


25 Most Overrated Games of All Time? 242
AriesGeek writes "GameSpy is running the 1st of a 6-part special on the 25 most overrated games of all time. From the article: 'Over the next several days GameSpy is taking a tour through the 25 most overrated games of all time. It's not a pretty list. It's a tale of tragedy where hype gets out of hand, or good licenses and great ideas fail to live up to expectations.' You think Zero Wing will be on there?" As with previous charts, predictions for the Top 5 are welcome, we'll run another story at the end of the week to see how people did.
The Sims (Score:5, Insightful)
The Sims didn't have the same interest level because I have no desire to have a second fake life I need to take care of. I don't want to worry about going to work, reading, excercising, etc... in a game when I have to worry about that in real life.
Games like Sim City on the other hand would let you use your imagintation, and allow you to do things that most people will never get to do in real life are much more entertaining in my opinion.
Re:The Sims (Score:5, Informative)
That said, The Sims influence on games simply cannot be overstated. Why? Because for the majority of females that play it, it is quite possibly the first and only game they've *ever* played. I worked full time for EB for three years, and the Sims brought in more non-gamer females than any other game in the history of the store. Someone's buying all those $20-$30 add ons because each one rules the sales charts every month, even if that someone isn't you.
So, on a personal level, I think one could say they didn't like the Sims. I'm one of them. But I think there's a huge amount of people, mostly females and mostly non-gamers, who would argue many of the points in your post.
Re:The Sims (Score:2)
When I worked at EB, I was surprised at how many girls really enjoyed fighting games like Tekken and the like. Also, Oddworld was pretty huge among women.
But definitely least favorite were action games like GTA, Halo, Max Payne - the like. There were the rare few, but mostly women hated those games.
Re:The Sims (Score:2)
Women I know are fascinated by this game, and I'd be willing to give it more of a try, but like you have no desire to buy so many expansion packs. Most games that spawn several expansions periodically come out with cumulative versions that include the or
Daikatana anyone? (Score:2, Interesting)
I once clipped through a guard while going up a ladder. The guy didn't notice me. I then jumped on his head. It's a good thing we didn't clip then, I might have hurt my balls.
I nominate Black and White (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I nominate Black and White (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I nominate Black and White (Score:2, Funny)
evil *is* generally easier to accomplish than good.
That's why we need to have laws against it.
I don't think you "got" Serious Sam.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Serious Sam is a game most would spend 10 hours on. 10 hours over its entire life not in beating the game.
Anyway the game was just meant to be silly and mindless fun, and I think it succeeded in that.
Castle Wolfenstein (Score:4, Funny)
Enough, already. Stop the madness. Think of the children - won't anyone think of the children?
Why do we need all these _new_ games? Everyone knows gaming was perfected with BZFlag. It's a scientific fact!
hey! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Castle Wolfenstein (Score:2)
Re:Castle Wolfenstein (Score:2)
And you're not thinking of the children!
Re:Castle Wolfenstein (Score:2, Funny)
And you can't spell ignorant without IGN!
Re:Castle Wolfenstein (Score:2)
Ooh... another one (Score:2, Insightful)
Random Predictions (Score:4, Interesting)
Tao Feng
Enter the Matrix
DDR
Unreal 2
Resident Evil (even though I love the game)
Sim Copter
Re:Random Predictions (DDR) (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Random Predictions (Score:2)
Re:Random Predictions (Score:2)
Slashdot headline template (Score:5, Funny)
We've had about one of these per week by now, right?
Re:Slashdot headline template (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Slashdot headline template (Score:2)
I guess all media is guilty of these types of lists. I've seen shows on TV that chronicle the top 25 "history changing" moments and most all of them are in the 20th century. Too bad that our media outlets are too often short-sighted.
Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) series (Score:3, Informative)
Got a rom of DQ VI (it was never officially translated into Englsih so you have to use a fan translated version) and boy was it boring, I put about 35 hours into, got to the job system and played around to that, then gave up. The combat system was simplistic, the characters uninteresting. Not as good as FF VI or Chrono Trigger, the other big 16-bit rpgs.
