Totally agree, and just as much the first pokemon pinball I couldn't stop playing either. I'm not even that big on pinball.
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Praise a lesser known or underrated game in a well regarded series
- Thread starter oni-link
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Totally agree, and just as much the first pokemon pinball I couldn't stop playing either. I'm not even that big on pinball.
This game is Super Meat Boy inspiration, simple as that.
Terranigma - SNES
EDIT: Not in a series but it should have been.
Isn't this *kind of* part of the Soul Blazer Trilogy? I haven't played it yet, though I do own the game (recent acquisition).
Assassin's Creed: Rogue
It's pretty much Black Flag minus the plethora of eavesdropping missions
Was about to say this one. It is black flag with a more Assassins Creed story. Its is AC3 with a better protagnist and Lisabon mission is totally awesome
Yeah, I LOOVE the soundtrack for the game. I feel like Drac X has the cooler setpieces overall, and, just a really solid presentation, but Bloodlines might have better moment-to-moment gameplay. I also agree, despite what it's supporters say CV IV's completely mobile whip kinda ruins the game.
Silent Hill: Downpour
What it lacked in psychological scares and that overwhelming feeling of dread that the early games were known for, it made up for in world-building, an emphasis on exploration and some well-constructed side quests. The main story is pretty good as well.
This is my pick as well. Downpour suffered from poor framerate, lack of polish and some bugs/glitches (the shortcuts on the underground never worked for me), but when it worked, it was a really creative game, especially in some side quests.
Don't know if you've played it, but The Evil Within 2 made me remember Downpour when I was playing it, only way more polished.
Fully agreed. SW1(with XL disc) had some of the best maps and challenges in the entire franchise. There were obvious visual improvements and expanded movelists and abilities in the sequels, but they also dumbed down a lot of the progression(skills were no longer global and required re-grinding for each hero...yuck!). Once you hit the higher tier difficulties for better rewards, you pretty much stayed there as you can equip max level gear on new heroes and keep them at pace earning rewards. Always felt great finding level 20 gear knowing it was a permanent progression upgrade. SW2 and beyond reverted everything to a more grind-focused experience where nothing transfers between heroes. I hated that. They also removed the zoomed out camera(likely due to the increased fidelity messing with the framerate as a guess). And yes, the music was incredible.
Biggest problem with SW1 though, the castle dungeons were a pain and overstayed their welcome.
I gotta go with Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Circle of Blood for the PC Engine CD
Since it was released only in Japan initially, a lot of people missed this version. My brother and I had to combine funds just to import it when it was first released. I find it as one of the most polished linear side scrolling Castlevania games to date. Fans of the series should definitely try to play this game.
Since it was released only in Japan initially, a lot of people missed this version. My brother and I had to combine funds just to import it when it was first released. I find it as one of the most polished linear side scrolling Castlevania games to date. Fans of the series should definitely try to play this game.
5 has one of the best soundtracks in the series and some really great stages like Gravity Man. 6 is a surprisingly tight experience with some cool optional paths you can only get to using the Rush armor.
Loved the shit out of Rondo. Always overshadowed by Symphony mainly because of the platform it was released on, but this iteration was incredible.I gotta go with Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Circle of Blood for the PC Engine CD
Since it was released only in Japan initially, a lot of people missed this version. My brother and I had to combine funds just to import it when it was first released. I find it as one of the most polished linear side scrolling Castlevania games to date. Fans of the series should definitely try to play this game.
Uncharted 3. I played through the four games back-to-back in the span of a couple of months last year and I don't know why exactly, but I found Uncharted 3 resonated more with me than 2. I think I prefered the setting.
Notable examples :
- the chateau in France
- the ship graveyard
- the cruising ship
Notable examples :
- the chateau in France
- the ship graveyard
- the cruising ship
Mario Kart: Double Dash
It gets a lot of flack and it's maybe the worst MK from a single player standpoint, but it's one of the most fun multiplayer games on Gamecube, and Baby Park 4 player will put hairs on your chest
I don't get this game's reputation as the worst MK. It was the first one that was actually really good and it marked the point the series went from being decent to absolutely amazing.
