9. Dark Souls
Of course Dark Souls can barely be referred to as a 'hidden gem' any more, being that in the lull between the two console generations this has emerged to be 'that game' you always heard so much about, yet never actually gave any time to. For a select fanatical few who stood by the wayside while the rest of caught up and justly shouted "How in the name of Alan Partridge's fashion sense do I beat Ornstein and Smough!?", they justifiably got to laugh in our faces, knowing all along the futility of our efforts and the lessons they've learned along the way through the incredibly unforgiving nature of the game. Don't let that put you off though, as although Dark Souls has recently become something closer to a 'must-play' title, there are still those that are put off by its reputation of instant-death and rage-quit Youtube videos. The truth is for the vast majority of your playtime the game is incredibly fair, and in challenging everything you think you know about how to play an action-RPG a seamless beauty presents itself. The ebb and flow of grinding up certain levels just to afford a new sword with which to batter a certain boss becomes a rewarding affair of genuine progression, simultaneously questioning your entire relationship with the gaming medium whilst offering new and incredibly diverse ways to tackle any scenario the game can throw at you. That being said, duel-bosses Ornstein and Smough are genuinely spawned from the shaft of Satan himself though, and Lord help you getting through that fight without resorting to lamping a cat in the closest proximity.