Games you don't know you should have! (1 Viewer)

[Allen>B]

Wow, it's dead around here.

Thought I'd post about some good games you can probably get around $15 - $20.

Good treats for you or the ones you love!


Agressive Inline
While Tony Hawk rehashed the same old crud with the same old engine, this game showed them how it was supposed to be done. Huge levels, and every minute of your trick time put to good use.


Shenmue 2
Just a great game. It is an adventure. TAKE YOUR TIME. What's the rush?


Rocky
Good old beat em up stuff. Best boxing game since 4D Boxing. But nowhere as good as 4D Boxing :frowning:


NBA Street 1
Good arcade action. You don't have to like sports to like this.


Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb
A great mix of fun, puzzles (not hard), and flying fists and shootouts. An A+ title no one cared about.


Syberia
Nice and slow Myst type game. Made me want to look for my old copy of Hell Cab



Egg Manina
A title that never got its respect. They probably couldn't afford to give all the media turds their free copies and so went out with a whisper. What game finally took the crown away from Tetris? This one did. Anyone that played this enough discovered that it's what you didn't do that was as important as what you did in this game. I own 4 copy's of this game.


Advance Wars
An old TurboGrafix game (Military Madness) gets a face-lift and becomes chess for todays generation. Hardly an overlooked or under-rated game. But if you don't have it, get it!

 

[James T]

You can add Morrowind to that list. Cheap on the Xbox and pretty cheap on the PC, even with all the expansions.

 

[Tony-B]

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

YES! Someone else likes Aggressive Inline! That game was absolutely fantastic. Someone tell Acclaim to make a sequel!

 

[Alanna]

I posted this on another board a bit back. I think it may be of interest here =) I've even posted prices of the ones I "featured". Hope this helps you peeps. Now I'm interested in Egg Mania and Indiana Jones! Especially Egg Mania, I like puzzle games and there's not many around.

Gunvalkyrie on XBox: Even alot of game reviewers didn't like this one because of its control system (which when you get used to it, is as natural as breathing or your heart beating...) but with purty graphics and awesome gameplay, it shouldn't be passed up. I've seen this one as cheap as $7.50 new at Target.

Mad Maestro on PS2: Like music games? Are you tired of them consisting of silly songs (PaRappa) or house/techno beats (DDR series) then check this one out... its all about precision button pressing and classical music. Very cool, and well worth $9.99 new.

Space Channel 5 Special Edition on PS2: Two discs, two games, for the price of... not even one! Where else can you get a deal like this? The graphics are dated but I never get tired of battling the Morolians with my funky dance/shooting moves. A bit of a warning: if you are sensitive to lights/motion at all, beware of the third stage. Played it when I was dead tired and it made me ILL. $14.99 new, and a must for any gaming library.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer on XBox: Yep, its the first one. The banter is witty, the gameplay consisting of stabbing stakes through the hearts of the zombiefied is somehow quite satisfying and these two ingredients put together makes for an interesting experience. Got mine for $9.99 new. The second one, Chaos Bleeds can be had for $19.99 for PS2 or XBox and lets you play as other characters besides just "Buffy".

Rygar: The Legendary Adventure on PS2: Superb action title that really gets the blood flowing. The graphics are gorgeous, and there is a hint of exploration underneath although truly its pretty straightforward. Not as good as the NES original but it certainly made my day last December when I bought it. $19.99 new.

Syberia on XBox: If you are into PC-like adventure games, this is the game for you. Titles like this don't come around very often unfortunately, and for the tech-heads out there it supports not only 480p but also 720p and 1080i! Widescreen is a beautiful thing, I pray more titles in the future will support it. $19.99

Pikmin on Gamecube: Control cutesy plant creatures and lead them to their doom! Its Lemmings in space (Sorta) and is a blast to play. One of the few games I actually finished twice. $19.99

Others: The Adventures of Cookies and Cream (PS2), Bombastic (PS2), Shinobi (PS2), Sly Cooper (PS2), Bloodrayne (all), Baldrur's Gate: Dark Alliance (all), Waverace: Blue Storm (GC), Summoner: Goddess Reborn (GC), Star Fox Adventures (GC), Eternal Darkness (GC), DOA3 (XBX), Shenmue II (XBX), The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (XBX), Blinx The Timesweeper (XBX)...

I could go on, but there are enough titles listed here to make people broke for weeks. There are lots of sales out there right now too, so keep a sharp eye out, occasionally you can score an overlooked "Classic" for cheap, and deals such as two PS2 Greatest Hits titles for $25 is a cheap way of exploring some highly praised titles that may not be what you usually purchase but are great fun afterall (like SSX Tricky and me... ).

 

[MattBu]

Out of the Park Baseball: A GREAT baseball simulator. It's VB which means it can creep at times, but the simulation aspect of the game is incredible. Control your entire minor league system, make trade, get married, have kids, experience contract negociation. A very fun game, guaranteed to occupy you for at least 40 hours. $19.95

Hearts of Iron: World War 2 simulation on an EPIC scale. Control any nation in the world before and through world war 2. Take over countries, sue for peace, stay out of wars, build up an army, change your government, develop new forms of weaponry. There was NOTHING in this game that I ever was left wanting for, other than stability 6 patches later things are all smoothed out. Another game that you can literally play forever. $19.95

Championship Manager 4: Take control of a soccer team from one of over 30 countries. Develop players, scout opposing teams, design your own offense, lead your team to the world cup should you choose to control a national team. An INCREDIBLY addictive game. $18.00

 

[Rob Lutter]

Allen, everyone needs a copy of Shenmue 2... but I would suggest hunting down the UK Dreamcast version if you don't want to suffer through the worst dub ever (the UK version is in Japanese w/ English subs)

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

I picked up Rayman 3 for Xbox a while back for a measly $15. Fun platforming action.