Maybe I'll give it another go someday, but it just didn't live up to the hype for me.
Re:Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) series (Score:2)
Re:Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) series (Score:2)
Re:Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) series (Score:2)
Considering the short attention spans of gamers these days, I'm not surprised you said that. Try asking younger gamers (under the age of 10) which Final Fantasy is the best and you're almost guaranteed that they'll either say VII or X. Whatever happened to the classics? The answer is people got too impatient with the slowpaced systems which were considered ingenius back then. Its kinda like anime in the U.S. Kids co
Re:Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) series (Score:2)
The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:5, Informative)
Screenshot for game #1 [gamespy.com]
Just change the last number in the URL for the other 2-20 games.
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:4, Informative)
#1 - Black and White
#2 - Metal Gear Solid 2
#3 - Matrix Reloaded
#4 - ?
#5 - Quake3 mod?
#6 - ? I remember seeing the ads for this one though.
#7 - Final Fantasy 7
#8 - Tomb Raider (probably most recent)
#9 - Donkey Kong Country
#10 - Halo
#11 - ?
#12 - Halflife mod?
#13 - ? I remember this one too, don't remember name
#14 - SimCity? Er I mean Dead or Alive 3
#15 - ?
#16 - Mortal Kombat
#17 - ? Max Payne maybe? I dunno
#18 - ? Alice
#19 - ?
#20 - ? Everquest? Heheh. Nah..
I'm sure plenty of folks can fill in the blanks..
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2, Informative)
#19 would be a game from Derek Smart's ill fated Battlecruiser series, I believe.
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2, Informative)
#13 is Battletoads
#17 is The Getaway
#18 is American McGee's Alice
#19 Homeworld maybe?
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:3, Interesting)
Hell, I hope not. Homeworld rocks... the only reason I'm not getting HW2 tomorrow is that I need to get things done this month.
Personally, if Master Of Orion 3 isn't on the list, I'll be pretty stunned.
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
#9 - doesn't really look like a Donkey Kong game, but I don't know what it could be
#11 - dunno
#12 - Unreal 2
#15 - some Baldur's Gate game/clone (BG2?)
#18 - American McGee's Alice
#19 - maybe Battlecruiser 3000AD?
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
Id presume the blanks are all "Microsoft Internet Explorer", as i just keep getting that little file with the red cross thing like when an image doesnt load.
That said, all the others seem to be the same... hmm...
URL that works (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25o
replace # with the position
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
I do enjoy books, and I do enjoy movies, but I didn't enjoy the crossbreed quite as much.
Re:The rest of the games (20-1) (Score:2)
Being the fanman that I am, of course I don't see how Halo can possibly be 'overrated'. I've played just about every single FPS on the PC, and I would still give Halo a 9.5 or above. Bordering on 10- the only problem I ever had was when the thing finally ended. Crap...shit...fuck...but now I get to play it again on a harder level. I never had that desire on a PC game- or at least not past the first mission or so, when
Re:Why Halo is Overrated. (Score:2)
I don't agree with your first point. I think that a lot of times 'interactive environments' are a pain in the butt. I don't like going around and smashing hundreds of crates looking for ammo (most games) and I thought the filing cabinets in No One Lives Forever 2 were ridiculous. My god, I spent a lot of time flipping through filing cabinets, what a way to bring down the action. And that was one of the 'features' that reviewers thought was cool. Yeah, the firs
Final Fantasy 7 (Score:5, Interesting)
Okay game? Yes. Best ever? Not by a long shot.
Re:Final Fantasy 7 (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Final Fantasy 7 (Score:2)
In any case, the graphics in FF7 alone forced everyone else to step up to be considered in the same league. If your RPG didn't look stunning now, nobody else wanted to play it. It was a move that would ultimately bring ab
Final Fantasy 8 (Score:2)
On a related tack, I would think Final Fantasy VIII would be the FF on the list. It seems like that game had to outdo FF7 in every single way, as seemingly everyone was expecting it to. It did in some areas, and didn't in many others.
