Overrated Games

[finalark]

Alright, I'll say it. Half Life series. I don't at all understand the hype around it, I played it and it was just... average. I've certainly played better, but it's ranked among some of the best games in the world.

I'm gonna take this opportunity to explain why HL is a big deal.

Back in '98 when HL1 was released, it was revolutionary. At the time, having the game's story be told in real-time through interactions with an NPCs and the enviroment was a big deal. Not to mention that the idea of looking for weapons and ammo lying around, like, realistically and literally, was also a big deal. Mostly because when HL1 came out in FPS' guns still floated three feet off the ground and slowly rotated with a glow beneath them. Basically, at the time it came out, HL1 was the most realistic and immersive FPS ever.

Then the sequel came out and pretty much did all of that again, only bigger, better and with a super-fancy new physics engine that drove the game (this was a big deal back in '04). Sadly, this is also why these games haven't aged well IMO. The HL series has been ripped off and copied so many times that if you played other, newer FPS before it the games will come off as pretty average.

 

[Gravitirax]

I'm gonna take this opportunity to explain why HL is a big deal.

Back in '98 when HL1 was released, it was revolutionary. At the time, having the game's story be told in real-time through interactions with an NPCs and the enviroment was a big deal. Not to mention that the idea of looking for weapons and ammo lying around, like, realistically and literally, was also a big deal. Mostly because when HL1 came out in FPS' guns still floated three feet off the ground and slowly rotated with a glow beneath them. Basically, at the time it came out, HL1 was the most realistic and immersive FPS ever.

Then the sequel came out and pretty much did all of that again, only bigger, better and with a super-fancy new physics engine that drove the game (this was a big deal back in '04). Sadly, this is also why these games haven't aged well IMO. The HL series has been ripped off and copied so many times that if you played other, newer FPS before it the games will come off as pretty average.

Wow HL was 04? For some reason I've been thinking it was 08 or at least 06. In that case it actually is kind of impressive.

 

[Zuby]

• Ocarina of Time. If you rip the nostalgia away there's nothing to recommend it over The Wind Waker or Twilight Princess.
• Grand Theft Auto Everything.
• Warcraft III
• World of Warcraft

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Warcraft III is not overrated.

It's map creation was awesome, and a lot easier to figure out than Starcraft 2

Part of the reason I can never get INTO starcraft 2 is because it's so difficult to figure out how to do anything in the map editor

 

[LivewiresXe]

Oh yeah, WOW is something I never got near the appeal on. I feel like saying Skyrim's a bit overrated, though it IS still a good game.

 

[finalark]

The reason why WoW is so big is because when you get down to it, it's one of the best MMORPGs on the market. That being said, MMORPGs aren't' for everyone, so if the genre as a whole doesn't really appeal to you then WoW likely won't.

IMO WC3, as in the actual core game itself, is horribly underrated. Mostly because whenever I hear people talk about WC3 it's always "OMG CUSTUM GAMEZ" or "OMG DOTAH IS SO FSDHFJSDHFGH." Nobody ever talks about the campaign or, you know, the actual RTS that people seem to use as a creation tool rather than an RTS.

On that note, League of Legends. Maybe it's because I'm kinda resistant to the whole online multiplayer craze (to an extent, I admittedly have a soft spot for MMORPGs) but I just don't get LoL. I've just come to the conclusion that the MOBA genre just isn't for me.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

It's because the balance of the heroes.

I didn't like the addition of the heroes with turned all the focus into levelling you're hero faster than the opponent could his

Not to mention some of the heroes were really good while others were completely useless.

I didn't think the heroes made the game very fun

I prefer Warcraft 2 in specific aspects

 

[finalark]

It's because the balance of the heroes.

I didn't like the addition of the heroes with turned all the focus into levelling you're hero faster than the opponent could his

Not to mention some of the heroes were really good while others were completely useless.

I didn't think the heroes made the game very fun

I prefer Warcraft 2 in specific aspects

Actually, to be honest that's completely fair. In multiplayer I tended to lag behind my opponent's because I'd focus on making a working army rather than leveling my hero. This is probably why I prefer SC2's multiplayer more.

I guess I just like the campaign then, even if it didn't really teach you how to jungle to level your hero for multiplayer. Again, I'm not really big into multiplayer, so that's my take on it.

