Lesser-known video games that are on par with their mainstream counterparts

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Sonnarkku

Obamasnow Fan-- With a Hat
(I hope this doesn't end up mistaken for a Forum game)

Well, the idea of this topic is to tell your preferences on a lesser-popular video game series that equal bigger, more cliché and mainstream titles:

You say Mario, I say Sonic.

You say Final Fantasy, I say Eternal Eyes.

You say Street Fighter, I say Soul Calibur.

You say Megaman, I say Gunstar Heroes.

You say Castlevania, I say Medievil.

You say Grand Theft Auto, I say Mercenaries.

You say Halo, I say Unreal Tournament.
 
Okay, I seriously do not get what you're asking people to do. Do you mean one person says one game and the next just says a game they think is equivalent? Or are you telling people to just list some mainstream game they thing is on par with some lesser known title?

I think it goes without saying that the former would get this topic locked, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here.
 
I'm pretty sure he means the latter, he just packaged it into a forum-game-like format. I've seen these kind of "You say X, I say Y" things as top-rated comments on Youtube, and they're incredibly obnoxious. This thread should be okay as long as you give reasons for your choices. Don't just go "You say Minecraft, I say Terraria" and leave it at that.

Oh, and I also renamed the thread to something more fitting. Hope I got it right. If not, feel free to tell me.
 
I'm not sure if you can really call most of the games on your list 'lesser known', most of those seem pretty mainstream to me.
 
This makes some sense, in fact. At least after it got a bit of an edit.

So... in such fashion, I'll try and do it.

You say Gradius, I say Blazing Star

Gradius's a fairly difficult shmup, and I respect it. However, Blazing Star's a wicked arcade shmup available for the SNK Neo-Geo, and while graphics are not the best comparison, the gameplay speaks for itself. IIRC, Gradius seems to work on a weapon-selective sort of system, letting you switch to the weapon you suddenly unlock. (Personally, I didn't care enough for Gradius) Maybe I prefer Blazing Star because it's less difficult? I'm not sure. If you've not played, grab a MAME emulator and find that Neo-Geo rom. You shouldn't be too disappointed.

You say Mario Kart Wii, I say ModNation Racers.

I can explicitly state that this is not coming from my inner sonyfag, MKWii is utterly disappointing. At this point, it's just pretty much the basis of "DRIFT WELL, GRAB ITEMS, BLUE SHELL BLUE SHELL, GOLDEN MUSHROOM" which has become a complete nuisance. Meanwhile, ModNation Racers works on a "leveling" item system, to let you shoot quick, or shoot heavy. The drift mechanics feel easier (of course that could be me never learning how to drift in MK64 and thus, I'm not used to the mechanic all that well) and frankly, the ability of variety in MDR makes it a great pick. Of course, Trackmania got a Wii release, and it's pretty good. Nonetheless, I prefer MDR. With customization, a great fanbase, and what I find to be better gameplay, it may be a hit-n-miss based on what you grew up with, i.e. Mario Kart, but I love it, and my satisfaction to sideswipe Batman as Canti from FLCL never ceases to make me laugh.

You say Call of Duty, I say Battlefield.

Could be I'm a bit claustrophobic or something, but I can't seem to enjoy CoD all that well. Either I'm getting wallhacked, or I can't react fast enough to cap someone's face with a SPAS-12 before they let off the shot with a G36C. Battlefield feels better because it's got an open world to it, and it's multiplayer aspects are amazing. I don't understand it, but I can see enemies so much easier in Battlefield than I can in CoD. I do like the multiplayer schem that MW3 has, maybe more than Black Ops. Regardless, Battlefield's just a better play for me.

I realize I didn't really talk through with obscure titles, but hey, I participate at least.
 
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You say Sonic, I say Klonoa.

Yeah, we all know that Sonic gets games released year after year, often with mixed results. One video game franchise that's definitely been out of the mainstream for some time now is the Klonoa franchise. He did get a game on the Wii a few years back, but that title was a remake of the first Klonoa game on PS1, which is a masterpiece IMO. I've always liked the fact that the console games were always in a 2.5D perspective, and pretty much every one of his games seem to feature a good bit of puzzle solving (especially the GBA games). If you haven't played or even heard of Klonoa, I'd definitely check those games out.
 
((Sorry if my grammar and spelling are bad)
You say GTA I say Jet Set (Grind) Radio (Future)...

They are both based on gangs fighting, and they both have major rivaliries, and a big gang war. Jet Set has got waaayyy better music, and rollerbaldes, while GTA has more violence and more vehicles. Jet Set can be just as fun, and the story line gets in depth with only a narrator talking. JSR also has more of a Tony Hawk skater feel on gameplay such as doing tricks for points and grinding. It's a really awsome game franchise, even if there's only 2 major ones (JSR and JSR future) and 2 spin-offs (Jet Grind Radio (A remake of the orignal, with more music and an extra level and JSR GBA which is a port for the GBA that's not half bad), they are for the Dreamcast and the orignal Xbox.
 
