Most Overlooked Current Gen Games - Part Ten

Welcome to a very special edition of Most Overlooked! No, I don't mean "very special" like one of those "very special" episodes of Full House or Saved by the Bell. I mean, "very special" as in we've reached our tenth installment of the Most Overlooked Current Gen Games!

SPC has always been passionate about sharing those gaming gems that aren't your traditional million-selling, triple-A mega hits. Instead, the Most Overlooked series by its very nature looks at those games that don't get extravagant marketing campaigns, don't stay on the sales charts for prolonged periods of time, and don't get as much hype dedicated to them. Perhaps with this series of articles you'll discover a new game that piques your interest and preference.

This tenth edition features games from a wide range of different genres; We have a dungeon crawler, a fighting game, a JRPG, a platformer, and a point-and-click puzzler.

Before we continue our journey through the land of the Most Overlooked Current Gen Games, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the previous nine installments of this long-running series for your to peruse:

Current Gen - Part One
Current Gen - Part Two
Current Gen - Part Three
Current Gen - Part Four
Current Gen - Part Five
Current Gen - Part Six
Current Gen - Part Seven
Current Gen - Part Eight
Current Gen - Part Nine

Darksiders Genesis (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Our first game for this tenth edition of Most Overlooked Current Gen Games takes the familiar hack and slash, dungeon crawling gameplay of the Darksiders franchise and puts in a new, isometric perspective. Darksiders Genesis offers a Diablo-like dungeon crawler with Zelda-like puzzles and platforming challenges. The levels feature myriad secrets inside to encourage meticulous exploration and return trips, and the boss battles are absolutely intense and entertaining. Whether playing alone and switching between War and Strife on the fly, or playing co-operatively with another player with one as each Horseman, judgment will be brought down on your enemies. Darksiders Genesis was a pleasant surprise to start off the gaming year with when it launched on home consoles (the PC and Stadia versions launched late last year), and it's a shame it seems to have come and gone without much fanfare.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

With a history of less than morphinominal licensed games, it's easy to see why not many took to a fighting game based off of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Those who did, however, experienced one of the most fun and fluid team-based fighting games available, albeit not very content-rich. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid launched rather bare bones with a limited roster and very little single player content to speak of. Since launch, the roster's reached higher numbers with every fighting game archetype represented, a story mode based off of the Shattered Grid arc of the Boom! Studios-published comic was added, the presentation greatly improved, and the fighting itself has only gotten better. This 3 vs. 3 fighting game is a blast not just for fans of Power Rangers but also just those who desire a fighting game with deep mechanics and plenty of pluck.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (NSW)

Perhaps this next game is proof that it wasn't just the Wii U's failure that made the original Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE bomb at retail when it originally released on Nintendo's first HD system. Even with a second chance in the spotlight on a much more successful system (and that's understating the Switch's success in comparison to the Wii U), Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore didn't exactly follow in the footsteps sales-wise of other ports of Wii U games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, among others. That's okay, though, as the game has found its own following, and if you can stomach and tolerate the overdose of Otaku and idol influences, you'll get a challenging JRPG that has both style AND substance in grand abundance. This RPG is quite unlike anything else, not just on the Switch, but on any platform.

New Super Lucky's Tale (NSW)

3D platformers are in rather short supply on ALL systems this generation, and that stretches to the Switch as well. Nevertheless, owners of Nintendo's hybrid system received a rather remarkable addition to the genre from an unlikely place. Lucky's Tale was originally an Oculus Rift exclusive, and then, it was expanded to the Xbox One as Super Lucky's Tale. Late last year, the game arrived on the Nintendo Switch with added content, additional levels, and another word in its title with New Super Lucky's Tale.

Lucky himself is enjoyable to control, being able to burrow into soft surfaces to dodge hazards and enemy alike and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Levels are full of secrets to find and special pages to collect, whether they are in non-linear 3D, side-scrolling 2D, or auto runner form. Lucky's adventure doesn't wear out its welcome, nor does it overly frustrate. New Super Lucky's Tale delivers a charming and entertaining platforming adventure that didn't necessarily find an overly perceptive audience on the Switch. Particularly disappointing when you consider the longtime audience of Nintendo consoles.

Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy - Deluxe Edition (NSW)

Being real here, Level 5 has bungled a lot of its franchises over the years. What was once a strong Japanese developer currently faces challenges in getting attention to its various series, many of which have either been mismanaged, or worse, run right into the ground. Like many other Level 5 franchises, the Professor Layton series isn't as strong as it once was during the Nintendo DS days, but that doesn't stop Layton's daughter, Katrielle, from having her first puzzle-filled adventure in Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy from being a success, at least quality-wise.

