Multi Hidden Gems

[The Flame]

Just wanted to make a thread for posting these. Games you feel like only you played or nobody ever talks about, but you really enjoyed. The two main ones that always come to mind for me were games I rented from Blockbuster as a kid but never actually owned. Custom Robo for Gamecube and Graffiti Kingdom on PS2.

First one was pretty story heavy but I think you basically just built little mechs with different parts and fought each other in an arena. The latter was almost like Spore where you could design your own creature from scratch using shapes that you draw and then got to play as them in the world. You could get pretty elaborate with it and people have made some crazy stuff if you google it.

Not sure if this is even still a concept with modern games because it seems like anything that's good will eventually get the popularity it deserves, but maybe they're too hidden for me to know of any.

 

[Cole]

I like the idea, but my mind is gonna go blank.

The first game that comes to mind for me is Road Rash 64. It was a motorcycle racing game, but for like... biker gangs, so you could kick people and knock them off, or carry weapons and swing it as you drove by them it was so much fun and I played for HOURS just vs AI.

The Burnout series. I know its popular, and I know it is talked about, but it feels like the only game everyone talks about in regard to Burnout, is Burnout Paradise, which was a fun game. But even the original game, which was more "realistic racer", but one of the first games to have realistic vehicle damage

Enter The Gungeon the games not unheard of, but its also not big. Binding of Isaac tends to take all the focus, but Enter the Gungeon is such a fantastically complete game. I got it as a gift one Christmas, and I've burned HUNDREDS of hours in it, and it was one of my most popular Twitch Games.

 

[Jawneh]

I second Isaac and Gungeon, although the former is not really a hidden gem. Still a really amazing and solid game to sink at least over 936 hours into according to Steam.

I've been playing a lot of Brotato recently. It just got "released" as in patch 1.0 came out. A great top-down bullet hell with rogue-lite elements in it. Runs are generally 20 mins tops so you can easily pick it up almost any time.

And as a special mention, Risk of Rain Returns, a remaster of the first one is coming out sometime later this year. The original is amazing, RoR2 is also great, but that first one being a 2d side-scrollesque game of loot, murder, and overpowered item combos just can't be beat so easily.

 

[Cole]

I second Isaac and Gungeon, although the former is not really a hidden gem. Still a really amazing and solid game to sink at least over 936 hours into according to Steam.

I've been playing a lot of Brotato recently. It just got "released" as in patch 1.0 came out. A great top-down bullet hell with rogue-lite elements in it. Runs are generally 20 mins tops so you can easily pick it up almost any time.

And as a special mention, Risk of Rain Returns, a remaster of the first one is coming out sometime later this year. The original is amazing, RoR2 is also great, but that first one being a 2d side-scrollesque game of loot, murder, and overpowered item combos just can't be beat so easily.

I didn't mean Isaac was a hidden gem, I don't even like Isaac, but the two games are often said in the same breath and heavily compared, and Gungeon gets overshadowed.

I did not enjoy risk of rain 1, but I did have fun with risk of rain 2.

certain types of games, I like getting so over powered that the game is free.

I used to do loops on easy mode after the void expansion and just get so powerful thst even bosses were instagibbing.

it was so much fun

 

[Jawneh]

I didn't mean Isaac was a hidden gem, I don't even like Isaac, but the two games are often said in the same breath and heavily compared, and Gungeon gets overshadowed.

Ah gotcha. I do agree there. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite between the two of they came out at the same time. Maybe Gungeon would be better as you can get into it a bit faster where as Isaac has literally hundreds of runs worth of unlocks to get even without ever dying.

I did not enjoy risk of rain 1, but I did have fun with risk of rain 2.

certain types of games, I like getting so over powered that the game is free.

I used to do loops on easy mode after the void expansion and just get so powerful thst even bosses were instagibbing.

it was so much fun

If you like getting over powered, try Brotato then. It's like $4 right now. Even normally at $5 it's worth it. Nothing grandiose as Gungeon, but it has it's charm to it.

 

[The Flame]

Man I love Isaac but I couldn't get into Gungeon because I sucked too much ass at it somehow

 

[Raine]

Ah hell, this is essentially my bread and butter. A couple of things here and there manage to break through into proper mainstream status (NieR, Persona), and I'm always happy when that happens, but so many others get no traction and just vanish. Granted, I'm super RPG-centric, but lemme shake the tree a couple times and see what falls out.

