The Game Recommendation Thread

[Zombeaver]

I have a physical copy of it as well

PSX is my favorite console of all time. I've got close to 300 titles in my physical collection. I've got plenty of recommendations there! It helps that there's plenty of great lesser known/weird titles for it.

[Harryham]

mine too! I've never understood how the N64 was considered serious competition for it. I mean, look at the sheer amount of games in each genre the PSX has compared to N64 then look how many of them were best sellers and still considered must plays today. You've got final fantasy 7-9, metal gear solid, tekken, tomb raider, resident evil 1-survivor, wipeout, suikoden, star ocean,soul reaver and dozens more. N64 has ocarina of time, majoras mask, mario 64, mario kart and golden eye lol.

300 physical? bloody hell! i probably have about 30 or so haha.

i'll recommend Koudelka, It's a 4 disc survival horror with a final fantasy style battle system set in an abandoned monastery in the 1800's. It's also a precursor to the Shadowhearts series on PS2. My only complaint is that the battle system could do with a few tweaks,other than that it's pretty damn good. There's some gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds, the voice actings excellent for the time, characters are solid and believable (Koudelka hersef is a qt) Enemies are varied and pretty horrific looking, the soundtrack is good but not Nobuo Uematsu good and the story is really good.

Fans of the original resident evils and final fantasy psx titles should check this out

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlFT2dhViMk

Edited August 16, 2016 by lordshaithis

[Zombeaver]

3 hours ago, lordshaithis said:

300 physical? bloody hell!

Yep  Here are a few pics. That's a bit out of date but you get the idea. I have an actual list of everything on VGCollect.

Koudelka's definitely a goodie! I've been trying to get a hold of that one for a while. It usually goes for around $50. As you mentioned, it has noticeably good voice acting for the era. I also just appreciate it's unique atmosphere for the genre and the quirky mix of strategy, RPG, and survival horror. I'm a big Shadow Hearts guy too.

Future Cop: L.A.P.D.

Platform: PSX

This is one that I think a lot of people might have overlooked because of the somewhat generic-sounding title and obvious ED-209 ripoff on the cover. Don't let that fool you though - this is actually a great shooter! You may be a "cop" but that doesn't stop you from blowing the living hell out of just about everything in sight with a wide array of weaponry. Your mech can either walk around (as pictured on the cover) or transform into a speedy robo-car mode. It's got really nice graphics and sound and it even has legitimately good multiplayer (both co-op and competitive). There's also a secondary play mode that's completely separate from the campaign that's basically a combination of strategy and point-defense - it's very unique!

[Harryham]

awesome collection! i am so jealous of the tales of destiny and lunar ones...I have collectors editions of tales of xillia 2 and tales of symphonias ps release Yeah Koudelka's a good un. Haven't played it in a couple of years actually, i should sort that. I think i'd appreciate it even more now since i got into H.P Lovecraft etc.

I'd forgotten about Future Cop, haven't played it since about 2001ish. Never noticed before but you're right - it is an ED-209 knock off lmao (incidentally- why did OCP program 209 to squeal?) and speaking of Robocop...

Robocop VS Terminator for Genesis!

 

also do game recs have to meet a certain criteria? I was just thinking about how to define not well known games given some might be more well known in certain countries than others. Oh and can we rec rom hacks?

 

[Zombeaver]

Obviously "obscure" is a somewhat loose term, but the general idea is just to raise awareness about games that most people might not know about. It doesn't have to be a PAL-only never-officially-released prototype, but it could be haha. To me it's just "This is a game that the average gamer probably doesn't know about, but it's worth their time because of X". I think hacks would qualify - they're still games like anything else; just so long as it doesn't become too much of a focus - there's no shortage of official releases that slipped under the radar 

Speaking of PAL-only, I actually own a copy of this:

It's a super-weird super-hard rhythm game brought to us by the same minds that created Parappa The Rapper. You can insert your own music CD to change the levels. It basically reads the waveform of the song and creates a "track" for you which has different obstacles (shapes) to overcome that require different button presses (or combinations thereof). It's actually a bit difficult to explain so I'll just include this:

It's really quirky and fun. It's definitely recommended if you enjoy rhythm games. The concept and technology in use here were actually pretty revolutionary. Keep in mind this game came out 9 years before Audiosurf. You can use your own "CDs" in an emulator if you create one as a bin+cue and swap over to it when prompted (you select the option to use your own CD in game).

[Harryham]

KULA WORLD!

