Games people and/or critics were too hard on.

[Ihateregistering1]

So, for whatever reason, I suddenly got an urge a few days ago to replay ID Software's "Rage". I downloaded the Scorcher DLC and have been playing it over the last few days, and I'm having an absolute blast with the game. Great shooting action, graphics are still phenomenal, tricking out your car is fun, and just generally good atmosphere.

I bring this up because I remember when the game came out that a lot of people dismissed it as being mediocre, uninspired, and just generally not all that good. I get that it isn't a game-changer, and I understand that anytime ID Software makes a game everyone expects it to be the next "Doom' or "Quake", but to me it feels like people were being unjustly harsh to the game.

What about you? What games did you think were awesome but critics or other gamers were harsh to?

 

[tippy2k2]

Can I cheat and just repost what I said in a similar thread?

No? Well too late! HA HA! Take THAT society!

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Do.....do I dare say it? The game that shall not be named, lest the anger and brimstone of Ze Escapist falls upon me like death via words?

...oh God....forgive me Father for what I am about to do....

*Sigh...

Dragon Age 2

Yup, THE Dragon Age 2. The game that seems to be the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened to anyone at any point. The game that, even more than two years later, seems to be the reason why everyone hates The Escapist reviews and is proof positive that The Escapist is being paid off by EA, Big Publishers everywhere, and Satan himself.

But I'll go ahead and say it:

Dragon Age 2 is a good game. Now, I certainly agree that it's not a 5/5 (though I 100% disagree that people should be blasting Greg Tito for that review; his review and his opinion are perfectly valid) but it's a very good game. The bad guys and the moral gray that they explore is very compelling. The battle system, while VERY different from Dragon Age Origins is good. The good guys are all relatively interesting with their own reasons and motivations for why they do what they do.

Yeah, the repeated environments sucked but that alone does not make this the worst game ever. The game itself is great. I feel like it's a huge shame that the fact that it changed so much from Dragon Age Origins matters more to some people than the game itself. Look past the name and you'll find yourself a great game.

 

[Strain42]

Well I don't really remember if critics and such were super hard on this game, but I do know it got a fair amount of negative backlash...

Crash of the Titans.

I mean sure, it wasn't the super classic Crash Bandicoot we all know and love from the PS1 era days, and I admit I would have rather had a more classic Crash game than one that focused so heavily on the Titan riding mechanics, but compared to the past several years of Crash games, I really enjoyed Crash of the Titans, and I was hoping to see a lot more come out of it.

Also, I LOVED the new versions of all the characters. It had great voice actors who really breathed new life into these characters. Maybe this isn't the best compliment for a game, but I almost wanted the CotT versions of the Crash Team to get their own TV show.

I'm sure if I really thought harder about it I could come up with something else, but off the top of my head, Crash of the Titans really stands out to me.

 

[Zhukov]

Yup, THE Dragon Age 2. The game that seems to be the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened to anyone at any point. The game that, even more than two years later, seems to be the reason why everyone hates The Escapist reviews and is proof positive that The Escapist is being paid off by EA, Big Publishers everywhere, and Satan himself.

Seconded.

To be sure, the game had some great, big, throbbing flaws, but I thought it was alright overall.

I enjoyed it about as much as I did Origins.

 

[The Madman]

Neverwinter Nights 2

Not so much a thing now since the games fairly old at this point and opinions have mellowed out with time, but when it was newer there were just so many negative comments from gamers and even to this day there are a lot of people who continue with that mindset. Shame because in quite a few ways I'd say it's better than the first game and is without a doubt something fans of pc rpg should pick up and enjoy. Mask of the Betrayer is the singleplayer highlight for the entire franchise and there are a whole slew of extremely high quality modules available as well which make it one of the best value games out there.

 

[krazykidd]

Alpha protocol. That game was just fun. Flawed but fun. Play how you want, with the weapons you want. Everything is valid, and decisions mattered. It was a better Deus Ex game than Deus Ex: human revolution.

Can I cheat and just repost what I said in a similar thread?

No? Well too late! HA HA! Take THAT society!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do.....do I dare say it? The game that shall not be named, lest the anger and brimstone of Ze Escapist falls upon me like death via words?

