Underrated Games

[Hemingway]

I'd like to add Mirror's Edge to this list.

Not that it wasn't a flawed game. The pacing of the gameplay could've been better ( when the point of the game is to run fast and leap from building to building, building up momentum as you go and elegantly chaining moves together, having to stop and figure out where you're going sort of sucks ). I think the main problem, at least for me, was that it tried to be something it wasn't. By giving you the ability to take weapons from your enemies, they slowed the game down further. Just taking away that would've made the game better, and definitely would've made the gun-toting enemies more threatening.

That said, the concept was fantastic. Most of the time it works, and when it works it's great. The story isn't all that, but the setting is great. They did such a good job of creating a beautiful anti-utopia. I mean, this is how I hope the future will look, all clean and bright with lots of glass. I guess I'd prefer if the world wasn't controlled by evil corporations, but ... it seems we're headed that way anyway, so whatever.

[Inkidu]

I'd like to add Mirror's Edge to this list.

Not that it wasn't a flawed game. The pacing of the gameplay could've been better ( when the point of the game is to run fast and leap from building to building, building up momentum as you go and elegantly chaining moves together, having to stop and figure out where you're going sort of sucks ). I think the main problem, at least for me, was that it tried to be something it wasn't. By giving you the ability to take weapons from your enemies, they slowed the game down further. Just taking away that would've made the game better, and definitely would've made the gun-toting enemies more threatening.

That said, the concept was fantastic. Most of the time it works, and when it works it's great. The story isn't all that, but the setting is great. They did such a good job of creating a beautiful anti-utopia. I mean, this is how I hope the future will look, all clean and bright with lots of glass. I guess I'd prefer if the world wasn't controlled by evil corporations, but ... it seems we're headed that way anyway, so whatever.

I don't think the disarms should have been removed, but they certainly were not implemented the way that they should be. You see it in those little loading screen animations. If you're going a certain speed and you hit someone you should be able to knock them flat and keep going, or at least strip their weapon and toss it, especially from behind.

Other than that I agree completely about Mirror's Edge.

[kamil88]

Most games created by Tim Schafer { Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) i really feel sorry for guy, he create awesome, very playable games, yet they sell so badly.

[Hemingway]

Full Throttle and Brütal Legend are also amazing Tim Schafer games. I don't know if I'd call them underrated, but ... I hear you!

[Sabby]

I just gave the Starship Troopers game a try.

...it's actually really good o.o think Left 4 Dead with giant clamp mouthed ants. You just move and fire into the writhing, surging mass of screeching limbs and hold back the neverending tide of Arachnids.

[Callie Del Noire]

Starship Troopers is a game?

[Sabby]

Yes. First person shooter, went totally under the radar because of some poor reviews. It looks good for an old game and it has an insane amount of shit happening on screen. Some of the footage on Youtube is from an older version that doesn't look too impressive though. Like, remember the iconic siege part of the movie, with Arachnids storming the walls? Most videos of that level will show it with a big cloud of dust covering the level so the numbers of bugs are only implied. But the actual game shows everything. An entire horizon buried by bugs.

It's glorious.

[Boxy]

It may have a cult following now, but if it has, I haven't noticed it.  Killer7 is one of my favorite games, and though it's easy to see why some don't like it, I don't think it's too terrible, just that it's a very unique experience and thus takes some time to really get into.  That and the story is left a bit ambiguous, which I don't mind at all myself, but I guess others do.  It's my favorite of Suda51's games, which has me excited for the supposed 'Killer is Dead' project as apparently it is going back to those kinds of roots.

[DarklingAlice]

Starship Troopers also has a kick ass tabletop wargame from the 70s/80s. Probably hard to find now, but old school Avalon Hill is awesome.

[ElusiveM00se]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already -

Legend of Dragoon (PS1) - Stunning JRPG from the 90s with a wonderful soundtrack, voice acting, and story. One of the best combat systems I've seen, even if it was a little unforgiving.

Dungeon Siege III (PS3, 360, PC) - A guilty pleasure for me. Great music, a decent story, and really fun combat. This game makes me think of a Final Fantasy/Diablo hybrid.

[Oniya]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already -

Legend of Dragoon (PS1) - Stunning JRPG from the 90s with a wonderful soundtrack, voice acting, and story. One of the best combat systems I've seen, even if it was a little unforgiving.

I liked the Additions system.  Seven years of piano lessons gave me a bit of an edge with the rhythms. 

[ElusiveM00se]

I liked the Additions system.  Seven years of piano lessons gave me a bit of an edge with the rhythms. 

...I only had 4 years of piano, but then 7 years of flute... so... yeah. >.>

[SinXAzgard21]

Legend of Dragoon (PS1) - Stunning JRPG from the 90s with a wonderful soundtrack, voice acting, and story. One of the best combat systems I've seen, even if it was a little unforgiving.

Good game but damn the graphics for that game sucked.

[Sabby]

Eh, bad graphics I can handle, so long as the gameplay is smooth.

Sadly, those two don't overlap as much as they could.

[SinXAzgard21]

Eh, bad graphics I can handle, so long as the gameplay is smooth.

Sadly, those two don't overlap as much as they could.

I had no issues with the game play.  I had issues with it being a late game on a console that proved it can produce better graphics and yet it looked like Legos.

[BlightRaptor]

Primal Rage. I always remain hopeful someone will buy the rights and reboot it. Dinosaur-gods duking it out and nomming on their worshipers. What's not to love? Also crazy juggling combo possibilities you didn't see in the more well known fighters at the time.

[Sel Nar]

I had no issues with the game play.  I had issues with it being a late game on a console that proved it can produce better graphics and yet it looked like Legos.

Don't forget that the translation team basically crawled into a large bottle of moonshine from around 3/4ths of the way through the first disc and stayed there for the rest of the game. It's still fun in a doofy way, though.

Another one added to my 'underrated' game list; Red Faction: Guerilla. Open-world 'Blow up ~Everything~' game; got lots of love because you could literally drop a singularity bomb in an enemy building and watch the walls implode, but was often unfairly compared to GTA because you're running/driving around in an open world.

Was popular enough to earn a fan-song called 'Space Asshole' because that's what you were.

[Oniya]

Don't forget that the translation team basically crawled into a large bottle of moonshine from around 3/4ths of the way through the first disc and stayed there for the rest of the game. It's still fun in a doofy way, though.

And in a 'No, we're not trying to be FFVII, really!' sort of way.  (Spiky-haired hero with big-ass sword takes on platinum-haired pretty-boy villain with bigger-big-ass sword in fantasy world secretly endangered by bigger sci-fi villain.)