Most Underrated Game Series Ever?

[acj540]

Oddworld was a strange game, but I would have to say the sly cooper series on ps2. I mean come on the 3rd one had sections in 3-D and it came with 3-D glasses. Sure it was worthless, but how many other games that you know of did that?

 

[boomer___2312]

1st i think the halo series is the most OVERRATED series evar
but the most underrated would have to be God of War

 

[matsugawa]

Zone of the Enders. No one I know even knows of it. Great graphics, interesting story, fantastic score...DAMN YOU KONAMI MAKE A THIRD ONE!

You're not alone.
I may have bought my Playstation 2 not even thinking past MTV Music Generator 2, but ZOE made me all too happy I kept it. It was brilliant, I didn't even care about the MGS2 demo disc, it might as well have been a coaster (don't get me wrong, I like MGS2, but I was one of those far too few who didn't buy ZOE for the disc.). The control scheme was perfect, not a single button on the DualShock was wasted. I found my hands twitching for days after playing, as if hoping in vain that I'd be able to move about in real life with the grace of Jehuty.

When ZOE2 came out, though, I honestly had mixed feelings about it. In the interim, I'd been playing ZOE:Fist of Mars on the GBA, which is probably the most underrated game in the series. It had a great story with wonderful characters and some really clever dialogue (the only time I've ever laughed at that stupid 'amnesia' joke... and it was on a plane in earshot of at least 30 people... and I couldn't have cared less). You know a game's got something going for it when it makes you laugh at a joke you wouldn't otherwise even politely chuckle at.

Anyway, ZOE2 had to grow on me, but toward the end it totally turned around for me and gave me one of the greatest "Oh, glory of glories, oh heavenly testament to the eternal..." moments I'd ever had in gaming (it was actually one of the 'escort' missions where you have to carry Ken's frame up through several levels... it's no exagerration when I refer to that sequence as 'transcendant').

That said, I actually hate calling the ZOE series underrated. My vote for most underappreciated series actually goes to the Monster Hunter games. ZOE is brilliant, and has gotten a wide level of critical acclaim, while Monster Hunter has the curious attribute of having absolutely nothing going for it (mediocre graphics, insufficient item-manufacturing, awful collision detection, and a laughably inadequate online element) yet I can't stop playing. It's got me hooked, and I couldn't even start to tell you why. I could rant for hours what's great about ZOE, but Monster Hunter is a true enigma.

 

[dukethepcdr]

The Descent series got some critical acclaim in its day for how inventive it was in using 3-D space, but it hardly ever gets mentioned anymore. Haven't played a flying game that tops Maximum Descent as far as being fun and innovative goes since it came out.

 

[TheRockNRolla]

I would say Riddick, but Assault on Dark Athena wouldn't help me any....

 

[veloper]

I can't think of any underrated series.

Underrated by whom? The media? There've been a couple of lone titles that got underrated like Thief 3 or Dark Messiah.

For series as a whole, there's only overrated stuff.

 

[Iron Mal]

The most underrated series I know of have to be Red Faction (they were pretty good games in all honesty and I'm glad they're finally making another one) and Alone in the Dark (the recent one on the PS2, 360 and PS3 was crap but the older games like the new Nightmare was pretty damn groovy in the day.

Also, Twisted Metal. Driver, shooter and multiplayer game all in one (with a post apocolyptic theme I might add)...Mario Kart was nothing next to this.

 

[Voicuboyy]

LoTR battle for middle-earth 2.. i played that game so much and most people said it's kind of shit

 

[Sindre1]

The Longest Journey.
It should be up there with Half Life.
Not quite as high maybe, I dont know.

 

[qDreams]

The Longest Journey.
It should be up there with Half Life.
Not quite as high maybe, I dont know.

Yeah I agree TLJ is a great game.. Its a shame they screwed up with the sequel Dreamfall though.

But yeah bump for Legacy of Kain aswell

 

[Sindre1]

The Longest Journey.
It should be up there with Half Life.
Not quite as high maybe, I dont know.

Yeah I agree TLJ is a great game.. Its a shame they screwed up with the sequel Dreamfall though.