...oh God....forgive me Father for what I am about to do....

*Sigh...

Dragon Age 2

Yup, THE Dragon Age 2. The game that seems to be the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened to anyone at any point. The game that, even more than two years later, seems to be the reason why everyone hates The Escapist reviews and is proof positive that The Escapist is being paid off by EA, Big Publishers everywhere, and Satan himself.

But I'll go ahead and say it:

Dragon Age 2 is a good game. Now, I certainly agree that it's not a 5/5 (though I 100% disagree that people should be blasting Greg Tito for that review; his review and his opinion are perfectly valid) but it's a very good game. The bad guys and the moral gray that they explore is very compelling. The battle system, while VERY different from Dragon Age Origins is good. The good guys are all relatively interesting with their own reasons and motivations for why they do what they do.

Yeah, the repeated environments sucked but that alone does not make this the worst game ever. The game itself is great. I feel like it's a huge shame that the fact that it changed so much from Dragon Age Origins matters more to some people than the game itself. Look past the name and you'll find yourself a great game.

I to this day don't understand why people like DA2. Outside the combat ( which did become repetitive at some point), the game had 0 redeeming qualities. While i won't stop or complain abou people liking it, i just don't understand why.

 

[Evonisia]

Halo 3: ODST. No, seriously. I have said this before in a previous "picked on games" thread but here I am again beating the "you are all too mean drum".

I just feel the need to point out that the biggest reason for the hatred of ODST (amongst the fanbase) was that you didn't play as a SPARTAN. One, SPARTANs are not the immortal demi-gods Halo 3 would have you believe, and two, the health system is very similar to Halo: CE, y'know... da greatest game EVAR!

In fact the entire Halo series is frankly picked on too much. It's online community isn't friendly but the games themselves are not the scourge of the gaming world. Halo introduced shooters to consoles, and this apparently the worst thing to ever happen ever. I know keyboard and mouse is superior to controller but seriously? Saying "I hate this 'cause consoles own shooters now" is just elitist in the nicest terms.

Then we move onto 'generic'. What shooter released during the 6th Gen made Halo: CE and Halo 2 redundant? What shooter released during the latter 7th Gen made Halo: Reach redundant? Granted I know Halo 3 was nullified by it's refusal to change.

In fact I'm going to stop that rant now, 'cause this brings me back to ODST... ODST changed more than Halo 3 did. No, seriously. Play Halo 2 and then play Halo 3, not a lot has changed beyond removing some features like certain dual wielded guns and everything is slightly more streamlined. The story is presented almost identically to Halo 2 as well. Now play ODST, pseudo sandbox world, flashback based campaign, health system aping Halo: CE, tweaked HUD, emphasis on silenced based weapons, storytelling mostly through other characters and a silent protagonist who has to pick up the pieces. The soundtrack is even more notably different (most of Halo 3's tracks are just updated versions of tracks from Halo 1 and 2).

So yeah, ODST gets far too much hate considering how it clearly had more heart, effort and love put into it. It was also functional so don't say "the gameplay was shit" if you liked 3.

Additionally, Black Ops, hell Call of Duty in general. With the exception of Infinity Ward games from MW2 onwards, they are actually good examples of Modern Military Shooters. Genuine care and love put into their stories with mediocre but functional gameplay. Don't hate Call of Duty, hate the fact that it's the biggest game out there (or was until Ghosts).

 

[krazykidd]

Alpha protocol. That game was just fun. Flawed but fun. Play how you want, with the weapons you want. Everything is valid, and decisions mattered. It was a better Deus Ex game than Deus Ex: human revolution.

Can I cheat and just repost what I said in a similar thread?

No? Well too late! HA HA! Take THAT society!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do.....do I dare say it? The game that shall not be named, lest the anger and brimstone of Ze Escapist falls upon me like death via words?

...oh God....forgive me Father for what I am about to do....

*Sigh...

Dragon Age 2

Yup, THE Dragon Age 2. The game that seems to be the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened to anyone at any point. The game that, even more than two years later, seems to be the reason why everyone hates The Escapist reviews and is proof positive that The Escapist is being paid off by EA, Big Publishers everywhere, and Satan himself.

