Plus a bad Saturn game and an utterly horrible GBA game. Shinobi is dead because Sega slammed its skull into the ground until it stopped moving. Their other franchises mostly died of pure neglect. All it took to move Streets of Rage from "dead" to "alive" was bothering to make a new one. Whatever's kept Sonic alive all these years, it's not the franchise's relentless pursuit of quality. My favorite underrated video game is every Genesis game except Sonic.
Nobody talks about games on the turbo graphix, there were a ton of interesting games on there. There was a sort of Legend of Zelda ripoff called Neutopia (the second one was better) that nobody talks about that I liked a lot as a kid. Landstalker on the sega genesis is way better with save states, but still it was a fantastic isometric Action-adventure that was ahead of its time.
I bought a Japanese Turbo Duo a couple of years ago and have been enjoying it a lot. The first 4 ys games on it rival any 2D Zelda game, especially the first two games.
I bought a Japanese Turbo Duo a couple of years ago and have been enjoying it a lot. The first 4 ys games on it rival any 2D Zelda game, especially the first two games.
Really? Awe, I actually prefer it. Having to hit them off center kind of makes the combat like a dance. They dropped it for 3 and brought it back for 4 but that was the last game to have it.
Really? Awe, I actually prefer it. Having to hit them off center kind of makes the combat like a dance. They dropped it for 3 and brought it back for 4 but that was the last game to have it.
Hm. To be fair, I'm usually open to the notion that I just suck st video games and what I'm complaining about it perfectly fine. This could be one of those times.
The God Eater series as a whole is pretty underrated. It's only ever talked about as a Monster Hunter ripoff with a silly anime story tacked on, but I'd take any given God Eater game over the best Monster Hunter game any day.
The Resident Evil Outbreak series. Way ahead of it's time with player to player interaction on a console. Both games were failures since online gaming wasn't as commonplace and you had to buy the add on thing which most people didn't have. I think broadband was just starting at the time and most people I knew still were on some shitty dial up and you needed broadband to use the PS2 network. It's a travesty really since some of the most fun I've ever had in online gaming were those games, but they lacked mic support so that handicapped a lot of it. Although you can download the ISO and link your emulator up to private servers that are still active and have been since the servers went down in 2013. I still play time to time.
The Resident Evil Outbreak series. Way ahead of it's time with player to player interaction on a console. Both games were failures since online gaming wasn't as commonplace and you had to buy the add on thing which most people didn't have. I think broadband was just starting at the time and most people I knew still were on some shitty dial up and you needed broadband to use the PS2 network. It's a travesty really since some of the most fun I've ever had in online gaming were those games, but they lacked mic support so that handicapped a lot of it. Although you can download the ISO and link your emulator up to private servers that are still active and have been since the servers went down in 2013. I still play time to time.
Hm. To be fair, I'm usually open to the notion that I just suck st video games and what I'm complaining about it perfectly fine. This could be one of those times.
The Ys games are pretty challenging compared to a lot of others so even experienced players won't just breeze through them unless they're using the easiest difficulty. I finished Ys I not too long ago (the Chronicles version on PC) and Dark Fact was no joke, though I think it depends on what version you get because I remember him being easier in the TurboDuo version.
Oh gosh, someone here who has played Neutopia. You sir are my new best friend.
I wish I had a bigger TG16/PC engine library. So far I have Military Madness, Dragon's Curse, the Ys games, Keith Courage, and a well-made bootleg of Sapphire. Oh and some fighting game ports and that Gate of Thunder Super CD that also included Bonk and Bomberman.
I wish I had Devil's Crush... I do, but its the Sega Genesis version (called Dragon's Fury). The TG version is slightly different.
I owned a TG16 with the CD attachment and later the TurboDuo, so I could give you some suggestions:
Air Zonk - This one might be super rare now but it was one of the most fun shmups I've ever played though it's a bit on the easy side.
Lords of Thunder - This is another shmup that has a kickass metal soundtrack. I know there's a Sega version but I prefer the music in this one.