I loved Illusion of Gaia. This thread makes me want to try Terranigma. '.'
A more recent game I think is underrated is Monster Hunter Stories. The story and ambience are childish but the game is very enjoyable (especially for MH fans even if the gameplay is very different). First I wasn't interested (not a Pokémon fan) but I don't regret to have given it a try... And spent over 150 hours on it. 3DS is not dead !
A more recent game I think is underrated is Monster Hunter Stories. The story and ambience are childish but the game is very enjoyable (especially for MH fans even if the gameplay is very different). First I wasn't interested (not a Pokémon fan) but I don't regret to have given it a try... And spent over 150 hours on it. 3DS is not dead !
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
I honestly enjoyed this game much more than any other Lara Croft/Tomb Raider game. Yes, more than Rise of the Tomb Raider. I know, it's supposed to be a spin-off title, and it doesn't play like the other games at all, but it was just so much fun. I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs some 2 player couch co-op gaming in their life. It's easily on the top of my couch co-op gaming list.
The game had great puzzles, fun gameplay, cool unlockables and it was challenging.
Unfortunately, it's only on old gen consoles (played it on PS3). There was a sequel on newer consoles but it wasn't as good as this.
Seriously, go and play this game if couch co-op is a possibility for you.
I'm gonna go ahead and add two more titles to this post.
Crash Bash
Just a collection of really fun mini-games. The gameplay itself doesn't seem to age at all (or maybe I'm too generous). I actually went back and completed this game with a friend last year, we both had a blast with it.
Resident Evil 3
So here's an unpopular opinion: I enjoyed this game more than Resident Evil 2. The constant threat of Nemesis, and the risk/reward situation that came with every encounter with him, was unlike anything I had experienced in older RE games, and it worked wonderfully. Taking him down would give you great rewards but avoiding him completely wasn't exactly easy either.
Also, Jill Valentine is my personal favourite Resident Evil character, and she's underrated, so there's that.
The overall level design of the game isn't that great, but the Clock Tower was really cool and it gave me gothic vibes reminiscent of RE1.
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Third vote for AC Rogue. It took Black Flag's great gameplay and improved upon it and while it lacked the beautiful melancholy of ACIV story, it was still excellent game and easily better than Unity and Syndicate.
Another one; Broken Sword IV
Damn fine adventure game, with fun puzzles and interesting story, plus the change of famale lead brought freshness. Also..it dropped Broken Sword III's horrendous control system and crappy action segments
And yet another: Faces of War:
Forgotten entry in the series, between novelty of Soldiers: Heroes of WWII and polish plus scope of Men of War. But that's a mistake. FoW improved on many problems of it's precedessor and delivered some of the very best campaigns in the series. The hardcore difficulty scared people away, for that's really a plus, since it really did make every victory count
Another one; Broken Sword IV
Damn fine adventure game, with fun puzzles and interesting story, plus the change of famale lead brought freshness. Also..it dropped Broken Sword III's horrendous control system and crappy action segments
And yet another: Faces of War:
Forgotten entry in the series, between novelty of Soldiers: Heroes of WWII and polish plus scope of Men of War. But that's a mistake. FoW improved on many problems of it's precedessor and delivered some of the very best campaigns in the series. The hardcore difficulty scared people away, for that's really a plus, since it really did make every victory count
I'm pleasantly surprised to see so many Silent Hill: Downpour mentions as it's one of my picks, too. It got a pretty mixed reception even among those of us in the SH community who appreciate the non-Team Silent entries, and I think it's incredibly underrated; the central plot is engaging (a lot of people claim it tries to rip off SH2, when it's so much more than that), the game is thematically strong, exploration is encouraged and rewarded, the part of town you explore has buckets of atmosphere and some standout setpieces (the Hansel and Gretel puzzle, Cinéma Vérité, the Devil's Pit train ride, etc) and it's always fun to try and catch the Wheelman's subliminal appearances. There's a ton of creative stuff in here, and while not all of it hits the mark, I count the game among my favourites in the series.
