Diamonds in the rough

[jblank]

Since I have been buying and enjoying a lot of older XBOX 360 titles, many of which didn't sell well or weren't well reviewed, it got me thinking, I wonder if anyone else has gotten any "diamonds in the rough", like I have recently. So, I thought maybe we could start a thread, maybe even getting it stickied, where we all share console and handheld games we bought and enjoy, that MAYBE weren't critically praised, or weren't appreciated by the masses, and explain why we liked them.

A big one for me is Quake 4. I think its a great looking game, so far, I am impressed with it, and its cheap. The only drawback is the multiplayer is dead.

Second would be The Outift, which for $20 is a steal.

I am undecided on The Godfather. The graphics are kinda meh, but it seems like the story has potential, and it might be a solid GTA-esque game. I am only about 25 minutes into it though.

[Purge]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

The only drawback was the "kitty litter missions"

[Misguided]

I'll second Amped 3. It didn't keep me playing all the way through the story, but we definitely had some fun with it, and the soundtrack is great.

[coopasonic]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

Couldn't disagree more on Amped 3. Step down from Amped 2 in my opinion. The gameplay was pretty good, but the story and crap on the interface - good god.

...and I'd consider The Godfather a diamond, no rough there.

[jblank]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

Couldn't disagree more on Amped 3. Step down from Amped 2 in my opinion. The gameplay was pretty good, but the story and crap on the interface - good god.

...and I'd consider The Godfather a diamond, no rough there.

The only reason I listed Godfather was due to its merely "decent" reviews and mediocre sales.

[Bullwinkle]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

The only drawback was the "kitty litter missions"

Agree with this statement completely, straight down to the damned "kitty litter missions."

The first game I thought of when I read your post is The Outfit.  It's a great one for $20, as you mentioned.  Not so great at $60, though.  The driving controls are a little off, but they work much better if you hold down the shoulder button (I think the right one).

I agree with Quake 4, as well.  There are moments of slowdown that I don't enjoy, but then it smooths out and is like butter.

I also picked up Ninety Nine Nights recently with the used 360 coupon.  Again, for $20, it's a blast.  A lot better than the reviews let on.  I'm sure it does get repetitive and they lack of checkpoints is a pain, but the missions haven't been longer than a half hour so far, so I can stand it.  Really, I was buying all the Samurai and Dynasty Warriors before I figured out that I didn't actually like them much.  This game is closer to what I was hoping those would be.

[Starshifter]

[metallicorphan]

definetly quake 4,i will have to get back to that one day...especially how you get a bonus disc with quake 2 on it


for me,it was on xbox1 called armed and dangerous,a lucasarts game,it got bad reviews here but i got it and loved it,it was also funny as hell(as with most lucasarts games=monkey island)

[CeeKay]

Gothic 3-  doesn't seem to get much love but I'm loving exploring the world and don't mind the combat.

I tried The Outfit but I guess I'm just too burned out on the WW2 scene right now.

[ATB]

The MDK series.

Brilliantly funny, clever and beautifully designed.  I wish this series had taken off.  The first one was really really good. The second one was a masterpiece.  I played both on the PC.

That would also be my most underappreciated series in gaming history.

[Purge]

definetly quake 4,i will have to get back to that one day...especially how you get a bonus disc with quake 2 on it


for me,it was on xbox1 called armed and dangerous,a lucasarts game,it got bad reviews here but i got it and loved it,it was also funny as hell(as with most lucasarts games=monkey island)

Armed and Dangerous was from Planet Moon Studios (small developer, 13 people in it, IIRC)... they also made Giants : Citizen Kabuto (PC)... an EXCELLENT game even by today's standards (dated graphics, but the gameplay is very fun!!). I don't know anything about the PS2 version of GIANTS though.

They made also made MDK and Infected (PSP).

[Kevin Grey]

They made also made MDK and Infected (PSP).

I think MDK 1 is Shiny, though Planet Moon was formed by guys from Shiny IIRC. 

[denoginizer]

The MDK series.

Brilliantly funny, clever and beautifully designed.  I wish this series had taken off.  The first one was really really good. The second one was a masterpiece.  I played both on the PC.

That would also be my most underappreciated series in gaming history.

I agree.  MDK was amazing for it's time.

I'll add Condemned to the list.  I picked it up at EB for $20 and started playing it this week.  Great atmosphere and alot better than I expected so far.

[Kevin Grey]

I agree with the Quake 4 mention, at least on the PC (haven't played the 360 version)- very solid and enjoyable shooter.  I preferred it to FEAR, which released at the same time. 

