Cult/Obscure Games

[Satcher]

Honestly there are games that are well known to the public and some that are not so fortunate. Recently I was the type who got the types of games that are popular (ex. the Final Fantasy series), but after playing a game called ICO, I've been on the prow for more obscure games. From what I understand ICO is a cult classic amongst some and I have been wondering what else are some good games that never got around to the public eye? Oh and I've also played Shadow of the Colossus, but that was a given, since I loved ICO.

[pirata]

Has anyone else heard or played a game called Phantom Fighter for the NES? It's probably very obscure--my father bought it through an infomercial back in the day, I think. I just wanted to comment that the side-kick in that game does just about as much as Tristan in the Abridged Series. Nobody knows what I'm talking about, but oh well.

[Satcher]

Hey don't worry man, no matter how old the game is, I'm still gonna look for it. I'm up for a challenge.

[Tapioca]

Hmmn, I really liked Ape Escape, one of my favorite games ever, but I don't remember seeing it as very popular, I always liked it since the original Playstation version.

[Yoshi8710]

i like the emerors new groove, the game!!! it came out when i was ten, i lovedd it, and it will always be in my heart.

and it wasn't like any of those other stupid dysney games either, it was a real game.

[Shadowmayne]

Vampire The Masquerade:Bloodlines and Vampire TM:Redemption. Both very good RPGs.

[kkslider]

Beyond Good and Evil and Contact ftw.

[LanceCutlass]

I'll say Gradius V. Quite possibly the most awsome shump that I have ever had the pleasure of playing.

[WilD]

A while back I was really into the whole Ogre Battle series, but it seemed like I was the only one who knew anything about the series.

[Velroth]

Hellz yes on the Bloodlines part. Never played Redemption. Other than that I've never really played any obscure games... well, Shadowrun may count due to not being very popular.

[Daniel]

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (psx), the other games in the series I can't really vouch for, but that one is good. Dunno how well known Okami (ps2) is...(must play that game) And interestingly enough an ICO demo was the first ps2 game I ever played.

[nicky]

man, okami is an unheard masterpiece

[nicky]

i was also into the legend of dragoon. The additions for combos idea was a brilliant expansion on normal rpg attacks

[WilD]

Yeah Legend of Dragoon was one of my favorites for a long time.

[wrexness]

Just about anything from Atlus Inc. or Nippon Ichi Software. Disgaea, Makai Kingdom, La Pucelle Tactics, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, SMT: Digital Devil Saga, and Odin Sphere immediately come to mind. I had a lot of fun with Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia too.

And I must thrown in my support for Okami too. That game was an absolute GEM. (All previous games are for the PS2.)

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was a wonderful experience on the Gamecube.

[Revengematron3]

System Shock 2. DEFINITELY get it. It was released in 1999, so you'll probably have trouble getting it, but still, it's a pretty damn good game which was overshadowed by the more popular games. If you've ever heard of BioShock, System Shock 2 is its predecessor. You can look in just about any game site (Ign, Gamespot, etc.) and find it in their "Best Games of all Time" list or what have you. Heck, it still has an active modding community with all kinds of crazy stuff. It's for the PC, but it's so old I can even run it on my laptop, in a better resolution than originally intended. XD

So yeah, get this game. You'll love it. I play it to this day.

[Jirai]

One game that I think is awesome that few people have played is Gotcha Force for the Gamecube. It had some problems (voice acting and story...and sometimes he camera) that caused reviewers to give it low scores, and it just wasn't advertised... but most people I've shown it to thought it was great.

[yellowpages]

I can't wait to have a go at echochrome =P It looks amazing! And rather odd =S But still amazing!!!

[WilD]

O crap I almost forgot about the Front Mission series. Some of the best strategy/rpg games ever.

[thedoctor]

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is a really good obscure, robotic third-person shooter.

[PersianSpice]

Shenmue, hands down. Most under-rated, under-noticed games out there. It's probably got the best story in a video game I've ever played. Sucks that no one knows about it.

[JTHomeslice]

Alien Hominid. Play it on the PS2, GC, or your fancy Xbox 360.

[yellowpages]

Tombi! One of the coolest games ever made.

[Manipul8or]

Beyond Good and Evil and Contact ftw.
I'll second the Beyond Good and Evil FTW..........but I never tried Contact.......

[Panbuukin]

Elite Beat Agents for the DS. It's an awesome game, but not many people are aware of it. T_T

[MightyBP]

Tombi!
Also known as Tomba! in the US.