First, gotta start with Shadow Hearts (PS2). It definitely clawed its way to "cult hit" status following the release of SH2: Covenant, but that was basically 20 years ago at this point. The first Shadow Hearts in particular is a variety of thing I've desperately wanted to see more of, but that has never really materialized - an honest-to-goodness horror-RPG. The game is legitimately creepy, if not borderline scary at times, while also leaning heavily into that sort of B-Tier camp. The Sea Mother segment is legendary, though removed completely from context it does lose a little something.

Jade Cocoon (PS1) and Jade Cocoon 2 (PS2) are also interesting things that people completely overlooked. They're nothing like one another, either. The first game is sort of basic, but has a really neat idea wherein it's kinda-sorta Pokemon or Monster Rancher, where you have tamed/pet monsters. The interesting thing is that you capture enemy monsters and can fuse them together, and the game creates weird little abominations based on what was fused. The second game incorporates a kind of rock-paper-scisor battle system using 8 monsters surrounding your character on color/element-coded slots. It's better to just look at it than have me try (and fail) to paint a picture with words.

For a non-RPG, let's go with N/N+/N++. Just a very straightforward, no frills momentum-based platformer. That wants to kill you. You're a little ninja dropped into a series of platforming puzzles and tasked with reaching the exit within a certain time limit. Equal parts frustrating and hilarious (thanks, ragdoll physics!), I had a blast with them. They have to be at least somewhat popular because of all the user-generated content that exists, but I've basically never seen anyone talk about them anywhere.

Probably significantly less "hidden" since they got to do a Zelda game, but Crypt of the Necrodancer is just good fun. You ain't gonna get shit done probably, but yeah, fun. Watching GDQ performances for it just blew my mind at how much harder/more challenging it gets.

 

[Jawneh]

I'm dogwash at playing Crypt of the Necrodancer, but boy do I love the soundtrack. Cadance of Hyrule is even more of the same, but now as a Zelda game. Both are amazing.

 

[Danny]

Unpacking.

A fun little indie title and very zen. Wanna know how much I love it?

Have it on my Switch, Steam, Xbox One and platinumed both the PS4 and 5 versions.

 

[Requiem]

I joined the forums for Legend of Dragoon, which is fantastic in its own right, but came to the site a few years earlier for Wild Arms. I met several people that have at least played Wild Arms 3 or maybe one of the later titles, but maybe only two irl that have ever played it and I think I'm the only one that beat the game.

I'll always recommend for anyone that enjoys a classic RPG, with a unique setting. Its got thing weird western cowblys and indians/fantasy thing going on.

I even had an RP clan based off it back in the day

 

[shortkut]

I joined the forums for Legend of Dragoon, which is fantastic in its own right, but came to the site a few years earlier for Wild Arms. I met several people that have at least played Wild Arms 3 or maybe one of the later titles, but maybe only two irl that have ever played it and I think I'm the only one that beat the game.

I'll always recommend for anyone that enjoys a classic RPG, with a unique setting. Its got thing weird western cowblys and indians/fantasy thing going on.

I even had an RP clan based off it back in the day

I remember the legend of dragoon forum. I think I may had modded it shortly before it died for inactivity


Star tropics and star tropics 2 for NES. They came out towards the end of the NES life in the USA and most people had moved on to SNES and genesis, but they were fun games

 

[Requiem]

I remember the legend of dragoon forum. I think I may had modded it shortly before it died for inactivity

Idk if you have a PS but it was added to the catalog on PSN recently.

 

[Jawneh]

Oh. A series of games I randomly remembered that is immensely pleasing if short is Detective Frog. It's basically a 3d point and click with a fun and goofy story in 3 different installments. There's even some extra lore building in their official website. You can easily play through one of the games in an evening and then go for the next the following day. I believe they're fairly cheap too.

I guess to add on something that's in similarity genre, but with a completely different theme and size, Disco Elysium is one insane detective game with dice rolling and rpgish elements in a very deep and somewhat fucked up story. It'll take days to play through but is it wonderful.

 

[shortkut]

Idk if you have a PS but it was added to the catalog on PSN recently.

I don’t have any modern systems, but I have a psone somewhere with my legend of dragoon discs

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

Nobody Saves the World!

I played it last year and it was so much fun. I don't know what genre it falls into but it's hilarious and the gameplay is super fun.