Re:Final Fantasy 7 (Score:2)
If you were to pump a few million in US advertising for any of the other Final Fantasty titles you would suddenly find them to be the most classic between gamers and non-gamers alike.
Re:Final Fantasy 7 (Score:4, Interesting)
- Its graphics was way ahead of all other RPGs at that time. It took years for someone else to match that level.
- Its music was great, and it was a huge step from 16-bit consoles.
- It kept the great RPG elements and didn't try too hard to add new stuff. FF8 tried too hard by eliminating magic points, level ups, weapons, money etc, and it failed. FF7 simply feels like a great classic with a new face.
It is probably not the best RPG of all time, but it was the best RPG at that time. And I still love it.
Re:Final Fantasy (insert number here) (Score:2)
1 - The 8-bit FF on the NES, wasn't exactly revolutionary, it was just another swords and sorcery RPG, ala Ultima. Though, I don't recall much hype at the time, I may have just missed it.
2 - On the SNES brought us a lack of control over the party (ok, I could switch between the premade characters, bleh), and a melodramatic storyline, the goal of which seemed to revolve more about the main cha
Re:Final Fantasy (insert number here) (Score:2)
FF7 had crappy 3D graphics? Is that why _everyone's_ jaw was gaping when they first saw it? Is that why it took other consoles and the PC _YEARS_ before they had anything that looked as good?
Turn a little bit this way, I can almost feel the air comming off you fanboy.
The FF series is, at best, an ok RPG (a sad abuse of that term really). The stories are not at all inventive, the dialogue is terrible (th
My top 5 (Score:2)
5. Halo - Fun, sure... but nothing new.
4. Quake III - Better graphics, uninspired gameplay
3. Black and White - I love Molynieux (sp), and appreciated what he tried to do. I am REALLY looking forward to his next games. But Black and White kinda sucked.
2. Final Fantasy 7 - Same old, same old...
1. Myst - yeah.
Re:My top 5 (Score:3, Interesting)
First of all, Halo wasn't really "rated" at all. As I recall, when I bought the Xbox along with Halo (one of those infernal bundle deals) the day the xbox hit shelves, the press hadn't been very kind to Halo. In fact, the prior E3 press completely trashed it, citing poor framerate issues, weak gameplay, corny plot and dialogue. The list went on.
2-3 years later (has it really been 3?) and Halo is still *the* reason to own an Xbox. What's mo
Re:My top 5 (Score:2)
I couldn't stand people who thought that Quake 3 was a better game than the original UT. UT didn't have QUITE as good graphics, but the gameplay was a HECK of a lot better.
Outpost on PC (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Outpost on PC (Score:2)
Underrated (Score:2)
Yeah. (Score:2)
Don't worry (Score:2)
Hype OK? (Score:2)
Except that you could get several levels in by taping the koystick in the top right corner and the fire button down. Very, very, poor.
Re:Hype OK? (Score:2)
Add to that horribly long load times...
...and the whole "music by Brian May" thing, which only played over the menus, not while you were fighting, made this game hugely overrated for the time....
Re:Hype OK? (Score:2)
Don't need to get negative mods, so AC it is. (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyway, Let me say a few of mine:
Halo: Now hold up before you set fire to me, I loved Halo, it was one of the only games I played on X-box for a very long time. I have never regreted spending the $50 on my copy, and i have never regreted The LAN parties I have attended in which Halo was the top attraction. But, the fact is that despite what a lof of people seem to beleive, it is not the best game ever. Half-life had a better single player, and better multiplayer. In short, great game, but not the "best game ever"
Everquest: Popular? yes. A good game? No.
Splinter Cell: yeah, a cliche trial and error exercise in futility with a bad camera but very impressive lighting effects is the game of the year? please.
