Most underrated video games of all time (ever)

[Totally Guy]

I played a game on the PS2 called Shadow of Memories, where a guy turns up in a small German town and is murdered. He meets a being names Homunculus that has time travel powers to give him another chance, so the game is you, going back in time over and over to continue to prevent your own death my many methods.

I've never seen anyone ever talk about this game. The game said it had 5 ending on the box but I think I counted up to 8 endings.

For that it unlocked a bonus god mode where you (the character) already knew all the plot twists at the start and can resolve the entire game in a few small actions.

[Om]

Planescape is critically acclaimed but those clods who buy games (yes, you) refused to be lured by its excellent gameplay and stunning writing. The fools!

Nethack. It's been around for 20 years now, and it's still a great game. It will run on practically any computer hardware, it's free software, it's got everything: challenge(maybe more than is needed), Liches, Leprechauns, a D&D basis and the extremely important OotS reference.

More seriously this game is so underrated because people these days care more about flashy graphics than challenging and thoughtful game play, and it has no corporation to make press releases. I'd say that it is as good as Baldurs Gate 2, not as good graphics, not as varied locales, smaller party, but so much more you can do (genociding Leprechauns comes to mind).

Pffft complaining about flashy graphics detracting from gameplay is one thing but really... an ASCII game? Maybe the graphics fans have a point here

[Sirelroka]

I liked Beyond Good and Evil.

And Nethack does indeed, rule.

[416365416c]

I would agree that Planescape Torment and Soul Reaver are good games, but the amount of support they are getting is undermining their underrated status.

And I admit that Nethack is the only roguelike I've ever played. I probably should try some other ones, as they are probably just as underrated.

Planescape is critically acclaimed but those clods who buy games (yes, you) refused to be lured by its excellent gameplay and stunning writing. The fools!

Pffft complaining about flashy graphics detracting from gameplay is one thing but really... an ASCII game? Maybe the graphics fans have a point here

And you submitted an ASCII post, how is that supposed to be appealing ?

But ASCII is only one step above sitting at a table and having someone verbally describe the in-game world to you. And that's sure to be boring [/sarcasm]

If ASCII REALLY bothers you, feel free to write a unicode port

[DeathQuaker]

And you submitted an ASCII post, how is that supposed to be appealing ?

But ASCII is only one step above sitting at a table and having someone verbally describe the in-game world to you. And that's sure to be boring [/sarcasm]

Heh. Yep, exactly.

If ASCII REALLY bothers you, feel free to write a unicode port

[/quote]

Or just play Vulture's Eye, which is Nethack with a graphical interface. (But I tried it and meh... interfered with the gameplay... it's weird how your mind adapts to things... it was easier for me to recognize a "G" as a gnome than a little sprite of one.)

[NEO|Phyte]

Or just play Vulture's Eye, which is Nethack with a graphical interface. (But I tried it and meh... interfered with the gameplay... it's weird how your mind adapts to things... it was easier for me to recognize a "G" as a gnome than a little sprite of one.)

I hear ya.
Look at some Dwarf Fortress screenshots with custom tilesets and you're sitting there looking at a tiny image of a dwarf going 'wtf kind of dwarf is that?!' rather than a nice color-coded smily face thing.

[averagejoe]

Kung Fu Chaos. Great 3D fighting game, tons of maps, characters, and alterable bits to keep it fresh.

my friend used to own that game. I gotta be honest, it was really fun in the beginning. But after about 2 hours of playing the game, it got old really quick. (Especially since the fighting system itself is not very solid.)

I have to agree with Elliott, it does get old after awhile, but I think that such a genre in fighting games has potential. (they should definitely have thrown out the non-fighting levels as well.) The game could have done better, but they should make more fighting games with altering terrain. (Levels like rainbow ride in SSBM are a step in this direction.)

[NinjaTaco89]

Clay fighter 63 1/3, for the N64. sure it was nothing more than a button masher,but its got some of the most hilarious junk you've ever seen!

[Elidyr]

Planescape is critically acclaimed but those clods who buy games (yes, you) refused to be lured by its excellent gameplay and stunning writing. The fools!

Actually, PS: Torment had the worst gameplay of all the Infinity engine games. Yes, the combat was horrible, which is too bad, the game could have been much more successful.

[Assasinater]

Actually, PS: Torment had the worst gameplay of all the Infinity engine games. Yes, the combat was horrible, which is too bad, the game could have been much more successful.

Fortunately, combat isn't what the game is about.

[Maryring]

Both Secret of Evermore and Beyond Good and Evil are great, underrated games. I loved them both.

[Morty]

I don't really think P:T is underrated. Every cRPG fan will tell you that Torment is at least good.
As for underrated games, I nominate Neverhood. It's excellent, hilarious game(from 1997) yet few people remember it. And I was dying from laughter while playing that.

[Baalzebub]

Planescape: Torment. Good ol' 2nd edition game. And I have a copy bwahaha

[sun_tzu]

I submit the Tex Murphy games. I've played both "Pandora Directive" and "Overseer" (had "Under a Killing Moon", but couldn't get to work - long story), and was amazed at how awesome they were.
Great characters.
Great puzzles.
Great plots.
It was art. An interactive movie - and a good one to boot. Tex Murphy is awesomeness incarnate in a fedora-wearing 21st-century down on his luck private eye.

[Om]

I don't really think P:T is underrated. Every cRPG fan will tell you that Torment is at least good.

