Underrated/unpopular game you love?

[Kitsuragi]

What's a game you love that others hate or maybe haven't even heard of? I know there's a Nintendo version of this thread somewhere on the forum but I thought a general one would be great.

Does anyone remember OFF? i used to be obsessed with it back in 2014 but the fandom died hard. i never see anyone talking about it anymore. what a great soundtrack.

 

[Croconaw]

The Dog Island is one of my favorite games. I’d recommend it. I know a lot of people may not have heard of it. It’s a great game with an amazing storyline and an even better soundtrack. You can play as a dog and it has customization options for your dog with outfits.

 

[Livia]

I think Starbound counts. It's one of the best games I've ever played, but I've seen a lot of people don't like it, or they say its only good when heavily modded. People also compare it to Terraria a lot, and say Terraria is better. I disagree because for me Terraria is too difficult and I got bored a lot quicker.

 

[Kitsuragi]

I think Starbound counts. It's one of the best games I've ever played, but I've seen a lot of people don't like it, or they say its only good when heavily modded. People also compare it to Terraria a lot, and say Terraria is better. I disagree because for me Terraria is too difficult and I got bored a lot quicker.

i remember all my friends wanted to play starbound and they got into it, but my PC was too low spec for the time. once i built my PC they backtracked and said its awful. not sure what happened there, maybe an update?

 

[MiniPocketWorld]

Warioland4

 

[ellarella]

else Heart.Break()

a weird, janky open-world game centered on hacking any and all objects in the game's world

 

[VanitasFan26]

Watch Dogs.

I know the game got so much hate when it came out in 2014 because of graphical downgrade, but the game itself was really fun. The story was pretty good and the idea of hacking and causing destruction was really awesome.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

I enjoyed No Man's Sky right after it came out.. though I haven't played it in years!

 

[QueenCobra]

Drawn to Life, Gardening Mama (of the Cooking Mama series), and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.

 

[Xara]

mysims party was the first game that came to mind. i’m not sure if there was any hype for it when it first came out, but i’d attribute how underrated/unpopular it is to the fact that it came out back in 2009. i absolutely loved it, though, and still do. the objective was to essentially turn a run-down town into a bustling one by participating and placing first in 12 (i think) different festivals and playing different minigames. each festival won would unlock at least one new character, shop, minigame and of course, a new festival. i adored the minigames so much and had a blast with them, and i loved the characters as well! tim and roxie will always be 2 of my faves. in fact, i’m even thinking about basing a room off of roxie’s ice cream shop and minigame in new horizons!

i also loved mysims kingdom as well, but party was definitely my favourite. i might even replay it sometime this week since this post has really made me miss it lol.

Drawn to Life, Gardening Mama (of the Cooking Mama series), and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.

ooh, i didn’t know gardening mama was a thing! sounds fun. i’ll have to look into it. :’o

 

[TurnipBell20]

I used to love FEZ on the PS3. I think it’s grown a bit in popularity, but back then when I told people about it, they never knew it.

 

[Alyx]

I'll have to say Trauma Team (Wii) / The Trauma Center series (Under the Knife for DS, remade into Second Opinion for Wii, Under the Knife 2 for DS, New Blood for Wii) made by ATLUS (the Persona guys). They heard us and ported Trauma Team to the Wii U virtual console, which makes me think that maybe... there's a chance we'll get another Trauma Center?

 

[Leemaster777]

So, nobody talks about this game anymore, like, at ALL, but I personally LOVE Freedom Force (2002). The year is important, there are ALOT of things called Freedom Force for some reason.

It was a PC game, and it's a Superhero squad-based RPG. It's heavily based on the silver age of superhero comic books, so all the dialogue is super cheesy and earnest, completely intentionally, of course. If you've ever watched Batman: The Brave and the Bold, you've got a pretty good idea of the tone this game goes for.

It was also one of the first games to ever have a surprisingly robust mod scene (before the mod scene became the norm), thanks to the character creator, that lets you make your own superheroes, and play through the story mode with them.

The game is a bit slow-paced, but if you love the classic superhero aesthetic, this game really scratches that itch. Most of the characters are inspired by actual superheroes from DC and Marvel, to varying degrees. For example, the main character, Minuteman, is basically Captain America, except with a cane instead of a shield. The Bullet is basically The Flash, and then there's The Ant, who's pretty much just Spiderman, but with ant powers instead.