 

[Pass]

Considering the community I come from...

Skyrim.
The Last of Us.
OoT.

These are always described as the be all, end all games.

 

[SciCore]

Bioshock. The story was good, the atmosphere was awesome, but the gameplay itself wasn't as great in my opinion. The fact that you couldn't use plasmids and guns at the same time bugged me the most (luckily they changed that in 2 and Infinite).

 

[JoshCube2]

Final Fantasy VII. Call of Duty is starting to piss me off as well.

 

[HodgyDot]

The reason why WoW is so big is because when you get down to it, it's one of the best MMORPGs on the market. That being said, MMORPGs aren't' for everyone, so if the genre as a whole doesn't really appeal to you then WoW likely won't.

IMO WC3, as in the actual core game itself, is horribly underrated. Mostly because whenever I hear people talk about WC3 it's always "OMG CUSTUM GAMEZ" or "OMG DOTAH IS SO FSDHFJSDHFGH." Nobody ever talks about the campaign or, you know, the actual RTS that people seem to use as a creation tool rather than an RTS.

On that note, League of Legends. Maybe it's because I'm kinda resistant to the whole online multiplayer craze (to an extent, I admittedly have a soft spot for MMORPGs) but I just don't get LoL. I've just come to the conclusion that the MOBA genre just isn't for me.

WOAH, WC3 had a huge following with people like Grubby dominating the scene.

 

[LivewiresXe]

Final Fantasy VII. Call of Duty is starting to piss me off as well.

Gotta say, props on it taking you this long for COD to bug ya. You're a more tolerant man than I.

 

[Darkly Dreaming Dexter]

inb4 Call of Duty franchise

 

[pickle962]

Titanfall! Yeah its got robots to keep things fresh, but im honestly sick of all these FPS's coming out and game sites like the crackheads at "cant spell IGNorant with IGN" acting like its the second coming of Christ or in Adam Sessler of X-Play fame's case act like its sh*t don't smell then unfairly bash on a game like infamous second son for asinine reasons like it being repetitive or knocking sony for trying to keep the game spoiler free till release!

 

[JoshCube2]

Gotta say, props on it taking you this long for COD to bug ya. You're a more tolerant man than I.

Actually, when I meant starting, I meant the entire time it has came out.

 

[finalark]

When it comes to Call of Duty I didn't really mind the series in its early days (well, CoD2 at least, never played CoD1 and 3 was mediocre). IMO the series didn't start going down hill until Modern Warfare 2, when the series just started turning into $60 expansion packs for CoD4.

 

[JoshCube2]

But really, I'm so sick of people acting like Final Fantasy VII was "the best story ever". When I played the game, there wasn't one scene I cried on at all. Chrono Trigger is usually ranked higher than FF7 on some sites, and I agree on this since I cried 6 times on its storyline.

 

[finalark]

But really, I'm so sick of people acting like Final Fantasy VII was "the best story ever". When I played the game, there wasn't one scene I cried on at all. Chrono Trigger is usually ranked higher than FF7 on some sites, and I agree on this since I cried 6 times on its storyline.

I think VII's story needs some context here. Back '97, a protagonist who was a bit of a jackass, a gritty tone and a villain who the protagonist had a very personal relationship with was all very original at the time. Not to mention the game's mind-bender of a plot (which takes several playthroughs to fully grasp) and twists were, again, rather original back in '97. Sadly, FF7's plot has been ripped off and copied to the point where nothing is surprising about the original game anymore if you played anything that came after. It doesn't help that its fanboys tend the hype the game to ridiculous levels. Oh well, at least the game play has aged well.

On that note, I don't think it's fair to judge a narrative based on if it gets you to cry or not. For me, it's more about how much the story makes me think about the concepts and themes that it presents. Then again, I've only ever played one game that's gotten me to tear up (hell, I haven't even seen any movies or read any books that have gotten me to do that) so maybe I'm just biased.

 

[LivewiresXe]

I agree with the time context thing partly with the time context thing. However, I do feel much of it was "OMG, graphics!" at the time, because even then I remember thinking FFVI and Chrono Trigger were better. Plus, as much flak as it gets, I've ALWAYS, since it's been out, preferred FFVIII over FFVII.