I'll throw in Second Sight from Free Radical, devs of Time Splitters- fantastic story and atmosphere with a nice variety of gameplay.  The psionics weren't as well implemented as those in Psi-Ops but I enjoyed everything else about Second Sight more. 

[warning]

I agree with the Quake 4 mention, at least on the PC (haven't played the 360 version)- very solid and enjoyable shooter.  I preferred it to FEAR, which released at the same time.

Yup.  I finished Quake 4 but left FEAR halfway through.

[semiconscious]

my favorite under-rated ps2 game would be mark of kri - very pretty, great music/narration, very cool & unusual combat system, interesting stealth elements. one of the first ps2 games i played, & it looks as good now as it did then (never got around to the sequel - maybe i should?)...

[warning]

my favorite under-rated ps2 game would be mark of kri - very pretty, great music/narration, very cool & unusual combat system, interesting stealth elements. one of the first ps2 games i played, & it looks as good now as it did then (never got around to the sequel - maybe i should?)...

I just found a used copy of that last week.  I'd never played it but I'd heard it was great.  I haven't even started it up yet.

[semiconscious]

my favorite under-rated ps2 game would be mark of kri - very pretty, great music/narration, very cool & unusual combat system, interesting stealth elements. one of the first ps2 games i played, & it looks as good now as it did then (never got around to the sequel - maybe i should?)...

I just found a used copy of that last week.  I'd never played it but I'd heard it was great.  I haven't even started it up yet.

you got lucky - not very easy to find anymore. enjoy...

[markus]

I got The Outfit for $10 the day after Thanksgiving and aside from the horrible vehicle controls, I really like the game quite a bit.  2-player co-op through the whole story and really fun multiplayer are it's strong points.

[denoginizer]

I got The Outfit for $10 the day after Thanksgiving and aside from the horrible vehicle controls, I really like the game quite a bit.  2-player co-op through the whole story and really fun multiplayer are it's strong points.

Try using the right shoulder button to recenter the turret while driving.  It's not in the manual but it made vehicles much more controllable for me.

[JCC]

Just one of the top of my head from the last gen that I always thought was underappreciated: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. I wouldn't call it a AAA title, but I did think it was a great little (or not so little) action adventure game. The mummy sequences were funny and brain bending at times. Good fun.

[Purge]

Sacred, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect , and Gears: Glitch in the System should be added to that list.

I'd also mention Samurai Warriors 2; it's far from perfect but a fun play once you start unlocking characters.

[Purge]

Argh!! I forgot : Phantom Dust for the Xbox1.

Really fun game; it desperately needs a sequel with "GOOD" CGI.

[HankRaptor]

Gears of War, quite the forgotten title.

Project Gotham 3 can now be had for 20$

[Teggy]

Gears: Glitch in the System should be added to that list.

Do you mean Metal Arms?

[ATB]

MEtal arms was one of my very favorite games on XB1.  Brilliant variety and just hilarious writing.

[Calvin]

definetly quake 4,i will have to get back to that one day...especially how you get a bonus disc with quake 2 on it


for me,it was on xbox1 called armed and dangerous,a lucasarts game,it got bad reviews here but i got it and loved it,it was also funny as hell(as with most lucasarts games=monkey island)

Armed and Dangerous was from Planet Moon Studios (small developer, 13 people in it, IIRC)... they also made Giants : Citizen Kabuto (PC)... an EXCELLENT game even by today's standards (dated graphics, but the gameplay is very fun!!). I don't know anything about the PS2 version of GIANTS though.

They made also made MDK and Infected (PSP).

Armed and Dangerous in an absolutely fantastic game, as is Giants.

[EddieA]

I got Ultimate Spiderman for Christmas, and I'm really enjoying it.  The comic-book art style is great, and it's great fun just zipping around the city.  Spiderman controls beautifully and the web-swinging is by far the best I've seen in a Spidey game.

[Gratch]

definetly quake 4,i will have to get back to that one day...especially how you get a bonus disc with quake 2 on it


for me,it was on xbox1 called armed and dangerous,a lucasarts game,it got bad reviews here but i got it and loved it,it was also funny as hell(as with most lucasarts games=monkey island)

Armed and Dangerous was from Planet Moon Studios (small developer, 13 people in it, IIRC)... they also made Giants : Citizen Kabuto (PC)... an EXCELLENT game even by today's standards (dated graphics, but the gameplay is very fun!!). I don't know anything about the PS2 version of GIANTS though.

They made also made MDK and Infected (PSP).

Armed and Dangerous in an absolutely fantastic game, as is Giants.

This is good to hear, as I just picked it up from Simon's extremely generous freebie thread.  It's always been on my "I'll get around to it someday" list, but I've just never...gotten around to it.