But I'll go ahead and say it:

Dragon Age 2 is a good game. Now, I certainly agree that it's not a 5/5 (though I 100% disagree that people should be blasting Greg Tito for that review; his review and his opinion are perfectly valid) but it's a very good game. The bad guys and the moral gray that they explore is very compelling. The battle system, while VERY different from Dragon Age Origins is good. The good guys are all relatively interesting with their own reasons and motivations for why they do what they do.

Yeah, the repeated environments sucked but that alone does not make this the worst game ever. The game itself is great. I feel like it's a huge shame that the fact that it changed so much from Dragon Age Origins matters more to some people than the game itself. Look past the name and you'll find yourself a great game.

I to this day don't understand why people like DA2. Outside the combat ( which did become repetitive at some point), the game had 0 redeeming qualities. While i won't stop or complain abou people liking it, i just don't understand why.

its called a opinion if people like dragon age 2 thats fine

Oh man you so witty! Like i said i won't stop or complain about someone liking it, i just don't understand why. You know usually people follow up opinions with reasonings behind them. So next time, if you would like to contribute to a discussion, instead of replying with some smartass, cookie-cutter remark, say something worth reading.

 

[LaSelaMelvins]

Perfect Dark Zero. It's utter bullshit to the eighth power compared to Perfect Dark, and a review that got me kicked off a site proved it, but it's not the singularity of suck so, so many say it is.

Now I'd like someone to delete my comment. I need to strangle myself and burn all copy of this goddamn game.

 

[Iwata]

Aliens Colonial Marines.

I don't know what it is with this game. A vast majority of people who say that this was utter shit are people who also freely admit they never actually played the game. I agree it's not a masterpiece it was hyped up to be, but it's actually pretty enjoyable. I picked it up during a steam sale and completed the campaign. It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be.

I came here to say just that.

Most of the people who bash the game never actually played it, because the bandwagon grew so big, that no one dared try it!

Well, I played it, and I really had a blast. I found none of the famous glitches and bugs that populate Youtube, the game was challenging enough for me (I started on Ultimate Badass, as I like to play games on harder difficulties), and the multiplayer especially is a hell of a lot of fun!

I think if they'd just released the game without the massive hype built up before release, it'd been better received. As it is, it is literally no worse than the Marine campaign in any AvP game.

 

[Frezzato]

Aliens Colonial Marines.

I don't know what it is with this game. A vast majority of people who say that this was utter shit are people who also freely admit they never actually played the game. I agree it's not a masterpiece it was hyped up to be, but it's actually pretty enjoyable. I picked it up during a steam sale and completed the campaign. It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be.

Are you a fan of the movies? And by 'fan' I mean do you own the Alien Quadrilogy in either DVD or Blu-ray format?

Just curious.

 

[Mikejames]

I'll defend ya Deadly Premonition. You and all your weird cornball hash.

(Your driving is still horrendous though)

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

God Hand is always a dependable example. Once the original scathing IGN review wafted away everybody gathered round the game and it became obvious it was actuall pretty darn good.

 

[LaSelaMelvins]

Actually, Sonic the Hedgehog has this reputation. Sonic 06 is shit, but it is so infamous that the reality no longer matches the myth. Same with Unleashed.

 

[Rolaoi]

Metroid Other M

I played it, understood what was going on pretty well, then I found out that the way I interpreted it was far off what most other people seem to have understood it as. I saw it as presenting Samus as a broken person; the people I've spoken to see it as some crime against women, and it never gets beyond that. There exists such a violent distaste for it that I've given up even trying to talk about it.

 

[njrk97]

Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts

It got way too of a harsh rap for simply being a banjo kazooie game that wasn't a 3D platformer. I grew up with the n64 banjo tooie was my most played game ever and initially when it came out i was there with a pitchfork aswell, then i actually brought the game and it was fun, it still had that rare charm and the gameplay was great.As jontron had stated it didn't need to be a banjo kazooie game and yes im still waiting for a true banjo threeie game (Which considering how M$ has rare on a leash and is giving them no freedom it is likely never to happen) but still it was a fun game and didn't deserve to be shot down (I really want to see a sequel to it)