• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Deleted member 15447

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,728
Merry Christmas all,

I snagged a new 3DS XL from Amazon ($99 Australian) and have grabbed a bunch of the big name games but was wondering if there's lesser known games you'd recommend?

Any genre :)
 

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,219
Ever Oasis is pretty cool.

Oh and the Ghost Recon game is supposedly a decent budget strategy game.
 

bshock

Self-requested permanent ban
Banned
Nov 3, 2017
1,394
Ghost Recon Shadow Wars, Fantasy Life, Pocket Card Jockey, and Rune Factory 4.
 

Kneefoil

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,447
How was the Jake Hunter game that came out this year? I remember a few people on this site being hyped for it, but it seemed to fly under the radar for almost everyone. Did it turn out to be any good?
 

MetalBoi

Banned
Dec 21, 2017
3,176
Stella Glow
Return to Popolocrois
7th Dragon III: Code VFD
Devil Survivor 1 & 2
Rune Factory 4
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
 

BowieZ

Member
Nov 7, 2017
3,972
Definitely the Dillon's Rolling Western series. Tower defense action-RPG-platformer, so fun.
 

Disclaimer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,466
Fan of JRPGs — especially Matsuno's (FFT, Vagrant Story, Tactics Ogre, Ogre Battle)? What about D&D?

I highly recommend Matsuno's short, sweet, and cheap Crimson Shroud.

 

Eblo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,643
Rhythm Thief is pretty good. It has all the standard fixings of a rhythm game but with one wild-ass plot thrown over it.

 

Dogui

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,787
Brazil
Not yet cited:

The Legend of the Dark Witch 1/2/3 - Pretty fun mega man like games that people often overlook due to its extreme cutesy anime visuals.

Steamworld Heist - A really really great mix of Xcom with Worms in a post apocalyptic space setting.

Severed - Surprisingly great dungeon crawler with "stylus as sword" combat mechanics.
 

KushalaDaora

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,838
Story Of Seasons Trio Of Towns. The real "Harvest Moon".

Haven't played Stardew yet but I though SoS ToT have fun and charming characters and dialogue.
 

Phil32

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,568
I really enjoyed Fossil Fighters: Frontier. You get to battle dinosaurs with DINOSAURS!

Also, Monster Hunter Stories. You get to battle monsters with MONSTERS!

Both games have a lot of content to them as well, more seriously.
 
Oct 25, 2017
12,192
The most hidden gem I found on the 3DS so far is Dead Heat Breakers. Nobody paid any attention to it, and they should! Consider that high praise as normally I absolutely despise the genre, but DHB mechanics and graphics make it work - and racing against meteor monsters in truck form to grind them until they explode with an engine propelled cowboy-mad max-armadillo never gets old.

And Sushi Strikers too! Amazing production value for what seemed to be a throwaway puzzle game, super entertaining with its saturday morning cartoon hijinks and well designed "combat".

Also +1 to Crimson Shroud, Shinobi, Fantasy Life and Monster Hunter Stories.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 15447

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,728
Loving all the responses. Thanks heaps! Lots of YouTubing atm and lots to keep me busy over the holidays! Thanks all!
 

Aters

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
7,948
Rune Factory 4

My answer to all "hidden gem" questions is always Rune Factory
 

yyr

Member
Nov 14, 2017
3,462
White Plains, NY
Bike Rider DX was one of the most popular games on the Japanese eShop, featuring a very simple runner-like concept. It's only OK, but its sequel, Bike Rider DX2 Galaxy, packs a bunch of unexpected twists, and is both an amazingly fun experience and a masterclass in level design. It's also one of the best deals on the eShop at a measly $3 (in North America, at least). It is one of the most overlooked games on the system, which is a shame, as it is also one of the best.

Pocket Card Jockey, developed by Game Freak (as in the Pokemon developer), is digital crack. Once you take a hit, you're addicted, almost guaranteed. It retails for $7 but is worth three times as much. If you're unsure, download the free demo and try it out.

Do not overlook M2's Sega 3D Classics, such as Space Harrier, Galaxy Force II, and Out Run. You could also consider the Sega 3D Classics Collection retail package, which collects quite a few of them (including Power Drift, which is exclusive to that package).

There are many others, quite a few of which have already been mentioned. 3DS, having a very mature library, and having been the leading platform in Japan for several years, is full of great niche games...as was the DS, whose own library is almost 100% compatible. Enjoy.

