The Six Best Video Games Not Enough Of You Have Played

I think we are at a point in the evolution of video games where it isn’t hard to tell what games are going to be successful and which ones are going to fail. Much like pop radio, the stuff that gets most consumed is the stuff that gets most shoveled at the masses. You have  big name companies that hype up  their big name games, and the result of that can be the good games that come out in between the bigger titles becoming obsolete almost immediately.

No one is surprised when a Halo game makes millions, but what about all the great games that slip through the cracks every year? Here are six games that span my lifetime of gaming, that I felt were robbed of the credit they deserved. Thanks to Gamefly, the “used” bin, and download services, most of you can find these gems for a few dollars now.  THAT is money well spent.

MediEvil: Playstation

What seems generic today once screamed to me. Perhaps I was the generic one all along.

They say everyone has that perfect old flame. That one love they never got over. For me, that one love is Medievil for the original Playstation.

Don’t get me wrong, there were many games I adored before Medievil (The Legend of Zelda was the first game I was ever obsessed with) but for me, Medievil came to me at a perfect point in my life. From the dark humor, to the Tim Burton-esque graphics and level design, for me, it was a perfect storm of gaming. I loved every single thing about it. Especially this:

I still consider this one of my favorite boss fights of all time.

The real reason I think I loved that one scene so much was because I think, even back then, I knew what it was an homage to:

Young Sherlock Holmes, motherf*ckers!

I would play this game with all the giddiness of a child. And then, when I would talk to my friends, no one had played it. Not “no one” as in three people. Literally. no one. I was TRYING to lend it to people, just so we could talk about it. So why didn’t I go onto internet forums or chat rooms and talk about it with other fans? On the internet?? You think that thing is gonna stick around??

The game has since spawn a sequel or two, which tells me it was much more beloved than I thought, but I never played anything after part 1. It was like I knew I couldn’t recreate that magic, so I didn’t even try.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron: Xbox 360

I feel slightly stupid writing the name of this game out, and as I did right now I knew why, that was the games downfall. If ever a title screamed “This game is going to be pretentious”, it is El Shaddai. And God forbid you look up what the game is about. No, really, God forbid. This game is a one button action game that is based around The Book of Enoch. I realize I may have just said what sounded like the worst pitch for a game ever. Now, between the game and its heavy themes, I can see why no one played it.

Visually, the game is on a level all by itself. Wow, my wordplay knows no limits.

Also, it is super weird and somewhat gay. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but a truthful way. Your main character loses pieces of armor (to near naked) as he fights other (all male) angels, who have flowing locks and all look like a mix between Fabio and Chris Hemsworth. If Xbox Live is any indication of the demographic that buys games, than this game  never had a chance.  But for those who missed it, you missed a game with an ever-changing visual style, an INSANE (but compelling) story, an extremely odd and creative narrative, and a level with a TRON bike.

You really have NO idea what you are in for, level to level, with this game.

Seriously. So homophobes and hate-filled kids are really missing out. This game is mind melting good time. It also has some of the deepest and most layered one-button combat I have ever played.

I mentioned the naked angels already, right?

Shadows of the Damned

I know some people just don’t have the necessary attitude to love a Suda51 game. But I tend to feel bad for those people. Juts like exploitation cinema from the seventies (I spit on your corpse and pee on your grave, and then sh*t on your dinner table: A revenge film!) there is an undeniable cheesy awesomeness to this man’s games. Shadows of the Damned had so many great references and juvenile jokes, and it played like the heir to Resident Evil 4. So what is there NOT to love?

Worth purchasing for all the dick jokes and the awesome Evil Dead homage, alone. Yes, there is an Evil Dead themed level (which, I could be so bold to say it s Cabin in the Woods level) and for fans of the original Sam Raimi flick, it is a true joy to play through. Well, joy and panic.

Hail to the thief, baby. I just made a Radiohead AND an Evil Dead reference.

