What do you think are some of the most underrated games this gen and why?

Obviously there are some games out there that are extremely high profile, and just flat out leave some other games in the dust. I know a few that are either given complete crap for absolutely no reason, or are just great games, obscured by the higher profile mainstream titles. Or both. One I can mention is Nier. I was thinking of a decent RPG I could buy, and remembered Brad Simons from 4PP saying that it was an excellent game, and that it given so much crap for no reason whatsoever. I am inclined to agree. I haven't gotten very far, but enough to say that the game has an excellent soundtrack, has great voice acting, a nice story, and its fun. I hear it is bashed primarily for its dated visuals, and yes while they look a bit dated, the game is beautiful in its own way.

I'd like to know a detailed description (to avoid a lock) of what you think is highly underrated in your opinion. Because I have a feeling there are some excellent games out there that have fallen under the radar due to either lack of advertising, are overshadowed, or is bashed with low ratings by "professionals" when you and maybe a few others think its great. This could also be a chance for some people who don't know said games to maybe try them out, considering that by now these games are pretty cheap.

Disgaea 4...because it's a JRPG

check out sleeper hits 2011

I don't know about this one, but Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 was a really good game, with the level design and free roam possabilities as well as exploring diagon ally and other areas. The character's available to play as though were rather bland after a while as they all had the same spells and just a different look.

honestly, i think demon's souls was really underrated. a bunch of sites gave it very positive reviews, but then all of them but gamespot forgot about it by the time their GotY awards came around.

Metroid: Other M. Everyone says it's crap, when really, it isn't.

Castlevania: Lord of Shadow

Resonance of Fate

Muramasa

Transformers: War for Cybertron.

Better than a 6.5, that's for sure. :x

Enslaved and The Saboteur. Neither get anywhere near enough love. And both are beautiful and original in their own way.

Bloodrayne Betrayal comes to mind. It has a 70 on metacritic, I think, and while that's fair the game really is the definition of "mixed response". It has finicky controls at times and it can be brutally difficult, but I personally loved it. It just spoke to the old school gamer in me that loves Contra and the old Castlevania titles. I've met a good amount of people that enjoy the game, but I've met way more that hate it.

Even then, after a couple playthroughs an average of 70 is fair. I rated it an 8, but I think I was being too generous. Most games, at least going by metacritic and player reviews, are often overrated and rarely do I find a game I think was unjustly criticized by the masses.

It seems that JRPGs..even RPGs in general seem to fall under the radar. The "Tales of" series games for example, being my favorite Jrpg franchise. While it has gained momentum over the years, it is still overlooked by many.

It seems that JRPGs..even RPGs in general seem to fall under the radar. The "Tales of" series games for example, being my favorite Jrpg franchise. While it has gained momentum over the years, it is still overlooked by many.

S0mEGuY12

Nier

Deadly Premonition

The Godfather: The Game

Red Faction: Guerilla

Duke Nukem Forever (Seriously people, it's not a bad game, it's not great but I had fun with it)

Tron Evolution

Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow

Enslaved

Splatterhouse

Wolfenstein

Risen

Project Sylpheed

Quake IV

Lost Odyssey

The Last Remnant

The Saboteur

Mini Ninjas

Those are some picks

Far Cry 2, while overrated by professional reviewers, gets judged too harshly by gamers imo. Yeah, the game had some huge, unforgivable flaws, but at the same time it offered plenty of great action sequences, a beautiful setting and great gunplay. Despite its shortcomings, it's a step into the right direction for the FPS genre.

Cryostasis: I hardly ever hear anyone even bring this game up, but really, it has the best story in any video game I've played, ever. The game really, really impressed me when I beat it last year. Too bad it's such a system hog, 'cause more people should play it. It was what BioShock tried to be in terms of story.

Mirror's Edge had a unique look (especially compared to other games on UE3) and a unique take on the FPS genre and it's one of the few times I really felt like I was in the (running) shoes of the main character rather than just behind a first-person camera.

Mirror's Edge had a unique look (especially compared to other games on UE3) and a unique take on the FPS genre and it's one of the few times I really felt like I was in the (running) shoes of the main character rather than just behind a first-person camera.

Stinger78

Nier

Deadly Premonition

The Godfather: The Game

Red Faction: Guerilla

Duke Nukem Forever (Seriously people, it's not a bad game, it's not great but I had fun with it)

Tron Evolution

Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow

Enslaved

Splatterhouse

Wolfenstein

Risen

Project Sylpheed

Quake IV

Lost Odyssey

The Last Remnant

The Saboteur

Mini Ninjas

Those are some picks

KillerJuan77

Oh yeah, I forgot about Red Faction Guerilla... Very underrated I think.hrt_rulz01

It is insanely underrated and the worst part is that the MP modes died FAST, they ruled!

