Official, Moderated, Definitive "Game You Haven't Heard Of But It's Great" Thread

[digitalpress]

Definition:
"Official": Sanctioned by Digital Press. Whatever that means.
"Moderated": Under constant review by the OP. That's me.
"Definitive": Because of the previous two things.

We've danced around this subject so many times over the years but as the VETERAN gamers most of you are, we need something like this much more than a "What are you playing today" thread. What we're looking for are games that you KNOW are good and you KNOW have been overlooked. And the purpose of this thread is to turn someone who has played "everything" on to something they've never played before. We've all missed nooks and crannies in our gaming along the way - let's fill them in.

Examples:
- games from third party manufacturers on highly dominated first-party consoles.
- quality games on systems not considered quality systems.
- games that probably get passed over because they have words like "football", "racer", or "super" in the title.
- games that flew under the radar.
- strange games from Japan, even arcade games.
- games as far back as Pong and as recent as last month's releases, somehow overshadowed by bigger hype or bad timing.

Fair warning: this is going to be a moderated thread. If you post a game suggestion that I think most people know about, I'm going to delete it. This doesn't reflect badly on you in any way - in fact, no one will even know it happened. You'll just have wasted a few minutes of your time. Don't let that happen... don't try to slip Vib Ribbon or Gunstar Heroes past me, because everyone knows those are good games that were once overlooked. THIS community never overlooked them.

Also note that if you simply comment on a previous title without offering one of your own, your post will be deleted. This thread is meant to be a repository for those looking for something "new" without having to browse through countless musings on the merits of - for another example - River City Ransom. Comment away! Just be sure to add something to the mix.

So without further ado, I pass this thread along to our esteemed community.

[sisko]

Title: Ranma 1/2: Ougijaanken (known by many other titles on the web - this one seems to be the most common).
System: Super Famicom
Genre: Puzzle

http://i26.tinypic.com/25t866d.jpg

Essentially - this is "Rock, Paper, Scissors" meets Tetris Attack meets Super Puzzle Fighter.

http://i31.tinypic.com/lgu8x.gif

What makes the game fun is that it is so beautifully simple, and is based on an old childhood game that every knows. When you place a dominant piece on a weaker piece (ie paper on rock) the weaker pieces are cleared.

Once you clear so many pieces, or complete a chain combo - filler pieces are sent over to your opponent in an attempt to squash them. While you are clearing pieces, you are also building up your "special" meter which can be used to inhibit your opponents abilities.

There are several characters to choose from, each with their own stats - allowing for more strategy than a typical puzzle game.

This frenzied and fast paced game is one that every puzzle lover should try out. The best thing is that you don't need to know Japanese or be a Ranma fan to enjoy it!

[G-Boobie]

Game: Pathologic
System: PC (windows)
Developer: Ice Pick Lodge
Year of release: 2005

One of my absolute favorite developers is a Russian studio called Ice Pick Lodge, and their first effort, Pathologic, is one of my all time favorite games. It's difficult to find (the only option for most of the english speaking world is Direct2Drive and it's ilk), very difficult, and may not be a 'game' in the traditional sense. Despite these obstacles, Pathologic is very much worth your time.

The premise is deep and multi-layered, but I'll try and summarize. A frontier town on the Russian steppes is struck by a mysterious plague that kills swiftly and painfully. You have twelve days to stop it, or the entire town dies. including you. You choose one of three characters after you start a new game: a suave city doctor, a haruspicus returning home to bury his father, or a strange girl with the power to heal or kill with a touch. All three characters populate the game world regardless of who you choose, and you must play through the game with all three characters in order to learn the whole story. Each character has their own path to follow, which is guided by strange bird masked fellows called executors. These characters exist both to keep you appraised of your progress, and to keep the fourth wall firmly broken. Sometimes they even seem to know what you're thinking, and speaking only in text windows doesn't dull the creepiness factor one bit. Executors sometimes talk to YOU, the player, which leaves your avatar confused and alarmed.

The town is persistent and so are it's NPC's... Unless they die of the plague or the violence it breeds. Important characters have photos in their glossary entries: unimportant characters are ragdolls. The plague doesn't just affect the inhabitants either: as the game progresses, even buildings and landmarks start to rot and scab over.

The game plays vaguely like Morrowind or Oblivion, though your interaction with the world and it's inhabitants is far more complex. You not only need to manage an inventory, but your reputation, your hunger, and your restfulness. You must master the black market that takes over commerce once the plague strikes in order to eat and stay healthy. You must minister to the plague's victims while completing important tasks to advance the game. You seldom fight, except the plague, which refuses to be mastered. And every night, when everyone else but the drunk or sick are asleep, you can watch your day's triumphs and failures acted out by the executors and other strange characters. Combat is rare and stressful: you're playing a healer, not a warrior. Pathlogic demands that you wisely use your time and your mind: trying to shoot or bludgeon your way through the game will have you reloading frequently.

I cannot stress how draining this game can be. My first time playing it, I had to stop for a couple weeks because it was starting to affect my mood in real life, and not in a positive way. Pathologic is dark, unsettling, and sometimes painful to play. You can lose very easily. Events can quickly spiral out of your control and leave you frustrated and desperate... But you keep coming back because there's never been a game like this before, and it's unlikely that there will be again.

Pathologic isn't for everyone, or even most people. It dares sometimes to be no fun at all, but it does so for a reason, and it's something that I wish more developers would experiment with. Hotel Rwanda is not 'fun' to watch... But it leaves you with something when the credits roll. Pathologic is like that. There are very few games that ask so much from the player, but there are even fewer that leave their mark as deep as this one can.

[Hawksmoor]

Game - Demolition Racer: No Exit
Platform - Dreamcast
Developer - Pitbull Syndicate
Publisher - Infogrames

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7e/Demolition_Racer_No_Exit_cover.jpg/256px-Demolition_Racer_No_Exit_cover.jpg

This is an absolute fantastic game that was overlooked by virtually everyone. It was similar to Destruction Derby on the PS1, but superior in pretty much every way. The racing was great, the car combat was great, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.

[adam_devry]

Game: Eat Lead: the return of matt hazard
System: Xbox 360.

