• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Hidden gems

  • Thread starter Deleted member 194470
  • Start date
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
25,559 (6.47/day)
One of my favs fits in here;
Army Men RTS
It's simple and the story line is on the cheesy side, but a charmingly fun title all the same. On sale right now as well!

There's also Tron 2.0, a great game sadly overlooked.
 

bug

Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
13,237 (4.06/day)
Processor Intel i5-12600k
Motherboard Asus H670 TUF
Cooling Arctic Freezer 34
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 G.Skill Ripjaws V
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 1060 SC
Storage 500GB Samsung 970 EVO, 500GB Samsung 850 EVO, 1TB Crucial MX300 and 2TB Crucial MX500
Display(s) Dell U3219Q + HP ZR24w
Case Raijintek Thetis
Audio Device(s) Audioquest Dragonfly Red :D
Power Supply Seasonic 620W M12
Mouse Logitech G502 Proteus Core
Keyboard G.Skill KM780R
Software Arch Linux + Win10
Joined
Jun 2, 2020
Messages
27 (0.02/day)
Location
Varna, Bulgaria
System Name Yes
Processor i7 10700K
Motherboard AORUS Z490 Elite AC
Cooling Liquid Freezer II 280 (top) + 2xNF-A14 (front) + BioniX F120 (rear)
Memory 2x16GB Trident Z 3600MHz CL17
Video Card(s) AORUS RX 6800 XT MASTER
Storage Crucial MX500 + WD Caviar Blue
Display(s) AORUS FI27Q-X@240Hz
Case Cougar Panzer-s
Audio Device(s) Altec Lansing VS 2521
Power Supply Corsair RM850x
Mouse Scimitar Elite + MM350 Champion
Keyboard K95 Platinum XT Cherry® MX Speed
Software Windows 10 Home (21H2)
Benchmark Scores Yes
One of the best of its kind: Painkiller (2004)

After that the game was almost abandoned and Painkiller 2 was never released.
 

bug

Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
13,237 (4.06/day)
Processor Intel i5-12600k
Motherboard Asus H670 TUF
Cooling Arctic Freezer 34
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 G.Skill Ripjaws V
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 1060 SC
Storage 500GB Samsung 970 EVO, 500GB Samsung 850 EVO, 1TB Crucial MX300 and 2TB Crucial MX500
Display(s) Dell U3219Q + HP ZR24w
Case Raijintek Thetis
Audio Device(s) Audioquest Dragonfly Red :D
Power Supply Seasonic 620W M12
Mouse Logitech G502 Proteus Core
Keyboard G.Skill KM780R
Software Arch Linux + Win10
One of the best of its kind: Painkiller (2004)

After that the game was almost abandoned and Painkiller 2 was never released.
I think that one received an expansion at some point. It felt derivative to me, I didn't play it much.
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
1,374 (0.38/day)
Processor 3900X 4.425
Motherboard X570 Tomahawk
Cooling Galahad 360 push-pull
Memory 2x16gb Crucial Ballistix MAX 4400
Video Card(s) Asus Dual 3060 Ti OC
Storage Optane 280gb PCI-E
Display(s) PG348Q
Case Core X71
Audio Device(s) ATOLL DAC 100SE, Sony DN1070 - Dali Ikon 1 MK2, Presonus Studio 192, Line 6 POD HD rack, Audix VX10
Power Supply AX1500i
Mouse Pulsar Xlite wireless white
Keyboard Leopold FC980C 30g white
Software Win 10 Pro
One of the best of its kind: Painkiller (2004)

After that the game was almost abandoned and Painkiller 2 was never released.

I was big on PK for a while, it was a nice game. The original expansion was good, but the rest were complete garbage. It actually wasn't all that much of a hidden gem either. At once they replaced a year's Quake 3 with it for CPL. The story wasn't amazing, but the game was all about old school jumping and shooting anyway. It was kind of like what the aim based games today try to be.

Another company revised it bunch of years ago and released Hell & Damnation, original Painkiller on Unreal engine. It was ok, they did couple updates to it but it never managed to make as much noise as the original.

Shame that People Can Fly couldn't really come up with any other title I liked as much. Last they were even on the looter shooter generic train IIRC actually, when they teamed up with another dev...
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
855 (0.59/day)
System Name S.L.I + RTX research rig
Processor Ryzen 7 5800X 3D.
Motherboard MSI MEG ACE X570
Cooling Corsair H150i Cappellx
Memory Corsair Vengeance pro RGB 3200mhz 16Gbs
Video Card(s) 2x Dell RTX 2080 Ti in S.L.I
Storage Western digital Sata 6.0 SDD 500gb + fanxiang S660 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2
Display(s) HP X24i
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Power Supply EVGA G+1600watts
Mouse Corsair Scimitar
Keyboard Cosair K55 Pro RGB
What games do you think are hidden gems. i.e great games that many people do not know about or are undervalued.