You say Minecraft, I say Terraria.

Yes, I know Terraria is 2D and Minecraft is 3D, and they're completely different gameplay wise. But they both still fit into the genre of mining and slowly progressing onto better items. Which is why I feel the need to compare the two anyway.

Minecraft is fun, but it feels like "more of a toy than a game," (as Game Informer calls it) which honestly isn't my type of game. Sure, survival mode is a lot better compared to what it used to be back in Alpha, but the game still feels like it's missing something. The Nether feels incomplete, especially for something that serves as an alternate dimension. The combat is mediocre at best, (don't even get me started on the Enderdragon, definitely not worth the effort to beat) and it gets boring. Admiring people's creations and exploring popular servers, however, is a blast, but like I said, it just isn't my type of game.

Terraria, on the other hand, is MUCH deeper compared to Minecraft, and actually feels more like a complete game. It has eight unique bosses, (the first three are okay, but after the Wall of Flesh it gets quite intense) LOTS of things to make, (whether they're highly useful or just for decoration) many tough enemies to fight, and an overall more satisfying combat system. Of course though, the game does have its problems (the beginning is pretty boring, some items are a major pain to get, etc.) but for me, the pros completely outweigh the cons. One thing that irritated me in Minecraft was having to look up on the wiki every two seconds on how to craft all of the items, which ones are good, which ones are bad, etc (lol golden weapons and armor). Most of these problems don't exist in Terraria, which has its own guide NPC that, well, guides you as you slowly progress the game. He also shows you what items can craft with whatever object you show him. Crafting itself is not much of a hassle, either, since you don't have to worry about placing certain items on certain parts of the grid, but instead you can scroll down a list of what items can be crated with whatever you have now. It makes crafting much easier and way less frustrating. Terraria also lets you choose your own path. You can be more of a melee-type person, with stronger melee damage and more defence, or you can focus more on ranged, which gives you more weapon damage, less defense, and less chance of using up ammo. The mana type focuses more on increasing your mana, giving more damage to magic weapons, but gives you the least defence. Or, you know, you can just mix it all up in your own way. Did I mention how many weapons this game has? It has the basic swords, and bows, but it also has guns, spears, magic weapons, explosives, flails, repeaters, and boomerangs. The game has NPCs that sell cool items, vanity items, much more potions, random special events that occur, a larger number of enemies, rocket boots, grappling hooks, floating islands, corrupted lands, statues that do special things or are just decorative, etc. Just... watch this video to see what exactly I'm talking about here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azq5IOrFtEI

If you ever play the game though, and you're just starting it, just be sure to start off in softcore mode. Just, don't play it on any other game mode, seriously, unless if you're up for a HUGE challenge. Anything harder than softcore mode drops all of your items when you die, and trust me, you're going to die a lot if you're a beginner.

Now since this post is obviously getting way too long, I'm just gonna sum it all up by saying that Terraria is a DEEP, DEEP game. It's also pretty cheap on Steam, (only 10 US dollars, I got it during a sale for 2.50!) and it just takes what Minecraft has, but adds a hundred times the amount content, and basically improves most of Minecraft's problems.

Quick Edit: Keep in mind that I don't necessarily hate Minecraft, and I'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, either. Terraria is just simply the kind of game I prefer over Minecraft.
 
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You say <Diablo clone here>, I say Darkspore.

Darkspore is Maxis' attempt at a hack&slash. Everyone thought they were silly trying that, but it turned out pretty awsome. It's basicly the best Hack&Slash in spaaceeeee game you can find. A lot of people say it sucks because of some bugs, and not getting certain items up until later stages, but I like it. I have to admit that Maxis doesn't seem to care about it anymore, not fixing some major bugs, but once you get past editing your hero and actually landing on a planet with a party, you can experience's the game. Up to 4 people with a squad of 3 heroes each rampaging through a planet killing everything in sight while getting catalyst upgrades, items to customize heroes (It does use a shadw of Spore's creature creator, after all) and much more.

someone give me a name of a known mmo game so i can post about how awsome Spiral Knights is
 
You say Minecraft, I say Terraria.

Yes, I know Terraria is 2D and Minecraft is 3D, and they're completely different gameplay wise. But they both still fit into the genre of mining and slowly progressing onto better items. Which is why I feel the need to compare the two anyway.

Minecraft is fun, but it feels like "more of a toy than a game," (as Game Informer calls it) which honestly isn't my type of game. Sure, survival mode is a lot better compared to what it used to be back in Alpha, but the game still feels like it's missing something. The Nether feels incomplete, especially for something that serves as an alternate dimension. The combat is mediocre at best, (don't even get me started on the Enderdragon, definitely not worth the effort to beat) and it gets boring. Admiring people's creations and exploring popular servers, however, is a blast, but like I said, it just isn't my type of game.

