Whether they followed up beloved titles, didn't come out at the right time or on the right console, or... let's face it... released on a handheld, some games just don't get the reception or recognition that I feel they deserved. So, here's my chance at talking about the games I feel are either underrated and overlooked, as well as why they aren't as well-liked or well-known as I think they should be.
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins: Have you ever felt like most 2D Mario games felt a bit stale in their environments and level gimmicks, with the same grass desert, water, ice, forest, mountain, sky, and lava worlds in roughly the same order? Well, Super Mario Land 2 is the game for you, easily one of the most inventive and impeccably-designed Mario games in the series. Don't let the fact that it's a Game Boy game fool you, SML2 is filled with creative setpieces like entering a giant robotic Mario, going to space via giant bubble, shrinking and platforming across a giant house, and traveling through a Halloween-themed world of pumpkins. Not to mention an open world hub that lets you play the worlds in any order you want, modify the environment, and unlock hidden bonus stages. There's creative bosses, new items, minigames that actually give the coins a practical usage, a great soundtrack by Totaka, and a brutal final level that makes for one of the most memorable in the series. People do not talk about this game enough and it's a damn shame, it's easily one of the best experiences you can get on the Game Boy.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: Handheld games really don't get the respect they deserve a lot of the time and Super Mario Land 2 is a huge example of that. Pretty much everyone who has played SML2 really likes it, and I know for a fact that if it had released on SNES, it would be held up as one of the greatest video games of all time.
Mario Party 8: I was so close to picking Mario Party 4 as my underrated Mario Party game, but I frankly have more of a love-hate relationship with it. It has its great elements and it's a game I frequently come back to, but my goodness is it flawed. Mario Party 8, on the other hand, is a game that unabashedly love despite generally being considered to be one of the weaker entries in the series. Because sure, the motion controls do not work great and it does drag down the minigame lineup quite a bit, but what Mario Party 8 nails probably better than any other Mario Party game are the boards. Just in the prior two installments, each board boasts a unique gimmick, but unlike in 6 and 7, every single board is fun in its own way, doing something creative and new or improving on prior board gimmicks. King Boo's Haunted Hallway might be the best board for tag battle to date, Shy Guy's Perplex Express is hands down the strongest linear board in the series, Bowser's Warped Express turns the awful star stealing boards from 6 and 7 into a fun game of Uno, and Koopa's Tycoon Town improves on Windmillville's coin concept and became my favorite board in the series. I also do think there are plenty of standouts as far as the minigames are concerned (Grabby Gridiron, King Of The Thrill, Sick And Twisted), as well as games that use the motion controls in very creative and fun ways (Spector Inspector, Rotation Station, Breakneck Building, Speedy Graffiti, Thrash And Crash). The game has a cool and cohesive carnival theme, a whole bunch of solid extra content, and one of the best character rosters in the series. For me, that's all I'd want from a Mario Party game.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: There are two big reasons here. First, there's the motion controls, which frankly don't work the best all of the time in this case. I totally understand if that puts you off Mario Party 8 entirely. The other reason is that the series was just oversaturated at the time. We already had four Mario Party games release for Gamecube in the past few years and now we're getting two more games (8 and DS) on the same year?! It was only until the series started to decrease in quality once NDCube took the helm when people started to look back on this era of Mario Party more fondly.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team: Dream Team's definitely gotten a bit of a resurgence in popularity as of late, but man, I remember when this game first came out to a very divisive reception. The abundance of tutorials, the change in art style, the crushing length were particularly noteworthy issues, and Dream Team was generally considered to be the weakest game so far. While I do agree with these problems, I don't think they're nearly as bad as people make them out to be, and the things Dream Team does do right makes for my second favorite entry in the series. Pillo Island is a super cool location with a variety of fun environments, and I'd actually say the 2D sections in the Dream World are more fun than the similar 2D sections in Bowser's Inside Story due to the abilities Luigi can do. Speaking of Luigi, Dream Team's story gives the guy a full-on character arc and it's fantastic. No other Mario game outside of maybe Galaxy fleshes out a character this much, it's almost a full on character study! While one could criticize the new 3D artstyle for lacking the charm of the previous games, it does allow for some of the most vertical and fun-to-explore environments in the series. And then there's the battle system, which is hands down the series' best! Pulling off attacks and dodging your enemies' attacks have turned into full-on minigames, and it leads to a fantastically varied lineup of bosses. And of course, I can't talk about Dream Team without bringing up its amazing soundtrack, probably Yoko Shimomura's greatest work, which is saying something given that she's my favorite video game composer. Dream Team has its issues, but they're so miniscule in the scope of what this game does right. BiS is my favorite for its story, pacing, and Fawful, but Dream Team is a very close second for me.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: As I said, the tutorials, length, and shift from 2D sprites to 3D sprites are probably the biggest complaints of Dream Team from what I've heard. It probably also didn't help that this game followed the widely beloved Bowser's Inside Story.