Games you must play:

- Gunstar Heroes
- Vectorman
- Mischief Makers

A game you SHOULD play but more than likely can't:

- Radiant Silvergun

[nicky]

YAY! Tombi was the shiz. He even ate pigs XD
another game i used to play was ecco the dolphin

[Monkeydog]

I enjoy Guardian's Crusade...for whatever reason that is. It's for PSX.

Also, Rez and Frequency are neato...

annnnd Act Raiser for SNES. I wish they'd remake it or something.

[Darf]

Beyond Good and Evil. An utterly awesome game on every level. Unfortunately noone brought it.
Same with Eternal Darkness.

Also, Ouendan/Ouendan 2 > Elite Beat Agents
(Fun fact: Elite Beat Agents was concieved because, although Ouendan was a commercial failure, it was the most imported game of all time in the US and elsewhere. On the flipside, EBA sales failed hard in the US, but it's import sales to Japan are crazy high. The grass is greener on the other side, I guess)

[yellowpages]

Clayfighter 63 1/3 anyone? I've heard nothing but bad things about this game but when I was younger this was one of the most fun gamnes ever.

[Me111]

I only ever played a demo of Tombi, but I still enjoyed it.
I wonder if Metal Slug is considered obscure. It doesn't have the popularity I think it deserves.

[CandleJack]

The Dungeon Keeper Series
Ghost Master
Evil Genius
Overlord

Yeah, I like playing the Bad Guy. :D

[RpgBouncer]

I can't believe no one has mentioned these two yet!

Zone of the Enders 1/2

Both of these games were really fun. Gundam-esque fighting FTW. It's kinda like a high-paced 3rd person shooter but instead of a person you are a giant mech that flies around and owns. My only complaint with both games is that they are too short and both can be beaten within 3 days. They are both for the PS2(Not sure about other consoles).

The Bouncer

You take the role as one of three bouncers and progress through the story. It's interesting because in each of the three arcs you choose from, something different can happen every time based on the decisions you choose. There are also some pretty fun mini-games if you choose some different paths. And it's awesome to see the story come together once you finish all three storys. Another thing that I liked is the VS mode. It wasn't to in depth, but you can play as your enemies after you face them in the story. Again this one is for the PS2.

[LizardBite]

... Psychonauts.

"I am the Milkman. My milk is delicious."

[isnotsasuke]

I've recently got ahold of a game called "Life Line". It's not all that great, but the idea of it is really interesting. The game is almost completely voice activated. You interact with the main character. Rio, via the headset you'd normally use for SOCOM, Madden Football, or the Karoke Revolution games. It's alright but at times the voice pickup is rather annoying. Maybe it's just my headset.

[LadyAbaxa]

Hmm, I know a few obscure games. Chaos Legion for the ps2 is an action game from Capcom. Summoner is a glitchy but still interesting rpg released early for the ps2. Another good rpg series is the MegaTen series. You can find translation patches online for the first two snes games Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2. The Langrisser series is good if you like strategy and there are translation patches for 2 and Der Langrisser.

[outlive]

Grandia
now that was a game for the Playstation
I loved the format of the battle system
Grandia 2 I believe is slightly better known but still obscure too
but for me Grandia was bloody genious
oh and Cel Damage when I got my Game Cube
that game was SOOOOOO much fun
random as hell
and then for the X-box it was Wacked
random ass multiplayer game show one O_o
so odd
so fun
so random

[steigee]

Shin megami tensei: digital devil saga

[Daniel]

Vagrant Story and Future Cop L.A.P.D.

[nicky]

oh yeah!! future cop with sky captain! ^_^

[6ixty4our]

anything in the katamari series.

[KaitoTheRamenBandit]

SMT: Nocturne, Mischief Maker, and Legend of Dragoon ftw

[Satcher]

I've just played Earthbound and all I can say is, "WOW". I really hope they actually remake this game onto modern consoles. I suggest that everybody should play it.

[outlive]

it's funny looking through this list these games that others would consider obscure are prity much general conversation with a couple of my mates
I've played or at least talked about or remember prity much every game in this thread >_<

[Cortana]

Darius Gaiden on the Sega Saturn, For The Win.
An amazing spaceship shooter which was one long acid trip with multiple endings, beautiful music and scenery.

Ecco: Tides Of Time for Sega Genesis
It was a surreal masterpeice which bent time, and reality if you played it long enough...also I just love being a dolphin. it had alot of depth to it...no pun intended.

