[Disch]

Looks kinda drab, tbh.

You're nuts!

There's no sense of solidity or impact,

Meh, that's a superficial gripe.  There's plenty of stuff about the aesthetic that I don't particularly like... like all the weeb nonsense.  But the mechanics are 100% solid, extremely fun, and the perfect balance of challenge (at least when played on highest difficulty)

Seriously, though, with all the (constant) hits in this game, a heavy THUMP for each one would be absolutely dreadful.  When playing it, you definitely feel when you got hit hard, but a lot of the smaller hits can tend to go unnoticed if your focus is elsewhere.

The big things that set this apart from other beat-em-ups is:

--  Surprisingly little button mashing.  You can try it, but on higher difficulties, merely trying to pound the enemy into submission won't work.  There's a LOT of strategy of knowing when to strike, when to back off, and when to use what special move.

--  Actual dodging.  It's sort of a bullet hell / beat-em-up hybrid (and bullet hells are another genre I'm not really a fan of).  Most of the time you're trying to squeeze in hits while dodging a barrage of stuff flying at you from every direction.

--  A LOT of character configuration, particularly once you get a few stages into the game.  You get 3 characters (eventually picked from a larger roster of about 12), all with distinctly different basic attacks and special moves.  Also each can be equipped with 4 relics to enhance certain traits.

-- Tons of enemy variety.  There's a lot of graphics recycling for enemies, but the number of distinct enemies with distinct moves is enormous.  Each "world" effectively has an entirely new set of enemies.


Most beat-em-ups I've tried are incredibly slow paced button-mash-a-thons where the bulk of the strategy involves avoiding guys until you can clump them together and punch them all at once -- or extremely tedious "punch a few times, step back, step back in, punch a few times" style boss fights.

[SunGodPortal]

Thanks for the thread. It's been a while since I've done this but...

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. (wait for it...) Only 3D Castlevania besides CV64 that actually plays like a Castlevania game (with a touch of Resident Evil). Has 4 different characters that all play differently and have their own stories and a few levels and/or level arrangements unique to their specific playthrough. The soundtrack is highly underrated IMO. More ambient, symphonic and cinematic than the usual (but awesome) pop-rock/baroque fare for CV titles. Another thing I love about this title is that "hard mode" is more than just an HP and item/enemy placement mod. Some of the bosses will pull out moves you've never seen them do before. And there are boss fights EVERYWHERE!

This game is def underrated because I hear the same story all the time:

I tried the first Castlevania for the N64 and the controls and camera gave me nightmares so like a goober, I didn't even try Legacy of Darkness and therefore missed out because I am lame...

 Werewolf vs dragon


 Watch your step, Cornell!

[SleepyFist]

Just wanna add a couple more.

MDK 1&2, The acronym stands for Murder Death Kill Mothers Day Kisses! It's a pair of 3rd person shooters by Shiny with a really great sense of juvenile humor mixed up slick 90s comic book edge and cheese I highly recommend trying it if it sounds like your thing.

The Sexy Brutale, A bit unpolished but definitely was one of the standout games for me recently, It's sort of a Majoras Mask style looping detective puzzle, the music and sound design is also fantastic, maybe consider checking out some videos of the early game or catching a few of the songs from the OST if you're interested, caveat though, DO NOT play this game on the Switch the slowdown, lag, and loss of visual quality hurt this game immensely on the Switch.

[KingMike]

The thing I remember hearing is that MDK was ported to WiiWare, but it is rumored that Nintendo's licensing terms were that since it didn't hit a minimum sales number, Nintendo was entitled to all the money and the devs nothing.

[SleepyFist]

Wow, that sounds pretty shitty, can you source that for me?

From what I can tell it was generally well received on WiiWare, even though it didn't really sell.

iirc they also had problems with just straight up not fucking advertising games at the time too.

[A.D.R.I.A.N]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Final Fantasy II. Despite it's flaws, it's a good game in it's own right.

Final Fantasy Dimensions, Zelda The Minish Cap and Secret of Evermore deserve a mention.