 

[Zombeaver]

Thanks for reviving this @lordshaithis! I was actually just thinking about this the other day. I've heard of Kula World though I've not actually played it. I'll have to check that out.

I got a PS4 a few months ago so that's occupied nearly all my free time of late. The first thing I played through was Until Dawn. I played it with my wife (well, I played and she watched), who ordinarily doesn't have any interest in games, but got really into it became completely obsessed with the game  I can't recommend it enough. If you like horror movies of the late 90s - 00s, choice and consequence adventure games like Heavy Rain, Walking Dead, etc. and choose your own adventure books (not at all a requirement, but I actually did love choose your own adventure books as a kid ), you should definitely check it out. It's basically like playing through a horror movie; and an actually really good horror movie at that. I (and my wife) had a complete blast with it.

The game I've been really obsessed with lately is Nioh. It's basically feudal-dark-fantasy-Japan does Dark Souls + a loot system similar to Diablo's. I absolutely love it. There are things about it that I actually like more than Dark Souls, if I'm being honest (and I'm a huge Dark Souls fan). I think the combat has more depth while also being a little bit faster (about the equivalent of Bloodborne I guess, maybe a touch faster). You have high, middle, and low stances, all of which have different move sets, and you have a mechanic somewhat similar to Gears of War's active-reload system that's called Ki pulse, where you can time a button press correctly and get some of your stamina back quicker than you would normally. The story, characters, and lore definitely aren't on the same level as Dark Souls, that's something Dark Souls does a lot better; and the world is broken up into segmented missions rather than one big world which is... different. I think I actually prefer the combat in Nioh though. Really great game that DS fans should check out. I'm at 66 hours at this point 

[roy1975]

I've recently been playing The Terminator for Sega CD. It's got to be one of, if not the best game ever based on the original Terminator movie. Made by Virgin Games right in that era when they were doing Aladdin, The Lion King, and Cool Spot and it's right in line with those in terms of being a side-scrolling action game with really smooth animation. The game basically starts as a prequel to the movie, with Reese trying to break into Skynet to go back in time, and then picks up with levels based on parts of the movie (sort of like The Warriors game years later). Between levels you're "treated" to full motion video clips from the film that are so grainy some of them are nearly unintelligible. Behold the power of CD-ROM!!!

Actually where the CD comes in handy is that the game has an outstanding soundtrack by Tommy Tallarico.

The graphics are very good. Generally not very flashy, but just very clear and pleasantly rendered. The levels are fairly big and there's an incentive to explore and get more power ups, grenades, and extra lives.

[NyxPrime]

On 8/16/2016 at 9:59 AM, lordshaithis said:

i'll recommend Koudelka, It's a 4 disc survival horror with a final fantasy style battle system set in an abandoned monastery in the 1800's. It's also a precursor to the Shadowhearts series on PS2. My only complaint is that the battle system could do with a few tweaks,other than that it's pretty damn good. There's some gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds, the voice actings excellent for the time, characters are solid and believable (Koudelka hersef is a qt) Enemies are varied and pretty horrific looking, the soundtrack is good but not Nobuo Uematsu good and the story is really good.

Fans of the original resident evils and final fantasy psx titles should check this out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlFT2dhViMk

 

I was about to recommend Shadow Hearts Covenant

shadow hearts and koudelka deserve much more recognition

shadow hearts covenant is my number 1 favorite game!

[Zombeaver]

Lately I've been playing a lot of Wizardry 8 and, more recently, StarCrawlers.

Wizardry 8

Platform: PC

Wizardry 8 is one of my all-time favorite CRPGs. It's in the top 10 range for me. I just love the incredibly deep character development/creation and the satisfaction of turning your group of little weakling adventurers into this really powerful force to be reckoned with. You can even customize the voices of your characters, so every time they make a little quip about whatever's going on (and that's pretty frequently) it's in the unique style that you choose. The voices are often kindof cartoony, but they're also really distinctive - it really lets you inject some personality into them. I love the actual stat/spell/ability development for all your characters - it's really deep and lets your tailor them the way you want. Wizardry 8 is one of the handful of games for me that kindof, sorta, almost replicates the feeling of playing D&D (which I do weekly). The world has some really interesting lore and history and it's fun to explore and find little secrets (and often some trouble) off the beaten path. It doesn't hold your hand, and it doesn't stop you from royally screwing up your characters if you develop them stupidly, and it can be pretty difficult at times... but man I really love it.

