Hidden Gems!

[RustySK]

I've posted a couple of my personal picks for the PSX in this thread before:
https://retrogametalk.com/threads/hidden-gems.2722/

That said, I'll throw one for the Saturn out here as well anyway - the Shining Force 3 trilogy!

Shining Force III: Scenario 1 - Outo no Kyoshin (English Patched) Saturn ISO – RGT Repository

Shining Force III: Scenario 1 - Outo no Kyoshin (English Patched) Saturn ISO for SEGA Saturn. Genre: Tactical RPG. Published and developed by SEGA

retrogametalk.com

Shining Force III: Scenario 2 - Nerawareta Miko (English Patched) Saturn ISO – RGT Repository

Shining Force III: Scenario 2 - Nerawareta Miko (English Patched) Saturn ISO for SEGA Saturn. Genre: Tactical RPG. Published and developed by SEGA

retrogametalk.com

Shining Force III: Scenario 3 - Hyouheki no Jashinguu (English Patched) Saturn ISO – RGT Repository

Shining Force III: Scenario 3 - Hyouheki no Jashinguu (English Patched) Saturn ISO for SEGA Saturn. Genre: Tactical RPG. Published and developed by SEGA

retrogametalk.com

Absolute god tier TRPGs that manage to shine even amongst the genuinely stellar library of the Saturn.
(Just, uh... get the undub patch for the first game)

 

[G78]

Let me remind you about a great PS1 game Galerians. It’s one of those titles that’s unfairly forgotten. I played it a long time ago and recently revisited it — and you know what? It still holds up! If you enjoy dark stories and unique mechanics, I highly recommend checking it out

https://retrogametalk.com/repository/psx-iso/galerians-europe/

 

[Tonberry]

I'm a license game apologist, so I'm biased for them as much as people are biased against them, but I think The Emperor's New Groove is worthy of the "hidden gem" treatment nowadays. Sure, it's a movie tie-in game for a Disney movie, so it likely sold a ton, but since people are quick to denounce these sorts of games it's easy to miss that it was a really surprisingly competent 3D platformer/collect-a-thon, it had a really fun fourth wall-breaking script too. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it was also entertaining!

I also think the developers did a great job of using the movie's highly stylized artwork to make it look appropriate on the Playstation.

 

[ciro64]

Castlevania 64.

I'm a license game apologist, so I'm biased for them as much as people are biased against them, but I think The Emperor's New Groove is worthy of the "hidden gem" treatment nowadays. Sure, it's a movie tie-in game for a Disney movie, so it likely sold a ton, but since people are quick to denounce these sorts of games it's easy to miss that it was a really surprisingly competent 3D platformer/collect-a-thon, it had a really fun fourth wall-breaking script too. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it was also entertaining!

I also think the developers did a great job of using the movie's highly stylized artwork to make it look appropriate on the Playstation.

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Based! Haven't played that one yet but it's now on my list of ps1 games to play.

Speaking of which, here's my ps1 licensed game contribution:

A great game of a great movie. :)

The Metal Gear of chickens

 

[G78]

I'm a license game apologist, so I'm biased for them as much as people are biased against them, but I think The Emperor's New Groove is worthy of the "hidden gem" treatment nowadays. Sure, it's a movie tie-in game for a Disney movie, so it likely sold a ton, but since people are quick to denounce these sorts of games it's easy to miss that it was a really surprisingly competent 3D platformer/collect-a-thon, it had a really fun fourth wall-breaking script too. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it was also entertaining!

I also think the developers did a great job of using the movie's highly stylized artwork to make it look appropriate on the Playstation.

View attachment 11856

Oh, it’s great that you reminded me of The Emperor’s New Groove! I played it as a kid, and just watched the gameplay on YouTube. Now I really want to play it again. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Gordo101]

I'd have to go with Rogue Squadron for the N64. It hasn't quite gone unnoticed, but it seems to have "flown" under the radar in terms of any remasters. It still holds up like fine "blue milk" today. View attachment 11869

 

[ThatsNotRich]

Lots of these hidden gem posts. I feel I've just commented on console specific threads

 

[Cu-Neo]

Gunners Heaven on PSX

Also known as Rapid Reload in Europe.
A mention to Thousand Arms and Ghost in the shell

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

How many of these hidden gem posts are we gonna have?

