Your favorite games (almost) no one else has ever heard of

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
After playing critically acclaimed titles like Ocarina of Time (SO MUCH HATE FOR THE WATER TEMPLE) and BioShock (sorry, the combat still feels awkward), it occurs to me that choosing which game to play next by reviewing popular opinion may not be in my best interests. Many of my favorite game experiences have involved very obscure games.

Some of the titles I've enjoyed are less obscure (e.g. Blaster Master, Seiken Densetsu 3, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo) while some are considerably less well-known (e.g. Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary, Musapey's ChocoMarker, Starflight). And then there's a certain JRPG series that I'm rather fond of.

So what obscure games would you recommend? And don't be shy about imports: If you're a fan of Princess Crown, let us know.

EDIT: Though we already have a thread about imports.

EDIT: I thought I had posted something like this before and it turns out I have, but in the Tribe of Judah General Discussion Forum. I suppose it can't hurt to have two related threads (even if I came up with a better thread title last time around).
 
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Second Sight (psychic powers done right and a plot I actually liked)

ICO (get away from mah girl you monster!)

Shadow of the Colossus (Clash of the titans epic)

All for the PS2.
All very short as in you can finish each in one day.
All quite memorable.

SotC end was not to my taste but all the games are unique experiences and rather engaging. They have this memorable movie vibe to them. The games aren't worth paying a lot simply becuase they lack replay value so make sure you get them cheap or rent them. I don't think they are as obscure games as you may be taking about though.
 
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last time i saw ICO in a store, it was $70.

i'm rather fond of Oni. don't know toooo too many people that have played it. one of the only other people i have met in person that has is my wife, i thought that was kinda cool.
 
blackgravity said:
last time i saw ICO in a store, it was $70.

i'm rather fond of Oni. don't know toooo too many people that have played it. one of the only other people i have met in person that has is my wife, i thought that was kinda cool.
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Oni was a decent beat em up game but not memorable for me so if you like it go for it.

O.o $70 for ICO yeesh!. ICO has just got to be cheaper than that somewhere as they released a "greatest hits" version of it.

Ohhh I just saw the other old obscure games thread and I recommended the same games, at least I am consistent >.<.

Urrr how about Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis? It was cheap on the Steam Christmas sale recently and does a good job of being like an original Indiana Jones film. I probably liked it better than the third movie now that I think about it.
 
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Corpfox said:
- Shogo (Anime FPS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-cctegGW2A
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<3 for Shogo! I actually own a copy of the game.

The Mighty Gerbil said:
ICO (get away from mah girl you monster!)
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Ico is on my "to-play" list.

The Mighty Gerbil said:
Shadow of the Colossus (Clash of the titans epic)
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I guess I should give SotC another try some time. I tried it once, long ago, and just ran around for 30 minutes, confused, and quit playing before I cleared the first boss. Reviewers make it sound like it's The Godfather of video games, but I just didn't "get it" on my first attempt.

blackgravity said:
i'm rather fond of Oni.
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Oni is fantastic. I played through the first hour or two of the PC version several years ago. I need to see if I have a copy in my archives and, if so, add it to my backlog.
 
In SotC all you have to do is hold your sword up and it glows when you point in the direction you need to go in >.< . Sounds like you were over thinking it. The game overworld is exceeding simple with nothing to do but ride to the next boss or hunt lizards and fruit.
 
The Dragon Quest series. It never really took off state-side, although it's actually a bigger deal in Japan than Final Fantasy is. DQ8 is on PS2 and is great; DQ9 + several remakes (updated graphics and all) are on the DS.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I'm also the proud owner of one of these:
http://www.hori.jp/us/products/ps2/dqsc/index.html
 
Should also note: I was actually looking @ copies of ICO on ebay the other day; I don't think used copies are going much over $30.
 
RyanB said:
I would like to take this opportunity to say that I'm also the proud owner of one of these:
http://www.hori.jp/us/products/ps2/dqsc/index.html
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...How?

I'm indifferent toward the Dragon Quest series (DQVIII looked great, but I just can't stand random encounters any more), but I think I'd have to buy that controller if I saw it on discount at a used video game store.

EDIT: And it's from the same company that made the screen protectors my wife and I use on our DS Lites!
 
Atown said:
the original Suikoden game was pretty bomb
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I know I played that but I just can't remember the plot even after looking at the you tube vids. Your mentioning Suikoden did remind me of Saga Frontier 2 though which was good and overlooked. The sequel probably didn't get much play due to the first being so bad which is sad considering it's a vast improvement.

RyanB said:
I would like to take this opportunity to say that I'm also the proud owner of one of these:
http://www.hori.jp/us/products/ps2/dqsc/index.html
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Don't your hands get slimy using it though? :p :)
 
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My wife owns Ico, so you could borrow it Tek. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her play through it too. The only downside is its in Japanese.....lol. But you couldn't get a cheaper copy than free!
 
The Mighty Gerbil said:
I know I played that but I just can't remember the plot even after looking at the you tube vids. Your mentioning Suikoden did remind me of Saga Frontier 2 though which was good and overlooked. The sequel probably didn't get much play due to the first being so bad which is sad considering it's a vast improvement.


