Summary
One of the best things about the PlayStation platform is that there are numerous obscure games that come from interesting developers. However, sometimes, games get lost in the rush, or are a little ahead of their time and don’t get the critical love they deserve.
Whether it’s indie games that never got the attention they deserved or underrated entries from storied franchises, there are plenty of underrated PlayStation games that require a critical reappraisal. This list is ranked both by the quality of the game and how badly the critics got it wrong.
JapanStudio was one of the most legendary studios around in the PlayStation staple. Many were looking forward toThe Last Guardiancontinuing on the stellar work ofShadow of the ColossusandICO.Still, after years of delays and threats of turning into vaporware, when the game did release in 2016, it didn’t create quite the splash expected.
While the game is outdated for 2016 and was clearly designed for a PS3 release, not PS4, it’s still got all the goodness that made JapanStudio’s work amazing.For a peaceful, thoughtful, and emotional adventurethrough a ruined world,The Last Guardianticks all the boxes.
Sometimes, games just don’t release at the right time, and they just never get the love they needed. That was the case withHeavenly Sword, a brilliant Hack and Slash game that, though a little outdated even for 2007, is remembered fondly by those who played it.
Unfortunately, it was direct competition forGod of Warat the time, the flagship Hack and Slash PlayStation game. That meantHeavenly Swordhad to beat tricky comparisons, and it never got out from underneathGod of War’sshadow, which is a shame, as it’s an all-timer with a memorable world and central protagonist.
As the 2010s began, the age of downloadable games had begun. Just ten years earlier, it was almost unthinkable that digital download games would ever beat disc sales, but with the boom of indie games, many studios saw the opportunity to release a smaller project with less overheads, getting more experimental, and betting on a breakout hit.
Unfortunately, in the flux of the early 2010s downloadable game rush, many games got left on the sidelines and were completely forgotten because they weren’t perceived as good enough. The same fate awaitedPuppeteer,a delightful and inventive platformer that did everything right, but it was just the wrong game at the wrong time, and never got the credit it deserved.
Many consider the jump from the PS3 to the PS4 the last great generational leap considering graphical jumps have become ever more incremental as of late. That meant that when the PS4 was gearing up for release, all eyes were onKillzone: Shadow Fall, one of the premier launch titles that showed off truly stunning graphical fidelity for the time.
Come launch, it landed a bit like a damp squib. In the mainstream gaming world,Killzonewas never a massive property, and the soft launch ofShadow Fallalongside critical panning killed the franchise ever since. It’s a shame, because it clearly shows Guerrilla’s fantastic world design and technical skills, and the game still holds up great today. It may not be the best game ever made, but it deserves far more than it got, andsome fans are begging for a revival.
Everyone remembers the firstTwisted Metalgame, and maybe some of the sequels that came out soon afterwards, but, being honest, almost nobody talks about the 2012 soft reboot that tried to bring the franchise to the forefront and make it a flagship franchise in PlayStation’s arsenal.
Unfortunately, that never happened. It’s a shame, especially considering the new TV show that has prompted new interest in the franchise, but the 2012 version of the death-dealing racer never got its due despite a great pulpy horror story and suitably brutal gameplay, even if it wasone of the best games in the franchise.
The late 1990s/early 2000s were a goldmine for J-horror. Not only were J-horror some of the most popular horror movies around, but there was a massive influx of J-horror-inflected games during this period, influenced by the likes ofJu-On, all of which were really scary.
Sirenwas no different. Yet another Japan Studio game (seeing a pattern here) that never quite got its due and was overshadowed by the likes ofSilent HillandResident Evil. However, this game recently dropped on PlayStation Plus, and it’s getting the critical reappraisal that it has sorely deserved for some time as one of the best J-horror games of the era.
If you aim for the King, you better not miss. At one time, some companies thought it might be possible to take down the indomitable power ofSuper Smash Bros.and make their own arena arcade fighters with their own IP, but none of them ever succeeded likeSmashdid, includingPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Although it was essentially a clone of a Smash game (though lives were intrinsically tied to finishers inAll-Stars,which was an interesting choice),PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royaledelivered on the goods, providing a really fun entry into the franchise that even tried to tell a compelling story. It didn’t get off the ground outside of the hardcore, but it speaks to a time when PlayStation was getting more experimental with its IP, andsome believe it should be revived sooner rather than later.
The story ofThe Order: 1886is one of the most tragic in recent memory. Originally slated as a PS4 release title,The Order: 1886was pushed back and fans were excited for a graphically beautiful dive into alternate history London fighting werewolves and all sort of other creatures. It seemed like a no-fail situation.
The problem was thatThe Order: 1886pushed away the gaming world too much in its pursuit of a cinematic game. The low framerate, cropped aspect ratio, and focus on cutscenes over gameplay were unfashionable even when it released and it was critically panned. However, playing the game and meeting it on its own terms is absolutely fascinating.It’s almost a masterpiecewith a fascinating world and some truly brilliant set pieces that make it a perfect candidate to be reappraised.
