Gaming Most Overrated Game

[Shinmaru]

I was bored, there's not much action in the Nintendo forum, and my Most Underrated Game thread was pretty successful, so I figured what the hell and decided to make this thread.

Almost as much as I enjoy reminiscing on games that didn't recieve their fair and just appreciation by the public (thus, the Most Underrated Game thread), I enjoy bashing games that I feel are vastly overrated. Whether I think they're slightly overrated (Star Fox - I've recieved a lot of flak for that), pretty overrated (Tekken - you all know it's true) or very overrated (Donkey Kong Country is and always will be one word - bleh), I enjoy dishing out my opinion on such matters. So, without further crap from me, I'll start things up.

For every great game that is released (and I play) there are at least ten other pieces of garbage that also get released (that I also unfortunately end up playing sometimes). And there are those games that, for whatever reason, seem to get a lot of attention and great reviews. Why is this? I don't know.

However, there's one game that stands out for me. And that game is Final Fantasy VIII. Nearly every gaming website and gaming magazine I've seen gave this game amazing reviews. Why, I have no idea. I came into the game with decent expectations. I expected a good RPG with a competent story and good gameplay...I got none of that. What I got was an RPG with uneven difficulty, a story described in one word (bleh), boring characters, overly powerful attacks, and tons more problems.

Now, I know what some people are thinking: "Shin, you've attacked FFVIII before. Can't you just leave well enough alone?" No. Because I don't like this game and I felt it was vastly overrated. What's worse, is that I feel this was the start of the decline for Final Fantasy. IX wasn't much better than VIII and, despite a great battle system, X didn't improve that much either. So, you can see why I'm not too fond of Final Fantasy VIII.

Well, that's enough of me ranting. Just had to get it out of my system.

[Gohan Egret]

Enter the Matrix. Buggy (NON-intentional for those of you who believe it "mimicked" the Matrix), crappy storyline (Ghost = lame; speaks ONCE or TWICE in Matrix 2), horrible controls (you see that car? Yeah, do not even expect to look forward to driving it), and not that great visuals (car scene looks like a N64 game).

But, it sold over a million copies in its first month out.

Overrated? I would think so.

;)

[Epitome]

Definatley Super Smash Bros. Melee. It was the same as the first one, with better graphics and that was it. It pretty much copied the first one for 64 and then added some new characters, items, and bonuses. They should have actually put a story line in this one so that you could actually be able to follow something. Thats my most overrated game.

[hiachi]

yes, they copied the original, and added new moves, new concepts on the game, (like exploration in nintendo-inspired courses) trophies, even cooler chars, since ones that have never fought before are the coolest (namely:Mr. Game&Watch), used the environments in ways never even thought of in the original, added many new Vs modes, like the special melee, and tourney mode (up to 64 people can compete), and you can keep track of all your data with the use of profiles....yes....thats just a copy, if copy means the same thing cept completely revamped....:-/

[Dan Rugh]

I don't care what anyone says, the Grand Theft Auto games are highly over-rated. And I've played them too, this is not just a jealous Nintendo fan venting on PS2's success. They might be kinda fun, but they're not as great as people say.

[I, Colossus]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hataki Vash [/i]
[B]Definatley Super Smash Bros. Melee. It was the same as the first one, with better graphics and that was it. It pretty much copied the first one for 64 and then added some new characters, items, and bonuses. They should have actually put a story line in this one so that you could actually be able to follow something. Thats my most overrated game. [/B][/QUOTE]

...

I know it's your opinion, and I'm not attacking you for having it. But there were MANY differences from the original SSB and Melee. There are the Event Matches, The Homerun thing, all the trophies. They stuck so much crap in the game my friend (who has had it since Febuary 2002) has yet to get every trophy.

Also, there isn't really supposed to be a story, it's just something meant for some fun multiplayer action. Like Mario Kart/Golf ect.

As for games [b]I[/b] think are over-rated, I'd have to go with Silent Hill 2. I know like...millions of people will disagree, but it just wasn't enjoyable for me. I'd take REII over it anyday.