Final Fantasy 7: This is the best RPG ever? ever play Fallout? ever play Deus Ex? Arcana? Final Fantasy 4 (2 in the US)Balder's Gate? there are plenty of RPGs that run circles around this game. many of them aren't as pretty as FF7 was in the day, and most of them do not feature a blonde haired blue eyed white dude with giant hair and a even larger sword, but i assure you there are better games.
That is all.
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Zelda 4 and up (Score:2)
Are you, by chance, confusing Zelda with, say, Robotron? The Zelda games have always been, first and formost, Adventure-RPGs with heavy puzzle elements. I wouldn't call any of them primarily an action game.
Re:Zelda 4 and up (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:No good (Score:2, Interesting)
There was one big problem in the translation: combat. Zelda was never particularly combat-centric--but z targetting in the 3d zeldas makes 95% percent of all the fighting completely easy--just push the attack button at the right time. Combat in the 3d zeldas is more of an emotional, graphics oriented experience r
#1 overrated game site (Score:2)
Oh, my? You mean I will actually have to COMMIT MYSELF TO SOME EFFORT in order to beat and enjoy the game?
Doh'
In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:3, Insightful)
First of all, there's a definitive PC slant here, while my guess is that Gamespy will most likely lean towards the console side in their list.
Secondly, I think it's easy to automatically dislike games that are extremely popular, such as Myst, The Sims, and Halo. They make easy targets, and in a very underground-esque kind of way, it's cool to dislike what's, well, cool. But merely because we dislike something doesn't mean it's necessarily overrated. I really dislike GTA3, but I can't deny its impact nor the fact that it may very well be a good game.
Likewise, and in regards to Myst, I'm not a fan. But Myst single-handedly opened the door for CD-ROM as a viable storage format. Yeah, it also opened the door to an onslaught of FMV and wannabees, and Myst isn't exactly a shining example of design brilliance. It's a slideshow with clicking But it isn't *that* bad, and what's more is that it brought in a tremendous amount of non traditional gamers, more commonly known as "females."
The Sims has done exactly the same thing, and in many ways is the spirital successor to Myst (without the technology push). In fact, long before GTA3, The Sims, very much in the vein of its predecessors, was pioneering open-ended, emergent, sandbox gameplay. More than that though, is that the game is largely played by moms and girlfriends and daughters and sisters; *not* by the guy who just got home from a 72 hour straight LAN party to sit down to play 3 more hours of Battelfield 1942.
Myst and The Sims are mass appeal titles, but merely because they are mainstream doesn't mean they're overrated. I would suggest that their importance in gaming cannot at all be overstated, and would go as far to say that there should be far more of these games. Even if I don't like to play them.
Halo is very much the same way, but on a smaller scale. It's a PC first person shooter...for the console. That alone is significant, and it also explains why it's making the slashdot overrated lists posted here. In college dorms everywhere, Halo replaced Goldeneye as the 2:30am procrastination technique. It revived co-op gameplay. But to many of you, it's just another PC FPS (albeit, you would argee, a fun one). What should prevent Halo from being in any overrated list is its multiplayer. To us, this is nothing new. But to console gamers, Halo is *the* original multiplayer shooter, not Team Fortress, or Quake, or Counterstrike. And there's nothing wrong with that.
My advice? Step out from the standard Doom-Lineage (Doom to Half Life 2)/PC covering and look around again. Mass appeal does not (always) equal overrated. Use Black & White as a paradigm for something not being what it ought to have been, not Myst or The Sims.
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
Whoops, we forgot. Someone add Goldeneye to the overrated list, quick!
To us, this is nothing new. But to console gamers, Halo is *the* original multiplayer shooter, not Team Fortress, or Quake, or Counterstrike. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Well, I guess I'm not the only one who can't remember Goldeneye for more than two seconds. But seriously, if you're calling something the original multiplayer shoot
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
But, I would urge you to be slightly less PC-centric and examine Halo as if it really were the first FPS you'd played since Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. In that context, Halo is very significant. I didn't mention this, but Halo also proved that someone could decently control a FPS with a controller (comparitively) and, at the time, it was pretty sharp looking. When it came out, it looked graphically better than anything on the PC.
