Niche titles that most people missed but you loved

The World Ends With You- Talk about innovative! This game was and incredible DS title that had a great story, fantastic music, and made some of the best use of the touch screen mechanics unique to the system. Square Enix is known for RPGs but many people may have passed this one up. If you can get your hands on a copy, snag it. It's one of the best games on the system.

shabulia

lots of awesome games people have mentioned so far!

Deadly PremonitionEvilSelf

Planescape Torment
System Shock 2
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Day of the Tentacle
The Dream Machinelocknload17

Panzer Dragoon Orta is probably my favorite title that many haven't playedlamprey263

Ikargua! This top-down shooter was absolutely amazing. Originally released on the Dreamcast in Japan, this game came to us under limited release on the Gamecube and is not available on Xbox Arcade. It's a gorgeous game that is full of old-school madness. Good luck with this one. It's damn near impossible but it's loads of fun.shabulia

lots of awesome games people have mentioned so far!
[QUOTE="EvilSelf"]Deadly PremonitionSome-Mist

Yeap, My all time favorite show....

Rez.I spent $20 for this baby at Best Buy back in 2002 and it was easily one of the best $20 I ever spent.

Technic Beat: One of the earleir rhythm/music games I picked up new for dirty cheap but still pretty fun.

Taiko Drum Master: No longer did I have to drum on desks to fill my drumming needs. This was $30 with the game and drum contoller.

Wild Guns: One of the best arcade style shooters that wasn't in the arcades but on the SNES.

We all love our Gears of War, Halo, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and many others. But so many great games go unnoticed. It's sad but true. Here is a great place for you to list some games that you truly loved that most people may have missed. Tell us your favorite games that, for one reason or another, failed to see the commercial successthey deserved. What is your list of "diamond's in the rough?"

Mirror's Edge - Sadly, this game just has not gotten the recognition it deserved. It's a parkour first person adventrue game that really takes risks in a number of ways. Faith, the protagonist, is strong willed and serious. She isn't the standard, big boobed, buxom Dead or Alivelookalike female character so many games push these days. The game is extremely fast paced, has a great "Orwellian" style reflecting the oppressive nature of the future, and it looks fantastic. Check this one out.

Beyond Good and Evil - Here's one that didn't get any attention from people last generation. It saw a release on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube but almost no one bought it. Why? Search me. This game had a deep adventure, good voice acting, mixed gameplay, pretty graphics, and a great Zelda styled gameplay. The charming cast added so much to the game and kept the player intrigued to the end. Looking for this title? Find it on Xbox Arcade and Playstation Network (later this year for PSN) for only 10 bucks. Awesome!

Jet Set (Grind) Radio -What a game! What a soundtrack! Back when Sega was innovative, this game just plain rocked. Released on the Dreamcast, this game featured great cell-shaded graphics and, as earlier mentioned, awesome music. You played as roller blading skaters who had to "tag" or spray paint thier gang's logos all over the city of Tokyo. Rival gangs are trying to do the same thing so you have to beat them to the punch. Meanwhile, the cops are trying to stop you. If you feel like you missed this one and don't have a Dreamcast, fear not! Jet Set Radio Future, the sequel, was released on Xbox and is playable on Xbox 360. The sequel was just as good as the original so find a copy and grind away!

What about all of you? What are some games you loved that you think many missed out on? I'll be back to list more later. But I'd love to get your lists too.

shabulia

JSR is legendary. That is easily one of my top 10 video games of all time.

My choice would be Dynamite Cop. A very simple beat em up that was mad fun.

Definitely Monster Rancher 2. Such a big, addictive and wonderful game. It gave you free reign over your own ranchwhere you could train hundreds of monsters to fight in arenas against each other. Hundreds of hours went to it. I'd also mention Chibi-Robo! on the GC and Star Ocean: Second Story. The latter isn't that obscure, but it's not as popular now.

