Name an absurdly underappreciated game from this gen.

I'll name two.

First, Divinity: Original Sin. I know it has received praise, but I feel like it doesn't show up in many "best" lists. This game is purely wonderful. From the depth of the lovingly detailed world, to the gameplay, to the freedom to create main characters that go beyond the story line in the sense that you do not have to make them lovers (I made two bickering sisters, which were based on myself and my own sister), or anything really other than what you wish to make them, to you-name-it, there is very little to knock about the game. Larian outdid themselves, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Second, Layers of Fear. This title, unlike Divinity, it seems like almost nobody talks about, or even knows about. The game is essentially psychological-horror, but the intelligence injected into the motivations behind the main character(s), as well as into the story itself, and the use of hallucinatory aesthetics, among other aspects, cumulatively make this one unmatched this generation in terms of bizarre and outright surreal experiences. It heavily leans on character and story, more so than it does on gameplay, so that may turn some people away, but if you care to delve into a twisted and twisting reality wherein your choices mold with those of a mind warped by the void wherein the imagination's lifeblood resides, then I highly suggest you play this. And play it now.

So what do you think, SW? Got a few you'd like to mention?

Pretty much the bulk of the Wii U lineup, hoenstly.

Shit system, fantastic games. Hope they are ported to the Switch for wider exposure.

Also, my obligatory shout out to Steins;Gate, a.k.a. the greatest visual novel of all time.

I imagine there's a ton of visual novels that should be on this list. Those games get so dissed around here, and in general. I've always wanted to get into the genre. Have you played Root Letter? That one looked pretty good to me.

Always thought Steins;Gate was just another overrated VN. Clannad was good but not as good as it got hyped by everyone.. Steins;Gate somehow exceeded my expectations.

I really enjoyed it.

I have not, what is it on?

Yeah, like I didn't expect it to actually live up to the hype, let alone exceed it, but it did it anyway.

I'm so tempted to pick up Steins;Gate 0...

I think its on sale on psn right now

I know, hence the temptation

@charizard1605: It's on PS4/Vita. Windows too, I think. Some kind of missing girl mystery that was apparently big in Japan.

If I can pick it up for cheap, I'll look into it some time.

For some reason I have a VN called Amnesia Memories on my Vita that I ended up playing...

Titanfall 2. Such an excellent game both single player campaign and online multiplayer.

Yeah I saw that one too. I've got this huge backlog of VNs and I've never even played one yet.

That one was free on PS+ two months ago i think.

I've had it since last year, and I don't remember buying it...

Really? I don't recall that.

HItman 2016 version. many people miss it because of episodic structure but they are missing hell lot. its one of the best stealth game in long time and one of the best game of gen.

Dying Light: The Following - Enhanced Edition

That game is great. It had a bit of a rough launch, but they fixed a bunch of stuff and bundled in some great DLC. Overall, a great package and one of the funnest games, both single player and co-op.

SOMA is another. Fantastic atmosphere and a solid story.

@reduc_ab_ my bad i overshot the date WAAAAY too much, this was actually free for PS+ all the way back in september, i double checked. It felt so much more recent lmao.

Either way I don't remember it. But I hardly ever remember what I get off PS+. I just add em' to my library and then like a year later get a surprise when I go to buy something on a PSN sale and find that I already own it.

@reduc_ab_: Does the Metro series count? I played it on PC, so not really sure which console generation it falls under.

Anyhoo, really underrated. Can't believe how many people I run into who've never played it, and some never even heard of it.

Yeah, same here or even there're times i don't even add anything to my library, i just know i'll never play them.

Ori & the Blind Forest is the main one that comes to mind.

Also Valiant Hearts & Child of Light.

I'd say so, yeah, because of Redux. For what it's worth, the Metro games are among my very favorite FPSs.

@reduc_ab_: Same, really enjoyed the first one, but I've been halfway through last light for about 3 months now, because I keep getting sidetracked by other games lol.

Twilight Princess HD. Hero Mode fixed that game.

^Ooh Steins Gate is a good call-out. And the Dying Light expansion. Yeah those are good. Underappreciated indeed. Divinity OS is also a good one yes. I couldn't get past the 'this is meant to be played by 2 people' vibe. But I heard fantastic things about it.

