In Americas, Europe, and Australia, the Saturn. Console had some amazing games but performed very poorly.
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What's your pick for the most underrated console library?
- Thread starter Discontent
- Start date
I think the PS1's library is astounding, but it's usually brought up alongside the SNES, DS, and PS2 as all-time greatest. At least in my experience, any way. I don't know if you can claim the PS1 is terribly underrated, unless you are basically claiming it's the uncontested GOAT.
Saturn was the first one that came to mind, but I think anyone remotely interested in retro gaming knows about the Saturn's library and how many fantastic games were stuck in Japan. Every retro gamer knows Panzer Dragoon Saga, the Capcom fighters, Radiant Silvergun, Shining Force 3, NiGHTS...
So I'm gonna go with the 3DO. Most would consider this system an absolute failure, due to its high price at launch. But for being a "failed" console, it had a large library (200+ games) with some great games (I personally think, as far as failed 90s systems go, it's got a much more interesting and robust library than the Jag or the 32X... though maybe not the Sega CD). A lot eventually got ported to Saturn and PS1, but they originated here on 3DO.
Crystal Dynamics rose to prominence on 3DO. The Need for Speed had its first entry on the console. Micro Cabin released 2 great RPGs, Guardian War and Lucienne's Quest, that haven't been ported to any other system (aside from a poor quality Japan-only remake for Saturn of Lucienne's Quest). Road Rash is an absolute classic with an iconic licensed grunge soundtrack. For a time, it was the only place you could get Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo on a home console.
The system also was home to a lot of high quality ports of PC games of the era. The Incredible Machine, Star Control 2, Theme Park. Even had some Japanese exclusives, like Dr Hauzer (an early survival horror game), and was the original home of Policenauts.
It also has some 'interesting' kusoge... like Jurassic Park, Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, some FMV games, and Naughty Dog's infamous Way of the Warrior.
So I'm gonna go with the 3DO. Most would consider this system an absolute failure, due to its high price at launch. But for being a "failed" console, it had a large library (200+ games) with some great games (I personally think, as far as failed 90s systems go, it's got a much more interesting and robust library than the Jag or the 32X... though maybe not the Sega CD). A lot eventually got ported to Saturn and PS1, but they originated here on 3DO.
Crystal Dynamics rose to prominence on 3DO. The Need for Speed had its first entry on the console. Micro Cabin released 2 great RPGs, Guardian War and Lucienne's Quest, that haven't been ported to any other system (aside from a poor quality Japan-only remake for Saturn of Lucienne's Quest). Road Rash is an absolute classic with an iconic licensed grunge soundtrack. For a time, it was the only place you could get Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo on a home console.
The system also was home to a lot of high quality ports of PC games of the era. The Incredible Machine, Star Control 2, Theme Park. Even had some Japanese exclusives, like Dr Hauzer (an early survival horror game), and was the original home of Policenauts.
It also has some 'interesting' kusoge... like Jurassic Park, Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, some FMV games, and Naughty Dog's infamous Way of the Warrior.
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3DO is a solid pick. Definitely deserves some respect and some of the games look GREAT for its era.
And I hate to say it, but NiGHTS is bad.
I can think of a lot of PS1 games I revisit, and a few N64 games I'd play emulated versions of. The Saturn is a blind spot for me, but NiGHTS? Woof. I think I'd need someone to give me a tour of the best exclusives on the Saturn sometime, because back in 199X when I rented a Saturn and a few games I was super-fixated on 3D gaming at the time and the Saturn just wasn't doing it for me. In retrospect, I think there are only... 2-3 N64 games I really appreciated.
So hey, maybe I'm underrating it!
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The Playstation 1 also had games released for a significantly longer period of time than the Saturn too, well after the PS2 released (thank you backwards compatibility!).
The Playstation really captured Japanese public interest in home consoles in a way not seen since the Famicom (look at the sales between the Super Famicom and the Playstation). The PS2 built on that coupled with DVD-playback.
That being said, it's still hard to call the PS1 "underrated" but it was a remarkable console for a lot of the niche/core stuff that the Saturn is also lauded for-- whereas most people just basically refer to the "marquee titles" as its hits.
so are you basing your impressions of Nights based on your memory or because the jaded cynics at Giant Bomb aren't nice about games when they frustrate them?
I played it back in 1997 and thought it was terrible.
Two years back, my buddy with a great Saturn collection fired it up and we played it for about fifteen minutes. I also tried it on PS Now a few weeks ago.
I think it's baaaad.
the analog input on the PS3 version of the game is really bad, pretty sure it's been like that since the PS2 port, which is what it is based off of.
the game being marketed as a mascot platformer is a disservice to the type of game it is. it's effectively a score rush game that plays closer to a THPS title than any platformer lol
Right but I mean... I played it on a Saturn once back in the 90s and again like 2 years ago in my 30s.
