Lets face it, there's a reason their cult classics; their the best, and their way underappreciated... apart from those that become successes through cult status (everyone seems to think adding Donnie Darko to their fb makes them appear profound).
Now the problem with that definition is clear; these are the very best the platforms have to offer, and no-one knows about them D:
So here's a few to get the ball rolling:

Tombi (think its called Tomba outside of UK), PSX:
This game got pretty good reviews, I honestly dont understand how it never took off. Maybe it was a little too 'kiddy', the whole idea behind it is a little ridiculous. For me its awesomeness is more nostalgia-based now but its still easily one of the best psx games out there IMO, and I wouldn't love it so much now if it wasn't so great back then.

Gotcha Force, GC:
The very definition of 'cult'. No-one I've met ever heard of it (except the guy that introduced me), yet everyone I introduce it to immediately falls in love with it, we even had a nice little community for multiplayer a few years back xD
This game received mediocre reviews apparently (I never witnessed them) and poor marketing (which I believe since I never witnessed that either), but even the developers cite it as one of their favourites.
Honestly this game far exceeds the limitations of the console, I'd go so far as to say it was one of the best games ever made, not just for GC.

So share you're hidden gems with us =]

So, is this a posting for games that weren't popular but turn out to be really good?

Yup, bonus if they developed a sorta community or 'cult' in your local area (or idk even online, but there's cults for everything online xD).
Think games geared towards critical rather than commercial success.

Klonoa Door to Phantomile. (The PS1 version) (The Wii version)

My favourite game of all time and one that I repeatedly suggest. Without wanting to sound like Annie Wilkes, I'm definitely its number 1 fan. The amount of tears that have been shed are immeasurable. If you can, pick up the PS1 version as it's by far the best. The WiiMake is excellent but it doesn't hold the charm that the first game had. I'm not sure if anything was added to the English version as I've only played the Japanese.

I suggest using the Wii trailer as a basis for what you see in the game. It's a direct remake after all and from about 1:00 you'll see how it turns into something a little more than just a kids' game. (Plus you'll get to hear the best song from the game.)

Vib-Ribbon

The link I provided is only the tutorial and not indicative of how catchy the stages are. While it seems basic, it allows you to switch out the PS1 disc with any music CD you own, meaning you get to play your favourite songs to a custom track!

Drakengard, Drakengard 2, Nier

Looking for a pretty twisted world with a rather nightmarish story? Then I can only recommend Drakengard. There are (5?) endings, each of which are wholly different and fleshed out.

Nier follows Drakengard's 'E' ending. I won't tell you why or how, but it's a pretty interesting sequel to a little-known game. It follows the story of a man named Nier who is looking to cure his daughter of a terminal disease. While it's not the best looking game out there it certainly does have some of the best music. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Oh, and did I say it has Liam O'Brien's voice in it as a wise, old book? Yeah, that's how awesome it is.

If you love to cry as much as I do then this is the game for you. There are many emotional moments within the game and with the fantastic music, it's difficult not to get a lump in your throat.

These are the immediate thoughts of cult classics. If I can think of any more then I'll be sure to recommend them.

Drakengard was a pretty great game for a hack 'n' slash, loads of replay value with all the weapons and the endings.

I've never heard of this Nier, is it an actual sequel or a spiritual successor? I'm guessing PS3 =[

That Vib-Ribbon game looks really cool and reminds me of this weird beat shooter I had when the PS2 first came out, wish I could remember what it was, but I definitely did not appreciate how good that game was.

While many consider Nier a spiritual successor, it is a direct sequel to the final ending in Drakengard.


While it's not directly mentioned, there are many references in the story to the events that happened. Not only that but there are weapon references. An example is the two characters Devola and Popola whose names come from the weapon Devolapopola in Drakengard. It's a direct sequel in my eyes which sees the events that happened after Drakengard.

Also, Nier is for both 360 and PS3.

