Great videogames you're pretty sure no one's ever heard of

I've had games on the brain a lot lately... probably because I don't have my crazy b*itch fiancee looking over my shoulder making me feel guilty anymore.

I'm especially thinking of some really great ones that no one ever seems to have heard of when I mention them. So I thought it would be nice for people to share some great, obscure games with the rest of us... I'm assuming most of these will be for older systems like the NES or Genesis. No mention of big-names titles allowed, unless it's pre-PS1 and you're pretty sure it's dropped out of most people's memory.

Here are mine:

Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit (PS2)

Is Fight Night more intuitive and innovative and pretty? Sure. But Victorious Boxers has got STYLE. And you can't help but fall in love with the characters during the myriad of uber-cheesy cutscenes. Seriously... you'll love the story. This game is more fun than it has a right to be.

King's Field 1 & 2 (PS1)

Okay, here's how it goes with these two at the beginning: you die a lot, and have to start all over. It moves slow as molasses. It's ugly. The storyline is pretty fragmented throughout. But it doesn't matter! A few major points that make it fun: first, they stick enemies out in front of you from the get go you just can't beat. They taunt you with this giant Kraken at the beginning of the first game, and you just have to remember he's there so you can come back halfway through the game and grab his treasure. Speaking of treasure: there's so much unique, cool weaponry and armor to find that you always feel motivated to go find that next awesome item. Speaking of finding things: there have never been so many secret passages, doors, and treasures in any other game. Not even close. You end up training yourself to run along every sheer wall hitting the action button, hoping to find every little secret you can. And lastly, it's fairly non-linear, which is especially impressive considering that was hardly in vogue back when these came out.

Tobal 2 (PS1 - IMPORT ONLY)

Oh dear god, why did this never come out in America? It still makes me cry at night. If you wanna play this, you need a modded PS1 and an imported copy of the game. But dear god is it fun! Not only is it simply a fun fighting game, but the quest mode is like nothing I've seen before. You go through dungeons with your chosen character, and each of your limbs gets "trained" the more you use it... so if all you do is left kicks, that left kick is gonna be able to kill a rhinoceros later... but run into an enemy who blocks that one move all the time, and you're hosed, because all your other limbs are too weak. And naturally, there are items to pick up and whatnot. Awesome game.

X-Com: UFO Defense (PS1, PC)

Maybe I'm breaking my own obscurity rule here, because it was fairly popular in its day for the PC... but I played it on the PS1, for which it was nearly impossible to find. This has to be one of my top 5 all-time favorite games... this is one of the few games that is just truly timeless. The strategy involved, the shockingly good AI, the customization, the research/resource management... and the sheer FEAR you feel going into a dark terror site without adequate weaponry... nothing like it. Seriously. If you're even remotely interested in games that involve a little micromanagement and a whole lot of strategic thinking, you simply must play this game.

Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

Again, maybe not particularly obscure. It was the best side-scrollin' beat-'em-up when it came out, and as far as I'm concerned it still is today.
Download link
Emulator link

Powerball (Genesis)

If there's one reason I started this thread, it's probably this game. Looks like crap, but it's brilliantly fun, and the AI is amazingly good.
Download link
Emulator link

Defender of the Crown (NES)

I understand there was a remake of this recently, actually... but the original was a blast. The strategy was the key, but the corny swordfights and jousting were fun, too.
Download link
Emulator link

 

Huh, lookin' at the Gamespot review... looks interesting. I'll have to pick it up eventually.

 

Now THAT looks pretty sweet. Sucks I don't have a Gamecube... maybe I'll pick one up. Not like they're expensive.

As you say, I've heard of it but never played it. I remember playing a Quake 2 mod that was Aliens/Predators-themed that was supposed to pay homage to it. Those graphics look pretty sweet for back in the day...

What separates if from, say, Age of Empires? I played the hell out of that for a year or two, and I just kinda got bored of traditional strategy games thereafter. What's it got that's made the appeal last so long for you?

Yeah, I figured people might rediscover them after the Wii edition came out. But I've been playing them on the PS2 since the first one came out.

Looks sweet. I'll have to pick it up.