 

[Minato]

FFVII. For a game that consisted heavily on a character's memories not falling in line with reality, it does a great job on doing the same to those that played it lol

I really do like FFVII (but I like VI just as much if not more). The game gets a lot of hate for being loved so much which sort of bugs me.
VII definitely set FF toward its downfall though, imo. As much as I really like VIII, you can really start to see it.

As far as crying, FF isn't really that kind of series. VII had its sad moments (3 for me), but that's it. I'm with finalark on this one.
I don't think games need to make people cry, but rather get people really involved into a scene. MGS4 microwave hall is a good example.

I'd say VI has more sad scenes than VII tbh.

 

[JoshCube2]

I think VII's story needs some context here. Back '97, a protagonist who was a bit of a *******, a gritty tone and a villain who the protagonist had a very personal relationship with was all very original at the time. Not to mention the game's mind-bender of a plot (which takes several playthroughs to fully grasp) and twists were, again, rather original back in '97. Sadly, FF7's plot has been ripped off and copied to the point where nothing is surprising about the original game anymore if you played anything that came after. It doesn't help that its fanboys tend the hype the game to ridiculous levels. Oh well, at least the game play has aged well.

On that note, I don't think it's fair to judge a narrative based on if it gets you to cry or not. For me, it's more about how much the story makes me think about the concepts and themes that it presents. Then again, I've only ever played one game that's gotten me to tear up (hell, I haven't even seen any movies or read any books that have gotten me to do that) so maybe I'm just biased.

I think that emotional scenes are important with a game, because it makes a person feel more bonded to it. I was so emotionally wrecked after playing Chrono Trigger that it was very hard to convince myself to play through it again. FFVII's storyline was good, but the fan boys were pissing off a lot of people, because they were slandering Nintendo based on that one game. Now days, "fanboyism" has died out, and possibly due to Smash Bros. allowing Snake in, and acknowledging his game on the PS4.

 

[DaDavid]

Emotional significance is important in a game, sure, but that doesn't translate to "did it make me cry?" It's really really weird to think that sadness is the only emotion a game can make one feel, and if that is the only one it's making you feel, it's probably not doing everything right.

I do prefer Chrono Trigger to FFVII for a number of reasons, but the fact that one was sadder than the other isn't really a factor. Chrono, to me, was just better written in general, and I enjoyed the mechanics more.

 

[Naoshi]

I don't think any game should be considered "overrated" just because they're loved the most. I feel it's kind of wrong because I think everyone is entitled to liking whichever they want to like the most.

I'm not much of a Zelda fan, but I do understand why OoT gets so much praise. It was pretty innovative for its time wasn't it? Also, it seems to have one of the better pacing of the 3D Zeldas since it was the only one I've even bothered completing so far. I think it was a pretty great game, and I've only beaten the 3DS version. (I probably would've beaten Wind Waker by now but my save file is gone... )

I think the only games I'd consider "overrated" are just games that has a very sensitive and loud fanbase that gets too touchy when it doesn't get GOTY awards... like with TLOU last year when Gamespot gave Zelda 3DS the GOTY award. But of course, with most games with this kind of fanbase, they do quiet down after a while. So I guess there isn't any game I find truly overrated.

 

[GunGunW]

Honestly, most JRPG's are just kind of bland to me.

 

[LivewiresXe]

Honestly, most JRPG's are just kind of bland to me.

I don't think the genre overall is bland, but I do admit that there was a period where I was turned off of them because they seemed the same to me at first glance.

 

[Deleted member]

I don't think any game should be considered "overrated" just because they're loved the most.

This. Plus, on the subject of games such as Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time, I've seen just as many people either calling them overrated or outright HATING them as people who praise them like the second coming. Maybe FFVII and OoT were overrated when they were new, but now, there are so many FFIV/FFVI/FFVIII/FFIX/Chrono fans and LttP/MM/WW/TP fans beating them to death, they lost their overrated status in my opinion. I could say the same opposite about Majora's Mask and its underrated status.


EDIT: I should be more clear on my opinion on MM. I'm sure it was underrated when it was new, but now, there are so many people who worship the game, it lost that status. It's still a good game, though.

 

[finalark]

I could say the same about Majora's Mask and its underrated status.

Oh man, I remember way back when MM was unpopular or just flat-out skipped over. These days it's hailed as the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel.

But I will agree that FF7 really isn't overrated anymore. These days I see more hater than I do people who love the game to death.

