I’ve recently rekindled my love for Katamari Damacy and it made me wonder if there’s any other amazing cult classics out there that aren’t talked about these days. What are your recommendations?
Nox (the better single player Diablo, with some incredible game mechanics, even looking at it today)
Hexplore
Imperium Galactica
Giants (this game ran like shit on every age appropriate PC, I’m kind of wondering if the engine can even run without stuttering, but it’s a fantastic game)
Gothic 1 (alive open worlds are not that new and exciting anymore, but this game has a lot of charm & an amazing sense of exploration)
The Longest Journey
Knights and Merchants (combat strategy game, the later levels are combat only and it’s very HARD)
Rage of Mages 2
Chrono Cross (probably the best jrpg of all time, but the combat system scared away many)
These are not really forgotten & qualify for being a cult classic, but merely they are old titles that the new kids have never touched:
Baldur’s Gate 1-2
Morrowind (so much better than Skyrim, it’s not even close)
Pharaoh & Caesar 3 (the city builders, there is a recently released HD remake for Pharaoh)
Oddworld: Abe’s Odessey (Much better art style & direction than in the still great remake called New and Tasty)
Jazz Jackrabbit 1 (Sonic feels soulless compared to this)
Settlers 3
Chrono Trigger (It’s not really a cult classic, because eventually all jrpg fans play this, right, RIGHT?)
The Age of Empires series, especially AOE2. There’s a nice digitally remastered version on Steam and I think it really holds up.
Wololo!
Age of Mythology was my shit growing up.
Absolutely. I’m about to jump into the third one, which from what I understand is basically a remastered version of 2 with more civilizations to choose from.
I’m not an oldschool AoE player, but I love how many people seemed to take an interest in history because of it.
Plus the way they made 3d models for the new sprites was neat! https://www.ageofempires.com/news/age-empires-definitive-edition-3d-2d-game/
That really is super cool!
If you like Katamari Damacy you should try ps1 game called “Incredible Crisis”.
It is an extreme wacky minigame… game, one of those games that is simultaneously addictive and punishingly difficult. You play as four members of a japanese family trying to get home for grandma’s birthday, and insanity ensues. (Aliens, bank robbers, etc).
It got an english release back in 1999 but I dont think it made a huge mark. In any case, its very fun and ridiculous. Especially good to play with friends. It also has an amazing ska soundtrack by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra if you enjoy ska, haha
Nox
Timesplitters
Def Jam 1/2
Amplitude
Black and White.
I’m probably alone in remembering this game but I loved Hardwar back in the day. It’s an Elite style trading game set on Titan. The player pilots a ‘moth’ ,a small flying craft, between craters.
It had an interesting story that played out as you explored with areas blocked out, due to events, and made accessible later on.The developer closed doors but IIRC at least one member of the team released a patch that had been developed later on.
I played it pretty obsessively and it had a small passionate community but it wasn’t a hit.
Beyond Good and Evil.
Dungeon Keeper, Red Alert 2, Unreal Tournament.
I’m about to finish the main campaign on Dungeon Keeper, and I’ve tried the New Game+ Campaign with KeeperFX. What a blast I had when I was a child.
The last level on the campaign I’ve never beaten. It’s so horribly grindy!
I’ve been playing retro games for the past years, and here’s some that might fit the criteria of forgotten cult classics:
- ScummVM:
- The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth: It’s a funny and interesting point and click game, use a guide though, there are some obtuse puzzle and pixel hunting
- TurboGrafx CD:
- J. B. Harold Murder Club: a straightforward but interesting crime mystery game
- SNES:
- Ihatovo Monogatari: an interesting no combat top down adventure game
- Sega CD:
- Sega Saturn:
- Policenauts: I like Policenauts more than Snatcher, but both are interesting sci-fi visual novel like by Kojima
- Playstation:
- Mega Man Legends
- Mega Man Legends 2: both MM Legends have heartwarming light hearted stories and okay gameplay
- Tail Concerto: similar to MM Legends, but gameplay is bit more basic. Features tons of cute anthropomorphized cats and dogs. Very lighthearted
- Playstation Portable:
- Remember11: The last game in Infinity series, co created by Kotaro Uchikoshi who went on and created Zero Escape trilogy. Out of the Infinity series, this is probably the best one, it is more sci-fi than romance/dating visual novel, there’s no longwinded slice of life section.
All of those games are either in English or have been fan-translated
- ScummVM:
Blade of Darkness. If you want to see the true origin of the soulslike genre, this is it. Be warned that the controls are extremely janky, though.
Ultima Underworld 1 and 2. These are ancient RPG games going right back to the dawn of PC gaming. The first one was the first PC game with a true 3D world where you could look up and down and there were two slopes rather than just steps. The control scheme takes a little getting used to as it was before WSAD+mouse look had become established. Spells are made by combining runes which you find about the place. It also has things like repairable weapons and armour, the need to sleep and eat as well as the normal RPG stats and levels.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Jade Empire.
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.
Sid Meier’s Pirates.
Came here to say jade empire. I had completely forgotten about it until someone mentioned it in a post on another lemmy. I promptly found it on a rom site and loaded it on to my steam deck.
Sands of Time has the most beautiful cutscenes, that was my favorite part of the game.
Sands of Time was so cool. That series was flawed (Warrior Within was the emo-most game in an era full of emo sequels as the original audience reached adolescence), but I’m sad that it essentially got canceled by warping into AC.
Agreed. I was pretty upset that the series progressed the way it did and the third one…we just don’t talk about that.
So much time spent playing Sid Meier’s Pirates! I think there was a remake that was faithful to the original with updated graphics, and it was great times. Capture ships, attack forts, trade goods.l… just a great game.
Capture ships, attack forts, trade goods.l… just a great game.
I love games in that genre, they’re so endlessly playable. The Mount & Blade series is kind of like a more recent take on that same idea. And X4 Foundations is like that but in space.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is one that instantly comes to mind. It surprisingly still has a very active competitive playerbase, mostly comprised of slavs that have been playing it since they could read words on a computer screen. Another one that I’ve personally can’t stop playing, is the first Warhammer 40K:Dawn of War game with it’s expansions and mods. It’s just so good, and I wish a modern version with a modern engine could be made. I don’t trust Relic to do that tho.
Other than that, there’s a myriad of old console and arcade games that are still excellent. Super Metroid, SEGA Rally, shmups like Dodonpachi and Mushihimesama, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike… there are really way too many to count.
Dawn of War is so iconic. I hear the unit quotes in my head so clearly.
Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines. Dated, needs mods to run, but the fact that there’s still a community patch being made for it after all this time says a lot. Haven’t really heard much about it since the sequel crashed and burned, which is sad because no game has really given me the same atmospheric vibes. It was (is?) really special
Nothing really captures the atmosphere of a good WoD game quite like bloodlines. The combat is, let’s face it, pretty dogshit, but the writing, worldbuilding, and especially the voice talent and direction are some of the best out there to this day. The game just oozes charisma and flavor, and the pacing of the main quest juxtaposed with the black comedy of so many of the side characters’ goings-on makes it the kind of experience that just pulls you in.
I know Bloodlines 2 will eventually release, likely sometime in the next 2-3 years because paradox just began to spin up their socials again, but even if it weren’t stuck deep in Devhell I get the feeling it just won’t have the same punch B1 did. Granted, B1 was just as rocky on its own day 1 and it didn’t pick up the cult following until well after release, and with the help of a dedicated, loving community that tore it down and rebuilt it from the ground up. We can only hope that community love is still here and willing to make B2 the best game it can be. Time will tell.
