10 Best Underrated Action Games

When you've been playing video games for so many years, it's natural not to remember them all exactly, and this applies to both individuals and the community as a whole.

However, when a gap forms between these two groups, where you have vivid memories of a game that others don't, that sensitive phenomenon of undervaluation, which we love to talk about, occurs.

Many of the lists I compile have this characteristic because, during the last couple of years, I've made an effort to evaluate my gaming history, which has led me to see the amount of incredible titles that have been relegated to the background.

Therefore, to continue recommending remarkable experiences you probably haven't played due to their obscure status, I invite you to read this list of the ten best action games forgotten by time.

Failing to Transcend Memes

While no one doubts Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is among the best hack-and-slash games in history, it's also difficult to deny it's been forgotten by the most undesirable option: Konami.

Its presence on the internet through memes has kept it relevant for a decade, so I admit “forgotten by time” is an exaggeration, one I'll nevertheless allow myself because that immeasurable success hasn't been matched by the company's attention.

Not only because it lacks sequels, but also because it hasn't been ported to next-gen consoles, which has prevented an entire generation of gamers from enjoying an outstanding masterpiece that left a lasting impression on many of us back in the day.

This list goes beyond the specifics of an IP that has been neglected by its owners, so Raiden's adventure will be the only one of this style here, but I'm taking the opportunity to include Metal Gear Rising just to acknowledge its quality and send a message to Konami that they should bring it back into the spotlight.

9 God Hand

Dynamic and for All Tastes

Now, getting into the subject of complete and utter oblivion, everyone who has ever played God Hand is destined to talk about it as an unjust failure.

Coming from the same incredibly talented studio that made Viewtiful Joe and the magnificent Okami, the mixed reviews and lack of acceptance for its bizarre style were too great, so it never really broke through to the mainstream.

God Hand was relegated to receiving adoration from those of us who didn't care about graphics and valued strange concepts, even if that included an extremely difficult gameplay experience you could only enjoy if you had extreme patience and the motor skills to exploit its wonderful but complex combat (and camera).

Every fiber of my being perfectly understands why God Hand was forgotten, but when it comes to unbridled action, it's phenomenal, especially if you're like me and go crazy for games that force you to mash every button for a chance to win.

8 Chaos Legion

Devil May Cry's Lost Brother

If you can overlook what has to be one of the flattest level designs ever conceived, Chaos Legion is a title so heavily influenced by Devil May Cry that I understand why people confuse them.

The gothic aesthetic, the hack-and-slash combat, the animations and movements, the edgy story... It's practically a replica, which can be positive or negative depending on how much of a follower you are of Capcom's prodigal son.

In my case, I was quite a fan, so any similar alternative was a blessing, which is exactly how I would describe Chaos Legion, because it satisfies my need for a game where literally all you do is fight and look cool while doing it.

I find it detestable to have a stage clear screen every few seconds, but fighting so many enemies simultaneously, summoning canonically correct divine beasts to help you in combat, is satisfying enough to make you forget about it.

Of all the games that could return through a remake, few would benefit as much as Chaos Legion, which may be more relevant than ever, considering how long it's been since Devil May Cry made an appearance.

7 Shadow Warrior

Blood to the Max

First-person games that rely not only on shooting but also on melee combat aren't particularly common, but they were even less so when the magnificent Shadow Warrior was released in 2013.

Flying Wild Hog has always struck me as an intriguing developer because of the unusual nature of their proposals, though they truly outdid themselves in terms of spectacle with the reboot starring Lo Wang, delivering bloodbaths and gore that were truly exceptional within the genre.

Among franchise purists and players who crave more than just frenetic action, the title didn't quite achieve widespread recognition, and its sequels only slightly more. However, for those of us who enjoy switching off our brains for a while and decapitating mutants with a katana, this is pure bliss.

In a way, I feel Shadow Warrior paved the way for several of my favorite series, like Dying Light and Ghostrunner, so I owe the series a great deal not only for its quality but also for its significant influence on a subgenre of FPS games that has never been particularly popular.

6 Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

Pure Interactivity

Anyone who's read my blog before knows I'm a huge Arkane Studios fan, and every self-respecting fan of the developer is enamored with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

While it's not as heavily influenced by immersive sims as the rest of the company's games, it's precisely its distinct gameplay approach that makes it stand out in their catalog.

Its RPG elements allow for great dynamism and customizable gameplay, but it's the interaction with enemies and the environment that elevates this title beyond the average action game.

I've often seen games that look spectacular but don't feel like it, whereas Dark Messiah of Might and Magic manages to make you feel the sensations of every attack and movement thanks to its complex interactive system, creating a strong power fantasy.

Despite all this, both the IP and this particular installment are niche, and even the passage of so many years hasn't changed that. I have faith that, at some point, it will be recognized outside small circles, so I will continue to do my job of recommending it.