To me i think this game is very overlooked. I liked it it was very funny and some levels where kinda hard so I pick Eat Lead so if you havent tried it you should

[Kroogah]

Title: Turntablist - DJ Battle
System: Wonderswan
Genre: Rhythm

I had a Wonderswan back in, oh, 2002 or 2003. 3 games for it, the other 2 being a crappy AJPW title and Mr. Driller. This game has stuck with me for the last 6 years, making me regret selling the damn thing and wanting to rebuy the damn thing. Funny thing is it's the only Wonderswan game I care about.

One thing that instantly identifies it as a classic is the hilarious, somewhat racial, lol-Japan cover art:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r142/Kroogah/168029457_tp.jpg

This game was released around the turn of the millennium, when turntables were at least temporarily outselling guitars in several parts of the world, especially Japan. And of all the hip-hop themed games I've played, this one is as close as you'll get to being in a Scratch Battle without dropping a few thousand dollars on 2 Tech 12s and some battle records.

Just like the DMC, gameplay involves you and a rival DJ taking turns putting together timed routines (by hitting the buttons on the Wonderswan's 2 d-pads) scoring based on variety, rhythm, and combo strings. Certain keys hit in the right order and timing trigger secret scratches that give you tons of points. You battle your way through 8 or 9 opponents, unlocking their battle records as playable sound sets as you defeat them.

The sound is fantastic, many recognizable samples and scratch sounds. And some of the computer's routines are sick enough that they still float through my head to this day. It's a pretty cheap game nowadays, I recommend it to all WS owners. And if you don't like it, I'll buy it off of you. Srsly.

[Leo_A]

Sky Odyssey for the PS2 is a easy one that always comes to mind when topics like this come up. Great little Pilotwings clone that came out during the PS2's launch window.

[Kroogah]

I suppose some people will be disappointed if I don't post Pop'n Music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqPg5O1zzBA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwAzUDIE9b8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY21hkUef6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZia_raDSZ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bMktVM-C1c oh god thats me

[Ed Oscuro]

If it please the court, I'd like to briefly introduce four games:

Nosferatu - PC - PAN Vision - 2003

It's an FPS...with a time limit, and randomized castle interiors! Turns out it isn't endlessly replayable, but it is fun, very atmospheric (amazing scripted music design), and hard. Parts of the game (not the lighting or the full-screen grain effects) look a lot like it's using bits of Quake's engine - in 2003, this may have doomed it to obscurity.

The Wheel of Time - PC, Legend Entertainment, 1999

On the flip side, here's an early (1999) Unreal Engine game that didn't get much press. It plays a bit like a shooter, but with magic items (and a far larger inventory of them than than usual - instead of single weapons, the 1-0 keys hold categories, where pressing the key repeatedly will bring up one of the three or so items in that category). Not all the magic is seek-and-destroy missiles or laser beams; there's plenty of tools as well - including the awesome "swap places" trick, which lets you, well, swap places with an enemy on the other side of a barrier, or "shift," which lets you do the same without any helpful enemy in sight.

Even more, there's a sort of "castle defense" mode that you run into now and then where you can rush around and plop traps and people into position in anticipation of an enemy assault. It's probably not been played much in ten years, but the game builds up towards a huge online team-based multiplayer battles. Did I mention the writing and especially the scenery are very good, especially for the time? Yes.

Volfied - Taito, arcade, Genesis, Amstrad (I believe), FM Towns.
We've been talking about this one over at Shmups Forum. It's probably quite familiar among many gamers but doesn't get talked about a lot much of the time. It's basically the Arkanoid version of Qix, with cooler boards and enemies, and a higher minimum requirement for level completion. It's quite possible to get 99.9% completion for a huge bonus, too.

Mystic Warrior(s) - Konami, arcade, 1993
So there's Contra, and there's Sunset Riders, and even COW Boys of Moo Mesa, but what's next? Mystic Warriors, which plays more like Sunset Riders than anything else (COW Boys is a beat-em-up with guns). For some unknown reason this one never got a home port, and more's the shame. The only gripes I have with it are that, like Sunset Riders, you choose your weapon set when you pick a character, rather than being able to select one during gameplay itself - though this also has its obvious advantages. Big, epic levels with more action than should be legal - and the excitable announcer yelling "TEMPURA!!!" when you pick up food is one of my favorite gaming moments of all time.

[portnoyd]

Game - Skyblazer
Platform - SNES
Developer - Ukiyotei
Publisher - Sony Imagesoft

Definitely an overlooked platformer from what would eventually become Nintendo's superior for the next generation after 16-bit. A side scroller with a lot of unique abilities for your character to collect over the course of the game which really vary the gameplay well.

[Cantaloup]

Ok, I'll give it a shot:

Sundog: The Frozen Legacy by FTL for the Atari ST (also released for the Apple II).

Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunDog:_Frozen_Legacy
History and more info: http://www3.sympatico.ca/maury/games/space/sundog.html

[obesolete]

Brawl Brothers/Rushing Beat Ran
Snes

It's a double dragon type beat em up with 5 possible characters. It's kind of easy and had really cheesy music that can almost be compared to a golf game at some points. but it's pretty fun. Although I only own the north american cart i've ONLY played the japanese version that's burried in the cart. It can be unlocked with a code on the opening jaleco screen.
The english version has a modified sewer level that is a maze. Screw that!

http://www.snesbeatemup.com/games/brawlbrothers/image/Brawl%20Brothers%20%28U%29%20%5B!%5D000.png

http://superfamicom.org/screenshots/rushing-beat-ran-fukusei-toshi.0.pnghttp://www.snesbeatemup.com/games/brawlbrothers/image/Brawl%20Brothers%20%28U%29%20%5B!%5D001.png

[BetaWolf47]

Okay, let me try:

Bio-Senshi Dan: Increaser Tono Takai (Bio-Warrior Dan translated) - Famicom

This was a Famicom game released in 1987 by the late Jaleco. It was planned for release in the US as Bashi Bazook: Morphoid Masher, but the translation got canned. Bio-Senshi Dan is a sidescrolling adventure set in a sci-fi reality, featuring a unique timed level sequence: the longer you take to get to the end of the level, the more difficult the boss will be.

