GameSpy's 25 Most Underrated Games

Decaffeinated Jedi writes "GameSpy.com just posted the final installment of its 25 Most Underrated Games of All Time feature. What under-appreciated classics made the list? Well, titles like Zork Zero, Ico, and Sly Cooper all make the cut. This most recent countdown is a follow-up to GameSpy's 25 Most Overrated Games of All Time piece from a couple of weeks ago." Although the 'X Most X' series sometimes draws howls of derision, it does still pinpoint some interesting choices.

Comments

I Vote for Jet Force Gemini on the N64

[Mike Mentalist]

JFG on the N64 was superb, but hardly sold at all.
Whilst the control system was tricky at first, once you got used to it the game was superb. Some of the big battles that you got into predate Halo in a sense - sometimes it really felt like you were in a war.

The game had an excellent atmosphere, and even the cutscenes were very well done. It even some had some funky mini-games with that little flying robot.

Re:Thumbs up regarding....

[Spleener12]

Super Mario Sunshine, not on the list, derided by almost everyone for being too similar to Mario 64. That's still better than 95% of the rest.

That would be kinda dumb, seeing as they put it on their list of the most OVERRATED games a couple of weeks ago. :)

Re:Ico

[nobodyman]

I couldn't disagree more. The gameplay in Ico was sublime. It was easy to pick up and understand the controls, yet the game had surprising depth. The graphics were awesome, but the sound and score were incredible.

I am not surprised that it faired so poorly, for the same reason that art films do so poorly relative to summer blockbuster. I know this will end up sounding elitist... but the game was probably over most people's heads. Things like artistry, powerful narrative, and emotion are lost on your average Madden 200x fan.

Still, with the market penetration of the PS2 I suspect that we will see more experimental, nich market titles. I'll use the art film example again: they don't have record-breaking sales, but they probably generate enough sales to make to make up costs.

Re:Good List

[Mike Mentalist]

Also, much of the focus for newer games go into graphics and textures, rather than the actual gameplay itself. Back before graphics mattered, games just had to be fun to become popular. Now without professional artists and designers, it is almost impossible for a game to even make it to the shelf. I remember back when games were made by one or two guys in their basement and were just made to maximize fun. Back then the only concern for graphics was that the player could see and understand what was going on. Even now with all our hot new games, many of those old classics are still fun to go back and play.

Please, can we kill this myth off? It's becoming an urban legend, and should be on Snopes.

Thumbs Up on Grim Fandango

[AvantLegion]

Thumbs Up for Grim Fandango. While the latest Monkey Island game seemed like heresy in 3D, Grim Fandango's art was ultimate. Perhaps it's because they got to design everything with 3D in mind, instead of trying to take a 2D classic and make it look similar in 3D. This game took "point and click" and removed both the pointing and clicking, opting instead for a keyboard control method that eliminated the dreaded "pixel-hunting" flaw of many graphical adventures.

Wizadry

[kisrael]

If they ever compile a list of the best computer and video game names of all time, "Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord" is right up there.