Hi everyone. I have been on quite the hiatus, but I promise I will finish my list. Tonight, however, I want to mix it up. I had wanted to a non-game related list but I decided on this one instead. I have thought it over and I came up with what I think are the most overrated games of all time. I don't think any of these games are bad (okay, I think one is bad, but that's it). However, they don't nearly deserve the hype they get. Some are lauded by Internet crowds because they are "cool." Others get pumped up ratings from reviewers without any good reason. Others still just aren't as good as people say. Well, enough talk, here's the list.
10. God of War
God of War is a good game. No, that isn't true, God of War is a great game...for the three hours it lasts. I'm sorry, but I refuse to pay full price for a game I can beat relatively easily in one sitting. Even old NES games that were meant to be played that way take longer to beat than this. It's a shame, because the gameplay is great and Kratos is a compelling character. It would be great if Sony would take more time to make the game longer, add more upgrades and puzzles and go more in depth into the great story. Unfortunately, they will continue to turn out more 2-3 hour games as long as they continue making money.
9. Virtua Fighter IV
When this game came out, all I heard about was its "complex,, intricate fighting system that takes true skill to master." In fact, one reviewer even said he felt he had to "earn his 2-10 record" in the game's kumite mode. Either we played different games or he just sucks, because this game is as simple as a fighting game can be. Most of the "intricate" combos in this game are more trouble than they're worth, and would require having 30 fingers to consistently pull off properly. Sticking to simple moves is the best way to win, even against top flight computer opponents. While the game is fun, it doesn't nearly stack up to its rave reviews.
8. Final Fantasy IX
Ladies and gentlemen, here is proof positive that I am not a Final Fantasy fanboy (though I am admittedly pretty close). It was a toss up between this and FF V. IX gets the edge for it's positively annoying characters. Reviewers were glad to be rid of the "whiny" protagonists of the last two games. Squall, while he was quite the whiner, was at least interesting. I can forgive his being that way because it adds to the story. We won't get started on FF VII, as I could go on all day. In FF IX, we get Zidane. This not so welcome change is cocky, obnoxious and crass. Despite his attempts to be a suave bad ass, he is about as cool as a star trek convention. He reminds me of the kid that picks on people in high school and ends up becoming a bum by the age of 28. Again, Squall is often criticized as being immature, and he is, but no where near as immature as Zidane. Aside from Vivi, all of the characters are contrived and boring. Steiner starts the game as a bumbling idiot, and he ends the game as a bumbling idiot. Honestly, those are the only characters that even see attempts at development. I couldn't even name the entire cast, a first for a FF game. The villain, Kuja, is lame, and never seems to quite know what he is working towards. This especially stands out with the last few games having such strong villains. Reviewers lauded this game for its return to the series's roots. Funny, i missed the parts of the old games with childish, obnoxious, under developed characters, boring settings, lame plots and no challenge were the norm.
7. The Legend of Zelda:Link's Awakening
Okay, so it's a dumbed down, smaller version of "A Link to the Past," and people are trying to convince me it's a better game? Sorry, it isn't. Really not that much to say about this game other than what I already did. A classic example of a game that gets by on the Zelda name, this game is far from the best in the series. It's still a good game, just not great.
6. Super Metroid
This game is awesome, but the greatest game of all time? Not even close. The plot is simplistic, and that is okay, but people continue to find idiotic reasons to pass it off as some deep and moving story. "It's not telling the story that makes the story telling excellent," I once read in a review. That can be true in some instances, but it isn't here, the story is just simple. The gameplay involves exploring a map and finding new items to unlock doors. Sound familiar? Castlevania:Symphony of the Night is the obvious comparison but I have always felt Resident Evil owes a lot to this game. What bugs me though is that critics constantly hammer RE for being a "mindless fetch quest" and praise Super Metroid for essentially working on the same concept. Also, very little actually happens in the game. There are few enemies, none of which are particularly threatening. The bosses, while impressive graphically, are a joke. Symphony of the Night by contrast is filled with challenging enemies and bosses. The controls are a little loose for my liking and the jumping is particularly bad but I feel like that is more a matter of personal preference. Again Super Metriod is quite innovative. The graphics and sound are top notch and the sense of exploration is wonderful, but that isn't enough to make it the greatest game of all time.
5. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
This is the one game on the list that I think is just bad. I hated the controls, I hated the camera, I hated the combat, I straight up just hated everything. Maybe I was just setting the bar to high because of the ludicrous reviews. Either way, I returned this game fairly quickly. I just could not forgive the horrible control and camera, as it constantly led to early deaths.
4. Gran Turismo
Anyone who has read my list can see that I'm not the hugest fan of racing games. That said few are as overrated as Gran Turismo. The game is a driving sim, and tries to accurately give players the feeling of driving. As someone who finds driving mind bendingly frustrating, I am not a fan of that at all. The game also has a huge stable of cars, just about every make and model you can imagine, and I just don't care. As a man, I love football, playboy and beer, but I never quite understood my gender's infatuation with cars. I am content to do 65 in the right lane in my cheap Japanese sedan. However, if a genre bias contributed to any game being on this list, it is right here. Car enthusiasts and racing fans may be able to see what's so great about this game...but I don't.
3. Splinter Cell
Where to begin with Splinter Cell. We'll start with "Sam Fisher is one of the most complex characters in gaming." No, he isn't. He has the personality of cardboard. It would be different if he were just a cold blooded spy or something of that nature, but he is just boring, and that was before the more recent games. Now he is a poor excuse for Liam Neeson's character in "Taken." At least that film, while a little mindless, was action packed and fun. This game is like a weaker version of the Metal Gear series in every way. The controls are clunky, especially compared to those in MGS. Sam's abilities seem more like novelties than actually useful tactics for dispatching enemies. All in all the game isn't too bad, it's just far inferior to MGS, Deus Ex, and most other stealth games.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
A fun button masher, yet a button masher none the less. You go off a ramp, you slam on buttons. That's it. Later games in the series added a little more depth with missions, but the core gameplay was the same. This game came out at the peak of the skateboarding fad. I feel like everyone I went to school with played with tech decks, wore goofy skateboard shoes, and thought that they could actually skateboard because of this game. It seems that Neversoft knew that too, because it seems as if they didn't put much effort into the series at first. Generic arenas with randomly placed ramps made up the entire game. Tasks would involve bridging gaps, scoring points, or collecting the letters s-k-a-t-e. The moves all had commands, but if you really wanted a good score, you had to mash buttons until your fingers bled. Was it fun? Kinda. Was it the timeless classic people claim it is? absolutely not. I'm just thankful the skater fad is over anyway.
1. Halo
Before the bashing, before you instantly dismiss this list, please read this last entry. I know some people are Halo die hards but hear me out. Also, I want to say that this is an excellent game. In terms of the quality of games on this list, it is probably second only to Super Metroid and just ahead of God of War. Remember too, that I am talking about the quality of the game, not it's impact on gaming or how many units it has moved. I will start by getting one good thing out there and it is that Halo revolutionized console multi-player games. The first did so for hot seat games and the second for online play. That being said Halo revolutionized absolutely nothing else in any sort of positive way.
Reviewers ranted and raved about the A.I. in this game. In fact, this game has some of the worst A.I. I've ever seen. I remember a review in EGM years ago talking about how your squad behaved like human players. Honestly, I wouldn't have even noticed I had a squad with me had I not been told. The enemies run around like idiots, save for a few occasions.
The control system is different from that of any console shooter ever...and that is a bad thing. Halo brought PC style controls to the console, but it just felt quirky and broken. What seemed so smooth with a keyboard and mouse makes you feel like a chicken with your head cut off on joysticks. This problem now seems to plague every console FPS and Halo started the trend. The sensitivity is also horrible on the look/turn axis. It never seems to work right, either turning too slow or too fast. This feels even worse because the run/strafe axis always feels just right.
The story line was another major talking point. While good, it wasn't particularly great. Again, this wouldn't be a big deal for a shooter had critics not made any mention of it being "the best storyline ever contained in a video game." Maybe I just don't like sci-fi that much, but I don't think that's the problem.
The graphics are top notch and the outdoor environments are absolutely beautiful, but the indoor environments always seem drab and bland. Even when I'm in a major battle, I just feel bored when I'm inside.