And if you're concerned that the game was made by complete nobodies, don't be. It actually has a shockingly good pedigree. It was made by Irrational Games. Yes, THAT Irrational Games. In fact, it was the second game they ever made. The first was System Shock 2. But you may know them better as the guys that made Bioshock.

The game is on Steam, and it's super cheap. And, hey, if you like it, it has a sequel. It's called Freedom Force vs The Third Reich. Yes, you get to beat up Nazis in the sequel.

 

[Kitsuragi]

So, nobody talks about this game anymore, like, at ALL, but I personally LOVE Freedom Force (2002). The year is important, there are ALOT of things called Freedom Force for some reason.

holy crap! i have heard of this! it's been a long time since anyone i know has brought up the name, oh man. i'll have to read more about this, its so cool that it had such a great mod scene for a game thats pretty "old" by todays standards. thanks for sharing!

 

[Leemaster777]

holy crap! i have heard of this! it's been a long time since anyone i know has brought up the name, oh man. i'll have to read more about this, its so cool that it had such a great mod scene for a game thats pretty "old" by todays standards. thanks for sharing!

Yeah, it actually let you import your own textures in the character creator (although I could never figure out how to do it when I was a kid), so it really lent itself to that.

And like I said, it's on Steam right now. I just checked, and picking up both games together as a bundle only costs 7.50. Really, really affordable, and it even has a free demo if you're still not sold on it.

Oh, and one other thing that I thought was cool, the video I linked? It was actually posted by the voice actor of Minuteman himself. Didn't realize that until after I checked it out.

 

[Bizhiins]

Pokémon mystery dungeon games are definitely underrated. They are, hands down, my favorite Pokémon games I’ve ever played. Most people I’ve asked have never heard of them. Although they’re Pokémon games, the story actually gets deeply philosophical and deals with concepts like time and space. I have definitely cried more than once when at the games climax. It’s refreshing that you play as a Pokémon and see Pokémon personalities more, and the bad perpetrators in the game are Pokémon themselves instead of annoying team rocket or some other human team. Not to mention the music is amazing, and you can play all of them long after breaking the main storyline. I highly recommend them to anyone, even the older versions on the 3DS.

 

[Yanrima~]

Fantasy Zone series is severely underrated, it's one of Sega's earlier game series and has a strangely deep lore for an arcade game from mid-80's. And it's way before video games that have a 'cutesy aesthetic but secretly deep lore' became popular.

 

[Kitsuragi]

one i just thought of, No Straight Roads. i feel like ive never seen people talk about it, but the OST slaps sooo HARD. and dont be hung up by the name, it makes a lot of sense once you play the game and feel for how the plot is going. its heartfelt, upbeat, colorful and just overall a super fun game. the writing is a little cheesy at times but its such a fun game. also it got a christmas update of all things that added even more bangers to an already amazing soundtrack. if you like EDM, acid jazz, synth music, give the OST a listen. i beg you, it's such an underrated gem. the art style is super fun to, its definitely reminiscent of psychonauts if you like that kind of cartoony clay-ish look to it but less dark/dreary looking like psychonauts can be, and some of the character designs are inspired by animes like JJBA

 

[dude98]

Wadanohara and the Deep Blue Sea. A game with a great story and wonderful cast. Just a warning tho: There is a very senstive scene in the game.

 

[Neb]

I’ve mentioned this on other threads, but every game made by Angelsic Productions is highly underrated. They specialize in story based games of various genres. Every game they make is short, but they’re always full of things to do after you beat them. Here’s a quick overlook of each title:

Anodyne: This is a 2D Zelda inspired game with a dream-like aesthetic. The game goes in directions you wouldn’t expect.

Anodyne 2: The sequel fixes up the controls while giving the player access to a 3D overworld. This is my favorite game of their’s.

All Our Asias: A freeware walking simulator where you explore the mind of the protagonist’s dying father.

Even the Ocean: A 2D platformer with unique vertical and horizontal movement. It also has gorgeous 2D backgrounds.

Sephonie: A 3D platformer about three Taiwanese researchers navigating a mysterious island. The controls are a little wonky at times, but the excellent narrative and level themes make up for it.