Jet Set (Grind) Radio -What a game! What a soundtrack! Back when Sega was innovative, this game just plain rocked. Released on the Dreamcast, this game featured great cell-shaded graphics and, as earlier mentioned, awesome music. You played as roller blading skaters who had to "tag" or spray paint thier gang's logos all over the city of Tokyo. Rival gangs are trying to do the same thing so you have to beat them to the punch. Meanwhile, the cops are trying to stop you. If you feel like you missed this one and don't have a Dreamcast, fear not! Jet Set Radio Future, the sequel, was released on Xbox and is playable on Xbox 360. The sequel was just as good as the original so find a copy and grind away!

What about all of you? What are some games you loved that you think many missed out on? I'll be back to list more later. But I'd love to get your lists too.

shabulia

I loved Jet Grind Radio on the Dreamcast, such a fun and very unique game. Great soundtrack too.

I actually just picked up Jet Set Radio Future for Xbox the other day at a flea markert.

I've got too many to name...

8-bit era: Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Metal Gear 2 (MSX), Ninja Gaiden (Master System), Psychic World

16-bit era: Wonder Boy in Monster World, Live-A-Live, Lufia II, Seiken Densetsu 3, Terranigma

32-bit era: Jumping Flash, Alone in the Dark 2, Alundra, Granstream Saga, Abe's Oddysee, Dragon Valor, A Blurred Line, Phoenix Wright

128-bit era: Shenmue, Grandia II, Shadow of Memories, Zone of the Enders 2, Soul Reaver 2, Clannad, Yakuza, Persona 4

256-bit era: Deadly Premonition, Vanquish, Valkyria Chronicles

Mirror's Edge was so good until you had to shoot people. How could DICE, the company that made BFBC, let the gunplay be so bad?

F Zero GX - favorite racer of all time. It's challenging, but very rewarding once you get the hang of it.

Kirby: Canvas Curse - this game shows what the touch screen can really do. It plays unlike any other platformer I've ever played, and a must have for any DS owner

Meteos - not a must have, but a very interesting game if you're looking for a good puzzle game.

Not sure if anyone mentioned World Of Goo - Wii or PC, take your pick, in my book this game is the best indie game ever made.

Another one i thought of: Landstalker for the Genesis...

Jurassic Park Operation Genesis

Most recently I would have to say Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage and Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll. Koei did a killer job of representing Fist of the North Star in this game, and it is just plain old school beat 'em up fun along the lines of something like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage. Just a refreshing arcade like experience set in the completely awesome Fist of the North Star setting.

As for Trinity, the game is absolutely massive. I just beat it last night at 48 hours in and could have easily pushed it to at least 60 hours with side quests. It is your basic action/RPG, but you control three party members, each with 6 abilities that can be used at any given time. You learn many skills throughout the game and can change them out however you like or need to depending one the situation. At any rate, there is a nice variety here in terms of gameplay with this system.

What really impressed me, however, is the huge variety of enemies and environments that the game has. Many quests are even listed as 'hunts' and really give off a strong Monster Hunter sort of vibe. The game is quite easy for about the first 20 hours, but then the more impressive foes will show up, such as the variety of dragons you face. Fun times are here indeed for the patient gamer who has an appreciation for imperfect gems.

As far as what some may consider shortcomings go, the towns are all menu based, and conversations are all text. This was not an issue for me at all though, and it only served to add to the overall old school charm that the game has. Not to mention that the game has a great soundtrack and some wonderful art throughout. It is simply a gem and a half and Koei/Omega Force did a wonderful job with the budget they had.

The thing that may throw many off is that it is a slow burner. Even the story really takes awhile to even seem remotely decent, but it eventually has it's moments as well. This is simply a game that is meant to be played and you will not see what all they really put into it unless you are patient and love questing and leveling up through long games that have slow, but gradual pacing in order to make the game feel more epic. In short, in no way, shape, form or fashion does the demo even come close to representing the behemoth of a game this is. Give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Shadow Complex - This is a game that many jumped on as soon as it was released but I think has been lost in the shuffle since. It'd be a shame if people didn't go back to check it. Built with the Unreal Engine, this game took direct inspiration from Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The exploration, hidden unlockables, and stellar adventure make this game a must own. Sorry, Sony boys. This one is Xbox Live Arcade only.