Alien Crush - This isn't as good as Devil's Crush but it has a Gigeresque look to it. Devil's Crush is the sequel.
Bloody Wolf - I never played the arcade version but this game is fun if you like Ikari Warriors/Contra style games.
Cadash - I tried to play this at the arcades but there was always a huge line. Also, it had a time limit. the TG16 version does not and it's a pretty cool side-scrolling RPG that reminded me a bit of Faxanadu for the NES except that you can play different characters like Gauntlet. The Ninja was my favorite. The graphics were very good for a TG16 game.
Exile - This was a pretty cool side-scrolling action RPG that had pretty graphics. I don't remember much else about it except that I liked it.
Legendary Axe - This was one of the first games released so it might feel a bit dated compared to other ones I mentioned but I thought it was a fun side-scrolling slasher with some cool monsters. There is a sequel to it but it was widely panned due to having worse graphics and an unforgiving time limit. I never played that one, so I can't tell you what I think about it.
Ninja Spirit - This game looked fantastic and had such cool enemies. I didn't realize that it was originally an arcade game until I found it on MAME. The high jumping and overall movement feels a lot like Legend of Kage, though you get several different weapons that you can switch to and the bosses are huge and very interesting.
R-Type - I really liked this port a lot though there are many other good versions.
Shadow of the Beast - The Amiga wasn't popular where I lived so none of us had access to that version. The TurboDuo version has pretty great graphics and an excellent soundtrack, though the gameplay could use some work because it's very limited. This game was praised more for its visuals than anything else.
SimEarth - My teenaged brain couldn't handle this game at the time because of how complicated it was, but it's a pretty good port and a reminder that the Sim games used to be interesting.
Splatterhouse - This was the main reason why I wanted a TG16 and it was totally worth it. The poltergeist boss is awesome and compared to other games at the time it was quite gory and creepy. The arcade version is much gorier and better looking but I don't think that ever appeared outside of Japan so I had to emulate it on MAME.
Fighting Street - I wouldn't say that this was a good game but it's amazing to see how much the Street Fighter series has progressed since this title. The voice acting is hilariously bad so I'd recommend it for that reason.
China Warrior - Another janky, bad game that you play for laughs. It's like Kung Fu for the NES but bad.
I hope you are able to track the games down that you want since the TG16 was a really cool system in spite of its flaws.
Barely anyone's playing Isonzo but a group of regulars, but it's wonderful, and when playing against bots it feels a lot like an old PS2-era Call of Duty game.
I'm not sure which games are underrated because videogame people are dumb.
There are a bunch from older systems that I liked that I never hear anything about, games like Legend of Oasis which were masterpieces of the time, but I think that was just because it was on Sega Saturn that nobody knows what it is.
Nobody talks about games on the turbo graphix, there were a ton of interesting games on there. There was a sort of Legend of Zelda ripoff called Neutopia (the second one was better) that nobody talks about that I liked a lot as a kid. Landstalker on the sega genesis is way better with save states, but still it was a fantastic isometric Action-adventure that was ahead of its time.
And that's not even scratching the surface.
There are so many youtube channels that talk about older games, but they never actually talk about most older games, they just talk about the same nonsense over and over. Hey have you guys heard of Symphony of the Night? Let me tell you about this obscure PS1 game called Symphony of The Night. Everyone else said it's good so now I can like it. Then maybe I can tell you about some NES games, ever heard of Chrono Trigger? Everyone else says that's good too. Maybe then I can show you my Garfield plushie collection.
That's because most current year videogame people are people who became videogame people, only because it was socially acceptable to and they want to be hip little consoomers. The ones on YouTube are mostly cookie-cutters without an original thought in their head; there's also that neurological thing, where people get a dopamine hit from hearing others confirm what they already believe. So if it's something outside of the mainstream talk, it'll be the few and far between non-cookie-cutters.
Capitalism(get Capitalism Plus though)
If you like tycoon-style games this is an overlooked and underrated one. Create product, sell product, mess with the stock market, make advertisments, achieve vertical integration and corner the market on X, put pressure on competitors then buy them on the cheap etc.