Mirrors Edge - FPS parkour/platforming had never been done before & i thought the graphics, gameplay, soundtrack& atmosphere were executed flawlessly. Very unique game that i will always love & never forget. The ending is beautiful.

Enslaved - Not a perfect game but in many ways hits the same marks as Uncharted 2 did. The pacing is flawless, characters were so far ahead of other games, gameplay really mixes things up, art style & diversity is beautiful, soundtrack is really immersive & unforgettable & while the combat is lacking is someways in the end is actually becomes enjoyable.

Tomb Raider Underworld/Anniversary- People forget TR because of Uncharted but they deliver complete opposite experiences. UC is a action, adenture, shooter game. TR is all about the puzzles & platforming, something that you dont get from UC or any other game on the martket for that matter. TR is the only game that satisifes my puzzle/platforming addiction. Underworld delivered epic puzzles on a grand scale, a beautiful soundtrack. great pacing, great graphics &a great game period.

I'd definitely agree about Nier. The characters were simply fantastic, and the very emotional storyline made it one of the most truly unforgettable games I've ever played.

Another I liked a lot was Hunted: The Demon's Forge. A dungeon crawler, it had a couple of great protagonists, a really nice variety of environments, and a levelling up system for your weapons / abilities that really made the game fun. The only negatives were that the graphics for the characters were kind of crummy, and there was one minor little thing with aiming your arrows where the characters shoulder would block your view of the target. Both easily overlooked, and I had a really fun time playing through it.

Dark Void was great fun. A shooter with a jetpack that was a blast to use. Good characters, wonderful variety of environments, and an interesting story. It took a while to get used to flying with the jetpack, but once you mastered it, man could you ever do some fun stuff. Hovering in midair picking off guys on the ground with a good variety of weapons - yippee :D

Far Cry 2 and Kameo is very underated.

Deus Ex Human Revolution this year, not so much underrated but overlooked. Bearing in mind the amazing games out this year, it's fair that it is but still.

Brothers in Arms Hells Highway slightly underrated.

Mirror's Edge - a very refreshing and innovative use of the first person perspective. People criticised the quality of and lack of gunplay, missing the whole point of the game.

Blur - an interesting and very fun take on the arcade racer. Looks beautiful too. It's a shame it never took off as it had the potential to be a multiplayer classic.

Alan Wake - its debatable whether this game is actually underrated... probably more overlooked if anything. Easily one of the best 360 exclusives IMO. Psychological action adventure gaming as it should be.

Far Cry 2 and Kameo is very underated.

sukraj

[QUOTE="sukraj"]

Far Cry 2 and Kameo is very underated.

Elann2008

It depends on where you look. The game has received a lot of hate since then, especially at these forums. I agree that reviewers at the time massively overrated this game, but the hate it's been getting at these forums has been a bit excessive, as well.

That would be Brink. It wasn't terrible, and it actually tried to do something different.

I see Mirrors edge popping up often in "underrated games" threads, but I feel like I have to my 2 cents in. That game was awful It felt like a constricting puzzle game designed as a free-running game. I spent more time trying to figure out levels than actually running around doing jumps and other maneuvers. There was nothing at all open about the game, all you had was a set path that you had to figure out and navigate. The free-running aspect of the game itself wasn't even that good. I just couldn't get a hang of the controls and I often found myself missing platforms and other jumps I knew I should have landed. It should have been designed as a make your own path/open world game in my opinion. Just-Breathe

I agree. I wouldn't say it was awful, but it was just a very lackluster game, which is a shame seeing as its presentation and concept were actually quite phenomenal. Mirror's Edge is a perfect example of wasted potential, if you ask me.

That would be Brink. It wasn't terrible, and it actually tried to do something different.

Am_Confucius

Resident Evil 5 - I feel as if this game was held back because of its name. Had it been called, "Evil Embrace", or had it just not been a part of the Resident Evil franchise, I think it would have been better received. People just thought that the franchise took a turn from the norm, which it did, and it reflected in the reviews and the opinions on the game.

Disgaea 3 and 4 - As someone said earlier, this game is a JRPG and just flat out doesn't appeal to everyone. If they were to be reviewed by entirely non-biased people who happen to enjoy JRPG games, I think it would have done a lot better score wise. That's not to say it got bad reviews, it got 80% which is pretty good considering the circumstances.

