Underrated games

[Yukari]

What video games do you think have received more criticism than they deserve?

And alternatively, what games do you think haven't received the recognition they deserve?

 

[Killua]

Hmm the new NFS were very criticized Mass effect 3 had the "return of the jedi problem" that is being the worst of an overall good series also B/W and B/W2 also Chronno trigger is pretty much forgotten right now.

 

[MagmaFlash]

I think Pokemon Rumble world deserves more credit. It's not like Shuffle where you can only play for about 10 minutes before you run out of hearts and then you either pay for more or wait for 2 hours for the hearts to refill. I really do like the gameplay of Shuffle, but it's so greedy that it's not even worth playing it.

 

[Bay]

Hmm the new NFS were very criticized Mass effect 3 had the "return of the jedi problem" that is being the worst of an overall good series also B/W and B/W2 also Chronno trigger is pretty much forgotten right now.

Concerning Chrono Trigger, really? I still keep hearing how several people considered it the best game and very nostalgic about it. If anything, it's still very recognizable.

As for me, I think I would go for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. While it's been critically acclaimed by several sites, for the most part the public look down on it because it's a "walking simulator" and its ending. I do understand also some of its content might not be for everyone. Otherwise, it was a fun experience for me as I was playing it.

 

[machomuu]

If we're talking underrated games, definitely this:

Spoiler:

As for why...well, this infamous review. But I don't really think there's any need to sing its praises since it's amassed quite the following. Probably partially because of said review. It was made by what is now Platinum Games and, even among their titles, it still feels incredibly unique and at the same time identifiably Platinum.

 

[pkmin3033]

It's difficult for me to think of games that haven't received the recognition they deserve, because I'm familiar with a lot of niche titles which all have very strong fandoms. In mainstream media, 90% of the games I play are never given any recognition at all, outside of an unjustly scathing review that clearly shows whoever wrote it either isn't interested in JRPGs or didn't bother playing the game past the first couple of minutes. Online, it's a different story. There are a couple, though:

Resonance of Fate is the biggest one that springs to mind for me; I have met maybe two or three people who have played it, even on forums dedicated to the discussion of RPGs. This is criminal. This is easily one of the PS3's better JRPGs; it has an innovative and unique battle system reminiscent of VP2's, an interesting approach to telling its story which kept me playing it, a fantastic steampunk setting you hardly ever get to see in JRPGs, and it has a cast with great chemistry. It's a very, very good game. It just had the misfortune of being released shortly after FFXIII, so naturally it was completely overlooked. Resonance of Fate is the very definition of an underrated title.

The Guided Fate Paradox is another one; it seems to be the one that most NIS fans missed. It occupies its own little space as a spiritual successor to Zettai Hero Project - another title hardly anyone has heard of or played - and, as a dungeon crawler, it's pretty immersive. The sequel was awful, the spiritual prequel was completely ignored, but it sits in the middle, completely unnoticed. It deserved far more recognition than it got.

Since the official forums were shut down, Baten Kaitos has become this, too. It's not surprising, since there has been nothing about a third game for years and the second game wasn't released outside of the US (and you have no idea how pissed I am about that) but it's not one that crops up very often, and at the time of its release it was largely ignored in favour of the likes of Tales of Symphonia and Skies of Arcadia Legends. It's one of the better JRPGs to hit the Gamecube in my opinion, and it is in dire need of SOMETHING to make it relevant again. A port, a remaster, a sequel; anything. Too few people have heard of it.

There are definitely a few non-JRPG examples, but my brain isn't working this morning. I'll get back to you on those.

 

[Killua]

I said chrono trigger mostly for square don´t making a sequel since Chrono Cros for ps1 or a properly remake (seriously the DS remake was made just to get some money from old fans, goddamit the same graphics of NES on a ds game it made me so mad).

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Time and Eternity.
Nuff said, you just have to play it to understand. :P

But I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't mention this.
The Legend of Heroes - Kiseki.
These games are one of the best JRPGs ever and still don't have enough recognition despite XSEED-sama doing all they could to bring them to Western shores.
From innovative battle system to engaging stories, these games have it all.

Resonance of Fate is the biggest one that springs to mind for me; I have met maybe two or three people who have played it, even on forums dedicated to the discussion of RPGs. This is criminal. This is easily one of the PS3's better JRPGs; it has an innovative and unique battle system reminiscent of VP2's, an interesting approach to telling its story which kept me playing it, a fantastic steampunk setting you hardly ever get to see in JRPGs, and it has a cast with great chemistry. It's a very, very good game. It just had the misfortune of being released shortly after FFXIII, so naturally it was completely overlooked. Resonance of Fate is the very definition of an underrated title.

I definitely agree with this, but if we only limit it to the players that actually played it, it's definitely getting very positive recognition =D But yea, agree completely. It's similar to Kiseki imo.

 

[pkmin3033]

I definitely agree with this, but if we only limit it to the players that actually played it, it's definitely getting very positive recognition =D But yea, agree completely. It's similar to Kiseki imo.