The critics loved it, the RPG fans loved it, the forum goers loved it. Everybody loved Planescape except for the gaming public who ignored it in their droves. Despite being routinely hailed as the best cRPG ever, it was a complete and utter commercial flop.

[Morty]

The critics loved it, the RPG fans loved it, the forum goers loved it. Everybody loved Planescape except for the gaming public who ignored it in their droves. Despite being routinely hailed as the best cRPG ever, it was a complete and utter commercial flop.

Because Torment isn't flashy, has too many dialogues, too complicated plot and isn't on any console. That's why media and public ignored it. But that's preety common, so I wouldn't call Torment "underrated" because of that.

[Om]

Because Torment isn't flashy, has too many dialogues, too complicated plot and isn't on any console. That's why media and public ignored it. But that's preety common, so I wouldn't call Torment "underrated" because of that.

Again, the media loved Planescape. I remember reading the review in PC Zone, I probably still have that copy somewhere, and for months afterward the game featured in every writer's "What are you playing now box".

What this comes down to is a definition of "underrated". Is it critical acclaim or sales volume? In terms of the former Planescape is a veritable giant of the genre while in the latter its notable solely for being a flop. I hate to say it but Planescape is one of those rare instances where the reviewers got it right and the public wrong.

[Assasinater]

I suggest that we define "underrated" as "very good but really unheard of" for this instance, because people here usually know about games like Planescape: Torment, and there are already threads for those kind of games. I believe it would be more interesting and helpful if "games that even 'hardcore gamers' might not know" are talked about instead.

[Nathander]

Shadow Hearts

Easily agreed.

I'd also say that the Xenosaga series is, to me, fairly underrated by the mainstream base, and slightly overrated among the hardcore base. It's one of my personal favorites, but I don't think it's the end all/be all I once did. I also feel Earthbound was extremely underrated.

[Pepper]

Chronicles of Riddick - Escape from Butcher Bay Xbox

Bought this for 10 bucks new, and it's easily the best FPS with a story ive ever played. Great atmosphere, and graphics, that rival any xbox game ive ever seen.

[Scroofy]

Tribes 2....nuff said

[Icewalker]

I'd like to mention Devil May Cry 3. I'm pretty sure it got very little attention because the second one totally sucked in comparison to the first.

Warcraft II also. What a fun old game...

Can't think of any others atm.

[Dispozition]

Has no one else heard of Phantom Crash? My god...I am the only one to have ever played it...Damn...It was such a good game too...

[Holy_Knight]

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. A hidden gem on the GameCube. Amongst the first 20 to be released, but none of my friends had even heard of it until I told them about it.

I will not rest until Eternal Darkness is granted the credit it deserves.

Man, I don't know, I have to go with the detractors on this one. It seemed extremely dull and repetitive to me when I played it--going down identical corridors and fighting identical enemies over and over. Maybe it gets better as it goes on, but the beginning didn't impress me nearly enough to justify trying to find out.

The Secret of Evermore. Too many people couldn't get over the fact that it wasn't Secret of Mana 2 to give it a chance. They missed out on a great game.

I didn't finish it, since I only rented rather than owned it, but I agree that this was a fun game.

Warcraft II also. What a fun old game...

I don't see how Warcraft II can be considered underrated. When it came out, it was quite popular.

[SITB]

"Magic & Mayhem"*, am I the only person who know of this game?

That aside, I think it's an awesome game even today. I really liked the gameplay of having "Places of Power" to recharge your mana and having the ability to summon various mythical critters. And having the grimoire record info on creatures, items, places and spells was a nice touch too.


*I'm referring to the first and good one at any rate.

[Fri]

Earthbound, by no doubt. I can't spend enough time promoting it to my friends, but now, it's become more difficult, with those PS3 and Xbox 360 and Wii, damn.

I wrote a review about that game in most forum I've joined. Haven't write one for this forum, though.

[Logic]

I add my weight to recommend Beyond Good and Evil.

I add Jet Force Gemini to the list of considerations.

[Snipers_Promise]

The "No one lives forever" series, one of best ive played in a long time.

[The Evil Thing]

Hostile Waters
Clever plot with Dr. Who narrating (well, Tom Baker anyway). Graphics that still look good despite its age. No multiplayer or skirmish limited its replayability.

Giants
The unintelligent and unoriginal drivel that fills our game shelves now is a highly deserved punishment for this game not selling well. You knew it was a good game because it had cockney aliens in it.

Startopia
Lovingly crafted with the same care as Dungeon Keeper, with all the mandatory British irony included.

Evil Genius
Same situation as Startopia, but with less aliens and more evil.

Planescape: Torment
Pretty much summed up by almost every post in this thread.

Beyond Good and Evil
Charming and clever adventure game cunningly disguised as a photo-'em-up.

The Dig
Not the best, but still a nice 4 hour jaunt through point-and-click land.

Grim Fandango
Simply the best adventure/puzzle game ever made.

Project: Nomads
Fun, if strange title that never sold well because it wasn't formulaic enough for the public to really understand. For shame.

Anachronox
Surrealist adventure game in a similar vein to Final Fantasy, but with more puzzles and less faux-epic.

[Jacob_Gallagher]

Independence War

A space combat sim where, unlike most games, you command a medium-sized warship- that, and full, ultra-realistic Newtonian physics. And a kickass storyline, and a pretty good sequel.