Space Channel 5 - While it may be a bit old-fashioned today, this rhythm game was a blast due to its personality. Sega brought this Dreamcast gem over to the PS2 along with its sequel in one package. The game is very Japanese and presents a pretty good challenge. If you can find it, snag it up and have some futuristic, space, disco dancing fun.

I'm kinda surprised noone mentioned Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising. A great RTS/Vehicle TPS which played kinda like a squad based TPS but the tactical options were unlimited the story was fantastic, the missions great and the graphics were the most mindblowing thing ever at its time. I couldnt believe such physics were possible with 2001 tech untill i saw it. It's a shame so very few people know about it, also the game had no skirmish mode or multiplayer but I can only imagine how epic it would be if it had mp.

NES:

Gimmick!

Journey to Silius

Shatterhand

Recca

Crisis Force

SNES:

Stargate

Phalanx

R-Type III

Darius Twin

Rendering Ranger R2

Genesis:

M.U.S.H.A.

Grind Stormer

Gaiares

Alien Soldier

Gley Lancer

Sega CD:

Silpheed

Keio Flying Squadron

Robo Aleste

Sol-Feace

Saturn:

Battle Garegga

Galactic Attack

Guardian Heroes

Dark Savior

Panzer Dragoon Saga

Wonderswan Color:

Dicing Knight

PS1:

Einhander

Elemental Gearbolt

R-Type Delta

Silent Bomber

Shadow Tower

Dreamcast:

Bangai-O

Mars Matrix

Border Down

Under Defeat

Psyvariar 2

PS2:

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

Blood Will Tell

Bujingai: The Forsaken City

Chaos Legion

The Red Star

Xbox:

Otogi: Myth of Demons

Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors

Steel Battalion

Phantom Dust

Panzer Dragoon Saga

Gamecube:

Ikaruga

Killer7

360:

Earth Defense Force 2017

ESPGaluda II Black Label

Ketsui Extra

DeathSmiles

Raiden IV

PS3:

Nier

Demon's Souls

N64:

Sin & Punishment

Bangai-O

Mischief Makers

Game Boy:

Solar Striker

Quarth

R-Type DX

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault

Xenon 2

Atari Lynx:

Zarlor Mercenary

GBA:

Astro Boy: Omega Factor

Iridion II

Drill Dozer

Sigma Star Saga

Gunstar Super Heroes

DS:

Ketsui Death Label

Knights in the Nightmare

Bangai-O Spirits

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja

Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns

PSP:

Rengoku II: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N.

Gradius Collection

Gods Eater Burst

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2nd

Game Gear:

Halley Wars

Super Space Invaders

Surf Ninjas

GG Aleste

GG Aleste II

PC:

Samidare

Darwinia

The Void

GunDeadLigne

Warning Forever

Someone's a shooter fan. Awesome!

Don't forget the Thunderforce series. Thunderforce II,III, and IVwere on the Sega Genesis while V was on the PSX. Also Philosoma and G-Darius for PSX. Good luck finding those two.

Someone's a shooter fan. Awesome!

Don't forget the Thunderforce series. Thunderforce II,III, and IVwere on the Sega Genesis while V was on the PSX. Also Philosoma and G-Darius for PSX. Good luck finding those two.

shabulia

I love Thunder Force, brah. (except Thunder Force 6 on PS2. Buyer's remorse...) III, IV, and V are equally great in my book. I even thought II was fun, despite being very different, which is what most shmup fans' complaint with it is. I have Philosoma and G-Darius on PS1, btw. Philosoma's got issues, but the variety of perspectives during gameplay and cheesy sci-fi plot/ voice-overs made it fun. Loved G-Darius about as much as Darius Gaiden on the Saturn, and was pleased that they were both included on Taito Legends 2 for PS2, since I could finally play them without slowdown. (Though it didn't include G-Darius' boss rush mode or Darius Gaiden's "abnormal" mode, so it's nice to own them separately as well) If by some chance you haven't played Gley Lancer, I think you'd enjoy it. Best "unofficial Thunder Force" game ever.