Lost Levels page (http://lostlevels.org/200508/)
Translation file (IPS) (http://abstractcrouton.emuxhaven.net/trans/biowar/biowar.html)

<EDIT> Hey, two Jaleco games in a row. Nice one, obesolete!

[Kroogah]

Brawl Brothers/Rushing Beat Ran

Hell yeah. Avoid Rival Turf/Rushing Beat because it's a bit too much like Final Fight only worse, but Brawl Brothers is a damn fine SNES title. Overlooked too often these days (since it's not made by Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, or Squaresoft)

[AB Positive]

Title: D/Generation (http://www.lemonamiga.com/?mainurl=http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php%3Fid%3D1734)
Platform: Amiga (although there are Atari ST and DOS ports)


An isometric 3D action/puzzle game for lack of a better term. Futuristic setting where a jetpack-courier brings a prototype to a scientific research company. You have to work out where the man you're meant to deliver you package to actually is while rescuing staff that have been taken hostage by the prototype creatures they were producing.

I say action/puzzle because although you get a laser and can shoot some of the creatures in the building it's more about dodging and rescuing rather than fighting. Avoid electrified plates in the flooring, dastardly traps and confusing mazes to get to level 85 where you hope to find your package's recipient.

[Kid Ice]

Crime Killer (Playstation, Interplay, 1998) .... Maybe gamers overlooked this one because of the generic title, which has little to do with what happens in the game. You drive around in a very fast police car blowing up (or "pacifying", but usually just blowing up) the bad guys. I know this describes a million other games, but the sensation of speed in this game is exhilirating....almost Wipeout-like. Neat music and and graphics, it reminds me a lot of Psygnosis titles like G-Police. This game came out in the spring of '98 in a crowded field of now-classic PlayStation titles like Gran Turismo, Einhander, and Tekken 3....I wouldn't say it's quite on the level of any of those, but it's close.

[Flack]

Bounces (C64)
Denton Designs (c) 1985

Bounces is a one or two player game where two warriors (one knight, one viking) battle head-to-head in the futuristic sport of the same name. The object is to catch a flying black bouncy ball and shoot it into the openings in the ceiling. Each warrior is fastened to the wall with a large rubber band, so the further you get from the wall the harder it is to walk. You're also on roller skates, so after a few moments you'll start sliding back toward the wall anyway. When the ball flies by you can catch and shoot it at the openings, or at each other. Also if you get close to your opponent you can just whack them in the head and knock them down (at which point the rubber band will pull them back to their side). I don't know why this game is so enjoyable but it's one of the most fun two-player games I've ever played. The animation is superb and hitting someone just right with the ball is oddly satisfying.

http://www.lemon64.com/games/screenshots/full/b/bounces_02.gif

[Arcade Antics]

Builder's Block
Jaleco for Sony PlayStation, 2000

Brilliant puzzle game where the goal is to build buildings (with matching colored blocks) and then knock them down. The bigger the building, the bigger the score. An obscure PS title ported from the even more obscure Taito coin op, Land Maker (1998).

[Kroogah]

Title: Eversion
System: PC (freeware)
Genre: Platformer

A bright NES-like platformer where you have the ability to switch between different worlds (hence the title). Plus, it's free. To say any more about why this game is so damn great would spoil it.

Download link: http://zarat.us/tra/offline-games/eversion.html

http://zarawesome.googlepages.com/screenie.png

[Malon_Forever]

I don't know how much this gem is known about (so delete if nessecary), but I rarely ever
hear anyone give this game any love.

G.I. Joe: Atlantis Factor

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3612727389_71c476a6ce.jpg?v=0

This game is the real deal. What else did you suspect from Capcom. It's got the simple yet addictive gameplay, multiple charcters to play as (as you progress), multiple paths to take, and a killer soundtrack. Anyone who hasn't played this game, really needs to check it out.

http://www.coolrom.com/screenshots/nes/G.I.%20Joe%20-%20The%20Atlantis%20Factor%20(2).gif

[Icarus Moonsight]

Title: Bedlam
Platform: PC(DOS/Windows)/PS1 (Euorpean release)
Dev/Pub: Mirage/GT Interactive
Year: 1996
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKAqd-KZGNU
(Begins with the opening cinema then gameplay of first level (slow player). Do yourself a favor and scroll up to 5min in... There, now that's the stuff. :D )

Isometric 360 shooter. Bedlam is an apt title. Mindless destruction via a mech with custom armaments. Basic, but very fun.

For the PC version to run on XP/Vista use the DOS installer on the disk and run program using DOSBox.

[YoshiM]

Title: Phantom Dust
Platform: Xbox
Dev/Pub: Microsoft Game Studios/Majesco (US)
Year: 2005

This little glossed over gem was released at the bargain price of $20. While the single player game is fairly average, this game really shined when played with multiple people. While you can amass many different combinations of powers to both fight and defend, it was the fact that they were given to you randomly like you were pulling from a deck of ethereal cards that made online matches interesting. I've seen and been in matches where players will try to dodge their way back to their starting point to hopefully get an offensive power to turn the tables.

Title: Battle Engine Aquila
Platform: Xbox/PS2/PC (I played the Xbox version)
Dev/Pub: Lost Toys/Atari
Year: 2003

This was a pretty slick game to play. The combo of a walking tank with limited flying capabilities made for some fun dynamics with combat against both ground and air forces. I didn't see this game in many places around where I live so I've only had the ability to play the demo until recently.

[Aussie2B]

Title: Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajima
System: Super Famicom
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure
Year of Release: 1996

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/577445_17365_front.jpg

So here we have Zelda director Eiji Aonuma's first major project, a game which is heavily inspired by A Link to the Past and the game that essentially landed him in the position he is in today. So you should now be asking yourself "Why haven't I played this yet?"

Marvelous is its own beast altogether, though. With virtually no combat, the focus is entirely on puzzle-solving, and these aren't no boring "push this block there" puzzles. The puzzles are fully incorporated into the plotline, and what a plot that is. A lot of people feel that the Zelda series has become sillier and quirkier with Aonuma on board, what with goofy animal helpers and such, and Aonuma's unique personality really shines through in Marvelous. You'll play jankenpon with monkeys, play matchmaker for lovesick penguins, and investigate an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" style mystery, just to name a few of the wacky scenarios.