I also need to throw in a mention for Suikoden 5. While 2 is (rightly) praised to the heavens and regarded as one of the best in the genre, I feel 5 and the rest of the games in the series are often overlooked. After a disappointing fourth instalment, 5 came back firing on all cylinders and truly delivered a great Suikoden game; a plot that deftly interweaves the political and the personal, a strong cast of characters whose interpersonal relationships rank among the best in the series, an interesting setting, tons of fun minigames and diversions, etc. Where some people saw a sluggish opening act that took forever to get going, I saw a game that wasn't afraid to spend time setting the scene and establishing the characters in order for the player to really feel the impact when shit started to hit the fan. Even if we never get a Suikoden 6, I'm content that the mainline series had such a strong sendoff (Teirkreis was decent, but very much its own thing).
I also need to throw in a mention for Suikoden 5. While 2 is (rightly) praised to the heavens and regarded as one of the best in the genre, I feel 5 and the rest of the games in the series are often overlooked. After a disappointing fourth instalment, 5 came back firing on all cylinders and truly delivered a great Suikoden game; a plot that deftly interweaves the political and the personal, a strong cast of characters whose interpersonal relationships rank among the best in the series, an interesting setting, tons of fun minigames and diversions, etc. Where some people saw a sluggish opening act that took forever to get going, I saw a game that wasn't afraid to spend time setting the scene and establishing the characters in order for the player to really feel the impact when shit started to hit the fan. Even if we never get a Suikoden 6, I'm content that the mainline series had such a strong sendoff (Teirkreis was decent, but very much its own thing).
3 is really great, I also enjoyed it more than 2. Felt wonderful, loved what Nemesis brought to the table.
Metal Gear Ac!d 2
MGA 1 was fun but i had more fun with MGA2. The presenation was much better and had its own identity as well. There is a bit of a learning curve with the game (as do most card games imo) but it is extremely addicting once you get the mechanics down. shame it never got onto psn or a sequel.
This. Genuinely surprised by the lack of a Vita iteration.
It looks like it was already covered but I also want to give a shout out to Assassin's Creed: Rogue. I was bummed that it was pretty much swept under Assassin's Creed Unity's release. The thing is though, Rogue ended up being far more stable than Unity even after all the Ubisoft patches and blog posts.
Not only was it cool to play as a Templar, but it was cool to play as a Templar who was once an Assassin, with all the abilities and benefits that come with it (sweet blades and parkour, bruh). I thought it was also cool that the player was instrumental in setting the stage for Connor's adventures in Assassin's Creed III.
With the Ezio collection released on PS4, I hope that Ubisoft will port the PS3 "Americas" trilogy. I'm a AC nut and I'd love to have them all on the PS4
Not only was it cool to play as a Templar, but it was cool to play as a Templar who was once an Assassin, with all the abilities and benefits that come with it (sweet blades and parkour, bruh). I thought it was also cool that the player was instrumental in setting the stage for Connor's adventures in Assassin's Creed III.
With the Ezio collection released on PS4, I hope that Ubisoft will port the PS3 "Americas" trilogy. I'm a AC nut and I'd love to have them all on the PS4
Duke Nukem Time to Kill for the PS1.
Me and my brother have killed a lot of time in the split screen mode. We never played any other Duke Nukem game, we just couldn't go first person after having that third person awesomeness.
Me and my brother have killed a lot of time in the split screen mode. We never played any other Duke Nukem game, we just couldn't go first person after having that third person awesomeness.
Samurai Shodown V
It is not regarded as well as the more traditional games, but Examu kept the spirit of SNK in that game.