 

[Raine]

I joined the forums for Legend of Dragoon, which is fantastic in its own right, but came to the site a few years earlier for Wild Arms. I met several people that have at least played Wild Arms 3 or maybe one of the later titles, but maybe only two irl that have ever played it and I think I'm the only one that beat the game.

I'll always recommend for anyone that enjoys a classic RPG, with a unique setting. Its got thing weird western cowblys and indians/fantasy thing going on.

I even had an RP clan based off it back in the day

Fuckin' love me some Wild ARMs! The first couple of games especially have some not-really-RPG mechanics that added a little variety to dungeons, and the ability to tweak encounter rate should absolutely not have taken 20-odd years to really show up again in games like Bravely Default. I mean shoutouts to Final Fantasy X as well, but also fuck FFX for making that a weapon augment.

The (English) theme songs for both WA3 and WA4 have been on my MP3 player(s) since the mid-2000s, alongside other cheesy as hell stuff like Fighting Through the Darkness from Lunar and If You Still Believe from Legend of Dragoon. I would admit to being a huge dork, but, it's literally stamped on my forehead anyway.



If you're unaware, while Sony are a bunch of cowards and would never dream of green lighting another game in the series, there was a successful Kickstarter for a spiritual successor! Bonus points, it came packaged with a spiritual successor for Shadow Hearts!

Star tropics and star tropics 2 for NES. They came out towards the end of the NES life in the USA and most people had moved on to SNES and genesis, but they were fun games

Star Tropics is one of those games I played a lot of as a kid, but could tell you absolutely nothing about as a teen or older. I just know that one day, long ago, I fired up the copy laying around the house, saw that there was a save file with my name on it, and proceeded to "I did what, now?"

 

[Major Isoor]

Unreal World is my hidden gem. Being cheap on Steam and free on the dev's site makes it an awfully good deal! Essentially, it's an extremely realistic 'roguelike' (in the sense that if you die, that's your run over. No dungeon or levels, etc) simulation of the life of an iron age Finn.
It's quite old and has been in constant support/development since the '90s, so although using the mouse is an option, you can also do everything via keyboard hotkeys, which I ended up switching to after familiarizing myself with the game.

But yeah, although it's very difficult and realistic (e.g. if you get some cuts and ignore them, they might fester and bring about your eventual downfall. And if you break a limb, you'll be nursing it for a while) it's also very satisfying. I remember early on in my first game, I fashioned some javelins and stumbled across an angry young bear. I then threw my javelins into it and it charged me, scratching me up a little. I was hoping it'd be dead by this point, so I only had my knife - so I whipped it out and started cutting and stabbing, between dodging its swings.

Due to bloodloss and exertion it was pretty inaccurate with its swipes and bites (and I was getting tired too, so I was becoming less effective) I was able to score many hits. But eventually we were so tired we were both essentially just flailing around, haha I dropped my knife a couple of times, so I had to scoop it up and continue the fight. Eventually it collapsed though (right when I dropped my knife the second time) so I kicked it a few times in the head and neck while it was dipping in and out of consciousness.

I then pulled out the javelin I threw into its shoulder, then weakly stabbed it down into its neck, before staggering a few paces away and collapsing. I woke up an hour or so later, to find that it had eventually bled out. SO! I grabbed my knife, skinned the bear (it was NOT a good quality pelt, let me tell you! hahaha - sooo many holes) and cut off a bunch of its meat, then returned to camp to clean my wounds

 

[The Flame]

Unreal World

This looks like Dwarf Fortress and therefore scares me by default, but at the same time it sounds pretty interesting . I know it's not the same genre, but the fact that it's an obscure ancient game with positive reviews reminds me of this Meridian 59 game a buddy convinced me to try. Supposedly the first 3D MMO and the one time I played it was certainly an experience.

 

[Requiem]

Fuckin' love me some Wild ARMs!

I am your friend and ally forever.

Thanks for the tip on that kickstarter!

 

[VashTheStampede]

If you're unaware, while Sony are a bunch of cowards and would never dream of green lighting another game in the series, there was a successful Kickstarter for a spiritual successor! Bonus points, it came packaged with a spiritual successor for Shadow Hearts!

Was never a huge Wild ARMs fan but I backed that because I love me some Shadow Hearts.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of the best JRPGs I've ever played and I love me some JRPGs.

 

[Mark]

Days Gone. It’s a PS4 title. Critically underrated, but has earned “cult favorite” status… I wouldn’t necessarily call it “classic” yet.

