5 Under-rated RPG's

     I have been a gamer for a very long time. The first console that I remember getting was the Sega Master System. While all the other kids were on NES or SNES, I experience games and different game genres early on. However, like everything else, as we get older we fine-tuned our tastes for the things we like. This also applies to video games. As I have gotten older I have gone from loving side-scrolling action/platformer games like Mega Man X, to the longer story focused roleplaying games. So let’s take a look at 5 RPG’s that tended to float under a lot of people’s radar when they were initially released.

     1. Dex- Now, I will be the first to say that I am the biggest fanboy of the cyberpunk genre. So I am always on the lookout for games that feature it. In Dex, you take on the role of Dex, a strong female protagonist hacker, living in the futuristic corporate-controlled city of Harbor Prime. The best way to explain this game is calling it a cyberpunk, 2.5d side-scrolling, open-world RPG. If any of those things interest you, you simply must take a look at this game. Its a fantastic game with a fantastic musical score and it is a game world that just oozes that cyberpunk atmosphere as well. It is truly a shame how criminally underrated it is.

     2. Demon Gaze- This is probably easily the most JRPG game on this list. It is a 3d dungeon crawler, with interesting characters and a very interesting premise, it follows many JRPG tropes, but the difficulty this game presents is to me at times makes Dark Souls look easy. The fact this game is available on the PS Vita is one of the reason it makes it on this list. There have been two games in this series released here in the West. They are both definitely worth picking up if you want a JRPG Dungeon Crawler that has its definite fair share of difficulty.

     3. Shadowrun Returns, Dragonfall, Hong Kong- Easily one of my favorite CRPGs to come out of the Kickstarter craze that happened a few years ago. These games mix cyberpunk with fantasy. Orcs, Elves, Magic and Technology, all in a modern cyberpunk setting. These games have gotten progressively better with each new standalone expansion, but they are best experienced as a whole package. This is the Shadowrun that should have been released back on the Xbox 360, not that crappy multiplayer-only FPS.

     4. Shadow Hearts 1 &2-  It is criminal that there has never been a true 3rd game in this series, From the New World was a spin-off. This series of games told an alternative history of World War 1 with a steampunk vibe. The story told is one that deals with loss, mysticism, the past and how it affects the present and future, and just how far you will go to achieve your goals. The judgment ring is what truly makes the game different from any RPG on the market. The judgment ring is a circular ring presented in a battle that has different colored zones to determine what actions in battle are successful or failure.

     5. Grandia 2- The must have JRPG for any Sega Dreamcast owner. This game has seen multiple rereleases recently in the form of Grandia II: Anniversary Edition available on GOG and Steam. If you missed out on this game initially you owe it to yourself to grab the story is quite good, while not the most original, but this series like Shadow Hearts is about the battle system. The very first time you cancel out a boss’s attack before he has a chance to unleash it. There is no feeling quite like it. Now, granted many more games allow you to do that now, but in 2000/2001 this was a game changing mechanic.

So there you have it, 5 RPG’s that I feel are criminally underrated and under appreciated. Hit up the comments let me know what some of your favorite RPG’s that you feel are under-rated or under-appreciated.