Underhyped = Games that deserve FAAAR more attention than they get. So, the underdogs of the gaming world.

Ys and mostly Falcom games.

hunter the reckoning, both games.
spiritual succesors to gauntlet, if you ask me.

Twisted Metal 2: World Tour was a great game that never really got much hype if I remember. Twisted metal 3 though was pathetic. Vigilante 8 was pretty fun too

Twisted metal 3 though was pathetic. Vigilante 8 was pretty fun too

You know I actually like Twisted Metal 3. xD

I didn't liked Vigilante 8 one bit.

Legend of Mana was not released in my country had to buy it from Japan was quite pricey ^^ 100$ but worth every penny and i still have it today :D

DS:
Legend of Kage 2:
Like the old school Ninja Gaiden, but easier (most of the time). Great art, graphics, story and a fairly complex magic system. Add in two characters that play differently enough to justify playing through both 'stories' and you have one of the best games Square has put out in YEARS.


PS2:
(Naval Ops Series) Warship Gunner 2:
Think Armored Core (but not as fucking slow, most of the time) with page after page after page of upgrades and ships types.
Play as everything from some little Currier to a submarine to an Aircraft Carrier and a story that's ripped out of the Ace Combat games, and you've got one of the most under looked games on the PS2.
The sales of this game were just plan shameful.


Baroque:
While this game does nothing to prepare you and, lets face it, the story you pretty much accidentally bump into, that's one of the reason you keep coming back. A tower that never seems to end, great character and monster designs, haunting music, difficulty that goes from a walk in the park to a walk in the hurricane, this game is just an odd kind of fun.
A total throwback to dungeon crawlers like Diablo or Planscape: Torment, no game is ever exactly the same.
Add to it the fact that dieing actually makes you progress, and you've got one weird but fun game.

Dropship: United Peace Force:
One of the odder games I've come across (and that's saying something) you play as well a..dropship that carries your other ships into combat and spy missions. With game play that goes from 'Ace Combat' to 'Tank Battle', there's really a variety of ways to complete missions and fun to be had.
My biggest issue with this game is that the level are too damn long and while there are check points, they don't really help if you just want a quick play.


Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex:
A GOOD anime based game? What the fuck, am I right?
While not the best game in the world, the simple fact that this game is not total shit (SEE: GitS on the PSP) and has a GREAT 4 player multi-player mode with a decent story, great graphics, and controls that actually work, some really good weapons and combat, this is one of my favorite anime based games out there.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto:
You play as a drunk alien British mercenary, a naked water chick, and a huge fucking dinosaur like thing. What's not to love?
A game that never seems to take itself to seriously (SEE: Most lines of dialogue in the game), some great game play that differs from each storyline (or creature class), plus some really fun run and kill game play, and you've got an over looked gem.

Gitaroo Man (Also on PSP):
Gain a magical guitar, fight a baby demon in the tutorial and proceed to fight (with the power of music) skeletons and evil alien keyboards and you've got one of the quirkiest rhythm music games on the PS2.
One big issue is that when you pause the game on a song you HAVE TO replay from the start, this has been fixed in the PSP port of the game (thank fucking god).


God Hand :
Insane 2D beat-em-up but 3D, genuinely funny moments and ball busting difficulty.
Add some of the best music in a game, with an amazing replay value and a custom combo maker and you've pretty much got the new school answer to Double Dragon or Battletoads...but without the shitty racing stages.


Gundam: Zeonic Front:
Yeah, yeah I know...A gundam game, underrated or Under appreciated? What the hell am I smoking, right?
Well, guess what, you'd be wrong. This is the Gundam game for people who don't really like...well...Gundam games.
A tactical third person shooter (SEE: SOCOM) with mechs, this is one of those weird games were even people I know who don't give a crap/like Gundam (or anime for that matter) seem to enjoy this game.
While not the most complex or long game of its kind, there's something surreal about leading a group of 5 Zaku like you're a freaking general into the fray as if this were SOCOM or a online team up of some random FPS.



A few others I'm too lazy to write up:
Klonoa 2
Okage: Shadow King
Oni
Psychonauts
Red Faction 1
Samurai Western
Shadow Of Destiny
Skygunner
Soul Nomad & The World Eaters
Sub Rebellion
TransFormers
VCL Presents: Motor Mayhem
Whiplash
Wizardry: Tale Of The Forsaken Land
Wrath: Unleashed
Zone Of The Enders 2: The 2nd Runner

Dropship: United Peace Force:
One of the odder games I've come across (and that's saying something) you play as well a..dropship that carries your other ships into combat and spy missions. With game play that goes from 'Ace Combat' to 'Tank Battle', there's really a variety of ways to complete missions and fun to be had.
My biggest issue with this game is that the level are too damn long and while there are check points, they don't really help if you just want a quick play.