Geez, never thought I'd say this, but I agree with you 100%. I honestly fell off the Hitman series a while back. But this latest one was fantastic. I loved just the return to basics, no stupid plot, just here's your target, have fun.

Halo 5, Forza 5

I agree with this

@metalslimenite: Play Steins;Gate

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the best games of this generation and it barely gets any appreciation.

The Wii U in general has some really excellent games that don't get much appreciation since most people don't have a Wii U.

Alien Isolation: For some unknown reason(Maybe Due to Casual gamer reviewers or due to that disaster Colonial Marines which turned the Media against Alien Brand) this game got low scores despite being a great game.

The Evil Within is the next game. every reviewer expected to play Resident Evil 4 version 2 but they ended up with a different game which is the reason that they were disappointed in this game despite being decent and actually enjoyable .

Insurgency comes to mind. It released in 2014 on PC and scored a 7 here which I suppose is okay, but I think it's better than that. It is a more realistic take on military shooters than most of it's counterparts, and is generally alot of fun. Kills are usually 1 or 2 shots so if you get lucky you can kill many enemies quickly. This also adds to the suspense in the game, you have to be very careful peeking around corners and watching for enemies behind cover. Most of the maps are small urban settings so it's not a chore to find someone, at the same time there is enough room that it doesn't feel cramped on the maps. The game's HUD is also very minimal, so it's not distracting or anything. Despite it's "realism", it still is just a game though, so several modes are simply "capture the objectives", "destroy the cache" with re-spawning and so forth.

Another game is Wings of Vi also released in 2014 on PC. I don't think it's very well known - it was not reviewed here and doesn't have alot of user reviews. It is a perfect game if you're a real masochist. As far as arbitrary playthroughs are concerned, I don't think I've played a harder game than this. It is strangely satisfying when you complete a hard platforming section or tough boss in this game. Not to mention the game's metroid-vania artstyle looks great. If you like tough platformers, I'd definitely recommend it. It deserves more attention.

wasteland 2 and torment tides of numenera

I didn't play most of what you all wrote. Maybe only Odin Sphere Liefthrasir

Highly recommend Mark Brown if you're looking for underappreciated games as a whole.

I haven't played it myself but there are only a few people on here who ever talk about this game which is supposedly amazing.

stephen's sausage roll.

My personal pick though is The Wonderful 101. That game was excellent but I feel the game's mechanics were greatly misunderstood; helped by the game failing to telegraph exactly how the game 'should' be played.

Absolutely ZOMBI U.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the crown-holder right here.

Agree with TEW 1000%. That game is a freakin' masterpiece, and I will shout it from the mountaintops. It is perhaps my FAVORITE game this generation.

Star Citizen.

And yes I know it's not "released" yet and it's still alpha but I feel it's largely unappreciated how much effort the dev's are putting to make the game and how beautiful some of the moments that you can already experience in it really are. The video above is a nice example of it as it's made by a player and consists only of ingame footage, music is from Star Citizen composer Pedro Camacho.

Kathy Rain

Best point and click adventure game since Grim Fandango IMO.

Sunset Overdrive & Max Brotherhood.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 1 & 2 - The true spiritual successors to Mega Man

AA: Spirit of Justice - The best Ace Attorney since Trials and Tribulations

Freedom Planet - It's Sonic X Gunstar Heroes X Mega Man X Rocket Knight Adventures, a.k.a one of the best platformers ever

Crimzon Clover - An amazing shmup that any fan of the genre needs to play

Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors - The newest game in this veteran shmup series, and the amount of content it has is on a AAA level

DoDonPachi Resurrection and Mushihimesama - I'm putting these two together not just because they're both from Cave, but mainly since I can't recommend either of them enough to shmup fans. Hell, even if you're not a fan of the genre, you will be after you play one of these classics. Seriously, go play them

Spark the Electric Jester - It's basically Sonic X Kirby, and it's made from the guy that made Before the Sequel and After the Sequel

And finally, my current favorite game of the gen (and yes it counts since it came out in 2015):

Rodea the Sky Soldier (Wii ver.) - It's the spiritual successor to one of my absolute favorite games ever, NiGHTS into Dreams, and it's also the one game that truly uses the Wii mote to its full advantage. Literally with any other control scheme, including a mouse, would ruin it

Path of Exile.