The original game launched on the Nintendo 3DS as well as mobile devices, offering over 100 unique brain teasers sprinkled and scattered throughout the game's dozen chapters. Instead of one overarching mystery, Katrielle and her group of companions took on a different case each chapter. Regardless, whether it's because of franchise fatigue or a lack of Layton fans nowadays, not even a new protagonist could renew interest in the series. Whether Layton as a franchise can bounce back is almost as great a mystery as any featured in the games themselves!

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Making A List & Checking It Twice" Edition

Well, I'm making a VGM list (to make a modest correction), and I think I've checked it waaaaay more than just twice! Nevertheless, it's the first edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs of December, meaning the holiday preparations are underway! Hang up the mistletoe, decorate the tree with lights and ornaments, and start listening to some Christmas music to get yourself in the mood! Actually, instead of Christmas music (which you have the whole month to get around to and enjoy), how about some good, old video game music? That's what I'm stuffing in my readers' stockings this December all month long with SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs.

This first full work week of December sees us traveling to a quaint animal-filled village with Animal Crossing: Wild World. From there, the pace quickens and the action heats up with music from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and a related game, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. The only good thing that war is good for is that it brought us Battalion Wars 2, which has a song featured this week. Finally, we get cool and relaxed with a jam from Yoshi's Story.

For all past VGM volumes on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs' past editions, check out the VGM Database with this link. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1516. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - 7 AM

Ah, just in time for the relatively recent release of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp! Animal Crossing: Wild World came out around the time I first got seriously involved in online gaming. Even such a limited (even for the time) online infrastructure would amaze someone like me who hadn't any experience playing a video game online. Wild World holds a special nostalgic place in my gaming heart, as I played with online folks I had never met, yet we enjoyed the company of one another in our online towns. The music of the Animal Crossing series also brings many memories coming back, and certainly tugs on my nostalgia greatly.



v1517. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) - With Mila's Divine Protection

My first actual Fire Emblem game I've played through and beaten was the Nintendo 3DS's Fire Emblem: Awakening, which I imagine was a starting point for many other players outside of those who jumped in with the Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games. When I heard this theme within this past spring's Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, it sounded the memory bells. I knew this song. I heard it originally in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Hearing it remixed in an actual Fire Emblem game, and in the remake of the original Fire Emblem game it appeared in, was so satisfying to me as a listener.



v1518. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (Wii U) - Mid Boss Battle

There are a handful of Wii U games that need to make the jump over to the Nintendo Switch. There are obvious ones, but Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a late Wii U offering that released when the system was on its way out and most of the gaming world had its sights on the Switch. For those who gave this JRPG a try, however, they experienced a rewarding game that they would probably recommend to others. Unfortunately, the game's currently stuck on the Wii U. Perhaps a Switch port would give it a bigger audience? HINT! HINT!



v1519. Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) - Scorched Earth

Related to the Advance Wars series here in the West (and in Japan, even earlier than that with the Famicom Wars line of games), the Battalion Wars series forgoes the strategy RPG aspects of the Wars series for standard real time war gameplay, whether players assume the role of an infantryman, enter a vehicle like a tank, plane, or battleship. Battalion Wars 2 features similar gameplay to the GameCube original and expands on the types of missions included for an overall grander campaign. The symphonic score such as this piece played during the "Scorched Earth" mission highlights the exciting action on battlefields both big and small.



v1520. Yoshi's Story (N64) - Yo-Yo-Yoshi

Yoshi's Story's soundtrack features a lot of tunes that use the same melody to greater and lesser extents. This time around, the theme appears in limited quantities while the main star of the show is the "Yo-Yo-Yoshi" vocals popping up in this heavily funky tune. Yo-Yo-Yoshi is generally played in Yoshi's Story's cavern levels as Yoshi explores labyrinthine mazes searching for fruit to gobble up, preferably melons.

Most Overlooked Current Gen Games - Part Four

One of the longest running traditions of SuperPhillip Central is our Most Overlooked series of articles representing a wide range of video game platforms. The tradition continues with part four of our look at the most overlooked and/or underrated current generation games. This includes the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U. Now possessing six games instead of just the standard of five, this edition of Most Overlooked is the biggest yet!