I am always trying to find new games that are really good but may not be widely known. My hidden gems are star wars knights of old republic, empire earth, Capitalism II, supreme ruler 2020, Hacknet. Observation, Deadly premonition(although has terrible controls), no one lives forever, Indigo prophecy, bayonetta. Also supreme commander although this was a popular game its overshadowed by starcraft and I would say supreme commander is the best rts.

So post your hidden gems for pc or even consoles.
People may hate what I'm about to say, but Simcity Societies was a much easier game than Simcity 4.

It's really good game by it self, and not compared to Simcity it's like in between Simtown and Simcity.
Just really too bad about the buggy coding and crashing errors. Ironically this game, seem to run much better on the old FX series. My phenom II would always bog down to as low as 19 fps. The FX 8120 I had never dropped below 35 FPS. I think this is the only game I know of that benefited from shared resources on the FX chips. I think the game is only dual threaded too.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
1,248 (0.30/day)
System Name Gentoo64 /w Cold Coffee
Processor 9900K 5.2GHz @1.312v
Motherboard MXI APEX
Cooling Raystorm Pro + 1260mm Super Nova
Memory 2x16GB TridentZ 4000-14-14-28-2T @1.6v
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 LiquidX Barrow 3015MHz @1.1v
Storage 660P 1TB, 860 QVO 2TB
Display(s) LG C1 + Predator XB1 QHD
Case Open Benchtable V2
Audio Device(s) SB X-Fi
Power Supply MSI A1000G
Mouse G502
Keyboard G815
Software Gentoo/Windows 10
Benchmark Scores Always only ever very fast
Ultima 7
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2018
Messages
1,794 (0.81/day)
Location
Arizona
System Name Space Heater MKIV
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard ASRock B550 Taichi
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, 3x Noctua NF-A14s
Memory 2x32GB Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4-3600 C18 1.35V
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil (2150MHz, 240W PL)
Storage 2TB WD SN850X, 4x1TB Crucial MX500 (striped array), LG WH16NS40 BD-RE
Display(s) Dell S3422DWG (34" 3440x1440 144Hz)
Case Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
Audio Device(s) Edifier R1700BT, Samson SR850
Power Supply Corsair RM850x, CyberPower CST135XLU
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Glorious GMMK 2 96%
Software Windows 10 LTSC 2021, Linux Mint
People may hate what I'm about to say, but Simcity Societies was a much easier game than Simcity 4.
I have many fond memories of playing SCS back in the day.

When I was a kid, I played SC4 a lot. I didn't understand the simulation bits and would end up taking out maximum loans so I could just build. When I tried SCS, being able to just place buildings made the game more fun for me. Also, the fully 3D graphics were nice.

Maybe I'll revisit SCS at some point, but as I've gotten older, I find the simulation aspects much more appealing. Cities Skylines is my go-to city-builder at the moment, with SC4 being second.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
1,444 (0.71/day)
remeamber.jpg
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
6,880 (1.02/day)
Location
USA
System Name Computer of Theseus
Processor Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s) EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage 1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s) Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s) Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software Win 10 LTSC 21H2
Space Station Silicon Valley (N64) - open world platformer with robotic animals that can be controlled by the protagonist, very good sense of humor, game was developed by DMA Design, now called Rockstar North, and the development team was lead by Leslie Benzies of GTA fame.
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.42/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
This is really a personal favorite of mine. It has a dedicated following, but not wildly well-known. Anyone care to guess?

1.jpg
 
Last edited:

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
11,047 (2.66/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X up to 5.05GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter OC/UV
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer XV273K 4K120 + Lenovo L32p-30 4K60
Case Corsair 4000D Airflow White
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K

bug

Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
13,237 (4.06/day)
Processor Intel i5-12600k
Motherboard Asus H670 TUF
Cooling Arctic Freezer 34
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 G.Skill Ripjaws V
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 1060 SC
Storage 500GB Samsung 970 EVO, 500GB Samsung 850 EVO, 1TB Crucial MX300 and 2TB Crucial MX500
Display(s) Dell U3219Q + HP ZR24w
Case Raijintek Thetis
Audio Device(s) Audioquest Dragonfly Red :D
Power Supply Seasonic 620W M12
Mouse Logitech G502 Proteus Core
Keyboard G.Skill KM780R
Software Arch Linux + Win10

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
11,047 (2.66/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X up to 5.05GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter OC/UV
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer XV273K 4K120 + Lenovo L32p-30 4K60
Case Corsair 4000D Airflow White
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
Game is unique, Capcom made a mistake launching the game the same week as the Last Of Us, it buried the game.
I have The Last of Us on my shelf but I haven't even popped that into my PS3. Maybe some day. :laugh:
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.42/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
Top