Planescape Torment - Quite possibly the greatest Western RPG ever created. Definitely the most unique. Certainly the best storyline ever in a game.

System Shock 2 - Probably the greatest FPS ever made, definitely ahead of it's time. A year before Deus Ex and eight years before BioShock...this game perfectly blended FPS with RPG and Action Adventure elements.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent - The scariest and creepiest game through atmosphere and storytelling since probably Silent Hill 2.

Okami - One the of best action adventure games ever produced.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - One of the best RPGs of the last decade. Great story and very interesting characters and definitely a unique vibe, setting and atmosphere. Unfortunately it was extreme buggy at release, but has since been fixed thanks to an ongoing community patch which has worked wonders.

Clive Barker's Undying - One of the best old school shooters. Cool story, creepy atmosphere. Great weapons and spells that you could dual weild.

Penumbra Collection - Creepy atmospheric game.

Day of the Tentacle - The best of the classic 90's adventure games.

Machinarium - Great and creative adventure game.

The Longest Journey - Another excellent adventure game. excellent story.

The Dream Machine - Unique and creative recent adventure game.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto - Unique and creative blend between FPS, Third Person Shooter and Strategy. Rechargeble shields, on the fly grenade and mine throwing, vehicles, limited amount of weapons you could carry so had to be strategic in what you choose....all a year before Halo released.

No One Lives Forever 1 & 2 - Cool spy shooter. One of the last creative FPS games released.

Freedom Force and Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich - Before Irrational games made BioShock, they made this RPG / Strategy game hybrid.

Tribes Vengeance - Another FPS from Irrational. It got flak from series fans for being so different and for not having strong multiplayer...but for those that gave it a chance found a great single player campaign with a great story for a shooter. The mistake this game made was being titled "Tribes", otherwise it was a great FPS.

locknload17

Overlord - quite a unique game which had a nice Dungeon Keeper feel to it, the overall humor and gameplay really made the game shine but it never really seemed to have reached the popularity it deserved.

Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets (which is unfortunately the price of Cave's typical first editions: $80).

Some-Mist

What's unfortunate about two games for the price of one? Especially when those games wouldn't have been released otherwise?

On a separate note...

A lot of Cave games being mentioned and Recca has been mentioned twice. Never thought I would see the day, especially Recca..... Cave is surely on the rise in popularity these day's...... looks like those I phone ports and region free games on the 360 are expanding their audience and making their library of games more accessible. Surprised no one has mentioned their Saturn and PS1/PS2 ports.

Here's a few more for you all (my shout out to Square):

Secret of Mana -This was a great action/rpg on the SNES and featured some of the most brilliant music in gaming. Made by Squaresoft, this game was very reminiscent in style to Legend of Zelda but had a deep story that made it feel like an actual Final Fantasy game. The quality of this classic title is overflowing. It was beautiful, fun, and lengthy. This is available on for download on the Wii and there is a version of it on the iPhone/iPod Touch. I am not sure about the level of quality on the iPhone but on the Wii it is the same as the SNES version. Totally worth the price!

Vagrant Story - I used to call this game "Medieval Gear Solid." It had a look that was close to Metal Gear Solid but it took place in Square's Ivalice (the same setting for Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII). It was an action/RPG that had a unique story presentation in that each sequence played outas an animated comic. With no voice acting, the characters were fully animated using the in-game engine and comic bubbles popped up as each character spoke. Along with that, the fighting style allowed for a unique strategy where you could target your opponent's specific body parts in order to subdue them. Lastly, the game featured a weapons customization that allowed for nearly limitless possibilities.The good news is this game was recently made available for download on Playstation Network for PS3 and PSP! Agraphically beautiful game with a deep and dark story, Vagrant Storyis a game that all RPGers owe to themselves to play.

