Video Games What's your favorite "Hidden gem" game?

[Becker]

Beyond Good and Evil. I'm sure most folk have seen the trailers for the second game but i'm expecting that'll turn out like another 'Mass-Effect Andromeda'. So with the prospect of BGE2 being a waste of time and money, i'll stick to the orignal thanks.

 

[Probably George]

I know metal gear rising has grown in popularity, but it was my shit on release. I still need to get a capture card for speed runs

 

[fleurdelys]

Baten Kaitos is definitely my favourite niche game, along with its prequel. the first one definitely had its flaws (*cough* hilariously bad voice acting *cough*) but otherwise I thought they were great. the concept was super cool, the combat system was pretty unique, and most of all I loved the world it took place in. I just thought it was super cool and imaginative. occasionally I get the urge to dig out the gamecube and play it again.

 

[Critical.Over]

The original Little King’s story on the Wii.
It’s the amazing hybrid of Animal Crossing and Pikmin that no one asked for...yet it’s a hybrid we still got and was amazing

 

[gloomyResearcher]

Monster Rancher 2! Still have it, still love it! One of the best games of all time, and the most consuming of my time. I just wonder why, after Koei became Koei Tecmo, didn't keep on producing these kinds of games. I loved the franchise, but this was by far the best.

 

[SinOfSloth]

For the PS2, Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, still way up there as my favorite game of all time. A semi-standard in JRPG gaming where you attend a school for alchemy as an amnesiac, but there's a lot more to it than that. There's about 8 different endings to the game and the replayability is amazing. The characters are fun and interesting, you can choose your classes as you move from freshman to senior, and the boss fights are amazing as well. The sequel wasn't as good I thought, but the original game is just sooooo good.

Okami is also a wonderful and beautiful game to play. I mean, being a God and roaming across ancient Japan in a watercolor art style? Yes please.

Persona 3 is also up there, though it may not be so hidden with Persona 5 making the series really known (thanks publicity). Still, best one of the series in my opinion. The story is great, the characterization is nice, the events and twists are good and not overbearing, the the ending is amazing. Though, for a full story, play Persona 3 FES, just because the added chapter, The Answer, is so needed.

The Legend Of Dragoon is an amazing title, really being on par with Final Fantasy at the time I think. The story is great, the graphics and translation is a bit shaky though, but the dragoon transformations are cool. The story is very unique (for the time at least), the characters are diverse, the events along the story path are awesome and the sights you visit along the way are very vast and interesting. The boss fights are pretty difficult too and grinding is barely an option, so it either tests your patience in grinding, or you work really hard to stay alive and it keeps the game interesting.

Those are probably the ones I would nominate.

 

[adrian_]

A Boy and His Blob for the Wii was so GOOOOOOD back in the day. It was a cutesy puzzle game with strange but great mechanics and gameplay. And i think it's on Steam.

 

[Death_Masque]

I'm going to show my age a bit with this one, but one of my all time favorite games when I was younger was Survival Kids -



It was my first introduction to the 'survival mechanic', and I have honestly never met another person who has played it. Luckily the idea of survival-as-a-genre seems to have really taken off lately and I'm getting my fill with some of the newer indie hits coming out!

 

[Girl2Fine2]

I personally get most of my games from yard sales, thrift stores, etc. So I regularly come across interesting games I've never even heard of because they didn't get widespread (sometimes deserved) recognition.
So, what's your favorite unknown game?

Ephemeral Fantasia, it's been a minute since I played. But it was such a cute game I randomly picked up back in the day.

 

[Giorno-Giovanna]

Meine Liebe, it's so bad it's good.

 

[Parzival]

Serious Sam! I think it’s picked up a bit of popularity recently, but I still haven’t been able to find anyone that’s played it. Just a really fantastic arcade-y first person shooter. Like a heavily modernized version of original Duke Nukem or DOOM.

 

[Onmyoji]

I very much agree with what was said about Legend of Dragoon. I would consider it a hidden gem too. I might even play it again, my PS1 still works.

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

Halo 3 ODST

 

[FlyingDemon]

Curse of Monkey Island, the serie is very good, but this one got my intention:
the plot, characters, voice actors, music, cartoon ambiance with the famous 4th wall.

I am tempted to say also: Sam & Max the devil's playhouse, again, an abandonned franchise with a very fun gameplay and interesting plots.

 

[Sleek]

Also, another underrated gem would be the first Halo Wars game. While not as complex as Starcraft and PC RTS games, it certainly was a great game.

 

[Mythee]

In the same vein as endless sky, Ares was the best sci-fi game of my childhood... And it was on Mac. It was a game before its time.
Amazing soundtrack that I still listen to, good worldbuildy stuff if you're ok with reading a little text once in awhile, multiple plotlines if I'm remembering right, and enjoyable fighting/flying/ship/fleet improvement.

There's also a 10$ game called Dokapon kingdom for the PS2 that's absurd fun to play with friends. A jrpg version of Mario Party with ridiculous hijinks.

 

[TruPolymorph]

I'm not sure if it counts but I really enjoyed Rain World. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting so it threw me for a loop I don't think most games manage to do.