I assume people panned it because it was an open-world zombie game and there have been a ton of them.

There are cheesy dialogue exchanges, some fetch quests, and a few quirks here in there I’d change for my convenience… but holy hell it is a fun game. The hordes? That whole concept is executed nicely. I would have loved to see a sequel, but it doesn’t look like there will be one.

I’m sure I’ll come up with more later.

 

[Marlfox]

Nice one, Mark. I played Days Gone on PS Plus and LOVED it. Motorbikes and open world zombie hordes yeeeeeeah.

My gems to put forward:

• Skies of Arcadia, GCN - just the most wholesome JRPG adventure ever, although you probably have to be 13 to get the most out of it
• Enslaved, 360 - Andy Serkis voices a roid monkey in a post-apocalyptic forest city future, and the DLC has an obese protagonist
• Spiritfarer, PS4 - chill indie game about death, ferrying souls to the afterlife on a boat you continually upgrade
• Shantae and the Pirates Curse, 3DS - comic anime platformer about pirates in fantasy Arabia, made me laugh and played really well, oh and 3D boobs
• A Short Hike, PS4 - indie game where you’re a bird gliding around a pretty cell-shaded island with friendly locals and no enemies to worry about

 

[turkey]

I played a lot of Universal Soldier on Sega as a kid but never seen it again in my life. It had really cool music.

 

[VashTheStampede]

So I don't know how hidden it is because it's gotten a decent cult following over the years but my favorite game series of all time is Suikoden.

In particular, it is my humble opinion that Suikoden II is the best JRPG of all time and is my all-time favorite game.

 

[The Flame]

• Shantae and the Pirates Curse, 3DS - comic anime platformer about pirates in fantasy Arabia, made me laugh and played really well, oh and 3D boobs

Can vouch for the Shantae series as well, especially Pirate's Curse and Risky's Revenge. Really solid metroidvanias all around of the ones I've played. If you're a coomer you'll like the character designs, but it doesn't go overboard or make that the main focus. The games are on like every platform and they just announced they're working on a previously cancelled GBA game.

Edit: Fitting that the word "coomer" was in my 69th post.

 

[Marlfox]

Can vouch for the Shantae series as well, especially Pirate's Curse and Risky's Revenge. Really solid metroidvanias all around of the ones I've played. If you're a coomer you'll like the character designs, but it doesn't go overboard or make that the main focus. The games are on like every platform and they just announced they're working on a previously cancelled GBA game.

Edit: Fitting that the word "coomer" was in my 69th post.

Loved Pirates Curse but then tried Half Genie Hero and was disappointed - it was very short and all the DLC was old levels with new skins. Liked it otherwise although too few levels and too many revisits. You tried the new Siren one?

First time I’ve heard coomer so thanks for that

 

[The Flame]

Loved Pirates Curse but then tried Half Genie Hero and was disappointed - it was very short and all the DLC was old levels with new skins. Liked it otherwise although too few levels and too many revisits. You tried the new Siren one?

First time I’ve heard coomer so thanks for that

Yeah I thought HGH was pretty weak too. Didn't even bother trying to finish the DLC stuff. I'm only a little ways into Seven Sirens but it's decent so far. Think I'm on like the second dungeon. Probably going to go back and finish it soon and then play the original game.

 

[Marlfox]

I got HGH late so the ultimate edition was cheap, got very little pleasure out of its extra features. In the main game I could put Shantae in a blue outfit or a red outfit. I wanted to like the DLC which let you play as Risky and Shantae's pals but after an hour or two of each I was sick of them as they were just the main game again, like playing as Knuckles in Sonic 2. All the other DLCs like Shantae in pyjamas and Shantae the cop and Shantae the ninja I just wanted to throw in the bin. The main game had already made me revisit each level a bunch of times so the last thing I wanted was to do them all yet again. Poor show from Way Forward.

 

[Spiner202]

The only game I have played in the Shantae series is HGH, but it sounds like that wasn't a good place to start. I just saw a lot of interest in the series from the speed running community, so I picked a cheap game and started there. I honestly didn't love it, so I figured it wasn't for me, but maybe I'll find another game in the series.

 

[Raine]

Skies of Arcadia, GCN - just the most wholesome JRPG adventure ever, although you probably have to be 13 to get the most out of it

Still devastated that the rumored HD port from a decade or so ago never materialized. The sense of exploration and wonder in that game is really unique, and I quite enjoyed the cast as well.

