What 'hidden gem' of a game did you enjoy the most, that you haven't played in a long time?

[TechBuyingHavoc]

I actually just got the Star Wars Phantom Menace game running about a week ago - I haven't jumped back into it, just tested to make sure it ran. It's next on my retro game review when I actual get to playing it. I thought the game was pretty awesome back in the day. I thought the movie sucked (at least it's better than the drivel they put out for the last 3 movies), but the game was solid.

For anyone else who is interested in this game, it is available on the PC as abandonware. Unfortunately, the PC version is not available for sale in any storefront that I am aware of.

 

[pk67]

Zed for DOS in 630x480 res 25+ years ago

 

[Solaris17]

ReCore love this game haven’t played it in a bit and I don’t remember it being all over with press but it was a lot of fun.

 

[Fokker]

Heavy Gear 1 and 2. I don't know if you could necessarily call it "hidden," but it certainly feels forgotten. This was Activision spiritual successor to Mechwarrior when the licensing rights didn't get renewed. I need to dig them out and give them another playthrough.

 

[Space Lynx]

ReCore love this game haven’t played it in a bit and I don’t remember it being all over with press but it was a lot of fun.

I played ReCore a long time ago on GamePass, it actually did feel like a hidden gem when I started it up, I think about halfway through though I DNF'd it, it was just missing "something". I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt a bit lacking in some story or polish, too much repetitive or too big, but lacking the capper it needed to make it a truly fun play for me. I remember enjoying the beginning of the game a lot though, and thinking to myself damn this game had potential.

 

[Klemc]

Silent Hill 1, finished 12 times when it's been out, 12 times one each efter the other without interruption, just a few days.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I thought Dark Athena focused too much on out in the open combat and didn't highlight the stealth aspect as good as they did in EFBB. At times it felt like you lacked areas you could sneak through, almost like some sections stealth was an after thought.

It was still pretty good, but it certainly could have been better.

Well in all fairness, the focus of the game is in the name. I quite enjoy it. It can be frustrating to get set up each time, between getting resolution to work right and the inactive Tages drm sometimes causing problems.

 

[AusWolf]

Silent Hill 1, finished 12 times when it's been out, 12 times one each efter the other without interruption, just a few days.

Is it a hidden gem, though? It was pretty popular back in the days, as far as I remember.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

I thought Dark Athena focused too much on out in the open combat and didn't highlight the stealth aspect as good as they did in EFBB. At times it felt like you lacked areas you could sneak through, almost like some sections stealth was an after thought.

It was still pretty good, but it certainly could have been better.

I was more talking about the whole package which was improved from the original game the actual Dark Athena portions was decent as you say but not as good as the OG.

 

[Klemc]

Is it a hidden gem, though? It was pretty popular back in the days, as far as I remember.

The day it was out no much people knew it, it's all given to SH2 to have let everybody know this series... i not liked at allSH2, i've been too much enjoying the first and it's too diffently presented.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Is it a hidden gem, though? It was pretty popular back in the days, as far as I remember.

No not really, but there have been a lot of suggestions in this thread for games that do not qualify as "hidden gems". But let's not argue..

 

[Klemc]

BTW a hidden gem can't have been made by a well known studio ! Because known studio are followed by gamers, whatever they are making.

But, first episode of a series, like SH1, it's ok bc all i eard about SH started when SH2 was out, not SH1, nobody talked about SH1, everybody played SH2.

 

[JWNoctis]

Another hidden classic for your perusal: Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

Well-regarded back in the day among the now-classic Activision Star Trek tie-ins, and slightly newer and better looking than genre classics such as Starfleet Command, this game entirely did away with the tabletop heritage of the aforementioned, yet nonetheless replicated the lumbering Starship feels of the classic TNG/DS9 era. The storyline is fit for purpose, felt like classic Star Trek all right, though some have complained about a snotty First Officer for some reason, an opinion which I did not share.

I think I must have had at least 1,500 hours on it, back when it was still relatively new.

"Bridge Commander Remastered" modpack on Nexus. Compare with vanilla below.

It once had an active modding scene centred on such sites as GameFront and FilePlanet, and with modpacks such as the grand old Kobayashi Maru or newer, the game is still perfectly serviceable - and as far as I know, runnable - on at least Windows 10. Available on GOG, and probably Steam too.

Anecdotally, the game used the same Gamebryo engine as a whole lot of other classic games of the 2000's, including Civilization IV, TESIV: Oblivion, and Fallout 3.

 

[AusWolf]

Another hidden classic for your perusal: Star Trek: Bridge Commander.
View attachment 367399
Well-regarded back in the day among the now-classic Activision Star Trek tie-ins, and slightly newer and better looking than genre classics such as Starfleet Command, this game entirely did away with the tabletop heritage of the aforementioned, yet nonetheless replicated the lumbering Starship feels of the classic TNG/DS9 era. The storyline is fit for purpose, felt like classic Star Trek all right, though some have complained about a snotty First Officer for some reason, an opinion which I did not share.