And while all this would be wonderful with just one lead character, it's even better with Marvelous's team of three boys, each with his own unique talents. The cooperation between the three to discover solutions adds a level of complexity that results in brilliant puzzle design.

Will you get stuck occasionally without knowing Japanese? Most definitely. But is it worth checking a guide now and then to experience the game? Absolutely.

http://nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/images/ss/shvc/avr_1.jpg

[PentiumMMX]

Title: Yoshi's Safari
System: Super NES
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Year of Release: 1993

Probably the most overlooked Mario game ever released in the US. Released for use with the Super Scope, Yoshi's Safari was a light gun shooter on rails, which plays like Sega's House of the Dead; just with classic Mario enemies instead of zombies.

The entire point of the game is shooting Goombas and other classic Mario enemies as you make your way to the boss at the end of the stage. The game offers a 2-player co-op mode, where one plays as Mario using the Super Scope and the other controlls Yoshi using a standard controller, though it's not the best co-op in the world.

While lacking in dept, it makes up for by simply being a blast to play. If you're a fan of light gun shooters and have a Super NES with Super Scope, Yoshi's Safari is definately worth trying out.

[NayusDante]

http://www.playfuls.com/images/boxshot/upload/Harvest_Moon_Innocent_Life_psp.jpg

Title: Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocent_Life:_A_Futuristic_Harvest_Moon)
System: PSP/PS2
Developer/Publisher: Arte Piazza/Natsume
Genre: Futuristic Harvest Moon

In the year 200X... er... sometime in the future, Dr. Ligh-... errrr... the doctor tells Mega Ma-... uhhh..., the robot, to go farming. In this future, farming is all automated and the art of hard labor is lost. In order to prove it can still be done, they send a robot to do it. It's Harvest Moon with a Mega Man homage and a little more exploration than normal. It's more interesting than it sounds.

http://www.cheatcc.com/imagesps2g/baroque_box.jpg

Title: Baroque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_%28video_game%29)
System: Saturn/PSX, later Wii/PS2
Developer/Publisher: Sting/Atlus
Genre: Dungeon Crawl

Definitely a unique game, Baroque has a story that barely makes sense even after you play it through. Still, the game has style, and a very interesting overall tone. You start from lv1 every time you either die or complete the dungeon, but you can save a few items through the game for use next time. Ignore complaints about the difficulty curve, you just need to play it the way it is. You might feel like running through the last few floors, but the extra challenge is to get the better items.


http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/games/drg000/g042/g04277um6ru.jpg

Title: Total Distortion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Distortion)
System: Mac/PC
Developer/Publisher: Pop Rocket
Genre: Music Video Adventure Game

I gained a bit of a following on YouTube when I posted You Are Dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6iT-lMgfAI), the game's game-over song. If you want a truly unheard of gem, this is it. For a game that followed the "Myst-clone" format, TD is remarkably deep and creative. In a sense, it's a linear adventure into an alternate dimension, with your goal being to film everything you see on a video camera. Then, you make your way back home, and use your newly "recorded" (read: unlocked) video clips in the sequencer to make "music videos" to sell to VJs with bad hair. You also get to make sandwiches, battle Guitar Warriors (with guitars, no less; take that Brutal Legend), read "books" (read: minigames and immature humor), annoy the VJs with your interdimensional telephone... It's a weird game, but it's worth checking out.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I suppose I should chime in here, gotta love these threads.

Game: Junction
System: Genesis
Genre: Puzzle

A phenomenal game that no one even knows exists and a great sliding block puzzle game where you have to keep a moving marble on a path without hitting a dead end.

Check out my review of this great game on Sega-16 here (http://www.sega-16.com/review_page.php?id=471&title=Junction)

[AB Positive]

I'd like to second Phantom Dust and Baroque - two very underrated games.

[kingpong]

Game - Fire Trap
Platform - arcade
Publisher - Data East

Everyone knows about the classic Crazy Climber, but few know of Fire Trap. This 1986 gem takes the basic twin stick, building climbing mechanic of Crazy Climber and adds so much that I can barely bring myself to play the Crazy Climber cabinet I have downstairs because I know there's a similar game that is so much better. The most obvious change is that you now have an isometric view of the building, allowing you to see 2 sides. This of course means that the game takes place on two sides of the building. While the basic goal of the game is still to reach the top of the building, getting there is so much more engaging because of the fire extinguisher strapped to your back. By moving the joysticks towards one another you fire a shot from your extinguisher, which you use to put out the fires you encounter as you climb the building. You'll want to extinguish the fires not just to clear your path to the top, but also to let you rescue the people stranded in the building, collect various items for points, and pick up a few power-ups.

It sounds like a simple game, and like most good games, it is. The graphics are plenty good and suit the game well. Overall it is one of those games where everything fits together just right. Crazy Climber is a beloved game, but this is a better Crazy Climber. Unfortunately it was an obscure game when new, so you're not likely to find it anywhere now. It is well emulated for those who are so inclined, and there are C64 and Spectrum ports that look pretty decent. Here's a video of an annoying guy playing the emulated arcade version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XsX0NBRWGI

[Ryaan1234]

Hmmmm.... I'll do a few :) (Also, I third Phantom Dust, it's a great game.)

Game: Toki Tori
System: Game Boy Color
Developer: Two Tribes B.V.
Year of release: 2001

This game was released in the dying days of the Gameboy Color. Capcom published this and Metal Walker at the same time. It's basically a cute puzzler that quickly ramps up in difficulty. You play a little chick that has to collect all of the eggs in a level using items, which you get a limited number of uses for, and you must beat each stage in the time limit. It's a lot harder than it sounds. Fantastic graphics and C64-esque music makes this overlooked game a must-have.

