Don't know many and this probably doesn't really count but Independence War 2 is never really mentioned when people talk about great space sims. Slightly buggy but really good.
@BoG: You kidding? Freedom Fighters has one of the most dedicated fanbases aside from Republic Commando, which also has a huge following waiting for a sequel. The two games almost ALWAYS show up on "Sequels we want" threads.
I played it, but I can't say i liked it much :/
@Jeust:
Glad to see another person on earth who remembers that game. Great gem overshadowed by AoE2 (also amazing) which was released months after. Shame, shame :(
Two games always spring to mind instantly whenever I see a topic like this. It's even worse that these go unheard of because they're not really that old.
This game still holds up extremely well mechanically, the combat can get very technical on higher modes.
The changes third person shooters have gone through make this seem really dated, but the powers are a ton of fun to use and give you a lot of freedom.
@Jeust: believe me I remember those. SO MANY HOURS OF ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORHOOD
strangely enough no one I have met has either known or played the original soulblade. Ive even know fans of the series that didnt realize it existed. This is a strange occurrence to me considering for all I know it was a big release.
@mfpantst: That's certainly a first, what didn't you like about Shadow of Rome?
I am mainly referring to the quality of the combat by the way, the stealth sections were annoying and the story was ok at best. But the combat was great.
@Jeust: believe me I remember those. SO MANY HOURS OF ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORHOOD
strangely enough no one I have met has either known or played the original soulblade. Ive even know fans of the series that didnt realize it existed. This is a strange occurrence to me considering for all I know it was a big release.
@blackbird415: Man, I remember Soulblade. I'm glad somebody mentioned it because one of my buddies loves Soul calibur and he was talking about "hey remember the first Soul Calibur?" and when I said "Yeah, Soulblade was pretty great." he had no idea what I was talking about.
@JokerSmilez: Hopped on this page specifically to see if anyone had mentioned The Adventures of Lolo. That game is badass - I was only five when we got it, and it was a little to tough for me at the time, but I remember watching my dad play it for hours on end. The music is burned into my brain. As is the horror of getting instantly stabbed to death by those fucking medusa heads.
A game with a strange, almost feminist angle. You play a little girl with a sort of possessed scarf that can grab and stretch anything in the environment. Your sisters have been turned into bizarre exaggerated creatures and you have to fight through a world of weird big-breasted women to save them. You attack by pulling on things and allowing them to snap back.
Bizarre side-scrolling platformer in which you play as Chuck D. Head, a sort of headless mummy with a set of eyes in the middle of his chest. Your primary weapon is your severed head.
Something of a product of the Tomogachi/Furby craze, you raise a series of smartass talking animals with disturbing human faces as they evolve from "mushroomers" into a frog form. You have to have the DC mic for this one and there is little interaction beyond talking to him and feeding him moth larvae you raise in a nearby cage. Leonard Nimoy greets you as you enter each session of the game. There was a sequel where Seaman returns as a seagull and helps you raise a caveman, but I never played that one.
Probably my favorite rhythm game ever. You must rock out on the guitar in competition with diaper-clad demons, alien invaders and black elvis impersonators in bee costumes. Made even funnier by how incredibly self-depricating the protagonist is throughout the game.
Sort of has a Harvest Moon vibe but more fantastic. You live on a farm and have to go through a series of levels herding little chickens and other animals into pens before these big pink bear things can eat them. Though the gameplay leaves a little to be desired, the art and animation are astounding.
A caveman simulator. Hunt and explore different climates. Make sure your people reproduce and as you become more intelligent your weapons and skills are more refined. The ultimate goal of the game is to build a totem of mammoth bones.
You are a reporter on an artificial island that is sinking into the ocean after an earthquake. You have to keep moving to the high ground while avoiding aftershocks and finding clean water. It's like Silent Hill with the zombies and fog swapped out with a natural distster. The coding is messy and the framerate often drags, but a great concept and worthwhile game. Ubisoft is apparently working on a similar game using the Assassin's Creed Engine for 2009.
