What are your favorite niche games?

I kinda feel that a lot of the games I like that people would consider niche are JRPGs or games from Japan in general. Obviously there's exceptions to the rule. But like I consider Persona a niche series. I consider Bayonetta niche. Danganronpa is definitely niche. So that's pretty much where I fall on that. How about you, SW? What niche games are you into?

Steins;Gate

Stealth based games in general are pretty niche so

Hitman

Alien isolation

Dishonored

MGS

Not including retro stuff, Azure Striker Gunvolt, Freedom Planet, Ace Attorney, Yakuza, and shmups in general.

I suppose it would be Pikmin, the Mother series and Dragon Quest (in the west) for me.

Lots of Japanese games are niche, that's necessarily a bad thing. When western publishers put big money behind games, they can play it too safe, sticking to stale genres and themes and settings and such. Having lower budget titles means sales expectations aren't as big and that allows them chances to experiment.

Yup, I'd say Persona, though it hardly feels niche anymore. The current game is selling well on PS4, the game was designed for broader appeal, it's not as alienating with its difficulty as other SMT games, they also have bigger budgets and greater production values over other SMT series. I'd say the series has just had poor release circumstances to date. Persona 3 released outside Japan right when the Xbox 360 and PS3 and Wii were blowing up on the market, Persona 4 well after that. They also released PSP and Vita iterations of the games, but handhelds aren't quite as big in the west as they are in Japan. I felt what it really needed at the time was modern console versions, but we didn't get that, we got Catherine, still good, but not Persona, we also got two Persona fighting games, but not the JRPGs themselves. It seemed to me like they were testing the waters on consoles the wrong way, just make the games. Just seeing how well Person 5 is selling on the PS4 just hammers down on that point about how it always had the potential, it just needed to release in the right way. I hope they came to the same conclusion, I'd love to see them remaster Persona 3/4 for the PS4 at the very least. I'd really like it though if they considered it on other systems for this series, like the Switch, at very least the PC, I bet it could even garner appreciation on the Xbox.

Anyhow, I'll add Deadly Premonition to this list of niche games. It was just damn fun. Though, by last gen standards even, many dismissed it as ugly, the equivalent of a Dreamcast game by its looks, but it just had this charm that made it a blast to play.

Also, the Katamari series, I loved these games. I hope with this focus on remastering the older PlayStation classic titles that this makes its way onto the PS4.

I honestly don't know what games fall into a niche category and what just isn't that popular. I really don't think about it at all.

• SNK fighting games
• Motorcycle racing games
• Pandora's Tower
• Excite Bots

• Steins;Gate
• Danganronpa
• Zero Escape

Trackmania, Trials and OlliOlli 1&2. I love chasing record times and high scores, so those games speak directly to me.

Danganronpa

Gravity Rush

Forza Motorsport/Horizon.

i guess the most niche game i enjoyed are the hyperdimension neptunia series.

Team based fast paced FPS twitch shooters like Lawbreakers, Tribes, Unreal Tournament, etc.

Apparently most millenials and gen Zers either don't like them, or can't compete in them.

My reactions and aim aren't what they were in my twenties, but I can still manage to wreck most fools.

I don't know what happened, but I blame games like CoD, and more recently, Overwatch for casualizing much of the genre and making the faster, higher skill ceiling games niche these days.

Alien Isolation sold 2 million copies at least, and is part of the Alien IP.

Metal Gear Solid has had multiple entries sell 3 million or better, in fact MGSV sold 5 million copies. Nothing niche about it. Debateable with Dishonored n HItman.

Most PC exclusives are pretty niche outside of Blizzard.

Yakuza

MGS is the opposite of niche.

these are my favourites:

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine,IJ and the Emperors Tomb.(2 Indy Games that were great but Niche.)

God Hand and Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks .

Spiderman Web Of Shadows.

Commandos.

There are dozens of indie games i love that no one talks about: Cursed Castilla, Wonder Boy remaster, Helldivers, Guacamelee, Dust and Elysian Tail, Apotheon, Axiom Verge, etc, etc

Hollow Knight

Skyrim

Proabably a JRPG called "Time and Eternity". Many people hated this game, and it was hardly known to begin with. I still played it and really enjoyed.

@SolidGame_basic:

COD, Battlefield, Halo.

FSX..... Over a decade of fun.

Fighting and racing games. Forza and any fighting game made by Capcom

Shenmue is the top of that list for me.

Park/Zoo Sims I'd say are very niche.

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis is probably my favorite, followed by Zoo Tycoon 2.

Catherine