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Obscure games you loved that other people finally caught onto?

Your Cousin Vinny

Your Cousin Vinny

Banned
Jun 11, 2018
965
The Corpse of the Motor City
When I was young and had my NES, my parents bought me a plethora of games, and most of them were the mainstream favorites. Super Mario, Zelda, Megaman, so on and so forth, and those were all lovely.

However, one random game in particular managed to end up in my NES library.

55933-Kabuki_-_Quantum_Fighter_(USA)-2.jpg

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I have no idea where it came from or what possessed whomever purchased it for me, but I instantly fell in love with this game, and to date it remains one of my favorite games of all time. The music, the art style, the controls, and the fact that you kill enemies with your god damn hair.

For the longest time, I would get such a side-eye whenever I tried to mention this game to people. That is, until the speedrunning community managed to hone in on it. Turns out that because of said awesome controls and the fact that it's a relatively short, linear game made it a perfect choice to end up on something like AGDQ:

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It's also become a curious piece of gaming history, being produced by HAL America, a division of the company which went on to produce games like Kirby, Earthbound, andSmash Bros.

Do you have a game that you loved that no one else seemed to care about until a certain point when the collective gaming consciousness caught on?
 
Error 52

Error 52

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
2,032
First time I played Minecraft was probably around 2011 when there were a few hundred people online at once and the game was still in classic.
 
BlandrewYT

BlandrewYT

Member
Nov 27, 2017
342
Yakuza and Drakengard/NieR. All throughout last generation, I've been preaching the gospel of these games and the responses I generally got was "This is just a poor mans GTA!" "If I want to play GTA in Japan I'll just play Sleeping Dogs!" "Can I even fly a helicopter" "NieR? What the heck, the graphics are god awful I cant play this!" "What's with that white haired girls outfit? She looks dumb" etc. Neither series really started getting hyped up until last year.
 

Deleted member 2618

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,176
Yakuza baybeee

I gave my sister and her husband 0 for their birthdays and they both love it. Im so happy that game series caught on.
 
Zukkoyaki

Zukkoyaki

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
11,286
I guess Persona even though I started with 3. That series' buzz didn't really start picking up until Persona 4 Golden hit the vita in 2012 and its hardcore, software-hungry audience began singing its praises.
 
Novocaine

Novocaine

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,946
Possibly Killer 7. Got it on day of release in fear it would get removed from sale because of sex scenes. Loved it, still do.
 
kenta

kenta

Member
Oct 25, 2017
857
Windjammers is mine, I loved playing that game at my local Pizza Hut growing up

One time back in 2010 someone wrote into the Bombcast asking the crew what games they'd put in their own personal Neo Geo cabinets and none of them mentioned Windjammers. That prompted me to send an incredulous email of my own and Ryan actually wrote back saying I was the second person to write in and mention the game, how weird. A few years later they finally gave the game a shot and it blew up into what it is now. I tried to tell you guys...
 
Bradford

Bradford

terminus est
Member
Aug 12, 2018
5,423
Pathologic. It's not Huge or anything but the RPS article and fantastic re-release, as well as it's sequel/remake coming out have brought a bunch of attention to a game that I previously have thought of as my secret favorite thing.
 
Mario_Bones

Mario_Bones

Member
Oct 31, 2017
3,522
Australia
Ghost Trick

There was a hilarious viral tweet a couple of months back about how it's like a curse, where somebody plays Ghost Trick and is compelled to tweet obsessively about it and that makes their friends play it and get obsessed about it too. I can't find it, but it's so true. I keep seeing more and more people start playing it and fall in love with it. Amazing game
 
Lord Vatek

Lord Vatek

Avenger
Jan 18, 2018
21,516
Seven years after I got into it, people are slowly but surely catching on to the Trails series.
 

HaNotsri

Usage of alt-account.
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
790
I loved clayfighter when it came out. I guess it's not a major hit now but at least it is valuable...
 

Deleted member 16876

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
39,148
Yakuza.

I played the ones on the PS3 and kept telling people how good they are. Thankfully Yakuza Zero seems to have turned many people into Yakuza believers.
 
Supau

Supau

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
355
Not totally fair but I was so hyped for Katamari Damacy after seeing a commercial for it. Imported it, played it to death, then it came out here and hit big.
 
Briarios

Briarios

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,238
I've been massively into Persona since the first game on the PS1 ... It's awesome seeing how many people like it now. I think the second one (both parts) would be perfect for a remake .I love the rumor system.

Also, the Ys games ... First game I bought for my TG16 CD -- loved it ever since. Playing through VIII right now.
 