Yeah, most people I've spoken to who have played it have enjoyed it, and the few reviews I've seen of it have only been critical of the learning curve (which is admittedly ridiculous; the game is brutal before Chapter 5, and that damn statue escort mission) but the problem is hardly anyone has played it. It's just...ignored.

I'm not sure if it's just because they're niche, but a lot of the monster hunting games that aren't Monster Hunter, Freedom Wars, or God Eater are mostly ignored, too. Soul Sacrifice Delta, Toukiden, Ragnarok Odyssey, etc. Soul Sacrifice in particular is highly underrated, it has more creativity in its disturbing monster designs than any other hunting title in my opinion - all you ever see are dinosaur creatures, traditional demons or robots; SSD had fairytale mutants - a much smoother control system, and a unique way of telling its story. Plus, giant baby gods. You know any game that utilises giant baby gods is cool.

White Knight Chronicles is also a tragically underrated series, especially considering it's a Level-5 series, and all of their other titles are ridiculously popular. I know some Level-5 fanatics who have never even heard of White Knight Chronicles! I don't know how or why WKC slipped under the radar; the online play was absolutely fantastic, and the gameplay was pretty good overall. Now it's somewhat understandable, as the online servers have been shut for years now, but even when they were open it was always a pretty quiet title that got mediocre reviews and shunned for no real reason. The plot was no worse than Ni No Kuni's, and it even had a few good twists to it here and there.

 

[Freddy Fazbear]

Final Fantasy X seems to get a ton of hate for no reason. I know there's plenty of people like me who love it to death, but from what I've seen a lot of people can't stand it. Also, not that it's disliked, but why don't people talk about Link's Awakening more? I get that A Link to the Past is the more popular 2D Zelda game, but I always thought Link's Awakening was the superior game. I just never see people bring it up in conversations though unless they want to talk about the Mario enemies. I just think it deserves more than that.

 

[pkmin3033]

Final Fantasy X seems to get a ton of hate for no reason. I know there's plenty of people like me who love it to death, but from what I've seen a lot of people can't stand it.

Whoah whoah whoah, where on earth have you been hanging out? With the obvious exception of FFVII, FFX is perhaps the most critically acclaimed and celebrated Final Fantasy title to date, especially with the HD remaster's recent release bringing it all back into the spotlight. The only criticisms I've seen of the game recently are how badly Square Enix messed up the random encounters in the PS4 version, but that was patched out. The characters are insanely popular, and it's often a candidate for "Best PS2 game ever" lists even in mainstrea media. The media adored it, and still does. Nooooo way. Sorry. Can't agree with that at all. FFX would be better put in an overrated thread than an underrated one.

With the possible exception of Final Fantasy II, which appears to be viewed in much the same way Zelda II is these days, I don't think any numbered Final Fantasy title could be seen as underrated; the fandom is just too damn big and you need a hate topic to bring out any sort of criticism, otherwise you're shouted right down. FFXII is underrated only in the sense that Square Enix have forgotten about it entirely, and FFXIII just split the fandom every which way.

If you wanted to go into the spinoffs and whatnot, though...well, Crisis Core was a pretty divisive title, although it got about as much praise for its story as it did criticism for its godawful gameplay mechanics (roulette levelling up, anyone?) so I wouldn't call it underrated, but if you want overlooked FF titles, look no further than the likes of Dirge of Cerberus (which seems to be the one FFVII compilation title everyone forgets about) or the Final Fantasy Tactics series which, whilst fairly well received, have been more or less forgotten about these days...although the fact that we haven't had a brand new instalment in the series since Tactics A2 doesn't help.

Also, Tactics Ogre. This is a very good candidate for most underrated series of all time, in my opinion. Let Us Cling Together was met with minimal fanfare when it was released on PSP, and Knight of Lodis is perhaps the most overlooked GBA title in existence...I didn't even know it existed until after I'd played the PSP game, which was damn near a decade after its release! I've never met anyone outside of the Gamefaqs boards who has even heard of it, let alone played it. I had to import a copy, because Atlus were a bunch of ****s even back in 2002, but damn. It's a real shame, too - these games easily rival the FF Tactics series for in-depth political machinations and fantastic characterisation...and they're a lot harder, too.

 

[Freddy Fazbear]

Whoah whoah whoah, where on earth have you been hanging out? With the obvious exception of FFVII, FFX is perhaps the most critically acclaimed and celebrated Final Fantasy title to date, especially with the HD remaster's recent release bringing it all back into the spotlight. The only criticisms I've seen of the game recently are how badly Square Enix messed up the random encounters in the PS4 version, but that was patched out. The characters are insanely popular, and it's often a candidate for "Best PS2 game ever" lists even in mainstrea media. The media adored it, and still does. Nooooo way. Sorry. Can't agree with that at all. FFX would be better put in an overrated thread than an underrated one.

Maybe I had a bad sample of opinions, but I've seen more than one article on why to dislike FFX. Most cite the obvious voice acting issues and then just rip on Tidus and Yuna, but I've also seen more than one bring up the sphere system and even the combat, both of which I personally found to be fine. Though I have also seen it on lists of the best PS2 games as well. So from what I've seen it can be somewhat hit and miss.