I think I must have had at least 1,500 hours on it, back when it was still relatively new.
View attachment 367400
"Bridge Commander Remastered" modpack on Nexus. Compare with vanilla below.
View attachment 367401
It once had an active modding scene centred on such sites as GameFront and FilePlanet, and with modpacks such as the grand old Kobayashi Maru or newer, the game is still perfectly serviceable - and as far as I know, runnable - on at least Windows 10. Available on GOG, and probably Steam too.

Anecdotally, the game used the same Gamebryo engine as a whole lot of other classic games of the 2000's, including Civilization IV, TESIV: Oblivion, and Fallout 3.

Oh yes, please! My favourite Star Trek game ever!

 

[lexluthermiester]

Another hidden classic for your perusal: Star Trek: Bridge Commander.
View attachment 367399
Well-regarded back in the day among the now-classic Activision Star Trek tie-ins, and slightly newer and better looking than genre classics such as Starfleet Command, this game entirely did away with the tabletop heritage of the aforementioned, yet nonetheless replicated the lumbering Starship feels of the classic TNG/DS9 era. The storyline is fit for purpose, felt like classic Star Trek all right, though some have complained about a snotty First Officer for some reason, an opinion which I did not share.

I think I must have had at least 1,500 hours on it, back when it was still relatively new.
View attachment 367400
"Bridge Commander Remastered" modpack on Nexus. Compare with vanilla below.
View attachment 367401
It once had an active modding scene centred on such sites as GameFront and FilePlanet, and with modpacks such as the grand old Kobayashi Maru or newer, the game is still perfectly serviceable - and as far as I know, runnable - on at least Windows 10. Available on GOG, and probably Steam too.

Oh yes, please! My favourite Star Trek game ever!

Star Trek Armada 1 & 2 are also great titles that were lesser known and still very excellent games for the Star Trek Universe.

BTW a hidden gem can't have been made by a well known studio ! Because known studio are followed by gamers, whatever they are making.

Don't think I can agree with that. Enix was very well known for the Dragon Warrior series as was SquareSoft and both of them made games that were "hidden gem" "sleeper hit" type games. For example SquareSoft made Final Fantasy Adventure(in NA) which was an excellent GameBoy title that was, sadly, little known. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was another. However, "hidden gem" is a bit subjective and everyone thinks of that idea a different way, so I digress.

 

[AusWolf]

Star Trek Armada 1 & 2 are also great titles that were lesser known and still very excellent games for the Star Trek Universe.

Bridge Commander, Elite Force 1-2 and Armada. Star Trek hall of fame, right there!

 

[arni-gx]

emperor - battle for dune..... , they are not selling anymore to GOG/steam/origin/uplay.... there is no remaster too, why ?


i want to play it, right now.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Bridge Commander, Elite Force 1-2 and Armada. Star Trek hall of fame, right there!

Those were very well known though!

 

[Space Lynx]

Area 51 was a decent PC game in 2005. I remember my Mom buying this for me at Walmart, lol I was allowed one game every two weeks she would take me.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Area 51 was a decent PC game in 2005. I remember my Mom buying this for me at Walmart, lol I was allowed one game every two weeks she would take me.

Perfect example, never heard of that one! Wish it was on GOG.

 

[Frick]

I've been wanting to play Universe at War: Earth Assault for awhile now. I remember liking it, but the campaign was too short. It was a GFWL game though, so I'll assume it's a bitch to actually get working.

 

[Space Lynx]

Perfect example, never heard of that one! Wish it was on GOG.

I actually watched that youtube walkthrough of it a couple of weeks ago, because I have been thinking about this topic for awhile now. Glad I decided to share the idea, the community seems to be enjoying it. Area 51 looks like one of those games that if you can get it to run native 1440p (I think it does) on a 27" monitor, it actually won't look nearly as old as it is. I wish it was on GoG too, would 100% buy it.

It was a GFWL game though, so I'll assume it's a bitch to actually get working.

yep, that's a grave yard of games I don't think we will ever touch sadly... M$ blip bloop bloop r2-d2 sad

 

[AusWolf]

Area 51 was a decent PC game in 2005. I remember my Mom buying this for me at Walmart, lol I was allowed one game every two weeks she would take me.

Oh yes! With David Duchovny's voice as the main character. A true gem.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Oh yes! With David Duchovny's voice as the main character. A true gem.

Didn't know that! I'm currently grabbing it from a certain place. Also discovered there is a modern system update for it called Project Dreamland. Gonna grab that too.

 

[kapone32]

Starfield gets a lot of hype but if you ask me Spacebourne 2 is a much better experience. It kind of has a Cowboy Beebop vibe. There is a mission where you have to recover an item from a train that is excellent near the beginning. The Graphics are much improved as well but the fire controls are a little clunky.