[Guest Eclipse]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by hiachi [/i]
[B]yes, they copied the original, and added new moves, new concepts on the game, (like exploration in nintendo-inspired courses) trophies, even cooler chars, since ones that have never fought before are the coolest (namely:Mr. Game&Watch), used the environments in ways never even thought of in the original, added many new Vs modes, like the special melee, and tourney mode (up to 64 people can compete), and you can keep track of all your data with the use of profiles....yes....thats just a copy, if copy means the same thing cept completely revamped....:-/ [/B][/QUOTE]

Ha! And I thought I was the only one that felt that way. Well put.

[Shinmaru]

Very interesting choices so far (except for Enter the Matrix - that's a little [i]too[/i] obvious lol).

I'm surprised at the amount of hatred vented towards Smash Bros. Melee. I think it was much more than a simple update to Super Smash Bros. The trophies added a lot of replay value as did the different characters. Plus, Adventure Mode added a breath of fresh air to a single player mode that got stale pretty quickly. Plus, there's a lot more strategy to the game than people think.

[Magnum Apex]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=darkblue]Super Smash Bros. Melee is nothing but a mindlessly boring fighter at best, which only appeals because of its classic Nintendo characters. To say that it's one of the best games for the 'Cube, or at least a good game is a disgrace to good video games out there. It does have a lot of extras, but without a decent, enjoyable gameplay behind it, most of these aren't worth unlocking. When people even DARE to name this title as one the best fighters around, it makes me wonder what we've been feeding our children.

Oh, and Super Mario Sunshine. It's basically a Super Mario 64 clone, with a new "twist," and without the "fun."[/color][/font]

[Semjaza]

It does have decent enjoyable gameplay behind it. I find the problem is that people expect it to actually be a fighter. It's more of a random party battle game. It isn't meant to compete with Street Fighter and all of that. Considering your signature has an Akuma image in it, I'm going to guess you are thinking people put it in the same category. I'm sure some people do... I personally don't lol.

There are different types of fighting games. They're not all Tekken/VF4/Street Fighter-esque. SSB wasn't the first party battle game like that or anything, so there are more like it. Besides there are a surprising number of moves in the game, and other little tricks that I find most people just don't know about.

I'd probably agree with Super Mario Sunshine. I did manage to beat it, but after awhile it just got too repetitive. However, considering all the people who complain about it and the average reviews it got from quite a few places... I don't know how overrated it is.

When I think "overrated" I think of games that everyone loves that I just couldn't stand. Stuff like Star Fox Adventures doesn't count, because I really don't know many people that liked it (I sure didn't). SSBM would though, since it is so widely liked.

That's my opinion on the definition though, so it obviously doesn't mean much. Obviously, anything could really be "overrated" to someone else lol.

[James]

[color=#707875]I think that Super Mario Sunshine was underrated, if anything. If you play Super Mario 64 for ten minutes and then switch on SMS afterwards...you'll definitely see a very smoothe and logical evolution. Of course, a lot of Nintendo fans were expecting a reinvention of the wheel, which obviously didn't happen. And there's a sense that Miyamoto was not entirely satisfied with the game. Still, it's a good first effort from Mr. Koizumi.

As for SSBM...I don't know how this can be considered a "fighter". I agree with Tony on that point. The game is clearly a party game. But it definitely has layers of depth that can be explored. I'm personally not a huge fan of SSBM, but I don't really think it was overrated by the media or by gamers in general.

What else. Well, I think that Final Fantasy as a franchise is overrated. Big surprise there. lol

I should qualify that by saying that I think it's very overrated on OtakuBoards. I'm amazed that some people can adore a game like Kingdom Hearts, but hate games like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Yeah, I know they're different games. But Super Mario Sunshine in particular is the absolute epitome of play control -- I can't think of any game that handles more smoothly. Handling's not the only important thing...but anyway. lol

The only other really overrated game that I can think of would have to be Grand Theft Auto. Particularly GTAIII/VC.

I own both games and I do enjoy them. I tended to prefer GTAIII moreso than Vice City...but they're both essentially the same. And therein lies the problem. Vice City is really GTAIII with a few extras. It feels more like an expansion pack.