Now comes the truly huge problem with Halo. It's a rail shooter. There, I said it. I talked earlier about how this game changed very little for the better. Thanks to Halo, I now feel that every FPS is a rail shooter. You start, you move from major point to major point in the level until you finish with absolutely no freedom whatsoever. Then, you do it again and again until you beat the game. What it boils down to is that the game is just a series of choreographed events. At least in Doom or Goldeneye, you had free reign in the levels, and were able to finish them at your own pace in your own manner. I always felt that this is the main issue keeping Halo from being the game everyone hypes it to be.
Sorry for the rant but it needed to be said. Again, Halo is a game that should be experienced by all gamers. Some of the gun battles are truly epic, the graphics are great and the multiplayer alone is worth purchasing the game. However, it should not be worshiped as it is. It does verylittle that its predecessors Doom and Goldeneye didn't so it can't be called revolutionary (outside of its multiplayer options), and it has far too many glaring flaws to have received the ammount of perfect scores it did.
Honorable Mentions
Final Fantasy V: "A wonderfully addicting job system..." which requires insane ammounts of grinding. Besides, only about 6 of the 20 jobs are worth using, and the story sucks.
The Sims: It's life. Thats it. I can just live life every day. Maybe I should play fewer video games and go do something.
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: So far inferior to Ocarina of Time, yet so heavily praised.
Space Invaders: By far the most boring of the "classic" games
Super Mario Bros. 2: If I said Doki Doki panic was a terrible game, I'm sure I could get people to agree with me. But god forbid I told someone Mario 2 was terrible...wait a minute...
Well, there you have it. Disagree? I'm always open to new suggestions. Who knows, maybe I just missed something. I have a history of doing that.
10. God of War
God of War is a good game. No, that isn't true, God of War is a great game...for the three hours it lasts. I'm sorry, but I refuse to pay full price for a game I can beat relatively easily in one sitting. Even old NES games that were meant to be played that way take longer to beat than this. It's a shame, because the gameplay is great and Kratos is a compelling character. It would be great if Sony would take more time to make the game longer, add more upgrades and puzzles and go more in depth into the great story. Unfortunately, they will continue to turn out more 2-3 hour games as long as they continue making money.
9. Virtua Fighter IV
When this game came out, all I heard about was its "complex,, intricate fighting system that takes true skill to master." In fact, one reviewer even said he felt he had to "earn his 2-10 record" in the game's kumite mode. Either we played different games or he just sucks, because this game is as simple as a fighting game can be. Most of the "intricate" combos in this game are more trouble than they're worth, and would require having 30 fingers to consistently pull off properly. Sticking to simple moves is the best way to win, even against top flight computer opponents. While the game is fun, it doesn't nearly stack up to its rave reviews.
8. Final Fantasy IX
Ladies and gentlemen, here is proof positive that I am not a Final Fantasy fanboy (though I am admittedly pretty close). It was a toss up between this and FF V. IX gets the edge for it's positively annoying characters. Reviewers were glad to be rid of the "whiny" protagonists of the last two games. Squall, while he was quite the whiner, was at least interesting. I can forgive his being that way because it adds to the story. We won't get started on FF VII, as I could go on all day. In FF IX, we get Zidane. This not so welcome change is cocky, obnoxious and crass. Despite his attempts to be a suave bad ass, he is about as cool as a star trek convention. He reminds me of the kid that picks on people in high school and ends up becoming a bum by the age of 28. Again, Squall is often criticized as being immature, and he is, but no where near as immature as Zidane. Aside from Vivi, all of the characters are contrived and boring. Steiner starts the game as a bumbling idiot, and he ends the game as a bumbling idiot. Honestly, those are the only characters that even see attempts at development. I couldn't even name the entire cast, a first for a FF game. The villain, Kuja, is lame, and never seems to quite know what he is working towards. This especially stands out with the last few games having such strong villains. Reviewers lauded this game for its return to the series's roots. Funny, i missed the parts of the old games with childish, obnoxious, under developed characters, boring settings, lame plots and no challenge were the norm.