Paper Mario And The Origami King: In a series that's essentially split in half between two entirely different types of games, I'm the rare type that likes all of the Paper Mario games (yes, even Sticker Star). I like the original trilogy for their mechanical depth, darker plots, and creative character designs and environments. I also like the recent three entries for their exploration, humor, and paper aesthetic. But Origami King stands out as my favorite in the series. It may not be a true RPG, but by merging many of the aspects that I love about the Paper Mario franchise, it turned out to be one hell of a fantastic adventure game. Between the ridiculous amount of collectibles, connected world unlike the prior two games, and plenty of very fun and memorable environments (Shogun Studios and Snif City being the highlights), exploration is better than ever. While the character designs still aren't super original, the characters themselves are more fleshed out than ever before, leading to a story that combines Color Splash's humor with a strong emotional core that made for some really heartbreaking and impactful story beats, definitely the darkest story in a Mario game since Super Paper Mario. The presentation is phenomenal, as not only are the papercraft environments downright stunning but the soundtrack is an absolute beast. And hell, I even like the ring-based battle system! It's not super complex but it's snappy and engaging, especially during the surprisingly tough boss fights. Paper Mario And The Origami King is that rare game that, despite its roughly 30-hour length, had pretty much no rough points. I enjoyed this game the whole way through, and that really speaks to how good it is.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: Well, for starters, it's not a full-on RPG like the first two Paper Mario games, and the supposed character mandates didn't help (though I think Intelligent Systems did a good job of skirting around it). Origami King did win more people over to the modern Paper Mario games, but there are still many who just wish the series would be like how it used to be, and that's perfectly valid.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Double Trouble: The SNES Donkey Kong Country games are so close in quality for me that it's hard to say which one's the best, though it feels a bit sad to see people almost immediately discount DKC3 as the worst of the three. Look, I get it, I hate Kiddy Kong too, but I actually think DKC3 might be my favorite of the SNES games. DKC1 is a very well-paced series of platforming challenges, but it's on the simple side. DKC2 is also fantastic with the best music and atmosphere by far, but it swings a bit into the opposite direction of being too gimmicky for me. DKC3, on the other hand, strikes a happy medium. Each level focuses on an entirely original concept that it then proceeds to toss out the window so it can move onto the next, keeping DKC3 fresh and inventive throughout, but with a few exceptions, I found most of the stages to remain platforming-focused and, most importantly, fun. Certain elements are streamlined here too, with the Animal Buddies (who I actually don't really like) being less involved than in 2, and the collectible tracking being way better executed than in the first two games. The boss lineup is probably my favorite too due to its sheer creativity, with Arich, KAOS, and Bleak being especially memorable. I also love the very ambitious hub, with its side quests, minigames, and vehicle upgrades. And even more, I really like Eveline Fisher's more atmospheric and ambient soundtrack, and find it immensely underrated in its own right. People sell it short since David Wise didn't work as much on it and that's a big shame, it hits a bit different than the first two soundtracks but still hits in its own way. I love the SNES Donkey Kong Country games, I got 100% completion on all of them! But I don't agree with the claim that DKC3 is some sort of step down or a regression. It's just as good of a platformer as its two predecessors, if not moreso in some aspects.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: This is a bit of a tricky one, but I have a few potential reasons. For starters, Donkey Kong Country 2 is so unanimously beloved that literally any game would feel like a step down for a lot of people. Kiddy Kong is a pretty useless and lame character, David Wise not working on the soundtrack was also probably a big influence, and there's the fact that this game came out around when the N64 was releasing.
Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap: The Minish Cap is my second favorite 2D Zelda game behind Link's Awakening, it's the closest thing we have to a modern 3D entry like Wind Waker or Twilight Princess literally flattened into a 2D space. I wouldn't say it really excels at anything in particular, it just feels like a perfect Zelda experience. The overworld is densely packed and filled with secrets, with the infamous Kinstones sidequest really encouraging you to search every nook and cranny and interact with every NPC. The shrinking mechanic allows for plenty of great puzzles, and Ezio (the partner who shrinks Link) is easily one of the best and funniest partners in the series. The dungeons are also great throughout, with Temple Of Droplets and Palace Of Winds standing out as some of my favorite 2D dungeons. And the item roster is so freaking creative, with the Gust Jar, Cane Of Pacci, and Roc's Cape being super cool items that only appeared in this game and nowhere else. The artstyle is also super lush and colorful, and the music is fantastic for a GBA game.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: It released on a handheld console, easy.
Kirby's Dream Land 3: I've already talked about this game in my Kirby retrospective so you can check that out for my full thoughts, but I'll just sum them up here: Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a fantastic game that was sadly in the shadow of the most iconic Kirby games in the series, with solid level design, an expansion and improvement on the animal friend and collectible mechanics of Dream Land 2, fun multi-phase bosses, a beautiful pastel artstyle, a typically strong soundtrack, and a final boss so gory one might mistake it for a creepypasta. I absolutely adore this game and think it deserves way more credit than it deserves.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: It came out after Super Star, simplified the combat a bit, and it released in 1996. Generally much of the same reasons as Donkey Kong Country 3.
Sonic CD: Oh, boy, here comes Sonic, the series where pretty much every game can be considered underrated in its own way. Honestly, I think people tend to sell much of this series pretty short. I think most Sonic games are good at worst, with all the games I actively dislike mostly just suffering from glitchiness (except for Secret Rings which is just fundamentally flawed at its core). Sonic CD is actually one of my favorite 2D Sonic games, right behind 3&K and Mania. Let's get the obvious praise out of the way, this game looks and sounds fantastic. The colorful and poppy 90s aesthetic is absolute beautiful, and the JP soundtrack is still my favorite in the series for its banging selection of house and new jack swing tunes. It feels like I'm being teleported to this glorified and surrealist version of the 90s every time I play Sonic CD, it's such a vibe. As for the gameplay, many seem to criticize the level design for being basic and aimless, and I actually used to agree. However, then I tried to beat the game 100% and go for all the good futures, and everything just clicked for me. Sonic CD is a game built around exploration, so all of its levels feel like these sprawling momentum-driven playgrounds. The level design didn't even feel aimless any more since every block seemed perfectly placed for effective navigation, where you could find a path from one point of the stage to another incredibly easy. All of the level gimmicks were fun to engage with and utilize to your advantage, and figuring out how to time travel in each stage felt like an engrossing and meticulously thought-out puzzle. If you want a Sonic game all about playing around with momentum, then Sonic CD is probably your best bet. It's a game built around momentum, at least as long as you're willing to play by its rules.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: I think the mystique and high expectations really hurt CD for some people. The game came out on the Sega CD, which no one got, but was praised to no end. All most people knew about CD was the frankly awesome opening cutscene where he ran through an environment super fast, which they would be able to see in the Sonic Mega Collection. So the Gems Collection came out and people finally got to get their hands on CD, I'm sure there were a lot of people who were disappointed that it was a very different game than what the opening indicated.