 

[JamesH]

Well, I'll try to throw some games out here that haven't been suggested yet, although I do second many of the suggestions above.

For multiplatform, definately give Lord of the Rings: Two Towers or ROTK a shot. Don't be put off by the movie license, these two games are the new Golden Axe of our time. Ecco the Dolphin, Rayman 2, and MDK2 are available on PS2 and DC, although they are best on DC. Ecco has an awesome premise and some amazing levels, I don't know why reviewers didn't dig it. MDK2 is great shooter if you can get used to controlling with the DC face buttons. Although Mario 64 was the originator of the 3D platformer, Rayman 2 perfected it and comes with the highest possible recommendation. UBIsoft topped Miyamoto again with Beyond Good and Evil, it cuts the fetch quest crap out and has a nice story as well. It's definately a must-have.

On the Xbox, I've always been a big fan of Deathrow's gameplay, polished graphics, and naughty language. Enclave and Dead to Rights were both scored down for their difficulty but will give extremely satisfying experiences to a dedicated player. Enclave is still a graphical stunner even next to newer games. Otogi is also very cool. It's a little bit of Shinobi and Gunvalkyrie mixed together and is surprisingly serene for a game that lets you level everything in sight. Also, I just picked up Toe Jam and Earl 3 today and it seems to be a lot better than the negative reviews it got. The gameplay does seem to be lacking direction, but if you find hip-hop amusing and you want to bounce around vibrant worlds at 60FPS in co-op gameplay, look no further. Panzer Dragoon Orta is an absolute masterpiece, get it if you have even minor interest in action games.

On the PS2, I really like Zone of the Enders 2. It's a short game, but it will totally blow you away for the 6 or so hours it lasts. Romance of the 3 Kingdoms is an awesome strategy game. ROTTK 8 would be better for someone new to the series since it's simplified, whereas ROTTK 7 is more complex and a better game overall. Rez is a wickedly cool shooter that I'm surprised not to see mentioned already, but good luck finding it. I've seen Klonoa 2 for $20 at some Walmarts, but it was more than worth the full price I paid back when it came out. It's really the crown jewel of 2.5D platformers. Guilty Gear XX is the best 2D fighter ever. Best graphics(and HD support). Best characters. Best gameplay system and even punishes turtles. Gitaroo Man is a wierd japanesey music game, I won't even bother explaining it. Time Crisis 2 and 3 are probably the best light gun games ever. Magic Pengel is a "kiddie" RPG where you get to draw your own character and have it transormed to a 3D model, and its stats are dependent on the paint you used to make it.

I don't know of any Gamecube sleeper hits, most everything I like on it got hype/good reviews. I have a few more for DC/N64/PS1 but this post is too long already.

 

[GlenHaag]

Good call.

They also have ITP (Inside the Park) now. It's a Baseball RPG. Definately entertaining. Plus, you can put your player in OOTP leagues.

Glen

 

[Joe Szott]

I second Advance Wars and part 2, both are great games that give countless hours to any strategy fan. If you ever played Military Madness, you MUST own Advance Wars!

 

[Tony-B]

I second the mention of MDK2. However, I would suggest getting it for the PC instead of the Dreamcast, because it just feels better with a keyboard and mouse layout.

 

[Alanna]

I'm adding more games for various platforms....

PSOne: Unjammer Lammy, Top Shop (on the cheap but fun), Valkyrie Profile, No One Can Stop Mr. Dominoe, Devil Dice, Frogger

Game Boy Advance: Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (Sick, guilty pleasure), Super Puzzle Fighter 2, Sheep, SHEEP, SHEEP!!!

PC: Majesty Gold (comes with Northern expansion), Zoo Tycoon Complete (you WILL play, you WILL like)

Intellivision: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Cloudy Mountain, nuff said

 

[Allen>B]

I really liked Buffy but could not finish it.

It's one of those games where you can go thru a level for a long time, mess up one fight and die, and it's back to the beginning.

I don't do that to myself anymore

FYI, the people that made the Buffy game made the Indiana Jones game I mentioned. Looks like they learned a lot


And again I can't stress how great Advance Wars 1 is. I'd actually say it's worth the purchase of a (lighted) Gameboy Advance unto itself

It's actually a perfect game!

 

[Alanna]

Advance Wars is fun but I prefer the "dungeons and dragons" feel of Fire Emblem better. The games were made by the same development group and are very similiar so anyone that's into the Advance Wars games should give Fire Emblem a check. =) And EVERYONE needs a GBA SP. Rechargable and with backlighting... yum!

 

[Peter Loan]

Alanna,

Between FF Tactics Advance and Fire Emblem, what's your preference? I got tired of FFTA after about 25 hours of playtime. It's just too damn tedious! I'm not sure if I should give Fire Emblem a shot.

Anyways, based on the recommendations here, I just ordered Syberia and Agressive Inline both used for $20.

 

[Alanna]

Wow that's a tough one. =) I like the battle system of FFTA better because I love micro managing, but Fire Emblem has hands down the better story and in fact you even get emotionally invested in your characters. You really hate to see them die and some have to be sacrificed for the greater good. Once they are gone they are gone you can't just phoenix down them back to life. FE can get tedious too though, its still turn based strategy. I guess between all the tactic gameboy games (Advance Wars 1 & 2, Omnimusha, FFTA, and Fire Emblem) I'd have to give my badge of ultimate approval to Fire Emblem. =)