While searching for video games to include in my article on nostalgic games last week (and I do literally mean ‘searching‘, as I peeked inside old boxes of retro games in my basement), I stumbled upon a few games that I’d almost forgotten about. That led me down a mental rabbit trail of thinking about all the different video games that I’ve played in my life that almost no one seems to even know about. Games across all eras and consoles that I think are pretty great, but seemed to fly under everyone else’s radars.
So let’s take a look at ten games I consider to be really underrated and overlooked, and why I think they’re great!
10) Link’s Crossbow Training
Show of hands: who has ever even remotely heard of this game before? Actually, better question: who would have even guessed that a game like this even could exist? Well, it does, and it’s super fun. It’s also extremely simplistic, and only like an hour long (it was a pack-in title for the Wii Lightgun accessory), but it’s still a really good time. It’s set in the Twilight Princess world, and I’ll take anything set in the same universe as my favorite Zelda game. You just point, shoot, and try for a high score while blasting classic Zelda foes and listening to good ‘ol Zelda tunes. If you can somehow stumble upon this game (which is how I came about owning it) spend the hour and enjoy it!
9) Jazzpunk
What do you get when you cross absurdist British humor, a first-person noir spy thriller, and the uncontainable desire to not take a single thing seriously? This game, apparently. It’s a strange game to talk about, and an even stranger game to play. It’s honestly more of an experience than a game, as you bumble around from one nonsensical mission to the next, and encounter one laugh-inducing gag after another. It’s wacky, it’s entertaining, and you truly never know what is going to happen next. It’s not particularly long either, which makes for an engaging and breezy playthrough. It’s also very easy, as it’s really more of an experience game than some hardcore test of skills.
8) Runbow
Runbow can be extremely hard to wrap your head around when you first start playing (and also just, in general, the game can be pretty hard). It’s a 2D platformer, except the background of the world and a lot of the platforms are made up of four different colors. Then, periodically (sometimes synced to the music, which is really catchy by the way) the background will change colors. So, say for instance you were about to jump onto an orange platform but then the background changes to orange. Now that platform no longer exists, because it’s faded into the background. It’s a platformer of high difficulty but high replayability that really tests your quick-thinking and reaction speed. It’s got a super fun multiplayer mode too that is a blast to mess around with.
7) Bomberman Hero
Time and again the fans of the Bomberman series have made it clear that they don’t like when the series strays from its roots. However, that attitude now means that the N64 classic (classic to me, at least) Bomberman Hero goes criminally forgotten. While most Bomberman games are played from a top-down-ish perspective, Bomberman Hero is a more traditional 3D platforming angle. While the other games work on a grid-based system of movement and explosions, Hero gives you a full range of movement. It’s a big change for the series that a lot of folks didn’t like, but I quite did. Or, maybe I was just drawn to the sheer scope of this game. It’s got so many levels, so many bosses, so many secret paths, and so many ridiculous and random things that I was hooked for hours as a kid (and I still revisit it today from time-to-time). It’s not the greatest 3D platformer on the N64 (far from it), but it’s one I really like.
6) Cosmic Star Heroine
JRPGs are already a niche genre, and so are indie games (for the most part). So what happens when you’ve got an indie JRPG? Well, chances are that you’ve got a great game that absolutely no one has played. And that’s a shame, because Cosmic Star Heroine is a lot of fun. The biggest feature is easily its soundtrack, which is just incredible, but everything else about the game is great too. It’s got a fun battle system with some unique gimmicks, a wide variety of interesting party members (this game might be the only JRPG that got me to constantly switch up my team and not just use the initial members for the whole playthrough). It’s got witty writing, secrets to uncover, and a few other surprises in store. The story is a bit basic, but you’ll be having too much fun to notice. Short runtime too, which is something JRPGs can struggle with!
5) Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
Similar to the above entry, I could’ve filled this entire list with obscure-but-fun JRPGs that I’ve discovered and played over the years, because there are thousands of them. This one’s a little more special to me, though. I got suckered into buying it because it was one of those boxed special editions that comes with an art book and soundtrack, even though I’d never once heard of it in my life. Is it the most perfect game in the world? No. But it’s charming, funny, entertaining, and with a whole lot of special treats to make your time with it worthwhile. The soundtrack is awesome, the battle system (you hit enemies and knock them into others like RPG bowling) is super unique, and it’s also got one of the best minor characters in all of gaming in the form of Bart. I got my brother hooked on this game, and I’ve been trying to share it with others ever since.