Shadow The Hedgehog: The way I've heard people talk about Shadow The Hedgehog, I initially thought it was a glitchy and broken mess on par with 06 and Boom, so color me surprised when I decided to give it a go and actually had a really good time with it! Granted, Shadow does have its flaws. The edgy tone and story is as laughable as everyone says it is, and while I don't despise the mission structure (I even kinda enjoy Lost Impact), this game would very much be improved if you could just play the stages in a normal order from the get-go. Still, as far as gameplay is concerned, Shadow The Hedgehog is really solid! It's practically a sequel to Sonic Heroes, a game I already really like, that manages to polish up and fix some of its weak points. The gunplay is simple but snappy and fast-paced compared to Heroes' combat, the button layout was improved, the Triangle Jump feels great, and the rail grinding is the best in the whole series, balancing the momentum-driven skill of the earlier games with the polish of the later games. I also like a lot of the levels here, with every weak stage we have bangers like Digital Circuit, Cryptic Castle, Prison Island, Sky Troops, Circus Park, Cosmic Fall, and one of my favorites in the series, Lava Shelter. Not to mention the soundtrack is great as always. The problem with Shadow The Hedgehog is that its edgy tone comes off like it's trying too hard and puts people off, but if you can look past its cringeworthy exterior, you'll find a solid entry in the series that fans of Heroes and the Adventure era could totally be able to get behind.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: This game could've been the best thing in the world and it would probably still be hated to no end due to the circumstances that led up to it. Sonic Heroes was already a divisive game, in terms of both the gameplay and Shadow coming back, so a Shadow spinoff that uses the Heroes engine was never going to be a smash hit with the fans. The fact that this game decided to hop on the trend of edgifying its cartoon animal characters and giving Shadow a gun only further turned it into a massive laughing-stock. Also, I know a lot of people don't like the mission structure so that's probably another big straw.
Sonic And The Black Knight: Similarly to Shadow, I remember hearing nothing but hate for this one. People claiming that Sonic with a sword is stupid, the motion controls ruined the experience, and most bizarre of all, that it was somehow worse than Secret Rings (a game I genuinely despise, by the way). Nowadays, the game gets a bit more praise and I think that's well-deserved, especially because of the overall presentation. The story is genuinely well-written, with a nice blend of drama, humor, moral ambiguities, and great characterization for Sonic. The visuals are incredibly impressive for the Wii, with stages like Deep Woods, Titanic Plain, and Shrouded Forest boasting some downright stunning vistas. And the soundtrack absolutely slaps, meshing together classic Crush 40 buttrock with RPG-esque folk music to make for one of the best in the series. The gameplay is definitely the biggest sticking point, and while it's definitely on the simple side, there's something really addicting about it. The fast-paced combat and brisk stages make for a thrilling shot of adrenaline every time I play, one I can actually enjoy since pretty much all the control issues from Secret Rings have been fixed (and if you really can't stand the motion controls just play on Dolphin and tie the waggle to a button). I totally get it if the gameplay is too mindless for you (rather that than actively broken or annoying though), but there is genuine love put into this one that really shows. I really do like some of the later games, but Black Knight is a fitting end for my personal favorite era of Sonic (the whole Adventure era, not just the Dark Age games).
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: It really came out at the wrong time. Sonic with a sword may have passed at some other point in time, but the guy's reputation was at his absolute lowest and this game just echoed the similar controversy of Shadow getting a gun. But even worse, this game released the same year as the Wii Motion Plus. Simple waggle-based games just weren't cutting it anymore, and Black Knight's control scheme ended up being a massive dividing point for those who were willing to give it a change. It also didn't help that similar games like Super Paper Mario and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, which would be more praised for their stories than their gameplay, similarly didn't reach the heights of popularity they would eventually reach over time. Back then, I just don't think people cared as much.
