Your most overlooked system or game

[OL]

PS Henry, we have incredibly similar taste.

I was thinking the exact same thing after seeing him mention Deception (a series I'm really interested in eventually playing, and have been for a while) and Ring of Red both in the same post.

It's kind of funny thinking about it now, how two series that I would have mentioned in a topic like this only a few short years ago, suddenly have their own dedicated cult fanbases now: Shin Megami Tensei and Ys.
I've only been an SMT fan since playing Digital Devil Saga (about 8 years now), but it remained pretty much ignored until the very end of the PS2's life cycle. And I've been an Ys fan since playing the Master System version back around '93, but it stayed amazingly obscure until only a couple years ago.
Their fanbases have shot up surprisingly quick in a short amount of time, so I guess I can't really call them "overlooked" anymore.

[Bluecast]

PS Henry, we have incredibly similar taste.

I was thinking the exact same thing after seeing him mention Deception (a series I'm really interested in eventually playing, and have been for a while) and Ring of Red both in the same post.

It's kind of funny thinking about it now, how two series that I would have mentioned in a topic like this only a few short years ago, suddenly have their own dedicated cult fanbases now: Shin Megami Tensei and Ys.
I've only been an SMT fan since playing Digital Devil Saga (about 8 years now), but it remained pretty much ignored until the very end of the PS2's life cycle. And I've been an Ys fan since playing the Master System version back around '93, but it stayed amazingly obscure until only a couple years ago.
Their fanbases have shot up surprisingly quick in a short amount of time, so I guess I can't really call them "overlooked" anymore.

Not to mention Megami is getting a crossover with another obscure series (in the west anyway) Fire Emblem. SO both series are growing


As for this gen

Klonoa remake.

I love the original Klonoa and yet to play K2 but love this series. The remake on Wii is amazing. It might just be the same game with updated visuals but it really helped the game. Really is a fantastic game. Kinda sucks it was not in HD but still the game looked good and plays fantastic. Also sometimes something old is new again. It also came out in the middle of this gens life and at a time Wii was trying to prove it could be mature also with bloody hack slash and beat em ups. Brings you back to a simpler time and more innocent era.


De Blob is another. Really cool platformer. It was like a mix of Mario Sunshine and Jet Set Radio. Just instead of removing paint you were painting the towns. The attitude and cool factor and music had a Sega feel mainly JSR. Not played 2 yet.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Kunio Kun, I was playing the 3ds remake (which is FUCKING FAN FUCKING TASTIC) and I realized most people know river city ransom or Renegade but theres a whole series to it. Even those two games are fairly obscure.

[mue 26]

Another game that I never hear anybody ever talk about is Ring of Red on the PS2. I'm actually currently playing this and it reminds me a bit of Front Mission, for obvious reasons. The difference here is that there is an actual real time/action side to the combat. It was the first game that Yukio Futatsugi worked on after the Panzer Dragoon series (he's the creator of that series) and it's such a change of pace, like he couldn't have a made a more different game. It takes place in alternate timeline where Japan is divided into two regions, North and South, with civil war erupting alongside the Second World War. It's very different from most Strategy games that I have played. Again, another game that nobody cares about.

I third Ring Of Red, it's a really interesting game and very under appreciated. I'm proud to say I was one of the probably only 3 people in UK to buy this on the day it came out . Hilariously enough, the last time I remember hearing this game get mentioned, was when the incredible(ly hilarious) rapper lil B was showing off his retro game collection on Youtube . He also had Shenmue, but I get the feeling he just raided out some old game shop that was probably shutting down, and has never played any of those games

Another game I'd like to mention is Ronin Blade (known as Soul of the Samurai in the US). I actually was only reminded of this game when OL posted about it a while back, it's an almost completely forgotten Konami gem. In truth there's not an awful lot I can remember about the game. I remember it being challenging and almost like a Samurai Resident Evil, kind of like Onimusha's forbearer in a way. However, despite my overall lack of memory, some small details of this game really stick in my mind and harks me back to my childhood when I played it, more so than a lot of games, for some reason. This one get's me feeling very nostalgic.

Another game worth mentioning could be Otogi. I absolutely adored it when it originally came out. A very, very atmospheric game. Though I think most people here have probably heard a couple of us mention the game a few times. I never gave much time to it's sequel, unfortunately, and I'm not sure way. It's shame really as I'd quite like to play it now, but don't know if I can be bothered to go through the hastle of buying an old Xbox just for it (digital re-release please, From!)

[Bluecast]

Love the Otogi series and Soul of the Samruai

[OL]

Yeah, Otogi's still a favorite. Oddly enough, I was just thinking about it today. I really ought to play through them both again sometime soon.

On the subject of Xbox games, Breakdown was always a neat little gem in my eyes. Still one of the best implementations I've seen of a hand-to-hand fighting system in a first-person game. Not an easy idea to pull off, I'd imagine, but it worked really well here. The shooting was a little half-hearted, but no matter. The rest of the game felt great to me.
Always loved the story and stylishness of it too. Excellent plot twist about halfway through. Just a really cool game that never got a whole lot of attention.
Got it waaaay back around the time it first came out, and I must have gone through it three or four times over the years. That's another one I'm thinking I might want to play again soon.

[Bluecast]

3 Xbox games you have mentioned but surprised you have not mentioned Phantom Dust yet

[OL]

Only because I think my obsession with it has already been drilled in enough. Anyone who knows my taste in games already knows how much I dig it.

