Wanna talk real obscure?

[sushkis2]

Tonight, I would like to discuss what may be a quite common, nonetheless, an interesting topic of obscure games.

We all know some, and we all wanna share the knowledge, so, let's do it.

I will begin by mentioning the very first hardcore PC game I ever got my hands on, Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles. It is a rare gem indeed, since it was supposedly only released in Europe. As of late, I was thinking of all the old clunky 3d platformers I so miss, and of all the usual suspects, Crash, Rayman, Spyro etc etc, this one always stood out. Hmm, where do I begin... Maybe it is the unusual presentation, It's a seemingly kiddie-game, with a dark twist, you play as an orphan, trapped in a dark realm with strange denizens and places they inhabit, like, there is a nation of guys, who all are split in half, and some guys who are living in a giant ship, that houses a whole city. Definitely check it out, it definitely deserves to get some polish (since it was a bit buggy, and the graphics technically looked outdated) and most of all, get greenlit on steam or better yet, get a GOG release.

watch?v=tlvBLLnXAg4

The trailer seems a bit lame, but, make no mistake, this game is extraordinary.

 

[Doom972]

Cybermage: Darklight Awakening. It's an FPS with RPG elements that takes place in a setting very similar to Shadowrun. You are the Cybermage - a human infused with magical ability. The story begins with the Cybermage waking up in an underground lab of the rebels who fight the evil corporation (Yes, it's a pretty standard cyberpunk story) and must learn how to use his magical powers and defeat the corporation and its leader, who's a powerful mage.

The game was very much ahead of its time (or at least I thought so, I haven't discovered System Shock at that point), with very good graphics for its time, plenty of voiced NPC monologues, and having both an arsenal of weapons and an arsenal of magic powers (very similar to the Shock series), and the ability to drive aircars and tanks. It also has a great atmosphere and large levels, which feel like actual urban areas rather than the linear maps most shooters had at the time. The main reason it isn't well known is because of its high system requirements for the time. It's easy to get it running on Dosbox on modern PCs.

Spoiler: Click for a video of the game

 

[sushkis2]

Cybermage: Darklight Awakening. It's an FPS with RPG elements that takes place in a setting very similar to Shadowrun. You are the Cybermage - a human infused with magical ability. The story begins with the Cybermage waking up in an underground lab of the rebels who fight the evil corporation (Yes, it's a pretty standard cyberpunk story) and must learn how to use his magical powers and defeat the corporation and its leader, who's a powerful mage.

The game was very much ahead of its time (or at least I thought so, I haven't discovered System Shock at that point), with very good graphics for its time, plenty of voiced NPC monologues, and having both an arsenal of weapons and an arsenal of magic powers (very similar to the Shock series), and the ability to drive aircars and tanks. It also has a great atmosphere and large levels, which feel like actual urban areas rather than the linear maps most shooters had at the time. The main reason it isn't well known is because of its high system requirements for the time. It's easy to get it running on Dosbox on modern PCs.

Spoiler: Click for a video of the game

Wow, honestly, it seems like these kind of games keep coming out of nowhere. I've found out about half a dozen of this kind of boxy old fps/rpg's earlier, of which I've never heard of. Too bad older games don't keep my interest for too long, though this one might be the one that will. Is it on GOG or anything?

 

[Doom972]

Cybermage: Darklight Awakening. It's an FPS with RPG elements that takes place in a setting very similar to Shadowrun. You are the Cybermage - a human infused with magical ability. The story begins with the Cybermage waking up in an underground lab of the rebels who fight the evil corporation (Yes, it's a pretty standard cyberpunk story) and must learn how to use his magical powers and defeat the corporation and its leader, who's a powerful mage.

The game was very much ahead of its time (or at least I thought so, I haven't discovered System Shock at that point), with very good graphics for its time, plenty of voiced NPC monologues, and having both an arsenal of weapons and an arsenal of magic powers (very similar to the Shock series), and the ability to drive aircars and tanks. It also has a great atmosphere and large levels, which feel like actual urban areas rather than the linear maps most shooters had at the time. The main reason it isn't well known is because of its high system requirements for the time. It's easy to get it running on Dosbox on modern PCs.

Spoiler: Click for a video of the game

Wow, honestly, it seems like these kind of games keep coming out of nowhere. I've found out about half a dozen of this kind of boxy old fps/rpg's earlier, of which I've never heard of. Too bad older games don't keep my interest for too long, though this one might be the one that will. Is it on GOG or anything?

It's not on GOG, but you can find it on several abandonware sites. It's weird that GOG don't have it, since they seem to have every other game by Origin.

EDIT: About those other games you found, can you tell me their names? I would like to play more games like this.

 

[thePyro_13]

My personal one is Warwind, I had it ages back, it's in interesting take on the warcraft 2 era RTS games that were popular back then. Sadly it's not available(legally) anywhere, and has yet to receive the GoG treatment.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I remember a lot of Incredible Crisis, such to the point that I now have the theme tune in my head, despite not having played it for at least 5-6 years.

Weird collection of minigames scattered throughout a plot that gradually ups the ante in 'wait, what?'.

There's a Game Grumps let's play of it if anyone's innarested, but it barely touches on the game.