I mean, I love THPS, but I think NiGHTS is rough. I was such a Sega kid during the Master System years, and was having a hard time deciding on the Saturn/N64/PS1 decision by 1997.
I rented a Saturn from Blockbuster with a copy of NiGHTS and Sega Rally (I think it was Sega Rally, but my memory isn't concrete there). Both bummed me out, as a kid who really wanted to stay on the Sega train.
People keep looking back at the 7th generation with very loath look.
For me, it was many new amazing IPs and the true raise for Sony first party developers.. it might be not the best gen but it was certainly a good one.
I think it's pre-NES consoles in general (it's hard to single out one because of that). Even on supposed enthusiast sites like this, they're all ignored or they get completely bashed as unplayable or people think they only offer inferior arcade ports. Do I pick the 2600 because it's kind of the flagship or do I choose an even less popular console?
This topic depends on the criteria and region. You can go for the really obscure that almost no one played or what is unfairly ranked low relative to its competition and what it accomplished during its era.
The SMS is a good example of the latter scenario. I had both the NES and SMS back and still do. It seems like bizarro world to me when people act like the SMS didn't have plenty of classics.
Remember when IGN made a top 10 (plus several honourable mentions) list of best 8-bit soundtracks, left out the SMS entirely, and had the nerve to say nothing on it was worthy? That's the kind of snubbing that has been going on for decades.
If you haven't played SMS games like these, you don't have a well rounded experience of the 8-bit era:
Action and platform - Shinobi, Wonder Boy, Sonic, Alex Kidd in Miracle/Shinobi World, Mickey series, Quartet, Asterix series, Bubble Bobble (extra content), Rastan, Kung Fu Kid, Ninja Gaiden, Psycho Fox
RPG - Phantasy Star, Ultima IV, Miracle Warriors (notable for being the first turn-based JRPG in English), Ys (the franchise's English debut)
Action/adventure - Wonder Boy III, Kenseiden, Golvellius, Golden Axe Warrior, Lord of the Sword, Zillion, Cyborg Hunter, Impossible Mission, Spellcaster
Shooter - R-Type, Choplifter, Fantasy Zone series, Power Strike series, Astro Warrior, Bomber Raid, Cloud Master, Global Defense, Space Harrier series, Thunder Blade, Galactic Protector,
Overhead action - Time Soldiers, Rambo, The Ninja
Light gun - Rescue Mission, Safari Hunt, Gangster Town, Missile Defense 3D, Rambo III, Assault City
Various other - Penguin Land, Shanghai, Megumi Rescue, Fantasy Zone: The Maze, Ms. Pac-Man, California Games, Hang On, Reggie Jackson Baseball
This topic depends on the criteria and region. You can go for the really obscure that almost no one played or what is unfairly ranked low relative to its competition and what it accomplished during its era.
The SMS is a good example of the latter scenario. I had both the NES and SMS back and still do. It seems like bizarro world to me when people act like the SMS didn't have plenty of classics.
Remember when IGN made a top 10 (plus several honourable mentions) list of best 8-bit soundtracks, left out the SMS entirely, and had the nerve to say nothing on it was worthy? That's the kind of snubbing that has been going on for decades.
If you haven't played SMS games like these, you don't have a well rounded experience of the 8-bit era:
Action and platform - Shinobi, Wonder Boy, Sonic, Alex Kidd in Miracle/Shinobi World, Mickey series, Quartet, Asterix series, Bubble Bobble (extra content), Rastan, Kung Fu Kid, Ninja Gaiden, Psycho Fox
RPG - Phantasy Star, Ultima IV, Miracle Warriors (notable for being the first turn-based JRPG in English), Ys (the franchise's English debut)
Action/adventure - Wonder Boy III, Kenseiden, Golvellius, Golden Axe Warrior, Lord of the Sword, Zillion, Cyborg Hunter, Impossible Mission, Spellcaster
Shooter - R-Type, Choplifter, Fantasy Zone series, Power Strike series, Astro Warrior, Bomber Raid, Cloud Master, Global Defense, Space Harrier series, Thunder Blade, Galactic Protector,
Overhead action - Time Soldiers, Rambo, The Ninja
Light gun - Rescue Mission, Safari Hunt, Gangster Town, Missile Defense 3D, Rambo III, Assault City
Various other - Penguin Land, Shanghai, Megumi Rescue, Fantasy Zone: The Maze, Ms. Pac-Man, California Games, Hang On, Reggie Jackson Baseball
Yeah, the SMS is a wonderful system that always gets neglected in NA. I know it's been pointed out in other threads, but look at how much heavy lifting SEGA did on this console versus Nintendo's own output on NES. I think every single game you listed was developed or ported by SEGA themselves. Also, totally unrelated, the SMS version of Ghostbusters is so much better than the actual game it is a port of!
i remember when the turbografx mini was announced on this forum and so many posters took the opportunity to bitch about it not being an MGS or Silent Hill comp while simultaneously complaining about how Konami ignores their IP.
