Those games which deserved More Attention

[Gapporin]

Zillion 1

Wonder Boy 3: Dragon's Trap-sms

I love you guys.

I will also add Halley Wars (GG) and Battle Hunter (PSX) to the list.

[odyeiop]

Ironsword : WW2 is still one of my favourite games... It has a ton of replay value for me...

[GarrettCRW]

Jumping Flash! and Jumping Flash! 2, hands down.

[tom]

Lady Sia.
An early totally overlooked GBA platformer, and excellent too. Just playing it now actually.

[Synergy]

Abuse (PC) - Sidescrolling action game with mouse and keyboard control and some insane multiplayer? Turrican doesn't have crap on it

I'd like to say I just grabbed this over at HOTU, and I think it's a fun little game. It's not that much on eBay either.

the only two that come to my mind right now are GTA (PC) the original top down, sure people looked at it and said 'nice' but the general public never played it at its time, and most people were alienated by its dated graphics, i LOVED that game, i spent more time on that game than probably any other game ever. it did indeed get more attention [the series in general] after gta3 came out.

the other one is Painkiller, a pc fps which i thought was so amazing, it shouldve been the next doom. the awesome techno/rock music that starts playing as soon as an enemy is in sight pumps your blood up and ready for battle, no sneaking, no complicated story, no collection. just non stop violent blown away-ness.

oh yeah, also postal 2, but most people have indeed heard of it, just hated it. i loved it, in fact ill go play it right now...

I second all of these. I haven't played Painkiller just yet, but it's been on my "games to hunt down and play" list for a while. I used to have GTA, GTA: London 1969, and GTA 2 for PSX, and loved all of them; I think I played GTA2 the most.

Postal 2 isn't going to win any game of the year awards, but it's just mindless fun, especially with the police officers. "Hey, Mr. Peep Show! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

[blissfulnoise]

Laura Bow: Dagger of Amon Ra - Sierra, 1992 (PC): This is one of those overlooked Sierra games as it was released near the end of the adventure game's life span. Set in the 1920's, Amon Ra involves a female protagonist (still a rarity in 1992, especially one without a porn stars physique and demeanor) who sets off to report on the opening of an exhibit at a local museum only to be locked in with a group of strangers, one of whom is slowly killing off the other guests. An excellent story backed by superb graphics and sound. It's too bad so many adventure fans missed out on this gem.

Gun*Nac - Compile, 1990 (NES): Going above and beyond the excellent standard set by Zanac on the NES, Gun*Nac is a fierce and deep shooter. It's power-up system is reminiscent of Zanac but is augmented by shops where the player can purchase upgrades for their ship between rounds. A slightly more comic effort by Compile, it features lots of Space Bunnies and other wacky enemies. Not quite a Cute-Em-Up, but definitely light hearted. Every shmup fan needs this game in their library.

Gyruss - Konami, 1983 (Arcade): Lots of arcades have outlived their era. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Galaga, and even some more cult classic games like Tempest and Sinistar. Few can remember Gyruss for what it was; one of the finest shooters of the arcade's golden age. The first arcade to feature stereo sound, it's probably most remembered for its synthetic reproduction of Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor. It combines gameplay from Tempest and Galaga with a solar system hopping level design. Let me repeat that. Tempest plus Galaga plus warping to Mars. Nuff said.

Kenseiden - Sega, 1988 (Sega Master System): The first thing you'll notice in this game is how much better it looks and sounds than Castlevania as this was definitely put out as an answer to Konami's action masterpiece. While the gameplay isn't on the same level as its source material, it makes one of the best efforts of that generation. Featuring a katana wielding protagonist, you trek through ancient Japan defeating supernatural enemies. By passing some brutally difficult training sequences you can upgrade your abilities and even learn new sword attacks. If Kenseiden featured the same gameplay polish as Castlevania, perhaps it'd be mentioned with the greats of the 8-bit generation.

Archon - Electronic Arts, 1983 (C64): This is what Battle Chess is all about. Best played with another player, Archon pits you against an opponent on a game board moving around pieces that make up a wide variety of mythical monsters. Once you land on a square with an opponent’s piece, the game warps to an arena where you fight it out, action style, with your opponent. Different pieces have different powers and will influence how you use your pieces. And depending on if the square is waxing or waning dark or light, you may be at an advantage or disadvantage in the fight. Simple but complex, deliberately paced but action packed, Archon stands the test of time.