I'm rather surprised someone else here remembers this title... I still have my copy, and still enjoy giving it a play now and then. The mission replay at the end of each level, flowed quite well imo, and the gameplay etc was very solid. I agree about the levels being too long: I agree that if you want a quick play, it's annoying.... but that was only a minor quip, as speaking for myself, I loved the length of them. I think it was during the first campaign in the middle east, you start in a Dropship, make a few delivery runs, then get shot down and have to drive the ATV through a base... and then, jumping into the gunner's seat and blasting away at the idiots stupid enough to try and attack lol.


TransFormers

Which Transformers game?

Star Wars Republic Commando

Which Transformers game?
Atari - the ONLY good TF game I've played since...um...um...WFC?

Atari - the ONLY good TF game I've played since...um...um...WFC?

Oh... the 'Armada' one...

WFC was a good one, as it had some ties to Gen 1... but the others... /sigh/



I wish THAT Transformers Generation 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_(2003_video_game)) game was released outside of Japan... Being able to play as Springer or Sixshot would've been awesome... (of course, this game automatically wins, because of a certain subgroup of Autobots... heh heh heh)

Playable Autobots:

Optimus Prime
Jazz
Wheeljack
Hound
Bumblebee
Ratchet
Rodimus Prime
Hot Rod
Kup
Ultra Magnus
Springer (tec car and helicopter)
Arcee
Blurr
Grotusque
Doublecross
Chromedome
Hardhead
HighBrow
Brainstorm

Autobot 'Minions':

Grimlock
Sludge
Slag
Snarl
Swoop
Computron
Scattershot
Nosecone
Strafe
Raiden
Shouki
Suiken
Yukikaze
Kaen
Sideswipe
Ironhide
Prowl
Bluestreak
Smokescreen
Inferno
Sky Lynx
Wreck-Gar
Wheelie
Repugnus
Crosshairs
Pointblank
Sureshot
Megatron Clone

Playable Decepticons:

Megatron
Starscream
Soundwave
Shockwave
Blitzwing (tank and jet)
Astrotrain (train and shuttle)
Galvatron
Cyclonus
Scourge
Octane (jumbo jet and tanker)
Sharkticon
Full-Tilt
Weirdwolf
Skullcruncher
Mindwipe
Snapdragon (dinosaur and tec jet)
Apeface (gorilla and tec jet)
Sixshot (laser pistol, fighter, carrier, tank and wolf)
Dark Hot Rod

Decepticon 'Minions':

Dirge
Thrust
Ramjet
Kickback
Bombshell
Shrapnel
Skywarp
Thundercracker
Motormaster
Onslaught
Scrapper
Long Haul
Trypticon
Predaking
Razorclaw
Divebomb
Headstrong
Abominus
Hun-Gurrr
Rippersnapper
Cutthroat
Slugslinger
Triggerhappy
Missfire
Soundblaster
Wingspan
Pounce
Battletrap
Flywheels
Optimus Clone

Yeah, I'm not a HUGE TF fan so I never bothered import the game.
Guess I could always download it, if there's enough English in it (or a fan-tran).


I was talking about this one:
Transformers (2004 video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_%282004_video_game%29)

Being an avid gamer of indie games, there's probably hundreds I could name where upon literally under 50 people know of their existence but are yet great games. I won't do that, but if anyone's interested I'll make a list of the best free indie games some time on a thread.

Other than that, Jade Cocoon on the PS1 and Jade Cocoon 2, Drakengard/Drakengard 2 on the PS2 were astoundingly brillaint yet massively underrated games in my mind.

In my opinion:

Overrated/overhyped:FF7 halo series and football games like:Fifa
Underrated:Ultima series,including ultima underworld.Earthbound is a very good game too and so was grandia 2 and especially lufia series.
I think lufia is slightly underrated too.

I really liked magic of sheherazade as a kid.Its an rpg that came out for the nes in the 80's about having to save the sultan's daughter(the princess) You have to fight demons and such and it was kind of enjoyable for what it was in the 80's.

