I hate the term "underrated" because it seems to immediately start a war about how popular this or that game is and it ALWAYS leads back to popular series titles. So instead, let's talk about those games that you feel have been overlooked by fans of whatever genre they are a part of, and/or overshadowed by other video games for whatever reason. Games that are NOT a part of a popular series. Maybe they were released alongside a more anticipated title and forgotten about because of that, or compared unfavourably to more popular titles and derided for it despite being fantastic experiences in their own right. Games you loved but nobody else seems to have played...or at least, played and enjoyed as much as you did. The first one that springs to mind for me is Resonance of Fate. This was released in 2010, in the same release window as games like Nier and Final Fantasy XIII. It's not surprising that few people have played it, but I honestly enjoyed it more than the latter title and almost as much as the former - it had a unique and interesting steampunk setting, a fantastic battle system reminiscent of Valkyrie Profile, and an absolutely savage difficulty curve that made mastering the battle system extremely satisfying in the end. Hardly anyone has played Zettai Hero Project: Absolute Victory Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman, either...this is one I wish would get a Steam port, because this is a game that was made for Tokatsu/Power Rangers fans. It's probably the most hilarious NIS title I've ever played; the localisation is absolutely fantastic, and the gameplay is typically grindy and addicting. The spiritual successor, The Guided Fate Paradox, didn't fare much better...neither did the sequel to that, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum, but the less said about that little mess, the better.
Oh man, do I have stories to tell *pulls out scroll* Super Smash Bros Brawl: widley considered to be the worst game in the Smash Bros series, Brawl is criminally underrated. Brawl inrudced a lot to smash bros with foot stool combos and a lot of fan service, even branching out by bringing in solid snake and sonic the hedge hog. But the best part of brawl has to go to its story mode: Sub Space Emmissary. It was the ultimate crossover, bringing every Nintendo character together showing them fight,interact and everything. Infinity War being the ultimate cross over? Hold my beer: Sakurai Minecraft: This game is so poorly judged on the community alone. No one ever seems to talk about the solid gameplay. It’s just virtual legos but there’s nothing wrong with that. The game itself is fine and the community should be completely dismissed. Team Fortress 2: The game is not as popular as it used to be but has a good chunk of players. However, it’s not as appreciated as it is i the current day. The a god chunk of the community is divided and toxic however, there is the amazing part of the community I the form of artist, SFM animators, the community work shop participants, community server hosts, YouTube’s, Blapature Co, and many more.
Overlooked? I'll let you decide. Masterpieces? Definitely. LoZ The Minish Cap: When I got it, I thought it would be borderline canon and overall silly. What I got was perhaps the best top-down Zelda dungeon/puzzle experience I've ever had (better than Oracles, as good as Link Between Worlds), and a story and design that was strangely reminiscent of Twilight Princess, though a lot less gloomy It's my second or third favorite Zelda game today, behind Majora's Mask and tied with TP. Hyper Light Drifter: In a similar vein as Minish Cap in top-down Zelda games, except very very difficult from the start, and with a very gloomy design asthetic. I didn't get very far through it before I got too busy for it, but I absolutely want to start again and give it the time it deserves. It's on Steam, maybe also on the PSes or XBoxes. SpaceChem: It's a chemistry themed puzzle game for computer and tablets (probably better on tablet TBH). You don't need to know chemistry, you just need to have an idea of how many bonds a few atoms can form, and figure out how to program a virtual conveyor belt assembly line. It's easier than it sounds to figure out, but gets incredibly difficult toward the halfway point and the end. Salt and Sanctuary: Do you like playing side-scrolling Metroid, or Castlevania, or Mega Man X/0? Do you like the design and difficulty concepts of Dark Souls? Do you want those to be merged into one beautiful, ugly, tough-as-nails gaming experience to scratch all your itches? Give Salt and Sanctuary a try. It's, well, exactly what I just described. Be warned: it's very difficult, you can't pause, and you will die a lot, since the difficulty curve is always a bit above you.