Sonic Lost World: So, one of the most common criticisms I've heard about Sonic Lost World is that it's a Super Mario Galaxy clone. But the thing is... Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of all time. How the hell is that supposed to be a bad thing? The inspirations it took from Galaxy, with its creative planet-hopping levels, was what got me interested in Lost World as a kid, and I still find it a ton of fun. Sure, it's pretty slow-paced and you can argue that makes this a "bad Sonic game", but that still doesn't make it a bad game on its own merits. Sonic Lost World is a very polished platformer, especially by Sonic standards, and is filled with fun and memorable stages that play around with gravity in some really fun ways. The rail-grinding, casino, dragon dance, honeycomb, and dessert stages are fantastic, as well as the first levels of pretty much every world. The music is as fantastic as usual, the visuals are bright and colorful, and while a bit underused, Sonic's more robust and platforming-centric moveset fits the game perfectly. I will be frank and say that I do have some issues with Lost World, as it does have some weaker stages, the Deadly Six are pretty dull villains, and the story is really bad, but I still think it nails what truly counts in a platformer for me. I also can't overstate just how much the sheer level of polish helps keep this game in my good graces, as bugginess is a pretty common trend in Sonic games, even ones I like. Sonic Lost World is clean and all the effort that went it to it shows, if only the rest of the series had this much polish.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: After Colors and Generations focused on fleshing out the boost formula and became two of the most well-received games in the series, Sega would immediately decide to try an entirely new style of gameplay. Yeah, no wonder it wasn't too well-received. Not to mention that while Lost World being a lot like Mario Galaxy is a great thing for me personally, the fact that Lost World seemed to take way more inspiration from the Mario series in terms of its story, antagonists, aesthetics, gameplay, level design, and pacing does feel like a pretty serious offense for those who prefer Sonic to Mario. And even those who like Mario may find Lost World to be just an imitation of the games they love.
Other Sonic Games: Seriously, the shaky reputation of the Sonic series means there are so many underrated Sonic games, so here's a few more. Sonic 2 8-Bit is really good as long as you play the Master System version. There's no screen crunch, the boss fights are fixed, and you'll be able to really get the most out of this fun and ambitious title. Sonic The Fighters is a surprisingly fun fighting game with some really expressive squash and stretch animation. And then there's Sonic Rush & Sonic Rush Adventure, which are fairly well-regarded, but a lot of people haven't played them and they don't get the praise they should get since Dimps made them. And trust me, as someone who doesn't quite love the Advance games, the Rush games are some of my favorite 2D Sonic games. The boost mechanic is fun and complex, the level design is challenging and dense with fun gimmicks, the 2.5D Klonoa-esque bosses are some of the coolest in the series, they introduce my favorite character in the series (Blaze), and the soundtrack and visuals have such a fantastic sense of style that hasn't been replicated. Rush Adventure is probably even more underrated than the first since if you put aside the grinding, the levels and bosses are even better than in the first game, and there's a lot of content to sink your teeth into if you want to devote the time to it.
Why Aren't They More Well-Liked: The Game Gear version of Sonic 2 singlehandedly tanked that game's reputation. It's the version everyone played because it's the most accessible (it's even in the aforementioned Gems Collection), yet it's also a pretty awful port that doesn't do the game justice. Sonic The Fighters is too simple for fighting game fans and not fast enough for Sonic fans. As for the Rush games, you probably guessed it by now... they released on a handheld console.
Mega Man 5-7: Yeah, that's right, I'm putting three games here for the Mega Man series! I just played the classic Mega Man series recently and reviewed every single game, and what really surprised me was how much I ended up enjoying a lot of the "unpopular" ones. Like, Mega Man 2 is good and all, but so many fans tend to just write off a large chunk of the classic titles even though I think a decent chunk of them surpass that game pretty easily, particularly Mega Mans 5 through 8. Mega Man 5 is ridiculously polished and has a great balance between creative level design (Gravity Man, Wave Man, Charge Man) and fairness, along with boasting one of the best soundtracks in the series thanks to Mari Yamaguchi. Mega Man 6 has a cool and well-utilized new gimmick in the Rush adaptors along with some beautiful and unique level settings. But the biggest hidden gem in the Mega Man series for me was Mega Man 7. That infamous final boss aside, that game is absolutely fantastic. The level design is some of the best and most complex in the series, the visuals and soundtrack are effortlessly charming, the sense of polish is off the charts, and it manages to bring pretty much every major mechanic from the previous entries and perfects all of them. Not to mention the massive amount of hidden details, secrets, and easter eggs that truly help it stand out among the rest. I'd also say Mega Man 8 is underrated for its great presentation and soaring high points but I'm also aware of that games' flaws and at least understand why people wouldn't like it. But with 5-7, there's no excuse, these games are brilliant.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: Mega Mans 5 & 6 were the last two games for the NES, so it made perfect sense that oversaturation would hit hard around this point, regardless of the games' qualities. Mega Man 7, on the other hand, suffered from following up the admittedly fantastic Mega Man X, so people only judged it in comparison to that game rather than on its own merits.
