Obscure PS1 Gems?

[CitizenKano]

Tomba!! is one of my favourite games, though I'm not sure if it qualifies for "obscure" status. Tecmo's Deception is pretty cool.

[shitakeonice]

Suikoden II is pretty straightforward fun (but I'm uncertain on how 'obscure' it is)

[Shinobi13]

Suikoden II is pretty straightforward fun (but I'm uncertain on how 'obscure' it is)

Obscure enough to demand a $120 price tag.

[destructyou]

Legend of Legaia and Grandia are both amazing. If you want a non-FF RPG those are the best bets. I thought Jade Cocoon was pretty fun too, had a pretty somber mood to the whole game. Everyone seems to love Vagrant Story, but I just couldn't get into it at all. The battle system reminded me of Parasite Eve, but I really like that game. Maybe I just didn't like playing as a dude named Ashley?

Spiderman was pretty solid too. Neversoft should try making something other than Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero again sometime.

[Vr100]

Gotta agree with tomba, more so underplayed than underated.
It was on a magazine demo disc, and thats where everyone around me knew it from when it first came out, loved the demo, but no one ever bought the full game.

[Caostotale]

Both Dragon Quest VII and Wild ARMS II got shit on pretty bad just for looking outdated compared to Squaresoft's games, but I think both were very well-done JRPGs in the long-run. In my opinion, the latter game had one of the best soundtracks from that entire era.

Wild ARMS II is pretty slow to get going at first, but gets much better on the second disc. Due to the graphics issues, that game is a good choice for a PSP download.

I suppose I should also nominate Gradius Gaiden, which didn't get a stateside release at all until the entire series of games got bundled into a PSP compilation. Though I've not tried it, shmup collectors I've talked to hold the Japanese PS1 version in pretty high regard, especially because it featured a two-player mode (some crazies like to play one-controller-per-hand in that mode).

[djnealb]

That reminds me that I still need to finish Wild Arms. It's been while since I played though, and I'll probably have no fucking clue where I have to go.

[PappaDukes]

Hell yeah. I downloaded that on PSN, but never beat it. Might as well download it to my Vita. So I can play it on the go.

[LennethX360]

Not really sure if it's obscure or not, but I really enjoyed Hard Edge, a Resident Evilesque Beat'em Up from SunSoft.

[UglyCasanova]

Bushido Blade was big in Japan (no pun intended), but whenever I mention it, no ones ever seemed to have played it. I thought not having a timer or health gauge was really refreshing. One hit kills made for some really tense battles!

Vib Ribbon was a lot of fun as well. Music style game similar to Rez or Space Channel 5. Graphics were simple, but quite charming

[jackdan594]

I dont know if people would call it obscure, but Croc and Croc 2 were definitely underrated! Others I have that nobody else seems to know about are Looney Tunes Racing, which was basically their take on the kart genre, kicked serious ass!

Rugrats: Search for Reptar was my crack back then also

[DpadJoe]

Loaded was one of my fav PS1 games, not many people remember it but it was a top down shooter in a asylum and the contrast of the darkness with the white padded cells and blood everywhere looked amazing. 2 Player co-op on this game was very good, if you see it anywhere cheap defo pick it up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_(video_game)

[UglyCasanova]

Loaded was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Re-loaded was fun too. Saw it on PSN a few weeks back, might check it out for the nostalgia factor

[DpadJoe]

Loaded was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Re-loaded was fun too. Saw it on PSN a few weeks back, might check it out for the nostalgia factor

Seen some vids of re-loaded, looks like more outdoor environments with monsters instead of humans, didn't like the look of it but it may be decent.

[Epic-KxDtoid]

Obscure PS1 games?

Pandemonium.

[Stevil]

Bushido Blade was big in Japan (no pun intended), but whenever I mention it, no ones ever seemed to have played it. I thought not having a timer or health gauge was really refreshing. One hit kills made for some really tense battles!

I remember the nightmare sequence of events you had to do just to see each character's best ending. Honor the code, don't get hit, don't strike first, jump down the well, take everyone out with a clean hit...GAH! I'd always screw up with the guy on the beach or the one who decides to shoot you on the helipad.

But damn, it was a good game.

Loaded was one of my fav PS1 games, not many people remember it but it was a top down shooter in a asylum and the contrast of the darkness with the white padded cells and blood everywhere looked amazing. 2 Player co-op on this game was very good, if you see it anywhere cheap defo pick it up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_(video_game)

Loved the co-op back in the day, but I played it again, quite recently, and it's one of those games that didn't age well.

[Flamoctapus]

Not at all obscure, but the first 3 spyros are among the greatest games of the console.

[satchbag]

For the folks who mentioned Spiderman: good call.

Does Jackie Chan: Stuntmaster count as an obscure gem? I was too young to quantify hype for games, but I remember receiving it as a gift and random and enjoying the hell out of the mechanics with my cousin. It's more or less a beat-em-up platformer You get to jack up hibachi chefs. Hibachi chefs!

[DpadJoe]

Loved the co-op back in the day, but I played it again, quite recently, and it's one of those games that didn't age well.

aw that's disappointing I haven't played it in years and was keeping an eye out for a cheap copy. Think it may be just one of those games you love for the memories with friends rather than the actual gameplay.

[BadStar]

Bushido Blade was big in Japan (no pun intended), but whenever I mention it, no ones ever seemed to have played it. I thought not having a timer or health gauge was really refreshing. One hit kills made for some really tense battles!

Vib Ribbon was a lot of fun as well. Music style game similar to Rez or Space Channel 5. Graphics were simple, but quite charming

My strategy in Bushido Blade was to immediately run head-on at my opponent wildly swinging my blade. It was way more effective against my friends than it should have been. It also meant that I didn't get to play the game very much because they would rage quit after two or three rounds. It was also mind blowing to me how big some of the levels were and how you could run all over the place exploring them.