Games you didn't expect to blow you away

[chemdawg]

i played signalis blind recently cuz i heard it was good, i had no idea how much id end up loving it... shit absolutely nails its atmosphere and the gameplay mechanics work really well despite seeming a lil tedious on the surface (running back to save rooms to grab items did get kinda annoying but that just a nitpick, i actually fw how limited the inventory is)
its one of those games that lingers in ur mind for a long time after playing it. it fasholy wears its inspirations on its sleeves but its also unlike any other game ive played before like even if the gameplay wasnt that good (which it is) it would still be a 6/10 from me just for the story & vibes u feel me

 

[Term]

Outer Wilds (2019)*

Outer Wilds fans saying what I'm about to say has become a meme but if you like space/sci fi at all, I strongly encourage you to pick it up blind. no trailers, no reviews, literally close your eyes on the Steam store if you can

I figured it would be pretty cool when I bought it but it's my actual favorite game now

*NOT The Outer Worlds (2019). Different game

 

[Mukky]

XCOM 2 was a game I got for free somewhere, maybe a humble bundle back in the day when those were good, and I decided to download and give it a shot one day...

...only to be sucked in and addicted from start to finish.

Every now and then I'll re-download it, set up a War of the Chosen campaign, and get sucked in. I kinda wanna try Long War mods now, since I'm always left wanting more whenever I finish a campain!

 

[SpiderQueenPC]

taking this opportunity to once again plug corru.observer. had literally no idea what it was when I first encountered it and it turned out to be a really cool multi-genre game and one of the best pieces of xenofiction out there

 

[benpa]

shin megami tensei iii nocturne was absolutely insane, was not expecting to get sucked in like i did. JRPGs are super hit or miss for me so i was really happy to get my teeth into this one

 

[EggYolk]

Bioshock (2007)

My first introduction towards it was my older sibling playing it in their room, he got the game on release! I wanted to take a sneak at it and was amazed at the graphics, style, and setting! I was never allowed to touch their games so all I experienced with gaming was "Crash" and "Spyro", so honestly it was no surprise seeing something made of the year of the 2000's made me easily amazed.
Besides the point, when the time came where I was finally old enough to have my own system I quickly bought the game!
It was the most best experience I had in my life! >:3
I loved how the colors would make everything so gritty, dirty, and rotting
The environment corroding by the ocean waters, filth from splicers, debris from falling buildings/airplane were so beautiful to look at!
And of course the combat! >:3c
The different upgrades towards weapons, the Adam, gathering material for those upgrades? I personally loved them all!
Of course I can't forget the music, I love music with a passion and of course a game that takes place in the 60's? There's going to be some bangers
Words can't describe how much that series means to me (I don't count infinite since that game was honestly buns)

 

[shinyaminokokoro]

A couple months ago I played a Xenogears (1998) by Squaresoft. I wasn't familiar with it prior, but I started playing a bunch of JRPGs last year & thought it would be a good one to sample! Just intended to play an hour or so before moving on to another game.

By the end of month, I had finished the game, and had gotten totally immersed in the game's world and story. I found its story richer and more complex than the Final Fantasy games I had played up to that point (7 - 10 & 14), covering topics such as religion and identity in such a way that always kept me engaged.

Best character in that game by far is the main character, Fei Fong Wong. He's a character so rich in history and personality, he feels realistic in his way of thinking and his actions. The game's very character driven, and the characters that end up getting a lot of focus end up being fantastic. Another thing that was great is the game's cinematography. Despite being 2D sprites on a 3D background, the game is constantly shifting to dynamic camera angles that help illustrate the mood of the scene, which is greatly enhanced with how expressive and well animated the game is.

Combat's also pretty fun! I thought the combo system was very engaging, especially with how awesome the deathblow animations are. I also loved that the game had minor 3D platforming segments. Its not very common to see platforming in JRPGs (the most is MMOs which usually have very poor controls). It wasn't perfect but I loved just having the ability to jump around all over the place.

My only gripe with the game is that some characters don't get the proper time in the spotlight. Some characters just appear for their required story segment and really just become part of the supporting cast with nothing much to add. This only really applies to the characters that appear in the second half the game, the ones in the first half are constantly relevant and are crucial to the game's world and understanding. Though this probably has something to do with the fact that the game was unfinished and the second disc had to be gutted of major gameplay segments (which I don't have much a problem with, I really liked the presentation and style. Some of my favorite lines in the game come from Disc 2)

 

[Term]

Recently it's Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, which I liked so much I wrote a whole essay about it, and then a couple weeks later I did it again

I think people are sleeping on it unfortunately, but I hugely recommend it to any action / platformer fans

(I don't count infinite since that game was honestly buns)

Welcome to the gang fellow Infinite hater

 

[MelodicMegaMan]

sonic heroes, it still blows me away even as an adult.

 

[EggYolk]

Recently it's Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, which I liked so much I wrote a whole essay about it, and then a couple weeks later I did it again

I think people are sleeping on it unfortunately, but I hugely recommend it to any action / platformer fans



Welcome to the gang fellow Infinite hater

Yahoo! :3

 

[FiveSecondRule1]

For me it was Pseudoregalia! Such a fun indie platformer with a n64 aesthetic and insane movement tech and atmosphere. I think about that game all the time. It's pretty cheap on Steam!

 

[NULLRAD]

project wingman actually, I didn't really think it'd be that interesting but its grown to be one of my favorite games on steam. I just wish it was longer, though frontline 59 was nice.

 

[an_DEITY]

DOOM 3. Yes it's almost bar for bar with Half-Life 1 but it really feels like "classic" DOOM at its peak. The atmosphere, how interactive it is, all the details and lore and everything that makes it feel so unorthodox compared to the other DOOM games I've played. I love it and will keep playing it.

 

[thide]

kirby air riders! i got the gcn version and thought it was already, like, the best kirby game there ever was, so when i played the switch2 edition i was totally blown away by how much extra content and good reworks there was.

 

[Term]

same but for different reasons. I always thought the GC one was cool but never got that into it -- I've been playing Riders constantly since it came out. Trying to clear out all the achievement grids