[Chronosplit]

I've been meaning to get Dimensions, but every time a sale happens on the google it's the wrong time.  Speaking of mobile, quite a lot of games are underrated because people either don't want to pay or think the entire platform is about freemium shit.  Here's a messy list:

-EvoCreo: I struggle to call this a Pokemon clone because the devs actively attempted to fix issues with Pokemon while making it, giving them one over Game Freak.  It is though, and it's a very good one.  There's DLC but it actually adds to the gameplay.
-Uciana: It's about the best 4x game on the platform, and it's updated pretty regularly.  Definitely takes a lot of inspiration from MOO and you can't go wrong with the price.  If you want something more like Master of Magic there's Planar Conquest, but it's quite buggy and no updates are around (consider running MoM in a DOS emu instead or going to your PC to get something like Age of Wonders Shadow Magic).
-Pocket Tanks: It's one-on-one Scorched Earth but much crazier in weapons.  The IAP is kinda weird but worth it because of nuttier weapon choices, similar to my earlier Tales of Maj'Eyal post than most other mobile games.  Also on PC and Mac, it's the same game.
-Great Big War Game: A title in a series of games heavily inspired by Advance Wars, but in 3D with more stuff like terrain height.  This is the peak of the series.  Unless you prefer under half the actual campaign length, randomly generated maps, and building your base however you want, then you want Epic Little War Game.
-Ticket to Ride: Well, just about all of Asmodee's boardgames are worth it (pathfinder being the exception), but Ticket to Ride is the best of them.  Multiplayer links with all versions, the UI is nice (on a tablet anyway), and it's generally a good and wholesome boardgame besides.  There's IAP, but considering that each one would be a whole other game physically I'm not opposed to it.  Also notable is Talisman, but prepare to spend money if you're not me and have been buying expansions over the years.  Also people tend to get mad about dice rolls, but from here it just sounds like salt.
-King of Dragon Pass: I prefer the updated version on mobile as opposed to computer because it was obviously made for it.  It's basically a streamlined version of the original game (meaning a lot of micromanagement is now on full auto, this is a love or hate thing).  KoDP is underrated in itself and is definitely a great play.
-Galaxy of Pen and Paper: The spiritual sequel to Knights of Pen and Paper.  Just as good if not better, in spaaaaaaace.  Don't play Paradox's actual Knights sequel, it's garbage.
-Cyber Knights: Trese Brothers' games are all damn good if they're what you're looking for and the devs provide great service, but this managed to capture the more open-ended Genesis Shadowrun type of game that the newer Shadowruns didn't do.  Also notable: Templar Battleforce, Heroes of Steel, and Star Traders.
-Fighting Fantasy Classics: Tin Man Games makes by far the best gamebook adaptations around, with the only ones coming close being the Sorcery series and Lone Wolf Saga.  This app is a sort of library with most of their Fighting Fantasy collection plus some new ones with extra options (original art, background music options, etc.), and additions are to come.  As a free library would imply though, you must buy most of the books.  It's also on Steam, but considering these are books and presented as such you should play this on the platform you use for eBooks.

[Isao Kronos]

So Galaxy of Pen and Paper is pretty decent? I enjoyed Knights 1 but not 2.

[Chronosplit]

So Galaxy of Pen and Paper is pretty decent? I enjoyed Knights 1 but not 2.

If you liked the first Knights you'll like Galaxy.  It's made by the same devs.

Main issue with Knights 2 was that the original people had no hand in it, and Paradox got greedy big time.

[ArkthePieKing]

Would you say the DS version is superior? Or is it more of a completely different game?

It's tough to say. The DS version is entirely different from the GB version. The mechanics were updated to be more faithful to the SaGa series, whereas FFL3 does its own thing in a lot of ways. It was actually directed by the guy who did Mystic Quest, but like, it's actually GOOD. I'd say give the Gameboy version a shot. It does a lot to let you decide how to tackle the game and how to customize your party. The DS version does as well, but because it's more akin to a traditional SaGa game all the mechanics are a lot more obtuse and you have a lot less control over your own party's growth.