Of course, that's an exaggeration. It [i]is[/i] a seperate game. And it has a lot of differences. But when playing it...it's still like deja vu. You're playing GTAIII in a new skin. Yes, the freedom is great...and the vehicle physics are pretty good. And yeah, there are plenty of new things to try out (mostly related to new vehicles though). But fundamentally, the missions are still pretty similar to the previous game.

I'm unwilling to really fault the developer, because they only took a short time to make Vice City...and they did a great job in the time they had. [i]However[/i], some people act like GTAIII/VC are the most innovative games to ever be released. [/color]

[Shinmaru]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i]
[B]When I think "overrated" I think of games that everyone loves that I just couldn't stand. Stuff like Star Fox Adventures doesn't count, because I really don't know many people that liked it (I sure didn't). SSBM would though, since it is so widely liked.

That's my opinion on the definition though, so it obviously doesn't mean much. Obviously, anything could really be "overrated" to someone else lol. [/B][/QUOTE]

I pretty much agree with your definition of overrated; I really don't know how someone else can put it differently (but they try, God bless 'em lol). When I think "overrated" I think of things that other people like and the fact that I can't for the life of me figure out why. Games that are overrated, I just can't see what the big fuss is about. Either that, or I can't see why the games get high ratings.

There are some games that I thought were overrated that I still like. I felt that Majora's Mask was [i]slightly[/i] overrated but I still found it to be a very enjoyable game. You can still enjoy games that you think are overrated, in my opinion; just not as much as everyone else, heh.

[The Battosai]

It depends on your definition of overrated : Overscored by reviewers, or a bad game that sells very well.

[James]

[color=#707875]With most of these games, I think it's probably a little of both.

I think that GTA III onwards has been overrated, primarily by gamers themselves. If you look at the sales figures...well, there are plenty of games that should be selling that high, if quality alone sold games.

But that doesn't mean that these two games are actually bad games. I think they're quite good...they're just not [i]amazing[/i]. At least, not as amazing as their sales would suggest.[/color]

[The Battosai]

I agree 100% with your statement James. It seems ridiculous that they kinda took the same formula from GTA I and II, made it 3D with essentially no changes and BAM, instant hit. Rockstar is bathing themselves in profits.

[Guest The Penguin God]

The only problem about overrating games is that people care about innovation. Well, when everything was flat, everything was art. Therefore, innovation was easy in new games. But when you've gone 3D, not much else can change. It basically has to change the same...it's no longer a true art.
But, overrated games? Link to the Past, Breath of Fire 2, Final Fantasy 7(awesome game, but dfinitely not the best ever) Wind Waker, Final Fantasy X, the new Super Mario games, and, unfortunately, Megaman X 7. Even the bad reviews it's getting is overrating it, frankly.

[BigCajones]

[color=crimson]Well if this isn't just about Nintendo games I would have to say the only other game that comes to mind as being overrated that hasn't been stated already is Halo (I know there is loads more). Sure it's good and everything, but I don't think it's anything to get too hyped up about. I would hope to see a lot of improvements in Halo 2 which I hear there is. It was just too easy and I think the plot was way too basic. Main character hardly even speaks and was just a bit weird at times. Like a name for a level was something along the lines of 'I thought you were my daddy' which completely through me. The best feature is two player co-operative I really enjoy that, but I just don't think it's as good as sales show it off to be (Perfect Dark and Timesplitters 2 I think are excellent two-player fps). *Waits for criticism*... This goes to the GTA series as well, because they are quite good games but with too much build-up behind them.

Other games mentioned:
Enter the Matrix - Way overrated, just because it has the word Matrix in the title.
SSB:M - I don't reckon its overrated, its proven to me a much better/improved game to the original!
Final Fantasy series - is starting to get overrated but maybe it deserves the credit
Tekken series - I'm not a big fan of these types of fighting games but I don't reckon this is overrated. I think Soul Calibur 2 is pretty overrated.. For what? A secret character on each different console, wow! I've heard of people trying to get it on all three consoles, if you get it free then fine, but is it really that worth it??
Silent Hill 2 - I don't think its as good as the Resident Evil series and I found it a lot easier (5 hours, didn't die once :D), but I don't think it was rated that high anyhoo. Still a good game.
Majora's Mask - I feel that was a tad overrated after the success of the first Zelda on the N64
The other games I'm not sure on.

