faetal on 1/12/2015 at 21:41
I can't think of any off the top of my head, but are we really letting it slide that Henke really liked AC3? Like, better than AC2.
Nameless Voice on 1/12/2015 at 22:53
I'm not sure if this fully counts as "maligned" so much as "obscure", but here's one for me: Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul.
This was a tactical RPG that played like a mix between Commandos and a more traditional RPG; weak player character, focus on stealth and picking off enemies one at a time to avoid being massacred. It also had a rather good spell- (and item-) crafting system and decent character levelling system.
The only thing that was really disappointing was the multiplayer, which forced you to just repeat the same small handful of boring quests infinitely to try to level up, rather than having a full campaign experience.
It seems to have decent enough reviews on review sites; the reason it comes to mind was because there was a sequel which was so badly received even in its native Russia that it barely sold anything, was never translated or exported, and therefore I never go to play it.
heywood on 1/12/2015 at 23:44
Quote Posted by Muzman
Probably more controversial would be, I kinda like Deus Ex: Invisible War. That deserves almost everything it gets as well.
Second that. The small levels with frequent loading zones and the rubbish ending level are the main issues that stand out to me. Some of the early mission objectives were dumb too, but they were kind of inconsequential so they didn't ruin the game. I remember complaining a lot about the console streamlining, but in hindsight the only thing I really missed were skills. And in some ways it improved on Deus Ex, e.g. better AI. Overall, I think it's a good game. Not as good as Deus Ex, nor Human Revolution, but a good game in its own right.
Quote Posted by TannisRoot
The Stalker: Shadows of Chenobyl games. They're unpolished and incomplete, but have hands down the best atmosphere of any games I've played if you can look past their many flaws. It's a real shame the series died before reaching its potential.
The first time I tried playing SoC, I gave up because it seemed too bug ridden and unbalanced. Later I tried the Complete mod, and with the bug fixes and visual enhancements it became one of my favorite games. I know the Complete mod isn't perfect, but it made an unfinished game feel complete.
Starker on 2/12/2015 at 00:26
Gabriel Knight 3. Yes, it's ugly 3D and yes, it has that one puzzle, but I really enjoyed the story and the rest of the puzzles. If anything, it's Le Serpent Rouge what GK3 should be known for, not that stupid cat hair puzzle.
ZylonBane on 2/12/2015 at 01:16
Gunman Chronicles, a game that started out as a fan-made total conversion of Half-Life. It's cheesy as hell, but it's intentionally cheesy as hell, and the variety of weapons, enemies, and levels is pretty amazing. Great sound design and in-engine cinematics too.
Yakoob on 2/12/2015 at 01:45
Quote Posted by Muzman
Probably more controversial would be, I kinda like
Deus Ex: Invisible War. That deserves almost everything it gets as well.
You're not the only one! I genuinely like it, and thought the mecahnics and gunplay were actually kind of fun in a not-so-serious way (sneaking through a vent to drop on two guards and insta-blasting them with a shotgun, mwahaha). I also found NG Resonance (the pop-star omnipresent AI) one of the better characters ever written in a video game, with the ability to have some serious debate with her and slowly peeling new layers of her personality like an onion.
But I also have the ability to gloss over technical shortcomings (such as the bad physics and tiny levels) and enjoy the game for what it's trying to be (one reason why Arcanum and VTM:Bloodlines are my favorite games ever).
icemann on 2/12/2015 at 03:42
Some others:
Chasm the Dark Rift.
I absolutely love this game, despite the hate/lack of interest it gets from everyone else. It starts off REALLY bland and meh I'll agree, but after that it improves dramatically and gets really damn fun.
The Fortress of Doctor Radiaki.
I've never even heard anyone else mention this game ever. A good indication of how well known a game is. Best described as a FPS in the same vein as Wolfenstein, but set in a castle and taking on ninja's instead, with humorous cutscenes between each level. I quite enjoyed the game. Not the greatest game of all time or anything, but not a bad one either.
Pyrian on 2/12/2015 at 04:49
Can we convince all those guys making mod extensions for Deus Ex to work on Invisible War instead? :p
Volitions Advocate on 2/12/2015 at 04:59
I'm with ZB on Gunman Chronicles. Fantastic game.
I was also fond of DX:IW
And Colonial Marines. The game that gave exactly what it's title said. I think everybody bitched about it because it wasn't Alien. It wasn't supposed to be Alien, it was supposed to be Aliens. Aliens... the antithesis to Scotts original that for some dumb reason everybody acclaims while they shit on Alien 3. Well it delivered. ... and it sucked.. but I liked it.
froghawk on 2/12/2015 at 06:48
Agreed on Invisible War and Deadly Shadows. I loved them both despite their flaws.