7. The Legend of Zelda:Link's Awakening
Okay, so it's a dumbed down, smaller version of "A Link to the Past," and people are trying to convince me it's a better game? Sorry, it isn't. Really not that much to say about this game other than what I already did. A classic example of a game that gets by on the Zelda name, this game is far from the best in the series. It's still a good game, just not great.
6. Super Metroid
This game is awesome, but the greatest game of all time? Not even close. The plot is simplistic, and that is okay, but people continue to find idiotic reasons to pass it off as some deep and moving story. "It's not telling the story that makes the story telling excellent," I once read in a review. That can be true in some instances, but it isn't here, the story is just simple. The gameplay involves exploring a map and finding new items to unlock doors. Sound familiar? Castlevania:Symphony of the Night is the obvious comparison but I have always felt Resident Evil owes a lot to this game. What bugs me though is that critics constantly hammer RE for being a "mindless fetch quest" and praise Super Metroid for essentially working on the same concept. Also, very little actually happens in the game. There are few enemies, none of which are particularly threatening. The bosses, while impressive graphically, are a joke. Symphony of the Night by contrast is filled with challenging enemies and bosses. The controls are a little loose for my liking and the jumping is particularly bad but I feel like that is more a matter of personal preference. Again Super Metriod is quite innovative. The graphics and sound are top notch and the sense of exploration is wonderful, but that isn't enough to make it the greatest game of all time.
5. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
This is the one game on the list that I think is just bad. I hated the controls, I hated the camera, I hated the combat, I straight up just hated everything. Maybe I was just setting the bar to high because of the ludicrous reviews. Either way, I returned this game fairly quickly. I just could not forgive the horrible control and camera, as it constantly led to early deaths.
4. Gran Turismo
Anyone who has read my list can see that I'm not the hugest fan of racing games. That said few are as overrated as Gran Turismo. The game is a driving sim, and tries to accurately give players the feeling of driving. As someone who finds driving mind bendingly frustrating, I am not a fan of that at all. The game also has a huge stable of cars, just about every make and model you can imagine, and I just don't care. As a man, I love football, playboy and beer, but I never quite understood my gender's infatuation with cars. I am content to do 65 in the right lane in my cheap Japanese sedan. However, if a genre bias contributed to any game being on this list, it is right here. Car enthusiasts and racing fans may be able to see what's so great about this game...but I don't.
3. Splinter Cell
Where to begin with Splinter Cell. We'll start with "Sam Fisher is one of the most complex characters in gaming." No, he isn't. He has the personality of cardboard. It would be different if he were just a cold blooded spy or something of that nature, but he is just boring, and that was before the more recent games. Now he is a poor excuse for Liam Neeson's character in "Taken." At least that film, while a little mindless, was action packed and fun. This game is like a weaker version of the Metal Gear series in every way. The controls are clunky, especially compared to those in MGS. Sam's abilities seem more like novelties than actually useful tactics for dispatching enemies. All in all the game isn't too bad, it's just far inferior to MGS, Deus Ex, and most other stealth games.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
A fun button masher, yet a button masher none the less. You go off a ramp, you slam on buttons. That's it. Later games in the series added a little more depth with missions, but the core gameplay was the same. This game came out at the peak of the skateboarding fad. I feel like everyone I went to school with played with tech decks, wore goofy skateboard shoes, and thought that they could actually skateboard because of this game. It seems that Neversoft knew that too, because it seems as if they didn't put much effort into the series at first. Generic arenas with randomly placed ramps made up the entire game. Tasks would involve bridging gaps, scoring points, or collecting the letters s-k-a-t-e. The moves all had commands, but if you really wanted a good score, you had to mash buttons until your fingers bled. Was it fun? Kinda. Was it the timeless classic people claim it is? absolutely not. I'm just thankful the skater fad is over anyway.
1. Halo
Before the bashing, before you instantly dismiss this list, please read this last entry. I know some people are Halo die hards but hear me out. Also, I want to say that this is an excellent game. In terms of the quality of games on this list, it is probably second only to Super Metroid and just ahead of God of War. Remember too, that I am talking about the quality of the game, not it's impact on gaming or how many units it has moved. I will start by getting one good thing out there and it is that Halo revolutionized console multi-player games. The first did so for hot seat games and the second for online play. That being said Halo revolutionized absolutely nothing else in any sort of positive way.
