10 Best Underrated Action Games

by

After playing games for as long as I have, it’s just natural to not have every single detail of every game stuck in my head. I think a lot of gamers feel the same way – it’s hard to remember everything over the years, and that goes for the whole gaming community too.

When there’s a disconnect between what you remember about a game and what others recall, it creates a feeling of something being undervalued – a topic many enjoy discussing.

I’ve noticed a trend in the lists I create: over the past few years, I’ve been reflecting on all the games I’ve played and realizing how many fantastic titles I’d forgotten about.

I’ve put together a list of ten fantastic action games that you might not know about – they’re a bit hidden gems! I hope you’ll check it out and discover some new favorites.

10. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Failing to Transcend Memes

Everyone agrees that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is one of the greatest hack-and-slash games ever made, but it’s sadly been largely ignored by its own publisher, Konami.

While the internet—and especially memes—have kept it visible for ten years, calling it ‘forgotten by time’ might be a bit much. I’ll say it anyway, because despite its huge popularity, the company hasn’t seemed to capitalize on that success.

This game hasn’t gotten a sequel or been updated for newer consoles, meaning a whole new group of players is missing out on a truly memorable experience that many of us loved when it first came out.

This list focuses on overlooked games, so Raiden’s story will be the only one of its kind featured here. However, I also want to mention Metal Gear Rising as a fantastic game and encourage Konami to revisit it.

9. God Hand

Dynamic and for All Tastes

Whenever people discuss the game God Hand, it inevitably comes up as a truly underrated and unfairly overlooked gem. It’s a topic that always brings up feelings of disappointment about its lack of success.

Despite being created by the same team behind the acclaimed games Viewtiful Joe and Okami, this game’s unusual style didn’t appeal to everyone, and it unfortunately never achieved widespread popularity.

God Hand found its fans among players who prioritized unique ideas over stunning graphics. While notoriously challenging, the game offered a rewarding experience for those with the patience and skill to master its intricate combat system and camera controls.

I completely get why people overlooked God Hand, but when it comes to fast-paced, over-the-top action, it’s incredible. It’s perfect if you love games where you have to frantically press all the buttons to succeed.

8. Chaos Legion

Devil May Cry’s Lost Brother

Despite having incredibly simple level designs, Chaos Legion clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Devil May Cry, which explains why people often mistake one game for the other.

With its gothic style, fast-paced action, detailed animations, and dark story, this feels very similar to the original game. Whether that’s a good thing or not really depends on how much you enjoyed the previous installment.

I really enjoyed the original game, so finding something similar felt like a great gift. That’s how I’d describe Chaos Legion – it’s perfect for anyone who just wants non-stop action and stylish combat.

While the constant clear screen can be annoying, the thrill of battling hordes of enemies and summoning powerful, lore-accurate divine beasts to aid you is rewarding enough to overlook it.

A remake of Chaos Legion would be a fantastic choice, especially given how long it’s been since fans last saw a new Devil May Cry game. It feels like the perfect time to revisit this title.

7. Shadow Warrior

Blood to the Max

Games played from a first-person perspective that combine both shooting and close-quarters fighting are rare, and were even rarer when the excellent Shadow Warrior came out in 2013.

I’ve always found Flying Wild Hog to be an interesting studio because they consistently come up with unique ideas. However, they really raised the bar with the reboot of their game starring Lo Wang, creating incredibly over-the-top violence and gore that stood out even in a genre known for it.

While some long-time fans and players looking for depth weren’t overly impressed, and the follow-up games didn’t gain much more traction, this title is incredibly enjoyable if you just want to relax and have some mindless, katana-fueled mutant-slaying fun.

I think Shadow Warrior really set the stage for games I love, like Dying Light and Ghostrunner. I’m grateful to the series for both how good it is and for how much it impacted a specific type of fast-paced FPS game that hasn’t always been mainstream.

6. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

Pure Interactivity

If you’ve followed my blog, you know I’m a big fan of Arkane Studios. And like any true fan of the studio, I absolutely love Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

Although this game doesn’t share as much with the immersive sim style as other titles from the company, its unique gameplay is what truly sets it apart.

While the game features engaging RPG elements and lets you customize how you play, it’s the way you interact with enemies and the world around you that truly makes it stand out from other action games.

Many games look amazing but lack a satisfying feel, but Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is different. Its detailed interactive system makes you truly feel each hit and movement, delivering a powerful and immersive experience.

Even with everything going for it, this game and the series as a whole remain fairly unknown, and that hasn’t changed much over time. I still believe it will eventually gain wider recognition, so I’ll keep recommending it to people.

5. Quake 3 Arena

A Pioneer of FPS

I was a big fan of the Dreamcast for years, and playing so many of its games eventually led me to discover Quake III Arena.

I’ve played a lot of first-person shooter games, but I was especially hooked on id Software’s title. It was really hard to stop playing, always leading me to think, “just one more game.”

The project kept growing, initially estimated to take just a few minutes, but eventually stretching into hours. I got deeply involved in designing the levels and how things moved within them, plus the shooting felt really good once you finally learned how to use it – though it was definitely challenging to pick up.