Also:Castlevania 4 is sort of underrated and castlevania64 was not that great overall as a game.The camera angle was horrible and the whole game works better in 2D.

PS2:
(Naval Ops Series) Warship Gunner 2:
Think Armored Core (but not as fucking slow, most of the time) with page after page after page of upgrades and ships types.
Play as everything from some little Currier to a submarine to an Aircraft Carrier and a story that's ripped out of the Ace Combat games, and you've got one of the most under looked games on the PS2.
The sales of this game were just plan shameful.




naval combat?
*gamefaqs some images of both games*

...


MOTHERFUCKER, THIS IS THE GAMES IVE ALWAYS WANTED!!!!!

OFF TO FUCKING EBAY!

People are too hard on the N64 Castlevania games - the 3D jumping sections and 'walking along a narrow beam across a chasm' bits were extremely frustrating, but the games had loads of great sequences, decent story and they have the best Dracula of any of the Castlevanias.

Then again, there are those skeletons on motorbikes...

i dont see what was wrong with the biker skeletons.
in one room in castlevania, there are (model) zeppelins and other machines (along with blueprints) that could not exist at that time (mid 1800)
my theory is that there was an error in that it was believe the 19th century was the 1900s

Age of Mythology, duhhhhhh. Goddamn that hypnotizing level editor. I was an addict for two years; this November I'll be six years clean!

. . . that is, if I don't install it tomorrow and get back into playing it.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2!

Why I think it's underrated (at least in today's standards), is that it's a game not many people care for, especially at the arcades. It's popular, but not many arcade-goers care for it (unless they're fighting game freaks).

Cable, Iron Man, and B.B. Hood (my main squad in the game) FTW!

Chocobo Racing. i heard it got a number of bad reviews long after i got the game, but it's been a favorite of mine for 10 straight years now. still play it even now.

Glover. It had some commercials on tv but it never really had a following to hype it up. By itself, the game is mediocre but the fun part is the 'cheat codes'. It makes the game soooo much more fun to play. And the soundtrack was pretty great too. I still listen to those tracks on my mp3 player.

Breath of Fire and Lufia series.

Breath of Fire and Lufia series.

Breath of Fire was a great series... then the fifth one sunk it. II was the best overall imo.

Nostalgia and Glory of Heracles for the DS. I found Nostalgia to extremely addictive--I kept wanting to know what happened next in the story, and so I'd end up playing it for an hour-and-a-half to two hours at a stretch.

Chocobo Racing. i heard it got a number of bad reviews long after i got the game, but it's been a favorite of mine for 10 straight years now. still play it even now.

Yeah, I thought Chocobo Racing was really fun too - but then being a hardcore FF fan helped. ;) A lot of gamers' hate for it though I think was aimed at the creaky graphics which tended to suffer from bad scenery tear/pop up/pixellation, although running the game on a PS2 with the 'smooth polygons' option turned on helped a lot. I don't think a lot of players liked the cutesy graphics either, but then it was a kart racer.

Either way, it was a fun little title, even if some of the special abilities were ridiculously overpowered (Bahamut's Megaflare was so cheap - instata crash for every opponent on the track - it was just so unfair). It also gave fans a sneak peak of FFVIII - Deling City was a secret course with Squall a secret unlockable character - which was still in development at the time. :)

Anyway, I'm intrigued by the new remake being planned for the 3DS - I dare say it might be enough to make me finally invest in one. ;)

project sylpheed.
ace combat in space, simple as that.

nobody i know knows this game even exists, and it was released on the 360

Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Was my favorite NES game for a long time. It all started because I borrowed the game from a friend, he just had restarted after beating it and had everything maxed out. It was going well until one of those accidents with a dirty cartridge erased everything, so I had to start over to fix it. Made me appreciate the game, discovering everything by myself.

Darkseed & Darkseed 2. Epic gameplay for both of them, but Darkseed 2's ending is just really horrible for me.

Heart of Darkness (1998). Way ahead of it's time and just a great adventure to play as a teen. It sparked my imagination, had a great soundtrack, a wonderful world to explore and even a dog to rescue. What isn't there to love? Literally, for me, the perfect game.

How I wish I had the soundtrack.

Killer 7. The plot was confusing and they focused on style before gameplay, but beneath the surface, there's an intricate and deep story that blew me away.

The Dark Spire. It got a limited release (because Atlus), so I get why there aren't a lot of people who have played it, but it was just really good all the way around. It felt like an old-school dungeon crawler, but it had some modern conveniences, too.