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
This is probably true, but surely the list of all games that were the best looking game when they came out is a fairly long list.
A really overrated Bungie title... (Score:2)
Re:A really overrated Bungie title... (Score:2)
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
If you really didn't like the *original* multiplayer console fps, why? You must've never played flag-tag for shots with three other friends. Mario Cart isn't even as fun...
Re:Myst (Score:2)
Reviews at the time kept raving about its great graphics and calling it revolutionary. I don't understand what was so revolutionary about high-res stills that loaded from CD every time you clicked on something.
Probably like a lot of people here, I found Myst random and pointless with pretty things to look at, kind of like, oh, everything that is beloved b
Re:Myst (Score:2)
Myst was easy to play. You click, and something happens. You click on the side of the screen and you move.
Myst was pretty to look at. Oh sure, it was a slideshow, but to those outside of the computer culture, a pretty picture is a pretty picture. To us, we don't see a pretty picture; we see a
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
The Sims and it's spinoffs have sold millions and millions of copies. It's been featured in mainstream news mags like
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2)
Re:In Defense of Myst & The Sims & Halo (Score:2, Informative)
I think it's mostly because NPD Intellect is in the business of selling this kind of data, so it's not as easy to come by as we would like (similarly, try to find the best selling albums of
My predictions (Score:4, Interesting)
2) Diablo 2: Hey look! It's a hack'n'slash. I can gain levels and I can kill lots of mindless enemies with my friends. I failed to see the appeal to the game when it came out, and, except for a brief moment, I still think it's extremely repetitive and mindless.
3) Everquest: See Diablo 2. Except here, you mulitply all the time factors by 5. Ability system is slightly better.
4) Metal Gear Solid 2: I hate to say this, cause I thought it was a great game, but after playing the first one, it didn't seem all that revolutionary. There's a pop-backlash against this game which had a good (albeit out there at times) story and solid gameplay which was in a class of its own with the exception of the first game.
5) Final Fantasy 7: Good, one of my favorites in the series. It managed to combine new technology in a good way (usually smoothly integrates FMV for the most part rather than the "Oh look, we're doing a movie" like many other RPGs, opening sequence is a good example). Ability system solved the problem of using unused characters (although at the expense of individuality) and had a deeper ability system than gaining levels and completing two quests (I'm looking in your direction FF4). Good storyline (other "old school" FF fanboys tend to dislike to sci-fi feel of the game compared to previous games, and then complain it was unoriginal). But like I said, it doesn't matter what's good or bad, only what people think. And for those of you wondering. I played the original when it came out, and have beaten every one since with the exception of 8.
Re:My predictions (Score:2)
However, I do think WC3 was a significant advance in the RTS genre as it was the first to incorperate the hack'n'slash hero aspect, which makes it hard for me to go back to other RPGs. Unfortunately, I think WC3 will make high on the list; the editors didn't give it game of the year, fans loved it. The GC fans said that an overwhelming majority picked it as the best RTS this year.
Re:My predictions (Score:2)
You guys have it way off... (Score:2, Insightful)
People here keep putting "Enter the Matrix" and "Outpost" as great examples for this list. Those games were POORLY RATED, PLAYED BAD BUT SOLD WELL and LOWLY-RATED AND PLAYED BAD, respectively. Outpost was never said to be great. It was a flop. Done. It wasn't "overrated"
These games, and many others you are suggesting, deserve a place in the "25 most dissapointing games ever," but not "25 most overrated g
TSO (Score:5, Interesting)
Jesus Christ! It was on the fucking cover of Newsweek!!
People were expecting hundreds of thousands of subscribers to the service, they saw it bridging the gap and getting "regular folks" into online gaming.
And what happened? Nothing.
