Great Games Deserving Recognition
TheMuffinMan
Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11234Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11234Members, Constellation
After several minutes of thinking on the toilet, I came to the conclusion last night that for every recognised great game, there is an equally great but relatively unknown game hiding away somewhere. In an effort to find more of these jewels (which hopefully, if still available, will be less than a fiver in game) I have created this thread. Disregarding the number of units shipped, there is really no way to easily measure how well known a game is. So please, no Half-life’s or Halo's. Anyway, onto the list.
<b>Parasite Eve</b>
This game came out quite a while ago for the ps1. Although not very well known (I have only heard this game mentioned a few times since it came out) it was bloody amazing.
The graphics, for their day, were lovely and the cut scenes were inspired and gorgeous, bloody as they were. They were definitely influenced by 'The Thing' and other such movies, with effects to match. The levels were large and varied, ranging from a theatre to a zoo to a cargo ship, each level flowing together to create a seamless and beautiful experience. The many enemies were also well designed, varied and graphically lovely.
The gameplay itself was also great. It was, in all respects, as near to perfect as an rpg can be. On the main screen, the character was easy to control and interacting with the environment was easy. In battle, it resembled the bastard child of Silent hill and final fantasy, blending them together perfectly.
The story fit together very well and although it was fairly abstract, it suited the city setting perfectly. The dialog may have been a bit confusing at times, but it got the point across more often that not. One of its few down points was the very short game time, but hell, HL2 was a short game as well.
The best part of the game, however, was not the amazing cut scenes. Nor was it the stunning gameplay or the complex story. It had a musical score that could step all over the metal gear solid soundtrack like Godzilla over Tokyo. The opening theme to the game was beautiful, and it only got better as the game went on.
Overall, this was probably one of the best game I have ever played (it beat half-life 2 and metal gear solid hands down). For all I know, it could have sold very well, but it definitely deserves more recognition than it currently has. As a side note, avoid the second game like the plague it is. Instead, buy two copies of the original.
<b>Circuit breakers</b>
As far as I know, this game got wildly different reviews. Gamespot gave it a 3 point something out of ten, while I think that it was one of the best racing games ever.
The gameplay, to put it simply, it pretty much a copy of the micro-machines gameplay. Normally I would dislike games that take ideas, but circuit breakers has a special place in my heart thanks to a multitap and four friends. This is, without a doubt, the <b>best</b> LAN party game that I have ever played. Ever.
The graphics were simple but nice and the music was par for the course. The game has a pretty crap single player, but racing against three friends as you try and knock them off the course while staying on yourself is unparralled.
The many, many levels themselves were very well designed and varied, allowing for many different tactical options. Each map required a special playing style, likewise with each vehicle. The maps themselves ranged from an underwater course (which you ran from inside a submarine, naturally) complete with powerful pushing bubbles to an Amazonian valley filled with dangerous pits and floating platforms. Micro Machines may have done it first, but circuit breakers perfected it.
Sorry for the long post, but once I get started I find it hard to stop <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> Please, share your stories of great but unknown games.
<b>Parasite Eve</b>
This game came out quite a while ago for the ps1. Although not very well known (I have only heard this game mentioned a few times since it came out) it was bloody amazing.
The graphics, for their day, were lovely and the cut scenes were inspired and gorgeous, bloody as they were. They were definitely influenced by 'The Thing' and other such movies, with effects to match. The levels were large and varied, ranging from a theatre to a zoo to a cargo ship, each level flowing together to create a seamless and beautiful experience. The many enemies were also well designed, varied and graphically lovely.
The gameplay itself was also great. It was, in all respects, as near to perfect as an rpg can be. On the main screen, the character was easy to control and interacting with the environment was easy. In battle, it resembled the bastard child of Silent hill and final fantasy, blending them together perfectly.
The story fit together very well and although it was fairly abstract, it suited the city setting perfectly. The dialog may have been a bit confusing at times, but it got the point across more often that not. One of its few down points was the very short game time, but hell, HL2 was a short game as well.
The best part of the game, however, was not the amazing cut scenes. Nor was it the stunning gameplay or the complex story. It had a musical score that could step all over the metal gear solid soundtrack like Godzilla over Tokyo. The opening theme to the game was beautiful, and it only got better as the game went on.
Overall, this was probably one of the best game I have ever played (it beat half-life 2 and metal gear solid hands down). For all I know, it could have sold very well, but it definitely deserves more recognition than it currently has. As a side note, avoid the second game like the plague it is. Instead, buy two copies of the original.
<b>Circuit breakers</b>
As far as I know, this game got wildly different reviews. Gamespot gave it a 3 point something out of ten, while I think that it was one of the best racing games ever.
