31 Video Game Hidden Gems

[J is Justice]

For the month of October, I've decided to post one video game hidden gem a day! One of my favourite things about collecting games is finding a good or great game that very few people have heard of, and then telling people about them.

This "list" will be in alphabetical order.

Just to add that not all of these games I consider "great"—some are just okay, or even just weird and worth checking out. Hopefully, you find something here that sparks your interest! And hopefully, all of these games are actually "hidden gems" and didn't sell millions without me knowing!!!

1. Aliens Infestation



In this game, you control four marines on board a spaceship taking down aliens and robots. You explore the ship looking for card keys, new weapons, etc.

One of the coolest mechanics in this game is that one of your marines can permanently die, so you're always on edge. Reminded me of one of the many tactical RPGs I've played, and it was the thing that intrigued me about the game the most. Luckily, you can find spare marines roaming the ship that you can recruit in place of a dead teammate. And it's got all of the familiar alien species from the movies in there.

The controls are good but take some getting used to. I actually lost a marine yesterday because I kept pressing the wrong buttons, lol. You can shoot in all directions, crouch, roll, toss grenades, etc.

Funny thing is, this game barely made my list because I forgot about it! I actually started playing it again to jog my memory and it's as good as I remember.

[J is Justice]

2. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits



I talked about this game in my JRPG list, and I'm happy to talk about it again!

This game has a unique feature where you swap between protagonists throughout the story. There's Kharg, the human, and Darc, the deimos. Each character has its own party that you can control. It's easily the most interesting thing about this game as you can see both stories unfolding at the same time. I personally preferred the deimos party, as it was more interesting and diverse. I guess an issue with this is that some people might end up preferring one party over the other, so they might dread having to switch. Personally, that never happened to me, as I still enjoyed the human characters.

The battle system is a tactical system where you move your characters around a grid and order them to attack. You have to position them correctly around the battlefield and try to make sure you get those back attacks.

Instead of MP, this game has spirit stones. You can run out of these and will have to buy more. This means you have to be cautious when using magic. I felt it added another layer of strategy to the battle system, and I never really found myself desperate for spirit stones.

As for music and graphics, I really like both. The battle themes are great, and the graphics hold up for the most part.

I love this game and I highly recommend it!

It's available on PS2 and is pretty cheap, but it is also available on PS4, so that's the version to go with.

[J is Justice]

3. Brave Story



Another game that was on my JRPG list (don't worry, they aren't all gonna be JRPGs).

This is a very typical, generic JRPG. No surprises here. However, it is very solid. If you're craving a JRPG, and just want to turn your brain off, this is the game for you!

Speaking of the story, it's about a boy who travels to a new world to find 'gems' scattered about it. Told you it was generic. They should rename this game "Generic Story".

The battle system is a standard turn-based system, which is definitely okay by me. Only notable thing from memory is "unity" attacks, which are attacks executed by several party members teaming up.

Graphics are nice and cute.

I know it seems like I'm shitting on this game, lol. But it is really a solid game that's worth a shot.

[Hanky McCranky Jr.]

Aliens: Isolation is an interesting take on the metroidvania subgenre (considering Metroid's own Alien inspiration, it's a good fit). It's also developed by WayFoward of Shantae fame.

[J is Justice]

4. Calling



Okay, this is one of those games that I mentioned that isn't actually good, but it's interesting and worth checking out.

So in this game, the Wiimote is a phone and ghosts will call you on it. Yes, ghosts. It's not scary, at all, but it is pretty funny. And, yeah, the game isn't very scary, overall. The controls aren't great, but it is a survival horror.

Honestly, the game just isn't good but... you get phone calls from ghosts! How many games does that happen in (now someone will list a million)?

As for price, it's one of the more expensive Wii games.

It a silly game but... a lot of Wii games are, lol. I'm glad I played it and I'm happy I own it.

[pinja]

I get the inclusion of Calling. Hudson tried, it's one of the many, many Wii exclusive games that aren't really good, but setting the console apart from Sony and Microsoft. One of those games that shows why the Wii was at least the better secondary console.

[dirtyoldman]

Oct 4, 2022 9:56:40 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

4. Calling



Okay, this is one of those games that I mentioned that isn't actually good, but it's interesting and worth checking out.

So in this game, the Wiimote is a phone and ghosts will call you on it. Yes, ghosts. It's not scary, at all, but it is pretty funny. And, yeah, the game isn't very scary, overall. The controls aren't great, but it is a survival horror.

Honestly, the game just isn't good but... you get phone calls from ghosts! How many games does that happen in (now someone will list a million)?

As for price, it's one of the more expensive Wii games.

It a silly game but... a lot of Wii games are, lol. I'm glad I played it and I'm happy I own it.

There was another game for the Wii that reminds me of this. Can't think of it's name at all. Think it was very Ring-ish.

[Hanky McCranky Jr.]

I hope to see Primal on this list. That was a fun little action adventure game on the PS2. It never got much press, but it's the only game I can think of where a metal head gets sucked from a New York club to a fantasy world and she gets the ability to turn into different demons.

[J is Justice]

Oct 4, 2022 12:39:31 GMT -5 dirtyoldman said:

Oct 4, 2022 9:56:40 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

4. Calling



Okay, this is one of those games that I mentioned that isn't actually good, but it's interesting and worth checking out.