It might look daunting but it is very simple actually.
Or get Capitalism 2, same concept, new stuff, more advanced, not as ugly and you can be a slumlord I guess.
I think it has to be Mechassault. Blow up shit tons of terrain, manage your weapons and power ups, fight bad ass mechs and stomp tiny tanks into paste- it's perfect
Soldiers of Anarchy was a RTS/RTT I replayed a lot. I loved the loot/equipment system in that game. Made it very replayable. Hostile Waters: Anteus Rising was a gem of a hybrid strategy game. Great story, great VAs, great gameplay. Gun Metal was a really fun shooter. WarZone 2100 God damn is this RTS fun. I played the PSX version for years. When they open sourced the PC version, I was overjoyed! Mods, cleaned up graphics, modern hardware support. I still play this one from time to time. Strange Adventures in Infinite Space/ Wierd World: Return to Infinite Space - The best space "coffee break" roguelite games I've ever played. Mods to high heaven an infinitely replayable. I will always play and adore these games.
This isn't really the most fitting place to post this, but I kind of didn't want to make a thread.
There are two games that I think go really underrated in a few specific aspects of their world design. (Both are AssCreed.)
Assassin's Creed: Unity was absolutely insane in its crowd size. They marketed it with a focus on that, back in the day, so it's not like it went unnoticed, but DAMN are the crowds huge, streets packed elbow to elbow with people. And people complained about unstable performance, but I must have gotten lucky because for me the game ran flawlessly, like well above average. To this day I have not seen a game attempt to depict urban density like that, much less come that successful at it, and when you play Unity and then playing something else (especialyl something like Watch_Dogs 2, the Disappointment) it feels so barren.
Now, more interesting, Assassin's Creed: Origins stands out to me for all the crops and kids. What do I mean? Well, with kids, they're just something you never used to see in games. I assume it came out of arguments about if games like GTA should let you shoot kids or not (this sounds retarded, but in the Fallout community there's always some day one mod to enable it) and even if they're not shootable, nobody wants to make a game and get the flak for it where you can't shoot Little Johnny but you can shoot his mother before his eyes. It's all just very distasteful. Origins is the first modern one I can recall seeing where children are an active part of the environment, and boy does it really add a lot to the world, I never noticed it before but the absence of like half the population really makes other video game worlds feel artificial and fake.
As for crops, something lots of video game worlds suffer from is that they don't bother trying to design plausible worlds where things... eh, function? Take Fallout, for example. People have contrasted Fallout 3 against New Vegas many times, with how Fallout 3 has a world that just functions on comic book cool, expecting you to buy that there's treasure troves of unlooted stores everywhere and no agriculture despite people continuously inhabiting a wasteland for hundreds of years straight. But even less dramatic games often have populations that far outstrip the size of their towns (the classic case of hundreds of bandits preying on a town of a dozen people, or if you're playing RDR2, hundreds of lawmen defending a town of a dozen people), lack of certain basic infrastructure, lack of any sort of economy. One game that actually does this remarkably well is Hunt: Showdown, as it gives you like two different maps to hunt monsters on, and both have their Southern gothic plantation houses and church graveyards and such, but most of the buildings are... mines. Factories. Farms. It's actually one of the most real-feeling settings I've ever explored, that I can imagine people actually going about the county in normal times working in and living around these places, it's great. Eh, I didn't mean to digress about Hunt, it kind of made my point better than this does, but Origins stood out to me for the sheer amount of cropland you see. There's farmland everywhere. You just don't tend to come across farmland like that in games. (Kingdom Come is another exception, it was good for having planted fields all over the place.)
I should put this in the unpopular opinions thread, but Sonic is the only great set of games for Genesis. I've got as much nostalgia of Golden Axe or Toejam & Earl as the next guy, but there's a reason those are dead and Sonic isn't.