There is a cool light/darkness  mechanic to this game that makes it an absolute blast to play. You can’t actually hurt the creatures when it is light, you have to find this weird goat-head lamp and shoot it in the face to make it dark, THEN you can kill the creatures. The actual act of finding the goat head is not easy, though, and in later levels it adds a cool puzzle element to the fighting.

Plus, dick jokes. Dick jokes and naked angels. Wow, I am keeping it classy today.

Battle For Olympus: Nintendo

I will now show you my descent into nerdom, with a pivotal moment in my life.

It is 1989. I am a very young nerd, already wrapped up in gaming to avoid the pratfalls of daily life. I figure out, on my own, that there is a trick to beating the Hydra boss in Battle of Olympus for the NES. The trick boiled down to terrible programming on the designers part, but it didn’t matter. I wrote to EGM. I told them you stand at the edge of the water and slash repeatedly, and the hydra will come up into your blade everytime.

Thing is, they published me. I was just a kid and they published my tip. That, my friends, is called foreshadowing.

To a nerd kid, that is about as awesome and seeing a Unicorn. Or a boob. Or a Unicorn with one boob for a horn.

The game may have seemed like a crappy Zelda knockoff to some, but to me, it was so much more. I felt like it was a mashup of Castlevania and Zelda, and I loved every second of it. Plus, who was fighting the hydra WAY before Kratos? Yup, that’s right:

Look at all the God of War bosses in this Nintendo game. Also, features PASSWORDS!

Perhaps, it is looking back and seeing it in that light (my name is a video game magazine!?!) that casts the game an advantageous edge, but I believe it to be a multitude of things. Ultimately, it was a a much easier version of Zelda 2. To me, it was like playing a version of Zelda 2 that did not reduce me to tears from its sickening difficulty. Yet, no one played it.

Why? Also, anyone who feels compelled to tell me that God of War didn’t rip this game off, and BOTH are based off Greek mythology, go crawl into a corner and die, quietly.

Thanks.

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51 Comments

  1. Oh man, my neighbor had Karnov when we were kids and we would play that to death. Looking back, it’s ridiculously hard, and the game gives you NO help on what to do with the all the crap you acquire as you play. There are seriously 20 or so items and icons you can get, and I’m convinced half of them don’t actually do anything.

    Oh, and MediEvil FTW. That game was great. Did you ever play Maximo?

  2. My RPG loving ass did feel a little left out, so I’m going to throw some underrated RPG titles at you.

    Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn): Best game I’ve ever played on every level. Innovative as hell.

    Grandia 1 (Playstation) &2 (Dreamcast): Under the radar due to the boyners and girlners everyone had for Final Fantasy.

    Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast and Gamecube): Awesome art style, with fun unpretentious characters. One of the coolest RPG worlds I’ve ever been in.

    Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii): One of 2 awesome RPG’s flying under the radar right now during the Wii’s Swan song. Over 200 hours of gameplay with a real time, kick ass battle system. Play this game! It has the biggest world I’ve ever seen in a console RPG.

    The Last Story (Wii): Again flying under the radar because it’s on a dying console. What Final Fantasy should’ve been like for the last decade.

  3. I never really got that much into Medievil but I have to back you up on Enslaved and Darkwatch. I bought Enslaved just right after I played the demo because it looked amazing and the controls were awesome, Monkey is really cool to control. It was also at 15 bucks on Amazon when I bought it so its the third cheapest gam I have bought at Amazon (Alpha Protocol was $9.50, sucha steal, btw thats another great game which not many people played, its hell of fun although it does have its issues but its pretty enjoyable.

    Darkwatch was damn fun, i didnt know it was really that overlooked, but I bought it just because I had this pahse during the ps2 era where I liked to play loads of FPS mostly because back then they actually developed FPS which were fun and great in single player or just had single player altogether, these days everything is about the multiplayer crap which I hate.