4) Valkyria Revolution
It’s a real shame that this game got so disrespected by reviews and tossed to the wayside when it released, because considering it’s now been six years since the last installment in the Valkyria Chronicles franchise, we really need to cherish each installment, including this quirky spin-off. I know some people don’t like how this game diverted from the traditional XCOM-esque strategy-shooter of the rest of the series (pivoting instead to real-time action combat), but I still feel this game is really fun. Above all, though, this game’s got a super interesting world, story, and characters. It’s a bold move, but this game throws you right into the deep end of intricate worldbuilding, complicated plots, and in-depth terminology. It’s a lot to keep track of, and its all couched in this super-interesting dynamic of having you play as straight-up morally gray characters, which is rare in gaming and especially rare in JRPGs. The soundtrack is a banger too, and the visual design is super unique.
3) Nintendo Land
Say what you will about how monumentally impactful Wii Sports was in our society (and that’s fair), but it wasn’t really much of a game. Now, Nintendo Land? That’s how you do a launch title pack-in game! Wii Sports was a simple collection of motion-controlled minigames that entertained for a while because of how novel the concept was, but was truly barebones and paper-thin in practice. Nintendo Land, on the other hand, is a collection of game experiences (I hesitate to call them ‘mini-games’ considering how long and in-depth some of the games can be) that provides hours of refreshing and exciting entertainment.
There’s really something for everybody included in this package. If you want games that are a few hours long, multiple levels, and contain big boss fights, then you can check out the Metroid and Zelda attractions. Want to flex your single-player skills with a few shorter, challenging tasks? Then test your mettle with the Donkey Kong, F-Zero, or Balloon Flight attractions. Or do you have a big party going on, and you want to provide fun and laughs in massive measures? Then you have got to try the Mario Run and Luigi’s Mansion attractions, which utilize the Wii U gamepad in excellent ways. Nintendo Land is awesome!
2) New Super Lucky’s Tale
Every once in a while you play a game that no one else seems to have played, and you can’t help but wonder how it possibly fell under the radar. Well, I’ve always been someone who loves to play platformers, particularly 3D ones, and so it was inevitable that I’d eventually stumble upon New Super Lucky’s Tale. I’m really glad I did, because this game is pretty amazing, and what’s even more amazing is how few people seemed to have ever played it. It’s a difficult feat to live up to the standards set in the world of 3D platformers by games like Super Mario Galaxy and what not, but this little gem comes pretty close.
It controls really well (which is practically the most important thing in a platformer), has a jamming soundtrack with some bopping tunes, and also just has solid level design. There’s multiple worlds, a vast array of levels, plenty of puzzles, and a shocking amount of creative variety. Second-string platformers like this tend to be fun but forgettable, but I won’t soon forget the sprawling corn maze level, the lengthy and secret-filled fall festival level, or the boss battle that takes place in a nightclub and has attacks synced to the dubstep beat. This is a really solid game!
1) Dreams
Of course, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to rave about Dreams for the second time on this blog. I don’t believe there will ever be another video game in existence more underrated and overlooked than Dreams. Earlier this week I spent another hour just browsing through the endless catalogue of experiences within Dreams, and got shocked and surprised by the quality and quantity all over again.
If you’ve forgotten, Dreams is first-and-foremost a creation tool. It gives players everything they need to create character models, music, backgrounds, animations, coding sequences, and full gaming experiences. It also encourages users to share their created content amongst each other, like having one player make an NPC, another player creating a code that acts as a shop, and another player creating a little catchy ditty to serve as a market theme. Put them together and now you’ve got a working shopkeeper who looks good and has their own theme song!
There’s basically nothing that you can’t find on Dreams. Do you want to spend a while looking at gorgeous backdrops and zen-like scenes? Go for it. Do you want to explore around ancient ruins and take in the sights of beautiful vistas? Have at it. Do you want to listen to thousands of original music tracks, or watch hundreds of fully-realized animations (including an actual feature length movie and various short films)? You can do that. And do you want to play a million different video games in every conceivable genre imaginable (platformer, puzzle, RPG, shooter, racing, etc.)? Of course you can do that too!
Don’t quote me on this (because I really do love Xenoblade Chronicles), but there’s a solid chance that if you told me I could only play a single video game for the rest of my life, I’d pick Dreams. There’s simply that much endless, fun content in this one cheap package.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 