Metal Slug 4
Second favourite after MS2. It keeps a goid balance between action and difficulty. Not well regarded either.
Super Bust a Move
New character design did not appeal to many, but gameplay returned the game back to the roots after those chain reaction mechanics
KOF2000
Game isnt as highly regarded as the 90s games or 2002 and together with 2001 and 2003 it is considered as one of the more broken games. Yet it had some of the best stages,music and introduced Kula as a sub-boss
It is not regarded as well as the more traditional games, but Examu kept the spirit of SNK in that game.
Metal Slug 4
Second favourite after MS2. It keeps a goid balance between action and difficulty. Not well regarded either.
Super Bust a Move
New character design did not appeal to many, but gameplay returned the game back to the roots after those chain reaction mechanics
KOF2000
Game isnt as highly regarded as the 90s games or 2002 and together with 2001 and 2003 it is considered as one of the more broken games. Yet it had some of the best stages,music and introduced Kula as a sub-boss
Mah Brotha!!!!
I feel the same way. My favorite PSP game as well, just amazing what they were able to accomplish on that system.
Batman Arkham Origins is awesome and beats the other games in many ways. Too bad it performance issues or I would easily consider it the best in the series.
The Dark Brotherhood line in Oblivion is easily one of my favorite quest lines from an Elder Scrolls game. Skyrims disappointed me.
I enjoyed Minish Cap a lot more than most, more famous 2D Zelda games (including LttP).
So that gets my vote.
Uncharted 3 and 4 could not be more different within the confines of the series. I literally think they are polar opposites with every other game in the franchise between them.
Uncharted 3 is loaded with tons of overlong, poorly designed shooting segments and 4 was criticized for having too few action segments. 3 drenches the whole game with massive set-pieces where 4 has maybe 3 of them, focusing instead on developing relationships and exploring wider environments at a more leisurely pace.
Uncharted 3 was clearly rushed out of the door because it's plot basically stops half way through the game. It's villain(s) have basically no role beyond the initial backstory and the games conclusion, and while I do like the Sully/Nate relationship the most throughout that game, it's simply undercooked in every other way. Uncharted 4 meanwhile has better acting, better dialogue and a more complete story with one of the more satisfying conclusions I've seen for a character in gaming.
It's like Uncharted 3 is a the "throw shit at the wall" action adventure flick and Uncharted 4 is the slower, more personal character piece.
So that gets my vote.
Uncharted 3 and 4 could not be more different within the confines of the series. I literally think they are polar opposites with every other game in the franchise between them.
Uncharted 3 is loaded with tons of overlong, poorly designed shooting segments and 4 was criticized for having too few action segments. 3 drenches the whole game with massive set-pieces where 4 has maybe 3 of them, focusing instead on developing relationships and exploring wider environments at a more leisurely pace.
Uncharted 3 was clearly rushed out of the door because it's plot basically stops half way through the game. It's villain(s) have basically no role beyond the initial backstory and the games conclusion, and while I do like the Sully/Nate relationship the most throughout that game, it's simply undercooked in every other way. Uncharted 4 meanwhile has better acting, better dialogue and a more complete story with one of the more satisfying conclusions I've seen for a character in gaming.
It's like Uncharted 3 is a the "throw shit at the wall" action adventure flick and Uncharted 4 is the slower, more personal character piece.
The amount of time I put into both Oracle games is pretty crazy. None of my friends really played them, so I had to beat both games myself to unlock the content from the opposite version.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
This game has set the gold standard for presentation, music, and localization of Fire Emblem games. The gameplay is different but in many ways quite good. It's obvious weak point is the map design, but honestly there is so much good here that it manages to still make it enjoyable, despite the utterly stupid maps.
Dungeon exploring is something I would like to see again in an FE game, and while the dungeons were mostly short affairs, the final dungeon and postgame dungeon were a blast.
