Current gen hidden gems

[Pulsar_t]

I think it's time we started talking about this generation's ignored titles. Games that were received badly and underperformed commercially, but given how those can be bought on the cheap there's no reason to ignore them anymore.



Sega Rally Revo - This game received good reviews, but the (increasingly few) people who are into rally games these days prefer 'arcadish realism' over 'realistic arcadism'.. And on the latter count SRR delivered splendidly. Yes the cars handle in a floaty manner but Sega Rally was never about realism, and the marvelous deformable terrain feature only added to the legacy of SR's split-second lap record-attaining-crave precision (phew). Furthermore the music is original and none of that overused metal stuff found in virtually all other racing games.

It's a shame Sega had to ax the team behind this little great rally game.

So what other games can you think of?

[csvo2000]

Hey cool, I purchased a nice mint copy (I guess nobody ever rented it) last week for $6.99 plus an additional game for free from Blockbuster last week.

[SegaDreamscape]

Don't have another game to add, just wanted to agree with Sega Rally (full title in the uk). One of my best games on my ps3. Didn't get anywhere near the response it should have. Extremely difficult though.

[Niode]

Yeah I keep considering picking this up I had mixed opinions about the demo. On the one hand I loved the terrain deformation however the aggressive way that the other cars drive and the unpredictable nature of the terrain really hacked me off because I just felt out of control. I guess that was the main issue I had with it, it has a steep learning curve which is multiplied by the fact that you can't rely on a single racing line around a course, you have to keep changing.

I guess in a way it's similar to Wave Race Blue Storm which is a fantastic game, easily the best water based racing game which again, suffers from a similar probably, unpredictable waves. When I got the hang of racing in that game (it's all in nuanced control, jerking, quick movements will always cause you to lose control, you must[/] read the waves and adjust accordingly) I loved it. Maybe I should just get it cheap (quite easy thanks to it's low sales) and persevere.

[corn619]

I'm gonna put Folklore for PS3 and The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces for Wii on the list as well. Folklore was a not perfect, but great game that received little to zero attention. Its a great action RPG with a fantastic art style. And dare I say, I enjoyed the sixaxis gameplay too.

The Sky Crawlers is made by Project Aces of Ace Combat fame and is a terrific game as well. I bought it on the day of release for $29.99 and was well worth it. The controls take a couple missions to adjust to but make great use of the Wii controller. Graphics are great for a Wii game and the missions and story are fun.

Edit: I think that Rally game is next on the list. I always wanted it, but for some reason always passed on it for something else.

[ZeroAX]

Excite Truck, No More Heroes on the Wii

Valkyria Chronicles, Reasonance of Fate, Folkore, on the PS3

[Niode]

Is folklore really worth playing? I've seen it for cheap so many times and passed it up because I know next to nothing about.

[J T]

Zeno Clash (PC and X-box 360)
This is a brilliant little game made by a small studio in Chile. It's on PC, and thanks to Atlus, will also be making its way to the X-box Live Arcade. The graphics are surreal and brutal, hideous and beautiful. It also has a unique first person fist fighting mechanic that allows for punching, blocking, holds, knee kicks, and combos.


Trials 2 (PC) or Trials HD (X-box 360)
This is not a racing game. It is a physics puzzle. It is probably the most difficult game released this generation and it only uses the direction pad for controls. Your poor little motorcycle man will break every bone in his body a thousand times over.


The Void (PC)
This game is nightmarish and sexual. The haunting environments are both beautiful and unsettling. In a place between death and your final resting place, you must steel color from wherever you can find it and feed it to the beautiful sisters that inhabit this other realm. You kind of have to play it yourself to understand. As one reviewer put it "The Void is so far outside of the realms of helpful description that I might as well phone you up and make animal noises at you".


Hammerfight (PC)
This is a game that gives it's play control mechanic the attention it deserves. You pilot a ship with a large attached mace-like weapon that may be a hammer, ball and chain, or sword. The weapon only works when you build momentum by flying your ship around to get it to swing. This is done by swirling your mouse around to get the mace spinning, while also not letting it throw your ship out of control. It's a really unique gameplay mechanic and it is executed beautifully. It is more than an innovative gameplay demo as well. It also delivers quite a good story full of warring tribes, monster infestations, and being enslaved and forced to battle to the death in tournament's for your enemies' amusement.


Metal Drift (PC)
This is a futuristic arena sport played with high tech teams of hover tanks that battle over possession of a ball to score goals on either side of the maze-like arenas. It's a simple enough concept, but the controls are where it shines. You control your turret independently from your ship which allows for some challenging moments of driving blind forward while shooting at people all around you. Every goal is a struggle.

[ZeroAX]

Is folklore really worth playing? I've seen it for cheap so many times and passed it up because I know next to nothing about.

it's way different for a jrpg, and it's more action oriented (the battle system is kind of like zelda only with spells instead of swords)

[NebachadnezzaR]

Conan (360, PS3) a God of War-like hack 'n' slash. Solid gameplay mechanics and great visuals, although not as good as the GoW series it's way better than Dante's Inferno in my opinion, and didn't receive a fraction of that game's marketing campaign. Don't go out of your way to play it, but grab it if you get the chance.