Alrighty, this place has been kinda dead lately, so I'm actually going to start something.
Many people here have probably been playing games for a while, and at this point probably have a favorite game. Most people, including me, will go for recognizable names, like Mario, Zelda, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, etc.
However, there are a lot of games that slip under the radar that are just as good as these titles, and just didn't happen to have the marketing or previous fanbase to get a major following.
The point of the topic is the following: Nominate a game that you think is a forgotten gem that more people should try to play, and why. Go ahead and post screens or links that relate.
My nomination is Valkyrie Profile for the original Playstation.
Valkyrie Profile was made by Enix in the later years of the PSX, and released to good review. I actually got it because I needed another gift for Christmas and I like RPGs, so I stuck in on the list due to good reviews. I knew very little about what it was or about, except that it was a fantasy-style RPG. Needless to say, it was probably the best game I got that year.
Basically, the game is about as unique as it gets in the RPG world. The basic plot is that you are Lenneth Valkyrie, the Battle-Maiden, and you have to gather human souls to fight in a war of the gods. You go onto the overworld, and fly to various cities which the game points you to to recruit people in lengthy, interesting cutscenes. Afterwards, you go into dungeons to clear out monsters and level up your warriors abilities so that they are ready to go to Valhalla.
The game is in sidescrolling format when in towns or dungeons, and has really nice sprite-based graphics. I cannot convey the animation to you with screens, but it's flat-out gorgeous. To get the initiative in battle, you have to hit the enemy with your sword. You have a large jump and as as much control over your character as you would in a 2D platformer. The game also uses a sort of crystal shot to create actually interesting puzzles.
When you go into battle, it goes into a very well designed battle system that has no MP, instead relying on wasting turns for moves, and a really well thought out combo system for chaining hits, gaining your turns back and getting extra experience. To top it all off, the game has a brilliant ability system that works well at giving new abilities frequently enough to be entertaining, but not so much that you don't have time to use them.
The screenshots that follow were shamelessly lifted from http://www.rpgdreamer.com/noframes.html which I found in a quick Google image search. Remember that this is a Playstation game.
Sadly, this quality comes at a price. Since the game wasn't very popular in the states, not a huge amount of copies were made, and now go for a decent amount of money on eBay and other 2nd hand markets. Sorta depressing that many people will probably totally miss out on this true forgotten gem of the PSX.
Anyhow, as much as I enjoy being a ranting fanboy, I'm actually more interested in seeing _you_ be a ranting fanboy. It doesn't have to be nearly as long as mine, but I'd really like to see more than just a game name and a screenshot. I'm curious as to what games you all love that didn't really succeed, and maybe I'll try a few of them if they're up my alley.
Many people here have probably been playing games for a while, and at this point probably have a favorite game. Most people, including me, will go for recognizable names, like Mario, Zelda, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, etc.
However, there are a lot of games that slip under the radar that are just as good as these titles, and just didn't happen to have the marketing or previous fanbase to get a major following.
The point of the topic is the following: Nominate a game that you think is a forgotten gem that more people should try to play, and why. Go ahead and post screens or links that relate.
My nomination is Valkyrie Profile for the original Playstation.
Valkyrie Profile was made by Enix in the later years of the PSX, and released to good review. I actually got it because I needed another gift for Christmas and I like RPGs, so I stuck in on the list due to good reviews. I knew very little about what it was or about, except that it was a fantasy-style RPG. Needless to say, it was probably the best game I got that year.
Basically, the game is about as unique as it gets in the RPG world. The basic plot is that you are Lenneth Valkyrie, the Battle-Maiden, and you have to gather human souls to fight in a war of the gods. You go onto the overworld, and fly to various cities which the game points you to to recruit people in lengthy, interesting cutscenes. Afterwards, you go into dungeons to clear out monsters and level up your warriors abilities so that they are ready to go to Valhalla.
The game is in sidescrolling format when in towns or dungeons, and has really nice sprite-based graphics. I cannot convey the animation to you with screens, but it's flat-out gorgeous. To get the initiative in battle, you have to hit the enemy with your sword. You have a large jump and as as much control over your character as you would in a 2D platformer. The game also uses a sort of crystal shot to create actually interesting puzzles.
When you go into battle, it goes into a very well designed battle system that has no MP, instead relying on wasting turns for moves, and a really well thought out combo system for chaining hits, gaining your turns back and getting extra experience. To top it all off, the game has a brilliant ability system that works well at giving new abilities frequently enough to be entertaining, but not so much that you don't have time to use them.
The screenshots that follow were shamelessly lifted from http://www.rpgdreamer.com/noframes.html which I found in a quick Google image search. Remember that this is a Playstation game.
Sadly, this quality comes at a price. Since the game wasn't very popular in the states, not a huge amount of copies were made, and now go for a decent amount of money on eBay and other 2nd hand markets. Sorta depressing that many people will probably totally miss out on this true forgotten gem of the PSX.
Anyhow, as much as I enjoy being a ranting fanboy, I'm actually more interested in seeing _you_ be a ranting fanboy. It doesn't have to be nearly as long as mine, but I'd really like to see more than just a game name and a screenshot. I'm curious as to what games you all love that didn't really succeed, and maybe I'll try a few of them if they're up my alley.
