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Underrated: Mischief Makers

Long before Wario shook things up on the Wii, a very odd little game that focused on the grab and shake mechanic came out for the N64. One of the earlier titles displayed for the N64, Mischief Makers was developed by Treasure. For those of you not familiar with Treasure, they are very well known for their 2-D shooters and for taking weird concepts and turning them into equally weird games, and we love them for it.

Posted Feb 23 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: amber ahlborn, n64, underrated, underappreciated, mischief makers

Underrated: Mega Man Legends Series

Exactly how many different Mega Man series are there? Let's see, the original which just saw a retro re-entry is up to 9, and the X series is past 7 right? I stopped paying attention after number 5. Then there's the Battle Network and Mega Man Zero, and ZX, and Star Force, and some fighting games and Soccer... Mega Man is a rather prolific character. Indeed many a lapsed fan, myself included, were burned out by the sheer weight of Mega Man sequels. And yet, there is one Mega Man series that seems to have died shortly after arrival, sporting only one sequel and one side story. Naturally, this is also the series that I most want to see more of: Mega Man Legends.

Posted Feb 03 2009, 11:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: amber ahlborn, underrated, underappreciated, mega man legends

Underrated: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

If I were a game developer hoping to launch an unknown IP, I would avoid the xmas season like the plague (shopping-wise, that seems to mean everything after Halloween). Nothing nips an aspiring new franchise in the bud like being buried beneath the holiday crush. That was most certainly the sad fate of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, a delightful action adventure that worked to differentiate itself from the Zelda motif by setting its heroes in a world straight out of Egyptian Mythology.

Posted Jan 26 2009, 07:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments

Filed under: amber ahlborn, underrated, underappreciated, sphinx and the cursed mummy

Underrated: Scurge – Hive

Back in 2006 a video game starring a female bounty hunter battling against hordes of mutant alien scum was released. Our heroine was armed with a weapon that could fire different types of energy bolts to take advantage of enemy weaknesses and battled against all manner of life sucking alien foes. No, I'm not talking about Metroid, but rather a cool little title that pays very obvious homage to that most venerable of game series. And yet, for all that Scurge is thematically identical to Metroid: Fusion and Prime 3 Corruption in particular, it doesn't actually play like a Metroid title at all.

Posted Jan 19 2009, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: metroid, amber ahlborn, ds, gba, shooter, underrated, scurge hive

Underappreciated: Sly Cooper

Not too long ago, in the days of PS2 supremacy, three mascot platformers helped pave Sony's streets with gold: Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper. It's kind of strange that the genre would thrive so long after its supposed death and 16-bit burial at sea, but if you were a fan of fuzzy critters and floating platforms, you didn't bother to ask any questions. Of course, not all of the aforementioned games were exactly worth playing; Jak and Daxter started as a pretty-but-middling take on the Rare platformer and soon mutated into a tough-as-nails GTA clone with a soul patch for added baditude. Other franchises, like Ratchet and Clank, were able to build a reputation through their quality and hang on into the current-gen, only to be largely ignored by their former audience. But out of all the platformers worth remembering, Sly Cooper seems to be the forgotten--and possibly abused--middle child. It's one of gaming's greatest shames.

Posted Jan 05 2009, 02:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 8 comment(s)

Filed under: ps2, jak and daxter, platforming, ratchet &amp, clank, bob mackey, sly cooper, underrated, underappreciated

Underrated: Klonoa Series

Klonoa 2

As far as underrated games go, the Klonoa titles have enjoyed moderate success. Still, if you were to stop random gamers on the street and ask if they've played a Klonoa game chances are they haven't. The first Klonoa game was released on the original Playstation and was one of the earliest titles to combine sprite based characters with 3-D environments. The game play was centered around classic 2-D platforming with an emphasis on using the enemies Klonoa grabbed and inflated to clear barricades, jump higher (including stringing together long series of aerial maneuvers), and find ways around various obstacles. It was fantastically fun and innovative, offering a solid challenge and a very rewarding experience.

Posted Dec 15 2008, 12:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: wii, amber ahlborn, Playstation, klonoa, underrated, underappreciated

Underrated: Vexx

Back when cute mascot characters were still in vogue and the latest fad was to make them angsty and snarly, Vexx, a cross between a plush toy and Wolverine was born. Vexx the game was one of the very last titles produced by Acclaim Entertainment before the company filed for bankruptcy. Acclaim had been suffering quite badly from spotty game quality for a long time but they did manage to put out some pretty good pieces of software before they went belly up. Vexx, while suffering from a few problems, was probably one of Acclaim's best projects. It was pretty fun in the Mario style of platformers and when showing off its best, was downright beautiful.

Posted Dec 08 2008, 11:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: amber ahlborn, underrated, vexx, underappreciated

Underrated: Metal Arms - Glitch in the System

When it comes to shooters I'm a pretty picky gamer. I don't like First-Person Shooters in general but I do like some Third-Person Shooters. Jak 2 and 3 along with the Ratchet and Clank series come to mind, though they are mostly shooter/adventure hybrids. The under appreciated game I'm featuring today is also a Third-Person Shooter, one that comes much closer to the feel of an FPS than the aforementioned games. Indeed, if you have played Metal Arms: Glitch in the System then pat yourself on the back. You are one of a handful of people that took a chance on an unknown title from an unknown studio and struck solid gold.

Posted Dec 02 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: gamecube, amber ahlborn, ps2, xbox, underrated, metal arms glitch in the system, underappreciated

Underrated: Buck Bumble

Welcome to the inaugural post of what I hope to make a regular Monday feature. Underrated looks at titles that probably flew below the radar of most gamers. Titles that sold poorly or were generally under appreciated for one reason or another. The first game I'll be looking at takes us back, back to an older simpler time when systems were still measured by their bits and Nintendo promoted all 64 of theirs. I'm talking of course about the Nintendo 64 and the title Buck Bumble. You've probably never heard of it.

Posted Nov 24 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 4 comment(s)

Filed under: amber ahlborn, nintendo 64, underrated, buck bumble, underappreciated

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.