Game: Lords of Magic (original or special edition)
System: PC
Developer: Impressions Games
Year of release: 1998

I bought Return to Krondor back in the day. This game was included as a demo with the game. I played the demo of this game more than Return to Krondor. This game is great. You play as one of 8 "elements" (races) of people who vie to stop the race of Death from conquering the lands of Krondor. This game is a turn-based strategy RPG which has a lot of replay value, since you get to choose from 3 classes (thief, warrior, and mage) and 8 races which each have their pros and cons. For instance, my favorite race, life, has weak infantry and calvalry, but good mages and awesome archers. One thing that sets this apart from other turn-based RPG games is that you control the actual battles between armies.

Game: Ninja Crusaders
System: NES
Developer: American Sammy Corp.
Year of release: 1990

Ninja Gaiden + the ability to turn into animals. Nuff said.

[Dr. Dib]

Game: Goof Troop
System: SNES
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action-Adventure

One of the last few Disney games by Capcom, Goof Troop is one of those games that isn't brought up when the classic Disney games are talked about. The game has a fairly strange plot and doesn't follow the show at all, but it still works. Players could control either Goofy or his son Max as they solved puzzles and fought pirates. The game is somewhat challenging and gets pretty fun to play with a friend. The music also can get fairly catchy.

Game: Super Dodge Ball Advance
System: GBA
Developer/Publisher: Milion/Atlus
Genre: Sports

This may not be game you haven't heard of, but it is still worth a mention. One of the best GBA launch titles and definitely the most overlooked title. It took me a little while to find this game after it was released, but I was glad when I did. The game is a sequel to Super Dodge Ball on the NES and I think it may play the same. It is a fun little dodge ball simulator that doesn't have too much depth, but it can get pretty funny. This game is also technically based on the Kunio-Kun series despite not using the sprites.

Game: Dinocity
System: SNES
Developer: Irem
Genre: Platformer

A tough platformer on the SNES featuring dinosaurs. I just read on the Wikipedia page that it is so tough because the hard mode is the default mode. I can never make it too far in the game, but with a little practice it seems like this game is able to be mastered. Also features Super Mario style 2-player action, though instead of a palette swap for 2nd player there is a gender swap.

[RJ]

EverBlue 2 (PS2)- educational (but fun) diving sim game w/ TONS of stuff to do. A similar current-gen game is Wii Endless Ocean, a pseudo-sequel made by the same company Arika
Turnabout (PS1)- Addictive puzzle game w/ 100+ levels, awesome catchy music & an editor
Gekioh: Shooting King (PS1) neat little top down shooter w/ 2 plyr co-op & 6 other fun modes:
-Pocket: retro shooter on a LCD/GameBoy-type screen
-Comical: "audience" laughs as you shoot enemies
-Stingy: 1 ship, one special weapon, no powerups or bonuses
-No Mercy: enemy fire is fast, true, & relentless
-Slow: dark & forboding, slow speed but enemy fire increased
-Ancient: sepia-toned oldie, complete w/ a loose hair in the frame like a grade school projector!

Turnabout & Gekioh are from Natsume, they actually made some decent stuff.


Oh, & a game store clerk was recently surprised to learn Disaster Report & Raw Danger (PS2) existed.

[c0ldb33r]

Game: Jumping Flash 1 and 2
System: PS One
Developer: Exact Co. Ltd.
Genre: 3D Platformer / FPS

My votes are for the short-lived Jumping Flash series.

Jumping Flash was released early in the lifespan of the PS One. At that time, a fully explorable 3D world was still novel and this game was actually fairly well received. The videogame magazines of the time gave the game relatively good scores (average of about 75-80% IIRC), and JF actually sold pretty well.

In JF, you control a giant robot bunny who has to take on the evil Baron Aloha. Aloha has stolen pieces of a planet and has used to them to create a number of mini-worlds. You struggle through each mini-world, taking on enemies and eventually fighting extremely creative bosses. The story unfolds through cute and amusing FMV scenes between levels. The music is catchy and light-heated and the control is spot-on. The jumping mechanic is very well done and you can double jump 100+ feet in the sky (he's a rabbit after all).

Jumping Flash 2 is almost the same as the original, but that's okay. Why mess with success? The only real difference is that you must actually help rescue Baron Aloha who has since changed his ways (or has he?!? hmmmmmmm....)

So, these are great games, they received pretty good reviews and sold fairly well. Why did I pick them for this thread? Because they've been completely forgotten. No one ever speaks of them. Compared to games like Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot, these games are absolutely archaic. The graphics just can't compare to later releases of that generation and the controls and game mechanics are laughably simple as well. However, these are games that everyone should beat. You won't regret it :)

Getting these games should be easy as they've been released for the Playstation Store.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_1110976338-00_qjpreviewth.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=1110976338-00_qjpreviewth.jpg) http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_JumpingFlash2_NTSC_Front.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=JumpingFlash2_NTSC_Front.jpg) http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_Jumping-Flash-1.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=Jumping-Flash-1.jpg) http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_Jumping-Flash-2.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=Jumping-Flash-2.jpg)

[c0ldb33r]

Game: Tetrisphere
System: Nintendo 64
Developer: H2O Entertainment
Genre: Puzzle

Put shortly, Tetrisphere is my favourite game on the n64 and is probably one of my favourite games of all time.

There are a number of modes of play, including "Rescue", "Hide + Seek", "Puzzle", "Time Attack", "Vs CPU", "Vs Player" and "Lines". Each mode of play has different objectives that you must do and there is sufficient variability so that they each feel different from one another. The only uniting factor between all these modes is that there is a sphere covered in tetris pieces. You can move your "cursor" all around the sphere and can either drop tetris pieces onto the sphere or pick pieces up and move them all around the sphere (or both).

For a puzzle game, the graphics are great. You wouldn't think that there would be much happening on-screen, but the background and tetrisphere all look beautiful. Also, when you uncover portions of the white ball contained in the sphere, the light that shines outward looks awesome.

The music in the game is absolutely amazing. It's all techno music that sounds fantastic despite the n64's cart size. Even if you don't like techno music, you'll like it in this game because the whole package works really well together. Nintendo Power gave this game the award for best soundtrack of '97.

