Little-known games that turned out to be great

[Cashis]

We've all got the odd one surely - maybe it's a game you found trawling the pre-owned section of your local Game or something along those lines - basically, a game you didn't really have high hopes for but which ended up surpassing your expectations by far.

I have two examples here. The first one is Golden Sun - an RPG for the Gameboy Advance I bought when I was but a sprog. A turn-based RPG which combined an intelligent battle system with some fascinating puzzle-solving and collecting, it was both a challenge and a thrill (especially at a young age - I was stuck on one bit early on for about a month that, looking back, was hilariously easy). There ended up being three Golden Sun games; two for the GBA and one for the Nintendo DS. Probably my favourite gaming series ever.

My second one is another turn-based RPG called Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360. An employee at Gamestation recommended this one to me after I told him I was looking for a long RPG to get stuck into and it didn't disappoint, it had four discs! It took me probably 45 hours to complete the main quest and I enjoyed the entirety of it (not bad for £15). I love RPGs which try to do something different with a classic recipe and the Ring system as well as the levelling/technique-learning system in this game set it apart from others as well as the moving storyline.

What about you lot? Any hidden gems?

 

[Richard Cranium]

I've never been a massive gamer. I played Simpsons Hit and run about 3 years after it came out, spent some right hours playing that!

 

[Megaclyde]

Not sure if this counts, but i bought Demons Souls not really expecting much, and it came to be one of my fave PS3 games.
Don't know many people who played it, but now the 'Souls' series is massive

 

[spireite]

Sacrifice on PC was fantastic, yet no fucker has heard of it!

 

[Relentless]

Ok so Final Fantasy isn't little known but Tactics seems to be mostly unknown by most of the fanbase so.

 

[Cas]

Koudelka - PS1
Survival horror turn based RPG. Sorta like a Silent Hill game with the Final Fantasy's battle system. Twas a really good game.

Shadow of Memories
Awesome adventure game by Konami

 

[Destruction]

 

[Relentless]

Oh, just remembered another

Pretty much all of mine other than Kessen 2 are RPG's of varying sorts

 

[Smudge]

My second one is another turn-based RPG called Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360. An employee at Gamestation recommended this one to me after I told him I was looking for a long RPG to get stuck into and it didn't disappoint, it had four discs! It took me probably 45 hours to complete the main quest and I enjoyed the entirety of it (not bad for £15). I love RPGs which try to do something different with a classic recipe and the Ring system as well as the levelling/technique-learning system in this game set it apart from others as well as the moving storyline.

I remember my mate playing that, every time I went round, he was stuck into it for weeks! Ive seen it in Cex for less than a fiver and thought about getting it a few times.

I dont know how little known it is, but when I mention it to a lot of people of my age, they look back at me blankly! I think in the Mega Drive/ SNES age, the SNES pretty much had the monopoly on the RPG type games, Zelda, Terranigma, Final Fantasy etc. while Mega Drive never really dabbled in them. Landstalker is still one of my favourite games though, more action than full on RPG, but an absolutely enormous game for the time. Lots of little hidden things, good storyline, good action, and some quality puzzles in it, I still stick it on every now and then and just blitz all the way through it again.

 

[Cas]

Just though of another game.

Really fun and addictive top down arcadey type shooter. Have a copy on my PSP that I sometimes still play. Anyone else play this?

 

[Smudge]

Another good one on the Mega Drive was General Chaos. Fun little war game where you had to pick a squad of 5 (or just 2 sometimes if it fitted the circumstances) to win various battles. I was never one for tactical games when I was a kid, but did enjoy that one.

 

[Relentless]

I remember my mate playing that, every time I went round, he was stuck into it for weeks! Ive seen it in Cex for less than a fiver and thought about getting it a few times.

I dont know how little known it is, but when I mention it to a lot of people of my age, they look back at me blankly! I think in the Mega Drive/ SNES age, the SNES pretty much had the monopoly on the RPG type games, Zelda, Terranigma, Final Fantasy etc. while Mega Drive never really dabbled in them. Landstalker is still one of my favourite games though, more action than full on RPG, but an absolutely enormous game for the time. Lots of little hidden things, good storyline, good action, and some quality puzzles in it, I still stick it on every now and then and just blitz all the way through it again.

Phantasy Star games on the sega were pretty good

 

[Smudge]

Never played any Phantasy Star. With the exception of Landstalker and Zelda games on the Game Boy Colour, I was a latecomer to RPGs.

 

[Relentless]

Iirc they're on those Sega mega collection type games on ps360. Worth playing back now probably.

 

[G.B]

Amiga game I believe. Wasted too many sunny days with my cousins trying to beat eachothers lap times.

 

[BCFC Jordan]

Shadowrun was an amazing online shooter with a strong but small community on the 360. One of the early games of that generation.

Sadly the studio that made it collapsed.

 

[Cas]

Not a patch on this gem:

 

[Relentless]

Also, overlooked back on the Sega because Streets of Rage and Golden Axe were so well known but

 

[G.B]

Not a patch on this gem:

I didn't have the pleasure unfortunately. SEGA Rally Championship was the bollocks as well. 1994 release and it was still in the arcade at Whitley Bay until a few years ago. I'd mastered that shit... did take a good decade or so though

 

[Cas]

Another one in the shadow of SoR.

 

[Stevencc]

Koudelka - PS1
Survival horror turn based RPG. Sorta like a Silent Hill game with the Final Fantasy's battle system. Twas a really good game.

Shadow of Memories
Awesome adventure game by Konami

Shadow of Memories is a great shout, I loved that game.

 

[Cas]

Shadow of Memories is a great shout, I loved that game.

I'm quite tempted to play through it again sometime.

 

[Relentless]

Just remembered another

This is what happens if you combine Phoenix Wright with the movie Battle Royale

 

[Megaclyde]

Anyone ever place fighting force on ps1?
like a 3d streets of rage

 

[Smudge]

Another one in the shadow of SoR.

Great game, great music!

Shining Force is another decent RPG franchise that made it to Mega Drive. I hated the ones with turn taking combat when I was a kid though, I think thats why I always liked Landstalker, Zelda and Illusion of Gaia.

 

[iesty wfc]

Amplitude on the ps2. Pre cursor to guitar hero. great little game

 

[Techno Natch]

 

[JaseTheVillain]

Psychic Force. Frigging fantastic game, wasted many hours of my childhood playing this with my cousin.

 

[Cashis]

Anyone ever play Hogs of War? Used to play it when I went round to my mate's house even though I never owned it. Very amusing game.

 

[Relentless]

Anyone ever play Hogs of War? Used to play it when I went round to my mate's house even though I never owned it. Very amusing game.

If it didn't have Rik Mayall in it would've just been a poor worms clone imo.
Rather than a good worms clone thats funnier.