    Also, good to hear about Shadows of the Damned. A coworker has been talking about it non stop since it came out since he wanted to get it really bad since he is a Suda 51 nut but all I have read are bad reviews, now I wonder if i should give it a shot (its cheap as hell on Amazon)

  4. El Shaddai might be one of the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever played. The original idea is great : trying to make the graphical most bizarre game out here. But the gameplay is just terrible, the dialog is ridiculous, the characters make me wanna puke, and finally, the graphics are just boring. It has his good moments, but overall, I still have nightmares just thinking of it.

    Want the good version of this game ? Try Nier.

  5. Eff yeah, Enslaved! I’ve been touting this game as horribly underrated for a couple years now. People have been telling me to shut up about it, in fact. So glad to have even more games to try out and possibly annoy my fellow gamers with. El Shaddai looks especially intriguing to me (as does Nier, I suppose, after reading Danny’s comment).

    And hey Caleb K, I’m so with you on Xenoblade Chronicles! I’m planning a piece on Wii games that includes that particular gem, as a matter of fact.

  6. @Penny, that game has a cult following like few others, and did not belong here, but great game regardless.
    @thenottakenname, hahaha, exactly!
    @Patrick, not sure my heart could handle seeing him rendered that beautifully.
    @DocDoom, funny you ask that, Maximo ALMOST made the list, but I trimmed it because my twitchy hands could not beat it..hahaha
    @Caleb, you get a hundred points for making me scream SKIES OF ARCADIA out loud just now, that is one of my all-time faves. Sky pirates for the win.
    @monchofos, Monkey is DEFINITELY one of the coolest (and most evolving) characters in gaming, and I kinda had one of those pathetic nerd crushes on Trip, I won’t lie.
    @Danny, heard a lot of good things about Nier and I have to give that game a shot, and I do hear you about El Shaddai, but to me, the visuals make the game worth it, hands down (come on, the stained glass window levels???? Amazing)
    @Sara, not surprised you know and love that game. Trip and Monkey for Halloween???? lol
    @Cody, just glad someone else played it, no sweat!

  7. Oooh – a million thumbs up for Lost Odyssey. I absolutely LOVE that game!
    I’ve never met another gamer who even knew what it was, but I adore it, to the point where I’m saved just outside the final big boss fight but I don’t want to go in and beat him because then the game will be over.

  8. @Remy
    Cant blame you, Trip is ridiculously cute in the game, and actually kinda has of a cool personality, she is sort of a damsel in distress but not really and she shows much character, and I really liked her voice, matter of fact, thats one of the top things for the game, they really kicked ass with the voice acting, even Pigsy. Its a nicely written game with a lot of fun in between and it also looks gorgeous. I played when I still had a tube telly and even in it the visuals were striking.

  9. I think NieR deserves at least an honorable mention. Sure, the game play could have been better (and hard mode a lot easier, fucking 30 minute boss fights Q.Q). But honestly, this game has as a plot at least on par with any Final Fantasy you can name and infinitely better delivery than all of them. The music was amazing (what do you expect from SE after all?), and simply enchanting. The characters were all very likable (not a single one I didn’t like, including minor characters), and fit together beautifully.

    Yes, there are WAY too many sidequests, but honestly they’re not like most games where they add nothing to the characters or story. You actually get to see a little bit of depth added in the sidequests. I can honestly say it is the best JRPG/Action RPG I have ever played, and probably ever will. I admit it had flaws that take away from it, but its strengths are right where they should be. The game almost feels like an interactive movie at times and almost brought me to tears a few times. I highly recommend everyone checks it out! You will not be disappointed from beginning to end!

  10. Hahahahahahahaha, Enslaved is fucking terrible. Everything NT has ever made has been terrible and the gaming industry would be better if LESS people played them.

    And the list is shit in general. They’re not all bad games, but there are far better obscure titles than these.

  11. @Mr. Right: I was going to argue with you, but your name suggests that I would be merely be wrong. So, alas. . . .

