What an underrated game!

[SirNerd]

Dark Cloud one and 2, although it seems to have a cult following, every friend i have who owns a PS2 never heard of it, great graphics, cute story, fantastic weapon system and everything.

Metal Arms (mentioned above)

Dragon Warrior 7 for the PS1, never caught on in the states, was a big hit in Japan. I've sunk 300 hours into it.

Battlefield 2142. Kind of like the middle child between BF2 and BFBC2, had the best balance of combat, unlock progression, and class customization. The futuristic elements were beautifully done. I really miss this game. They need to make another on the Frostbite engine.

 

[teebeeohh]

Vanquish, best adrenaline rush i had whilst gaming in years

this
vanquish is the reason i bought a ps3.
YOU HEAR THAT SONY, MAKE PLATINUM MAKE ANOTHER ONE AND I WILL BUY YOU CONSOLE, SHARE BUTTON AND ALL.

ehm, vanquish is really great because there is always a shitload of stuff going on but you never feel like you can't handle what the game is throwing at you. it also has a stat breakdown like DMC or Bayonetta and actually punishes you for staying in cover, score-wise.
and it has tactical smoke-break. i don't like smoking but i found that so funny.

 

[AT God]

Duke Nukem Forever.

Hear me out.

The Hive mission should be muted. The hive style enslavement was in Duke 3D, but we didn't need Duke's jokes during a serious scene. The only line he should keep is when he rages after his girlfriends die. Also, health regen and 2 or 4 weapon slots is wrong.

Now. The game is worth about 20 bucks. It isn't the best game and it doesn't live up to it's development time. HOWEVER, it has a lot of unique things we haven't seen this generation.

The game features lots of random interactivity. That is something that existed in the late 90's, with Deus Ex and Soldier of Fortune. It is refreshing to have the ability to drink water, microwave popcorn/rats, play pinball, shoot basketball, lift weights, etc.

Some of the humor is funny. Yes, the humor is ripped from classic movies, but that doesn't mean it isn't humorous, it just isn't original. Sorry, but shooting a pig cop and then yelling PORK CHOP SANDWICHES is funny for anyone who has seen the GI Joe parodies. Also, this one was multiplayer only, but shooting the jetpack off an enemy and then exclaiming You're gonna love my nuts. is funny to me.

Everyone with a capable PC should buy this game. It is cheap on the PC, with mappable controls and short load times, which were two of the console complaints. Steam throws it up on sale every holiday and it is definitly worth a grab, you get boss fights, unique environments, interesting weapons, and old school charm (sans the hive)

So buy it, you don't have to think it is the greatest game ever, but it is DIFFERENT, and as far as I can remember, there aren't any weapon attachments, perks, or Russian foes.

 

[Mikejames]

I worry that I may sound like a broken record commending some of the same underrated titles. Ah well.

Deadly Premonition: Bloody terrible combat and QTE's aside, I enjoyed the writing of the main characters and the mind-screw factors the protagonist was dealing with; knowing how to juxtapose comedy, horror, and tragedy. The graphics may be low-budget, but I still love the style of it.

Spoiler: screenshot

Shattered Memories, if you're big on story. Less fear factor than other Silent Hill titles, but the way it sets the character up questioning his and others sanity was well done, and the psychological analysis throughout was enjoyable with the final buildup for the climax being one of the best I've seen in a game.

Fatal Frame 2:
It's like Silent Hill 2, but with a chick...and no weapons, minus a camera, and REALLY REALLY Japanese.

Fatal Frame as a whole really deserves more praise.
Dead Space's jump scares could startle me once or twice, but Fatal Frame's jump scares made me flee my room.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

LUNAR and LUNAR 2.

I love me an RPG that not only has an awesome story, amazing soundtrack and memorable characters (Ronfar and Kyle, that's all I'll say) but also has comedy and references to great things such as Cheers.

Captcha: It is different. Very much so, Captcha, but in a good way. =)

Also, honorable mention goes to platformer Popful Mail.

 

[MAUSZX]

Duke Nukem Forever.

Hear me out.

I'm one of those few people that enjoyed the game, it wasn't perfect put it had a lot of good things.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

inFAMOUS 2 (and the original, but mostly 2).

It was an Excellent game, yet I hardly hear any praise at all. It was one of those games that improved upon every aspect of the last game. I just hope the PS4 inFamous does something interesting rather than continuing with the moral choice system.

 

[makkin1872905]

battlefield 2142 for honourable mention, but I actually enjoeyd my playthrough of DNF for the reasons given above, it definetly was not the best game but it wasnt as bad as made out.

