20 Most Criminally Underrated Video Games Of All Time

18. Alpha Protocol

A lot of people went into Alpha Protocol with an FPS mindset, and come out shaking their heads and grumbling disapprovingly. But that was their own fault - Obsidian Entertainment is not Infinity Ward, and to expect a tight, polished shooter was a mistake to begin with. Ok, in fairness we need to point quite a bit of the blame at the marketing and pre-release hype-mongering which painted a picture of a razor-sharp RPG-shooter hybrid. Alpha Protocol should have been promoted more for its espionage and narrative direction than its action element, because while it was a second rate shooter Obsidian more than made up for it with brilliant storytelling. Top quality spy fiction with a cast of believable characters to interact with, Alpha Protocol earned big points for the way the player felt genuinely directly involved with the way the story unfolded. A clever dialogue system made for interesting conversations even though you were guiding the mood more than the specific wording, and the character customization options made each play-through seem unique. Overlook the dodgy AI and questionable shooter mechanic, and you've got an under-the-radar winner.