Panic! - Sega, 1993 (Sega CD): Panic! stands as one of the most bizarre Japanese release of all time to see this side of the ocean. Not really a game, but a series of strange, strange vignettes, you're put in a series of rooms with buttons in them. Pressing the buttons will result in one of three things.

1) You'll warp out into a new room.
2) You'll destroy one of the world's great monuments (Arc De Triumph, Mount Rushmore, etc).
3) Something really weird will happen.

From vomiting cameras, to decapitated Japanese businessmen, to the sudden growth of a dozen breasts; I mean it when I say really weird

If you have a Sega CD this needs to be in your collection. It's relatively inexpensive too.

Quartet - Sega, 1986 (Arcade): Everyone remembers Gauntlet, it's a shame Quartet isn't mentioned in the same breath. The side-scrolling equivalent to that other 4-player game, Quartet stands out for it's wonderful graphics and astoundingly good soundtrack. If you liked the Phantasy Star 2 soundtrack, you'll be right at home with Quartet's. I also find that Gauntlet can become quite repetitive after more than 30 minutes of play, Quartet's levels are varied enough to keep you engaged from level to level. Another stellar arcade effort by Sega. And the SMS version isn't bad either.

Planescape: Torment – Bioware, 1999 (PC): While critically lauded, a lot of people still haven’t played what is probably Bioware’s finest game to date. Planescape uses the AD&D setting of the same name to create an incredibly unique RPG world to explore. How is this for a unique premise, the main focus of the game is to die. You find yourself awakening in a morgue with only fragments of memories, only it seems like you cannot die. While unraveling your past and why you ended up this way is an epic journey that any RPG fan needs to experience.

Steambot Chronicles – Atlus, 2006 (PS2): There’s no shortage of quirky RPGs in this day and age. So it takes a lot more than just a cute fuzzy sidekick and a mini-game involving cooking to set yourself apart. Good thing Steambot features a TON more than that. This game WILL be a cult classic from this generation just like games like Disgaea and Gitaroo Man before it. Seek it out before you miss out.

Atomic Robo Kid – Treco, 1990 (Genesis): This sorta side-scrolling shmup isn’t really that great. It does feature some cool power-ups and some pretty darn impressive bosses. But what it does have is one of the finest titles of all time and some gawd-awful box art. Represent.

[Niku-Sama]

thats not that bad, a little more simple than it needs to be but not "gawd-awful"

[mailman187666]

I don't know if I can think of 10 games to put up on here but I'll put up what I can think of.

Blackthorne- 32X

this was more or less very similar to prince of persia, but with a shotgun. Lots of puzzle solving and platforming. Not only that but you could blast the hell out of the human characters that were chained to the wall. Not to mention the cool ass shoot behind you without looking move. Good game.

Eternal Champions CD- sega CD

This game was definately the bloodiest fighting game I've ever seen. Plus there are so many unlockable characters. Nobody really said much about the sega CD version of the game back then. Probably because it took almost an extra year of getting delayed before it actually came out. I remember calling the store every time the next release date was told to me. And about 4 or 5 times they told me its been delayed, i was pissed. I was even more pissed when they canceled Eternal champions for the saturn. That was the main reason i bought the freakin' system.

Sword of the Bezerk: Guts' Rage- Dreamcast

the only reason I heard of this game originally was by renting it randomly back when the DC was still kickin'. There was so much hacking and slashing and cutting people in half with a giant sword in that game. The actual story to the game wasn't extremely original, but I just thought the game was awesome.

[exit]

9. Tail Concerto (Atlus, PSX 1998)

I had that game and it resulted in my smashing my PSX, which put the game to it's very timley death. I remember playing the japanese demo on one of the jampack discs and it was quite fun. They seemed to have changed a lot in the US release, which made the game very frustraiting and well you already know the rest of the story.