 

[KissmahArceus]

Hunted: The Demon's Forge, an enjoyable, daft adventure through a fantasy world with Gears flavoured combat and some huge side dungeons and a set of linked side quests that were as good (maybe better) than the main game's quest.

I had loads of fun in co op and have played through it at least 3 times now, such a rough diamond for me

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Heretic. Everyone remembers Doom, no one remembers Heretic.

Heretic was id and Raven Software's spiritual successor, as people like to call such things, to Doom. It was made in 1994, taking everything they learned from Doom about how to do a first-person shooter in a faux 3D environment.

It is basically Doom in a medieval fantasy setting, which means that the enemies are more imaginative and the weapons are more cool-looking and sounding. The level design is smaller and a bit more linear, but also much more interesting. It has forty five levels, divided into five 9-level episodes, each with their own theme and somewhat distinctive design. Many levels are based around a single concept, like the River of Fire, a level spent mostly traversing back and forth over a lava flow, or the Graveyard, a stage filled with headstones and crypts where you are attacked by ghostly versions of familiar enemies. The controls are more complex, such as giving you the ability to look up and down, including an inventory with several clever items to use, and even the ability to fly if you find the Wings of Wrath.

Basically, anyone who enjoyed Doom should like Heretic, but somehow no one seems to even know it exists. It's my favorite childhood game, but I can't find anyone to share the memories with. Sadface.

 

[TrevHead]

Shmups are a largely ignored genre considering just how deep and complex a good shmup is for competative highscore, but one CAVE shmup called Akia Katana was ignored more so than the rest. The game is quite different from usual shmups where usually most players can just dodge bullets and play for survival without any regard for the games unique mechanics, usually that's the domain of those who play for score.

However Akia Katana will stomp into the ground anyone who plays it like a dumb 80s shooter without understanding how to effectivly use the special weapon to cancel bullets that fill the screen. Effectively it's bringing scoreplay and survival play together.

Unfortunatley it didn't click with many westerner because they couldn't be bothered learning how the game played, (even though there were ingame tutorials to teach players how to do so.) It's similar to how many ppl didn't get Vanquish when it released because they played it like a Gears games, rather than take the time to play it properly. It's £6 on Amazon for a new copy, the lowest I've seen any 360 game at.

My other 2 under-rated games would be Dust: An Elysians Tail and Aquaria both games copy Vannillaware side scroller ARPG formula but instead of been boring and repetitive they are actually fun to play to completion.

EDIT, most SEGA games are underrated by modern gamers, that includes their Platinum Games published titles, Binary Domain and their older classics which tend to be ignored for Nintendo.

Sega and Sonic Racers transformed is a kart racer that's better than a Mario kart even though it has no chance in selling anywhere the same.

Virtual Ontario - ON is a great fighting game that never caught on outside Japan, which is a shame because the XBLA port is both deeply competitive with a large gulf between noobs and pros just like Street Fighter or Tekken.

 

[sageoftruth]

Vanquish, best adrenaline rush i had whilst gaming in years

I didn't realize that game had been so under-appreciated. Then again, most people I speak to haven't heard of it.

 

[Subscriptism]

Metro 2033, it was everything I wanted in a story and had an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife. I loved every moment of it, dodgy shooting mechanics and all.

 

[alphamalet]

Fatal Frame II
An excellent survival horror game, and IMO the scariest game ever made.

Einhander
A Squaresoft game I'll bet most of you have never heard of. It was Sqaure's first attempt at the "bullet hell" 2D shooter genre, and by damn was it amazing!

 

[aba1]

Playstation Allstars is the most underrated recent game easily so much fun but so few people even gave it a real chance. I know a TON of people who hate it but I have yet to meet a person who has actually tried it and didn't have a great time.

 

[keiji_Maeda]

I always say this when this topic comes up .

Alpha protocol . It has it's flaws , but this game is so fun . Seriously the game is amazin if unpolished . A diamond in the rough if you will . It has .

Good stealth .
Funny dialogue .
Fun gameplay.
Multiple paths in levels .
Challenge .
Decision that matter and alter gameplay .
snippity-snop.

This was more or less what i intended to say

 

[snappydog]

Shadow of Memories (or Shadow of Destiny, I believe, if you're from the US). It's not amazing gameplay-wise, or for that matter voice acting wise, graphics wise... but it's sure as hell worth playing for the plot. There's time travel, murder mystery, crazy sci-fi conspiracies, a whole lot of multiple endings and just generally worth playing.