The Immortal is way, wayyy more gorey than Mortal Kombat. When you kill creatures in this game, you might slice them in half, slice half their head off, or cause their upper torso to explode in entrails and red mist. And it's all very graphically detailed and animated expertly. Take a look:


Remember, this game released in 1990. Mortal Kombat released in 1992. The Immortal is the OG make parents and politicians shit their pants game. Or it would have been, if they'd even have known of it.

If you're looking for a very difficult dungeon crawler with amazing animation, crazy traps and puzzles, a really cool story, and atmosphere oozing out of every rotten brick, you owe it to yourself to play The Immortal. Don't feel bad if you need a walkthrough once in a while though, because this game is seriously tough. But it's also seriously great and seriously underrated.

Screenshots:

Awesome advertisement:

*The Immortal was released on a lot of systems; Apple IIGS, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, NES, Mega Drive/Genesis. But trust me, the Genesis version is the best.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I accidentally scrolled down really fast so my screen was centered solely on this:

And I immediately knew I was looking at a Exhuminator post.

I need to get into PSX imports someday. The NTSC library is so huge I sometimes forget to look into Japan-only games. Contrast this to the Saturn.

And The Immortal is awesome.

[ElkinFencer10]

EDF! EDF! EDF! It's not exactly unknown, but it's definitely underappreciated.




In terms of an actually relatively unknown game, Knife Edge Nose Gunner. I'm sure a few of yall have played it, but it's a really awesome N64 rail shooter. It's not a AAA title, so it's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun and has a well loved spot on my shelf.

[Fragems]

One game I really liked which didn't seem to get a ton of attention was Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. I played the hell out of that game on my PS2 just really liked the art style, sound track, and setting. Game really got dragged down by the combat system which while not horribly bad was a little clunky and made for some really painful boss battles . Combat was usually avoidable though and the stealth which was a pretty big part of the game later on worked pretty well. The star of the show was the graffiti though which was done insanely well and the game had a very well done story in my opinion.

[marurun]

Well, it sounds like a very interesting porn game, at the very least.

[Exhuminator]

I need to get into PSX imports someday. The NTSC library is so huge I sometimes forget to look into Japan-only games.

Yep, the PS1 library is legit gigantic. As you say there are a LOT of quality Japan exclusive titles. There are also quality PAL releases that never made it over to the USA, but are playable in full English. I'll list a few good ones below.


Diver's Dream | PS1 | 1998

Description from Mobygames:

"Diver's Dream is a game inspired by Luc Besson's movie The Big Blue. The player meets an old man named Roberto Meyer, who's life long dream is to explore the wreck of the ship Gigantic Matilda. Together with him and his grand daughter Olivia, the player sets out to start exploring the vast sea bed and finally maybe even Gigantic Matilda...

The player starts out wearing just a pair of swim trunks, and in order to reach the great depths of the sea the equipment needs to be up to date. The game is mission based and the player will have collect treasures and valuables from the sea bed and with the money earned, upgrade the scuba gear and advance to more difficult missions with greater rewards.

The game is semi free roaming in nature, meaning that the player gets to explore a big area at the time. Options are to collect treasure, fight off aggressive underwater creatures or simply play around with the friendly dolphins."

Screenshots:

Ridiculously inappropriate official ad:

-----

Gungage | PS1 | 1999

Description from Mobygames:

"Gungage is a futuristic Third Person Shooter for the PlayStation. In the game, the world is threatened by strange creatures from an alternative world called Dark Moon, who want to take over the Earth.

You start the game with only one character available to play with, but three more can be unlocked. Each character has its own characteristics when it comes to the size of their gun, their speed, and their size. Each character also has their own special psychic powers. The story evolves differently with the various characters, but the same levels are used. During the game, special powers have to be collected.

Settings of the various levels in the game vary from deserts to laboratories. Enemies in the game vary from prehistoric looking beast to futuristic robots and tanks. Enemies can run around, pop out of the ground, fly in the air, and come out of the water. Levels are completed by confronting and defeating a giant level boss. The game can be played in easy, medium, and hard mode."

Screenshots:

-----

Crisis Beat | PS1 | 1998

Description from Mobygames:

"Crisis Beat is your typical 3D side-scrolling game, but with more features. It has rendered cinematics and real-time 3D scenes. The characters have their own voices, and their designs gives them an anime look. Also, you get to choose your character from 2 pairs, so their story begins differently.

The story takes place aboard a ship called the "Princess of the Fearless", which gets sea-jacked by a group of Terrorists, led by Colonel Whigen. Your character will then have to fight through the different areas aboard the ship in an attempt to stop the Terrorists.

The fighting heavily emphasizes combos and air juggles, and the use of background objects to attack your opponents, in a totally different way to most beat 'em ups. Also, the new Lock-On Counter system separates the game from the normal beat'em ups. "

Screenshots:

-----

Plenty more where that came from, all in due time...