The Great Unknown hidden gems

[OL]

Here's two in the same series.

Spellcaster (Sega Master System)



Spellcaster was a cool little action/adventure/RPG that was a favorite of mine back when I was given the Power Base Converter for my Genesis when I was a kid. The game is pretty evenly divided between action stages, which involve running along and firing magic spells at enemies to kill them (as is usual for action games back then), and adventure-style areas between levels, where you have to talk to people, gather information, and search areas in a semi-point-and-click manner. Very cool, very fun.
(the first pic is from the original japanese version, and doesn't actually appear in the altered US version)



I never actually beat it; I got to some point where you had to get in a boat to get somewhere, but it was constructed a bit like a maze, and I never figured it out.
I plan to get it again one of these days, once I acquire the Power Base Converter again. It'll be the first game I get, right alongside the original Ys and Phantasy Star.

Mystic Defender (Sega Genesis)



And Mystic Defender is a game I only found out about within the past year or two, actually. It's technically Spellcaster 2, though the translation was handled differently, thus character names have been changed and the two games bear little connection in the West, story-wise.



Mystic Defender essentially abandons the adventure and RPG elements from Spellcaster and instead focuses on the action parts, which is evident since they're actually quite a bit better this time around. Rather than primarily just running left or right, you get to move vertically, climbing trees or ascending tall temples and the like. It also contains creepy demon babies and hopping green heads, so you just know it has to be good.
And best of all, it actually contains the only (as far as I know) instance of sanctioned nudity on the Genesis!



Wowzers!!!
I'm all hot and turned on now. I love me some pixel-boobs.
Apparently a later version of the game put her in a pink nightie, though, so she wasn't so nekkid. Oh well.

[Oppy]

Kings Quest VII

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkm8HHqUpk
First ever point and click game i played. Came bundled with my first pc. Brings back so many memories thinking about it, wish it worked on windows 7. The musical scenes and voice overs made it feel disney like.

[OL]

I wouldn't call anything King's Quest-related "unknown".
As point-and-clicks go, King's Quest is one of the most well-known classic series.

[Oppy]

I spose your right. The series never took off over here though. So to aussies it still is unknown.

[Oppy]

Ok, Gantz for ps2!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLAWG2T40A&feature=related
Bought this right after finishing the anime, And whilst it doesnt do the anime any justice, its still a neat little beat em up type game.

[OL]

Shit, that looks sweet. Never saw all of Gantz myself (just the first episode or two), but that game looks fucking wicked.
Never came to the states unfortunately.

[Oppy]

Yeah, I imported my copy. Its a pretty easy game to understand if u use a guide. If you decide to import it (or dl it)
I used this one
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/925957-gantz/faqs/38921
You pretty much just have to read what to do for the missions and thats it. But really, you need to watch the anime OL. Its not very long and gets fucking good. Would have to be my favorite anime after Bebop and GITS.

[Kenny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9ZhLBSoBQ

Before Rockband and Guitar Hero, there was Amplitude. Frequency was alright but Amplitude perfected the formula.

[Jokatech19]

I remember buying this after me and my brother stole some coins from my parents huge jar. We cashed it in and each brought Genesis 3's. Never beat it. Now I will




Look at the action!!!

[Vyse Hazuky]

wasn't there a topic like this some months ago?
Hidden gems you never heard of

[Bluecast]

Finally.
What used to work now doesn't but found a way.

Sorry ignore all this.

[OL]

Well I don't know if the topics should have been merged... I always thought the old one was more like "Here's a game I've heard of and I think it looks cool" while the new one was more like "I've played this game, I love it, but nobody's ever heard of it."
A little different.

Either way, this next one I already reviewed in the "rate the game" topic, but I love it so much that I really want it to have as much exposure as possible. If someone didn't see it there, maybe they'll see it here and try it out.

Ranger X (Sega Genesis/Megadrive)



To me, Ranger X is one of the very best action games on the Genesis, a console that certainly has its fair share of excellent action games. It had really unfortunate release timing though, as Sega was just then releasing the Sega CD, and were focusing on promoting crap like Sewer Shark. So Ranger X received little to no advertising or exposure.



The control is amazing, as you can basically move around the screen just by pressing in the direction you want to go. It has an excellent physics system as well, so it never feels like you're just moving a cursor around a screen (like in a side-scrolling shmup, for example).
The shooting is handled brilliantly along with the movement, as you have two primary fire buttons, one to shoot left, and one to shoot right, which allows for some really cool and surprisingly stylish action for a 16-bit game. In fact, I really consider it to be kind of like a 16-bit ZOE.
The graphics are undoubtedly some of the best on the system, even beating out most games on the SNES (which is supposed to be the more powerful of the two main systems back then).

I could go on more in-depth, but I'll leave it at that.
Seriously an amazing game, and it seems like such a crime that this isn't remembered as one of the best on the Genesis by more people. In my eyes, it legitimately stands among the greats, like Gunstar Heroes, Comix Zone, and Shinobi III. I didn't get to play it back in the day (only within the past couple years, actually), but I'm actually right on the cusp of calling it my favorite Genesis game now. Wonderboy in Monster World still wins out for nostalgia reasons, but Ranger X is way the hell up there. It sits at the top of my ever-growing stack of Genesis games at the moment.

[Henry Spencer]

Just noticed Jokatech's avatar, so thought I'd mention this one

Sword of the Berserk (DC)

This game competes with Shadow of Rome as the bloodiest game I have ever played. Based on the manga, Berserk, it's a side story that is canon, taking place somewhere in the middle. It's a neat little hack and slasher not without its problems. The main drawpoint has to be the ultra dark storyline that haunted me when I played it as a kid, the amount of blood made me feel uncomfortable back then too (:P). The main character, "Guts" certainly lives up to his namesake; he carries an enormous sword (more like a slab of iron), an arm cannon (which replaces his amputated arm), explosive gunpowder, a crossbow attached to his other arm and a wide array of knives. The story is excellent, especially if you like your stories dark from time to time. The voice acting is similarly good as well, the main character is actually voiced by Raziel himself, Michael Bell and great support too (Cam Clarke, Earl Boen, Peter Lurie, Paul Eiding). The bosses are all huge and vary in challenge. Overall, a real hidden gem for the DC that certainly left an impression on me back when I was a big DC fan. I can see Orange and Kenny in particular liking this one (recommended).

[Bluecast]

I have interest in it as I love slashers and beat em ups and to me the more blood the better.

Swords/blade weapons plus blood is a win in my book.
Since I also love the DC and bulding a game collection of the many many many games I want to try or re-buy or try or just own I always loved but never had.

I think Henry you just named the next game I buy. Just have some bills to pay first.

Rising Zan was fun and madworld and NMH games helped but I need more.

[LawXiu]

Don't know if anyone has seen this before, Talmits Adventure. Can't remember the story but it's a good little platform game based around a fairground full of monsters.