Resistance series - This is one of my favorite first person shooting series of all time. It has great gameplay, great scope, mechanics, story, sci-fi setting etc. It does a lot of things well and it does a good job of differentiating itself from the slew of FPS games in the market today, all while remaining top notch IMO.

There's more, but I gotta think about it.

Two racing games:

Blur

Split Second

both of these games are really fun to play and got great reviews yet they sold like crap unfortunately. Oh and both these games have something that most racing games don't have these days its called SPLITSCREEN.

FarCry 2 get way too much hate around these boards.

Yes, the respawning guard posts are a little ridiculous, the malaria side missions are shoe horned in and the in the arms dealer missions the trucks just go around in circles until you destroy them. However, the overall game play holds up really well. There are lots of unscripted gun fights that can be exhilarating, and you can approach each as you please, you can stealth in, go all out attack, throw some grenades in one direction and go in another.... etc etc. The enemies will try to flank you, even if they telegram you their location (better. Most importantly, the game doesn't hold your hand like most corridor shooters these days. It also took me 24 hour s to complete, which is about 3 times as long a most games these days. I really liked it. Great game.

Mirrors Edge is not underrated. Its a fantastic idea that doesn't quite work. I really liked the game, but was frustrated by what it could have been. If they make a sequel I have no doubt that it will be better executed than the first. Its not worth £40, and its far too short. But its a brave step in a new direction, which I think is a good step.

Dragon Age 2 gets a lot of hate around here and in general. Had it not been a sequel to Dragon age origins, I think it would have stood up well. I didn't like that it was all in one city, or the fact that the dungeons were all recycled from the same room and that you had to be a human. but the combat was decent, and still similar to DA:O, and the voice acting was superb. The story was pretty cool, and I liked the whole templar vs mage thing. And the Arishok was by far the coolest thing to occur in either dragon age game. Its not as good as DA:O, but its still a good game. Its not the steaming pile of expletive that everyone makes it out to be.

Heavenly Sword was a game I thought was fantastic. sure its ridiculous and over the top, but so are devil may cry and bayonetta. It kinda went under the radar a little, probably because it was at the beginning of the generation when the PS3 was so expensive. But it has good game play and in my opinion excellent integration for the 6-axis controller. Don't really know what people think about this game to be honest.

ENSLAVED by far.. beautiful game, great story with great characters and voice acting. maybe one day we will see a sequel

Alan Wake.. one of the best 360 exclusives and its a shame this game got overshadowed by RDR

Silent Hill Homecoming.. really enjoyed playing through this game

[QUOTE="Elann2008"]

[QUOTE="sukraj"]

Far Cry 2 and Kameo is very underated.

DraugenCP

It depends on where you look. The game has received a lot of hate since then, especially at these forums. I agree that reviewers at the time massively overrated this game, but the hate it's been getting at these forums has been a bit excessive, as well.

Sorry for the bump, but I completely forgot about this topic. I was expecting a LOT out of FarCry2. I mean it has lots of great ideas, but they just weren't implemented very well. Especially the fact that you can't do half the things that are shown in the preview videos. Like in one vid in how you would shoot a guy in the leg with a sniper rifle, and he would fall down. An ally would pick him up and bring him to safety. When I tried this out myself, 4 out of 5 times, he would just take the shot and everyone would IMMEDIATELY know where I am and go WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!! And the whole damn camp would be shooting at me after that one shot.S0mEGuY12

Oh yes, the game was greatly flawed and very disappointing given the huge potential it had, but on these forums it is often implied that this game is terrible to the point of being unplayable. This is a great exaggeration of course, as the game does have its merits, and it's enjoyable as long as you don't play for too long.

[QUOTE="S0mEGuY12"]Sorry for the bump, but I completely forgot about this topic. I was expecting a LOT out of FarCry2. I mean it has lots of great ideas, but they just weren't implemented very well. Especially the fact that you can't do half the things that are shown in the preview videos. Like in one vid in how you would shoot a guy in the leg with a sniper rifle, and he would fall down. An ally would pick him up and bring him to safety. When I tried this out myself, 4 out of 5 times, he would just take the shot and everyone would IMMEDIATELY know where I am and go WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!! And the whole damn camp would be shooting at me after that one shot.DraugenCP

Oh yes, the game was greatly flawed and very disappointing given the huge potential it had, but on these forums it is often implied that this game is terrible to the point of being unplayable. This is a great exaggeration of course, as the game does have its merits, and it's enjoyable as long as you don't play for too long.