There are some advantages to the original C64 Ghostbusters: the audio is far superior and it has a save function without passwords. But the graphic overhaul was huge on SMS.
That port/remake was done by Compile. Even when SMS games weren't done by Sega itself, they often contracted talented developers like Compile, Westone, and Ancient.
yeah, the action mechanics are a lot better on the SMS port too. the angled firing shot was added in the SMS game but missing in the C64 one iirc.
Xbox was fantastic and certainly a viable alternative to the PS2. It's really a shame so many never got to play it's games. Same with the Dreamcast and to a lesser extent the Saturn. My pick though for most underrated library has to be PSP. So many good games. It really was a great system and although I liked the DS just as much there really was a feeling that the PSP was somehow futuristic because of the UMD drive.
I think the Wii is a good choice. It's only ever really brought up for shovelware and casual games, with people generally ignoring not only the other Nintendo games but other third party games on it. AND it had the biggest Virtual Console, which actually had some licenced games.
the Wii VC is really incredible. Unparalleled for retro games STILL.
Given the sheer number of mentions for Wii U in here, I wonder if that makes it not under-rated as it actually seems pretty highly rated at least among ERA members!
Having said that, what I was going to come here to contribute (Saturn) also has a high number of mentions, so maybe not even that. Still, I think it deserves another shout out, because everyone always talks about under-appreciated consoles and mentions Dreamcast (and lately Wii-U), but until this thread I rarely saw Saturn listed and imo it definitely holds up compared to those two consoles.
And of course, Vita. Plenty of its more niche games have gone onto bigger and better successes outside its library (stuff like Caligula, DanganRonpa, Persona, Steins;Gate etc.) and its still got a solid library of exclusives or games that are only otherwise available on PS4. People overlook that a lot of Sony's own output for it was really solid, with stuff like Freedom Wars, Gravity Rush, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Oreshika, Soul Sacrifice, Uncharted and WipEout being some of the best games I played last gen.
Having said that, what I was going to come here to contribute (Saturn) also has a high number of mentions, so maybe not even that. Still, I think it deserves another shout out, because everyone always talks about under-appreciated consoles and mentions Dreamcast (and lately Wii-U), but until this thread I rarely saw Saturn listed and imo it definitely holds up compared to those two consoles.
And of course, Vita. Plenty of its more niche games have gone onto bigger and better successes outside its library (stuff like Caligula, DanganRonpa, Persona, Steins;Gate etc.) and its still got a solid library of exclusives or games that are only otherwise available on PS4. People overlook that a lot of Sony's own output for it was really solid, with stuff like Freedom Wars, Gravity Rush, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Oreshika, Soul Sacrifice, Uncharted and WipEout being some of the best games I played last gen.
Ya thats it The Sega Card...I still have one of those games Ghost House that was a ton of fun back in the day. I have the OG somewhere in my parents basement. It had that snake game or whatever built in.
I don't think any Nintendo system would qualify for a most underrated list. I guess the Virtual Boy has an underrated library but it's so small that I wouldn't consider it for top spot compared to many other systems.
Oh yes, Snail Maze. I think your OG MS is older than mine then, as mine has Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in, but is definitely a Master System 1 model. So it must've been a late model of the MS1, before the MS2 was released.
Wii easily. To me still the best home console by Nintendo since the SNES (Switch's primarily handheld orientation exempts it from the discussion).
Excite Truck, de Blob, Muramasa, Xenoblade, Endless Ocean, Punch-Out, NMH, countless hours lost to Wii Bowling/Tennis, MH Tri, Sonic Colors - Wii still speaks to me as a gamer even with it's weak graphics and SD resolution.
Excite Truck, de Blob, Muramasa, Xenoblade, Endless Ocean, Punch-Out, NMH, countless hours lost to Wii Bowling/Tennis, MH Tri, Sonic Colors - Wii still speaks to me as a gamer even with it's weak graphics and SD resolution.
The Wii without question. For a console that has one of the largest and most diverse install bases, very few games sold as well as they should. The Wii has so many under the radar games, I'd love to see how they would have done during Switch-era Nintendo. Seems like every well made Switch game, niche or not, ends up meeting or exceeding sales expectations. I long for the day when Little King's Story gets the attention it deserves. And I guarantee it would be a hit on Switch.
On the inverse, the Wii U had a smaller install base, but I think everyone knows what the best games are, and I don't think anything is really underrated. Maybe Wonderful 101 and Zombi U?
On the inverse, the Wii U had a smaller install base, but I think everyone knows what the best games are, and I don't think anything is really underrated. Maybe Wonderful 101 and Zombi U?
It's hard to say - I don't pretend to know how other people rate things.
