Games you consider Underrated?

[SuperDeadite]

Ken-Go, the "sequel" to Ninja Spirit.
Itchy & Scratchy Miniture Golf Madness
Jurassic Park (Gameboy version)
Castlevania The Adventure
Haunted Castle (Japanese version only)
Thunder Cross II

[toymachine78]

Deadly Towers for the Nes. Man that game is hard. If you can get past the repetitive mazes there is a good game here. Oh yeah and the music is very catchy too in a simplistic way.

LOL SERIOUSLY!! ??  I think that is in gross violation of rule #2 lol

[toymachine78]

Strider on the NES.
everyone pops it in expecting the arcade/MD game, but it's an entirely different beast.
i feel the game gets judged unfairly based on that.

Great choice. I concur

[BigusSchmuck]

Deadly Towers for the Nes. Man that game is hard. If you can get past the repetitive mazes there is a good game here. Oh yeah and the music is very catchy too in a simplistic way.

LOL SERIOUSLY!! ??  I think that is in gross violation of rule #2 lol

It's not as bad as people claim it to be.  Honorable mention The Immortal. 

[jeffhlewis]

Think I mentioned this last time but Need for Speed Underground (the first one) consumed my life for like 3 months. It's a fantastic game if you give it a chance.


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[bob]

I'm a huge fan of warios woods which doesn't get much exposure.

This is a great choice.  The game is a lot of fun to play and the amount of control you have over Toad is impressive.  Nobody seems to talk about it much, though =/

Thank you. And yes, once you get the hang of controlling toad, it can be an incredibly satisfying experience.
Almost feels unintentionally rhythmic at points.

[geise]

Violent Storm (arcade)
Kendo Rage (SFC/SNES)
Kiadan 00 (PC-E SCD)
Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.
Philosoma (Playstation) cut scenes still look good
Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)

[bob]

Legend of Kage

[TR0N]

The Goonies II

[esteban]

I was debating whether to keep this strictly TURBOPCE or not. I went with my "stream of consciousness" mode, so I don't know what will happen.

KARNOV (NES). I've written about it too many times. Suffice it to say: I love the ridiculously long list of tools/items that are available and the opportunities (if you experiment) you have to use them. Some things are used constantly (ladders), whilst some are so wonderful, ephemeral moments (flying with wings). The stage design <-> exploration <-> item usage strikes the right balance for me. I think of Karnov as a platformer (linear, at heart), with some extra goodness layered on top to prevent linearity from being boring (especially on replay). This keeps things moving relatively briskly and encourages replay (You don't have to slog around, or back track, or whatever, that kills replay in a game that aspires to be more). I think the atmosphere, graphics, music are cohesive, it feels great to unleash your fully-fired-up inferno on opponents, especially a boss. I think love was out into this game (designers play-tested it and got balance right). It is NOT a very difficult game, but I find it charming and replay it all the time.

GAIN GROUND SX. Another game I've promoted in the past, but I think this is a harder sell. It is much more challenging than, say, KARNOV, and can frustrate folks because of its quirks: many characters are a tad to sluggish for modern tastes (I think this was a compromise to balance out size of screen vs. reaction time vs. speed of enemies vs. speed of projectiles...if you concede that this is a strategy game AS WELL AS an action game, you might be forgiving). Personally, I think the games quirks can be appreciated and add to the charm. Some characters are slow, sure, but this makes you appreciate the one who are swift. The range of characters seems more authentic when you have slugs in there. The variety of weapons, and the different strategies you devise for various projectiles, is nice (especially after replaying the game a bunch of times...you'll gain a greater appreciation for the distinct feel of each character and how to handle weapons). THE RED BOOK SOUNDTRACK IS VERY NICE. I usually prefer synth pop and old skool chip tunes, but something about this soundtrack just f*ckING WORKS and complements the game perfectly—lie, this game had a majestic vision that was only partially executed (the graphics, controls, speed are not perfect), but, finally, the Red Book tunes usher in the respect and sincerity and Grande Visione that beat at the heart of this friggin' sweet game.

I gotta de-ice my car and go to work now. DAMN.