[roushimsx]

oh hell, some more
Nocturne (PC) - Horror-themed mystery/action game. Controls took a bit to get used to, but who didn't like playing as The Stranger? Developers went on to do the surprise budget hit Bloodrayne (the character of which she was based on is also from Nocturne). Great little game that shouldn't be too hard to pick up. Acclaimed when it came out for its shadows but generally overlooked

Nox (PC) - Passed off as a Diablo clone, most people that picked it up just did so to have something to hold them over until Diablo II finally hit. They were treated to a game that in many ways was better. Multiplayer was intense, the free multiplayer expansion pack was fan-fucking-tastic, and the singleplayer game was loaded with some genuine humor. Shame Westwood never revisted the franchise.

Outcast (PC) - Ok, everyone that's played this game knows that it's flat out one of the best action/adventure games ever. The problem is getting people to actually try it. Unlike most games of the time, this game uses voxels instead of polygons and its resolution is only 512x384 (or 640x480 with a little hack). Also unlike most other games of its time, it still looks drop dead goregous. A wonderfully realized world that WILL suck you in unlike anything else. You (the player) gradually learns the language of the alien race and fights to save them from oppression.

Requiem - Avenging Angel (PC) - Mostly overlooked when it came out, this first person shooter plants you in the role of an angel that's been backstabbed. The game is reasonably buggy (hell, I don't even think it'll run in 2k/XP at all) and the graphics aren't the greatest, but holy hell was it a blast to play. You can turn people into pillars of salt...what more could you want?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine - The Fallen (PC) - Prior to playing this game, I wasn't much of a fan of Deep Space Nine. I really only picked up the game because I was jonesing for a decent third person action game and it was a Star Trek license (which is also a fun licensed series to explore; you just can't find pure shit like New Worlds in just any series!). Imagine my surprise when I was treated to an extremely enjoyable and interesting game! The developers went on to do Buffy on Xbox (which is apparently pretty fun) and Marc Ecko's Getting Up (which I've yet to play). But yea, good game that could use a little love.

Terra Nova (PC) - Looking Glass whores represent! Really, I don't know why Looking Glass games didn't sell better Terra Nova is, for all intents and purposes, Starship Troopers - The Game (only without the license). Unlike the shitty Starship Troppers FPS that recently came out out or the squad action game that came out a few years ago, this one is pretty much straight from the book (only, you know, without the license). Fantastic tactical squad based shooter and thanks to a seriously hardcore programing ninja, it's playable again in WinXP.

[Push Upstairs]

Why "Turbo Outrun" never gets love i'll never understand.

"Outrun: Coast 2 Coast" was such a tease.

[NeoZeedeater]

Lost of excellent choices in this thread so far. I'm glad I'm not the only Requiem fan here.

I will add this bunch:


System Shock(PC)
Most people have heard of this game but it gets overshadowed by its more popular sequel. The graphics and controls are outdated but once you get over that you'll find one of the true multi-genre masterpieces of gaming. Deus Ex is the only other FPS/Adventure I like more.


Monster World IV(MD)
The final game in the excellent Wonder Boy/Monster World series. I prefer WB3's design overall but this is the most stylish of the franchise. It's playable without Japanese knowledge but the translated rom is even better.


I, Robot(Arcade)
Dare I say Dave Theurer's best game? It's hard to describe but check it out on MAME if you can.


Elemental Gearbolt(PS1)
An artistically beautiful gun game with RPG elements.


Another World: Collector's Edition(PC)
Out of this World/Another World has been mentioned already but this is the ultimate version. It's a recent touched up release sold by download only. After Beyond Good & Evil this is the best game to come out of France.

GG Shinobi 1 and 2(GG)
Overshadowed by the console Shinobi games but they shouldn't be overlooked. The non-linear design with the various different ninjas make for a unique experience. Shinobi Legions on Saturn is underrated as well.


Liquid Kids(Arcade/PCE/SS)


Dreamweb(Amiga/PC)
One of the best and most disturbing cyberpunk point and click adventure games.


Killer Bees!(O2)
A fast paced and addictive action game.

Osman/Cannon Dancer(Arcade)
Mitchell's spiritual sequel to the original arcade Strider. Trippy game.


Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat(GC)
I know the drum controller looks ridiculous but this is one of the best platform games ever. It's still in stores, people.


