Reappraised and Remembered

Poorly received or forgotten games that went on to see some form of second wind via their reappraisal by members of the gaming community.

Does that mean every game on this list is secretly really good? Not really, but it never hurts to give them a try.

It's important to note that I haven't played every game on this list, meaning that I'm likely to make mistakes and include games that ill-fitting. Let me know in the comments if that's the case, and I'll gladly rectify it.

Is there a game missing from this list that you think would fit? Leave a comment, I'll make sure to add it once I see it!

Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6
DmC: Devil May Cry
DmC: Devil May Cry
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill 4: The Room
God Hand
God Hand
NieR
NieR
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Drakengard 3
Drakengard 3
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Deadly Premonition
Deadly Premonition
Prey
Prey
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Rule of Rose
Rule of Rose
Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2
Shadows of the Damned
Shadows of the Damned
Stranglehold
Stranglehold
The Bouncer
The Bouncer
Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark Zero
Eternal Sonata
Eternal Sonata
Drakengard 2
Drakengard 2
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - Season 1
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - Season 1
I Am Setsuna
I Am Setsuna
Gungrave
Gungrave
Metal Gear Survive
Metal Gear Survive
Blue Dragon
Blue Dragon
Red Steel
Red Steel
Resonance of Fate
Resonance of Fate
Wet
Wet
The Suffering
The Suffering
Castlevania Judgment
Castlevania Judgment
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed
ReCore
ReCore
Zeno Clash
Zeno Clash
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Kuon
Kuon
Gungrave G.O.R.E
Gungrave G.O.R.E
The Last Remnant
The Last Remnant
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
Red Steel 2
Red Steel 2
Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Wanted: Dead
Wanted: Dead
Folklore
Folklore
Splatterhouse
Splatterhouse
Urban Reign
Urban Reign
Ninja Blade
Ninja Blade
P.N.03
P.N.03
Second Sight
Second Sight
Evergrace
Evergrace
Crystar
Crystar
Bullet Witch
Bullet Witch
Armored Core V
Armored Core V
Maken X
Maken X
WinBack: Covert Operations
WinBack: Covert Operations
Child of Eden
Child of Eden
Hard Corps: Uprising
Hard Corps: Uprising
Gungrave: Overdose
Gungrave: Overdose
The Void
The Void
Phantom Dust
Phantom Dust
Armored Core: Verdict Day
Armored Core: Verdict Day
Michigan: Report from Hell
Michigan: Report from Hell
Project: Snowblind
Project: Snowblind
Enchanted Arms
Enchanted Arms
Toukiden: Kiwami
Toukiden: Kiwami
Altered Beast
Altered Beast
Zeno Clash II
Zeno Clash II
Oninaki
Oninaki
Gundam Battle Assault 2
Gundam Battle Assault 2
Infinite Undiscovery
Infinite Undiscovery
Bujingai: The Forsaken City
Bujingai: The Forsaken City
Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day
Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day
Tear Ring Saga
Tear Ring Saga
Breakdown
Breakdown
Lost Sphear
Lost Sphear
Lost Dimension
Lost Dimension
Left Alive
Left Alive
Toukiden 2
Toukiden 2
Fuse
Fuse
Devil's Third
Devil's Third
Gunvalkyrie
Gunvalkyrie
Unlimited SaGa
Unlimited SaGa
Bodycount
Bodycount
Outcast
Outcast
Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity
Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity
Lifeline
Lifeline
Tear Ring Saga: Berwick Saga
Tear Ring Saga: Berwick Saga
Spy Fiction
Spy Fiction
Kartia: The Word of Fate
Kartia: The Word of Fate

8 Comments


8 months ago

Cool list! How is this phenomenon different from a "sleeper hit?" I have a couple in mind (like maybe Dragon's Dogma?) but I'm not sure I've entirely grokked the criteria.

8 months ago

@cowboyjosh

A sleeper hit is when something seemingly unpromising releases but it actually ends up being a well regarded hit. The difference with these games is that they were either lambasted or completely forgotten about on release, only to be rexamined sometime afterwards by other people in the community. Sometimes this results in games becoming cult classics and developing quite a following of their own (Kane & Lynch 2, NieR Gestalt, Deadly Premoniton) but a good amount of games that fall into this list haven't quite seen that same degree praise. In fact, most of these games are still despised by a large majority of the community, with only small subsets of people really vouching for them. My main goal with this list is to help people discover more games like this, and maybe they'll find one they really like!
Here a few suggestions, I just don't know if they would fit your criteria.
You have the redemption stories like final fantasy XIV, no man's sky and cyberpunk 2077. Pretty sure fallout 76 had decent playerbase a few years after launch.

And some others to consider:
- Final fantasy XV
- Call of duty infinite warfare (mainly due to its campaign)
I can't grammar to save my life
one of the best lists on the site. banger ass games

3 months ago

This comment was deleted

3 months ago

@pronounspronouns

thank u bestie <3
Good list. I've only played exactly one game here and its NieR and can confirm, definitely a banger


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