So in this game, the Wiimote is a phone and ghosts will call you on it. Yes, ghosts. It's not scary, at all, but it is pretty funny. And, yeah, the game isn't very scary, overall. The controls aren't great, but it is a survival horror.

Honestly, the game just isn't good but... you get phone calls from ghosts! How many games does that happen in (now someone will list a million)?

As for price, it's one of the more expensive Wii games.

It a silly game but... a lot of Wii games are, lol. I'm glad I played it and I'm happy I own it.

There was another game for the Wii that reminds me of this. Can't think of it's name at all. Think it was very Ring-ish.

Are you thinking of Project Zero/Fatal Frame?

[dirtyoldman]

Oct 4, 2022 19:16:01 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

Are you thinking of Project Zero/Fatal Frame?[/quote]

No, this was a more obscure title. If memory serves me correctly it was an HMV exclusive in the UK so didn't have a wide market.
I remember you had to collect batteries otherwise your touch died and it was game over.

[Push R Truth]

Kinda hoping my hidden sleeper gem, Netstorm: Islands at War shows up

[pinja]

Oct 5, 2022 10:54:06 GMT -5 dirtyoldman said:

No, this was a more obscure title. If memory serves me correctly it was an HMV exclusive in the UK so didn't have a wide market.
I remember you had to collect batteries otherwise your touch died and it was game over.

That's "Ju-On: The Grudge". It was directed by Takashi Shimizu, but didn't exactly fare as well as his movie.

[dirtyoldman]

Oct 5, 2022 11:11:34 GMT -5 pinja said:

Oct 5, 2022 10:54:06 GMT -5 dirtyoldman said:

That's "Ju-On: The Grudge". It was directed by Takashi Shimizu, but didn't exactly fare as well as his movie.

That does sound spot on there.

[JIMBOB]

My top hidden gem is Shadow of Destiny aka Shadow of Memories on PS2. It’s not action-packed, but really enjoyed the branching story as the game is replayed.

[J is Justice]

5. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)



I'm actually playing this currently and like it so much, I'm adding it to the list!

If you're a fan of Valkyria Chronicles, you should love this. It is a tactical RPG where you move your characters around the battlefield and shoot aliens. Just like VC, you have a meter that depletes when you run. When the enemies are in sight, fire with your weapons which range from guns, to grenade launchers and even a pop... gun... fist (not sure what it's called, but it's in Roger Rabbit).

The characters are full of personality and they all have their own super moves. The enemies so far have been a little bland; they've all been aliens and they all kind of look the same.

Really like the look of the game, too. It's bright and colourful—again, like VC.

Unlike a traditional RPG, there's no real levelling up in this game. Instead, you collect medals lying around the battlefield. Collect enough and you unlock more weapons.

Unless the game ends up falling off a cliff, I really recommend this one.

[J is Justice]

6. Crystar



This is a charming little game that I only played recently. It's an action RPG and dungeon crawler. You control Rei, who must explore purgatory to revive her sister.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this game. After exploring purgatory, you return to your bedroom where you can pet your cute, little doge. And the room is accompanied by some really nice music. So it's overall a chill place to be.

I really loved Rei's voice actress, actually. Her name's Brianna Knickerbocker, which is the best name ever. Speaking of Rei, I could see some people getting annoyed with her because, well, she cries a lot. I mean, it's in the title of the game. But she tones it down further in and it never bothered me. The rest of the characters are fun, too.

The gameplay is lacking a little bit. It's very repetitive, but it is still fun to an extent and can get quite addictive.

But, yeah, if you want a nice little game with fun, if repetitive, gameplay, then give it a shot.

[J is Justice]

7. Deadly Creatures



Okay, there's gonna be a lot of Wii games on this list. Deadly Creatures is another one of those odd games that you won't find on any other console. Difference between this and Calling is that Deadly Creatures is actually good!

So in this game, you control a tarantula and a scorpion. Each has its own skill tree where they learn unique attacks. You have to swing the Wiimote in a certain way to execute these attacks. Enemies include other spiders and scorpions, and even lizards. There are even finishing moves. It's actually really fun; smacking an insect into a cactus never got old.

The environments look great and it's fun crawling around them. There are various collectibles lying around, such as other bugs you can eat.

I wasn't expecting this game to have quite as much depth as it did with the various attacks. It's a lot of fun and you should give it a go!

[MolotovMocktail]

My top hidden gem is the Thief series, particularly the first two games, The Dark Project and The Metal Age.

[J is Justice]

8. Disaster: Day of Crisis



Okay, this game is batshit. The main character is having the worst day of his life. There are volcanos erupting, earthquakes wrecking everything and people trying to kill him. You use the Wiimote for all sorts of things, such as shooting, jumping and even performing CPR. It's tons of fun and also pretty hilarious. You gain points for upgrading your abilities and weapons, so there is some customization in there.

This game is just nuts. If you wanna turn your brain off and waggle your Wiimote around like a loon, this game's for you.

[J is Justice]

9. Endless Ocean



I don't even know what genre this game would be considered, lol. Basically, you play as a scuba diver and explore the ocean. You discover new types of fish and use the Wiimote to interact with them.

The opening song sets the mood for this game. It might sound kind of boring, but I guess it depends on what types of games you're into. Personally, I really enjoy laid-back games like this. It was relaxing swimming around the sea, and actually quite exciting when you discovered new types of marine species.

There's also a sequel which I haven't played yet. If you're into chill games, check this one out.