Sin and Punishment(N64)
This is one of those fantastic games that I'm sure most people here have heard of(like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Snatcher and Dracula X) but not many have actually played. Rail shooter fans need this game.

Chew Man Fu(TG16)
Cute action/puzzler.


TRON Deadly Discs(InTV)
Intellivision owners I'm sure know of it but others need to play it. This is worth buying the system for. The other versions are good but not the same experience.


Uplink(PC)
Awesome(but cruel in difficulty) hacking sim from the makers of Darwinia.


Son Son II(PCE)
NEC's sequel to the old Capcom game.


Apache 3(Arcade)
A kick ass rail shooter/rescue game by Tatsumi from the heyday of sprite scalers. The ground is missing in the screenshot because the emulation isn't totally accurate yet.


Popful Mail(Sega CD)
This Monster World-ish game is on other formats too but this is the best version(and the only one released in English).


Zamzara(C64)
A run 'n gun of sorts. Very cool.


Nekketsu! Street Basket: Ganbare Dunk Heroes(FC)
Beat down basketball.


Battle Mania 2(MD)
The sequel to Trouble Shooter that got left in Japan.


Thin Ice(InTV)
If you like the arcade game Disco No. 1, this has very similar gameplay.


Girl's Garden(SG-1000)
A cute game where you pick flowers and avoid bears. It's best known for being Yuji Naka's first game but it really holds up in playability too.


Soldier Blade(TG16)


Hagane(SNES)
Kind of like the SNES' Shinobi/Strider game. It's not as good as those but still kicks ass.


Spatter(Arcade)
One of the greatest maze chase games but unfortunately one of the least played.


Battle Flip Shot(NG)
Glorified, Japanified Pong. That's not a bad thing.


[b]Frankenstein's Monster(2600)


Alex Kidd in Shinobi World(SMS)
My favourite in the Alex Kidd series. I think it would appeal more to the Shinobi fans though.


Kya: Dark Lineage(PS2)
A Rayman-ish platform/adventure. The character designs are kind of "meh" but the game is well made.


Cadillacs and Dinosaurs(Arcade)
One of many awesome Capcom beat 'em ups. This seems to be less popular than most of theirs though.


Gridrunner++(PC/Mac)
An original shooter by Jeff Minter and arguably his best game.


Pocky and Rocky series(SNES)
Not the most obscure but these overhead action games seem to getting forgotten. There are other games in the "Kiki kai kai" series but they don't hold up as well.


Serpentine(Vic 20)
There are other versions(Atari 8-bit, C64) of this maze chase game but this one's the best.

Valis III and IV(Duo)
Much better than the Genesis and SNES games.


Nazo no Murasame jou(FDS)
Charming little Nintendo samurai game with catchy tunes.


Zenji(CV/C64/800/MSX/Spectrum)
An early puzzle game with catchy music.


Super Burnout(Jag)


Dreamfall: The Longest Journey(PC/XB)
It's recent but I have a feeling it's not selling well. It's a great adventure game for its story and atmosphere even if it is light on puzzles.


Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg(GC)
I think people assume this sucks based on recent Sonic Team games. It's actually a damn good platformer and feels like a Sega/Nintendo hybrid.


Missing: Since January(PC)
A neat puzzle adventure game that incorporates using the internet and email.


Gomola Speed(PCE)


Three Wonders(Arcade/PSP)
A three-in-one game. The platform/run 'n gun one is really cool, like Ghouls 'n Ghosts meets Strider with a different art style.

[Rook_Jones]

Monster World IV(MD)
The final game in the excellent Wonder Boy/Monster World series. I prefer WB3's design overall but this is the most stylish of the franchise. It's playable without Japanese knowledge but the translated rom is even better.

The only Wonder Boy game I've played is "In Monster Land," on MAME. Mainly for the stuff like "I AM DREAD OF DRAGON" and "JUMP AT FENCE, GET TIME" and "BODY STIFFEN." I was surprised at how fun it was, though.

TRON Deadly Discs(InTV)
Intellivision owners I'm sure know of it but others need to play it. This is worth buying the system for. The other versions are good but not the same experience.

I like the little "THUNK" sounds it makes when people get hit. You can almost feel your little Tron guy's pain when he gets whacked, too.

Son Son II(PCE)
NEC's sequel to the old Capcom game.