Touhou 13: Ten Desires: I get why Ten Desires is considered to be one of the weaker Touhou games, it does have its flaws. The fact that spirits don't fall is a pretty stupid piece of game design, I will admit, and Yoshika can die in a hole (wait, she's already dead). However, Ten Desires is also one of my favorite games in the series in spite of its flaws. I think a game's difficulty doesn't matter if the game itself is engaging (note, Epic Yarn), so while Ten Desires is one of the easiest games in the series, the bullet patterns, setpieces, and especially the bosses are so creative and memorable that it's hard for me to really care. From Yuyuko's lengthy first boss fight, to Kyouko's sound bubble wall, to Seiga and Miko bringing in other bosses for assist, to Futo's boat, to Mamizou's shapeshifting, (almost) every single boss has a cool gimmick that makes for one of my favorite boss lineups in the series. But even more than that, the ethereal atmosphere in Ten Desires is absolutely amazing, from the neon and purple shades in the backgrounds, to the experimental techno-heavy soundtrack, to the fairly melodramatic lore behind most of the characters. The focus on spirits and ghosts makes for a very somber entry in the series, and it's that somber tone that really stuck with me. Not to mention elements like the creative weapon types for the roster of characters, the return of Spell Practice mode, and the introduction of a very smooth new engine that would be used for the rest of the series (as of TH18). Ten Desires has its problems, but the stuff it gets right, it gets so right.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: It's an easy Touhou game with an experimental and divisive soundtrack. Touhou is known for its difficulty and reliably amazing soundtracks. Do I really need to explain more?
Final Fantasy V: My opinions on the Final Fantasy series tend to be weird. I like their worlds, cast, and music, and I think the usual favorites like VI, VII, and IX do reach some incredibly highs, but as a whole, the series just doesn't grab me. I'd much rather gravitate towards Square's other RPGs like Live A Live, the Chrono games, or Parasite Eve. The one exception, believe it or not, is Final Fantasy V.
Yes, I am being 100% serious here. While FFV may not have the same dramatic scope as its successors, I wholeheartedly believe it is the most well-crafted game in the series. Part of my reasoning for this is the job system, one of Final Fantasy's greatest assets that it doesn't use nearly enough. The job system is a brilliant mechanic, easy to understand but with a massive amount of depth and customization to it. Not only is making and training a build simple and streamlined, but you can essentially swap between an increasingly large selection of builds whenever you want. And every single combination is valid, to the point where there's even a Four Job Fiesta held every year where people randomly roll jobs and try to stick with them. Even more, FFV avoids a lot of the navigation pitfalls other RPGs of the time (or the similarly customizable FFVIII) face with a perfect difficulty curve and intuitive but brisk tutorialization. The overworld is so well-designed in how it keeps growing and expanding every time you feel like you've gotten familiar with it. FFV feels like an RPG for everyone, both accessible to newcomers and complex enough for RPG veterans. I also absolutely adore the story, believe it or not. My favorite RPGs tend to be the ones where I get attached to the cast, and the slim five-character party of FFV is super easy to get attached to, with strong chemistry and a super wholesome found family vibe. They're just so fun to hang out with, it's almost like they're a group of friends playing D&D together (with all the hilarious fuck-ups you'd expect from that premise). And while the story isn't the most serious out there, it's incredibly heartfelt and isn't afraid to punch you in the gut either. Add in a typically stellar soundtrack by Uematsu (with my favorite track in the series) and you get a complete Final Fantasy package that deserves more praise than it gets. It's the purest form of the vision of the original game, a perfect sendoff before the series started going big.
Why Isn't It More Well-Liked: The most obvious reason is the fact that FFV didn't come out in the west with IV and VI. Not only does it lack the benefit of nostalgia, but it also doesn't mean it lacks that ground-breaking status that the other two games had. In addition, once FFV did come out, we had the added context of games like VI, VII, and X that were far more ambitious and serious. It just felt too light and breezy by comparison. Interestingly enough, FFV is actually super well-liked in Japan. There, it's often in the Top 5 in polls, and is credited for essentially being what IV was for us in terms of boosting the series' popularity.
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