The gameplay is just great. There's nothing else that needs said. They just work. There are special weapons that you can get which are loads of fun. There's little more fun that shooting a rocket at your sphere and seeing half the outer layer blow off :)

In conclusion, Tetrisphere is fantastic. If you haven't played it, do so now! You will find this pretty cheap at your next flea market. You've probably seen it twenty times and ignored because you thought it would be crap. It's not! Give it a chance, you won't regret it.

Trivia: this game was originally intended to be released on the Jaguar and was to be called "Phear" - [source (http://nfggames.com/neography/pivot/entry.php?id=194)]

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_198946_28050_front.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=198946_28050_front.jpg) http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_tp3.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=tp3.jpg)

[Vectorman0]

Gekioh: Shooting King (PS1) neat little top down shooter w/ 2 plyr co-op & 6 other fun modes

For those who are unaware, this is a port of Shienryu.

[mobiusclimber]

I'm really hesitant to post in this thread since I feel like the game I really want to spotlight might be too well-known (as a lesser known game), but having read through the topic, I've recognized at least 80% of the titles so... here goes...

THE TWISTED TALES OF SPIKE MCFANG
Console: Super Nintendo
Release Date: 3/93 (JP); 94 (US)

I'm not exactly sure what caused this title to get overlooked when it was first released, but it's an amazingly fun game. It's an action title with some pseudo-RPG elements to it. The graphics are large, cartoony and colorful and the characters are great. You play as the son of Dracula... erm, Dracuman. You have to rescue your dad, various other people and their kingdoms. It's all typical action-RPG fare. Spike has two attacks (a hat toss and a cape twirl) as well as cards that cast magic spells. Mostly it's just the presentation and humor that puts this game over the line into worthwhile status. There's also quite a bit of challenge to the game, and that challenge ramps up nicely.

[Nirvana]

Game: SaGa Frontier
System: Playstation
Genre: RPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/SaGa_Frontier_US_box_art.jpg

A great RPG that is actually very popular in Japan, but completely overlooked in North America, or anywhere else for that fact. Being released in the states a year after Final Fantasy VII, it was very easy for people to overlook this RPG. There are seven main characters who have their own storyline, and when you start a new game, you get to choose which character you want to go through the game with. This allowed great replayability. Despite being somewhat of an "incomplete" game (parts of a character's storyline were cut and originally there were 9 main characters but it was restricted to 7 because of time constraints) any RPG fan would love this game.

[Natty Bumppo]

Game: Master of Monsters
System: Genesis
Developer: Opera House
Genre: RPG Strategy
Year of release: 1991 (It was ported from an earlier MSX release)

This isn't a very well known release - but it is one of the best strategy rpgs out there. It was fairly innovative for its day - one of the few console RPG strategy games to feature hex grid maps - which are vastly superior for any strategy game. It also was capable of four player gameplay. And it was fairly challenging (especially the campaign game) even when playing against the AI - one of the biggest flaws with most console strategy games is that the AI is generally dumber than a box of rocks.
The only thing it lacked (IIRC - I haven't played it in a very long time) was Zones of Control.

-------------------------------------------------

Beware of the Playstation redo/sequel though - they really mucked up a great game there.

[SegaAges]

I will try this one out.

Game: Chopper Commando v 2.0 (a.k.a. Chopper 2 on BBS boards)
System: Dos
Developer: Mark Currie
Genre: Flight/War

I found out about this game from an old BBS board back in the day. The game is simple, yet incredibly fun. I remember if you flew all the way to the left side of the screen, you could blow a hole through a mountain and get an easter egg.

The game consisted of you doing missions in your chopper. You did a bunch of different kinds of missions from fighting different choppers to taking out a cruise missile before it took out one of your bases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHkAJieSKt0

[digitalpress]

Just a quick stamp of approval here to show that I'm checking in and moderating. Everything you see up to this point has been approved. There are some titles listed that are fairly common, but I can tell you as a retail guy I've never had a customer specifically ask for anything listed so far, nor have any of the games become "famous" thanks to YouTube. Great work! You're on the right track.

A big thanks to everyone going that extra mile with listing developers, genres, and even box scans and screen art.

Roundtable community FTW.

:villagepeople:

[kupomogli]

While there are some great games for systems that are mostly unknown, I'm going to list off some great games that are uncommon or mostly unknown on fairly popular and well known systems

As a connoisseur of tactical RPGs, usually what's thrown out doesn't get any recognition good or bad. While it just so happens that the worst in the genre is praised to no end and has a higher fanbase, Disgaea mind you, even those are hardly recognized by many.

Like SaGa Frontier which was recently listed, for the genre, it's uncommon that you'll find someone who isn't a hardcore collector or hardcore fan of that specific genre to have played these.

Arc the Lad 2

I would say AtL1, 2, and ,3 but I'll just leave the other two since AtL2 is by far the best of them and if there's one you should play, let it be that one.

AtL2 is most similar to the Shining Force series with it being a TRPG, but being immersive in comparison to others in the genre to where you actually walk along the world map going from town to town, go through the towns, as well as make your way through the dungeons. It's broken apart between many different regions making up the world of this game and it is truly massive in scale.

The gameplay has no classes, yet characters are based on a mostly predetermined set of skills and random yet somewhat filtered stats. Everything isn't entirely set in stone as each character can learn a couple more attacks later in the game(depending on the character only,) but the majority of what the character gets will remain unchanged. This will give you your atatckers, magic users, ones that are inbetween, etc. Monsters are allowed to be recruited on this game and these can be changed to different classes, though this will affect what attacks they learn and hardly will affect the stats as is mostly based on monster type. Weapons, items and accessories can also be leveled up through battle or blacksmith, adding effects to them, increasing their stats, etc, same with spells but only in battle.

If you're one who happens to go through the storyline only, you'll be missing atleast 50% of what AtL2 has to offer. There's a Hunter's Guild similar to what you'd find in Phantasy Star 4 that is almost as lengthy as the main storyline, multiple Ancient Ruins that can be explored for equipment you wont find anywhere else in the game, a dungeon that comes from the first game with 50 floors or more depending on whether you find the secret character and finish her sidequest or not.