The gameplay, to put it simply, it pretty much a copy of the micro-machines gameplay. Normally I would dislike games that take ideas, but circuit breakers has a special place in my heart thanks to a multitap and four friends. This is, without a doubt, the <b>best</b> LAN party game that I have ever played. Ever.
The graphics were simple but nice and the music was par for the course. The game has a pretty crap single player, but racing against three friends as you try and knock them off the course while staying on yourself is unparralled.
The many, many levels themselves were very well designed and varied, allowing for many different tactical options. Each map required a special playing style, likewise with each vehicle. The maps themselves ranged from an underwater course (which you ran from inside a submarine, naturally) complete with powerful pushing bubbles to an Amazonian valley filled with dangerous pits and floating platforms. Micro Machines may have done it first, but circuit breakers perfected it.
Sorry for the long post, but once I get started I find it hard to stop <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> Please, share your stories of great but unknown games.
Comments
IdidnotneedtoknowthatIdidnotneedtoknowthatIdidnotneedtoknowthatIdidnotneed...
The one game that is INEVITABLY mentioned in threads like these is always <b>Ico</b>. If there is any game I would describe as art, it's this one.
You were a little spaceship and all these aliens/other spaceships flew at you from various directions and you had to blow them to hell, it was as addictive as Tetris, if not more so...
...my quest to find the name begins...
(I'm not sure how "unknown" this game is though)
*EDIT*
<b>Transbot! Transbot! TRANSBOT!</b>
lol I wonder how many other great forum posts come to mind in this way, that or while standing in the shower. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I go for the old school classics.
F16 Fighting Falcon
Battle of Britian
Both of these were very early flight sims, they were like early/mid 90s They may have looked like utter crap by todays standards but they where very detailed and specifics in being a true flight sim. They even sent you nice books on each planes history etc like the sort you would get in a book store. Also a detailed manual on how to land a real F16 lol.
M1 Tank Platoon: Basically like the other 2 games but a tank sim. Very detailed and also like the other 2 incluided more informational text on NATO and Warsaw pact tanks./APCs etc. Very informational and fun too.
Hover Force: You were a futuristic cop who patroled around in a hover car. you flew around city streets blasting away drug lords and drug addicts. Nice high speed pursuits. You got money for getting the bad guys and you could then buy better armour, weapons, and ammo for your patrol hover car.
Star Control 2: People may have heard of this game but it had a nice single player Stratedgy aspect as well as multiplayer ship vs ship goodness.
Avoid the Noid: Ahh who remembers this one? You get to be the ninja flexible Dominos Pizza delivery guy who gets to cartwheel and flip his way up to the top levels of apartment buildings avoiding the pesty Noid and his devious traps to steal your pizzas! <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Starcraft?
Seiken Densetsu III (sp)
Urban Chaos. I loved this game. You played a cop. The plot may not have been the greatest, but it was a load of fun. The first thing I thought when playing Vice City years later was "I need to drag someone out of their car and beat them to death, then steal their money." But the second thing was that Urban Chaos had a large-city-play-area years before. Urban Chaos fell down in that it didn't allow much use of cars, most of them being locked.
Sacrifice. Anyone who's played it already knows how awesome this is, but it never sold well. Within a couple of weeks, the price had dropped by around £20. A real shame.
Giants. The dudes with smiley faces were the best, but playing as Kabuto was also a lot of fun.
Aye, I have to agree there. The thing that I really loved about this game was the sheer scale of it. The view distance alone made my day, as it was probably one of the first games that I played to take advantage of a large and epic terrain.
Another game that is great, but is still fairly unknown is Joint Operations. Created by Novalogic, it follows in black hawk down's and Battlefield's footsteps. As you can expect from a novalogic game, there are many bugs, it has less than brilliant netcode and it uses the whole novaworld system (which is absolute crap).
It is also graphically amazing (beats farcry easily, along with half-life 2 when it comes to outdoor areas) and has some great, great gameplay. It was supposed to be the battlefield beater, and it is definitely the better game - especially in a full 150 man server. The maps are consistently brilliant, although a few of them are simply too large, even for 150 players.
The vehicle system is miles better than battlefield. They are in the main very easy to drive (especially the helicopters) and fulfill a variety of roles, ranging from full on base assault to transport. When the players play properly, the games can be stunningly epic. Nothing beats having two full black hawks skim over waves at 50feet to avoid enemy AA fire, only to land behind the enemy base with manned cannons blazing, troops pouring out. It is even better when you manage to organize all of this with a transport helicopter, as the arrival of the gigantic birds and their cargo (Whatever you want, ranging from apcs to small boats) signals the end of the enemy base.
Unfortunately, most people see the game as yet another novalogic game - rushed, bug ridden, repetitive and the same as the last game. If you want the epic battles that come with a game such as Planetside but don't want to splash out on a monthly fee (like me) then this is a brilliant game for you, as it is pretty cheap now (18 quid on Play.com) and is probably the closest you will get to massive, epic battles without shelling out every month.