They addressed a good amount of flaws Fire Emblem Gaiden had, and tweaked them to have the same feel, but also be less bullshit. One example is there are two maps where a boss has an earthquake spell that damages everyone in your army at once. In the original game, it just happened without warning. It was pretty bullshit. In SoV, the turn before he uses it, he shows a "charging" animation, so you can spend the next turn preparing for that. It makes it much more manageable, fair, and challenging.
If nothing else, you should see the presentation of this game. The art style is excellent, music is the best in the series in my opinion. Gaiden had memorable tunes, but this game takes them to a whole new level. The voice acting is really good, and even one of the voice actors sings a song, and all of it you could barely tell it was forcibly translated from Japanese.
You should really give this game a chance.
This game has set the gold standard for presentation, music, and localization of Fire Emblem games. The gameplay is different but in many ways quite good. It's obvious weak point is the map design, but honestly there is so much good here that it manages to still make it enjoyable, despite the utterly stupid maps.
Dungeon exploring is something I would like to see again in an FE game, and while the dungeons were mostly short affairs, the final dungeon and postgame dungeon were a blast.
They addressed a good amount of flaws Fire Emblem Gaiden had, and tweaked them to have the same feel, but also be less bullshit. One example is there are two maps where a boss has an earthquake spell that damages everyone in your army at once. In the original game, it just happened without warning. It was pretty bullshit. In SoV, the turn before he uses it, he shows a "charging" animation, so you can spend the next turn preparing for that. It makes it much more manageable, fair, and challenging.
If nothing else, you should see the presentation of this game. The art style is excellent, music is the best in the series in my opinion. Gaiden had memorable tunes, but this game takes them to a whole new level. The voice acting is really good, and even one of the voice actors sings a song, and all of it you could barely tell it was forcibly translated from Japanese.
You should really give this game a chance.
They both explore Nate and Elena's separation and mistrust except 3 nails its pacing. Both go into Nate's youth but 4 adds a plucky brother via retcon. 4 has odd bits of fatalism that undermine Nate's agency in prior games. 4 adds more exposition which is great for verisimilitude but absolutely destroys pacing.
3 says the exact same things in fewer words.
I think they're super comparable.
I gotta go with Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Circle of Blood for the PC Engine CD
Since it was released only in Japan initially, a lot of people missed this version. My brother and I had to combine funds just to import it when it was first released. I find it as one of the most polished linear side scrolling Castlevania games to date. Fans of the series should definitely try to play this game.
I'm going to try to play rondo soon. I've meant to for a long time.
GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS was a suprisingingly accurate top-down recreation of GTA IV's Liberty City. Besides the classic style gameplay it has this drug trafficking mini game that was quite addictive. Really good game
Also I feel Final Fantasy 9 needs more love
Also I feel Final Fantasy 9 needs more love
I was destined to see this thread pop up.
I adore this game despite it's flaws. The soundtrack is easily one of the best FF has ever produced. I'll never forget getting this game. As soon I see something of the game the music pops up in my head and vice versa. So good.
And in that series - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is wayyyyy better than reviews say. Actually a genuinely solid - and fun - game.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky (DS)
If you want a bigger story focus in your Pokémon game, the Mystery Dungeon series is for you. The story of EoS in particular is quite good and not just for a Pokémon game. The dungeon crawling gameplay is a bit on the easy side but having Pokémon mechanics in a dungeon crawler is quite fun (imo) and there are some lategame/postgame sections that can be rather tricky. This series is my favorite among the Pokémon spinoffs, I really recommend it (the predecessor, Blue Rescue Team is worth playing as well even if it is not quite as good as EoS). Oh and don't let review scores scare you off. These games are better than the scores suggest.
If you want a bigger story focus in your Pokémon game, the Mystery Dungeon series is for you. The story of EoS in particular is quite good and not just for a Pokémon game. The dungeon crawling gameplay is a bit on the easy side but having Pokémon mechanics in a dungeon crawler is quite fun (imo) and there are some lategame/postgame sections that can be rather tricky. This series is my favorite among the Pokémon spinoffs, I really recommend it (the predecessor, Blue Rescue Team is worth playing as well even if it is not quite as good as EoS). Oh and don't let review scores scare you off. These games are better than the scores suggest.