If there's more that you'd like to do on AtL2 after completing everything, there's also Arc Arena which is nothing more than an expansion of AtL2 and requires save data from the title. For anyone outside of Japan(in the US atleast,) this will have come with AtL2 as it would have came in a collection so no need to worry hunting it down if you have it. It's mainly a battle arena for players from AtL2 to import their characters to fight against other players, however, you can make your way through the AI ranks or do a tournament to see how long you can last, earning treasures the further you progress on each.

It's an amazing game and if you're a fan of TRPG, then this is one you must play. Storyline and amount the game has to offer is amazing, and while gameplay isn't as good as something like Tactics Ogre or Brigandine, it's definitely up there.

Brigandine

Speaking of Brigandine, it's a game that, just like AtL2 is unknown to most gamers and even uncommon to RPG fans or TRPG fans. Coming in two versions with slight differences, such as animations on the original being entirely 3d and the opposite type element system where Red~Blue, White~Black, etc, and then Grand Edition has attacks on the battlefield done from the sprites themselves, updated sprites, rock paper scissors Red>Green>Blue White~Black, as well as a few changes to characters classes. The games both play similar to a Romance of the Three Kingdoms where you have certain characters bordering to protect countries yet depending on their stats and strategy, a knight and its monsters could protect a bordering area alone(depending on who's area you are bordering and what surroundings.)

I'm more of a fan of the original seeing as the music blows GE out of the water and it's actually localized in English, though GE is very easy to play through with no knowledge of Japanese and is technically the superior game.

The storyline sets you with one of six countries that are trying to take over Forsena for their own reasons. The gameplay is really the main thing in this game so you honestly won't see too much story after the beginning of the game, but it does have scenes that play and you can also read a long bio under every single character in the game for more details on them if you wanted. With six different countries and multiple branching classes for knights and monster classes and branches, the game has an almost unlimited replay value depending on how many times you really want to go through. It's gameplay is really that good so going through multiple times will honestly not make you think any different as long as you enjoy the gameplay when you play it.

God Hand

Batman Returns, Urban Reign, even Final Fight(which I see as a bit overrated.) All beat em up titles, all fairly good. God Hand however is the definitive beat em up.

You take the role of Gene in a slightly humorous storyline involving his arm, the God Hand. However in between those extremely small bits of storyline is pure badass gameplay. Like every beat em up you have your standard attack to pull off a combo(square,) but also in God Hand you have the other three face buttons to do different single attacks such as guard break, hit an enemy upwards, knock an enemy back, etc. With tons of enemies coming at you, you'll be beating on them while also evading attacks with the right analog.

If that's all God Hand had to offer, the game would still be badass. But God Hand also gives you the ability to change any of these attacks, not only the face buttons but the entire regular combo, to any set of attacks that you choose. Any of the 114 attacks you have acquired atleast. This sets you up over 60,000 combinations for just the normal attacks alone as to what your combo string will be. You'll find new attacks throughout every level and the ability to purchase them in the shop between chapters so you'll have quite a few attacks to switch around with only a couple hours of play time.

The game is hard, even on Normal, but it's far more skill based and you have much more control over the outcome as Gene than you do on 2d beat em up titles. With a game like Urban Reign, you have more options to choose from and does offer quite a bit of skills, but in comparison to what's offered in God Hand, it just isn't there(Urban Reign is good too btw, dropped to 19.99 within a month or two of release due to low sales so should also be on the list.)

Mobile Suit Gundam Encounters in Space

Gundam really doesn't have a large fanbase here in the US, however this is the best game at what it sets out to do.

All you really have to do is take the Mobile Suit Gundam storylines second half where the battle is pulled into space and then the gameplay of Zone of Enders 2. This is what you come up with. Zone of Enders 2 based on the Gundam storyline. You've got a White Base mode(0079,) a Thoroughbred mode(made up that you'd honestly think could have been an anime if you've never seen the series,) Ace Pilot(various ace pilots from0079-0083.) All around it covers the second half of 0079, some of various other times in between, and then 0083 as soon as they reach space.

There's a mission mode to create a custom pilot, how well you do on the mission you get points, missions can be saved in between but data will be deleted once loaded, so basically all eight missions are technically done in a row without being able to keep a record in case you lose. After each mission you'll use the points on either stats for how good of shooting, melee, defense, or thruster boost is acquired, or pick up to six abilities that give you multiple innate techniques, such as low boost used, control mobile armor better, control fighters better, take more damage off with lower hp, etc.

It can be two players, which custom characters and any of the pilots in the game can be chosen, however this is versus only.

If you're a fan of games like Zone of Enders which are both 3d environmental and rail shooter as a hybrid, or just fans of games like Star Fox being just rail shooters, I'd highly recommend it either way.

Other games. Would have wrote detailed descriptions on these as well, but late, tired. Wild ARMs XF(PSP,) Urban Reign(PS2,) and Magic of Scheherazade(NES.)

[Tupin]

I'll try this too.

Game: Vinyl Goddess from Mars
Platform: DOS

While it may not have been good enough to be a Jill of the Jungle, this game is still an absolutely awesome platformer that's short on story, but has awesome gameplay.

[Sanriostar]

I'd like to add the MAME roms 'Marvin's Maze' and 'Pandora's Palace'

Marvin's Maze is like a bastard child of Pac-Man and Berzerk raised by MC Escher. I play the damned thing at least once a week. An early SNK release.

Pandora's Palace is basically Greek Donkey Kong backwards: you're a toga-clad dude going from the top of the screen to the bottom, with Spartan Helmets instead of hammers. A more obscure Konami release from 83 or 84.

[Trumpman]

I'm going to try with two DOS games.

Raptor: Call of the Shadows

This is a great shoot-em-up published by Apogee back in the early 1990's. It has all you can want from a good shmup - fun weapons, enemies, and lots of explosions. This was one of my favorite games when I was a kid.

Terminal Velocity

A Descent-style flying game that I also enjoyed as a kid. Also published by Apogee. There are lots of varied environments, including planetary surfaces, underground tunnels, and of course outer space. The levels are all open-world, meaning that you can explore them freely.

Shareware versions of both of these games are available on 3dRealm's website, and I believe that you can also purchase the full game downloads there as well.

