They're RARE. AND they're GOOD!

[AB Positive]

Let me add my undying love for the Deception Series... Deception 3 seemed to be a bit soft after having blatantly and totally evil (and in 2's case, evilly beautiful) characters as the player, while having the good guys be the enemy. 3 blurred the lines, but not enough as I loved the gameplay but whiffed on the storyline.

No one's mentioned this but my favorite SNES shmup is S.T.G. Strike Gunner, which I can't seem to find anywhere.

-AG

[JackDark]

I agree with JackDark completely on the subject of Gargoyle's Quest 2 (Makaimura Gaiden 2, I think the name is, since Gargoyle's Quest on the GameBoy is Makaimura Gaiden). The Japanese version may be found very cheaply, and the box art is spot-on classic Capcom style.

Yep, Makaimura Gaiden 2 was originally a Game Boy title only released in Japan, but later Capcom released it stateside as Gargoyle's Quest 2: The Demon Darkness. I don't know how rare it is to find in stores or online, but it's well worth the effort:




Also I was wrong about the Batman game, it's not part 3. It's actually called Batman: Return Of The Joker. And it's probably the single most graphically and programming-wise impressive NES game I've ever played:





I don't know if those screenshots do it justice... you'd have to play it to see the animation. Not to mention the fantastic controls and game design. I wouldn't expect anything less from the creators of Blaster Master.

[lendelin]

Demon's Crest for the SNES is another rare gem too.

I second that. Demon's Crest was a sleeper hit back then (came out when a lot of big shots hit the market), and it's still an underrated and overlooked game.

It has fanatstic graphics, head-on controls, great stategic gameplay (also the boss fights), and most of all, really great atmosphere. Additionally, there is lots to explore and to search for which keeps you going, and the ability to transform into different demon forms adds immmensely to strategy and is just "cool"; and the last boss fight is challenging, I still remember it.

Best of all, it's pretty cheap to pick it up on ebay complete. Get it, if you like first-rate adventure games.

[Jasoco]

I found a copy of Outlander at a Game Stop. I wasn't looking for it. I just liked how the cart looked and every time I looked at the name, I heard Cartman yelling in my head.

I had a feeling it was a Mad Max game. It's pretty fun.

[jerkov]

Jasoco, you live in Doylestown? Thats only 25-30 minutes away from me down 611......

[Jasoco]

Yep. Doylestown PA.

Oh, and hey.

Did you guys find that Sweet Home ROM yet?
http://www.thenationnet.com/dl/nes/S...-Eng1.0%5D/zip

You gotta vote, but it seems to be the one you want. I tested it and it works.

[Jasoco]

Shoot. I suppose I shoulda sent that link through a PM. Why can't we Edit our posts?

Anyway, if the link disappears, PM me.

[Blackjax]

Ningen Heiki - Dead Fox ('90 Capcom) IS Code Name: Viper

Great game. Simply pick your language

[Ruudos]

They're not really rare, but not too well-known.

Adventures of Rad Gravity
I have been recommending this game for 3 years now on the Internet. I think a maximum amount of 5 people took my advice. It's a fun action/adventure game with funny graphics, original stuff and some secrets to find. it's quite long and challenging too.

Burai Fighter
I probably hate the game more that I love it, but I trhnik it's a good shump.

Low G Man
Interesting action game with good graphics and many bosses.

Nigel Mansell's World Championship
One of the best racing games for NES, not many people knows it. Probably because it's a late release.

[vincewy]

For the systems I collect:

Neo-Geo AES:

Neo Turfmasters: Some mechanics as Hot Shot Golf, very addictive game play.

Magical Drop 3: Takes min to learn, yet takes a life time to master, this puzzle also has RPG mode, totally awesome.

Blazing Star: Sequal of the shooter Pulstar, yet better music and more player friendly.

Ninja Masters: I consider this the 2nd best fighters for Neo-Geo yet the most difficult to find, it plays like combination of Samurai Shodown and KOF, each player has totally dif swords/knives, w/o and w/ weapons there're different sets of combos. If this game has better music and larger characters, it'll easily be the best Neo-Geo game.



LaserActive:

Vajra 2: Plays more like Pyramid Patrol rather than Vajra, higher levels of difficulty with better sounds/music as well as more varieties of bosses/enemies.

Time Gal: The best console version of Time Gal, virtually arcade perfect, this put all other ports to shame.

Road Blastors (Road Prosecutors in US): Unlike other click and watch cartton games, you'll have combinations of directions with either turbo and breaks, plus many more sequences of crash. 9 levels total.


Dreamcast US:

Cannon Spike
Power Stone 2
Giga Wing 2

Buf said

[bensenvill]

One of my personal favs is

ART Dink's Tail of the Sun (PS1) - I think its a very notible game because I cant think of a newer game that has been completely developed by a single person (except for the tempest guy). I wasted so much freakn time playing this game and then some guy ran off with my copy.... anyone got one for sale??

~Tj

[digitalpress]

I can't believe no one mentioned Bounty Bob Strikes Back, the first one that came to my head. The game is a nuisance to find for even the Atari 8-bit nowadays (the 5200 cart has pretty much always been the hardest to find in the library) but the game itself is fabulous - real retro platforming fun.

[le geek]

Adding to the rare and good pile...

Alien Soldier and Panorama Cotton (MEGA DRIVE)
Dracula X (PC Engine CD) &
Radiant Silvergun and Panzer Dragoon Saga (SATURN) although they may not be all that rare, just in high demand.