Chrono Cross - WOW! Just WOW! This game pushed the PSX to it's graphical limits. This is the sequel to Chrono Trigger and while many have played it and held it up as one of the top RPGs ever, several people may have missed out on it, especially in recent years. The game takes place 20 years after the events of Chrono Triggerand features a complete overhaul in game play. Everything about this game reeked of quality. The battle system mayseem toconfuse you at first, but once you get the hang of it, you quickly realize it may be one of the best fighting systems in turn based RPGs. The story has a number of great plot twists; some of which are just as shocking and emotional as those in Final Fantasy VII.If you've been looking for a great (not good, but GREAT) RPG to play, this is the one. Finding a copy shouldn't be too hard and it will play on your PSX (PS1), PS2, and PS3. If you get it on the PS2 or PS3, you'll want to turn on the graphic smoothing. It really shines that way. Warning, playing this game will make you yearn for a Chrono sequel like you can't imagine. Play it and start writing SquareEnix some emails!

These little gems.

Valkyria and Muramasa were fantastic. I did hear a rumor that Muramasa might make an appearance as a downloadable title on Xbox Arcade and Playstation Network. There's some hope!

[QUOTE="Some-Mist"]

Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets (which is unfortunately the price of Cave's typical first editions: $80).

Spirit_of_87

What's unfortunate about two games for the price of one? Especially when those games wouldn't have been released otherwise?

On a separate note...

A lot of Cave games being mentioned and Recca has been mentioned twice. Never thought I would see the day, especially Recca..... Cave is surely on the rise in popularity these day's...... looks like those I phone ports and region free games on the 360 are expanding their audience and making their library of games more accessible. Surprised no one has mentioned their Saturn and PS1/PS2 ports.

My only complaint with the port was the removal of arcade slowdown in Pink Sweets, which many of the later stages' challenges were accommodated by. The memorization required for stages 6 and 7 makefscking R-Type look forgiving even with the slowdown, let alone without it. IMO, Pink Sweets was good on its own merits but was disappointing as a sequel to Ibara. Muchi Muchi Pork is amazing, though, and has some nice throwbacks to Batrider in particular. (for instance: the quick-moving loli character whose special attack is a giant circular saw projected in front of her) To Pink Sweets' credit, Arrange Mode was much more fun than arcade mode (again, IMO) and felt like a decent Ibara sequel.

Shenmue II.BranKetra

Still my favorite game of all time.

Europa Universalis III. Nobody here has heard about it but it's the best game ever. EVER. Look it up people. LOOK IT UP.

Legend of Legaia (1&2) the first game I put a million hours into that I couldnt wait to get home from school to play

Tenchu Stealth Assassins(1-3) the other odd ones in the series were good too but not as amazing as the 1,2, and wrath of heaven

God I miss those games......

Chrono Cross - WOW! Just WOW! This game pushed the PSX to it's graphical limits. This is the sequel to Chrono Trigger and while many have played it and held it up as one of the top RPGs ever, several people may have missed out on it, especially in recent years. The game takes place 20 years after the events of Chrono Triggerand features a complete overhaul in game play. Everything about this game reeked of quality. The battle system mayseem toconfuse you at first, but once you get the hang of it, you quickly realize it may be one of the best fighting systems in turn based RPGs. The story has a number of great plot twists; some of which are just as shocking and emotional as those in Final Fantasy VII.If you've been looking for a great (not good, but GREAT) RPG to play, this is the one. Finding a copy shouldn't be too hard and it will play on your PSX (PS1), PS2, and PS3. If you get it on the PS2 or PS3, you'll want to turn on the graphic smoothing. It really shines that way. Warning, playing this game will make you yearn for a Chrono sequel like you can't imagine. Play it and start writing SquareEnix some emails!

shabulia

Europa Universalis III. Nobody here has heard about it but it's the best game ever. EVER. Look it up people. LOOK IT UP.

charlesdarwin55

Mirror's Edge. I don't understand why the sale figures were so low.