 

[CoolPalMitch]

Really, when I think of games I find overrated, the two games that come to mind immediately are Yoshi's Island and Link to the Past. Yoshi's Island was overall just painfully average for me when I played through it. The only aspect of the game I really enjoyed was the boss fights. However, I absolutely do not see the appeal of Link to the Past. Aside from its soundtrack, which is pretty rad imo, there is nothing that game does that any subsequent 2D Zelda didn't do better. Link Between Worlds is pretty good, though. Play that instead.

 

[Minato]

Oh man, I remember way back when MM was unpopular or just flat-out skipped over. These days it's hailed as the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel.

Definitely, it's so weird now. I love MM but it's like the hipster thing to like now. It's one of my top Zeldas, but the dungeons are still pretty weak. That and some of the tasks you need to do to reach a dungeon get kind of boring at times. Everything dealing with Clocktown itself is pretty awesome though.

 

[Eight Melodies]

A Link to the Past. I've tried playing through the game several times but I always lose interest a little over halfway through. I just do not find it to be very engaging. I did love A Link Between Worlds though.

 

[Naoshi]

This. Plus, on the subject of games such as Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time, I've seen just as many people either calling them overrated or outright HATING them as people who praise them like the second coming. Maybe FFVII and OoT were overrated when they were new, but now, there are so many FFIV/FFVI/FFVIII/FFIX/Chrono fans and LttP/MM/WW/TP fans beating them to death, they lost their overrated status in my opinion. I could say the same opposite about Majora's Mask and its underrated status.


EDIT: I should be more clear on my opinion on MM. I'm sure it was underrated when it was new, but now, there are so many people who worship the game, it lost that status. It's still a good game, though.

Exactly, even when just any discussions of OoT or FF7 (or heck now Half Life, although I still see that one getting tons of praise thankfully) gets brought up, you'll be sure to find a lot of the posts calling them overrated without bothering to actually contribute to the discussion.

(Disclaimer: My experience mostly stems from reading NeoGAF threads.)

 

[DatKarpTho]

I apologize If I made you mad EarthCrash, 'Tis just my opinion.

 

[Eight Melodies]

I apologize If I made you mad EarthCrash, 'Tis just my opinion.

I know 6 different forms of martial arts so don't be sayin' nothin' that might make me less than happy brah

 

[DatKarpTho]

I know 6 different forms of martial arts so don't be sayin' nothin' that might make me less than happy brah

K. I know splash attack, brah. Don't be picking a fight with this 'karp.

 

[Gameboi834]

• The Last of Us
• Skyrim
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Any AAA FPS (specifically Battlefield)

I can whole-heartedly agree with all of these. TLoU has its bright points (Clickers are great when it comes to enemy design), but is overall a cliche mess of overratedness.
Skyrim is a huge mainstream cash grab and SA2 is not nearly as good as people seem to remember. And the FPS thing kind of goes without saying.

 

[NovaSmash]

league of legends

 

[LivewiresXe]

I get the feeling that oddly enough most of the Sonic Adventure 2 nostalgia comes from that awesome first level. Like, I'm sorry, but that instantly made you think "holy crap, this is amazing!".

 

[finalark]

I get the feeling that oddly enough most of the Sonic Adventure 2 nostalgia comes from that awesome first level. Like, I'm sorry, but that instantly made you think "holy crap, this is amazing!".

Let's be honest, ask 90% of people about Sonic Adventure 2 and nearly all of them will just talk about that first level. I strongly believe that most people won't remember anything past that.

 

[Deleted member]

I get the feeling that oddly enough most of the Sonic Adventure 2 nostalgia comes from that awesome first level. Like, I'm sorry, but that instantly made you think "holy crap, this is amazing!".

The Sonic and Shadow stages in general, while nowhere near perfection, are the best aspects of Sonic Adventure 2 in my opinion and are usually the only ones I come back to aside from the 2-player battle mode, which is still the best multiplayer mode in the series, and the Chao Garden. Take all of that away and there wouldn't be much of Sonic Adventure 2 worth playing.

Do I think Sonic Adventure 2 is a bad game? No.

Do I think there are better Sonic games out there? Yes. Even other 3D installments, specifically Colors and Generations.

Do I think people rely heavily on nostalgia when praising this game? Yes.