[Purge]

Yeah metal arms... that's why I threw the Glitch in the System part in to make sure people knew what I was talking about.

I'm also thinking the Hulk game for the xbox1 (Hulk Ult. Destruction IIRC) was kind of a guilty pleasure. It's the GTA clone with no annoying stealth missions.

[kronovan]

Eternal Darkness; Sanity's Requiem  (GC); every bit as good as RE 1 for GC
Beyond Good and Evil; excellent game on any of last gen's consoles
Phantom Dust (XBox); Excellent artistic style and a blast to play online.
Mechassault; Phantom Wars (DS)
Killer 7 (GC) One of the wierdest -in a good way- games I've ever played
Resident Evil; Deadly Silence (DS). The knife slicing game you unlocked made it worth it.

I'm sure there more, now let me think....

[Purge]

Kung Fu Chaos ... too bad JustAddMonsters is in liquidation.

[Misguided]

I got Ultimate Spiderman for Christmas, and I'm really enjoying it.  The comic-book art style is great, and it's great fun just zipping around the city.  Spiderman controls beautifully and the web-swinging is by far the best I've seen in a Spidey game.

As an aside, I'm curious to see how they'll handle that for Spiderman 3 on the Wii.

[Calvin]

Eternal Darkness; Sanity's Requiem  (GC); every bit as good as RE 1 for GC
Beyond Good and Evil; excellent game on any of last gen's consoles
Phantom Dust (XBox); Excellent artistic style and a blast to play online.
Mechassault; Phantom Wars (DS)
Killer 7 (GC) One of the wierdest -in a good way- games I've ever played
Resident Evil; Deadly Silence (DS). The knife slicing game you unlocked made it worth it.

I'm sure there more, now let me think....

Eternal Darkness seriously is good enough to keep a Cube for.

[Kevin Grey]

Kung Fu Chaos ... too bad JustAddMonsters is in liquidation.

Aren't those the guys who basically transformed into Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword) or am I thinking of someone else?

[Calvin]

Kung Fu Chaos ... too bad JustAddMonsters is in liquidation.

Aren't those the guys who basically transformed into Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword) or am I thinking of someone else?

Kung Fu Chaos was an extremely clever and fun little game.

[stiffler]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

The only drawback was the "kitty litter missions"

Agree with this statement completely, straight down to the damned "kitty litter missions."

Which are those?  The ones where you pick up the cat icons that meow?  For me the worst part was the crazy rail grinding for minutes on end (end of the ninja missions, I believe).  That and finding all the last two events I needed to medal in was a mini-game in itself.

I need to find The Outfit for $20.  Is that the standard price now or was that a big sale?

[CeeKay]

my favorite under-rated ps2 game would be mark of kri - very pretty, great music/narration, very cool & unusual combat system, interesting stealth elements. one of the first ps2 games i played, & it looks as good now as it did then (never got around to the sequel - maybe i should?)...

I just found a used copy of that last week.  I'd never played it but I'd heard it was great.  I haven't even started it up yet.

you got lucky - not very easy to find anymore. enjoy...

My local EB had a few copies of Mark of Kri today.  I looked it up on IGN and it's looks neat, I may be grabbing it tomorrow (and maybe the sequel too if they have it).

[Calvin]

my favorite under-rated ps2 game would be mark of kri - very pretty, great music/narration, very cool & unusual combat system, interesting stealth elements. one of the first ps2 games i played, & it looks as good now as it did then (never got around to the sequel - maybe i should?)...

I just found a used copy of that last week.  I'd never played it but I'd heard it was great.  I haven't even started it up yet.

you got lucky - not very easy to find anymore. enjoy...

My local EB had a few copies of Mark of Kri today.  I looked it up on IGN and it's looks neat, I may be grabbing it tomorrow (and maybe the sequel too if they have it).

let me know if they are real cheap CK, that game looks cool.

[Bullwinkle]

Amped3 was panned for it's over-the-top animations and lack of multiplayer... but DAMN the game is fun and a step up from Amped2.

The only drawback was the "kitty litter missions"

Agree with this statement completely, straight down to the damned "kitty litter missions."

Which are those?  The ones where you pick up the cat icons that meow?  For me the worst part was the crazy rail grinding for minutes on end (end of the ninja missions, I believe).  That and finding all the last two events I needed to medal in was a mini-game in itself.

I need to find The Outfit for $20.  Is that the standard price now or was that a big sale?

For some reason the icons you pick up in kitty litter missions are pink blobs and green alien heads and blue asterisks and other such items that make no sense at all.  I don't remember them meowing.  They are a pain because they require precise control in a game that doesn't really have precise control.


$20 is standard for new copies of The Outfit.

http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=200126