12 replies to this topic

[Koh]

Pretty self explanatory topic.  I'm sure everyone has their own list of games and soundtracks they feel fall under this category, so have at it!

 

The first that comes to mind for me is Castlevania Curse of Darkness.  The gameplay is very solid, and the OST is even more so.  I feel like it didn't get that much attention, because it was a 3D Castlevania title, which have previously (and afterwards) been notorious for their mediocre quality.  But this one was the exception out of the rule.  I won't claim it's a masterpiece of a game, but it's easily a solid 8 / 10 in my eyes.  Great gameplay, solid controls, lots of customization (weapon crafting and Innocent Devil evolution), and lots of exploration as the Metroidvanias are known for.  It's got average ratings across many game sites though, unfortunately.

 

Sample a couple of the tracks from the game, the atmosphere is just top notch.

 

[klop422]

I feel like you can't have a discussion about unappreciated game music without mentioning Tim Follen (although he's well appreciated, he's not the most well-known)

Best one is the Solstice Title theme (Linking the original PAL version, which is slower than the better known NTSC version).

Also, the OST to Silver Surfer (which I hear is a bad game, but has amazing music).

 

Keep in mind this is the same hardware that brought you Hydlide.

 

Also, I've rarely heard people talk about Wario Land III, which I almost beat (playing with my brother), though we never beat the final boss. Music is also really good, especially the Title theme, World Map theme, The Tidal Coast, and the Final Boss theme. Everything else is just great, though.

Again, it's not underappreciated, but not enough people appreciate it.

[Cukeman]

I feel like Bonk's Adventure on NES and GB are underappreciated because they're slightly slower-paced games and their graphics are simpler by nature of being on the the NES/GB rather than the Turbo Grafx, but IMO both of these ports are superior to the Turbo Grafx original with more streamlined levels and gameplay controls.

[Anthus]

Rayman 2 for N64 or PC. I'm not sure if underrated is accurate. I'll be honest, this game has some clunk here and there, but overall, it's one of my favorite performers ever. The sound design is great too. PC has a better sound track, but the N64 midis aren't bad, and I prefer a few of them over the higher quality ones.

Watch out for the other versions though. PS version has a wealth of cut content, the DC version looks dark, and has a lot of small bugs plus a new, worse level select screen, and performance issues. The DS port sucks, 3DS is okay but it's basically the DC version.

[Haylee]

Aero the Acrobat 2

 

I would say [/endthread], but I'm going to cheat a bit and reccomend an underappreciated composer, rather than an underappreciated ost, since all the osts this guy does are underappreciated. Square Enix has numerous iconic composers: Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasies 1-9), Masashi Hamauzu (Of Final Fantasy 10 fame), Yoko Shimomura (Current FF Composer, same for Kingdom Hearts), etc.. These are all composers that get a definite amount of love, but to me, there's one Square Composer I believe doesn't get enough love, and that's my personal favorite Square composer: Kenji Ito.

 

So back when SaGa (Final Fantasy Legend in America) came out on the Gameboy, Nobuo Uematsu was the composer for it. In the second game, Kenji Ito came in as a secondary composer. It's hard to really tell when songs Uematsu composed and the songs Ito composed are since their level of quality is so similar, so I'll skip SaGa 2's music for a bit to move on to later games. SaGa 3 was done by a different composer as well, so it doesn't really matter. Starting with the 4th game however, Romancing SaGa, all the way until SaGa Frontier, when Hamauzu would take up the mantle for SaGa Frontier 2 and Unlimited Saga, Kenji Ito would be the main composer for the SaGa franchise, and he when even continue to be after Unlimited Saga.

 

Point is, I need to point out some of Ito's best tracks, and some recent ones, because I love them to death, and I'd heavily reccomend checking out his stuff afterwards:

Romancing SaGa - The Conflict

Romancing SaGa 3 - Harid's Theme

SaGa Frontier - Battle 4

SaGa Frontier - Koorong

SaGa Frontier - Hey! FUSE

SaGa SCARLET GRACE - Charge In! ~ Leonard's Battle Theme

SaGa SCARLET GRACE - In Full Bloom ~ Urpina's Theme

SaGa SCARLET GRACE - Victory!

 

So yeah, I have too much respect for this composer.

[Cukeman]

The original Gex. I got it on Windows CD-ROM and it played great (AVGN played it on 3DO and they seemed to have control issues). The first couple stages are kinda bland and uninteresting but it starts getting neat later on.

[The Satellite]

Underappreciated game: Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for the N64.

Underappreciated OST: See above.

[Koh]

Megami Tensei 2 on Famicom.  Listen to some of these tracks, how many channels are they using?

 

https://www.youtube....qWGp2WA&t=2708s

https://www.youtube....zqWGp2WA&t=383s

https://www.youtube....zqWGp2WA&t=725s

 

Sorcerian, NEC PC-8801, it's Yuzo Koshiro, need I say more?

https://www.youtube....h?v=gN93VFH-G0o

Edited by Koh, 08 July 2018 - 08:38 PM.

[Hergiswi]

Arcus Odyssey for the Genesis. Great game, but the music really sells it. There's a ton of variation and a lot of musical techniques/styles that you don't normally hear in older video game music. This particular track is slower and just beautiful, really.

 

[klop422]

Underappreciated game: Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for the N64.

Underappreciated OST: See above.

I watched ProJared play through the SNES game (I think the 64 version is the sequel), and a lot of that music was really good too. The game looked fine, though it seemed to have its issues.

[Koh]

Two games of the Bomberman series come to mind.  First, Pocket Bomberman.

 

 

I actually preferred this platformer gameplay style with Bomberman's arcade style gameplay, rather than the original topdown style.  It feels faster paced (the original top down ones have extremely slow starts), and the music is also really catchy.  The bosses are...overly easy though, pfft.

 

Next is Bomberman Quest

 

 

It's a great Zelda like game within Bomberman's universe, has great tunes, great gameplay and seems to be a generally overlooked GBC game.  

[klop422]

I just remembered all the old Lego Games.

Everyone knows Lego Island, but I mean Lego Racers (1 and 2), Lego Chess, Legoland, Lego Island 2.

Sure, Lego Racers and Lego Island 2 are not amazing, but they're pretty fun. Also, Lego Racers probably has the best soundtrack from a Lego Game.

Lego Chess just gives me nostalgia, but I've lost the disc.

Legoland is a really easy rollercoaster tycoon clone (if you know what you're doing), but again, it's pretty good, and the park inspector is possibly one of my favourite named Lego characters (not including licensed characters). Also, the main theme (and the only track that plays because they never coded in when the others should play) is really chill.

 

Also, Drome Racers and Bionicle: The Game for PC (both of which I still have to beat) are also good fun.

Need to try Lego Rock Raiders. I haven't played that in years, but it doesn't run on newer Windows systems (though I did find a patch online), and I was so young that I wasn't good enough to beat the timed levels.

Edited by klop422, 11 July 2018 - 09:39 AM.

[Cukeman]

Lego Racers 1 was cool, loved the idea of building your own kart with legos, then getting different stats out of the pieces and going at it on Mario Kart style tracks.