You're kidding, right? I could make an entire list of "underrated games" from the Genesis library alone. Let me run though some notable games I have on-hand:
Advanded Busterhawk Gleylancer
Alisia Dragoon
The Streets of Rage Trilogy*
Battle Mania Daiginjou
Beyond Oasis
Crusader of Centy
Earthworm Jim 1 & 2
Gauntlet 4
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Monster World 4
Panorama Cotton
Phantasy Star 4
The Puyo Puyo games**
The Shinobi games
Ristar
Thunder Force 4
Zero Wing
And that's without bringing up the Sonic games. Saying that the Genesis library is "only good" for the Sonic games is highly reductive. It'd be like saying the SNES is "only good for Mario," completely ignoring the wealth of RPGs and other great titles exclusive to that platform.
*For the third game, get the translated ROM of the Japanese version, not the USA version.
**Multiplatform, but in my opinion it's vastly superior on the Genesis due to the Arcade versions being very similar in hardware to the Genesis, so there's far less "console port drawbacks" compared to other versions.
You're kidding, right? I could make an entire list of "underrated games" from the Genesis library alone. Let me run though some notable games I have on-hand:
Advanded Busterhawk Gleylancer
Alisia Dragoon
The Streets of Rage Trilogy*
Battle Mania Daiginjou
Beyond Oasis
Crusader of Centy
Earthworm Jim 1 & 2
Gauntlet 4
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Monster World 4
Panorama Cotton
Phantasy Star 4
The Puyo Puyo games**
The Shinobi games
Ristar
Thunder Force 4
Zero Wing
And that's without bringing up the Sonic games. Saying that the Genesis library is "only good" for the Sonic games is highly reductive. It'd be like saying the SNES is "only good for Mario," completely ignoring the wealth of RPGs and other great titles exclusive to that platform.
*For the third game, get the translated ROM of the Japanese version, not the USA version.
**Multiplatform, but in my opinion it's vastly superior on the Genesis due to the Arcade versions being very similar in hardware to the Genesis, so there's far less "console port drawbacks" compared to other versions.
I specifically chose the word "great" because there's other "good" games, like what you listed (and a couple I did), but I think Sonic stands above them by quite a bit. Most of those games have some sort of caveat imo, whereas the Sonic trilogy is just smooth sailing (not perfect games themselves, mind you, I'm not delusional lol).
Alisia Dragoon plays real weird, it feels sloppy. Streets of Rage suffers from just being a beat 'em up tbh, they're repetetive and dead simple by nature. Shinobi has bullshit difficulty, yes, even Shinobi 3 which is supposedly the easiest one.
I'm not really able to fairly judge shoot 'em ups, it's a competent genre I just don't like (as opposed to best 'em ups which I feel are just archaic, you especially feel it in single player).
Since you bring up SNES, I think it's unavoidable to compare now. Stuff like Mega Max X and LttP is on a whole different level compared to everything on that list. It feels console war-y but that's just how big the gulf in quality is as far as I see it. I'm not trying to shit on those games but I think putting Gauntlet on that list is kind of telling.
You'll even see people mention Comix Zone or Vectorman as contenders, and I can't help but think that's pure nostalgia. Sonic was lightning in a bottle for Sega--there's not going to be another Ristar becaus the game is competent but feels gimmicky and he looks weird.
I'm tired and kind of rambling here, but hopefully I'm making some sense, but even I'm looking at this post and thinking it looks like a retarded Nintendo fanboy rant. I'm probably just wrong lmao
I owned a TG16 with the CD attachment and later the TurboDuo, so I could give you some suggestions:
Air Zonk - This one might be super rare now but it was one of the most fun shmups I've ever played though it's a bit on the easy side.
Lords of Thunder - This is another shmup that has a kickass metal soundtrack. I know there's a Sega version but I prefer the music in this one.
Alien Crush - This isn't as good as Devil's Crush but it has a Gigeresque look to it. Devil's Crush is the sequel.
Bloody Wolf - I never played the arcade version but this game is fun if you like Ikari Warriors/Contra style games.
Cadash - I tried to play this at the arcades but there was always a huge line. Also, it had a time limit. the TG16 version does not and it's a pretty cool side-scrolling RPG that reminded me a bit of Faxanadu for the NES except that you can play different characters like Gauntlet. The Ninja was my favorite. The graphics were very good for a TG16 game.
