15 Most Criminally Underrated Video Game Franchises Of All Time

9. The Witcher

Where to start? The Witcher 2

Yes, The Witcher 3 is certainly incredibly well regarded, but did you know your Aaxi from your Lubberkins before Wild Hunt? Of course not.

Despite CD Projekt RED's second outing being one of the most ambitious titles in history (a decision you make locks off an entire second half of the game, prompting replayability to see what you missed), there was something perhaps too demanding about Assassin's of Kings' combat, or too deliberately paced about its story that prevented the game from fully catching on.

Or it could be that it launched a few months before Skyrim. Otherwise known as The Only RPG Anyone Was Talking About At The Time. Maybe that.

As for the original, it's actually far more appreciable in light of where CDPR would go. You've got a mostly linear, ambitious RPG that blossomed into having larger areas and more detailed quests, only to then expand once again into one of the finest open-world games of all time, and especially of the current generation - all within a decade.

Of all the original instalments people make a point to experience with renewed knowledge of what they began, The Witcher should be right up there with the best of them.