My favorite example of underrated/overlooked games would be the SaGa series. They're RPGs (the first three would be considered JRPGs, but then the series took the unusual (by JRPG standars) approach of becoming non-linear), but they have unusual mechanics that you don't often see. There are no levels and experience points (except in original SaGa 3, which was developed by a different team (the same one that made Final Fantasy Mystic Quest), and it shows); instead, most have you gain stats or skill levels through practice, and the ones with different races (SaGa 1-3, SaGa Frontier) give many of the races more exotic growth systems (transform by eating meat, all stats (including HP!) through equipment, al stats from buyable permanent stat up items, etc.).

These games aren't perfect; choose any of these games that I have played and I can tell you what I *don't* like about them. However, they do have some interesting gameplay ideas that are rare in RPGs, a few which I haven't seen at all outside the series.

Oh it's used quite a bit, speedruns can be quite different from regular runs. Coins are only needed for 100%ing it IIRC and it's only some hits that make you lose them.

UnderRail I think gets overlooked. Maybe not in these forums, but i'd assume in general.

The Reap
Hardtruck: Apocalypse
A.I.M. Artificial Intelligence Machines
Bioforge
Wings of Glory
Project Eden
Anachronox
Star Crusader
Galapagos Mendels Escape
D/Generation
Air Power
Darker
G-Police
Nuclear Strike
Futurecop LAPD
Overboard aka Shipwreckers
Rollcage
Pariah
Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter
Firepower / Return Fire / Return Fire 2
Fire Fight
Solar Winds 1+2
One Must Fall 2097
Skyroads
Seek and Destroy
Far Gate
Conquest: Frontier Wars

RTX for PS2

One plays a cybernetically(hand/eye) enhanced commando of sorts who fights aliens on mars using his various tools(in his new hand/eye) and weapons to fight them and solve puzzles along the way. Definitely a must play...if a tad challenging in the boss fights.

Apeiron's games:
Brigade E5 - New Jagged Union
7,62 High Calibre + Hard Life
Marauder - Man of Prey

first two are massive gun porn, Marauder is nice post apo game about scavenging.
Hard as nail but give you satisfaction that no game can give you, ever.


@upper
Max Payne 3? RtCW? Obscure or overlooked? How?

Another interesting (though obviously unpolished) game out there is Metal Saga for the PS2. (No, this is *not* a SaGa game; it's actually in the Metal Max series.)

To get an idea of what it's like, take a linear JRPG, take away the the barriers keeping you from doing things out of order (but the enemies are still area based, so you likely won't survive if you go there early), give the player tanks with their own mechanics, and give the game a post-apocalyptic setting.

One interesting thing happens with tanks in this game; you can give them armor panels (which act as HP), but I've found that, at least later in the game, you're better off not doing so, as they slow down your vehicle. Getting hit without armor panels just damages a random part of the vehicle, which is only a problem if the same part gets damaged twice (which destroys it); even then, one of your party members can repair it in the field (even during battle); there's no similar way to add armor tiles without going back to town.

Another quirk is that skills (including the vehicle repair skills I mentioned above) cost money (and nothing else) to use.

XP gains are scaled by level differences, and every level takes 100 XP. This means that, if you are underleveled and manage to win a fight, your party will gain a level. At high levels, even weak (and hence light) guns on tanks will be doing tons of damage.

Be aware that the game is clearly unpolished and has an unfinished feel to it. (With that said, at least these tanks are more realistic than the ones in SaGa 2, which are weapons that you carry around the same way you would carry a sword or gun.)

By the way, there are multiple endings; while there's one ending for completing what could be considered the main quest, there's also many others that can happen; one can even happen before you get control of your character! (That particular ending describes some of the adventures you *didn't* have during the course of the game, but likely would have if you had not gotten this early ending.)

He said "UNDERRATED", not "obscure". I'd agree on both games. RtCW is in my top ten FPS games list... it rarely makes 'best games ever' lists though.

Think Max Payne 3 is a little less underrated though. A good game, great story, but I wish it had taken place in New York again. IMHO too much of the game is spent in the dark being a foreigner in situation you don't understand.

I've completed all of Dex; it definitely doesn't have a brilliant protagonist (she barely gets get any development at all whatsoever throughout the entire game, in fact) nor does it have nice platforming, nor does it have good mechanics...it's play control & mechanics are actually quite bad, and very clunky & below par. It does have a nice atmosphere though, that is true.

As for the other posts in this thread, a lot the games being mentioned are neither underrated nor overlooked: they are simply old. A lot of those old games were both highly rated and very popular when they were released.

I will put forward a few, more of course as I think of them.

Rebel Moon and it's sequel Rebel Moon Rising

Two FPS's with the premise of lunar colonists revolting against their Earthy overlords. The sci-fi setting and laser projectile type weapons made for an interesting mix. They were quite obscure because they were apparently only packaged with certain video cards in the mid 90s. I had always known about Rebel Moon Rising, but did not find out about Rebel Moon until a few weeks ago. After playing Rebel Moon, I can definitely say Rebel Moon Rising had a stark improvement in level design. They both suffer from the early shooter syndrome of switch hunting and nonsensical styles to doors. Both are definitely worth a run though.
There was apparently some controversy regarding the creator but I really could not be bothered to sort it out.

Hexplore

A fun puzzle based action/adventure/RPG. While the graphics weren't that impressive, the art style was endearing and the premise was good. You play as Mac Bride, an "adventurer" accompanying crusaders before they're overwhelmed by grenade wielding goblins and have to put together a band of different adventurers from classes like archer, warrior, and wizard to use in solving specific to class puzzle switches and save the day.

neither are underrated so I'm affraid that people overuse these terms (underrated, obscure, overlooked) in this thread...

I'd agree that people are overusing the term.

That said what's 'underrated' is subjective.

RtCW is a stellar game that, imho, deserves more recognition and higher ratings than it received.