Exile - This was a pretty cool side-scrolling action RPG that had pretty graphics. I don't remember much else about it except that I liked it.
Legendary Axe - This was one of the first games released so it might feel a bit dated compared to other ones I mentioned but I thought it was a fun side-scrolling slasher with some cool monsters. There is a sequel to it but it was widely panned due to having worse graphics and an unforgiving time limit. I never played that one, so I can't tell you what I think about it.
Ninja Spirit - This game looked fantastic and had such cool enemies. I didn't realize that it was originally an arcade game until I found it on MAME. The high jumping and overall movement feels a lot like Legend of Kage, though you get several different weapons that you can switch to and the bosses are huge and very interesting.
R-Type - I really liked this port a lot though there are many other good versions.
Shadow of the Beast - The Amiga wasn't popular where I lived so none of us had access to that version. The TurboDuo version has pretty great graphics and an excellent soundtrack, though the gameplay could use some work because it's very limited. This game was praised more for its visuals than anything else.
SimEarth - My teenaged brain couldn't handle this game at the time because of how complicated it was, but it's a pretty good port and a reminder that the Sim games used to be interesting.
Splatterhouse - This was the main reason why I wanted a TG16 and it was totally worth it. The poltergeist boss is awesome and compared to other games at the time it was quite gory and creepy. The arcade version is much gorier and better looking but I don't think that ever appeared outside of Japan so I had to emulate it on MAME.
Fighting Street - I wouldn't say that this was a good game but it's amazing to see how much the Street Fighter series has progressed since this title. The voice acting is hilariously bad so I'd recommend it for that reason.
China Warrior - Another janky, bad game that you play for laughs. It's like Kung Fu for the NES but bad.
I hope you are able to track the games down that you want since the TG16 was a really cool system in spite of its flaws.
You're kidding, right? I could make an entire list of "underrated games" from the Genesis library alone. Let me run though some notable games I have on-hand:
Advanded Busterhawk Gleylancer
Alisia Dragoon
The Streets of Rage Trilogy*
Battle Mania Daiginjou
Beyond Oasis
Crusader of Centy
Earthworm Jim 1 & 2
Gauntlet 4
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Monster World 4
Panorama Cotton
Phantasy Star 4
The Puyo Puyo games**
The Shinobi games
Ristar
Thunder Force 4
Zero Wing
And that's without bringing up the Sonic games. Saying that the Genesis library is "only good" for the Sonic games is highly reductive. It'd be like saying the SNES is "only good for Mario," completely ignoring the wealth of RPGs and other great titles exclusive to that platform.
*For the third game, get the translated ROM of the Japanese version, not the USA version.
**Multiplatform, but in my opinion it's vastly superior on the Genesis due to the Arcade versions being very similar in hardware to the Genesis, so there's far less "console port drawbacks" compared to other versions.
I for the most part agree with your list (its basically a case of "if there's a game you recommended that I wouldn't, its only because I never played the game in question" which is the case for Panorama Cotton... well, also Ristar and Gauntlet 4. I did play those but not long enough to have a meaningful opinion).
I do question why you left Wonder Boy in Monster World off. Was it just a case of "if I can only have one Monster World game it better be the superior one"? Same for Thunder Force III (I know II is controversial because not everyone likes the overhead stages).
I personally would've added:
* Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (bet title screen music ever)
* Shining Force I and II
* Rocket Knight Adventures
* Contra Hard Corps (I'm a weirdo who actually prefers the American version)
* Castlevania Bloodlines (I will go on record as saying I prefer it over Super Castlevania IV)
* Master of Monsters
* Scooby Doo Mystery (there is a SNES game with the same title but its a completely different game)
And I should really probably hit the library again because I KNOW I forgot a bunch. The funny thing about the Genesis is that I find a lot of the "big hits" (the stuff Sega keeps putting in their millions of compilations) are actually not the best... it tends to be the lesser-known stuff which is where the true gold is.