As long as there are obscure games people want to bring to light then were probably going to keep getting threads like this.

Post automatically merged: Jan 13, 2025

I know a bunch so I may post more later.

PS1:
Alundra 1 & 2
Battle Arena Toshinden 1, 2, & 3
Bloody Roar 1 & 2
Brave Fencer Musashi
Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time
Bushido Blade 1 & 2
Ehrgeiz
Galerians
Gundam Battle Assault 1 & 2
Jumping Flash 1 & 2
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Legend of Legaia
Motor Toon Grand Prix
Nightmare Creatures 1 & 2
Omega Boost
Persona 1 & the Persona 2 duology (It's all about 3, 4, & 5 these days. Show some love for the first 2!)
Psychic Force
Rising Zan: the Samurai Gunman
Rival Schools
SaGa Frontier 1 & 2
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Tiny Tank
Threads of Fate
Tobal 1 & 2
Tomba ! 1 and 2
Trap Gunner
Vagrant Story
Vib Ribbon
Wild 9

N64:
Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O
Beetle Adventure Racing
Buck Bumble
Chameleon Twist 1 & 2
Custom Robo
Goemon's Great Adventure
Jet Force Gemini
Mischief Makers
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Penny Racers
Rocket: Robot On Wheels
Sin & Punishment (known in Japan as Tsumi to Batsu: Hoshi no Keishousha)
Space Station Silicon Valley
Tetrisphere

 

[Gordo101]

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Post automatically merged: Jan 13, 2025

There are too many famously good games here. That's not what a "hidden gem" is. People need to see some really obscure stuff.

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Goiken Muyou: Anarchy in the NIPPON. A flawed but cool 3D fighting game.

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UNO DX. It's an UNO RPG with anime characters.

View attachment 11668

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NinPen Manmaru is an admittedly bad but very charming 3D platformer starring a ninja penguin.

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Some deep dives here!

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Thanks folks for your input - I appreciate it!

 

[Deleted member 132407]

This game is so damn awesome

 

[Potapota]

I'm not sure how hidden gem this is but I'm playing Tail Concerto on ps1 right now. I don't see it talked about too often. It's got some polish and a great atmosphere to it imho but I can see how it got kinda forgotten. Not a bad game by any means but it's not like any of the platformers besides mario survived to modern age anyway. And sonic I guess.

The reason why I'm even aware of this game's existence is one of my absolute favorites, Silent Bomber from the same studio. It's an awesome game and probably qualifies for a hidden gem status too. Maybe even more than this.

 

[Yousef Yousef]

I agree with that statement.

In fact, this is fact.

Post automatically merged: Jan 13, 2025

I see we love kissin' eh ?

?

InFamous was a way bigger deal to me than uncharted or whatever random cinamatic game Sony was putting out. Great franchise.

 

[Karnik]

Hey @Waffles, this thread should also be merged with this one:

https://retrogametalk.com/threads/hidden-gems.2722/

As I feared, the problem I reported some time ago is spreading like wildfire...
But if no one complains, who am I to get involved. ??‍

 

[moonbits]

 

[Tonberry]

Hey @Waffles, this thread should also be merged with this one:

https://retrogametalk.com/threads/hidden-gems.2722/

As I feared, the problem I reported some time ago is spreading like wildfire...
But if no one complains, who am I to get involved. ??‍

I'm not against the idea of merging topics, but I feel like these are two different threads, since the OP of this one specifically mentioned 5th generation games.

 

[Karnik]

I'm not against the idea of merging topics, but I feel like these are two different threads, since the OP of this one specifically mentioned 5th generation games.

Sure. In this case, I think we can turn a blind eye. ?

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Hey @Waffles, this thread should also be merged with this one:

https://retrogametalk.com/threads/hidden-gems.2722/

As I feared, the problem I reported some time ago is spreading like wildfire...
But if no one complains, who am I to get involved. ??‍

You are absolutely right.