Starcrawlers

Platform: PC

Star Crawlers I came across because I was looking for some kind of modern dungeon crawler, something that kindof scratched even a fraction of the Wizardry itch but with a fresh coat of paint. While it has nowhere near the depth of Wizardry 8, I've been having an absolute blast with it. It's been described by some as "Legend of Grimrock meets Shadowrun", but that's not entirely accurate because, while it does have grid-based movement like Grimrock, the thing that I like about it much more is that the combat is turn-based much more akin to Wizardry. Grimrock is much more akin to Eye of the Beholder with it's combat, and it's a style that I'm honestly not a fan of. Star Crawlers' combat is turn and initiative/time-unit based with each character having their own skills (and skill trees) and equipment that determine their speed. It's really easy to pickup though. The dungeons are randomized and, thankfully, involve more than just walking around fighting enemies. There are puzzles, traps, secret rooms/caches, occasionally there are NPCs, and there are random evens reminiscent of stuff you'd encounter in FTL. Each character type also has out-of-combat things that they're proficient at as well, like a Hacker allowing you to bypass security measures, a Smuggler that can talk his way out of situations, and a Void Psyker that's basically insane and can make enemies have horrific hallucinations. It's very streamlined, which means, as I said, it doesn't have the kind of depth that you'll find in Wizardry - there are no attributes that you'll be putting points into - but it's a really fun dungeon crawler for sure.

I'd highly recommend both.

[kerszr]

Fahrenheit 451 (Apple ii)

Based off the classic novel by Ray Bradbury you play Montague a firefighter, a cog in a fascist dystopia in which literature and the reading of it is banned. This game is much like Zork and many other text adventure games of the time. I must say that most of it has aged poorly but it is alot of fun to get lost in Ray Bradbury's world.Blazing Lasers (NEC TurboGraphix 16)

My favorite game on the NEC TG16. On of the most well defined, best executed and most polished shoot em ups of the era. Blazig Lasers is some great video gamey fun with power ups, great music, and hard as nails boss battles. The difficulty is always there to keep you interested but never to much where you feel each death isnt earned. If you like shooty laser thingys or  your looking for something to play on the NEC TurboGraphix that isnt Splatterhouse or Bonk try this out.Rocket: Robot on Wheels (Nintendo 64)

The N64 will always be remembered for it's platformers, some great, (Mario, Banjo, Conker, DK64) some bad (Glover, Earthworm Jim 3d). But it seems people always forget about that darn one-wheeled robot. ''Rocket: Robot on Wheels'' is often rembered as a oddity, but a wonderful oddity. Then, newbies at Suckerpunch (of Sly Cooper fame) crafted tightly a excellent controlling platformed with solid level design. Add on a bumpy trippy soundtrack and wacky world and you have yourself a good time. Please do yourself a favor *um* "obtain this" right away.Armadillio (Nintendo Famicom)

This is one of those platformers that are just a delight to play during the part of the Famicom's life cycle where the developers knew the software and knew what they were doing. Think Kirby's Adventure or Super Mario Bros 3. Armadillo is a kids game. It's not something you'll be breaking your controller over. But to be honest I enjoy sometimes putting things on the easy diffucuty and just chilling once and a while. Kick back with a beer with this one.

[kerszr]

Part 2!
Drunken Robot Pornography (PC)

DRP is a insane shooter from hell. You take control of a former Reuben Matsumoto who gave his bartender sentience and now the darn thing has gone rouge. And so it may seem that  you are the only one to stop em'. I'm pretty sure you can get this one cheap nowadays. It was a sleeper hit around three years ago. Don't let the name scare you off!

Astro Boy:Omega Factor (Game Boy Advance)

The game is made by Treasure, that is reason enough to pick this one up. If I was to also tell you that it is one of the best games on the system and a throughly entertaining beat-em-up aswell. AB:OF may be a decade old but it doesnt show it's age one bit. It's just pure fun.Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD)

In Dungeon Explorer you do exactly what you think you do, you bake cookies... err... I mean you explore dungeons. There isn't really much to it. It takes heavy inspiration from games like Gauntlet with hordes of enemies swarming at you. Its great stuff. But be warned this isnt for the faint of heart, this is a very "grindy" game. You'll be mowing down the same old enemies over and over before you even get the chance to enter a dungeon. It's a good game though and I strongly recommend you seek it out.Illbleed (Dreamcast)

Illbleed in my humble opinion is a bad game. And I know thats a weird thing coming from a video game recommendations list. Yet, Illbleed is such a oddity that it must be experienced even if it will test your patience. Illbleed is the equivalent to those films that are "so bad it's good". Everything from it's world to it's characters to its storyline border on insanity. The less said about it, the better, so I will say nothing at all. Play it.