 

[Nadia Castle]

I had Evil Twin on the Dreamcast. It almost seemed to be from a creepypasta story. No reviews, no release outside of Europe, and literally popped up right before the console was scrapped. Didn't help that the game itself was like being trapped in a very, very surreal nightmare. I loved it!

Incredible Crisis too was a blast, me and my friends used to crack up at the massage minigame for hours (ah the blessings of innocence)

My fave obscure game is probably the 'Ocean Hunter' arcade game. I loved Sega Lightgun games and this one I only played once and loved. Kind of a steam punk submarine game where you hunt down mythical monsters.

 

[Deceptive_Trixter]

I don't even know who else I can talk to about Threads of Fate...so Threads of Fate it is.

 

[krazykidd]

I don't even know who else I can talk to about Threads of Fate...so Threads of Fate it is.

I remember wanting that game when i was a kid . My dad wouldn't buy it .

OT: Anyone remembered the ps1 game , Dark stone? It was an isometric Rpgs kind of like diablo? With insane loading times? It was a very fun game.

 

[The_Echo]

It doesn't even have a wikipedia page.

Finny the Fish and the Seven Waters not only doesn't have a Wiki page, but it's not even listed on Natsume's list of games. I've never met anyone else who's even heard of this game.

The only reason I know about it is because a demo disc had it in Japanese. (Took me years to find out that it even had an English release. The two versions have different titles.)

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I don't know any myself, but for those who are interested in obscure games or the history thereof, I recommend Richard Corbett's Saturday Crapshoot series on PC Gamer.

It's really good, I remember there being a Russian/Eastern European game where one of the insults used in game by the characters was "I'll suck your eyes out!"

ANTI-KILLER, that's the one!

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/20/saturday-crapshoot-antikiller/

 

[SKBPinkie]

Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP.

Fantastic RPG with a good story, really great music, and a pretty innovative combo system that can be customized by the player. I still consider this to be one of the best games I've ever played. To be fair, though, I'm kind of a sucker for good music in my games; I'm willing to excuse some flaws in lieu of a good soundtrack.

 

[Deceptive_Trixter]

I don't even know who else I can talk to about Threads of Fate...so Threads of Fate it is.

I remember wanting that game when i was a kid . My dad wouldn't buy it .

OT: Anyone remembered the ps1 game , Dark stone? It was an isometric Rpgs kind of like diablo? With insane loading times? It was a very fun game.

T'was a very fun game. I remember going through it several times. Too bad the game is really short.

OT: Anyone else remember Warzone 2100?

 

[Combustion Kevin]

not exactly obscure, but I grew up on one of Epic's earliest titles, starring a green rabbit with a red bandana and a blue gun on a mission to stop an evil turtle scientist, he even got his crack-head red brother to back him up in the sequel.

Jazz Jackrabbit.

just listen to that music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke89OqQR08Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzpBLiM3AcA

glorious!

 

[Rylee Fox]

I don't even know who else I can talk to about Threads of Fate...so Threads of Fate it is.

I owned that game and finished it with both characters, more than once even. It's been a great many years since I've played it though. Heck, its been many years since I've even seen anyone mention the game anywhere.

 

[captainballsack]

Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP.

Fantastic RPG with a good story, really great music, and a pretty innovative combo system that can be customized by the player. I still consider this to be one of the best games I've ever played. To be fair, though, I'm kind of a sucker for good music in my games; I'm willing to excuse some flaws in lieu of a good soundtrack.

Dude.. This game is amazing. I remember I played this when I went to New Zealand as a kid - I brought my PSP with me, but I forgot to bring any games. My grandma ended up buying me this game from a local game store there, and I played it non-stop for the week we were driving around the south island.

It's really brilliant. I can't believe I forgot this game.

OT: I suppose its not super obscure, but I still think not enough people have heard of this game.

Spoiler

[/spoiler]

Possibly one of the best games I've ever played.

 

[Tactical Pause]

Incredibly obscure games you say? Well, I present to you, from the distant past, running on a strange machine known as a 'Mac'...

Ferazel's Wand

I guess it would be called a rogue-like, though it doesn't exactly fit that mold. Part puzzle-solving, part side-scrolling mage-em-up, and all badass. I haven't played it in at least a decade (it's hard as hell to get, and only works on a mac), so my memory is a little fuzzy, but I do recall that it had quite the crushing level of difficulty (a couple levels involving fire spring to mind). Way back when I played it, it took me weeks, if not months to get to the final boss, at which point I lost my save file.

Bonus obscure games!

Spoiler

Escape Velocity

and Escape Velocity Nova

Both made by the same people who made Ferazel's Wand (Ambrosia Software), these sandbox space games might not be as obscure, but I felt they were still worth a mention. Nova in particular, which I replayed just a few years back, still held up quite well, and had shockingly good writing, especially considering I went in not expecting much in that department.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

I don't even know who else I can talk to about Threads of Fate...so Threads of Fate it is.

I actually have that game, still haven't finished it though... I have too many games that I haven't finished.

I guess I'll go with this for now.

I had first seen the game in a demo CD we got from Pizza Hut and loved what I saw but never got the chance to actually play the game. Years later when I was going on an old game buying binge, this was one of the games I sought out, and I loved it.