Hidden Gaming Gems

[josemlopes]

From time to time I feel like playing something different, not a diferent genre but a diferent take on a certain genre, so I usually surf the web searching for games with certain characteristics.

Since this games arent very popular there is a reason for that, some features dont work well, there are probably tons of bugs, etc. But then there is that huge plus that is what makes the game special, if you can live with bugs and enjoy the game then that will be your gaming gem.
These games usually get mixed reviews because of that.

If you have a gaming gem then share and explain what is special about it, im sure someone is looking for a game like that.


Here is mine:

Boiling Point: Road To Hell​

Imagine S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Far Cry 2 mixed together, with more RPG elements (drug addiction, owning your own car instead of stealing, having to sleep).

That is kind of what this game is, I know that it doesnt look that good, it is an old game, but it is quite fun if you can get into it.

The game starts with the main character looking for his missing daughter and for that he need to gather information from different factions (you choose what factions you want to help).

It is a very open game, you can buy cars, sleep in hotels, earn money driving a bus, ride a cab, switch tires and buy fuel for the car. Basicly you wont just be doing the missions, you will be doing them while living in South America, the player will need to take care of the character, if he injures a leg he will start to limp for example, after a 10 minutes playthrough one player will probably be doing something completely different then another player.

The game even has wild life like snakes and leopards.

It has some problems like the driving (its quite a lot) but if you can get over it then its a fun game.

Overall it is a very open game that lets you choose from start to finish how you play it.

 

[bobert17]

i dont know if this counts, because everyone knows about the infamous game "Two Worlds". But anyway i was able to look past all the glitches, terrible gameplay and balance, framerate and the rest of the stuff that plagued that game. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the game. Its kinda my guilty pleasure. I bought it for $6 on a whim and got plenty of hours out of it. It was a pleasent surprise. a hidden gem. In my opinion anyway.

Two Worlds 2 is trash, though.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Phychonauts.

Not known by many, but highly praised by the few that have played it.

Tons of fun and full of laughs. Plus, hairless bears with psychic powers.

 

[gostlyfantom]

E.Y.E divine cybermancy is rather hidden and kicks so many asses.

 

[Wayneguard]

Disciples and Disciples 2 are the biggest hidden gems I can think of. No one knows of them but everyone would love them if they did. Also, there's a little known game called Rune. It's fucking awesome. Like unreal tournament... but vikings.

 

[meepop]

Hidden: Source. It's a game mod for HL2 that was sadly left by its developers to suffer. The recuperating community is slowly bringing it back, and it is pretty good for what they designed. It was in Beta when they left it.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

I consider The World Ends With You to be a hidden gem, but it may be too popular for that...

 

[jacobythehedgehog]

Hunted: The Demon's Forge. I heard nothing but crap about it, but when I played it, I thought it was really good.

 

[Kurai Angelo]

The first thing that sprang to mind was Action Man: Operation Extreme for the PSX. Yes that's Action Man as in the toy. I can't remember how old I was when I played it, this is going back some years, but I remember being pretty damn hooked on it. The vehicle levels weren't really anthing to shout about but the rest of the game was pretty solid. One of the few games I actually completed when I was much younger.

 

[Funk Engine]

Grim Fandango. Growing up with point-and-clicks, Grim Fandango was a wonderful thing. It's not the most obscure, a lot of people know about it, but most haven't played it, and it's awesome. One of the best game stories ever, even if the presentation of that story doesn't fuse with the gameplay too well, and some of the funniest characters you'll run across.

 

[Hal10k]

One of my favorite games of all time is probably Metal Arms: Glitch in the System. It's a pretty solid shooter/platformer thingy where you shot at allegedly evil robots, but what stood out to me was the effect that weapons had on enemies. They didn't just stand around until they ran out of hit points: if you shoot a guy's arm off, he start running around and panicking; if you shot him so his weapon was barely hanging on, he'd start spraying fire in every direction. It's probably the goriest game I've ever played that featured only mechanical enemies. Weapons (all of them, including a particularly sadistic one specifically designed to shoot limbs off) actually look like they're having an impact on the enemy, and I've never since played a game that quite matched in this regard.

 

[shadow_Fox81]

condemned (the first one, i think its called criminal origins outside australia) its just very different for an fps its more of a brawler really. it does seem to get more forgottoen in the shadow of its action packed sequel but the first one was chilling and stimulating, even if outside of combat gameplay was restrictive.

 

[x-machina]

God... I hate having one of those predictable answers that you find in every thread of this kind, but I have to say it. Vampire: bloodlines is one of my favourite games of all time.

 

[Debatra]

Wild ARMs. The entire series. They're JRPGs in country of origin only. (okay, so some of the protagonists have spikey and/or strange colored hair, but the games are good)

 

[sgt. soap mctavish]

Black by Electronic Arts. A very good shooter that makes the the black ops in Call of duty look like Third Echelon pushovers.

 

[VladG]

Disciples and Disciples 2 are the biggest hidden gems I can think of. No one knows of them but everyone would love them if they did. Also, there's a little known game called Rune. It's fucking awesome. Like unreal tournament... but vikings.

Neither of those are "hidden". They were quite well known back in the day (and yes, great games). They are simply very old, and were never THAT good to be remembered constantly (Like Half-Life 1 or Deus Ex)

 

[nothingspringstomind]

Vagrant Story by Squaresoft (back before *that* merger)

Critically Acclaimed but apparently nobody but me bought it.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

The Neverhood Chronicles.

Point-and-click adventure puzzler that lives on the moon for how bizarrely hilarious it is.