Mirror's Edge. I don't understand why the sale figures were so low.

shinian

Amen!

Metro 2033, one of my favorite games that no one played.

Super Meat Boy, Blur, DeathSpank, Mirror's Edge (I'm starting to see that this is a gamer's game, a lot of people praise it on these forums, myself included, but outside of that no one seems to like it)

There are dozens more, but I don't have the time to search and remember them all :P

Here's a little old school Konami love for ya!

Cybernator - This Konami mech action adventure game was a ton of fun. It was a graphic powerhouse for the SNES and a side scrolling lover's dream. A classic game that should not be missed.

Axelay - This was an awesome shoot em' up. It featured great Mode 7 graphics on the SNES and a unique pespective to where enemies appeared over the on coming horizon. Every other level was one of typical side scrolling Gradius type shooting. The mixing up of styles kept the game feeling fresh.Axelay offered a great challenge with stunning 16-bit graphics and awesome tunes. Konami strikes again!

Puzzle Agent.guynamedbilly

Hmm, i am playing The Saboteur right now and definitely can recommend it. Very underrated game.

[QUOTE="guynamedbilly"]Puzzle Agent.muthsera666

Guardian Heroes and Dragon Force - two of my all time favorites but no one had a Saturn back then. The ones that did most likely didn't buy these games.

From this gen I'd say Valkyria Chronicles.

Panzer Dragoon Orta. Such a shame that wasn't one of the best selling games on Xbox. Supposedly it's backwards compatible but I can't get my ****** 360 to play it no matter what I do. It plays all the other compatible games, just not that one.

Panzer Dragoon Orta. Such a shame that wasn't one of the best selling games on Xbox. Supposedly it's backwards compatible but I can't get my ****** 360 to play it no matter what I do. It plays all the other compatible games, just not that one.

TheRedChannels

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="guynamedbilly"]Puzzle Agent.guynamedbilly

We all love our Gears of War, Halo, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and many others. But so many great games go unnoticed. It's sad but true. Here is a great place for you to list some games that you truly loved that most people may have missed. Tell us your favorite games that, for one reason or another, failed to see the commercial successthey deserved. What is your list of "diamond's in the rough?"

Mirror's Edge - Sadly, this game just has not gotten the recognition it deserved. It's a parkour first person adventrue game that really takes risks in a number of ways. Faith, the protagonist, is strong willed and serious. She isn't the standard, big boobed, buxom Dead or Alivelookalike female character so many games push these days. The game is extremely fast paced, has a great "Orwellian" style reflecting the oppressive nature of the future, and it looks fantastic. Check this one out.

Beyond Good and Evil - Here's one that didn't get any attention from people last generation. It saw a release on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube but almost no one bought it. Why? Search me. This game had a deep adventure, good voice acting, mixed gameplay, pretty graphics, and a great Zelda styled gameplay. The charming cast added so much to the game and kept the player intrigued to the end. Looking for this title? Find it on Xbox Arcade and Playstation Network (later this year for PSN) for only 10 bucks. Awesome!

Jet Set (Grind) Radio -What a game! What a soundtrack! Back when Sega was innovative, this game just plain rocked. Released on the Dreamcast, this game featured great cell-shaded graphics and, as earlier mentioned, awesome music. You played as roller blading skaters who had to "tag" or spray paint thier gang's logos all over the city of Tokyo. Rival gangs are trying to do the same thing so you have to beat them to the punch. Meanwhile, the cops are trying to stop you. If you feel like you missed this one and don't have a Dreamcast, fear not! Jet Set Radio Future, the sequel, was released on Xbox and is playable on Xbox 360. The sequel was just as good as the original so find a copy and grind away!

What about all of you? What are some games you loved that you think many missed out on? I'll be back to list more later. But I'd love to get your lists too.

shabulia