Edit: The netcode is, to be fair, brilliant considering the amount of players in a server. Hell, the developers claim that they have had 250 man beta games without any excess lag. The netcode problems are few and far between, and apparantly it is a fixable problem in the game. The biggest problem is trying to get into a game, due to the crappy novaworld system.
Wasn't really a great game but the graphics are good <b>now</b>, and I think the game is 5-ish years old. Really addictive and a little quirky sense of humour. Fun game.
<b>Beyond Good & Evil</b>:
This game is one of those all in one package deals, as far as games go. It's not so much unrecognised or unpopular, it just, very oddly, never really sold all that much, and is still definately one of the most underrated games. The story is engrossing, the visuals are still stunning (And definately have their own charm) and the audio and soundtrack are just as excellent. It balances stealth and action perfectly, is simple to control and manages to grant you a good deal of freedom, without causing you to lose your path (Like Morrowind does).
It's definately one of my favourite games of all time, but for some reason that entirely eludes me, it never recieved the recognition it deserved. If you've not played it, it's still easily available from the likes of amazon on most platforms.
<b>Project Zero / Fatal Frame</b>:
Again, not a game that was entirely overlooked or ignored, but it really didn't recieve the recognition it deserved. Without a doubt it's my favourite survival horror game and it owes most of that to the fact that it is actually scary, unlike it's competetors. The likes of Silent Hill and Resident Evil have always had a great amount of action and "cheap scares" (Resident Evil moreso) but have never entirely managed to create a full atmosphere of tension and fear, Project Zero managed this beautifully. Not through loud noises or monsters jumping through windows, but from things that you don't see, and noises that you don't hear, i doubt there is a single game created that can match it's atmosphere.
It's always been kind of a one for survival horror fans only really, but it breaks free from the mould set down by the more successful series (SH and RE, again) and also getting around the constant need to find new weapons, it introduces a system to upgrade your one and only weapon, adds special attacks and more other things, it's definately something everyone should at least take a shot at.
<b>Tresspasser</b>:
Now there's a very good reason as to why this game has gone unrecognised. It was crap. The game was dire, the visuals were dire and generally you should avoid it at all costs.
"So why include it in this list?" Two reasons.
The first is that your health indicator was on your boob, and the only way to see it was to look downwards at your boobs. But there's more to that, it's that this was the only game from way back when (This must've been about 1998 or something like that) you could actually see your body, legs and your arm holding the weapon was actually attached.
The second reason was that this game was way ahead of it's time when it comes to physics. Half-Life 2 has caused such a stir due to it's "realistic physics" and the like, but come on, this is some 7 years since Tresspasser. What the hell have these people been doing all this time? True Tresspasser implemented the physics poorly, and everything seemed to be made of rubber (Deus Ex 2?), but they were still there. And it was fully integrated into the game, your weapon was actually a physical thing infront of you, turn too hard and knock it into something, you'd drop it, all the objects and props in the world behaved semi-realistically (See: Rubber comment) and it's most likely the first retail game to ever have included a full physics system integrated and used in a game. Sorry Valve, but you're a few years late.
So i wouldn't really recommend playing the game, it is crap as i mentioned, but it deserves at least the recognition for what is still quite a decent technical achievement.
Battlezone II (absolutely awesome game with fab graphics that for some reason nobody wanted)
Republic (very engrossing strategy game overlooked because it was very hard to categorise, and reviews made it sound uninteresting despite the high scores)
Startopia (cute space station management overlooked because there was obviously no market for it)
Independance War (space shooter overlooked because it had accurate-ish physics and you were flying a sluggish corvette not a fighter)
Giants (as mentioned above)
Darwinia (Just plane retro coolness and bedroom production company)
Arcanum (From the makers off Fallout, imagine Middle Earth with an industrial revolution)
Warzone 2100 (Evil AI Virus, Nuclear winter and customisable units)
Savage (NS Style with a commander and players again midevilish)
X-COM series (Ok they graduly get worse but they were really cool and fairly realistic)
Few others too
Yarr, one other that be need mentionings be <b>Freelancer</b>, but I feel lazy and I don't feel up to giving a description of a game that I assume many of us here have already played.
SiN (Quake II engine iirc. Underplayed, although I'm not quite sure why. It has a very good, branching storyline and excellent maps)
Little Big Adventure (a classic which you should have played)
Silver (RPG that would be worth whatever price you pay for it in the bargain bin, despite being a bit too short)
Normality (RPG, your only weapon being your mind. For lateral thinking players.)
Close Combat (Second World War RTS with the need for very realistic strategy, LAN games a must)
Malice (for Quake. Cool story with excellent weaponry, items and enemies -hoverboard, anyone?)