Spend a season terrorizing the Yamada family as a pesky mosquito. This is mini-stealth. Drain as much blood as you can without getting swatted. Create distractions whenever possible and don't get too violent with the sucking.
This is one of my favorite games ever and it's one of the few I can recommend from the boom of Myst-style cd-rom PC games. Based on Japanese folktales, You navigate through a demon haunted Kyoto where you are forced to make moral decisions and avoid danger. This is probably one of the first true sandbox games. You are never forced into a linear storyline, but events are triggered when you reach certain locations. You can die easily, but that's not the end. Depending on your decisions, You end up in various levels of hell where you can navigate back to reincarnation. I'd love a current-gen remake of this one.
Anyone who thought the look and feel of Parappa were unusual should see how much further these games take simple art and musical gameplay. I wish so bad there had been an American release of these games.
You play a girl with a history of abuse that has to find her lost friends in a horror theme park by entering attractions alone. You don't fight much but have to watch your senses on meters at the top of the screen and if you see, smell or hear anything you can brace yourself for a scare. Upon failure to brace yourself, your heart rate rises and you eventually pass out or die. To protect yourself, you can upgrade your organs and senses with cyber-replacements as you advance in the game. On top of it all, when you get hurt you gush impossible amounts of blood.
@Aus_azn: I played it in the arcade where they called it souledge. Saved up money to buy the PlayStation version. Didnt have an allowance so I scrounged for every quarter I could find for a month. Payed all in quarters at the local target.
Space Megaforce, The Combatribes, Demon's Crest, Dragon's Fury/Devil Crush, Rock 'n Roll Racing, Crusader of Centy, The Thunderforce Series (a favorite among Genesis fans, I don't hear other people say much about it though), Wonder Boy in Monster World (Dynastic Hero), Ristar. . .
Two games always spring to mind instantly whenever I see a topic like this. It's even worse that these go unheard of because they're not really that old.
This game still holds up extremely well mechanically, the combat can get very technical on higher modes.
The changes third person shooters have gone through make this seem really dated, but the powers are a ton of fun to use and give you a lot of freedom.
@Jeust: Zombies was a great game, played the life out of it (ha).
I'd say Skies of Arcadia Legends, since its only been on DC and GC, lots of people still have never touched them (a shame, I hate remakes but this title could use one).
The Shadow Hearts series has always been rather underrated in my opinion. Fantastic RPG's and the judgement ring system really adds some interesting flavor to the battles and buying items.
Shining Force 3 for the Saturn (people might remember this, but it is still awesome)
Dragon Force for the Saturn
Another shout out for Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Iron Storm for the Saturn
Vanguard Bandits for the PSX
That's all I can think of now, but I have really enjoyed reading through some of these lists. There were some great PSX and PC games I had forgotten about.
Two games always spring to mind instantly whenever I see a topic like this. It's even worse that these go unheard of because they're not really that old.
This game still holds up extremely well mechanically, the combat can get very technical on higher modes.
The changes third person shooters have gone through make this seem really dated, but the powers are a ton of fun to use and give you a lot of freedom.
Fucking sublime games. I recently played through Shadow of Rome again and it's still really accessible and fun. I laughed out loud all over again when I unlocked the Gorilla skin for Agrippa too!
Psi Ops always brings me back to Second Sight; those two were like the inFAMOUS/Prototype compatible duo of the last generation. I preferred Psi Ops considerably, though I really enjoyed Second Sight for its cool conspiracy storyline and those clay-like character models that Crytek games were known for. Too bad none of 'em didn't even lead into a single sequel. Psi Ops in particular I had my hopes for since that motherfucker ended on a terribly abrupt cliff hanger.
I suppose the Fear Effect games are fairly unknown in this day because of them only existing on the PS1; almost had a sequel for the ps2, though that was cancelled. Certainly not the most obscure, but I always like bringing them up just to give them a little extra exposure :P
@JTB123: Actually I never played it. I remember considering buying it and hearing everything you listed except the combat being great. if that's true then I'm sad I missed it.
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