To check out past parts, look no further than these three links:

Current Gen - Part One
Current Gen - Part Two
Current Gen - Part Three

Gravity Rush 2 (PS4)

It was a definite delight to even see a sequel to the once-PlayStation Vita exclusive Gravity Rush. (It's now also available on PS4 in port form, but good luck finding a physical copy for retail price for a North American copy.) Gravity Rush 2 brought a return of the awesome heroine Kat and her powers to manipulate the gravity around her to not only navigate the game's world but also to battle enemies. Gravity Rush's world was big for the Vita, and in the PS4 exclusive sequel, the world for Kat to explore was even bigger. Using gravity to fly around remains one of my favorite ways to travel in a game of this type. Nonetheless, Gravity Rush 2 had the unfortunate side effect of being released in an absolutely packed first month and first quarter of solid game releases. Gravity Rush 2 was lost in the sea of stupendous games. However, if you're able to track down a copy, then you'll find yourself getting a different type of lost-- lost in a charming and enjoyable gravity-bending adventure.

The Last Guardian (PS4)

Here we have another PlayStation 4 exclusive, but this one got caught up in a deluge of holiday releases that were much larger in hype and franchise stature. Still, for many fans of games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, a release by director Fumito Ueda and Team Ico is an event in and of itself. The Last Guardian featured a tumultuous and extended development cycle, originally starting on the PlayStation 3 almost a decade before its launch on the PlayStation 4. Players of The Last Guardian no doubt know the great qualities of the game, such as the endearing friendship between the main characters, a boy and his animal companion Trico, and the smart puzzles created to capitalize on the smart AI of Trico itself. Nevertheless, despite being a quality game, The Last Guardian failed to meet sales expectations held by Sony, with the game falling in price months after. Regardless of whether you pay full price, budget price, or any price in between, The Last Guardian is worth adding to your PS4 library.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (Wii U)

When the news of a Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem crossover project for the Wii U was announced, fans of either or both series were overjoyed and delighted in the possibilities of the type of game that would be made. A problem here, however, is that the project was announced way too far in advance, obviously to give current Wii U owners something to get excited about for the future of the seemingly future-less console. Regardless, what the final game ended up being was Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, a game that definitely didn't engage every type of gamer with its Japanese idol appearance and pop music presentation. Fortunately, those who didn't dismiss the game by judging a book by its cover were greeted with a tremendously deep and highly rewarding JRPG that could offer a serious challenge, even to veterans of the genre. Released late in the Wii U's life, it's no wonder that the game didn't fly off store shelves.

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

If there was any battle towards a current overlooked and underrated game that I'd gladly continue to fight in, it's the battle that Star Fox Zero is a great game. However, if you were put off by the atypical control schemes of games as seen on the Wii or even a more recent release like the Nintendo 3DS's Kid Icarus: Uprising, then there's sense to be found in why you might not enjoy the latest Star Fox game. At the same time, Star Fox Zero does things that aren't possible on any other system, such as the ability to have your ship pointed in one direction while aiming the Wii U GamePad at the side to pick off foes outside of your initial line of sight. The complication arises if you can't figure out when to ration time between the TV screen and the GamePad screen. For those that could, they'd find a fantastic game to aim for high scores on and intense dogfighting action.

Ittle Dew 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

Looking for a Zelda-like game after getting wrapped up in the world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Perhaps you're not a Switch or Wii U owner and want an alternative? Sure, Ludosity's Ittle Dew 2 obviously doesn't reach the same highs as The Legend of Zelda series's latest, but it does offer a fun overhead Zelda-like adventure that captures the spirit of the very first Zelda game on the NES. Ittle Dew 2 packs more humor and all the excitement of journeying across the world map, slaying enemies, entering dungeons, and solving clever puzzles. The game's eight initial dungeons can be played in any order, and there's a large array of hidden caves leading to treasure that is spread out all across the map. With Ittle Dew 2 you get a fiercely challenging, always humorous, and delightful action-adventure that isn't Zelda, but it is somewhat close in quality.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (PS4, PC)

While aquatic racing games aren't in fashion at the moment for the big publishers and their franchises (where's our Wave Race and Jet Moto, for instance?), smaller devs are filling the gap quite nicely. Developer Zordix has created a challenging take on the jet ski racer with all the goodies of the genre. Slalom races? Check. Realistic physics? Check. Competent AI to make races have a good amount of difficulty to them? Check. Enough races and locale types to keep things interesting? Check. I could go on, but in a nutshell, Aqua Moto Racing Utopia checks all of the boxes for a wonderful alternative to the kings of the genre on a shoestring budget. It won't replace your need for a new Wave Race or Jet Moto, but it will help curb your appetite for them.