By the way, Okami isn't that obscure, many played it amongst the JRPG fantasy fanbase, its a very girly game I hear...as most fangirls think they're wolves for some reason. As much as I love Japan's rich history, I grew tired of playing it over and over again in its many guises...also got sick of the emo "Fantasy" boys.

[Mammoth]

Do indie games count? If so, you have a whole list here www.gametunnel.com/articles.php?id=620 (http://). My faves would be Jets'n'Guns (if you at least TOLERATE scrolling shooters, you have to give it a try) and Eets (cute little lemmings/the incredible machine-ish puzzle game).

[Lawliet]

When I was very young, I had a computer game called Jazz Jackrabbit. I don't think it was ever really that popular, but I loved it. Granted, it wasn't really mine, as it belonged to my older sister (who was around thirteen at the time), but I played it all the same.

[Mana]

I loved Ecco I've always been a dolphin person ^^ Found it really hard though.

[outlive]

JAZZ JACKRABBIT O_O
LEDGENDARY GAME
did you ever play Jazz Jackrabbit 2 though?
thats right it was popular enough to get a sequel
it was one of those games that everyone seemed to play but never realised anyone else did I found

[Turraken]

YES! Another Psychonauts fan. Man, that game had it all. Great gameplay, humour, voice-acting (YES! Good VA in a game!) and unique graphics. Truly a classic that no-one bought.

[nicky]

anyone heard of a game called zapitalism deluxe?

[3rdrocket]

If you havent played anything from the Shadow Hearts Series please try it. It is quite amazing

[crazymonkeyboy]

My choices have to be;

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon -N64 (One of my favourite games of all time, i just love it)
Mystaria - Saturn (A good strategy RPG, a sequel was made but never released outside Japan)
Guardian Heroes - Saturn (Excellent arcade style hack and slash where your decisions affect the story's outcome)
Burning Rangers - Saturn (Cool game where you get to play the hero and save people)
NiGHTS - Saturn (Just awesome, thank god there's a sequel being made for the Wii)
Sonic R - Saturn (Although not in the same league as Mario Kart, it was fun to play and the levels had multiple routes and shortcuts which even your opponents used)
Shenmue - Dreamcast (A brilliant RPG which was different from the norm, deserves a sequel to conclude the story)
Streets of Rage - Genesis/Mega Drive (Great series and lots of fun to play)
Toejam and Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron - Genesis/Mega Drive (A great game where the enemies were humans being incredibly annoying)
Holy Magic Century - N64 (A fun RPG, not on the level of Final Fantasy but still an interesting game to play)

You can tell i've thought a lot about this topic.

[darkarcher]

I would have to say the Final Fantasy Legends series on the original Game Boy. I have only played the second one, but I do know that a lot of people don't know about them (like a personal friend who is a FF fan).

[KitsuneChan8888888]

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg... not compltely unknown, but definitely a gem that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. The completely dorky storyline is made up for in game play. Rolling around that friggin' egg is so much fun!
And then there's Evolution Worlds... I would speak up more for that game if the dungeons didn't completely suck... the storyline is great! The characters are great! The graphics are decent for Gamecube! Voiceovers ain't bad either! But the dungeons... oh gosh it was just level after level of the same floor, each with the monsters getting slightly harder... that's it... it was tolerable for the first few, but then when you started getting over 100 levels per dungeon... I couldn't take it anymore... as much as I was enjoying the rest of the game, the dungeons were just too tedious, so I sold it.

[Hellblazer215]

I perfered bloodlines to Redemption. I wish Trokia hadn't shut down so more could be made.

Anyways, All the Monkey Island games. Or in fact Grim Fandango

[Xarg]

Is the game 'Gladius' Obscure? It is an awesome game (at least in my opinion). What system(s) you ask? Why it is for PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube!
I agree though, Okami is very good. I never did finish the game though...

[Joker22]

Just two to add, Killer7 amazing and confusing at the exact same time it's very artistic, and Boktai 1 & 2 for GBA it also has a game renamed in North America to Lunar Knights in this series, it's unique and superb.

[yellowpages]

Killer7 is awsome. I can't believe I killed a giant floadting afro... =D

[greed01]

Best cult game ever was
Conker's Bad Fur Day for the N64
Conker Live and Reloaded for the Xbox

[nicky]

nothing better than seeing tiny animals swearing and shooting each other to bits (in games)

[dragonblaz9]

cossacks, I could never find it anywhere yet it was one of me favorite strategy game(It was a demo)

[Satcher]

Just found the game Legend of Dragoon, seems great so far. Though I suck at the combo battle system because I can't time it for crap. Hopefully I can beat this game without too much trouble.