So I don't know how hidden it is because it's gotten a decent cult following over the years but my favorite game series of all time is Suikoden.

In particular, it is my humble opinion that Suikoden II is the best JRPG of all time and is my all-time favorite game.

Konami needs to chop-chop with getting us a release date for the remasters. Definitely one of the most left field announcements in recent times, and I hope it performs well enough to get S3 and S5 ported too.

I don't hate S4 and Tactics/Rhapsodia as much as other fans do, but, I wouldn't be opposed to having them after they do S5.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Konami needs to chop-chop with getting us a release date for the remasters. Definitely one of the most left field announcements in recent times, and I hope it performs well enough to get S3 and S5 ported too.

I don't hate S4 and Tactics/Rhapsodia as much as other fans do, but, I wouldn't be opposed to having them after they do S5.

Most likely they're just sitting and waiting for an Eiyuden Chronicle release date and are gonna piggyback on that. :/

I'd love to be able to play all the games without hooking up the old PS2 again. That would be a dream come true.

 

[Marlfox]

Still devastated that the rumored HD port from a decade or so ago never materialized. The sense of exploration and wonder in that game is really unique, and I quite enjoyed the cast as well.

I got a bit excited for a few months when Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing had Vyse as a playable character and a Skies racetrack (excellent btw). An achievement/trophy on that track gave a cryptic hint of a date that led me down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to find out if there was going to be a Skies announcement. Long story short, nope.

 

[Marlfox]

The only game I have played in the Shantae series is HGH, but it sounds like that wasn't a good place to start. I just saw a lot of interest in the series from the speed running community, so I picked a cheap game and started there. I honestly didn't love it, so I figured it wasn't for me, but maybe I'll find another game in the series.

Would recommend Pirates Curse to anyone who likes platformers. Great music, enjoyable character banter and fun levels with tight playability.

 

[the_promised_land]

I like the idea, but my mind is gonna go blank.

The first game that comes to mind for me is Road Rash 64. It was a motorcycle racing game, but for like... biker gangs, so you could kick people and knock them off, or carry weapons and swing it as you drove by them it was so much fun and I played for HOURS just vs AI.

The Burnout series. I know its popular, and I know it is talked about, but it feels like the only game everyone talks about in regard to Burnout, is Burnout Paradise, which was a fun game. But even the original game, which was more "realistic racer", but one of the first games to have realistic vehicle damage

Enter The Gungeon the games not unheard of, but its also not big. Binding of Isaac tends to take all the focus, but Enter the Gungeon is such a fantastically complete game. I got it as a gift one Christmas, and I've burned HUNDREDS of hours in it, and it was one of my most popular Twitch Games.

I loved the original road rash in the mega drive (genesis).

Does anyone remember James pond? Psycho Fox?

 

[VashTheStampede]

OMG I haven't thought about James Pond in years

 

[Marlfox]

I still remember the box art for James Pond they had fun developing that game

 

[Marlfox]

More PS4 gems

Last Guardian
The Last Campfire
A Short Hike

All so relaxing

 

[The Flame]

Pretty wild that Last Guardian fits here given how excited I remember people being for it back in the day. This is probably the first time I've thought about its existence since it came out.

 

[Spiner202]

How does it compare to Shadow of the Colossus? That's the only game by that Studio that I have played, but my understanding is the 3 games (including Ico) are quite similar.

 

[Marlfox]

Shadow of the Colossus is about killing giant monsters. Last Guardian is about travelling with a giant monster. Bless you bird-dog.

I loved it. Beautiful game, interesting story, incredible setting. Only drawback was a few frustrating puzzles.

 

[Quagmire]

The Messenger it's a throwback to ninja gaiden type games, but a lot more fair, really fun. It's at least on PC, probably maybe on Switch and ps4/5?

 

[Andy]

Idk if you have a PS but it was added to the catalog on PSN recently.

Things like this are making it a lot more difficult for me to resist buying a cheap PS4. I haven’t had a Sony console since the PS2 and missed a load of exclusive while also never getting around to LoD

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

Most likely they're just sitting and waiting for an Eiyuden Chronicle release date and are gonna piggyback on that. :/

Ohhh I forgot about this. I played through Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising last year in anticipation of this. I didn't realize it was still this far out. According to the dev diaries in June they still have a lot to do and 2023 is probably wishful thinking.