They made a sequel?? Well burn me alive and call me toast.

Nekketsu! Street Basket: Ganbare Dunk Heroes(FC)
Beat down basketball.

Best sentence ever. I need to get more into the Nekketsu groove.

Blackthorne- 32X

This was also made for the SNES. Proof that Blizzard was making awesome games even before Starcraft/Diablo/Warcraft (Lost Vikings, anyone?).

Panic! - Sega, 1993 (Sega CD): Panic! stands as one of the most bizarre Japanese release of all time to see this side of the ocean. Not really a game, but a series of strange, strange vignettes, you're put in a series of rooms with buttons in them. Pressing the buttons will result in one of three things.

1) You'll warp out into a new room.
2) You'll destroy one of the world's great monuments (Arc De Triumph, Mount Rushmore, etc).
3) Something really weird will happen.

And this was released in America? Sounds awesome.

I'm also going to mention King of the Monsters 2, for SNES. It's very simple and borders on repetitive, but with two players it's a kill time.

Speaking of giant monsters, another favorite of mine is War of the Monsters for PS2. Being a fan of Godzilla and other kaiju schlockfests, this was right up my alley. In fact, I think it beat out Atari's two Godzilla entries in terms of quality and feeling like you're actually beating someone in the face with an 18-wheeler. The monsters, while made up for the game, all feel like they were ripped from a real movie (in part thanks to the beautiful faux movie posters presented during loading screens). Each stage has some kind of awesome special event which eventually happens also, like aliens causing a tidal wave and stuff like that.

Plus, you can get a robot version of every character! SHUWATCH!

[DeputyMoniker]

I don't get why everybody hated James Camerons Dark Angel. I figured the DP crowd would dig it. It isnt like Streets of Rage had so much more to offer. I dig SoR too...I'm just saying that as an old school beat-em-up fan I really enjoyed DA.

[j_factor]

Master of Darkness (Sega, SMS, 1992)
Similar to Castlevania, but better IMO. Master of Darkness combines Bram Stoker's Dracula with the story of Jack the Ripper. It has much more of a horror feel to it than Castlevania does. My favorite level is the second one, titled "The House of Wax Dolls". It has this part where you go into a room, and suddenly the doors seal, and the "lights" flash, and these zombielike enemies appear rapidly and run at you, accompanied by a Psycho-esque sound. Seriously, this game is awesome. Don't play the GG version, though.

Lights Out (Tiger, Game.com, 1997)
Everybody hated Game.com, and rightly so, but it had one game that was really playable and addictive, and that game is Lights Out. Like Henry, it's just a port of a non-videogame handheld that Tiger made (with a bunch of square buttons that lit up), but I think the Game.com version is better in this case.

Ninja Five-O (Hudson, GBA, 2003)
This has been talked about a decent amount on message boards, but it sold like crap and garnered very little attention. An absolute travesty; Ninja Five-O is one of the best side-scrolling action games ever made. It plays like a mixture of Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden, except faster, and with a "you need this color key to open this door" aspect. The control is excellent (although it would've benefitted from another face button, stupid GBA), the level design is excellent, and the bosses are absolutely awesome. It is definitely very challenging, but never cheap. The graphics are also pretty damn good, and the pumped-up techno soundtrack is perfect.

Skeleton Krew (Core, Genesis, 1995)
From '92 to '97, Core Design was continuously pumping out awesome games. Skeleton Krew is one of their lesser-known ones. It's a run n' gun with Doom Troopers style rendered sprites, but in isometric view. Its graphics are better than Sonic 3D Blast IMO because there's just as much, if not more detail, and lots of stuff going on at once. The level design is pretty unique, and interesting. The control scheme is weird, but once you get used to it you'll notice how well the game controls.

[Richter Belmount]

neozeedeater , that selection rules

[sabre2922]

The first games that come to my mind when considering a topic like this are mostly Saturn and Turbographix-16 games.

Nights saturn - Many gamers talk about wanting a sequel to this AAA game but only a select few have actually PLAYED the game.

Streetfighter Alpha 2 saturn - this is STILL my favorite 2-D fighter on any home console BUT that might change once I pick up the Alpha Anthology for PS2, the only thing is I luved to play this game with the U.S. Saturns controller ver 2.