Yes its getting bigger and its getting its player base expanded every year but game is heavily underpreciated from alot of gamers imho. Hell , is the best ARPG hands down and many gamers havent even tried it !

Its hardcore structure and deep elements as an ARPG with the lack of in-depth ingame tutorials making it kinda complicated for casual gamers and most gamersin general imho , hence game is not as popular as it should THOUGH for the very same reasons is the king of ARPGs so i wouldnt want to change so it can get a way wider acceptance.

it's probably for me too.(I just have to play it 2 more times on harder difficulties to make sure of it)

Mass Effect Andromeda. Brilliant game. Don't buy it though, the 'cool' kids don't like it. They don't know why because they haven't played it, but surely them not liking something they know **** all about it is enough? Right?

Ditto braindead reviewers who jumped on the ME hate train and slagged it off without knowing why while actually admitting to having clocked up like 70 fucking hours playing time.

Yeah, when I hate a game or just find it plain boring I am really likely to spend 70 fucking hours playing it.

Irresponsible unprofessional clueless braindead cunts.

Lots of good stuff already said, so I'll try to think of some games that haven't been mentioned yet...

Dishonored 2: It was at first plagued by performance issues, but those are largely fixed. Sure, it's "more of the same", but did we want anything else from a Dishonored sequel? The addition of Emily as a playable character with unique powers added enough variety for my liking. I really liked this game a lot, but it seems it was forgotten pretty quickly by the masses.

Mad Max: A Batman Arkham clone with the addition of awesome vehicular combat... A cool combination, if uninspired. What got me was how under-hyped this game was. It literally came out of nowhere but was genuinely fun to play. It took some pretty big liberties with the movie(s), but that's okay. Story was a pretty weak, but it made up for it in vehicle customization/upgrading, rewarding combat, and the cool harpoon on the car which was pretty unique and fun to use. One of the few games where driving to each location was fun and maybe even preferable to fast travel (which the game also had). Never knew what you'd run into. Literally, as ramming was a big part of vehicle combat.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: Yes, it ended with a bitch slap. Yes, it was too short. Yes, it only had one hub city. But it was really good while it lasted. I don't think I will ever understand how a game this good could kill a franchise.

Expeditions: Viking: I'm actually playing this now, and I have to say I'm surprised nobody anywhere I've seen has really mentioned it. GS did a little gameplay video on it, but that was it. So what is it? Gameplay wise it's a Divinity: Original Sin clone, but in a "historical" Norse setting. I haven't gotten very far yet, but so far it's pretty fun. Fun enough to warrant some attention, anyway.

Hollow Knight - I mean come on. Not even a review from any major websites?

Tyranny

The Wonderful 101. Once you get a hang of drawing things consistently on the right stick, that combat engine is both unique (which is pretty rare these days for a beat-em up) and has the level of depth n complexity one would expect from Platinum and especially Hideki Kamiya. The game's scenarios are absolutely bonkers, and it's probably the only Platinum game where I consistently enjoy it's narrative qualities. In Bayonetta I like the character, but the plot itself is inane. Vanquish the set up is hilariously cheesy, but it's actually pretty boring story wise and doesn't indulge in the cheese like say a Devil May Cry does. And Revengeance is hilarious, but then it also has large stretches where it's Metal Gear.

But The Wonderful 101 walks that fine line of appropriately cheesy, tongue n cheek, and genuinely heart warming all in the make up of a giant homage to the Power Rangers or whatever they were called in Japan before they came here, the ending itself? Like the craziest Platinum has come up with, and anyone well versed in Platinum Games should understand that's a pretty lofty claim.

But the mechanics are absolutely killer in how tight they are (the controls actually became second nature to me by the 2nd playthrough), and the bosses that best use your abilities are a delight. The enemies feel so well suited around your combat, and the combat itself is a great learning experience. The game doesn't out right tell you what to do, as much as you have to pay attention to visual tells (like the color coded nature of how they enter a field) that tells you what's the best weapon for any given situation. It's straight up genius, it's a shame the game's segments that aren't the core combat, aren't all that satisfying besides the Punchout part, but it's one of the better games this gen, its' fresh and inventive to boot, and it's story even while simple n cheesy, actually compliments the gameplay in a fun way, instead of being completely at odds with it (Rockstar, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft, take your pick as far as devs who can't tell a story through gameplay).