Almost all the Streetpass games are really good.

The best are Find Mii 2, Monster Manor, Mii Force, and if you're a collect-a-holic, Flower Town. Unfortunately, since the number of people carrying 3DS consoles around has practically fallen off a cliff, I can't recommend them anymore...making progress in any of them is going to be very difficult going forward.
 

Hieroph

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,995
The best are Find Mii 2, Monster Manor, Mii Force, and if you're a collect-a-holic, Flower Town. Unfortunately, since the number of people carrying 3DS consoles around has practically fallen off a cliff, I can't recommend them anymore...making progress in any of them is going to be very difficult going forward.

I still get the occasional Streetpass every now and then. Depends on where you live I guess. And you can do everything with just the coins so it's completely worth playing them even like that.
 
Oct 25, 2017
12,192
Miitopia is amazing and needs to be played by all the people.
Wait, Miitopia is a turn based RPG? I thought it was a minigame collection of sorts!

Do not overlook M2's Sega 3D Classics, such as Space Harrier, Galaxy Force II, and Out Run. You could also consider the Sega 3D Classics Collection retail package, which collects quite a few of them (including Power Drift, which is exclusive to that package).
3D Streets of Rage 2 is easily the BEST way to play SoR2. The 3D is awesome - same for 3D Shinobi III.
 

yyr

Member
Nov 14, 2017
3,462
White Plains, NY
I still get the occasional Streetpass every now and then. Depends on where you live I guess. And you can do everything with just the coins so it's completely worth playing them even like that.

Eh, the occasional StreetPass is nothing compared to the several a day I used to get. And trying to use Play Coins to progress in more than one game is extremely difficult, since you can only get 10 a day. For Mii Force alone you want 10 at once.

And not being able to choose your colors makes things even tougher...

And not being able to find other plants in Flower Town...

And not being able to fight battles in Warrior's Way...

...yeah, you really can't do everything with just the coins.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,504
Rabi Laby 1 & 2 (DSiWare games) and their 3DS sequel Rabi Laby 3. They look pretty cheap but they're actually really good puzzle platformers.

 

Hieroph

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,995
Wait, Miitopia is a turn based RPG? I thought it was a minigame collection of sorts!

3D Streets of Rage 2 is easily the BEST way to play SoR2. The 3D is awesome - same for 3D Shinobi III.

Miitopia is totally a turn-based RPG and that's just one of the things that's amazing about it.

Eh, the occasional StreetPass is nothing compared to the several a day I used to get. And trying to use Play Coins to progress in more than one game is extremely difficult, since you can only get 10 a day. For Mii Force alone you want 10 at once.

And not being able to choose your colors makes things even tougher...

And not being able to find other plants in Flower Town...

And not being able to fight battles in Warrior's Way...

...yeah, you really can't do everything with just the coins.

I would be completely swamped if I got several Streetpasses in a single day. Not enough time to use that many passes. Also my coin counter is almost constantly topped at 300 and I often "lose" coins because I don't spend them.

For anyone that picky about them, you can just set up a second 3DS or 2DS or get some Streetpasses somewhere, and then use the retrieve options in most of the games to call old passes back.
 

Regiruler

Member
Oct 28, 2017
12,280
United States
I'm going to assume "big games" Includes Kid Icarus Uprising.

My goto when this topic comes up is Shinobi 3D since it's so cheap typically. Fantastic reat 2d action game.
Culdcept Revolt is a lot of fun if you like card games and board games.
Face Raiders is preinstalled in the system and is a pretty fun first person shmup of sorts. It's fun to use celebrity photos, like Bob Ross or Hideki Kamiya.

As for the play coins, I found I stopped caring about the daily limit after a few weeks (I'd unlock everything in AR games first since that's a fun diversion).
I am hoping Tomodachi Life and Miitopia head over to the Switch in 2019.

I need to stop slacking and buy Koguga.


Kokuga isn't worth it. Really tedious and frustrating game to go for good scores.
Bike Rider DX was one of the most popular games on the Japanese eShop, featuring a very simple runner-like concept. It's only OK, but its sequel, Bike Rider DX2 Galaxy, packs a bunch of unexpected twists, and is both an amazingly fun experience and a masterclass in level design. It's also one of the best deals on the eShop at a measly $3 (in North America, at least). It is one of the most overlooked games on the system, which is a shame, as it is also one of the best.