[Terradrius]

A game for the SNES called Metal Warriors is ridiculously fun if you have someone to play it with. The multiplayer is some of the funnest I've ever played (assuming both players are of approximately equal skill levels - but even barring that, its still great).

The Mystical Ninja series (particularly the N64 games) are all very good, but relatively unknown outside Japan.

Lost Kingdoms 2 (and to a lesser extent, the original) for GC is a relatively obscure RPG with a fairly unique and well-done battle system.

I'm not sure exactly how obscure it is, but Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals for SNES is a must-play for any RPG/Puzzle fan. It's got a great story, and great puzzles.

[Bruno]

Anyone played Post Mortem before, it is very obscure hard game ! (okay i was younger when i played it but i found difficulties winning while holding the walkthrought in my hand !).

[6ixty4our]

am i the only one who mentioned katamari damacy? -_-'

[AndyWaltfeld]

Dude, Katamari has TWO references in Kingdom of Loathing. By name, no less. Odd barometer, I know, but KoL content is still a good measure of how mainstream or obscure something has to be to make the jokes work.

So I'd say Katamari Damacy/We (Heart) Katamari isn't all that obscure anymore. Still cult, though.

Speaking of cult, how'd Super Robot Wars/Taisen not get mentioned in the flood of Atlus titles on the first page?

[Nottham]

Earthbound, love this game so much i wish that its sequel would be realesed in america. i only know two people who know any thing about this game one loves it and the other just thinks it is about atacking cofee cups. the grphics weren't great but the humor, setting (look an RPG that takes place outside some midevil kingdom), and the music. More EB character in SSBB.
Legend of the mystical ninja is also good i like the co-op on N64.

[6ixty4our]

kingdom of what?

[xellos88]

I dont know how known is this game in the US but "Obscure" is a game i loved and never heard many people talking(and by that i mean read in forums) about it, and i just recently found out about the sequel

[Doomsday93]

the darius series, namely darius gaiden. a very obscure game, a space shooter where you fight robotic fish. wtf? excellent game .one of my favorites

[Doomsday93]

L.A.P.D lol great game. it took me 2 years to find out how to turn to a hovercraft and back lol

[klokwerk]

Jak and Daxter and its 2 sequels, they were great games witha great story.

[Symos]

I had read about them and I was fortunate to find copies of Dragon's Lair 1 and 2 and Space ace on DVD. Laserdisc arcade games given new life for the dvd player. Heard they were big back in the day.

[itserikz]

hmm.

I have to agree with what somebody before said. Absolute gems are basically anything Nippon Ichi gets their hands on. DEFINITELY Cult material there. disgaea, Disgaea 2, and Makai Kingdom are the only ones I've really played, however.

Though Atlus has this game Odin Sphere I just started playing that that person mentioned too. Absolutely beautiful. if anything, its a cult of one.

And I'm surprised this never came up. Legend of Legaia? Cmon seriously. A friggin awesome game that I miss horrifically.

what else... Arc the Lad series, Lunar series, and Alundra series. Though of last two, i only played the sequels ^-^;;;

LoD is friggin awesome. I still have it.

:-D Also, a cult favorite (not too sure on its popularity) Chrono Cross. A lot of people disliked it. But there's a serious, die hard following to it.

:-D thats all I can think of right now.

[Scythe]

My list would go:

Vandal Hearts...
Vagrant Story...
Legend of Dragoon...
Frequency/Amplitude...

[Shoenin]

X-com: UFO Defense

Excellence in DOS form

[DrunkenPrayer]

Vagrant Story...
Such a forgotten masterpiece and really epic boss battles.

Has anyone else mentioned Atelier Iris in this thread yet (or have I and forgotten?) proving that 2D RPGs can still deilver the goods.

[LadyAbaxa]

I forgot about Legend of Legaia. It's certainly one of the harder playstation RPGs with bosses that can dish out hefty damage. If you don't die at least once to the Berserker on your first playthrough you have either seriously overleveled or are very lucky. I think it took me like 6 tries to beat Korvu (sp?). At least you can save your game after beating the trio or I might have stopped playing in frustration.

[Byakko]

Oddworld Stranger's Wrath and Psychonauts

[nicky]

hmm, would "fahrenheit" count as an obscure game?
i thought it was really good

[DrunkenPrayer]

hmm, would "fahrenheit" count as an obscure game?
i thought it was really good
It got pretty hyped up leading to it's release but seems to have been all but forgotten so I'm going to say yes. It has some major problems though, well ok one for my thinking and that was the fact that some of the battle scenes were amazing but you never got the chance to really appreciate them because you were too busy button mashing.

