I am always on the lookout for games which flew under the radar. Maybe they are too old to be discovered by younger generations or suffered from bad PR or reviews. Maybe fate had no success in store for them, who can explain the bizarre ongoings in the game world ? I decided to create a list of games I found to be rather unknown and underappreciated by the gaming community, so that other players may discover and enjoy them as well. Some of these games are great, some feature interesting and rare concepts and some are just bizarre. For whatever reason these games got buried in the sands of time, I think they shoud not be forgotten.
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An incredibly deep and immersive RPG/Adventure mix which findes the perfect balance between building up and customize your character as well as following the dozens of storylines running through the moonlit nights. The stories vary from quiet fast-paced combat missions, stealthy infiltration missions and creepy ventures into a haunted hotel. A painfully underrated game.
In its day, Mad TV was not an underdog an is still held in high regard by many old school players. I recommend it because it remains highly playable and rewarding to this day. There hasn't been a game since which simulated the frenzy of working for a TV station, taking care of programming and advertising contracts. Juggling the responsibilites of a TV executive with your boss breathing down your neck is highly entertaining.
I feel really sad and bit angry when thinking about how bad some games did. Severance is one of those titles. Maybe the only game that ever pulled off creating a satisfying and exciting melee combat system, which is not the easiest to learn but the more rewarding once you managed it. The graphics (especially the lightmapping) are fantastic and still great to behold. There is not much of a story, but there is lots of detail in other areas to even that out. The game is also quite gory and features a sophisticated and realistic damage map system which makes the melee fighting even more intense. Multiple characters, different weapons, special abilites etc. add to the game's amazing quality.
A very unique and flavourful Golden Axe. Swap your karate gloves for mighty swords and axes. The players choose from three characters (warrior, dwarf, amazon) and stroll across a sidescrolling fantasy world filled with bald bad guys and all sorts of feist villains. The game has an unusal slow pace for fighting games which is definitely a plus because it supports the overall feel of medieval/fantasy melee combat. The game has fantastic graphics and the 2Player coop mode is great fun.
After Doom, the was an explosion of first person shooters or ego-shooters as they were called in the day. Most of them were average at best. Heretic is a fantastic game and oozes with theme and atmosphere. Instead of fighting nazi or undead, the player wields magic items and cast spells, fights familiars and mummies. The basic game structure resembles the standard FPS, yet the theme and overall fantasy feel push this game way above average.
Before Peter Molyneaux lost his magic touch, his game company Bullfrog fired out one amazing game after the other. Playability and unique themes made for great games. Magic Carpet is not exception. The premise is unique, pilot a flying carpet in a game world inspired by the Arabian Nights, wield spells, collect mana and erect buildings. A brilliant game which still fascinates me.
I will make an exception and recommend a franchise as well. Lemmings hit the game world like a Bomb and the mixture of perfectly polished playabilty and a very high cute factor make the Lemmings games (Lemmings 1&2, not the sequels) a highly rewarding journey. The difficulty increased slowly but steady but never hits a level which makes the game frustrating. The game is essentially a puzzle game, most of the levels can be solved in once specific fashion only. Usually, especially for later stages in the game, players will consequently use the trial and error system to figure out what to do. A fantastic series of games !
Not many games are controlled by the mouse only, at least no arcade/action games. Shufflepuck Cafe is one of those. Featuring hilarious artwork and graphics the game takes a place in a sleazy cafe where the player takes on all sorts of weird creatures and people in a game of shufflepuck. Great Fun !
One of the most unique puzzle games I have ever played. The core game design is very simple but the game offers loads of levels and a polished art style. The plays have to "lead" coloured marbles into the right slots. Once the player has gathered enough marbles of the same colour the slot explodes and the level is cleared. Yet, the game hurls more and more marbles at the player an you will have a hard time managing all the marbles and colours. Great Fun.
A shoot-em up sidescroller set in undefined futuristic era. The controls are great and the ability to fire in all directions, upwards, downwards etc. make this is very sophisticated and enjoyable shooter. There is a multitude of weapons which you can buy in between levels. The 2player coop modus is amazing.