Done!

Thanks for reporting it ?

 

[RetroLaw]

Hey @Waffles, this thread should also be merged with this one:

https://retrogametalk.com/threads/hidden-gems.2722/

As I feared, the problem I reported some time ago is spreading like wildfire...
But if no one complains, who am I to get involved. ??‍

Reporting an issue isn't complaining, especially when it's valid, which is the case here. ?
It also helps the mods.

 

[Deleted member 7989]

I commented on another post like this with completely different stuff than I'll put here. But one of my all time favorites is Oni. It was made by Bungie West, it was their first and last project. Rockstar Games developed the PS2 port and published the PC and PS2 versions. I think Bungie themselves published the Mac port as at the time they were a Mac centered company. The PS2 version if not emulated has a lot of frame drops, especially in the later levels with a lot of particle effects like vats of acid and such, so I'd recommend the PC version over it. The plus of that being there is still a very dedicated community trying to preserve the game and make it work on as many PC's and Mac's as possible. And there is a decent Modding community as well, with the easiest way to play the game on modern PC's being to download the Anniversary Edition Launcher, which makes it easy to download mods to the game and launch it without messing with compatibility settings and deprecated windows installers for old api's. Give it a try sometime. It's a Third-Person Action game with a mix between Brawler and Third-Person Shooter gameplay, with a world and story based on anime like Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Auriiya]

I dunno if zero/fatal frame series counts but one of my favorite series of all time.

 

[Viviana Santos]

Post automatically merged: Jan 14, 2025

 

[Vanity Crow]

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I'm more partial to the JPN exclusive Robbit Mon Dieu myself.

Spoiler: Image of: SCPS10103-[Robbit Mon Dieu] CIB

Wiki Page
Gameplay

If you haven't played before, it's basically Jumping Flash deluxe. It really changes up the style of gameplay that you experience even if the gameplay controls are generally the same.

I am aware I have mentioned this game before, but I figured I might as well take it a step up and give out more information for some games I'm mentioning again. I hope that the wiki, gameplay and image helps to be able to identify this game easier and faster for the unfamiliar.

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

2 words

Tiny Tank

 

[Vanity Crow]

I have asked a lot of places the same question: PS1, PS2; What are true hidden gems?

I am trying to expand my gaming with these systems and this would be huge to find games I never knew about, that are sick.

Cheers, post them up!

Well because we're also doing other consoles, because I'm sure I've mentioned way, way too many PSX and PSX2 titles. I'll list off a couple of neat ones from other consoles too. I'll try to be more brief about my listings this time. Add some images. Videos, wikis if I feel like it.

I'll give out 3 Gamecube games that I highly recommend to anyone who's wanting to get into some of the best and most interesting the console has to offer.

Gamecube:

Spoiler: DOL-GHGE-USA [Go! Go! Hypergrind] (Released November 18th 2003)

Go! Go! Hypergrind

Go! Go! Hypergrind is a really niche and obscure game exclusively for Gamecube. It is essentially a cartoony itchy and scratchy show esque tony hawk game that supports local multiplayer and is highly desired. But is also a heck of a lot of fun!

Gameplay:

Wiki Page

Spoiler: DOL-GG4E-USA - [Gotcha Force] (USA Release December 3 2003)

Gotcha Force

Gotcha Force is a great game especially if you loved games like Custom Robo, or Robots for everyone. If you like mechas, mech fighting games, or arena fighting games like Project Gaiaray, you'll absolutely love this entry. If you're unfamiliar with the gameplay, I have a long play below. But a really recommended game if you haven't tried it

Wiki Page

Spoiler: DOL-GKAE-USA - [Amazing Island] (USA Release - August 24th 2004)

Amazing Island

Amazing Island is a hard game to explain or describe for me. Mostly because I don't have enough experience playing it. But it is very similar to Spore on PC. It's a great game to play and pass by the time. And although it doesn't show the Gamecube at its fullest capabilities, it definitely shows the console's versatility quite well in my opinion.

Wiki Page

I hope I did my formatting on this right, and you find this helpful