Crazy Climber, Quadrun and Qbert's Qubes (2600) are pretty fun to play as well, but there are common games that are better...

Ben

[kainemaxwell]

I'd like to add Tempest X3 for the PSX to the lists as well.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ninja Masters: I consider this the 2nd best fighters for Neo-Geo yet the most difficult to find, it plays like combination of Samurai Shodown and KOF, each player has totally dif swords/knives, w/o and w/ weapons there're different sets of combos. If this game has better music and larger characters, it'll easily be the best Neo-Geo game.

Aye, I've always considered Ninja Master's one of the more solid looking fighters on the Neo Geo. ADK did a great job of it.

Ninjen Heiki is fun until playing is simply a matter of ducking constantly and only standing up for brief moments to try and get a shot off. The animation is VERY well done indeed for the system, but the NES's limited palette makes the main character look pantless. I feel sorry for the fellows in various stages of disrepair who guide you along to the end.

The final boss's death animation...if you're emulating, hit a savestate before he kicks the bucket and watch it a few times through. It's CREEPY. The final stage also makes no sense (without getting into any spoilers). Overall, I recommend it to hardcore action fans who like a bit of Lode Runner or Rolling Thunder type hiding action. :)

[Aussie2B]

Well, while calling these games "rare" is a stretch, these are the games that came to mind:

For SNES:

On the Ball
- This game scares the crap out of me because it's so weird (and not so much in that fruity Japanese kind of way), but I've had much fun with it. It's one of the games I had back when I could count my game collection on my fingers. It was sort of a happy accident when I got it. I told my mom that I wanted a pinball game, and I ended up with this.

Kendo Rage
- A recently acquired game for me, but I already feel it deserves to be mentioned. I haven't beaten it yet (the final stage with all the bosses is a pain), but it's damn good fun. It's probably one of the few silly Japanese platformers on the SNES that has a character that ISN'T super-deformed.

For PSX:

Tail Concerto
- After Super Mario 64, this is probably my favorite 3D platformer. Yeah, it may be really short, but it's fun to play over and over. The graphics are really sharp too, and the character designs and plot rock.

And on the import side of things... Marvelous for Super Famicom is the best import nobody has ever played or heard of. I don't know how such a great Nintendo-made game with strong similarities to Zelda could totally disappear under the radar. Perhaps it was doomed by being released right before (maybe right after?) the N64, or maybe people were turned off by the fact that it looks like an adventure game like Zelda but lacks in action (instead relying on WONDERFUL [or should I say "marvelous"? ;) ] puzzles).

[Geddon_jt]

Well, about 5 hours ago on study break I completed Dynastic Hero for Turbo Duo. I still have not played the Mega Drive / Genesis Wonder Boy in Monster World, which apparently is the same game, but this one was definitely a treat. While the game was somewhat short and not very challenging, I must admit - I loved every second of it.

[The Manimal]

They're not really rare, but not too well-known.

Adventures of Rad Gravity
I have been recommending this game for 3 years now on the Internet. I think a maximum amount of 5 people took my advice. It's a fun action/adventure game with funny graphics, original stuff and some secrets to find. it's quite long and challenging too.

I actually took your advice on this one in NESfan days. The other game I was clued in on from that board was "Clash at Demonhead", which otherwise I would have never even thought of purchasing.

[link1110]

Here's some for ps1:

Suikoden 2. I found this for $30 at Gamestop once. Great story and fun gameplay.

Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny II (Tales of Eternia.) Two of the proquels to the upcoming Tales of Symphonia. Both excellent.

Also almost every shooter for ps1 can fit into this category.

[D-Lite]

Well, about 5 hours ago on study break I completed Dynastic Hero for Turbo Duo. I still have not played the Mega Drive / Genesis Wonder Boy in Monster World, which apparently is the same game, but this one was definitely a treat. While the game was somewhat short and not very challenging, I must admit - I loved every second of it.

Worth every penny!

I'll agree with previous comments that the TG16/Duo library is seriously under-appreciated. For every China Warrior there is about 3 Blazing Lazers. Lots of great titles that no one knows about. More specifically on topic, of the Turbo/PCE games out there, I consider these pretty rare, great games that people don't know about:

-Dead Moon: probably my favorite shooter on the TG16. A later release (no case type release) that is pretty hard to track down. Awesome paralax scrolling on the TG16!

-Madden Football: not super difficult to find, but not easy. Great sports game for a system deprived of sports titles.

-Syd Mead's Terraforming: REALLY hard to find shooter that plays pretty well. Not my favorite, but definitely a good game. Good luck finding this one.

-Photograph Boy: Super obscure title that isn't too expensive yet since people don't even know about it! Wacky game about snapping photos of weird things. I think it's really fun and I don't even speak Japanese.

vincewy hit the nail on the head with the Neo Geo. Neo Turf Masters is freakin' fantastic, although I don't think it's a "buried treasure". Lots of people know that game and look for it. Hence the current $1500 tag on the US AES cart.

Other rare, unknown Neo Geo gems:
-Money Puzzle Exchanger: The thinking-man's Magical Drop 3. Fun game that requires quick reflexes AND math skillz

-Nightmare in the Dark: Awesome single screen action game with fantastic graphics and sound. Hard to find and loads of fun.

-Sengoku 2: Great brawler. MUCH harder to find than Sengoku 3/2001 is. Not as popular as 3, but probably since not many people have a copy of 2.