Pocket Card Jockey, developed by Game Freak (as in the Pokemon developer), is digital crack. Once you take a hit, you're addicted, almost guaranteed. It retails for $7 but is worth three times as much. If you're unsure, download the free demo and try it out.

Do not overlook M2's Sega 3D Classics, such as Space Harrier, Galaxy Force II, and Out Run. You could also consider the Sega 3D Classics Collection retail package, which collects quite a few of them (including Power Drift, which is exclusive to that package).

There are many others, quite a few of which have already been mentioned. 3DS, having a very mature library, and having been the leading platform in Japan for several years, is full of great niche games...as was the DS, whose own library is almost 100% compatible. Enjoy.



The best are Find Mii 2, Monster Manor, Mii Force, and if you're a collect-a-holic, Flower Town. Unfortunately, since the number of people carrying 3DS consoles around has practically fallen off a cliff, I can't recommend them anymore...making progress in any of them is going to be very difficult going forward.
Galaxy Force II is really bland. I'd never recommend it.
 
Last edited:

platypotamus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,354
Fantasy Life is probably the closest any real game has come to the game I wish existed but doesn't. It is pretty great. Just talking about it has me considering leaving my switch here and taking my 3ds when I travel for the holidays...
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
I just got it a few weeks ago, and the first game I played (and one of the main reasons why I bought the console) was Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale. Not much to commend in the gameplay department, but the setting and the atmosphere are lovely, and the story and the characters are beautifully realized. I loved it.

 
Oct 25, 2017
1,686
Devil Halton's Trap
The Fairune duo of Hydlide-like adventure games should enter your wish list. Both are super fun, well paced, and accessible without lacking challenge. Expect a bunch of interesting puzzles and overworld exploration.

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is an amazing wargame, so good I had to write an LTTP for it recently. It's not to everyone's tastes, but there's nothing else like it on the market (despite the endless superifical XCOM/Valkyria Chronicles comparisons). Play it if you want a difficult but rewarding series of missions, each allowing for different fighters to succeed in different ways. It's also got great audiovisuals and a pleasant old-school comic book story.

I'll absolutely vouch for the SEGA 3D Classics releases by M2. Get the 3D Classics Collection for many of them, including unique titles like Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2. All have great options, arcade-perfect emulation, and some of the best 3D implementation on the system. Most releases also have substantial improvements like new game modes, alternate controls, or wholly new content added in.

How was the Jake Hunter game that came out this year? I remember a few people on this site being hyped for it, but it seemed to fly under the radar for almost everyone. Did it turn out to be any good?
Unlike the Aksys localization of the DS game, this Jake Hunter release has all content. They're well-received titles in Japan, so I imagine there's plenty to appreciate here. Don't expect it to resemble Hotel Dusk too much, though, since Cing's detective games diverge from the usual hard-boiled severity of classics like J.B. Harold and Jake Hunter.

Yep, this one's way too good to ignore. It's a strong distillation of attractive elements from Final Fantasy (pacing, character reveals, game structure), SaGa (combat, character growth, difficult side content), and Suikoden (emotionally mature story-telling, political depth, limited character recruitment).
 

Coricus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,537
Any thread that says "big name" without clarification forces me to assume that just means Mario/Zelda/Pokemon and thus warrants a big

Kid Icarus: Uprising

in the largest font size available.
 

Tetrinski

Banned
May 17, 2018
2,915
I just got it a few weeks ago, and the first game I played (and one of the main reasons why I bought the console) was Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale. Not much to commend in the gameplay department, but the setting and the atmosphere are lovely, and the story and the characters are beautifully realized. I loved it.


I was going to recommend this one as well. What a wonderful game, the best one I've experienced on the system, honestly.

Another good recommendation is the classic Space Harrier.
 

Syril

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,895
Unlike the Aksys localization of the DS game, this Jake Hunter release has all content.
Funny enough that DS game got rereleased a year later with all the content under a different title.
112490_front.jpg
 

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,758
I just saw Codename steam at a GameStop for $5 used. Well worth it for a few dollars.

If you like customization and don't mind a little loading, make sure to check the Badge Arcade everyday. It gives you free icons to customize your home screen....as long as you don't dump money into it.

There's actually a few free to play/start games on the system, like Pokémon Picross, Rusty's Real Deal Baseball and....some Kirby one. I forgot the name.

Gunman Clive 1/2 are short and cheap side scrollers but are very good.

Summer Carnival '92 RECCA is a crazy shmup that was made for the NES.

Starship Defense is a quality DSiWare game.