Yes! Tombi is a fantastic game! So glad you mentioned it

Here's my choices, though I think they're all rather obvious:

Killer7: Pulp horror-shooter. You could only move via an on-rails path, backwards or forwards, but there was a heavy emphasis on exploration. The game sold rather poorly, and received mixed reviews, but it has a cult following like most Grasshopper games. Enemies were invisible until you "scanned" them with the left trigger (on Gamecube, L2 on PS2), and gave off a creepy laugh when nearby. If they got too close, they'd scream really loudly and explode in your face. Nearly crapped my pants the first time! Fantastic game that's well worth a look for those of you who like unique games; there really is nothing else like it.

LSD: A PS1 "dream emulator." Only came out in Japan I think though it's often namedropped when talking cult classics. Contender for creepiest game ever, LSD was played from a first-person perspective. There was no combat; you could only move around and explore the various environments. If you touched something in the environment, you'd warp to a new location.
LSD Gameplay, not for the faint of heart

Jet Set Radio: My favourite game of all time. This Dreamcast classic sees the player take control of a rollerskating gang based in the city of Tokyo-to. It's your job to take back your turf from rival gangs by spraying walls, cars, billboards and so on with graffiti. At the same time, the local authorities show up to make your life hell, and are more than happy to deploy attack dogs, paratroopers, tanks and choppers to bring about your demise. Arguably the first game to utilise cel-shading, you could explore several real-life areas of Tokyo, such as Shibuya and Koganei (named Kogane-cho in the game). Settings included a bus terminal, a sewer, a heavily residential district with tightly packed houses, a junkyard, a busy highway, a shopping district, the tops of skyscrapers and so on. I could honestly go on forever about what makes this game so great, and the series is finally getting attention once more with an XBLA/PSN release this summer. Hoorah!!

That LSD game looks awesome, can't really see why people are getting scared, especially in the modern graphical age. It just looks fascinating more than anything.
The concept is also great if that bit about it being based off a dream journal is true, though the guy has mostly pretty empty dreams (the other thing that really makes it hard to get immersed in is the amount of running between stuff).
I can see why, without the whole 'goal/challenge system', this game wouldn't be massively popular, but like said, it just seems so fascinating.

Though it didn't get much good reviews Opoona for the Wii was great great music interesting story fun battle system and almost all people i've meant say the game is amazing.It has its problems...it suffers from silent hero,The main heros(Who are siblings) don't seem to care for each other in the least and the extremely cartoonly graphics takes away from the games epic tone(It gets a epic tone near the end)


The glory of Heracles series is also way under rated except for the crap DS game and the mediocre first game it was a Dragon warrior/Quest rip off that could~ being a fairly big series (2 NES games a 2 SNES games a GB spin off and a DS borefest) with impressive Graphics(except one) fun battle system it was just a fun series...also a Greek based JRPG...you can't beat that

Bump? (I'm not sure if you have to wait for the thread to reach the second page to be bumped, I just wanted it to garner a bit more attention)

C'mon, these are your favourite games (at least, I imagine so), and it's your opportunity to give them the recognition you thought them worthy of.

Hmm, true. Kinda hard to determine what is cult and what isn't. I'd say Tales of Symphonia (my favourite JRPG) but that game and its series are wildly popular in Japan.

Not sure if people have mentioned it but Rez is another Dreamcast classic that didn't sell massively anywhere. The mix of game types was sublime as it was an on-rails rhythm shooter; DDR meets Starfox perhaps? Targeting up to 8 enemies at a time before releasing your beam attack, the sounds created by said attack would match the beat of the song in the background. And what an excellent soundtrack it had. If you've never played it look up Rez HD on XBLA, it's every bit as good as the original. Child of Eden on Xbox 360 is Rez's spiritual sequel and also worth checking out, providing you like the Genki Rockets!

Actually, basically any game Sega made for the Dreamcast. Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure, Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, House of the Dead 2, Sega Bass Fishing, Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia and so on. All these games are fantastic; among the best ever made. Sega used to make the coolest games...

Rez was the game I was talking about a few posts back come to think of it, the Ps2 version must have been a rerelease or something.
I've been playing PSO recently actually xD

Another game that everyone should play is a Megaman Legends spinoff called The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Its truly incredible and being sort of mission-based covers a lot of genres (like puzzle missions, action missions, etc)