[hammerkirb]

I personally enjoy the Klonoa and Mystical Ninja games. Why must Japan have all my favorite games!
Screw the Japanese Game Developers, I have EBA! (I know, worst Kaiba joke ever)
I just imported Ouendan 2, it's great if you like the style of music associated with anime intros.

[FFSamurai]

Man, Shenmue, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound (or the Mother Series), and Psychonauts I can't aggree more with. It's a shame they didn't release the European version of Shenmue 2 for the original Dreamcast. It had Japanese vocals instead of the crappy english dubbing which was so much better than the X-box one version we got in the states. Though you gotta add games like the Zero Divide series and Einhander to this list if you want to truly be comprehensive. Zero Divide for the PS1 was a great fighter which also included a kick-butt side scrolling shooter mini-game in the vein of Raiden. On top of that, the sequel, which was only published in Japan, is just more of the same and is one of the few import titles out there you don't need to know kanji in order to play. Speaking of shooters, definitely add Einhander to the list. This square-soft side-scroller may have been short but it's gameplay was solid, the graphics awesome for the system, and the customization system just rocked. Though, if you wanna try something for the PC, might I recommend the Journeyman Project series. It's sci-fi setting, devious puzzles, and excellent story make this series a brilliant example of how good the point and click adventure game genre is. Plus, it's not going to bore you, so deffinitely give it a try!

[screwedyules]

beyond good and evil is an awesome game. though it doesnt lend itself to replay.

[screwedyules]

Summoner is a glitchy but still interesting rpg released early for the ps2.
i also find that game quite fun, horribly long though, but fun. but i think it's more old than obscure.anything in the katamari series.
i doubt it, considering all of the awards and honors its gotten, i doubt its obscure at all. i agree with AndyWaltfield, cult but well known.Anyways, All the Monkey Island games
yeah, but they are really awesome games (though the ending of the 2nd one sucked, sucked horribly) though my brother tried to play this when he was 8. . . no go, much to complicated, but amazing fun time now. :)

has anyone played dark falls (PC game)? its kind of like myst, but a lot cooler. and barrow hill, which is kind of the same gameplay but a newer game. (though the graphics are still kind of bad). i find these games highly enjoyable.

[DrunkenPrayer]

I'd say you can put Katamari into the cult section but not obscure. It's a really well known game but perhaps not played or loved by everyone that's heard of it but has a small group of devoted followers, you know like a cult <img src='/images/emoticons/smiley2.png'>

[EvilKingStan]

Okage: Shadow King. It was a fun RPG that came out for the PS2 in 2001. It wasn't great, but it had some really funny moments. All shall worship Lord Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV!

[Xear]

Clay fighters - rocked
Vampire bloodlines / redemption rocked

Lost Vikings now there was a classic... that or any of the Dizzy series

But I do remeber a fun series called "Little big adventure" it had 2 games.. and was quite original gameplay :-)

[electrosound]

games you'll probably never of heard of but here go's;
Bishi Bashi Special for ps1- this was a collection of mini games that had some of the most twisted japanese concepts imaginable!
Incredible crisis for the ps1- this was essentially the same as bishi bashi but with a story line!
<img src='/images/emoticons/smiley1.png'> <img src='/images/emoticons/smiley1.png'> oh and please help me people! <img src='/images/emoticons/smiley1.png'> <img src='/images/emoticons/smiley1.png'>
for those of you who dont know i collect bemani games and at the moment I want to get hold of these two;
Rez for ps2 but I need a british version of the game- this was a techno style shoot-em-up type thing (v-strange)
samba di amigo for dreamcast again british version please!!!!

[Xear]

Dude :-D Bishi bashi specail ruled :-D Anyone who didnt like that game has no soul :-P

(remebers the make a burger game on it XD)

[kopprophet]

Evil Genius was one of the best games I ever played but loads of PC gamers overlooked it.

As for cult series I loved the dugeon keeper games and going further back all the Kings Quest series for what I think started during Windows 95.

[onidragon]

For some reason, no one seems to have heard of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Everyone heard of TS2, but Future Perfect was Free Radical's masterpiece, better than Goldeneye in my opinion.

[WeirdSmells]

Cel Damage Was AWESOME!!!! but yeah this probably isn't obscure but I like Phantasy Star Universe