Best Games Nobody played

[Wizardry]

Jagged Alliance 2. That game consumed me during Uni.

Isn't Jagged Alliance 2 the second most famous/popular turn-based tactics game? I don't think it fits in this thread.

[Auspex]

I wouldn't say that it's a "best" game, but Urban Chaos was a pretty good game that nobody played.

I tried to buy Urban Chaos when I was a young 'un and the guy behind the counter told me not to bother because that copy had been returned twice already.

Maybe that's why there are hardly any independent game shops anymore.

[casimirsblake]

Almost no-one has played King's Field. I don't care if it's on consoles, the series as a whole has far more interesting dungeons than any of the linear bore-fests of Skyrim.

[SephKing]

Alice: Madness Returns
Alpha Protocol (hugely flawed but still a great game)
Serious Sam 3 (don't think the game sold very well - didn't even get into the top 5 on steam if I remember correctly)
Bionic Commando (the fully 3d version)
Hunted: Demons Forge was fantastic in coop (not so much single player)
&
ONI

[DaftPunk]

Soldiers Of Anarchy,admit game is kinda buggy but allot of flaws are solved with patching.

[EBass]

Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri - somewhere betwen a fast-paced Mechwarrior 2 and a more involved Doom. I adored it - the missions were great, the combat was great, the landscapes were great, the physics were great, but I've never met anyone else not on the internet who played it.

You have now, literally a decade ahead of its time in almost all areas but even "PC gamey types" like you find here have largely never heard of it. For shame. The DEFINITIVE best game ever that no one played. Absolutely no argument.

Also Battlezone and its sequal for similar reasons

[karthink]

Iji. Most people didn't realize how reactive this side-scroller was. The later stages of the game can feel drastically different depending on how pacifistic you've been, for instance. Also, the soundtrack is fantastic.

It's free. Here's the trailer.

[LordHuggington]

Came here to mention Lead and Gold as well. Doesn't have as much meat on its bones as others in the genre, but it's a fun little number if you can wrangle up enough people to play together.

I'm tempted to suggest Blur, but I think it may have had an okay-ish number of people pick it up. Unfortunately it was not enough to save Bizarre Creations. Probably one of the funnest racers I've played in the last few years. Lots of challenges, things to unlock, and it was nice to have combat in the races without the game being a Mario Kart clone, or Wipeout game.

[Net_Bastard]

Hard Reset. It's Serious Sam set in a cyberpunk universe. Sure it's frustrating when the game lets a Gorilla loose in a corridor, or when you're running backwards from an enemy and get stuck on a random object, but it's still awesome.

[EBass]

Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri - somewhere betwen a fast-paced Mechwarrior 2 and a more involved Doom. I adored it - the missions were great, the combat was great, the landscapes were great, the physics were great, but I've never met anyone else not on the internet who played it.

You have now, Terra Nova is probably the definitive best game that no one played. It was literally a decade ahead of its time in almost all areas and even "PC gamey types" such as you find here have largely never heard of it.

Outdoor open environments? Vehicles? Friendly AI squadmates with actual personalities who you could order about? Large selection of tactical weapons? Genuinly non linear missions with genuinly different ways to approach them based on your playstyle? Stealth Missions?

BLARGH THIS WAS 1995 FOR GODS SAKE.

Probably the only game to come close is Battlezone in 1998 which ticks many of the same boxes Terra Nova did AND NO ONE PLAYED THAT EITHER, or the rather excellent sequal.

[silva]

King of Dragon Pass.

[Shane]

space rangers 2, of course.

Loved that little gem.

Rise of Nations: Legends. The first part of the campaign was very good.

Singularity

[sabrage]

Almost no-one has played King's Field. I don't care if it's on consoles, the series as a whole has far more interesting dungeons than any of the linear bore-fests of Skyrim.

I've heard of this game in passing, being a Demon's Soul fan. I just googled it and saw this beauty:
07.jpg
And I have to say I don't think I've ever been more jealous of a Japanese-exclusive release.

[Roufuss]

I've heard of this game in passing, being a Demon's Soul fan.

They are both made by the same company as well.

Hardcore Gaming 101 did an awesome write-up of the entire series:

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/kingsfield/kf01.htm

[Caleb367]

You have now, Terra Nova is probably the definitive best game that no one played. It was literally a decade ahead of its time in almost all areas and even "PC gamey types" such as you find here have largely never heard of it.

Outdoor open environments? Vehicles? Friendly AI squadmates with actual personalities who you could order about? Large selection of tactical weapons? Genuinly non linear missions with genuinly different ways to approach them based on your playstyle? Stealth Missions?

BLARGH THIS WAS 1995 FOR GODS SAKE.

Probably the only game to come close is Battlezone in 1998 which ticks many of the same boxes Terra Nova did AND NO ONE PLAYED THAT EITHER, or the rather excellent sequal.

HELL YES THIS.
And I'll add, diverse environment affecting gameplay - not just a little lighting here and there, if you went on a mission on a high-gravity world, your projectile weapons were pretty much useless. Bring a grenade launcher on a low-gravity moon and enjoy sniping towers from two km away - interesting plot, very detailed setting, and one of the kickassest soundtrack ever.

Damn, that needs a remake like right now. On ArmA2 or Crysis.

[Capt. Eduardo del Mango]

Probably the only game to come close is Battlezone in 1998 which ticks many of the same boxes Terra Nova did AND NO ONE PLAYED THAT EITHER, or the rather excellent sequal.

Jesus, I forgot about Battlezone - you're entirely right, it was absolutely superb for the same reasons. Cracking stuff.

[Ravenger]

I loved Terra Nova, despite the cheesy FMV, and the blocky voxel sprites. What I liked was that your squadmates actually did what they were ordered to. (Except for your coward brother who would bug-out whenever he came under fire). I'd love a modern remake, keeping the mission design and gameplay intact, but using more modern visuals and a proper first-person aiming system.

[ZIGS]

Hard Reset
Anachronox
The Chronicles of Riddick

[Spider Jerusalem]

Isn't Jagged Alliance 2 the second most famous/popular turn-based tactics game? I don't think it fits in this thread.

yeah, i feel pretty confident that ja2 has had its fair share of players.

[SirKicksalot]

Rise of Legends. Is was released unfinished during E3 and proceeded to bomb like no other. It sold like 20000 copies in the first months IIRC. What was Microsoft thinking?
The Rise of Nations gameplay model is fantastic and RoL was to it like Alpha Centauri is to Civilization. The IP is lost, last I heard Brian Reynolds himself didn't know who owns it. And now he's working at Zynga. At least Big Huge Games survived this megaflop.
I'd kill for a new Rise of Nations.