That and Sea of Stars are two of my most anticipated games.

I played S2, but I did play it fairly recently so it's not fair to judge it. At the time it was probably great but I didn't connect with it. I loved S3, I played it at launch and then never touched the series again.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I need Sea of Stars in my life.

S2 surely hit a lot harder back in the day, but also the one strike I have against it is that you really only get the full experience if you played S1 first, and works AMAZINGLY if played back-to-back with the original.

Suikoden II is the Godfather Part 2 of games IMO

 

[Smacktard]

Oh yeah, this thread is my fuckin jam.

Gamecube:
Custom Robo -- the first game that came to my mind when I saw this thread, just like OP. It was SEVERELY underrated by game journos when it was released. The game deserves at least an 80. The gameplay is tight and fun, the story is great, and the dialogue is pretty comical and interesting. The customization of battlers is excellent. There are so many viable combinations you can use.
Gotcha Force -- incredibly expensive game nowadays. I don't know if it's worth it, but it's a pretty fun title. The voice acting is comically horrendous, and the game is very no-frills -- just battle after battle after battle after battle, with nothing in between. It's a very "video game-y" video game. It can get a bit tedious at times, but it's still a fun game. Excellent customization as well, with lots of viable bots, and a lot to collect.
Cubivore -- another really pricey title. Not everyone's cup of tea, for sure. It's quite dated -- the gameplay leaves a bit to be desired, and the visuals are pure ass. Also, it's literally impossible to 100% the game on your first (blind) playthrough -- you'd have to play through the game once, keep an Excel sheet on the contents of every single level, and figure out the one single way to 100% the game. If you don't manage, you have to start from scratch. That aside, the writing in the game is, shockingly, some of the funniest writing I've ever seen in a video game. It had me loling at times. It's pretty charming.

Switch (or PC, I'm pretty sure):
Slime-san: platformer full of levels each consisting of 4 mini-challenges, most of which can be beaten in under 50 seconds. The controls are extremely tight (DLC aside), the art direction is solid, and the variety in mechanics means you're always encountering something new. Best 2D platformer I've played in a while
Kaze and the Wild Masks: if you like Donkey Kong Country, you'll love this game. Nuff said.
Guacamelee 1 & 2: Metroidvania beat'em-up. Oozes style, tight gameplay, and some funny writing.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap: Challenging Metroidvania remake of a game that launched on the TurboGrafx. You can change into different characters to complete platforming challenges/battles/etc. If you like Shantae, it's Shantae but 10x better. Beautiful art direction, very tight gameplay, and lots of secrets.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom: Same as above.
Blaster Master Zero I and II: NES-style Metroidvania. Good controls, nice power-ups, intense boss fights. Really well-made games. Avoid the 3rd installment in the series IMO.


PS4 and PC:
Ni No Kuni II: A bit kiddy, but still a fun game. Decent action RPG with a lot of charm and style, even if the gameplay isn't always the tightest. Has some great music. Exploring Goldpaw and listening to that theme music is still one of my favorite vidya experiences.

 

[Squall_Lionheart]

The Binding of Isaac

my most played game, ever

if you get it, get all of the DLCs. hundreds of hours of entertainment

 

[Raine]

I actually have an empty night for the first time in two weeks? forever. Time to post random bullshit!

The original Digimon World is one of, if not the, best-worst game of all time. Everything about the game is/was alien, hostile, and intentionally obtuse and temperamental from top to bottom - up to and including the basic game mechanic of taking care of your newborn Digimon. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

If you stick with it and learn, or carefully use a guide I suppose, the experience of coming to understand the way File Isle works, how raising and empowering Digimon works, of actually going out and exploring the dangerous wilderness - of finding the various former residents you can recruit and have come back to town, expanding facilities and options for your Mon's next cycle - is just absolutely goddamn amazing. Allegedly one of the PS4 games is a kinda-sorta remake/sequel to it, but as with everything else I haven't actually gotten around to playing my copy yet.

Nothing can recreate the magic though. And I have never so much as gotten a whiff of anyone having the intestinal fortitude to consider trying to replicate it, with or without the hostility. Here's a video I watched a couple years ago that does a good job of explaining it in more depth, and filled me with all sorts of nostalgia.

The original Digimon World is an interesting little beast from January 1999, which means it actually predates the Digimon anime by just a few months. It was one of the first monster raising games of its scale and featured a surprising open-world structure, a massive amount of optional content, dozens of unique Digimon to raise and a lot of fun characters to meet.