But yeah bump for Legacy of Kain aswell

I liked Dreamfall.
Not as good as TLJ, but I think thats becose they tried thinking new.
Now that they are used to 3D-games they will start doing them better.
They have already stated that the combat in TLJ3 will be completly changed and toned down (thank god) from what it was in Dreamfall.
The story is most important for me anyway.

 

[The_Deleted]

...but I would have to say the sly cooper series on ps2. I mean come on the 3rd one had sections in 3-D and it came with 3-D glasses. Sure it was worthless, but how many other games that you know of did that?

Sly Cooper were awesome games.

 

[ClaptonKnophlerHendrix]

Psyconauts (I am aware it is not a series but it could well have been if the average gamer didn't have a crippling fear of fun) and Baldurs Gate.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

Not really a series I guess, considering there were only two of them, but...Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2, (Dark Chronicle) were both GREAT games. The replayability factor is stunning.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Zone of the Enders. No one I know even knows of it. Great graphics, interesting story, fantastic score...DAMN YOU KONAMI MAKE A THIRD ONE!

I personally loved that game! But did they ever make another one? But i think the most underrated game is most likely Earth Defense Force 2017. Sure it doesn't have GOD graphics but even through the game glitches it has my vote for the greatest game on earth! Just buy it, trust me, its worth the money.

Yup, called Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner. It had stunning cel-shaded graphics.

There was also a Game Boy one...but we forget about that one.

Shame, because ZOE: Fist of Mars had an absolutely brilliant story and unmatched quality of writing on the tiny GBA. So what if the action was a bit bland? So what if the game was basically a visual novel? The storyline in Fist of Mars is so good it puts most game storylines (whether handheld, console or PC games) to shame.

ZOE 2 was amazing, yes, but the storyline was much more visceral and about the presentation. Bosses weren't impressive because of the emotional attachments you'd formed to their characters, they were impressive because they were floating giant mechs with a million awesome particle effect attacks. ZOE 2 is a great game, but it's a real tragedy that Fist of Mars has been so overlooked, even by the core ZOE fanbase.

If ZOE 2 is Gundam Wing, Fist of Mars is the UC Gundam original movie.

As for my other underrated games? Shinobi for PS2, Transformers for PS2, Viewtiful Joe, God Hand, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, the Timesplitters series (Future Perfect is my favorite FPS of all time so far), Genji: Dawn of the Samurai and the PS2 Ghost in the Shell: SAC game.

 

[Abedeus]

Baldur's Gate, the people I've talked to have never heard of it. I'm sure people here have though. But that's due to the escapist having fine taste.

Yeah, Baldur's Gate and the sequel (and even spiritual successor Icewind Dale) were very fun little games. And I'm not even a big fan of RPGs unless I'm in the right mood. But the writing was really good and the characters all distinct and well-developed. If they made more RPGs like BG1 and 2, I'd probably be a fan of the genre. Alas, the last two big western RPGs, Oblivion and Fable, were both colossally underwhelming, set in rather bland open worlds and featuring a stable of stick-figures as NPCs.

Fable is an Action RPG, it doesn't count as a true RPG. I mean, it barely has RPG elements at all - dialogues, equipment and spell upgrades? You might as well consider Crysis an RPG.

Oblivion? A bit more, but still... There were a lot of better games.

Fallout 3 can be considered an RPG. Sure, it's an FPP game, where you can shoot, but it does have active pause (sort of). Mass Effect? How dare you forget about this one. Dungeons and Dragons Online can count, too, as it's more DnD than MMO, and of course Neverwinter Nights 2, even if much worse than NwN in terms of gameplay and multiplayer, is still a decent RPG.

The Lineage series. WOW just about copied everything from that game but it atleast had other great ideas. I bet most of you haven't even heard of it!

Are you kidding me? Most of the people heard about Lineage before they have heard about WoW.

 

[mikemart]

Gladius, it was an excellent game but sales were bad. it would of been a game series, but lucas arts disowned it..

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Max Payne. Seriously, that series was as close to perfection as it could be, and you lot didn't fucking buy it!

 

[Spektre41]

Maybe not underrated, but the Ultimate Spider-Man game is awesomeness incarnate. It's about a million times better than Spider-Man 2, yet no one seems to like it. It's pretty much a comic book in video game form.

For a straighter example, Klonoa 1 & 2 are pretty much the greatest platformers ever made.