Randomly recommend an unknown or underrated game.

[Ack]

My biggest issue with Front Mission 3 was just how long it felt. Maybe if it had been...I don't know, five fights shorter or so, I wouldn't feel that way. But knowing as I went through it that I would have to do it all again to get the other side of the story, it just felt like too much.

[Exhuminator]

I would have to do it all again to get the other side of the story, it just felt like too much.

That's how I felt about it too, after I finished one half of the game. I said, well, I'll finish the other half some day. And that was in 2010. Since then I have gotten the PSN version installed on one of my PSPs. I figure that's a nice way to finish the other half of the story.

To keep this thread on track...


Sword of Sodan | Genesis | 1990

Sword of Sodan is a hack and slash video game released for the Amiga in 1989 by Discovery Software. In 1993 it was also released for the Apple Macintosh System 7 by Bethesda Softworks, and Electronic Arts released a port version for the Sega Genesis in 1990. I prefer the Genesis version because blast processing 4 lyfe

Is Sword of Sodan a good game? Hell no, it's clunky as crap. Why play it? Because it's insanely gorey, like The Immortal on Genesis, this was a blood 'n' guts game that predated Mortal Kombat and yet escaped political wrath. Likely because it was as obscure then as it is now. Why should you care? Because Sword of Sodan is a crazy trip to the past. When nice graphics, tits, and blood could sell a game despite how shitty its actual gameplay was. Well, I guess some things never change.

Anyway, if you enjoyed Golden Axe, but wished it had been a lot more violent with way crappier controls, here you go folks.

Screenshots:

[Gunstar Green]

Front Mission: Gun Hazard | Super Famicom | Released February, 23rd, 1996

I feel like if Square would have brought this out over seas back in the day people would hold it up as one of the best games ever. It's everything that made Squaresoft RPGs cool in the 16-bit era only meshed into an action mech game. It's wonderful. I was so hopeful that it would get ported to the DS after the original game was finally officially translated but it didn't happen.

It's a must play for any 16-bit action fan.

[Exhuminator]

I feel like if Square would have brought this out over seas back in the day people would hold it up as one of the best games ever.

I agree.

I think Gun Hazard got caught in the "post 1995 SFC release era" where Nintendo of America was all about pushing the N64 and the SNES was all but abandoned. And thereby encouraged third party publishers to focus on the N64 rather than SNES. Although by the time of Gun Hazard's release, SquareSoft and Nintendo probably had bad blood going already as well.

[Sarge]

I really delved into Gun Hazard at Exhuminator's recommendation a while back, and what did I get? Only one of the best SNES games I'd ever played. Seriously, folks, it's effectively Assault Suits Valken / Cybernator meets peak-SquareSoft RPG goodness. No question it would have been an instant classic, even if it might not have sold well.

[Xeogred]

I really delved into Gun Hazard at Exhuminator's recommendation a while back, and what did I get? Only one of the best SNES games I'd ever played. Seriously, folks, it's effectively Assault Suits Valken / Cybernator meets peak-SquareSoft RPG goodness. No question it would have been an instant classic, even if it might not have sold well.

I love sci-fi and SNES Square Soft... I think I'll make this the priority when I get in the mood for another SNES RPG someday.

It's a shame we missed out on a lot of excellent SNES releases making their way over here near the end of its life.

[MrNash]

I'll go with Shox on the PS2. That system got quite a few rally car racing games, but I always liked the more arcade-like mentality of this game. It didn't really get released to much fanfare, so slipped under a lot of folks' radars, but it's a fantastic racing game well worth spending some time with.

[Xeogred]

Project EDEN on the PS2 and PC.

This is one of those obscure titles I played back in the day and went into completely blind. You know, those golden days of approaching a game on the shelf and judging it by the cover! I was probably coming off of Deus Ex and always loved sci-fi, so it looked awesome to me and boy did it deliver. I think it was maybe a rental, or it was one of the last games I sold off before I stopped trading in games over a decade ago. Because I don't have a copy and I'm not sure how or why, but it's been one of those games a decade later that I still think about a lot from time to time, despite how obscure it is.

It's classic Eidos who were usually a nice stamp of quality back then. I think the easiest and best way to describe this game... is that it's basically a spiritual successor to The Lost Vikings. Yes, no joke. You control four different characters and must utilize them all throughout levels riddled with weird mechanics and puzzles to get through them. Being in a 3D space compared to The Lost Vikings, things can get pretty complex and tricky.

I do recall it having character interaction at times and it had a very claustrophobic, cool Blade Runner-esque atmosphere. The cliche' rich and healthy live in the skies, where all the bad dwells in the slums below... where the entire game seemed to take place. Awesome ugly, broken down, gritty sci-fi.

Never beat it! I remember it being one of those games that seemed really long and I did get really far. Anyways yeah, if 3D Lost Vikings sounds awesome, then check it out. I definitely want to pick it up again someday.

[BoneSnapDeez]

basically a spiritual successor to The Lost Vikings.

That's interesting. Never would have guessed based on screenshots and box art.

[ElkinFencer10]

Gas Guzzlers Extreme, yo. It's a Steam racing/vehicular combat game. It's damn amazing. Favorite racing game.