1. Alpha Protocol (XBOX360/PC)
Let me start off by saying, "yes, I know Alpha Protocol had a lot of bugs and lacked the polish of many Triple A RPGs." Let me follow up on that by saying, "bite me." Alpha Protocol got the shit end of the stick in a lot of ways. Immediately upon being released,this modern day spy story/action RPG was hounded by reviewers from multiple reputable sources. Several publications tore it down as being flimsy, weak, poorly designed, or anything else that would just sound like a crappy game. Sure a 6/10 might not be bad for an indie game or the first major title for a new developer, but this was Obsidian's brain child. It was supposed to be a shoe in for 9/10 slots and RPG of the Year awards across the board. So, if it sucked so hard, why is it at the top of the list for being underrated? Well, mystery solved, it actually was an amazing game. Alpha Protocol may have started off a bit rough, but beyond the rough patches was one of the best RPGs made. Players could truly choose how they wanted to progress through the game. Everything from combat style, to morality, to interaction with side characters could be written exactly as you wanted it. I played through the game 5 times, and I still never experienced the same story twice. Why? Because the players actions dictated how the game played out. Since the game's story is based on a spy, players spend a substantial amount of time interacting with different contacts around the world. How you choose to interact with each character affects their opinion of you, and how the level plays out. You can choose to ally, alienate, or kill pretty much anyone you wish, which then affects the story accordingly. And I don't mean the game might then allow you to see a different cinematic at the end. I mean that your conversations may allow you to choose if an NPC becomes a level boss or a future friend. Players also had several styles of play to choose from. Since the game is an action shooter at its heart, you could take the old run and gun approach to levels. Or, if you wanted to be a bit more respectful of the idea of sentient life, you could get through many levels without any combat at all, or at least very little. And the skill system allowed stealthy players to still be combat effective when thing went sideways, with a series of hide and seek based combat abilities such as being able to pop out and instantly fire 4 pre aimed shots, as long as you are using a pistol. Alpha Protocol was exactly the direction RPGs should be moving, but its lack of polish made many shortsighted reviewers dismiss it, and prevented many gamers from getting too deeply involved. In essence,it's the definition of being underrated. It had everything you could want from a game, but it was put in a crappy package that turned people off.