Reviewers ranted and raved about the A.I. in this game. In fact, this game has some of the worst A.I. I've ever seen. I remember a review in EGM years ago talking about how your squad behaved like human players. Honestly, I wouldn't have even noticed I had a squad with me had I not been told. The enemies run around like idiots, save for a few occasions.
The control system is different from that of any console shooter ever...and that is a bad thing. Halo brought PC style controls to the console, but it just felt quirky and broken. What seemed so smooth with a keyboard and mouse makes you feel like a chicken with your head cut off on joysticks. This problem now seems to plague every console FPS and Halo started the trend. The sensitivity is also horrible on the look/turn axis. It never seems to work right, either turning too slow or too fast. This feels even worse because the run/strafe axis always feels just right.
The story line was another major talking point. While good, it wasn't particularly great. Again, this wouldn't be a big deal for a shooter had critics not made any mention of it being "the best storyline ever contained in a video game." Maybe I just don't like sci-fi that much, but I don't think that's the problem.
The graphics are top notch and the outdoor environments are absolutely beautiful, but the indoor environments always seem drab and bland. Even when I'm in a major battle, I just feel bored when I'm inside.
Now comes the truly huge problem with Halo. It's a rail shooter. There, I said it. I talked earlier about how this game changed very little for the better. Thanks to Halo, I now feel that every FPS is a rail shooter. You start, you move from major point to major point in the level until you finish with absolutely no freedom whatsoever. Then, you do it again and again until you beat the game. What it boils down to is that the game is just a series of choreographed events. At least in Doom or Goldeneye, you had free reign in the levels, and were able to finish them at your own pace in your own manner. I always felt that this is the main issue keeping Halo from being the game everyone hypes it to be.
Sorry for the rant but it needed to be said. Again, Halo is a game that should be experienced by all gamers. Some of the gun battles are truly epic, the graphics are great and the multiplayer alone is worth purchasing the game. However, it should not be worshiped as it is. It does verylittle that its predecessors Doom and Goldeneye didn't so it can't be called revolutionary (outside of its multiplayer options), and it has far too many glaring flaws to have received the ammount of perfect scores it did.
Honorable Mentions
Final Fantasy V: "A wonderfully addicting job system..." which requires insane ammounts of grinding. Besides, only about 6 of the 20 jobs are worth using, and the story sucks.
The Sims: It's life. Thats it. I can just live life every day. Maybe I should play fewer video games and go do something.
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: So far inferior to Ocarina of Time, yet so heavily praised.
Space Invaders: By far the most boring of the "classic" games
Super Mario Bros. 2: If I said Doki Doki panic was a terrible game, I'm sure I could get people to agree with me. But god forbid I told someone Mario 2 was terrible...wait a minute...
Well, there you have it. Disagree? I'm always open to new suggestions. Who knows, maybe I just missed something. I have a history of doing that.
Haha man, way to go. Stumbled on your blog froma facebook post. I like what you wrote about Halo. My friend plays MW2 almost all the time, and kills the online game, but he noticed our games are always close, for a guy like me who doesnt play. compare that to Halo series, where the first time I played Tim or Justin close was one of the last times. The controls are off-balance, and I hate how unrealistic the weapons are- I once got killed with a pistol in Halo 3 from 300 yards a way, while my sniper rifle didn't kill on a shit to the stomach.
ReplyDeletethat being said, I loved the Tony Hawk Series, especially, 3, 4 and THUG (Not THUG2, that game was terrible). Yes, TH is not a realistic skate boarding game like Skate. But the g oals were fun to do, and the music was usually pretty kick=ass (Flogging Molly especially). And After the original, they added manuals and allowed people to do better tricks and have longer combos than just grinds. So i will have to disagree with you there.
Thank god someone else agrees with me that Splinter Cell and Halo are overrated. They are still good games, but not by any means amazing games. I always thought there were much better stealth games than splinter cell. As for Halo, the AI was horrible. The only thing worse than the enemy AI was the marine's AI. Seriously, the marines in that game were more of a liability than an asset.
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