[Sarah Shinespark]

Donkey Kong (Gameboy):
Also known as Donkey Kong 94, it's a masterpiece of unfolding game design that also made huge strides in the creation of the modern Mario moveset.

Mischief Makers (N64):
It's a game where you play as a green haired mecha-maid picking up ball people, animals and giant mecha and slamming them around like ragdolls until they die or explode, it's also from the creators of Gunstar Heroes.

Final Fantasy Legend (Gameboy)
aka Makai Toushi SaGa, the first game in the SaGa franchise, the first mobile RPG, and the inspiration for the Pokémon series, it's a bit clunky these days but it's definitely a good time.

These 3 nailed it for me. I played the crap out of Donkey Kong on GB!

There was an NES game I played with my sis growing up called Trog! It's an arcade-style game starring baby dinosaurs collecting eggs and avoiding being eaten by cavemen (the Trogs). Gameplay is roughly similar to Pacman? Pretty fun and cute.

[Jorpho]

There was an NES game I played with my sis growing up called Trog! It's an arcade-style game starring baby dinosaurs collecting eggs and avoiding being eaten by cavemen (the Trogs). Gameplay is roughly similar to Pacman? Pretty fun and cute.

If you like it that much, you should play the arcade original on MAME.
https://hg101.kontek.net/trog/trog.htm

[POWCo-op]

If you like it that much, you should play the arcade original on MAME.
https://hg101.kontek.net/trog/trog.htm

NES ports were superb, to be fair.

[filler]

I'm going to add my little list. A while ago I made a list of my top 20 or so games of all time, and there are definitely a few games on there that other folks don't rate nearly as highly as I do.

- Monster Rancher 3 (PS2). I don't hear people talk about this series at all. I enjoyed the first two Monster Rancher games, a.k.a Monster Farm in Japan. However, Monster Rancher 3 was a high point of the series for me. I loved raising and battling monsters in that game. You use discs such as CDs, DVDs, and game discs to generate monsters, raise them, and battle in tournaments.

- Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (PSX). This is the first Nippon Ichi game I played, before they had a US branch, back when they were published by Atlus. Disgaea put them on the map in North America, but before that they developed a whole bunch of games set in the Marl Kingdom, the first of which is Rhapsody (a.k.a. Marl Oukoku no Ningou Hime). It's a charming adventure with a bunch of songs, and a fun little tactical battle system. It's not especially deep, but it makes up for it with an abundance of personality. Has a cult following but still underrated IMO.

- Dragon Force (SAT). A tactical strategy game in a sword and sorcery setting. You send generals out to surrounding towns to recruit soldiers and battle surrounding countries. Battles take place on an open field where 2D sprites battle it out using different troop types and battle formations. It's streamlined enough to be fun and easy to understand. The only down-side is that it's a little tedious once the tide of battle has turned and you're left mopping up the last few countries. No one really talks about this, though I think it's pretty expensive on the Saturn.

- Welcome to Pia Carrot (PC-FX). I translated this and it had a patch release about 10 years ago now. It seems like everyone assumes this is a throwaway porn game. To the surprise of folks who actually play this, it's a tremendously charming and deceptively engaging simulation game. You play out the days of the week spanning the summer vacation of your senior year in high school. Stuck working at your father's restaurant, you have the opportunity to meet and court a cast of eligible ladies. All have back stories that influence how receptive they are to getting to know you better. It's a great introduction to Japanese gaming's history of romantic adventure games, and is my second favorite game ever. Almost no one has played this game outside of Japan. Even there the sequel was more popular than the first game.

- Illbleed (DC). My buddy picked this up back when the Dreamcast was new, and I absolutely loved this game. It has developed a cult following more recently, so maybe it's starting to get the attention it deserves, but it's been criminally underrated for a long time. That said, you do need to understand that much of the genius of this game is simply its sick and twisted sense of humor. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and has a ton of fun with horror tropes. The game-play takes some getting used to, but the payoff is an experience that those of you with a dark enough sense of humor will absolutely love.