[Who Really Cares?]

I re watched the vid you made of that last night and it still pisses me off it never came to the UK.

[Bluecast]

Without dragging it out as I am going to sleep soon

Sin n Punishment Series
Tatsunoko vs Capcom
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
The World Ends With You
Tokyo Beat Down
Astal
Chibi Robo

[Henry Spencer]

I think I had my best ever handheld experience on the GBA. And it was with another overlooked gem, Zone Of The Enders: First to Mars. It was love, word life. I highly doubt I'd have as good a time with it if I ever tried again, especially now, when I'm probably less tolerant of grids than ever, but at the time it was just pure magic for me. And please, if your just checking out this game now, don't just type it into google images; it won't do the game justice! It's all about the story and characters. The game has some branching paths too. Best SJRPG ever.

Funny that you mention that, since I really need to start playing that soon, being the ZOE fan that I am. It's the one game in the series you just never hear anybody talk about.

HUGE fan of the Deception series. My grandpa and I fell in love with King's Field at release and were looking for something similar prior to King's Field II (KF III JP). I saw a preview for Deception at the time and judging by its first person perspective and RPG elements, I figured it may be something of the same style. Despite being completely wrong in that assumption, it was something completely fresh. He enjoyed watching me play it and I ended up sinking a ton of time into the game. Over the course of time I supported each title at launch though was especially fond of Dark Delusion, the third installment. Overall it really was a great series and quite overlooked. I could see it working well with some of the new hardware and features we have nowadays.

PS Henry, we have incredibly similar taste.

Thanks. And I've not actually played through Dark Delusion yet, since that didn't come out in Europe, unlike all of the other ones, was waiting on hopefully a PSN release to no suffice. May as well just import it and play it via an emulator instead.

Yeah, Otogi's still a favorite. Oddly enough, I was just thinking about it today. I really ought to play through them both again sometime soon.

On the subject of Xbox games, Breakdown was always a neat little gem in my eyes. Still one of the best implementations I've seen of a hand-to-hand fighting system in a first-person game. Not an easy idea to pull off, I'd imagine, but it worked really well here. The shooting was a little half-hearted, but no matter. The rest of the game felt great to me.
Always loved the story and stylishness of it too. Excellent plot twist about halfway through. Just a really cool game that never got a whole lot of attention.
Got it waaaay back around the time it first came out, and I must have gone through it three or four times over the years. That's another one I'm thinking I might want to play again soon.

Yeah, I was actually going to mention Breakdown too. It's probably my favourite game on the original Xbox. Just incredibly underrated - a shame we don't see many other first person brawlers like that. The only one that comes to mind is Zeno Clash, which is a very weird game indeed.

I re watched the vid you made of that last night and it still pisses me off it never came to the UK.

Yeah, I have no idea why it didn't, since I recall there being plans for a release in Europe. Really bitter about it, since we're region locked out of it too. Really want to play that game, one day I'll just buy a US Xbox to play it, I just want to play it that badly.

Speaking of other overlooked Tecmo-Koei games (since I was on the topic of Deception) Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War is an incredibly good fusion of Dynasty Warriors format mixed with real time strategy. Unlike Dynasty Warriors series, it isn't hack and slash game, but rather more a strategy/simulation game with real time tactics. I love that setting anyway, the English vs French war in the 14th and 15th century - and you can swap between each side at will since you are a mercenary, deciding the ultimate outcome of the massive war. The game really took me by surprise with how addictive it is.

Chase the Express AKA Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn (PS1) was a really good espionage game with controls from a survival horror game [tank controls] that's sadly been forgotten over time. There's a good mixture of elements; action, puzzles and stealth. And you save in the train's toilets. I remember the plot getting crazier and crazier as it went on and there being mutiple scenarios/endings to acquire. Been a long time since I played it, just remember renting it back in the day and loving it. Judging by YouTube videos, it still holds up pretty well too. PSX had a lot of obscure espionage/spy games like Hard Edge too.

And I'm kinda surprised Orange hasn't mentioned the Crimson Sea series yet. I haven't played them myself, but I just ordered the first one for Xbox the other week, I just know that he's a fan of those games. These are my favourite kinds of games, anyway. Not really into the "mainstream" stuff as much as I am into these sorts of games myself.

[OL]

^^Yes, Crimson Sea is awesome. Give me a little more time and I probably would have mentioned it.
I imagine the controls would probably feel a little stiff nowadays, but it's still a really cool experience to go through.
Dammit all, now I'm in a mood to bring out the Xbox. Getting reminded of all these excellent little exclusives again.

[Bluecast]

Asura's Wrath is one

Solatorobo is also. I mean I know it's niche and was meant to be niche. At the same time it kinda felt a bit like Mega Man Legends. I know it's a sequel to a Psone game but still had a sort a MML feel. Since MML3 was canned that year and few other people who played Sola also said it felt sorta like MML. So in that sense kinda surprise more Mega Man fans did not try it. Often when fans don't have another game in a series they love they want games like them. SD people ask for games like Shenmue all the time and other than walking around in a town and talking there really isn't anything like it. MML does. My ramble for the day on overlooked games

[silent killer]

Here's one for you guys that I doubt many of you have played.

I used to play this game all day long. it had a story mode but I always just went for the free battle.

[OL]

^^I was looking for that at the store the other day. It's either the sequel or the prequel to SLAI on the PS2, right?
Either way, almost anything with giant robots deserves at least a glance from me.