    I really liked Enslaved, though. And Shadows of the Damned. I bought both of them BRAND new, too. If I’d only known how quickly they’d go cheap. . .anyway, Remy, I’ll be sure to try every single one of these games now because our tastes are clearly similar.

  12. WOW…Enslaved and Shadows of the damned!? Both of thoses games are extremley boring. also, saying “People didn’t like this game, because people didn’t “get” this game.” Is infuriatingly pretentious

  13. Ugh, Enslaved is absolutely awful. I gave up on the game after the first couple of boss fights, and I realized I spent more time fighting the crappy camera system then the actual boss. The story might have gotten a lot better and I did enjoy the voice acting and the cinematics, but the actual game mechanics were pretty shit. But, then, the game was made by Ninja Theory, so what do you expect? Which is exactly why I never understood why Capcom chose them to make their new DMC game. Tight gameplay and controls are not exactly their forte.

  14. I really liked Tsugunai: Atonement for the PS2. It was my first real taste of an RPG. Kind of gave up though when I wasn’t a high enough level to beat the last boss and it was taking a boat-load of time to GET higher. (although in reality, I probably just sucked at killing the boss). Also, it had a unique form of turn-based fighting, where you could block or counter if you hit the button at the exact right time. It was tough to get just right. It had a nice story line too.
    Also, Shadow of Destiny for the Ps2 was cool. I never actually played it, but the game was short enough to watch my fiancee play the game all the way through. It was a game about changing your fate – gong back into the past so that you can save yourself from being stabbed to death, and it has several different endings. Watching it, I got frustrated the same way Homer Simpson did in the toaster episode where he decided to smash up all the bugs and kill the dinosaurs because there was no way he WASN’T going to change the future lol

  15. So just console games then?

    Some PC suggestions:

    Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
    Grim Fandango
    Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
    Outcast

  16. This piece could have been subtitled, Enslaved haters, aim your hatred at ME!
    @ Charlie, well played, made me laugh again.
    To everyone else, thanks for reading regardless.
    @Nick
    (and everyone else) Do you see how Nick just asked me that? He did so in a manner that indicated I left out PC games, but he did so with class. Nick, good call, I will have to do a follow up list with PC games (I loved Bloodline and thought I was the only one..Huzzah to that!)
    And lastly,
    @Stone,
    In hindsight, I actually agree with you the “pretentious” comment, but that was not my intention when I wrote that.
    My bad.

  17. If your looking for unappreciated games you need to check out Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem on Gamecube it one of the darkest carziest games i ever played it actually messes with you head i love it and also for Ps1 Eternal Eyes it in the styles of Final Fantasy tactics but is a thousand times better theese are truly unappreciated

  18. While I defiantly agree with some that Psychonauts should be high on the list… I am gonna go with the best… The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Or, even more obscure, Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain! My favorite game series ever! You play these games for the dialogue, story and ATMOSPHERE! .. oh and the gameplay is fun too.

  19. I can’t believe you left out ‘Vanquish’. That’s one of the funnest games I’ve ever played, and it didn’t get anywhere NEAR the attention it deserved.

  20. El Shaddai is not a 360 exclusive you sheep. It’s not a good look trying to promote obscure games while failing to mention them being on more than the mainstream “My 12 year old son wants me to buy him this console because he saw a kid on TV playing COD with it” console.

    And Enslaved blows, just like all Ninja Theory games. Stop trying to get more people to play it, if anything TOO many people have already played it. Maybe if it bombed they could’ve gone out of business before Capcom let them rape DMC.

  21. Karnov is one of those “Oh yeah, I forgot I beat that game” games. It wasn’t the hardest NES game but one of the weirder ones for sure. It seems like the 1st generation consoles were the cambrian explosion of video game archetypes. Things were still being figured out so a lot of game styles that didn’t pan out were attempted. Even predictable 2D sidescroll platforms incorporated experimentation you don’t see now with every game these days being a MUST BE blockbuster there’s no room for risk. Older games aren’t just great because they are great. They are great because of their variety.

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