Do yourself a favor and check out these excellent forgotten games! In this list expect to see titles from top developers such as Square-Enix, Rockstar, Capcom and BioWare. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the top ten forgotten video games from great developers.
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Top 10 Forgotten Video Games from Great Developers
With so many great games, these solid titles were lost in time. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top ten forgotten video games from great developers.
For this list, we’ll be looking at various video games which were developed by notable and respected developers which have since been mostly forgotten. We’ll only be including games from popular developers on this list – forgotten gems from long-forgotten developers will not be included.
#10: “MadWorld” (2009)
PlatinumGames
The Wii was a historic video game system known mostly for its family-friendly entertainment. Games like “Wii Sports,” “Mario Kart Wii,” and “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” flourished on the console, while more adult-themed titles like “MadWorld” fell by the wayside. “MadWorld” was an open world hack-n-slash with gallons of blood, and it received great reviews, despite a whirlwind of controversy. The game was banned in Germany, and the director of Mediawatch UK called for the game’s ban in the United Kingdom. “MadWorld” failed to sell, and its failure resulted in Sega halting production on mature games for the Wii. PlatinumGames has since moved on and developed many respectable titles, including “Bayonetta,” “Vanquish,” and “Nier: Automata.”
#9: “Parasite Eve” (1998)
Square
Square was once a notable Japanese game developer, known for many timeless and classic games like the “Final Fantasy” series, “Chrono Trigger,” and “Kingdom Hearts.” They released a fantastic game in 1998 called “Parasite Eve,” a game which provided players with a unique blend of action, role-playing, and survival horror. It was compared favourably to “Resident Evil” and was praised for its attention to detail and cinematic gameplay. It was even considered a part of the J-horror phenomenon of the late 90s and early 2000s, alongside movies like “Ringu” and “Ju-on: The Grudge.” And while those movies are still discussed, everyone has seemingly forgotten about poor old “Parasite Eve.”
#8: “Disruptor” (1996)
Insomniac Games
Insomniac really hit their stride in 1998 with their second release, “Spyro the Dragon,” and never relented throughout the following decades, continuing with the “Spyro” series while releasing follow-up classics like “Ratchet & Clank” and “Resistance.” However, no one seems to remember their first game – a great little title called “Disruptor.” “Disruptor” was a first-person shooter, complete with fantastic graphics, strategic gameplay, and amazing weapons and abilities in the form of “psionics.” At a time when everyone was trying to be “Doom,” “Disruptor” tried something a little different, and it deserves to be respected and remembered far more than it is.
#7: “Sunset Riders” (1991)
Konami
We don’t think we need to remind you who Konami is. We mean…it’s freaking Konami. They’re only one of the biggest gaming companies in the entire world. However, one great game has seemingly fell through the cracks: 1991’s “Sunset Riders.” “Sunset Riders” was a side-scrolling arcade game which saw you controlling a bounty hunter in the Wild West. Even amongst the myriad co-operative side-scrollers on the arcade market, “Sunset Riders” stood out through its sense of humor, fantastic animation, and exciting shooting mechanics and set pieces. When it comes to the greatest arcade games, “Sunset Riders” deserves more recognition.
#6: “Armored Core” (1997)
FromSoftware
Today, FromSoftware is known for their brooding, mythic, and challenging games, including “Dark Souls” and “Bloodborne.” While those games are fantastic, fewer people know of “Armored Core,” a mech-based third person shooter. “Armored Core” was released in 1997 and didn’t make much of a splash, at least not in Western markets. Its follow-ups, “Project Phantasma” and “Master of Arena,” weren’t even released in Europe. “Armored Core” isn’t like From’s other games, which hasn’t helped its recognition – it is fast-paced, arcade-style mech combat, not a dark and dreary nightmare. That said, it was arguably the most fluid and fun combat system around, and it’s a shame that it never received the attention it deserved.
#5: “The Lost Vikings” (1992)
Blizzard
“The Lost Vikings” is a fantastic little puzzle-platformer developed by Silicon & Synapse, now known as Blizzard Entertainment, developers of famous games like “World of Warcraft,” “StarCraft,” “Diablo,” and “Overwatch.” “The Lost Vikings” is a side-scroller in which you must alternate between three Vikings and use their respective abilities to reach the end of the level. It had a hint of that classic Blizzard challenge while remaining accessible and fun, and the humorous personalities of the Vikings made playing as them highly enjoyable. We suppose it’s no “StarCraft,” but as a cute little side-scroller, it does just fine.
#4: “The Warriors” (2005)
Rockstar
“The Warriors” really shouldn’t have worked. It was a relatively simple brawler at a time when Rockstar was creating massive and complex titles like “San Andreas,” and it was based off a 16-year-old movie which not many people had heard of or remembered. But, come on, this is Rockstar we’re talking about here. They could make a game about staring at a brick wall fun. “The Warriors” perfectly captured the zany and stylized tone of the movie, the gameplay was varied enough to remain fresh throughout, and the combat system was surprisingly deep and well thought-out. Rockstar aficionados look back on it fondly, while everyone else goes, “huh?”
#3: “Dino Crisis” (1999)
Capcom
Once “Resident Evil” changed the face of third person and survival horror video games, suddenly everyone wanted in, and a host of clones found their way onto the market. But perhaps none were as good as “Dino Crisis,” and that’s because Capcom, and specifically Shinji Mikami, served as developers. “Dino Crisis” was basically just “Resident Evil” with fast dinosaurs, but that’s meant to be a compliment. Capcom had both captured the magic of their earlier title and updated it with faster gameplay and a more modern graphics engine. And while “Resident Evil” has gone on to bigger and better things, we look back on its younger, less successful sibling with fondness and respect.
#2: “Oni” (2001)
Bungie
“Oni” serves as Bungie West’s only title, and it was a good game which blended third person shooting with complex hand-to-hand combat. While some aspects of the game were criticized, including the absence of LAN-based multiplayer and the terrible AI, many facets were praised, including the animations and the unique blend of genres in the combat system. However, “Oni” was overshadowed from day one. Bungie was drumming up interest for a little game called “Halo,” and few people cared for whatever this “Oni” crap was. And to make matters worse, “Halo” was released only ten months after “Oni,” effectively ensuring that it would never be played or remembered.
#1: “Jade Empire” (2005)
BioWare
BioWare was the developer to beat in the 2000s. They were pumping out classic after classic, including “Knights of the Old Republic,” “Mass Effect,” and “Dragon Age: Origins.” And plopped right in the middle of “Old Republic” and “Mass Effect” was a brilliant game called “Jade Empire.” “Jade Empire” was an Xbox exclusive (which was later ported to PC) set in a world influenced by Chinese mythology. It was a fantastic RPG which featured rich graphics, an immersive story, and a complex combat system, and it was easily one of 2005’s greatest games. Unfortunately, “Jade Empire” faded away into obscurity once “Mass Effect” barrelled onto the scene. Everyone, including BioWare, never looked back.