Ninja Spirits Turbo-16 This and Ninja gaiden were THE NINJA games to own but not many gamers had the chance to play this AAA kick ass turbo game at a time when the NES and the then new Genesis had most gamers attention.

There are many more Saturn,Turbo and Dreamcast games but im too tired to list them all :/ [/b]

[Aussie2B]

It's too bad the US didnt get more Goemon, but I guess that's not too surprising.

Actually the N64 did get another Goemon game in the US. Goemon's Great Adventure is even better than Mystical Ninja, if you ask me, yet it's even more unheard of and underrated, which is a real damn shame. It's my favorite in the entire Goemon series, and it's right up there as one of my very favorite N64 games. In fact, I'd say it's an even better platformer than Super Mario 64. It's a real lost opportunity that more developers aren't making games like Goemon's Great Adventure with its side-scrolling movement with 3D environments. I just love the way the stages wrap around, how you can see areas of the stage in the background that you've already passed or have yet to reach. It gives off a real sense of depth, but in a more interesting way than in your typical free movement 3D game.

I had that game and it resulted in my smashing my PSX, which put the game to it's very timley death. I remember playing the japanese demo on one of the jampack discs and it was quite fun. They seemed to have changed a lot in the US release, which made the game very frustraiting and well you already know the rest of the story.

That's odd; what about the US release bothered you? I've played both the Japanese and the US versions extensively, and they're nearly identical. In fact, I'd say the US version makes the game easier to play because they give you more options in the menu in order to change how the camera moves and the diving sensitivity and such.

But yeah, I think Tail Concerto really deserves more attention too. It's one of my favorite games, and one of the few games that has really made an obsessive fan out of me, to the point that I'm trying to collect anything and everything related to the game (which, really, isn't much). Unfortunately, Tail Concerto really tends to attract the wrong kind of crowd (however small that crowd may be); that is, furry fans who wouldn't give a crap about the game if it didn't have furry characters. While I really love the cast, I'd still like the game even if the characters were different. It's a very well designed game, and it's so thoroughly charming and endearing. I've made a bit of an effort to try to get the word out there about the game, like on my site:

http://www.inverteddungeon.com/triac.../tcreview.html

But on the subject of games that need attention, I think the most woefully underappreciated games are all the great Japanese exclusives out there. Sure, some imports have been lucky enough to generate a buzz and get a fair bit of attention like Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and Sin & Punishment, but far more have simply slipped through the cracks.

Like Marvelous on Super Famicom, for example, is a very appropriately titled game, which was developed by the same guy who's heading up the Zelda series now. Despite that it was developed by Nintendo and has stunning graphics and music, almost no one has heard of it. It was definitely inspired by Zelda III, but it has an entirely different feel to it. It's almost entirely puzzle-focused, and I've never seen a game with puzzles so brilliantly creative, and using each of three characters' abilities to solve the puzzles has never been done better in similar games. And it's all woven so masterfully into such a wonderfully wacky and charming plot. Marvelous deserves to be regarded as a classic and a must-play, but sadly, I doubt it will ever acquire that status.

And then there's the Wonder Project J series - a pair of point-and-click raising sims where you educate robots in order to make them like human beings. I can hardly think of any game characters as lovable as Pino and, especially, Josette. They feel so alive, as do the worlds they live in, and I can't help but get emotionally wrapped up in the games each time I play. It's another series that I'm devoted to collecting everything for, and I've also been trying to get it more attention with my site:

http://www.inverteddungeon.com/triac...pj2review.html

[Papa Geno]

Little Nemo Dreammaster (NES), Cobra Triangle (NES), Wario's Woods (NES/SNES), Castlevania:SOTN (PSX), Skull Monkeys (PSX), Tomba (PSX), Toy Commander (DC), Eternal Darkness (GCN), Beyond Good and Evil (GCN).

[Avatard]

I'd have to agree with Mystical Ninja and Mappy Land.

Also I'd like to add Kid Icarus. Maybe its just the area I live in, but no one around here ever heard of it untill I pluged it in and showed them. But seeing as how enough people asked for Pit to be in the new smash bros. that Nintendo actually listened maybe my area is just an anomaly.