Few signed up for it, lag was everywhere, mobs formed in the game and overall it was boring! Who wants to play a game online just to chat with other people? At least in Everquest you get to hit things with swords.
The forgotten overrates? (Score:2)
Of course, there are the vaporwares like Prey and (yes, any sentence with vaporware must have...) Duke Nukem Forever.
And it's quite possible that Half Life 2, although I doubt it, may really blow. Maybe Gamespy should hold off on their #1 until they play HL2?
Mortal Kombat (Score:2)
It's all opinion, of course. I just never felt like I was really strategically fighting with anybody in that game, more like "who can hit the buttons in the right sequence?" I have Simon for that.
Dungeon Siege (Score:2)
The 10 Most Overrated Games of All Time (Score:3)
Oh. Video Games?
#1 - Atari 2600 Pac-man. A poor, rushed, half-clone of the arcade version pissed off a lot of sugar-shocked kids.
#2 - I'd have to go with Call to Power: Civ 3. It was the first game that I was sorry I bought.
#3 Duke Nukem Forever. Yes, it's not out yet. Seriously - DNF better wank me off for the amount of crap I've had to listen to. I've been teased less by high-school girlfriends.
#4 Duke Nukem Forever. Make that two times.
#5 Outpost - I was lucky enough to have this hyped to me directly from a Sierra rep. I also remember a exceedingly high rating from a 'reputable' PC mag.
#6 Michael Jackson Baby Drop - great for those with flash and without Bejeweled.
#7 Karate Champ for the Apple II - I actually bought this, copied it, returned it, played it, deleted it. Wasn't worth pirating, or hyping. I just thought I'd throw it in there.
#8 Myst - I thought I turned my screen saver to 'Starfield'? I beat on this one because they won't let it die.
#9 Diablo II - I was addicted. I played it all the way through. Hours and hours. Hey, I get to do it all over again! Nethack for people who like to know how movies end before they see them.
#10 Slashdot - What good is Karma when you're maxed out all the time from insightful posts like mine? Trolling is fun, but still waiting for the good gameplay patch.
Best games? Nethack, Rescue Raiders, Quake 1&2, Fallout, Ultima Underworld, Civ 2, Simcity 2000, Castles (by Atari- find this rom!), Comet and Cyclone (pinball), RTCW(demo:), GTA 3, Defender and some cyber-robot football arcade game that I remember from Pop's Arcade in Minneapolis. ahh, good times...
Gamespy commentary tries too hard to be edgy... (Score:2)
Likewise, why not mention that it was the EA marketdroids who chose to put McGee's name in front of Alice, and that he went on record many times sa
Re:Doom 2 (Score:2)
Not the levels! (Score:2, Funny)
oh, wait..
Re:Not the levels! (Score:2)
Story? Yeah, that's what I named my double-barreled shotgun, too... she was such a good girl : )
Re:Nintendo? (Score:2)
Mm... Let me try to dredge up some distant memories, of when we first got our N64 7 years ago or whatever...
Okay. I think you probably should have gone back and given Mario 64 another shot. You might still not have liked it, but there's a good chance you would have gotten into it. Because I can remember sorta being confused and aimless
Re:Baldur's Gate, I say. (Score:3, Insightful)
In BG2 you're supposed to think. Which means building a balanced team, not having all mages or all warriors, learning balanced skills (good combination of defensive and offensive spells), etc.
Of course, maybe you think that's boring. But if you think about it, it's logical. You aren't going to live for very long if you just charge at your enemies yelling like a madman. Now, if you go with a good team,
Re:Mario What?!? (Score:2)
Gotta say I agree. I don't remember promises that the game would revolutionize anywhere. Even in the earliest days it sounded like an upgrade to SM64. And that's what it was!
I certanly enjoyed the heck out of it. Okay, you were Mario, you ran around and jumped a lot. Okay, you picked up stuff and threw it. Okay, he's still that little guy with the red hat going "woohoo!". For some reason, there are people out there who were stu
Re:Hummm... (Score:2)