Hidden gems / Underrated games? Created 4 years ago2019-12-06 18:24:59 UTC by sluggard

Do you know of any games that you think are overlooked, weren't given fair chance, aren't getting the attention they deserve.....etc?

Space Station 13 definitely, best roleplaying game ever made (roleplaying as in actual roleplaying)

Arma 3 is a really good game but has never been more than moderately popular, especially in the US

Prey (2017), I know people were disappointed they didn't get cyberpunk bounty hunter sequel to the original Prey but I still really enjoyed my time with this one. Brilliant level design, gameplay, atmosphere and soundtrack and a really cool story with some genuine love and care put into several lore details and fleshed out characters, like Danielle Sho, despite the somewhat disappointing ending, but at least it's a setup to a sequel so hopefully we'll see it some day. The Typhon are really interesting and Mooncrash adds plenty of replayability.

The Talos Principle. If you loved Portal, this will be an equally entertaining title. Moreover, it has an interesting philosophical context.

I'll try to name a smattering of different genres, randomly skimmed from my steam library. I'll stick to PC since y'all don't need to hear me shout the virtues of Zelda 2 et al in here.

I second The Talos Principle. Just a fantastic puzzle game all around.

Duck Game is fairly straightforward, but I enjoyed the hell out of it the times I played it. Unfortunately my local friends didn't care much for it and finding an online game is next to impossible, otherwise I'd still be playing it regularly. I love Duck Game!

Celeste is a powerful... Super Meat Boy-esque game? Whatever that genre is, I think Celeste did it far better. Soundtrack, story, the gameplay itself... Celeste is a very good game.

Opus Magnum is, I think, the most approachable Zachtronics game, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is fun and the soundtrack is top-notch!

Half-Rats: Parasomnia, a lot of players played the game and stopped because it was either "too hard" or "lost". I guess this means that players are way too much used to navigation assistance (beacons, quest markers, GPS...) and no longer have the desire of exploration and a sense of orientation (something that the Thief series except the 2014 reboot heavily encouraged).

DeathMatch Classic, it's just Quake on GoldSrc.

Ricochet because of it's gameplay.

If you keep walking in circles having spent a few hours on just looking for the way to the next section then it barely can be called exploration. Not saying the game is bad, but people complaining about getting lost shouldn't necessarily be blamed for being used to radar markers.

Half-Rats: Parasomnia, a lot of players played the game and stopped because it was either "too hard" or "lost". I guess this means that players are way too much used to navigation assistance (beacons, quest markers, GPS...) and no longer have the desire of exploration and a sense of orientation.

As somebody who adores exploration in games (I'm still playing Skyrim), Parasomnia is one of many games that I just stopped playing. I'm not a particularly big horror fan though. I enjoyed A Fever Dream (Played it through three times), but I guess that's because it simply plays like Half-Life with a schlocky horror parody theme, much like the They Hunger series.

HR:P just didn't make as much of a lasting impression on me, so I stopped.

Did you forget to make a full disclosure, Shepard?

I tried Parasomnia when it was released, but it was very laggy and buggy so I stopped. I should try it again now that it's on Steam but from reading the reviews it seems the author did not learn from the mistakes he made in A Fever Dream. They were many gameplay issues with A Fever Dream that ruined my experience of the game : monsters shooting at you through walls, same textures that mean different things, annoying noise made by monsters... Basically, a bunch of easy to fix details that could have made the difference between a frustrating experience and an enjoyable mod, which would have been the mod had the author made people playtest his game and paid attention to the feedbacks and reviews was getting.

When I commented on the mapping of the Parasomnia and offered suggestions to make it look better, his reply was: "We'll release the SDK along with the mod." As if the mod was so good already that he could expect fans to make a remake and that the mod could afford not paying attention to comments...

But I'll try it maybe these problems have been fixed by now, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, voice acting and cut scenes of the first installment.