... there are more...
<b>Treasures of the Deep</b>
Not the most outstanding game, but I thought it was exceptionally fun to go around underwater searching for treasure...sort of like an Echo the Dolphin without the annoying puzzles and instead of glyphs you collect treasure to buy stuff. And it was in 3D...there was a demo for it that came with my PS1...back in the day.
<b>True Lies</b>
For SNES/Genesis (virtually the same). Pfft, I loved that game - could be incredibly hard, but it was just fun. Looked pretty good for a Genesis game...kind of reminds me of the outdoor areas from Jurassic Park on SNES...without the dinosaurs - and instead they're people with guns.
I think it was a decently popular game, though.
<b> Anything Jurassic Park on SNES, Genesis, SegaCD or PS</b>
Pffft, I love my JP games...Jurassic Park on SNES is my all-time favorite game. If it had a save function it would even be 10x better (the only legitimate use of a ROM <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ).
<b>Urban Assault</b>
Probably the easiest game to create your own cheats on; but if you have a microsoft force feedback joystick - it's awesomely fun.
I would even mark it as a psuedo-NS; in that you can be the commander of your forces and jump into any unit in first-person at any time. It's pretty hard, as well, but the story was somewhat good, and it was interesting to play. Many white knuckle moments when you're assaulting the enemy command station and he's got a force attacking yours and you break out one of the super-weapon units that does like 1000 damage, manually aim it and try to hit their station - before jumping back to your command station to deploy units to defend yourself and then hopping in one to assist.
...Graphics left something to be desired though.
But nobody else has mentioned it yet. Why's that? It's a game that resembles nothing else. There's ICO and then there's a gap and then there's all others. This is a truth when measured empirically with standard reviewing parameters - stunningly gorgeous, a discreet yet beautiful soundtrack, satisfying puzzling-adventurey gameplay - but it's a game that's worth far more than the sum of its parts. It's exquisite, an absolute triumph; it's such a complete experience. That's just it, really: it's an experience, and while other games could be seen as throwaway, your encounter with Yorda and the twisting, towering castle won't soon be forgotten. Reviews might overlook your brief relationship with Yorda - because who'd expect you to feel real emotion about a videogame character? - but with that ending, though you may not feel like crying, you'll definitely <b>feel</b>. There's no HUD, health bars, or time limits. Is it even a videogame in the traditional sense? There's no character progression and no discernible level structure. There's a button to jump, strike and hold Yorda's hand. That's it (if I recall correctly, not counting trivialities like first-person views). Simple but flawless. Oh, and her feeling her heart beat via the Dual Shock rumble when you hold her hand draws you in like nothing before.
Other games that are perfect:
Gitaroo Man (rhythm action gone supernova)
<a href='http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/review-outrun2.htm' target='_blank'>Outrun 2</a>
Panzer Dragoon Orta (breathtaking 3D shooter)
<a href='http://www.spectrum.lovely.net/' target='_blank'>http://www.spectrum.lovely.net/</a>
You can find Skool Daze and Back 2 Skool, the sequel. Not to mention a whole other bunch.
You seem to be missing the point somewhat - Sonic and Mario aren't well-known? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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Yes! I am not sure whether it was the first or second one that had me hooked for months upon months, but it was brilliant. At the time i had absolutely no idea what was going on, but it was still great, great fun.
Warzone 2100 (Evil AI Virus, Nuclear winter and customisable units) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
You win the good taste prize. I loved Arcanum.
Warzone 2100 (Evil AI Virus, Nuclear winter and customisable units) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You win the good taste prize. I loved Arcanum. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I only played the demo, but i found it pretty interesting. I will definitely pick it up if i see it in the bargain bin.
It is a point and click adventure, was released about 1994 and had 6 CDs <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->.
Great graphics, but the logic was sometimes just.....dumped <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
You seem to be missing the point somewhat - Sonic and Mario aren't well-known? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
They still deserve recognition, if even by a renegade fan boy like me <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
greatest space shooter ever, it had great visuals and had both great acting and great story. it was awesome to see a capital ship getting blown up by beam cannons.
MDK and X-Com: UFO Defense ftw!
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i have this game and i believe it is one of the greatest games ever made if you have not tried it try and get a hold of it the graphics were amazing for its time they are still very good
some games i think need more recognition
journyman project (all of them were great games)
dark reign (great RTS)
dungeon seige
Beatifully crafted, wonderfully done, rich storyline with quotes to back up every new technology to give it not only impact but memorability..
Nigh on limitless customisation, in units, bases and even in social structures.
Imho, SMAC was and still IS the pinnacle of the CIV type games.
And Battlezone. Once you've played the original Battlezone you'll never ever admit to yourself that it's seqeul was ever anything approaching "Good".