Don't your hands get slimy using it though? :p :)
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I loved the Saga Frontier games. I'm not sure why, but for some reason...I've loved every game I've ever played that has you playing multiple characters individually before uniting them all. Maybe it's just good character development?

As for the controller, I picked it up on ebay for ~$15-20 at some point. The cord unplugs from it for better storage. It's not the most ergonomic thing in the world...like holding a bowl, but it is comfortable. Probably not great for things that require top agility, but great for RPGs.
 
May be impossible to find but Sacred Gold or Platinum was a favorite rpg of mine before GW. Using flame throwers on Ice Elves? Check. Mortars on Ice Dragons? Check. A little buggy, but worthwhile never the less. Now if ya wanna talk really old find Mule from Commodore 128 days. Super simple, and endlessly frustrating. :P
 
I absolutely LOVE Sacred 2 on the PS3. IIRC, I just need to level up a few toons from 10 to 15 for the platinum.

As far as games that are great and people don't remember...I'll add my list from back when gaming was good (on the NES):
Faxanadu - awesome side-scroller, similar to the old Ys
Battle of Olympus - like Faxanadu, but better and set in greek times
Zelda II - certainly not "unheard of", but noobs hated it, despite how awesome it was
Crystalis - greatest action RPG game ever, sorry Link

Edit: Thought of a few more:
Shadowrun on Genesis (NOT snes, diff games) - a lot of people have heard of Shadowrun, but not many have played this old game I don't think.
Secret of Evermore - Mana gets all the love, and seemingly no one has played this game. I honestly liked this one better, but they both have the same control system/menu system/etc. No clue how this one is so forgotten.

Edit #2: Now that I'm thinking of SNES...
Lufia - Amazing RPG game
Lufia 2 - even better, and the ancient cave challenge dungeon here is famous for a reason:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufia_II:_Rise_of_the_Sinistrals#Dungeons
One of the most notable features of Lufia II is the Ancient Cave, a randomly generated dungeon composed of 99 floors which is presented to the player as a side-quest in the town of Gruberik. Every time the player enters the cave, a new layout is generated. The Ancient Cave has a very similar execution to the roguelike genre.

Within the cave, the characters are downgraded to zero experience points and are stripped of nearly all equipment and items. The player must then proceed through the cave's floors, collecting equipment, finding magic spells and increasing levels, with the objective of reaching the Ancient Cave's final floor. There are three ways of exiting the cave: by dying, by reaching its bottom or by finding and using an item exclusive to the cave, named "providence".

Within the cave lie two kinds of chests — blue and red. A red chest contains items which can only be used inside the cave for the duration of the playing session. As soon as the player leaves the cave, all items from red chests disappear. On the other hand, the rare blue chests contains items that are for the most part unique to the Ancient Cave (though not completely — the Catfish Jewel, for instance, can also be won in the battle against the giant Catfish), which can be used outside the cave and can be brought back to the cave on subsequent journeys. The equipment found in the blue chests is often far superior than those found outside of it. Some items that can be found in blue chests can also be found by other means, such as monster drops. These can also be taken in and out of the Ancient Cave just as if you had found them in blue chests. Also found in the Ancient Cave are the "Iris Treasures," which are found in red chests. Unlike normal red chest items, the player is allowed to take them out of the cave. They are not equippable and serve only as collectibles. The bottom floor of the inn and Gruberik serves as a storage for these items.

Several very powerful monsters exist only in the Ancient Cave, most notably the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Dragons.

On the 99th floor, the player must fight the "Master" (a huge red jelly). It must be defeated in four turns (actually three, since it goes before the characters - unless you repeatedly use some speed lowering IP moves like Spiderweb), or else it will commit suicide and give no reward. Upon defeat, however, it gives the player the Ancient Key, unlocking the room in the lobby, as well as one of the Iris Treasures. It is very difficult to actually defeat the Master due to the time limit and its high HP value (which is always 9980 and not based on the party levels as some rumors say). Thus, a much easier and somewhat cheap way has been devised to kill it. It was found that it was not necessary to kill it-the battle only needed to end. So if the characters killed each other in the allotted time limit, the game would still consider it to be a victory. Equipping and using items which removed set fractions of enemy health (from 1/8 to 1/2 of all enemy health) was also very helpful in defeating the monster.
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It's a serious test of one's mettle to beat that thing without an emulator - the full run by itself takes 5-8 hours.

LUFIA COLLECTION HD PLZ!! Having that platinum would actually mean something. :)
 
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Landstalker - Sega Genesis
Brainlord - SNES
Warsong - Sega Genesis
Legacy of Kain - PS1
 
My former roommate loooved the Dragon Quest series. He just really enjoyed the storyline, and of course was the kind of player who had to get *everything* the game had to offer, even the obscure items.

I remember a really basic game that came with my joystick called Slipstream. It was a hovercraft racing game where you bought upgrades with your winnings. It was a lot of fun!

Don't know much about console games as I've pretty much been a PC gamer my whole life.
 
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