Gaming Most Overrated Game

[James]

[color=#707875]I would have to agree about Kingdom Hearts. I played the game, to see what all the fuss was about...and I'd say that it's probably average at best. The visuals are reasonably nice and the FMV is very pretty. But seriously, what does Kingdom Hearts really bring to the table?

Fundamentally -- and as a spoiled Nintendo fan -- one of the things that I strongly disliked about it was the absolutely awful play control. The platforming elements were somewhat frustrating for me, simply because of the clunkiness and vagueness of the controls at times. If you play Kingdom Hearts and then you switch on Super Mario Sunshine, you'll find it's like night and day. Kingdom Hearts feels like it's twenty years older, in terms of play control. Ouch.

Other than that, I think that the actual aesthetics were nice enough, but the level designs were incredibly boring and uninteresting.

Having said that, I think there's one reason why this game is seen to be overrated: a lot of younger players like it. I'll stick my neck out and propose that [i]most[/i] of the buyers were probably under 15. Many younger gamers are in that position where they're buying games like Kingdom Hearts and they haven't yet really discovered some of the games that have far less exposure (which are often the superior games, ironically).

In regard to Final Fantasy VII, I'd relate this back to what I said previously about objective and subjective. If you are a regular RPG player, or an RPG conoisseur, I think it's fair to say that Final Fantasy VII may not have been as impressive, if only based on your experience with a multitude of other RPGs.

But I think it's impossible to deny two things: Final Fantasy VII was a stunning game in and of itself and it was also a game that set significant benchmarks in the industry overall. Although I do feel that much of its success was based on its flashy visuals at the time, that isn't entirely a bad thing. I mean, Final Fantasy VII introduced cinematics in a way that no other game had really done to that degree. I think it came off for the better, if only because it created a more cohesive experience for many players.

As for me, I'm not particularly an RPG expert, but Final Fantasy VII was by no means my first experience with the genre. Moreover, I was actually a bit skeptical about it before I chose to buy it. But as it turns out, it's one of my all-time favourite games to this day. For me, that's mostly because I loved the story, characters and above all, the atmosphere. It just has an incredible aesthetic appeal for me (not just visually, but also aurally).

Having said that, I think that at this site, we tend to get a lot of Square-Enix fanboys and girls. And perhaps that tends to make the franchise appear more overrated than it really is. Sure, it's a big success in the market, but the Final Fantasy series is usually received positively by the critics (who also have their share of beefs with the series, like the constant quest to end randomly generated battles).[/color]

[satan665]

I can't really think of a RPG I liked better than FF7, even though its not the greatest thing ever. It just has a great mix of characters, involving story and enough freedom to roam around and find places on the map you don't necessarily need to go to. The minigames like snowboarding and the motorcycles races are a lot of fun and the levelbuilding with materia is kinda addicting too. It all adds up pretty well.

I think the Onimusha series is overrated. Why in the world they decided to use the Resident evil control scheme in a more action oriented game is beyond me. Movement is so clunky that it just wasn't worth playing.

Resident evil falls in along those same lines with me. The series was great on PSone, but its fallen into too many tricks to get you. While I liked RE: zero I was playing the Gamecube remake of the first RE, and it angered me so much I had to quit. Instead of making it clever and scary, they give you such evil camera angles that you can't see whats right in front of you sometimes. It makes walking around the mansion so difficult that I had to check the map to see what direction I was facing every 30 seconds. Its just to frustrating to be fun.

[Beorhun]

There is absolutely no question about it. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Don't get me wrong, there are worse games out there, but in a year of Wind Waker (massively underrated by the majority of the gaming populace.) Metroid Prime, and KOTOR, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City wins all the awards. It was an overrated, overstuffed game with clunky controls, bad graphics, and the only reason most people liked it was because it was GTA III with the city moved around a bit, and GTA had credibility. Also I only see people play it with cheats. Where's the fun and challenge in that? I'm pretty sure San Andreas will be massively overrated, too. Maybe I just don't get it, but I am not a GTA fan.

[James]

[color=#707875]Vice City's an interesting one. On the one hand, I'm inclined to suggest that it was overrated, at least to some degree.

On the other, it is in some ways quite a remarkable achievement. I mean, they essentially completed the game (from start to finish) within the space of a year. Even though it uses the GTAIII engine and even though they really only performed a visual change (with some minor gameplay edits), such a feat is pretty impressive. Although I tend to complain that Vice City is really more like an expansion pack than a true sequel, I still enjoy the game and I do find it to be an impressive achievement, given the time frame of its development.