[Necromancer]

Yarr, Gain Ground SX is pretty sweet.  I recently played through it and found it to be rather easy, especially if you play on the default difficulty setting; once you learn how all the different characters move/shoot, you can run right through it, kicking ass and taking names.

[Arkhan]

Yarr, Gain Ground SX is pretty sweet.  I recently played through it and found it to be rather easy, especially if you play on the default difficulty setting; once you learn how all the different characters move/shoot, you can run right through it, kicking ass and taking names.

Yeah it's definitely a easy going game, to me.


and , SUPER HYDLIDE.

GUYS.

ITS AWESOME.

hnnfnggggg

[_joshuaTurbo]

I've always been a fella that tries to find fun in games that are often forgotten or ignored.  I find this thread facsinating!!  However, I've tried nearly each game listed so far (other than deadite's Thunder Cross 2 and Ken-go recommendations) having read/heard/discovered praise for most mentioned...

With that being said, let me see if I've got a couple underrated games I've found totally unheard of that you guys could check out.

Hook (SNES)  I prefer the SNES version of the Genesis or Sega CD versions.  I really enjoyed this one with the flying element and the challenge being pretty high in the earlier stages.  I didn't necessarily think this licensed game that doesn't suck really brought anything truly new to the table, but I have a blast picking it and playing through it.  Kind of felt like one of those Capcom SNES type games with the graphics, music and challenge.  Also, enjoyed it's spiritual sequel - Skyblazer also on SNES.

Sonic 3D blast (Only the Saturn version) - I know it's not the Sonic game we all hoped it would be, but I think all the ragging on this better than average isometric platformer needs to stop.  It's fun, has clever level design, great boss battles, awesome soundtrack and is a save feature away from being in my top 10 favorite Saturn games.  Dang it!

Micro Machines (NES, SNES, N64) all of them.  They're hilarious fun that hardly anyone talks about.

Flip Out!  Atari Jag You are*  - really fun puzzle game that kind of just plays like a quick lunch break, but sucks you in and I often find myself playing through it to the end.... Honestly a little pointless, but a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal game library.

Sonic Spike TG16 - all of you guys that just ignored it and think it's a lame Volleyball game never played 4 players.  period.  Try it.  It's freakin' awesome!

Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.

That's actually really cool, I didn't realize that Lagoon was ported from anywhere!  YAY!  Information blast!!

[bob]

I've always been a fella that tries to find fun in games that are often forgotten or ignored.  I find this thread facsinating!!  However, I've tried nearly each game listed so far (other than deadite's Thunder Cross 2 and Ken-go recommendations) having read/heard/discovered praise for most mentioned...

With that being said, let me see if I've got a couple underrated games I've found totally unheard of that you guys could check out.

Hook (SNES)  I prefer the SNES version of the Genesis or Sega CD versions.  I really enjoyed this one with the flying element and the challenge being pretty high in the earlier stages.  I didn't necessarily think this licensed game that doesn't suck really brought anything truly new to the table, but I have a blast picking it and playing through it.  Kind of felt like one of those Capcom SNES type games with the graphics, music and challenge.  Also, enjoyed it's spiritual sequel - Skyblazer also on SNES.

Sonic 3D blast (Only the Saturn version) - I know it's not the Sonic game we all hoped it would be, but I think all the ragging on this better than average isometric platformer needs to stop.  It's fun, has clever level design, great boss battles, awesome soundtrack and is a save feature away from being in my top 10 favorite Saturn games.  Dang it!

Micro Machines (NES, SNES, N64) all of them.  They're hilarious fun that hardly anyone talks about.

Flip Out!  Atari Jag You are*  - really fun puzzle game that kind of just plays like a quick lunch break, but sucks you in and I often find myself playing through it to the end.... Honestly a little pointless, but a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal game library.

Sonic Spike TG16 - all of you guys that just ignored it and think it's a lame Volleyball game never played 4 players.  period.  Try it.  It's freakin' awesome!

Lagoon (SFC/SNES) port of a x68k game.

That's actually really cool, I didn't realize that Lagoon was ported from anywhere!  YAY!  Information blast!!

+1 for micro machines
+1 for sonic spike
i was a big fan of superspike vball for NES and sonic spike is very similar but better

[Punch]

Alien Trilogy on PS/Sat is underrated. One of the best doom clones.