Filament Star

Filament Star

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,817
NieR and Spec Ops: The Line are two games I spent most of last gen championing from Day 1.
 
TheNotoriousAFG

TheNotoriousAFG

Member
Oct 27, 2017
915
Fire Emblem for sure. I loved the series since the first GBA entry came to America - thought it was for sure dead after Shadow Dragon. The resurgence in popularity is pretty insane to be honest.
 
rstzkpf

rstzkpf

Self-Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,072
I remember reading about and being excited for Fortnite years ago when it was just a PvE game but I ending up forgetting about it until it blew up lol
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
I remember screaming from the rooftops for years about how awesome Ys was. I remember trying to drum up hype when Konami brought Ark of Napishtim over on the PS2 on some forums and nobody paying any attention. When I preordered the game at EB Games, I was the only preorder the store got, and as a result, they only ordered one copy. The guy who sold it to me pronounced it "Whys" when I picked it up. Been a fan of Ys since the Sega Master System days, but even after I followed the series, especially the fucking awesome Ys Eternal remakes.

After decades in obscurity, FINALLY Ys is a beloved series in the west. It always deserved to be recognized.

Similarly, Wonder Boy is finally getting it's due again. Wonder Boy is an incredible franchise and deserves to be mentioned among the top games of its era. I can't fucking wait for Monster Boy.
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
Also, seeing new people talk about Shenmue II this week for the first time in like 17 years is one hell of a trip.
 

Deleted member 43077

User requested account closure
Banned
May 9, 2018
5,741
Spec Ops the line probably. Played that cuz I was bored and thought "eh ill kill some time with this mindless shooter" ended up very surprised and was able to get my brother to play it after.

other than that its hard to say I played minecraft and terraria early right before youtube took em and ran with it. for gamecube I have a lot of hidden gems (and garbage, I own aquaman lmao) but I dont know what people ended up liking compared to me lol
 
theotherMittens

theotherMittens

Member
Jul 20, 2018
2,684
I played Demon's Souls in summer 2011, but I had only heard if it because of Dark Souls hype and I think it was becoming clear at that point that that game would be a big deal.
 
Wood Man

Wood Man

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,449
Persona - The series didn't catch on until P3 came out. But I loved Persona 1 & 2 when they hit. I didn't know anyone else playing them back in the 90's.
 
Altera

Altera

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
1,963
Yakuza. I was there day one for the original PS2 release and people finally started noticing the series after Yakuza 0
 
CJCW?

CJCW?

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,007
I'm still waiting for Pokemon TCG on Game Boy to get the respect it deserves. Been playing the sequel this past week, and it's fantastic. Also, while it has a cult following, Mischief Makers should really be regarded as one of the best games of its generation.
 
QuixoticNeutral

QuixoticNeutral

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,644
NateDrake said:
Not sure if Fire Emblem fits, but I'd say Fire Emblem.
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This was my first thought as well: one of the biggest and most belated turnarounds in reputation/visibility I can think of. Like most of us in the west I only got my foot in the door with FE7 (and too late to grab my own disc for PoR, which seemed to go out of print right away when the GBA games were already a known quantity on the table), and anyone who got aboard in those years, even as late as Radiant Dawn, remembers very well what it was like to see a first-class, top-tier Nintendo IP—or what deserved to be treated as one—fade and languish before our eyes as a niche experiment in localization that looked certain to go away.

Amazing how times have changed. And I'm very pleased with the direction we've seen since; Fates Conquest may be my favourite entry to date.
 
Gundam

Gundam

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,801
Forza isnt anywhere close to obscure, but being an early adopter of the Horizon series and seeing it grow into the best racing game has been real cool.
 
Servbot24

Servbot24

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
43,155
I'm not sure if this counts, but I remember Mega Man Legends being treated like a weird offshoot that shouldn't have been made, and it felt like I was just one of a few who loved it. Nowadays I see almost nothing but positivity towards it.
 
alpha

alpha

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,013
Souls games before they were Souls games, aka King's Field on PS1. You can always tell the new From Soft fans from the OGs by what they call a certain weapon.

If you're a Souls fan newbie you say Moonlight Greatsword or MLGS. If you're a King's Field OG you call it the Moonlight Sword.
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
Demon's Crest.

It's been among my favourite SNES games for the better part of a decade, but I'm only just recently seeing people catch onto it.
 
shoptroll

shoptroll

Member
May 29, 2018
3,680
Earthbound. Still have my old cartridge and player's guide. Took a while to find it since none of the local stores got any copies and we managed to randomly find it in the Sears near my grandfather.

