Metal Storm (NES)

If a cover like this doesn't look great to you, you need to have your head examined!

For those of you looking for a great retro game that you've never played, check out Metal Storm.  The game is really pretty basic: You are a walking armored mech and you have 2 abilities, shooting and jumping.  The really great thing about this game though is that if you hold up while jumping, you reverse gravity and you can walk along the ceiling.  

It may sound like a flimsy gimmick but this game was developed by the same people who made R-Type (IREM) and the mechanic is exceptionally well integrated into the game play.  The production values of this game are surprisingly great as well.  The explosions are animated really well and make you feel a little better about blowing up.  Considering that there's a fairly good chance this is ALREADY on your computer in some NES romset you downloaded, it shouldn't be too much effort to give this game a shot.

Xenogears (PSX)

Like Brave Fencer Musashi, Xenogears was released in the Final Fantasy 7/8 era during which Squaresoft somehow figured out a way to manufacture one outstanding game after another so fast that a lot of people missed quite a few of them. Xenogears is longer than Final Fantasy 7 and 8 but had a completely different hand-drawn look to it.













In the battles on foot, the characters were well-animated sprites but they could also board customizable mechs to battle in. This game really has everything you could want from an RPG: cool characters (some of which are morally ambiguous), complex epic plot that deals with dark parts of human psychology, awesome vehicles, and challenging battles.










There are a few hiccups in the design though, one is that the mech battles are pretty repetitive and the bosses you fight in the mechs feel like you are slowly degenerating (since you're running out of fuel) and you have no idea when they'll finally die. I definitely respect this game a lot more than Final Fantasy 8, and most people who have played it consider it one of the best RPGs of all time.













^this chick's pretty cute (gotta love redheads)

Brave Fencer Musashi (PSX)

This game actually sold pretty well immediately after its release (because it was bundled with a Final Fantasy 8 demo) but quickly was forgotten by everyone besides devoted Squaresoft fans. It was no legend of Zelda, but it had a lot of similarities despite its much lighter, manga inspired aesthetic. The time of day changed in real time. There was a central village that everyone lived in, but all of the villagers have been kidnapped. As you rescue them one-by-one they return to the village, giving you access to more dialogue, buildings, and stores.













Musashi can do all kind of cool sword combos (including air combos) and there were a lot of tricky platforming sections to this game. The bosses were incredibly well designed and really looked amazing for the time.














If you're not convinced that this game is worth checking out yet, there's one more thing: You can copy enemy abilities! I always find this mechanic to be really fun (kirby and megaman are also awesome) but in brave fencer Musashi you do it by throwing your sword into them and sucking their power out with magic. Doesn't get much better than that.

Brazil

I really think Brazil is my favorite movie of all time. I have no idea how you can manage to combine such an awesome dystopian world with large amounts of fantasy and such interesting characters and still constantly surprise the viewer with unexpected events and visuals.











I really can't even begin to express what a clever parody this movie is of society and despite having quite a few laughs, you end up kind of disturbed by the fact that it's a little too familiar. Even after watching the movie a few times, I was still picking up things I may have missed the first time through. (like the fact that somehow every day is christmas)














This movie's kind of confusing so if you've seen it and you didn't like it, do yourself a favor and watch it again. I realize that's not a big selling point but this movie's one that's worth the effort.

Silhouette Mirage (PSX)

Silhouette Mirage is another Treasure game (as promised) for the PS1. It was also released on the Saturn, but thanks to Working Design's love of good games, they brought it to the US market on the Playstation and translated it themselves. You play as a girl who has the ability to fire one colored shot while facing one way and another while facing the other way. You can shoot opponents of the opposite color and reflect the bullets that are the same color. Being a gameplay fusion of Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga (and being developed by the same people) really can't be a losing formula.













Despite US gamer's constant complaints about amazing games never coming to the US (Radiant Silvergun, Front Mission 5, Tobal 2) Silhouette Mirage didn't get that warm of a welcome. It seems that gamers are content to gripe about what they didn't got while overlooking the amazing games that are right under their noses.













With many people getting into downloadable 2d arcade games on the 360 and PS3 that cost about the same amount, it really doesn't make sense to pass up this great game which you can get used for $15 or less on amazon (and would probably sell for $70+ if it was never brought stateside)

Pikmin 2 (Gamecube)

I really have no idea why Pikmin 2 never became more popular. When I first went to buy this game it had been out for a long time but was still retailing at $44.99 When I asked why it was still so much, I was told that the game had been discontinued so the price wasn't being changed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Maybe because the first game was too short and limited for the early adopters and the rest of the crowd thought it was another "kiddy" Nintendo game. The second Pikmin expands dramatically on the first one adding not only two more types of Pikmin, but also underground caves where you have to conserve Pikmin and a bunch of really fun 2 player modes. As for the people who don't like "kiddy" games, I would like to know why they value a generic "mature" aesthetic over innovative and well crafted gameplay because those priorities seem like they should be re-evaluated.

This game has a great, funny plot, lots of gameplay that challenges your problem soving skills, and a fulfilling sense of accomplishment that you feel when you do a ton of stuff in one day through multitasking with the other main character (who you can switch to on the fly.) This game has all of the subtle touches that make a game exceptional. Even after you've beaten the game, it's really fun to go back and replay to see how few days you can collect all of the treasure in. This is another game that everyone should pick up for their Wii if they missed it last generation.

La Cité des enfants perdus (City of Lost Children)

Most people who are into international or subtitled movies have probably already seen this but I still feel that it's an underrated movie. The art direction and concepts are so great that no one should miss out on it.










If you like good art direction, I think you'll especially enjoy this movie's use of limited color palettes. The plot is also really cool and deals with Missing children who are being experimented on in what looks like an an offshore oil platform. The setting is very dystopian and a lot of children fend for themselves. This movie's easy to find so don't miss it.