Then again, this is speaking as a proud owner of both a Sega CD and a Power Base Converter. I can play all four Phantasy Star games!
I specifically chose the word "great" because there's other "good" games, like what you listed (and a couple I did), but I think Sonic stands above them by quite a bit. Most of those games have some sort of caveat imo, whereas the Sonic trilogy is just smooth sailing (not perfect games themselves, mind you, I'm not delusional lol).
When I was a kid I loved Sonic. Now, yeah I still love them but my major overriding feeling with them is that they go on too long--particularly if you've got 3 and Knuckles connected. I also tend to dislike the bit where you have to collect all the Emeralds to get the "best" ending (minor difference though it is), which is one thing that elevates Sonic 2 as in that game going no-emerald is just as valid.
.... Which is fine, because these days I don't like the implementation of Super Sonic. The games are very often more fun as just regular Sonic, not the least of which being because of the music. So even when I can use Super, I try not to.
Alisia Dragoon plays real weird, it feels sloppy. Streets of Rage suffers from just being a beat 'em up tbh, they're repetetive and dead simple by nature. Shinobi has bullshit difficulty, yes, even Shinobi 3 which is supposedly the easiest one.
I'm not really able to fairly judge shoot 'em ups, it's a competent genre I just don't like (as opposed to best 'em ups which I feel are just archaic, you especially feel it in single player).
I sort of understand where you're coming from here. For me beat-em-ups get very dull, very quickly. Even back in the day I really only liked them when playing with a friend. Sometimes when I'm in the right mood I can enjoy them solo but its not often.
At least Shmups have a bit of an adrenaline feel to them, and I've said before (I think?) that I sometimes love their background detail show-don't-tell storytelling where, for example, something like Wings of Wor or (not a Genesis game) X-Multiply have me wondering "what the eff is going on here?"
Since you bring up SNES, I think it's unavoidable to compare now. Stuff like Mega Max X and LttP is on a whole different level compared to everything on that list. It feels console war-y but that's just how big the gulf in quality is as far as I see it. I'm not trying to shit on those games but I think putting Gauntlet on that list is kind of telling.
Honestly I don't know how LttP is so highly regarded. It's not a terrible game by any means but even just compared to other SNES games, Secret of Mana or Illusion of Gaia outclass it. Compared to the Genesis..... well, Landstalker easily beats it, and Crusader of Centy is so obviously better that literally the only reason LttP is held in higher regard is because of fanboyism.
Not even kidding either... when Centy came out, it got smear reviews saying it was bad because it was "a blatant Zelda clone." You still see people repeat this canard today. Pretty much the only similarity is that its a top-view game starring a boy with a sword who goes on a quest. By that logic, Risk is a Chess clone because they're both played on a board.
The thing with Centy is not only is the gameplay smoother and way more fun, not only does it test your brain more... but thematically the story winds up more compelling. Zelda would for decades be stuck in the same "pig man captures Princess, go to eight dungeons" formula rut. Centy on the other hand.... well:
the game starts dropping hints that despite the standard "monsters invading, go kill them" set up, it may actually be that the people just overreacted to something they didn't understand and that the monsters never really meant any harm. Early on in the game, you meet this guy who has a reputation as a great hero.... then later, you get turned into a slime and this hero starts chasing YOU around and you have to hide with a slime family, getting to hear their side of the conversation.
This is the kind of stuff Undertale was praised for, and Centy was doing it in 1994.
I mean granted the above was more of a "why I find LttP overrated" rather than "why the Genesis is better..."
You'll even see people mention Comix Zone or Vectorman as contenders, and I can't help but think that's pure nostalgia. Sonic was lightning in a bottle for Sega--there's not going to be another Ristar becaus the game is competent but feels gimmicky and he looks weird.
I'm tired and kind of rambling here, but hopefully I'm making some sense, but even I'm looking at this post and thinking it looks like a retarded Nintendo fanboy rant. I'm probably just wrong lmao
Eh, some of what you said makes sense, and I don't think we're gonna make a believer out of you. Not unless the Genesis turns into a girl and you see her face.