Link's Awakening and Donkey Kong '94 I think are also something I've heard referenced more in recent years. Not sure if I would call them obscure given they were given a good amount of marketing back in the day, but being Game Boy games I think people tend to forget about them.
 
Mollymauk

Mollymauk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,317
Wizardry

I played the first Wizardry on an Apple II when I was in about the 2nd grade. It was definitely obscure at the time, but ended up being a groundbreaking RPG. They are still releasing spin-offs.
 
Zippedpinhead

Zippedpinhead

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,740
I would say Ys, At least in the USA. Got in with Ys eternal, then got hyped with Ys 6. I've been singing it's praises ever since.

Seems like it's finally getting respect.

Earthbound counts. Got that brand new from TRU in the first few months of release. Love that game. My brothers and I have been singing it's praises for all time. It's super popular now, but those first few years after release...
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
Briarios said:
I was literally thinking and looking up stuff about the bump combat yesterday -- I'd love to get a new, retro Ys game.
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Just checking -- you've played Ys IV: Dawn of Ys before, right? It's been fully translated on the PC Engine Duo for a few years now, even translated the audio:



It is, hands down, the very best bump combat Ys game, being way more detailed than Ys I & II combined. In fact, Ys IV is bigger than both games combined, too.

If you want Retro Ys and haven't played this, you're in for a treat. It's the very, very best Retro Ys game.
 

Syril

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,895
Krejlooc said:
I remember screaming from the rooftops for years about how awesome Ys was. I remember trying to drum up hype when Konami brought Ark of Napishtim over on the PS2 on some forums and nobody paying any attention. When I preordered the game at EB Games, I was the only preorder the store got, and as a result, they only ordered one copy. The guy who sold it to me pronounced it "Whys" when I picked it up. Been a fan of Ys since the Sega Master System days, but even after I followed the series, especially the fucking awesome Ys Eternal remakes.
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Ys VI on the PS2 was my proper introduction to the series. I see people online shit on that version for reasons that elude me, but I'm really thankful Konami brought that version over.
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
Syril said:
Ys VI on the PS2 was my proper introduction to the series. I see people online shit on that version for reasons that elude me, but I'm really thankful Konami brought that version over.
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People are tribal about Ys games. I like them all, honestly.

There was another Ys game on the PS2 that didn't come over that has no fan translation that I'm dying to play. It's a remake of Ys III (yes, another remake) but this time, the remake retained the side scrolling gameplay. People say it plays and feels a bit more like Wonder Boy or Xak, which sounds awesome:

ys3_04.jpg


I actually really liked the original Ys III as well, so I'd really love to play this specific version some day.
 
MafiaMurderBag

MafiaMurderBag

Member
Nov 4, 2017
285
Seeing lots of new people expressing interest in the new Fire Pro Wrestling & embracing how drastically different it is from conventional 3d Wrestling games is really touching. I love it when people just try a new game rather than just mindlessly dismissing it without trying it.
 
Markitron

Markitron

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,510
Ireland
Well it's not an obscure game, but Alien Isolation was massively underappreciated at launch because of two high=profile bad reviews. The OT back on GAF was full of glowing praise but the outside perception of the game was really bad. People would come into the thread shocked at how much praise it was getting. Over the following months the game's rep was completely turned around as people actually gave it a try. Still don't know if I have seen so many lttp threads for one game.
 

Deleted member 8861

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,564
Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni_logo.jpg


Not so much here as in my Twitter circle, but thanks to the Steam release, Umineko no Naku Koro ni is making the rounds again.

Hell, visual novels in general. When I met the genre in 2014 it was a far more niche genre with barely any legal market for it in the West, and now we have quite a few masterpieces on Steam.

Markitron said:
Well it's not an obscure game, but Alien Isolation was massively underappreciated at launch because of two high=profile bad reviews. The OT back on GAF was full of glowing praise but the outside perception of the game was really bad. People would come into the thread shocked at how much praise it was getting. Over the following months the game's rep was completely turned around as people actually gave it a try. Still don't know if I have seen so many lttp threads for one game.
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999 might give it a run for its money lol.
 
Pasokon Deacon

Pasokon Deacon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,686
Devil Halton's Trap
Marvelous: Another Treasure Island has more rep these days because more people know about Eiji Aonuma designing it. I played it just before the rise in popularity and had a great time.

Krejlooc said:
or Xak, which sounds awesome

I actually really liked the original Ys III as well, so I'd really love to play this specific version some day.
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I mean, Xak is awesome and forever underrated outside Japanese PC game groups, but it never had a side-scrolling installment or anything like Ys III. We really need a new bump-combat game fashioned in the image of classic Ys or, more interestingly, classic Xak.
 
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