the best games that others didn't play
 

Thinking back to your joyful gaming history, what are some of the best games you have played that didn't really catch on with a gaming audience.. ie which games were grossly overlooked by consumers.

Speaking of PC games, I have fond memories of Burried in Time: the journeyman project 2 for the PC. This game was exciting and featured some really awesome video captured footage that was incorperated into each screen shot. Unfortunately, it lost the battle to all of the other Myst clones at the time.. and even to Myst.

Another fun game that was overlooked was Twinsen's Odyssee. This was a spectacular 3d adventure game (for its time) with cute cartoonish graphics and some fun exploring. The only annoying part was controlling the character and the occasional jumping.. (which could be solved by simply typing in a cheat code :P) Unfortunately, this game never caught on due to the popularity of megahits from the same time, such as Quake 2 and Unreal.

Finally, did anyone ever play subculture? It was a really beautiful undersea exploration/trading/action game where the inhabitants were smaller than most cans of soda. I just remember the graphics being soo beautiful and I recall having so much fun just exploring the game.. not really fullfilling any task. I don't think that it became too popular because it wasn't as action oriented as Wing commander 4 or the Xwing series.

I played all 3 journey man games. Terrific stuff.

Snatcher on Sega CD. Most people didn't have a Sega CD and this game was hard to find even if you did. Hideo Kojima created this adventure game and its still one of the best games I have ever played. This game had a terrific story with great twists, nice looking Anime, lots of exploring and clues to discover and solve, and great use of the light gun.

If the Saturn had not died we may have gotten a US release for the incredible sequel Policenauts, but unfortunately the US missed out on that classic.

Skitchin' for Sega Genesis. Buy It You'll Like It!

Blast Corps for N64. Great game. Very Addictive. Didn't sell real well.

I remember SubCulture, loved the game. The challenge of avoiding normal fish and collecting pop caps and cigarette butts for trade were all very unique and charming.

Also, I saw very few people enjoying Silver for the PC. Its graphics were behind, at least the models were, the backgrounds were gorgeous. The story was simple (wizard kidnaps women), as was the gameplay. But, I loved the game. It had a lot of charm and was really fun because of its simplicity.

NiGHTS... Into Dreams
Christmas NiGHTS


I consider NiGHTS to be my favorite game of all time, hence I think anyone can and would enjoy it, and its too bad it was only enjoyed by the relatively small amount of Sega Saturn owners.

They were gonna make it for PC, along with 2 new levels... But after that announcing of it at one E3, it went the way of the dodo to never be heard about again.. much like Halo for PC.

I remember the game silver.. in fact I think that its lying around on some shelf. I never got that far into it because I was busy with school or something. I remember the opening movie sounding really great on my new speakers (at the time) and that the rest of the game had great sound... if thats something that people really care about anyways. :P

Another game that I think was overlooked was the Kyrandia series. Everyone compared them to Kings quest, but they were a little bit more fun, or at least I thought so. I really like Malcom's revenge (the third in the Kyrandia series) because of the bizarre laugh track.. and it has one of my most favorite characters of all time.. Rowena the prison guard. I forget if this series sold well, or if it just sold enough to make do. I believe that it was developed by Westwood.

Ico.

"70,000 copies" -- you're all heathens. :(

Why oh why didn't Dragon Force catch on? That is one of the finest games ever and it sat around collecting dust until now, when people have now seen the light, but can't find it for cheaper than $100. Also, Mr. Bones was a great game. Unfortunately, Sega doesn't seem to be putting as much creativity into their games of today, like they did then. Both of those titles were on the great Sega Saturn console...

Super-Don Quixote

http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/.../sdqcon_01.jpg

River City Ransom for the NES

Great series, and it is from Westwood. I have all three, but it's been awhile since I pulled them out. I seem to recall the third one being my favorite as well, but I think that's because you got to play the villain (the one you had been fighting against in the previous two games).

I think Grim Fandango would fall into this category. The funny thing is, back when this came out I was a slave to LucasArts adventure games, and I had been eagerly anticipating its release -- but then I read the computer specs required and I couldn't play it. :( I definitely could now, but I've never got around to buying it (so I fall into the "others that didn't play" category).

Anyone have a Grim Fandango to sell? ;)

Caveman Games for NES. That game was a gas!!
Ape Escape for PSX. I don't understand why this game wasn't a huge, unstoppable hit. It literally has EVERYTHING! It was really the first game to make good use of the dual shock analog controller.

I always was a HUGE fan of NHL'94 on the SNES.

Most people totally overlooked this title in favour of the Genesis version that had fighting (whoopee.) and blood.

It was released during one of Nintendo's "let's be child-friendly" periods and got ripped apart in the gaming magazines, but I always thought that the gameplay was SO entirely superior to the Genesis version for the following reasons:

3) Speed of play - might be relative, but I always felt the Genesis versions played a little loose.

2) No boring "fights" to interrupt a good game. Wow, if I can press my button faster than my friend I can knock him down. It's like Atari 2600 Boxing without the strategy. Ugh.

1) Goalie Control!! - Got a winger coming in on you and you know the computer won't be able to handle the one-timer? Hit the 'X' button and run out and cut off the pass. With the Genesis you had to press and hold the 'B' button to control the goalie, often taking control about 1-2 seconds after the goal had been scored.

Check the "Bargain Bin" at your local retailer. I routinely see this in a jewelcase on sale for $9.99 (which is a steal for a game this good).

That game was awesome.

Landstalker for Genesis(my copy even came with a free Fruit Roll up :) )
One that I never got to try but was loved by many was Medieval. It was something of a sleeper hit as I recall.

Aerobiz for SNES. It was very fun to play against someone else. Aerobiz Supersonic was the sequel, but not as fun because you could not make a hub in every city.

Intelligent Cube for psx.

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I own one of those 70,000 copies of Ico and it is a great game. The only problem is it being too short, but I'm surprised it didn't sell better.

IQ RULES

Moon Patrol (Atari 2600), Tecmo NBA Basketball (NES/SNES), ActRaiser (SNES), Harvest Moon 64 (N64), Phoenix (Atari 2600), Top Gear (SNES), and Xenogears (PS) were all great games that never quite reached mega-hit status.

Saw that game at the local Babbages in the used bin and it was still $50! I don't think they made very many.

Rally Cross for the psx, horrible control problems was written about it but if you play it like a racing sim (brake and let off on the throttle now and then) and not an acade racer (throttle wide open) it was great, i still go back to it time and again.