...I hope Mario Kart: Double Dash isn't overrated/overscored!...[/color]

[James]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BigCajones [/i]
[B][color=crimson]Well if this isn't just about Nintendo games I would have to say the only other game that comes to mind as being overrated that hasn't been stated already is Halo (I know there is loads more). Sure it's good and everything, but I don't think it's anything to get too hyped up about. I would hope to see a lot of improvements in Halo 2 which I hear there is. It was just too easy and I think the plot was way too basic. Main character hardly even speaks and was just a bit weird at times. Like a name for a level was something along the lines of 'I thought you were my daddy' which completely through me.

Silent Hill 2 - I don't think its as good as the Resident Evil series and I found it a lot easier (5 hours, didn't die once :D), but I don't think it was rated that high anyhoo. Still a good game.
[/color] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=#707875]I agree about Halo. I spent hours playing multiplayer a couple of weeks ago...and, I didn't see what all the fuss was about.

I mean, I would say that Halo is probably about as good as Medal of Honor Frontline or something like that. Many of the arenas seemed to be far too small...and some were poorly designed (a base at either end with a forest/desert in the middle...wow). And visually speaking...it was good, but not as amazing or groundbreaking as some have said. I don't know, I don't feel that Halo comes close to a game like Goldeneye, for example. Even on singleplayer.

As for SH2...I have to ask you, how hard did you put the fighting [i]and[/i] puzzles? On their hardest settings, SH2 is a tougher nut to crack than RE. This is primarily because RE doesn't rely on "puzzles" so much...it's usually a process of finding keys and using items, rather than solving riddles and whatnot.

Having said that, Resident Evil on GameCube probably has tougher physical combat than SH2, especially if you consider the Crimson Heads and so on.

Still, I find SH2 to be a far scarier game than Resident Evil. I've never come across a game as scary as the SH series. But does that translate to good gameplay? I don't know. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't.

Overall though, I think I prefer Silent Hill. It does keep some unwelcome gameplay conventions from the RE games...but it's pretty fresh and interesting, plot-wise and visually speaking.[/color]

[Shinmaru]

Really, I never enjoyed Resident Evil. I think games have to actually have some semblance of a control scheme for me to enjoy them (what? Good controls? Horrors!).

It's not like I haven't given the RE series a chance...I have and I've been stuck with the same crappy control scheme from the start. Capcom maintains that it "wouldn't be as scary if the game had Devil May Cry style controls." That's a load of bull. The only reason the game is scarier with its current controls is the realization that if you die because of the controls, you go back to your last save and have to repeat a bunch of crap that you just did.

Now [i]that's[/i] scary.

[Dragonballzman]

Well, this game isn't [i]extremely[/I] overrated, but it's still something I feel strongly about.

Soul Calibur 2.

Now, before you all start flaming me, I [I]do[/I] think it is a [I]great[/I] game, but I personally feel that all the gaming magazines (that I've read) are giving it too much credit.

All the GCN magazines I've read so far have had most of their review babble on about Link, leaving out all the other characters, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case with Heihachi and Spawn in other magazines. "Oh look it's Link wow he's got all his classic moves this is such an amazing game".

Also, all the gaming magazines are failing to realise how cheap some of the characters are. I completed weapon master mode with Link, using mostly the same moves. (-> -> +Vertical attack/Horizontal attack) Raphael is even worse. -> + Vertical attack, over and over again = almost guaranteed win. If they block, simply use a guard break, then carry on with the "Ch3apo-Strike-Of-Doom" Nightmare is another cheap character; for so much power, they should have made him [I]alot[/I] slower. Yet another person I can trash enemies with, while only using a few moves.

I'll admit that the ability to get new weapons [I]is[/I] interesting, do they really differ that much from one another? Oooh, more attack but less defence with this weapon. So original. It's got a whole 1 feature different from the weapon before it. Big wow.

It's also a button masher. Sure, not in weapon master mode, as you have to complete certain tasks in there that require skill, but get some friends to fight you, and they'll put up a good fight without even knowing the buttons, and that's a proven fact. As soon as I let them try their button mashing skills on a level I had previously done using certain moves, they got their asses kicked, even though they had beaten me a few times.