Silent Hill Origins was surprisingly good. Shattered Memories & Downpour were also decent.
Valkyria Chronicles 3 was awesome and it's too bad that it never released in the West.
Valkyria Chronicles 3 was awesome and it's too bad that it never released in the West.
Curse of Monkey Island is my favorite game in the Monkey Island series and I feel like it doesn't get the praise it deserves only because Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer had nothing to do with it. I have nothing but respect for both of them and their work. But Curse just has a better artstyle that still remains appealing today without any remastering, has funnier dialogue and absurd situational comedy and better puzzles that never cross the line into being obtuse. The game needs a digital re-release on GOG because right now its only playable legally through the original disk from 97.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Certain folk disregard the handheld games in the series simply because they aren't on home consoles and that it is not a numbered title. What they don't know about BBS is that it is not only a numbered title game (Episode 0 during its original release) like the beloved KH1 and 2, it was also being developed for PS2, but things happened and it ended up on PSP. If they actually played the game, they would see its importance.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: Certain folk deem it as a side game and unimportant because nothing much happens in it, but as stated by the creator of the series, it was taken out of KH3 to avoid a long prologue like in KH2 and also due to the content in KH3 increasing. 0.2 is KH3 and just like KH2 answering what happened in its prologue, the same will happen with KH3 resolving 0.2. Just because 95% of 0.2's story was taken away from it doesn't change the fact that it is still KH3 as the creator intended it to be.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: Certain folk deem it as a side game and unimportant because nothing much happens in it, but as stated by the creator of the series, it was taken out of KH3 to avoid a long prologue like in KH2 and also due to the content in KH3 increasing. 0.2 is KH3 and just like KH2 answering what happened in its prologue, the same will happen with KH3 resolving 0.2. Just because 95% of 0.2's story was taken away from it doesn't change the fact that it is still KH3 as the creator intended it to be.
Yeah and I don't think they fixed all the issues with the game either. Shame.
I had a 20+ hour save file with Suikoden 2 but then, by accident, I reformatted my PS Vita Memory Card and ofcourse, it got deleted. Ill tell you this though, it was some of the best 20+ hour experiences I've ever had.
But now, I'm looking forward to playing Suikoden 3! It technically has the highest metacritic score in the franchise.
Daxter, the PSP midquel of the Jak & Daxter series.
For context, Jak 1 was a pure 3D platformer set in cool almost steampunk and yet naturalistic environments. From there the game took on more of a sci-fi theme and introduced far more non-platforming sections with added vehicles and gunplay. Daxter was a separately developed PSP exclusive game, set between Jak 1 and most of Jak 2. The beauty of it is that the actual gameplay also feels like somewhere between those two titles, it has a greater focus on platforming and in my opinion is all the better for it. I would easily place this as my second favourite of the whole series closely under Jak 1.
The underappreciation I believe stems from it's hendheld exclusivity. The added tragedy here is that the other (awful) Jak spin-off was released later on PS2 as well, but unfortunately Daxter never did!
For context, Jak 1 was a pure 3D platformer set in cool almost steampunk and yet naturalistic environments. From there the game took on more of a sci-fi theme and introduced far more non-platforming sections with added vehicles and gunplay. Daxter was a separately developed PSP exclusive game, set between Jak 1 and most of Jak 2. The beauty of it is that the actual gameplay also feels like somewhere between those two titles, it has a greater focus on platforming and in my opinion is all the better for it. I would easily place this as my second favourite of the whole series closely under Jak 1.
The underappreciation I believe stems from it's hendheld exclusivity. The added tragedy here is that the other (awful) Jak spin-off was released later on PS2 as well, but unfortunately Daxter never did!