Even though many people who grew up playing video games appreciate the original Quake III Arena, the series hasn’t received much attention lately. Later games haven’t measured up, and it’s no longer considered a leading first-person shooter like it once was.

Let’s be real, arena shooters just aren’t what they used to be, and every time someone tries to bring them back, it flops. I don’t think people necessarily hate Quake III Arena, but it’s definitely been caught in the crossfire. It’s like the market just moved on, and classic arena shooters are paying the price.

4. Ninja Gaiden Black

Pinnacle of Hack-and-Slash

Even though two new Ninja Gaiden games came out in 2025, Ninja Gaiden Black deserves a spot on this list. It was incredibly important when it was released, but it’s surprisingly rarely mentioned now.

Team Ninja’s action game stood out from its competitors in a peculiar way: despite how good or bad each new installment was, it consistently failed to attract a large player base.

Considering how challenging it was, it’s not really surprising that it didn’t become as popular as games like Devil May Cry or God of War. Still, I’m a little surprised, because for a long time, it was the defining game of its type and a consistently strong title.

PlatinumGames successfully reminded people about the Ninja Gaiden series, but unfortunately, that hasn’t led many to actually play Ninja Gaiden Black. The game’s age and difficulty make it hard for new players to get into.

So, Koei Tecmo recently redid the second Ninja Gaiden game, which got me thinking. That leaves us with two possibilities: either they’ll remake Ninja Gaiden Black next, or that classic game will just be left in the past. Honestly, I’m really hoping they go for the remake – I’d love to see Black get a fresh coat of paint!

3. GunZ: The Duel

It Ran So Fortnite Could Walk

Although not widely known in North America and Europe, GunZ: The Duel became incredibly popular in Asia and Latin America, establishing itself as a highly regarded and influential multiplayer game of the 2000s.

Originally, the game started as an online shooter with fast-paced movement inspired by Devil May Cry 2 and shooting similar to Max Payne. However, incredibly skilled Korean players developed a unique and challenging style of play—known as “K-Style”—that ultimately laid the groundwork for the popular game Fortnite.

Subscribe to the newsletter for hidden game gems

Discover more forgotten action classics and underappreciated gaming gems — subscribe to the newsletter for curated recommendations, deep dives, and picks that help you find outstanding titles you’ve likely missed.

Subscribe to the newsletter for hidden game gems

Discover more forgotten action classics and underappreciated gaming gems — subscribe to the newsletter for curated recommendations, deep dives, and picks that help you find outstanding titles you’ve likely missed.

When you sign up, you’ll get our newsletter and marketing emails, and you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can stop receiving emails at any time.

The gameplay evolved beyond simple hallway shooting. Players engaged in fast-paced aerial battles, quickly switching weapons, and seamlessly combining gunplay with close-quarters combat. The level of precision required was so high that today’s top snipers would struggle to compete against players from that era.

K-Style was as important to the game GunZ as building is to Fortnite, but while Fortnite thrived, K-Style faded away with the rise of games that are constantly updated. Though hugely popular internationally at the time, it’s now mostly remembered as a pioneering competitive scene before esports became mainstream.

2. Max Payne

Remedy’s Forgotten Son

Remedy Entertainment has established itself as a leading video game developer, creating many popular and well-regarded game franchises. These games are all connected, existing within a shared universe known as the Remedy Connected Universe.

Among the many works discussed, Max Payne stands out. While it has a strong legacy and continues to influence other games, the original title hasn’t been readily available for over twenty years.

The statement doesn’t mention Max Payne 3 since it’s unrelated, but it’s still significant. It highlights that Take-Two owns the rights to the Max Payne franchise, which is why Remedy Entertainment is no longer involved with the series.

Most people are familiar with the games Alan Wake and Control, but fewer remember the impact of Sam Lake’s initial creative work, and it hasn’t really been updated or changed since its original release.

Once a groundbreaking title, Max Payne is a must-play for fans of third-person shooters. However, the genre as a whole isn’t as popular as it used to be and is starting to fade from players’ memories.

1. Vanquish

Your Favorite TPS’s Favorite TPS

I wouldn’t call Vanquish a better shooter than Max Payne, but it’s remarkably underrated. It’s shocking that such a great action game isn’t more widely remembered or appreciated.

PlatinumGames consistently creates excellent, self-contained games, but rarely revisits them. This is especially frustrating with this particular title, given how few games of this type are being made lately.

Vanquish has the potential to become incredibly popular with gamers, especially if it gets another chance. Its unique combination of fast movement, time-bending abilities, challenging bosses, and diverse weapons is a guaranteed success – it’s a formula that’s almost certain to work again.

The story is pretty predictable – even more so than some typical Hollywood plots – but I’ve seen worse stories win awards, so it’s hard to say if that’s the biggest problem. The game suffered from a major oversight that really held it back, to the point where even the people who made it don’t like to talk about it anymore.

Despite that, believing in Vanquish takes courage, and I wasn’t raised to be a coward. I’m confident SEGA will eventually recognize the game’s value and give it another chance, but until then, I’ll keep passionately trying to convince everyone I meet to play it, which probably makes me seem a little crazy.

Read More

2025-12-27 20:43