What's your favorite underrated game/s

Not sure if there was a topic for this, but here goes:

We've all come across masterpieces of game genres in our times, but what about the games that were overlooked by the big dogs, the minor, hidden gems we were fortunate to just bounce into and then suddenly thought it was the best game ever and wanted to see it through the end?

I've created this topic to share my personal findings of the minor games that didn't cater to everyone's tastes, but you thought it was so damn good, it held a special place in your gaming collection and deserved more recognition. I'm sure the gaming faction here must have a specific game that didn't get high in popularity, but was still well received because of its enjoyment value.

Here's an example out of my recent gaming experiences:

1) Lollipop Chainsaw: I didn't quite expect a game starring a blonde, chain toting cheerleader carrying around her boyfriend's head while killing zombies would appeal to me, but the more I played it, the more I got hooked to the black humor, the creative boss fights, it's high quality done English dubbed cast, and the soundtrack inspired me to get everything in it. It's not for everyone, but it's good if you like games for just having real fun in your spare time.

2) DarkSiders: At least THQ will be remembered for giving us this epic hack and slash game that takes adventuring and story telling on a whole new level. It was my first hack and slash PS3 game and I recall spending restless nights trying to deal with the challenging dungeons and puzzles. And it was three times the normal playing time than most other action games out there, I spent about six months on this game before I got the platinum, well worth it.

What's your favorite, yet not so popular game?

1) Red Steel 2
It's one of my favorite games of all time, I really don't understand why most people haven't played it.

2) Illusion of Gaia (SNES)
It's Zelda but better... No, seriously, it's Zelda but better.

3) Spec Ops: The Line
Everyone saw the cover of the game and thought it was just another generic shooting game, but there is something special and real under that generic cover.
I can't get to into depth, since saying anything about the game is pretty much a minor spoiler, but I can say this...
The game is about PTSD, and how much we've become detached from reality we've gotten in other modern day shooting games.


I'll keep up to date with this thread too, I'd love to see what peoples underrated gems are. I'll maybe even try one or two.

Edit - This topic has already been made before, but that's fine.

Gurumin, a Monstrous adventure. It was one of the most fun games Ive ever played on the PSP.

Whenever someone makes a top DS game list, not enough people mention Dragon Quest: Rocket Slime
also apparently Okami didn't sell too well but it's one of the best looking games i've ever played. pretty creative with the brush techniques as well. a little easy though.
some people talk about japanese freeware games such as Mad Father and Ib, but not enough people mention Irisu Syndrome, which is a pretty addicting puzzle game once you get the hang of it. not to mention it has some nice music.
Meteos was one of my favorite DS games, i freaking love Q Entertainment.
more people need to play Bastion.

although not underrated, i still dont get why people like Ocarina of Time more than Majora's Mask though.

I think the Atelier series is a bit underrated. Well, at least the Arland trilogy on the PS3. I haven't played any of the older PS2 ones.

The Grandia RPG Series are my favorite underrated games of all time & I've even beat Grandia II which is so hard for me to complete the game.

Shinobido: Way Of The Ninja

Skullgirls and Divekick.

Would the Etrian Odyssey series count? If so, then I choose that series. I second Spec Ops.: The Line. While I hate the genre, I love the story the game gives. As stated before, I'd love to experience the story again if it didn't mean going through the game.

Lost Odyssey, I feel many people didn't give this game a chance.

That game was rather frustrating. I recall two bosses: The bird fight shortly after you leave the first city, and the boss that holds the kid hostage around the end of the first disk. I only recall them due to how goddamn annoying they were to beat. It wasn't a bad game, but it's difficult as hell.

Rising Zan (cool action game), Heart of Darkness (fucking shadows and death traps), Covert Ops Nuclear Dawn (spy or cop vs terrorist in a moving train).

all of em are psx games (inb4 nostalgiafag)

Lost Odyssey i'm with you on it was so good one of the best RPG i have play.

i agree with this one, i really enjoyed playing that game but i feel not many people played it or even heard of it.

Though I haven't played any of Mistwalkers titles (haven't found any copies when I had money) I am a big fan of everything they do back to Final Fantasy before 2002.

I really want to play The Last Story, but I have to buy a WiiU.

As bad as the controls are Deadly Premonition.
Was an amazing story, felt like a game version of a Stephen King novel, Allen Wake.
Left me wishing for more character development but I still found Never Dead immersive.
Shining Force EXA was a warm hearted love story for me.
Despite all the cut scene complaints I very much enjoyed Xenosaga (cut scenes never bothered me).
The first Artelier Iris, I found everything about the game to be nothing but a crappy beta (test of a new engine). But the relationship between the main and the shop girl. Going through her optional back story, really moved me. I had not felt that strongly for a character in a really long time, and haven't for awhile since.
I enjoyed Phantom Crash a lot more than I did Armor Core, (I actually knew who was who here, could get attached to characters, and loved the music score).
Would love to play more games with female main characters, with a feel, like GRiMgRiMoire mc.
Not enough people talk about Dark Cloud 2, just was amazingly fun.
Custom Robo had a really great concept and was a lot of fun, I just wish the romantic relationship didn't leave me trolled.
Eternal Darkness another I never hear of.
Tales of Symphonia probably my "favorite" rpg of all times, I just couldn't guess "what happened next" and where it would lead.
Skies of Arcadia another of my "favorite" rpg's. A lot of my friends never even heard of it.
My friends didn't like it because it was a card game but I found Baten Kaitos story too be quite interesting (though best picks up halfway through).
Whiplash had ridiculously funny... Constantly interesting.
Don't know why they had to even resort to making Jet Set Radio Future free, but thanks to that I got to play a great game.



Loved, LOVED, 2. But 3 was... I liked the mom, till she dropped out... Then I lost interest.

God Hand. Forever and always.

My love for the Shadow Hearts series, no one I knew played it or even heard of it, one of my favorite ps2 games of all time yo.

Fester's quest on the NES. The overall impression of the game was that it's ass. It's so ass that even AVGN did a very negative review on it.

I loved that game as a kid. I played it to no end, I did daily speedruns for fun.

I very much wanted to play the first, the second though, I find the side diversions a little... boring (currently arrived in South America). I wouldn't mind the side diversions if it touched on character development more, especially between the male and female lead. (I have to find motivation to go back and finish the game.)

I admit that the third game had a very lame storyline, but the gameplay itself is enough for me to play it 4 times over, getting all them snaps and personal items was fulfilling for me.