Hit hand is a really good game.

idk if you've ever played Hit-man, but it's alot like that except it's actually a secret handshake

INTERSTATE 76

A realistic car combat game set in the 70s where you cruise muscle cars along desert highways during an oil crisis

And if that isn't enough:

• Funky OST
• a key on the keyboard makes one of the NPC's do beat poetry over the CB radio

And it was released in 1997! BEAST OF A GAME!

Has anyone ever played Nox? It had a well interweaved world and a lot of things were particularly deadly. It does feel good to beat it since it wasn’t that easy of a game. Kinda short, had a quirky story, and had a really good particle engine for its time.

Nox... that rings a bell, wasn't that made by Westwood Studios, the guys who made Command & Conquer, C&C Red Alert and C&C Tiberian Sun?

Anyway, Duck Game is great fun, but it's tough getting friends together to play a couple rounds. If more TWHL members own this game, we could organize a Duck Game showdown. We could even turn it into a competition where teams of two or free for all combatants battle it out in a couple of rounds. The ultimate winner could then win a free game or something.

The Talos Principle is a no-brainer (wait, it IS a brainer), it's mandatory gaming, this game.

I don't know if this is considered hidden or underrated, but if you enjoy pixel-arty retro style Mentroidvania platformers, I can totally recommend The Messenger. Holy crap, that was an experience. And the OST, my word, the OST. This game is worth it just for the OST.

Yeah Westwood made it. I remember using an invisibility cloak for 90% of the game because most things killed you in one or two hits.

I like what I'm reading about The Talos Principle so far, It was recommended to me a couple of times on Steam but never decided to check it out, I'm definitely adding it to my wishlist.

I love Metroidvania games, I love pixel-art so I'll be sure to check out the Messenger.

I'd like to add Mirror's Edge, though I'm not sure if I'd call it underrated or a cult classic. came across Hardcore Parkour Sale and un surprisingly it does not include Mirror's Edge. some think humble bundle is just unable to sell it. but I think they would through Steam, I don't know. I'm hoping that's why, otherwise it is a bit sad.

Have to agree, Duck Game is a blast playing with friends in the couch. The Jackbox Party Pack games are fantastic in that context, too.

The number #1 game that hasn't and isn't getting enough attention is in my opinion Grand Theft Auto 2, specifically the multiplayer mode. I don't know if the popularity of its successors overshadowed it or what happened because it's soooo fun to play online, even today. It's free and with GTA2 Game Hunter it's not hard to find a game if you have a little patience. Tiny Town is my favourite map

Rainbow Six 3 is underrated as a LAN game. It's FUCKING difficult and unforgiving, and that's what makes it good. Trying for two hours to get more than a few meters into a bank at the beginning of a map with your friends...

As for single player games.... Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, an old point-and-click action adventure game. It was very well received at the time of its release but now is largely forgotten. It has aged very well. The characters and dialogue are hilarious and loveable. I can't recommend the "Director's Cut" version. Go for the original version if you want to try it out.

The Talos Principle is in my Steam library and I don't recall how or why... I might have bought it based on recommendations or it might have been gifted. Either way, I checked it out on my Birthday for about an hour. That was back in October. Can't say I've been particularly drawn back to it as of yet.

One game I will repeatedly and whole-heartedly recommend is Hollow Knight. If you like your challenging combat and your Metroidvania games then I would say it's one of the best out there having played a grand total of... this one. My personal favourite game of 2017 and the sequel Silksong is on the horizon. Also, that soundtrack

You're talking about Raven Shield, Invalid Oskar Potatis? That's a good game Indeed! Even though its difficulty is what makes the game interesting because it "coerces" players to adopt a strategy, cooperate and remain extremely vigilant (something that is quite missing in Sven Co-op), the AI is sometimes unrealistically reactive. Sometimes I get shot dead immediately as I just pass the top of my head to take a nano-peek around the corner to see if there is someone.
It'd be nice to play Raven Shield with fellow TWHL members, I'm pretty sure it's possible to play it online.

Replayed Raven Shield recently with the Elite Counter Terror mod, it's always fun to play the game.

The Gold Edition of The Talos Principle (contains all DLC) is 87% off. Now would be time to get it.