5 Quake 3 Arena

A Pioneer of FPS

Having spent many years with the Dreamcast before switching to another console, I had the opportunity to delve into almost its entire roster, which inevitably led me to discover Quake III Arena.

I've played all kinds of FPS games in my life, but I've practically never been as addicted to one as I was to id Software's game, which was incredibly difficult for me to put down, driven by the typical thought of “well, just one more match”.

That idea always stretched from potential minutes to hours, as I became increasingly involved with its complex level design and movement mechanics, paired with a gunplay that was as difficult to master as it was satisfying.

Despite this, and although everyone of a certain age recognizes Quake III Arena's value, the series has been completely overlooked. None of the subsequent installments managed to live up to it, and long gone are the days when it was considered one of the benchmarks of FPS games.

Arena shooters have become outdated, and every attempt to revive them has been futile. Perhaps this shows the market's rejection is not necessarily something against Quake III Arena specifically, but it is undeniable that it is among its victims.

4 Ninja Gaiden Black

Pinnacle of Hack-and-Slash

It's strange to say this as two new installments in the series were released in 2025, but given how relevant it was in its time and how little it's talked about today, it's impossible to make this list without Ninja Gaiden Black.

Unlike all the other hack-and-slash series that emerged around that time, Team Ninja's creation produced a strange phenomenon: regardless of the quality of its releases, it never managed to reach a wider audience.

Given its tremendous difficulty, it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that it didn't achieve the popularity of Devil May Cry or God of War, but it still shocks me because it was the genre's main and most solid icon for quite some time.

PlatinumGames did a great job of bringing the series back into the spotlight, though the impact hasn't been enough to motivate people to enjoy Ninja Gaiden Black, as its inaccessibility and age haven't gone unnoticed.

Given Koei Tecmo remade its sequel, this puts us in a situation where either Ninja Gaiden Black is next, or it's completely buried, and I sincerely hope the former is the correct prediction.

3 GunZ: The Duel

It Ran So Fortnite Could Walk

Despite its lack of popularity in North America and Europe, GunZ: The Duel caused a sensation in Asia and Latin America, easily positioning it as one of the most recognized, beloved, and important multiplayer games of the 2000s.

What began as an online third-person shooter with movement mechanics reminiscent of Devil May Cry 2 and shooting mechanics similar to Max Payne became the precursor to Fortnite, thanks to the insane skill ceiling imposed by the Korean players who invented the so-called K-Style.

It was no longer just about shooting in corridors; it was about aerial duels with lightning-fast weapon swaps, melee attacks between shots, and aiming so precise that even today's best snipers wouldn't stand a chance in the lobbies of the time.

K-Style is to GunZ what construction is to Fortnite, but unlike the latter, the former perished in the vast sea of ​​the games-as-a-service boom. It was an international phenomenon, though today it is just a memoir of the first non-eSport eSport in history.

2 Max Payne

Remedy's Forgotten Son

Over the years, Remedy Entertainment has become one of the most prominent developers in the video game industry, boasting numerous amazing IPs under its name, all brought together under one roof: the Remedy Connected Universe.

However, one of the participants in this content cosmos is the aforementioned Max Payne, whose presence is considerable in terms of connections but practically nonexistent in terms of its current presence, having been out of print for over two decades.

This statement certainly omits Max Payne 3's existence because it has no connection whatsoever, but it remains important because it reminds us that Take-Two owns the IP rights, which explains why Remedy has been sidelined from its firstborn.

Beyond the reasons, everyone knows Alan Wake or Control, but few properly remember the immeasurable phenomenon that was Sam Lake's original work, much less considering it has remained stuck in time with no possibility of evolving.

It was once a phenomenon, and anyone who likes TPS games is obliged to know and play Max Payne, but the genre itself is currently in decline, deeply falling behind in players' collective memory.

1 Vanquish

Your Favorite TPS's Favorite TPS

While I wouldn't dare say Vanquish is a better third-person shooter than Max Payne, I will dare to champion it as the game with the greatest quality-to-forgetfulness ratio, because it seems utterly inhumane that this gem of an action shooter isn't even in the Library of Alexandria.

PlatinumGames is quite adept at releasing standalone titles that are among the best in their genre and then never touching them again for one reason or another, but this one in particular pains me precisely because of the genre's downfall in the last couple of years.

Vanquish could easily win over an entire generation of gamers if given the chance, because combining those movement and time-manipulation mechanics with its bosses and variety of weapons is a winning formula that's physically impossible to fail twice.

I know its story is a cliché worse than anything Hollywood has ever produced, but I've seen worse narratives nominated for Game of the Year, so I don't know if that's enough. The game fell victim to a collective oversight that limited its success, so much so that no one, not even its owners or creators, mentions it even by mistake.

Even so, faith in Vanquish is for the brave, and my mother didn't birth a coward. I believe SEGA will one day open its eyes and dust off the sarcophagus in which this precious mummy lies, although in the meantime, I'll have to continue looking like a madman every time I stop a stranger on the street to explain why they should play it.