[Dire 51]

Here's a couple of great Sega Master System games, both of which I reviewed for DP a few years back:

Kenseiden
Developed and released by Sega, 1988

The only real Castlevania style game on the SMS released in the U.S., Kenseiden is a dark journey through feudal Japan. Instead of picking up subweapons to use like in Castlevania, you learn new sword techniques to use. There are hidden areas to find and you traverse the entire country of Japan during the game in your search for the Black Castle. Controls can be a bit loose, but it's nothing that detracts from the game. And what other game do you know of that features an enemy called a "harlot lizard"?

http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/kenseiden1.gif http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/kenseiden2.gif

Master of Darkness
Released by Sega, 1992
Developed by SIMS

This is even more of a Castlevania for the Sega Master System than Kenseiden, just set in 19th century England (with era-appropriate vampire hunting weaponry) rather than feudal Japan. It's nowhere near as hard as Castlevania, but it's still got a bit of bite to it - and the controls are identical, right down to using your subweapons. It was only released in Europe (and possibly Brazil); luckily Master Systems are region-free. Also released on the Game Gear (in the U.S.) as Vampire: Master of Darkness.

It's definitely worth playing if you're a Castlevania fan that owns a Master System and are tired of Kenseiden.

http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/mod1.png http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/mod5.png

[BetaWolf47]

Other games. Would have wrote detailed descriptions on these as well, but late, tired. Wild ARMs XF(PSP,) Urban Reign(PS2,) and Magic of Scheherazade(NES.)

Magic of Scheherazade... do games like Battle of Olympus, Clash at Demonhead, Metal Storm, Blaster Master, and The Guardian Legend as well.

[SegaAges]

Here are some more. You might have heard of them, but I am pretty confident they are not exactly sought after

Game: General Chaos
System: Sega Genesis
Developer: Game Refuge Inc
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: War

This was a 5 on 5 battle war game. Think of a rts on a very small scale. You controlled the 5 characters just like a rts. If you decided to get crazy, you could use the commandos, which meant that you controlled their movement with the actual d-pad instead of rts style.

This game is super fun, and shows how it is possible to pull off rts action on a very small scale and make it very fun.

pics:
http://www.retrogamer.net/users/289/thm1024/general_chaos_megadrive.jpg
http://www.overdos3.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/General_Chaos_cover1.jpg

Game: Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon (released as Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon DX for Dreamcast)
System: Playstation 2/DC
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher: Bandai
Genre: Arcade/fighter

Think of this as a precursor to Gundam Dynasty Warriors. You just do not fight hundreds or robots at one time.

I found out about this game as a dc import, and wanted it very bad. I then found out that it was released in the states for ps2, and got it the day I found out.

Some of the gundam games I have played in the past felt like mechwarrior with a gundam theme to it, but this one actually was super fast paced, and felt similar to virtua on. Highly recommended diamond in the rough.

[mobiusclimber]

Spellcaster
Sega Master System
Released in 1989 in the US

Spellcaster mixes action levels with adventure-style interludes where you use a menu to look at and interact with various things in a still frame. The action segments are typical side-scrolling affairs where you use your body energy (Ki) to cast shoot magic. You also gain magical powers that require energy to use, which comes from defeated enemies.

The story is fairly decent for the time and the game keeps things fresh with every level. It's not spectacular, but it's one of the better SMS titles out there, and one that doesn't get talked about enough. Plus its mix of different game genres (there's a third style of game that pops up late in the game, but you have to play it to find out, I don't want ot ruin the surprise) is fairly unique.

[Dire 51]

I'll see your Spellcaster, and raise you...

Mystic Defender
Developed and released by Sega, 1989

Sega's Genesis sequel to Spellcaster, this one ditched the adventure aspects (and the "third style" mentioned in the prior post) and concentrated solely on the side-scrolling action. It's a very dark game, with a rather controversial ending that somehow managed to get completely overlooked by everyone, everywhere. Use four different types of magic to blast the enemies, and using a version of the R-Type charge meter, power your magic up to destroy more enemies at once. It can be on the hard side, especially starting at stage 4, but it's a game no Genesis-owning action fan should miss.

The story is in no way connected to Spellcaster, though, so how is it considered a sequel? Simple: the Japanese games are based on an anime entitled Peacock King Kujaku Ou. The stories were changed for the U.S. releases. Story changes aside, it is still the sequel.

http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/mystictitle2.gif http://opcfg.kontek.net/archive/mystic1.gif

[JohnnyBlaze]

I can think of a few:

Retro Game Challenge(DS)
Pictobits(DSi shop)
Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider/Sheep 'N' Wolf(PS1)
Quarth(GB)
Steal Princess(DS)
Pipe Dream(NES,GB)
Coca Cola Kid(GG)
Splash Lake(TG-CD)

[NayusDante]

Kodu Game Lab on XBLA

http://www.shinyshiny.tv/kodu%20comm%20game-thumb-440x330.jpg

If anyone messed with Klik & Play, The Games Factory, Game Maker, etc, then you'll be at home here. You're limited to the resources they give you, but the terrain editor is full-featured enough for pixel art. If you're creative and good at programming logic, you can make some pretty neat gameplay. I made a little Chrono Trigger style RPG battle system that locks you in combat when you bump an enemy, which made use of page switching and lots of code between different objects. People have made Gauntlet clones, Robotron clones, sidescrollers, etc. If you have XBL Gold, you can share levels with friends.

[Jorpho]

I'm going to try with two DOS games.

Raptor: Call of the Shadows

This is a great shoot-em-up published by Apogee back in the early 1990's. It has all you can want from a good shmup - fun weapons, enemies, and lots of explosions. This was one of my favorite games when I was a kid.

Terminal Velocity

A Descent-style flying game that I also enjoyed as a kid. Also published by Apogee. There are lots of varied environments, including planetary surfaces, underground tunnels, and of course outer space. The levels are all open-world, meaning that you can explore them freely.

Shareware versions of both of these games are available on 3dRealm's website, and I believe that you can also purchase the full game downloads there as well.

Y'know, both of those had sequels (or sort-of sequels) released independently of Apogee - Demonstar and Fury3, respectively.