Niche and underrated games-thread

[anosou]

After reading a bit too much on the "Hidden Gems" articles I thought it would be a good idea to make thread where people list THEIR favorite games that didn't get enough attention! I'm talking about niche-games (train simulators anyone?), underrated or plain forgotten games. The more you post the more I can go out and buy when I get paid I'll start off with a bunch of PS2-titles that everyone should play.

Homura (PS2) - This Taito shmup (developed by Skonec if I'm not mistaken) was ported to the PS2 and somewhat unexpectedly released in Europe by 505 Game Street. The game isn't the most pretty game but the gameplay system is quite awesome and reminds me of Psyvariar. Check out some gameplay on youtube!

Bloody Roar-series (PS1, PS2, GC, XBOX) - The Bloody Roar-series by Hudson and Eighting/Raizing (!!!) is one of the most enjoyable beat 'em up-series I've had the pleasure of playing. While it's not as polished as most competitors it has an interesting system with beast transformations and a decent combo system etc. Bloody Roar 2 or 3 are considered the series high mark and BR3 is avaliable on GC and XBOX too in updated verions. It's cheap so you should definitely buy it, bring a couple of friends over, play this and have some beers. Beyond awesome.

Bombastic (PS2) - I know it's mentioned in at least one article here on racketboy but it deserves MORE attention. It's the successor (and remake) of the dice-based puzzler XI (or Devil Dice) that was originally developed for the Yaroze (PS developemer-platform). The gameplay is altered but you can unlock original mode too. The puzzles are hard, the multi-player is frantic and the game is incredibly cheap. Get it now!

Flipnic (PS2) - This highly stylized flipper game is awesome. Good levels, multiple goals, multiplayer-modes and high-score tables. Check it out on Youtube for an idea what to expect.

King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 (PS2) - King of Fighters in 3D is bound to be hated. That's too bad because it's still a great game! The combo-centric gameplay is intact, the graphics are pretty good (Mai in 3D!) and overall it's still a good, harcore beat 'em up.

R-Type Final (PS2) - If we take away the slowdown on the huge-airship-stage this game is fantastic. 101 ships, well thought out (although a bit easier and slower than previous games) levels and the general hotness that is the R-Type team's crazy vision of the Bydo - culminating in a shadowy sex-scene and thousands of eye balls. Irem needs to ressurect this with improved framerate and HD graphics but until then this is the best you can get!

Now, YOU fill this thread up with awesomeness.

[jfrost]

What's it with you Brits calling fighters "beat 'em ups"? I noticed the same thing on the Retro Gamer magazine. Anyway, here's my modest list, mostly PS1 games, since it was the only console I owned for years:

Thrasher: Skate & Destroy (PS1) - The graphics sucked compared to Tony Hawk's, but the gameplay was terrific. The fact that you could break your bones and your skateboard was awesome too.

Guilty Gear (PS1) - Today the series is very well-known, but back in the day, I couldn't find anyone who played or even knew about Guilty Gear. I loved the combo system and even though I found the game extremely hard, I kept coming back to it (some weeks ago I went back to the game and it wasn't anywhere as difficult as I thought it was. I even beat Testament with ease, discovering for the first time that there's another boss after him).

Rival Schools: United by Fate (PS1) - The fighting mechanics kind of reminded me of the Vs. series, so I was immediately drawn to this game. I was always jealous of my Saturn owning friends who could enjoy X-men Vs. Street Fighter, so when Rivals Schools came to be, I sunk countless hours in it. It needs another sequel badly.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (PS1, DC) - Since I was a fighting game geek, I naturally picked this up and it was a blast. The gameplay was simple but deep, and the characters and plot were awesome. I also only got to read the manga because of the game, and it was very good.

Bust-A-Groove 2 (PS1) - I still go back to this game ocasionally, it's just too much fun. I never got into a rhythm game so much as I got into this one. I spent countless hours pulling off fever times in this game, and it helped that I had a friend who was as addicted to it as I was.

[Gamerforlife]

The Red Star-Aside from some retro sites like this, the game was largely ignored. Everything just clicks in this game, very well designed.

[kingdomheights777]

Astal- Saturn
Mischief Makers-N64
Nights Journey of dreams- Wii

[PGchris]

Point Blank, its a light gun game for the PS1 the only reason I can think of that this game wouldn't be mentioned in the hidden gems category would be if it was well known in its time, but I never heard of it until recently. Its just really fun goofy light gun with a million little mini games, awesome to play with friends. I picked it up for 5 bucks on ebay.

[anosou]

I remember Point Blank :O eBay here I come!

Also re: "brits" calling it beat 'em ups (I'm Swedish btw ;P) it's a strange heritage.. but hey that's what you do, you beat 'em up.

[brickiemart]

Fire Emblem- (Wii, GBA, DS, Cube) - This series just got a new release with a lot of advertising behind it, but before that Fire Emblem was mostly known only to niche gamers. And even in the TRPG genre it seemed like a niche itself. Playing through the Wii version was one of my best game experiences with that console.

King's Bounty: The Legend (PC) - This is a sequel or spin-off from the classic Heroes of Might and Magic series. It takes the gameplay from the original game and evolves it in a different direction from the Heroes sequels. King's Bounty retains more of the fundamental gameplay of the original Heroes game (also called King's Bounty). Every review I have read about this is great, but the game gets little recognition.

Zillion (SMS) This game gets recognized as a great SMS title (right after Phantasy Star) when the subject of the Master System is mentioned, but it rarely gets recognition outside of that conversation. Great game, it symbolizes a lot of classic game elements to me. Great 8-bit graphics, awesome soundtrack, and you have to do work outside of playing it with a controller to win. Meaning you constantly get symbols which act as a code to open doors, stop alarms etc. Unless you have a great memory you will need pen and paper to beat the game (just like you can not beat the original Phantasy Star without a thick pad of graph paper for the mazes or an internet guide). Doing this kind of work to beat a game makes the accomplishment more rewarding IMO.

[TheyCallMeTheSwede]

Alundra (PS1)
Journey to Silius (NES)
Galaxy Fight (Neo Geo)
Vendetta (Arcade)
T&C Surf Designs (NES)
Under A Killing Moon (PC)
Blood (PC)
Double Dragon (Neo Geo)
Destrega (PS1)
Blood Storm (Arcade)
The Mark of Kri (PS2)


Thats all I can think of, at the moment

[MrPopo]

Back before the internet, Earthbound didn't get nearly enough credit for being fantastic. But the good folks at Starman.net have been waging a campaign to slowly change that over the years.

[noiseredux]

A Nightmare On Elm Street for NES is maybe my all time favorite game. A lot of people don't even seem to like it.