It's also one of the most ludicrously complex games I've ever played in my entire life. And I'm sure that sounds ridiculous. "How could this game for little kids be so complex?" But, I assure you, it is. There is, to this day, a large-scale international effort diving into the code, trying to figure out how in the name of sweet Christ this thing is supposed to work. And that is not an exaggeration, I have met several of these people while streaming it. It's like Sid Meyer designed a monster raising Sim.

Full disclosure: Final Fantasy XI is my favorite game of all time and that game's entire schtick for ~22 years has been wishing suffering and death upon you and everything you love. I-I might be a masochist, maybe.

---

I played S2, but I did play it fairly recently so it's not fair to judge it. At the time it was probably great but I didn't connect with it. I loved S3, I played it at launch and then never touched the series again.

Loading times notwithstanding, S5 was also fantastic.

A lot of games don't necessarily "hold up" as well simply by virtue of being so good. I think of a game like Chrono Trigger, which I didn't play until... probably 2000, 2001? (After playing Chrono Cross ) And the vastly inferior PS1 port that was on Final Fantasy Chronicles (alongside FF4) for good measure. I could still recognize that it was a solidly built game, but everything felt a little flatter because the entire genre basically copied its homework.

See also FF6, which would have been my 5th(?) game in the series (8 -> 9 -> 7 -> 10 -> 6, IIRC), minus even seeing what the hype was 'cause 1) awful port and 2) not exactly the most briskly paced game to begin with. I dropped it during the boss battle where you're jumping down out of the airship. Bought the GBA port when that released hoping to try again, but I don't really do handhelds and never got around to it. Only hope left is Xbox getting a Pixel Remaster port! Or them actually remaking it... but I'm already so, so scared about FF9R.

S2 surely hit a lot harder back in the day, but also the one strike I have against it is that you really only get the full experience if you played S1 first, and works AMAZINGLY if played back-to-back with the original.

This was honestly just A Thing™ in the genre for a while there, but especially on PS1. Immediately reminded of the original Arc the Lad, which was an okay-ish game but very short and without a ton of meat. You'd have to either view it as a preview for AtL2, or a very long optional tutorial for it. But playing AtL2 without doing AtL is sacrilege and missing the entire point. And the, uh, reason/spoiler for it is another of those things that ended up being repeated a lot and probably loses some/all effect if played for the first time today. But still, incredible game.

Shadow Hearts both does and doesn't count, too. Wherein the first game is completely fine and perfect on its own, and you can play and enjoy Covenant on its own as well. But playing SH1, then SH2 then SH1 again lol is what makes it one of my favorite games/series of all time.

 

[Marlfox]

Mmm Digimon World was such an odyssey. I never recruited all the Digimon because my luck in the shop assistant minigame was just appalling. Got a couple of monsters to Ultimate but they always died so quick afterwards. Still, saved them for battles against my brother who liked the game less and tended to be totally outmatched. Never seen a game like it since, you captured well it's best/worst vibe. Difficulty all over the place, scary exploration and so much grind.

 

[Marlfox]

I played a lot of Zombie Estate on the x360 Indie shop. 8 bit top-down 2d zombie waves for up to 4 players. Amazing amazing for having friends over and drinking together while busting through it. X360 in general had the best indie catalogue on a games console. Massive library and some real hidden gems.

 

[Smacktard]

Just remembered a hidden gem I forgot to share.

Samurai Jack: Battle for Time

I'm not really a Samurai Jack fan, but I heard the game was pretty good, so I got it. It turned out to be the best 3D beat'em-up I've ever played. The combat is extremely tight and satisfying, and the locales are fun and interesting.

The game starts off a bit difficult and the combat doesn't seem very deep, intuitive, or... Fair, I guess. Hard mode is virtually impossible on your first playthrough, even for a veteran. Normal mode is really challenging too, but as you unlock more perks and upgrades, and get a better feel for the gameplay, you start to realize how deep it is, and how much you can do.

There's a series of 100 challenges you can do outside of the main game, like an arena-style game. It doesn't unlock much, and the missions are quite repetitive, but the final one has you running a boss gauntlet where you can't get hit twice in a row or it's game over. Only a game that's fair but challenging could pull off something like that.

For any beat'em-up fans, I can't recommend this game enough. It's criminally underrated.