I think that San Andreas could be overrated, but I view San Andreas as being a potentially "newer" game than Vice City. What I mean is, I think it will feel like a bigger evolution of the franchise, when compared to GTAIII versus Vice City. I've read a great deal about the game and I find the level of detail to be pretty amazing. While it's true that individual elements often leave a lot to be desired, in comparison with other games (ie: character models and individual objects), we have to bear in mind that GTA is rendering an enormous universe -- a world that most games aren't rendering in one go. The fact that San Andreas will be able to render significantly [i]more[/i] than GTAIII or Vice City -- and still look a lot nicer visually -- is quite impressive in and of itself. Let's just hope that the game doesn't experience any major slowdown or anything. I somehow feel that GTA is starting to really push at the limits of what PlayStation 2 is capable of doing.[/color]

[Brasil]

[quote name='Lord Eliwood']There is absolutely no question about it. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.[/quote]
No question about it? Really?

[quote]It was an overrated, overstuffed game with[/quote]
Overstuffed? What, [i]too much[/i] content? Too many things to do? Too many weapons? Too many options?

[QUOTE]clunky controls[/QUOTE]
I'd agree that the controls needed work, but in most reviews I've read, they mention how the controls were vastly improved from III, and how while the controls aren't perfect, they're pretty manageable once you play the game enough, so..."clunky" or not, I certainly think the controls are designed well enough at least so the player can grow accustomed to them.

Obviously, jumping in GTA 3D was always an issue, and one they do need to fix, and aiming vertically has never been quite dead-on, but in the larger scheme of things, those control issues seem relatively minor blemishes for the game.

[quote]bad graphics[/quote]
Apart from a few collision detection issues, and a frame hiccup here and there, pop-up, and an occasional clipping, I think the graphics capture Downtown Miami pretty darn well. The sunsets are, in my opinion, absolutely gorgeous, with the way the glow of orange, red, and yellow sets the night sky ablaze, and how you can see seagulls flying overhead, as the palm trees sway in the wind.

The outfits and costumes are ridiculous, and rightly so. It's the 80s. I, for one, love the feel and look of Vice City. The aesthetics are awesome.

[quote]and the only reason most people liked it was because it was GTA III with the city moved around a bit, and GTA had credibility.[/quote]
I've found that regardless of what city I'm in in GTA, I'm playing the game for the fun dialogue, fun missions, content, and most importantly, [i]the radio[/i]. The GTA III/Vice City radio is one of the best I've ever heard in any game, simply because it's done so well.

I've literally parked the car somewhere pleasant and turned on the chat station, or the hard rock one, and just sat and listened for an hour or two.

For most people, I don't think their attraction to GTA was simply because it was III with the "city moved around a bit." I think most gamers enjoyed Vice City because it was simply a good game, albeit a bit simplistic at parts. But, when you look at the series itself, apart from the 3D, the entire series has always been like that, so I don't think criticizing Vice City alone is very valid.

[quote]Also I only see people play it with cheats. Where's the fun and challenge in that?[/quote]
How is that supposed to make the game overrated?

[quote]I'm pretty sure San Andreas will be massively overrated, too.[/quote]
We'll see when it's released.

[quote]Maybe I just don't get it, but I am not a GTA fan.[/QUOTE]
I think you just don't "get it."

[James]

[color=#707875]I can tell you right now that the controls in Vice City weren' vastly improved over GTAIII.

In fact, many of the more fundamental issues hadn't been touched. There was only one thing about Vice City that I really felt they changed for the better (in terms of control): diving out of the car while moving. I can't tell you how useful that feature is. It's so incredibly important in Vice City during certain times. It really helps.

In terms of visuals, I think that Vice City has a great aesthetic design, but many of the complaints about graphics are valid. Character models -- particularly NPCs -- often seem to be a little deformed. Animation is very stiff in many places and even the trees are like pieces of cardboard.

The problem, I think, is not so much related to a lack of self-shadowing and reflections and things like that. I think the problem lies more in the behavioral aspects, like animation. So I think both sides can probably lay claim to certain issues.[/color]

[DetectiveMikeRS]

I've never played Grand Theft Auto, but I think it's not overrated by gaming magazines or stores as much as other games, but by the news due to it's contraversial gameplay. It was even banned in some countries.

[Semjaza]

Personally I think GTA is overrated to a large amount. That's not to say it's a bad game by any means, but people treat it as if it's the best thing since god.

That said, I don't feel like getting into it because I don't enjoy the practice of others quoting my post and attacking every other line I write lol. :D