Also, Tactics Ogre. This is a very good candidate for most underrated series of all time, in my opinion. ... I've never met anyone outside of the Gamefaqs boards who has even heard of it, let alone played it.

Let me be the first person outside of Gamefaqs that's heard of it and played it then. At least Knights of Lodis.

Oh! I remembered the one I was trying to think of with my last post, by the way. Star Wars: Masters of Tera's Kasi is considered one of the worst Star Wars games of all time, and yeah, it's still kinda bad. But I don't think it's nearly as bad as everyone says it is. It's a sub-par fighting game, but it's original in a lot of ways and even though the controls are clunky and hard to understand at first, once you figure out how to get Luke to turn on his lightsabers it's actually a lot of fun beating your friends into submission Tekkin-style. Most people rate it a 1/10, and it definitely deserves a 6/10.

Alright really a 5/10. It's still not that good.

 

[Sydian]

Why are people saying Chrono Trigger? That's one of the most highly acclaimed JRPGs. What rock are y'all under?

Anyway, Jet Force Gemini is a gem. I think it's often overshadowed by the other RareWare games like Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's, but it's definitely solid on its own and it's my personal favorite Rare game. It's a 3rd person shooter where you get to play as twins and their dog and you shoot ants and rescue koalas. It's a hard game, though. But it's hella fun and has some great music. The character models are a bit creepy, even for N64 standards, but it's such a fun game regardless and everyone should check it out if they get the chance.

 

[Killua]

Well because it just there is no recent sequel there is no proper remake and is not vrry known like the big rpg franchises and square is doing nothing except for shutting down fan games.

 

[RailgunSkye]

Metroid Other M. I really liked the cinematic feel to it and the gameplay. While parts like the forced FPS was annoying I feel it needs more love or just less hate.

Also Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers is a game that is lots of fun and got good ratings but seems to fly under the radar.

 

[TheBaconToastie]

Pokemon related I'd have to say PMD2. The soundtrack is seriously underrated and the story is pretty emotional. I guess the dungeon gameplay isn't for everyone though.

Outside of pokemon I'd say Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Sure it got great reviews but I know there's a lot of gamers out there who didn't play it which is a shame as it's a damn solid game and anything cyberpunk is just infinitely cool.

Alan Wake was underrated too. Unique way of video game story telling and visually brilliant.

 

[RailgunSkye]

Pokemon related I'd have to say PMD2. The soundtrack is seriously underrated and the story is pretty emotional. I guess the dungeon gameplay isn't for everyone though.

Outside of pokemon I'd say Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Sure it got great reviews but I know there's a lot of gamers out there who didn't play it which is a shame as it's a damn solid game and anything cyberpunk is just infinitely cool.

Alan Wake was underrated too. Unique way of video game story telling and visually brilliant.

I just played it and gave up early on due to the annoying controls for combat. I like stealth in games but the combat was really annoying since the crosshair was just really hard to see half the time and I had no idea if I was even aiming right.

 

[Arsenic]

Pokemon related I'd have to say PMD2. The soundtrack is seriously underrated and the story is pretty emotional. I guess the dungeon gameplay isn't for everyone though.

Outside of pokemon I'd say Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Sure it got great reviews but I know there's a lot of gamers out there who didn't play it which is a shame as it's a damn solid game and anything cyberpunk is just infinitely cool.

Alan Wake was underrated too. Unique way of video game story telling and visually brilliant.

I'd have to agree on Deus Ex and Alan Wake. Two of my favorite games that seemingly almost no on has played. Super excited for the soon to release offerings from both studios!


On the bright side, no one has put Destiny here yet. Probably because it deserves it's awful rating!

 

[JJ Styles]

Blood, developed by Monolith Productions and co-produced by 3D Realms

Possibly one of the more underrated FPS in the 90s. This game was something that I enjoyed because it took the legacy of Duke Nukem 3D into greater heights with its gameplay and liberal amounts of violence as well as the range of weaponry from staple firearms to pitchforks, firebombs, and Voodoo Dolls.

 

[Lunalie]

For me, It's definitely Mystical Ninja Staring Goemon.

It's almost criminal how unnoticed this game is. For those who don't know it's an action adventure game published by Konami for the N64 and despite Konami's current less than stellar reputation I will always defend this game as the undiscovered gem it is for the system. Well, Undiscovered outside of japan, This game series was actually pretty huge there before mostly dying out in 2005.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the game is, I know there are two major reasons why this game never got a good following in the states. First, It required an N64 controller pack in order to save the game in an era where most games were save to cartage. The controller pack was basically a memory card you plus into the back of your controller and very few games on the system used it.

The other reason? This game is Weeeeeeird. It's inspired heavily by Japanese mythology and makes a lot of weird jokes and puns throughout the game that don't always translate well. Don't worry though, You'll know when to laugh, This game has a laugh track!

Despite these flaw however if you ever get the chance to try this game out do it! It has its flaws for sure but it's an experience to play.