Terraria, on the other hand, is MUCH deeper compared to Minecraft, and actually feels more like a complete game. It has eight unique bosses, (the first three are okay, but after the Wall of Flesh it gets quite intense) LOTS of things to make, (whether they're highly useful or just for decoration) many tough enemies to fight, and an overall more satisfying combat system. Of course though, the game does have its problems (the beginning is pretty boring, some items are a major pain to get, etc.) but for me, the pros completely outweigh the cons. One thing that irritated me in Minecraft was having to look up on the wiki every two seconds on how to craft all of the items, which ones are good, which ones are bad, etc (lol golden weapons and armor). Most of these problems don't exist in Terraria, which has its own guide NPC that, well, guides you as you slowly progress the game. He also shows you what items can craft with whatever object you show him. Crafting itself is not much of a hassle, either, since you don't have to worry about placing certain items on certain parts of the grid, but instead you can scroll down a list of what items can be crated with whatever you have now. It makes crafting much easier and way less frustrating. Terraria also lets you choose your own path. You can be more of a melee-type person, with stronger melee damage and more defence, or you can focus more on ranged, which gives you more weapon damage, less defense, and less chance of using up ammo. The mana type focuses more on increasing your mana, giving more damage to magic weapons, but gives you the least defence. Or, you know, you can just mix it all up in your own way. Did I mention how many weapons this game has? It has the basic swords, and bows, but it also has guns, spears, magic weapons, explosives, flails, repeaters, and boomerangs. The game has NPCs that sell cool items, vanity items, much more potions, random special events that occur, a larger number of enemies, rocket boots, grappling hooks, floating islands, corrupted lands, statues that do special things or are just decorative, etc. Just... watch this video to see what exactly I'm talking about here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azq5IOrFtEI

If you ever play the game though, and you're just starting it, just be sure to start off in softcore mode. Just, don't play it on any other game mode, seriously, unless if you're up for a HUGE challenge. Anything harder than softcore mode drops all of your items when you die, and trust me, you're going to die a lot if you're a beginner.

Now since this post is obviously getting way too long, I'm just gonna sum it all up by saying that Terraria is a DEEP, DEEP game. It's also pretty cheap on Steam, (only 10 US dollars, I got it during a sale for 2.50!) and it just takes what Minecraft has, but adds a hundred times the amount content, and basically improves most of Minecraft's problems.

Quick Edit: Keep in mind that I don't necessarily hate Minecraft, and I'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, either. Terraria is just simply the kind of game I prefer over Minecraft.

I personally dislike Terraria. I play Minecraft because it lets me be creative. Terraria, not so much. However, that's just my personal opinion. I'm sure you have a lot of fun playing Terraria.
 
I personally dislike Terraria. I play Minecraft because it lets me be creative. Terraria, not so much. However, that's just my personal opinion. I'm sure you have a lot of fun playing Terraria.

Yeah, whichever game you prefer all depends on what kind of game you're more interested in. Minecraft focuses on creativity, with less adventure, and Terraria is kind of the opposite, though it is possible to build anything you want in Terraria, it's just more limited in 2D.
 
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You say Sonic, I say Aero the Acrobat. Well, 2, anyway.

Hold on, hold on, hear me out. Yes, Aero is a Sonic ripoff. They don't do a very good job of hiding that. But unlike any other mascot platformer ever made, like say, Bubsy, Socket, Awesome Possum, etc, it's actually a pretty decent game.

For one thing, Aero doesn't move all THAT fast compared to Sonic, so there's a lot less ramming straight into enemies and such. Unlike other lesser mascots, Aero doesn't have to jump directly onto enemies to kill them, something which doesn't really work with other, faster Sonic clones. He can do a spin attack either upward or downward, which, while it doesn't give you full protection like the Spin Jump, works about as well.

It's not AMAZING, no, but it doesn't deserve to be lumped anywhere close to stuff like Bubsy.

aero2c.png


Also, it's really, REALLY good looking for a SNES/Genesis game. I don't think 2D ever got this good until Rayman.

Also, you say Street Fighter/Darkstalkers/Any Capcom fighter, really, I say Waku Waku 7.

Waku Waku 7 is a fighting game done by Sunsoft, same dudes who made stuff like Blaster Master, Batman on the NES, and a whole bunch of other things. Basically, as one of seven anime stereotypes, (Including what's basically Totoro, from My Neighbor Totoro) you have to collect a bunch of magical balls from your opponents to get a wish. ...I SAID it was very anime, didn't I?

The actual game feels somewhere between Street Fighter and Marvel VS Capcom. Characters gain super meter incredibly fast, so you're free to throw around EX moves and supers as much as you want. There's even a super that, while unblockable, puts up a message on the screen that basically boils down to 'HIT HIM RIGHT NOW YOU MORON'.

waku-waku-7-1.jpg
 
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Okay, can I be honest and say I don't really like that this "You say x, I say y" phrase is being used at all? I mean, really, it's completely unnecessary - the topic would still work fine without them, IMO.

Not that'd I'd stop you guys from doing so, it's just a gripe I have with this thread in general.
 
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