Personally, however, I criminally underrated Sega Saturn until I became more familiar with its library - especially factoring in imports. It's the best system whose library I didn't play as much as I should've during its heyday.
If you want to play Capcom fighting games and shmups on a CRT in near-perfect quality, the Saturn has to be an essential part of your setup. The PS1 versions of the same Capcom 2D fighters are near-universally inferior.
I'm specifically talking about SFII (and all of its iterations), Street Fighter Alpha 1-3, Xmen vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Street Fighter, and the Darkstalkers games. Throw on top of that, some incredible shmups, SEGA first party games (NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon Trilogy, Daytona, Virtua Fighter, HotD, Virtua Cop, Virtual On, Dynamite Dekka), some Treasure games (Guardian Heroes, Radient Silvergun, Silhouette Mirage), etc.
Plus a couple of just plain old incredible titles like Elevator Action Returns.
These are the types of games that you can replay over and over again without them getting old. They're arcade quality titles that just feel so good on the right display. It's a really great system that scratches a certain itch even other Sega consoles can barely touch.
Personally, however, I criminally underrated Sega Saturn until I became more familiar with its library - especially factoring in imports. It's the best system whose library I didn't play as much as I should've during its heyday.
If you want to play Capcom fighting games and shmups on a CRT in near-perfect quality, the Saturn has to be an essential part of your setup. The PS1 versions of the same Capcom 2D fighters are near-universally inferior.
I'm specifically talking about SFII (and all of its iterations), Street Fighter Alpha 1-3, Xmen vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Street Fighter, and the Darkstalkers games. Throw on top of that, some incredible shmups, SEGA first party games (NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon Trilogy, Daytona, Virtua Fighter, HotD, Virtua Cop, Virtual On, Dynamite Dekka), some Treasure games (Guardian Heroes, Radient Silvergun, Silhouette Mirage), etc.
Plus a couple of just plain old incredible titles like Elevator Action Returns.
These are the types of games that you can replay over and over again without them getting old. They're arcade quality titles that just feel so good on the right display. It's a really great system that scratches a certain itch even other Sega consoles can barely touch.
The Saturn is incredible. It feels like it gets more respect today than when it was current but even then, that's just among the hardcore crowd. It's a shame so much of it has such a price barrier and so little of its library has been properly re-released.
Neo Geo Pocket Color's library is stupidly underrated. The Console only flopped due to SNK's closure, but honestly it had one of the best libraries ever for a handheld console in it's short lived life (really happy to see it get a second chance on switch). Its library wasn't giant like say the gameboy or even gameboy color but the games it had were pretty damn amazing.
It's certainly in the discussion for me too. Excellent console and the Virtual Console was a stroke of genius.
The Wii's VC seems impressive in retrospect (aside from the C64 emulation being stuck with PAL versions even in NTSC areas) but at the time it seemed like drip feed hell. Unfortunately, for sales it seemed like the service mostly just resulted in people re-buying popular Nintendo games and ignoring PC Engine games.
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The DS will win any poll on this site except maybe against PS2 lol. PSP is way better and evidently more underrated.
Switch's library seems underrated on this forum. I've seen people say it's little more than a Wii U port machine. Well, hook up your Wii U and play some Mario Odyssey, Tetris 99, Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi's Mansion 3, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Hollow Knight, Celeste, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Dragon Quest XI S, Octopath Traveler, Golf Story, Link's Awakening, Age of Calamity, Smash Ultimate, Hades etc. etc. and the multitude of other quality indie titles on the system.
It's absolutely the Wii. The Wii U being a library full of underrated gems that need to be ported to Switch to get a second chance is constantly remarked upon.
The Wii had a massive lineup of incredible first and third party games ranging from big releases, hidden gems, retro classics brought back or officially released in the West for the first time, and neat little "AA" experiments that would quickly become more of a rarity in the industry; and it was and still is deeply and unfairly stereotyped as the waggle baby minigame machine where Nintendo "abandoned gamers" because they never released Eternal Darkness x F-Zero: Dawn of Maturity or whatever.
The Wii had a massive lineup of incredible first and third party games ranging from big releases, hidden gems, retro classics brought back or officially released in the West for the first time, and neat little "AA" experiments that would quickly become more of a rarity in the industry; and it was and still is deeply and unfairly stereotyped as the waggle baby minigame machine where Nintendo "abandoned gamers" because they never released Eternal Darkness x F-Zero: Dawn of Maturity or whatever.
I would have to go with the Wii as well. There is a surprising amount of quality games on there from a variety of genres and a large number of them are only available on that system.
The WiiU is up there because if the library was rated fairly at the time then more people would have bought the console. The Switch owes a large part of its success to the WiiU being ignored.
The WiiU is up there because if the library was rated fairly at the time then more people would have bought the console. The Switch owes a large part of its success to the WiiU being ignored.