People are saying it's a revolution in the fighting genre. It's not, it's just Tekken with weapons. I'm not complaining, I personally love the Tekken games, along with SSBM, the Tekken series gives me hours of fun with my friends, but anyway. A good game it may be, but it doesn't deserve the 95%'s it's recently been achieving. Take it down by 10% and I'll be happy.

*Waits for the flames to start flooding in*

[James]

[color=#707875]I wouldn't say that Soul Calibur 2 is a button masher. It's definitely far more simplistic than Virtua Fighter...but I don't think it's a button masher.

Basically, anyone can play SC2. You [i]can[/i] button mash and get somewhere. But when you see really talented players fight...you can really see how deep the game can be. And that's one reason why Soul Calibur has garnered such great reviews in general.

Having said that, I do hear constantly that SC2 adds very little over SC. In other words, you have new characters who kind of just do what the old ones did, with some exceptions.

So, I'd be more concerned about that. But generally, I don't think that SC/SC2 is really a button masher as such. It can be a deep game, but you will only really experience that if you play against a very skilled human opponent. I noticed that in SC on Dreamcast, the A.I. was pretty weak. It's a lot more fun to play against human players.[/color]

[silpheedpilot]

I'll have to detest on the whole Soul Calibur II over-rated ness...What about Soul Calibur? or Soul Edge? The previous ones? They got almost no hype, so for thinking that Soul Calibur II is over-rated is kinda selfish, dont ya think? I mean it deserves the hype its getting. Which personally its my favorite fighter to date.

Now...My most over-rated game? Pokemon! Yes, thats right, Pokemon! May not be hard, but the Pokemon games are coming out almost faster then the Madden games (Which come out every year) Lets see....You got Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire! They are all focused on the exact same thing...Get the Gym Badges, stop the evil group of menaces, fight the Elite 4, catch all the Pokemon. Plus you cant forget all of the other games they came out with...Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2..The Pikachu games where you could talk to him, countless other Pokemon games...Yeah yeah..I know its also a little kids fad, but when the company is turning out games a dime-a-dozen its kinda going overboard.

[hiachi]

As for absolute funn-ness (which to me is the finalizing factor in choosing my favorite game, over all else), Soul Calibur II is my favorite fighter as well, but for gameplay, I would have to say Virtua Fighter IV would deserve a lil more hype, seeing it requires more skill with the actual exectution of moves and a little more developed dodging system other than just timing...

[eleanor]

[size=1] What are you TALKING about?! Pokemon is the greatest video game achievment [i]ever[/i]. I don't think I've seen a more wide-spread obsession take over the United States. It reeled in millions of dollars, and that's the whole point.

^_~

Anyways, I dislike FFVIII. Every video-game obsesee I know goes on and on about the greatness of the game, I really don't see the appeal. Obviously, the whole FF series is [b]way[/b] overrated, but I don't get why everyone talks of how great FFVIII is. Same as FFVII....The real thing that made me love the game was the storyline, not the action. Enter the Matrix is just a big piece of advertising overrating-ness and ....stuff.

I never though Majora's Mask was overrated. I really enjoyed the game almost as much as Ocarica of Time, and it's probably one of my favorite games. Many people ranked it lower because of the continuous repeats of activities because of the whole 3-day limit, but I guess they're taking the whole point of that the wrong way. Well, you know, I've never read any article about Majora's Mask before.[/size]

[Shinmaru]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i]
[B][size=1] I never though Majora's Mask was overrated. I really enjoyed the game almost as much as Ocarina of Time, and it's probably one of my favorite games. Many people ranked it lower because of the continuous repeats of activities because of the whole 3-day limit, but I guess they're taking the whole point of that the wrong way. Well, you know, I've never read any article about Majora's Mask before.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE]

To be honest, the continuous repeats of activities and the 3-day limit wasn't what got to me about Majora's Mask - in fact, they made me enjoy it a bit more because it gave you some sort of purpose.

I don't know...something just rubbed me the wrong way about Majora's Mask. The closest I can come is the extreme (compared to Ocarina of Time) difficulty of the game, but other Zelda games are much tougher than this one. Eh, this is just one of those times where there's no accounting for taste, heh - I'm certainly not denying that Majora's Mask is a great game.