Games

Ogre Battle 64 is mine. The n64 wasn't exactly known for rpgs but this had so many characters, a ton of depth and an intense story that I wish it was brought up more. This was my intro to a tactical rpgs and I felt like I went right into the deep end.

N2O on Playstation. Trippy tunnel game, crazy colors and lights, music by Crystal Method. My LSD taking teen self will never forget.

Guardian Heores for the Sega Saturn. Absolutely loved that game.

I've got two.

• 999. It's an escape room visual novel from late in the DS's life cycle. I can't talk about it much without spoiling it, but it absolutely blew me away when I played it. I can't recommend it enough if you're a fan of mystery and psychological thrillers. There was a remake released on Steam, and the community is divided on which version is better; I personally strongly recommend it on DS emulator/original hardware, with a spoiler-free guide to the good ending after your first blind playthrough.
• OneShot. It's very much in the vein of Undertale, but the initial release was slightly earlier. It isn't quite as tight with its writing as Undertale, but the story evoked some genuine emotions in a way that games rarely manage. As much hype as the latter got, it surprised me that the former is so obscure.

Golden sun and its sequel on GBA

Snowboard Kids 2 for the N64. One of my top 3 favorite Mario Karts.

My favourite games are NoX, Morrowind and Populous the beginning. Only Morrowind is still really talked about, sadly.

A free student game called "Nitronic Rush", and then "Distance" when the devs were able to expand it into a bigger game

Basically you drive a car with rockets and shit all around it (and also it can jump and fly, because of course it can), so you can boost yourself forward but also control your pitch and roll and stuff and press yourself down as well, and you have to race on tracks filled with buzzsaws, lasers, etc. while also using those rockets to flip your car around and jump to roads that are sideways or upside-down. It takes some getting used to, but once you have the hang of it it feels so good to be dodging obstacles and doing what feels like a cross between car parkour and air acrobatics

...I still have such fond memories of practicing the hardest tracks of Nitronic Rush over and over until I knew every twist and turn by heart, but nobody ever seems to have heard of it, or Distance for that matter

Favorite obscure game?
Panther for Commodore 64 - The music is awesome!

Rez for Dreamcast/PS2 - not everyone talks about this game but the audience is a lot larger now than it was back when it came out for the Dreamcast and PS2 now that Rez Infinite is available in almost every current platform including the PSVR2.

I would’ve also said Another World (aka Out of this World) for the PC and SNES. But this game is also not-too-obscure like Rez. There are articles about it & the creation, re-released in almost every platform including the PS Vita, spiritual successors, copycats, and so on.

Let's see what I can come up with (and see if I can remember the names correctly!):

• NES: Back in the day, it was probably River City Ransom. Growing up, it was a game my brother and I loved to play... but no one ever knew what we were talking about at the time. Now the Kunio games are a bit more known, and with River City Girls 1/2 they're getting attention, which is great.
• Gameboy: Avenging Spirits. When I was younger, a friend and I loaned each other a bunch of our games. Sadly, he ended up moving away before we managed to swap back, and he got the better end of the deal when it came to the games. However, I did get left with a copy of Avenging Spirits... the game is a bit strange but its very fun and the sprite work is just adorable.
• SNES: Dragon View. It has great sprite work and a very (at the time) cool looking 3D overworld you can stumble around in... Solid gameplay and some RPG elements make it a nice little gem of a game.
• GBA: River City Ransom EX. Same deal as the NES version. I worked at Toys R Us around this time, and I think I'm the only person who purchased this game from the store...
• PS1: Brave Fencer Musashi. Someone else already mentioned Einhander, so I'll go with my other go-to PS1 gem from Squaresoft.
• Saturn: Guardian Heroes. While I bought the console for X-men vs Street Fighter, I go it with a handful of games on the cheap at EB Games: Magic Knight Rayearth, some crappy 2D Dragon Ball Z game, X-men vs Street Fighter (and a 4in1 cart of course!) and Guardian Heroes. Its such a well made beat-em-up that really doesn't get a lot of love because most folks never played any Saturn games.
• PS2: Way of the Samurai. Maybe not super unknown, but definitely a niche game back when it released in the US I think.
• Dreamcast: Cannon Spike. I bought my DC for Capcom games (and SoulCalibur), and this is one of the many gems on that console that never really pops up in discussions. I bought it on the sole merit that Charlie/Nash was in it, but it was wacky and engaging enough to warrant a place in my heart.
• XB360: Tenchu Z. I loved Tenchu back on the PS1/PS2, but this was probably the one that most folks didn't touch... it was a bit weird but a friend and I played the hell out of it on many a weekend back in the day.

Any other console I either didn't own (Genesis, Gamegear, PS3, etc) or just couldn't think of anything that really stood out as a hidden gem (PSP, PSV) or are more current and also don't really have anything that ranks (PS4, PS5).

Anyone remember "War of the Monsters" on the PS2? Such a fun monster mash single-screen multiplayer game.

It’s hardly ever mentioned in general gaming communities but I have to give a shout out to Squad. Probably my favorite multiplayer shooter ever. The best moments in that game make you feel like you’re in a movie, and the teamwork/communication is unparalleled.