[IcePenguin]

Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl1TyG_iHW8

People might not give this game any thought because it looks super weird, with simple gfx, but it is very fun.  (not to mention ultra rare)  My first experience with this game, I wasn't too impressed at first.  The game play was a bit confusing, and it just felt like one of those things that you can't help but stare at, when you know you shouldn't. 

However!  Once the mechanics started to make a little more sense, it clicked!  It's really hard to explain, but it has a surprisingly deep evolution premise, where you must get stronger and stronger to eventually defeat the super bosses.  I remember there being some pretty intense battles, where you have to weaken the monsters, and then eat them to gain their power.

It's been a long time since I played this, so I'm quite hazy on the details.  If you ever get a chance to play, give it a go!

[SleepyFist]

- Welcome to Pia Carrot (PC-FX). I translated this and it had a patch release about 10 years ago now. It seems like everyone assumes this is a throwaway porn game. To the surprise of folks who actually play this, it's a tremendously charming and deceptively engaging simulation game. You play out the days of the week spanning the summer vacation of your senior year in high school. Stuck working at your father's restaurant, you have the opportunity to meet and court a cast of eligible ladies. All have back stories that influence how receptive they are to getting to know you better. It's a great introduction to Japanese gaming's history of romantic adventure games, and is my second favorite game ever. Almost no one has played this game outside of Japan. Even there the sequel was more popular than the first game.

Any tips on how to get the patch running? It was difficult to track down a working rip but it also seems like the patch has some issues with corrupting the game or something? I've tried it on both BizHawk and Mednafen to no avail, and both direct patched and with the patch just sitting in the folder, It does look fun though.

[Isao Kronos]

Does Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning count? I find it to be the premier single player mmorpg simulator.

[star_scream1646]

Nano Breaker for the PS2! Now that is an underrated game.......at least to me.

[filler]

Any tips on how to get the patch running? It was difficult to track down a working rip but it also seems like the patch has some issues with corrupting the game or something? I've tried it on both BizHawk and Mednafen to no avail, and both direct patched and with the patch just sitting in the folder, It does look fun though.

It's not going to work on Mednafen period. I don't know why.

To provide some perspective, it works on real hardware. David and I made this before I even knew Mednafen existed, and I think before it had a PC-FX core, though I don't know for sure. David (developer of MagicEngineFX) made a soft-patch that will patch on-the-fly with MagicEngineFX, the only known PC-FX emulator at the time, so it's super easy to run. Just have the .ppf file in the same directory as MagicEngineFX when you run it.

That's all I can tell you. We confirmed it worked with the known good PC-FX emulator at the time and on real hardware and put it out there for folks to enjoy. If I remember correctly, I made a Ninja patch for it, which could probably stand to be expanded to include more patching formats, but again, (Never-mind. I was thinking of another project. WtPC includes a custom exe to patch for play on real hardware, and a ppf to play with MagicEngineFX) the soft-patch for MagicEngineFX is pretty handy.

[SleepyFist]

It's not going to work on Mednafen period. I don't know why.

To provide some perspective, it works on real hardware. David and I made this before I even knew Mednafen existed, and I think before it had a PC-FX core, though I don't know for sure. David (developer of MagicEngineFX) made a soft-patch that will patch on-the-fly with MagicEngineFX, the only known PC-FX emulator at the time, so it's super easy to run. Just have the .ppf file in the same directory as MagicEngineFX when you run it.

That's all I can tell you. We confirmed it worked with the known good PC-FX emulator at the time and on real hardware and put it out there for folks to enjoy. If I remember correctly, I made a Ninja patch for it, which could probably stand to be expanded to include more patching formats, but again, (Never-mind. I was thinking of another project. WtPC includes a custom exe to patch for play on real hardware, and a ppf to play with MagicEngineFX) the soft-patch for MagicEngineFX is pretty handy.

Thanks, I guess I'll be picking up the discounted MagicEngine bundle at the end of the month then.