Today marks the 15th anniversary of NBA Live 08 on the Wii. Quite why there wasn't a national holiday and organised street parades for this excellent game is beyond us. Except, of course, it isn't excellent at all. The game was, for all intents and purposes, objectively bad, and yet there is a very large part of this writer which has an unabashed fondness for it, regardless of its flaws.
Now, this got us thinking — what are our favourite games which everyone else seems determined to say are bad? There's no room for the phrase "guilty pleasure" here — after all, if we like them, then why should we feel guilty about it? — but we are operating along the same lines.
Below, a group of our writers have entered the gaming confession booth to discuss the games of which they still think fondly, despite their better judgement. Be it a matter of nostalgia, blinding bias, or an inability to shut off the childhood mind, each entry discusses one of our most controversial top games as well as providing the reason that we love it so.
Such a deep diving exercise means that we don't want to be alone in our confessions, oh no — we want you to get involved too! Why not leave a comment below with your pick of bad games that you can't help but love and see how it matches up with everyone else? Happy reading!
Pokémon Dash - Jim Norman, Staff Writer
I had to turn to the internet to find my pick, because after all, aren't all of the games I like "good games"? Simply put, the answer is no.
I was shocked to see the slander dealt out in droves against Pokémon Dash, and for what reason?
Browsing lists of the worst Nintendo titles, I was shocked to see the slander dealt out in droves against Pokémon Dash, and for what reason? Because it was a Pokémon-themed racer? Because the constant touchscreen-swiping controls present a case of Carpal tunnel syndrome waiting to happen? Because it's kinda freaky seeing Pikachu from a birds-eye view? Seemingly, yes. All of the above.
Happy to fly the positive flag for such a belittled title, I have so many fond memories playing this game. The controls may have been a slight pain, but they were fun enough, and made great use of the DS' hardware capabilities. The fact that you could only play as Pikachu in single-player mode also worked wonders for me. I loved that little guy, and would grind hard to get him in every other Pokémon title, so the limited selection was no skin off my teeth.
I understand the reasons for complaint (although Metacritic's score of 46 pains me), but nothing will topple my nostalgia. Pokémon Dash is a fun time and I will not be convinced otherwise.
Resident Evil 6 - Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer
Resident Evil 6 and I didn't get off to the best start in our relationship. I remember getting excited watching the debut trailer for the game, but there also were little flutters of concern materialising in the deep recesses of my mind. Leon and Chris in the same game? Nice. Driving a tank through the streets of Edonia? Hmm... Then the demo came out and I just straight up thought, "oh no, this is terrible".
[Resident Evil 6] feels, in hindsight, like a natural evolution of what came before it
Time, however, is a great healer. The sixth mainline Resident Evil is inferior to the likes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4; there's no doubt about that. But a decade after its release, I absolutely love it for what it is. Yes, it ditched the survival horror element that the series had effectively built its foundation on, but the actual gameplay is ruddy good fun!
The game feels, in hindsight, like a natural evolution of what came before it. But where Resident Evil 5 blatantly copied its predecessor's gameplay and overall structure, Resident Evil 6 reached for the stars with four unique campaigns and perhaps the best iteration of the 'Mercenaries' mode that the franchise had ever seen.
Did it slip up here and there? Absolutely. But those deriding it for its sharp focus on action over horror need to cast their minds back further and realise that the seeds were being planted since the very start of the franchise. Resident Evil 6 was just the culmination of it.
Bioshock Infinite - Kate Gray, Staff Writer
Bioshock Infinite. HEAR ME OUT.
I know it's a well-enough-made AAA game that got a slew of good reviews, but in more recent years, the general consensus is that it's an incredibly clumsy take on real-world issues that fumbles the pass by ultimately forgetting what it was saying and whose side it was on in the first place. For the record, I agree. The racism plotline in Bioshock Infinite is horrendously terrible, eventually shrugging its shoulders and saying "well, actually, maybe everyone is a bit evil". I will not forgive it for that, nor for its egregious use of racist stereotypes to characterise and caricature its villains. And its protagonist.
I still think there's a gorgeous game hidden underneath all the ugly parts of Bioshock Infinite
Having said all of that, I still think there's a gorgeous game hidden underneath all the ugly parts of Bioshock Infinite. It is beautiful — those skies, that environment design, the inclusion of real-world songs to reflect an alternate universe guided by isolationist religion — and it has themes that I adored, specifically between Elizabeth and her adopted, messed-up family, or the ongoing thread of time, quantum mechanics, and repetition.
The Lutece twins acting as strange, ethereal guides, constantly hinting at the true nature of things before you realise it yourself? Amazing. Repurposing '80s bops as anachronistic ragtime-waltz covers? Inspired. The Requiem-scored monument to Elizabeth's murdered mother and her eventual resurrection as a furious banshee? Chef's kiss. I mean, they ruined it by making it a wave battle, but they nailed the atmosphere. I just wish Irrational had stuck to cool ghosts and left out all the more "first-year philosophy student has opinions about racism and religion!" stuff.
Star Fox Zero - Gonçalo Lopes, Reviewer
It is common for established Nintendo franchises to divide their fan base to polar opposites, more frequently so if said franchise was established prior to this century. Whenever Nintendo grabs an old 8 or 16-bit classic and gives the series an unexpected new twist, praise from new fans and ire from old ones are sure to follow. Several games come to mind that fit this pattern, and while a few are universally panned by critics and gamers alike, I often find something worth pursuing in them. Latest culprit on my list: Star Fox Zero.
I do acknowledge [Star Fox Zero's] flaws and fear how it might have compromised the future of the series going forward… but I can not deny it remains one heck of a ride
Star Fox 64 fine-tuned the on-rails formula set by the Super Nintendo original, and Star Fox Assault added Namco’s flavor to the mix. While this GameCube entry would also make a fine candidate entry into this Talking Point feature, it was Miyamoto and PlatinumGames' latest take on the franchise that “took things off-rails”, if you'll permit the pun.
A high-definition, ultimate Star Fox experience is something me (and I’m sure every fan of the franchise) always dreamed of, because even back in 1993, we didn't see low-count polygon models — we saw epic space and ground battles. The Wii U was more than capable of delivering this graphic prowess (and it did!), but sadly, due to the game’s design philosophy Miyamoto encouraged throughout development, several parts of the game were severely compromised due the inaccuracy of controls and often just how unnatural it was for a more casual player to get the grips with controlling the vehicles in such an alien fashion.
It is thus bittersweet: I love the franchise, I love Star Fox Zero, but I stand alone among my close circle of Nintendo peers, who consider this entry the weakest game in the whole series. I do acknowledge its flaws and fear how it might have compromised the future of the series going forward… but I can not deny it remains one heck of a ride.
Yoshi's Island DS - Mitch Vogel, reviewer
My pick for this would be Yoshi’s Island DS. The Yoshi’s Island series has been marked by plenty of high highs and low lows (let’s be real, mostly lows), and I see this game trotted out often in discussions of Nintendo’s biggest misses.
I think people should remember Yoshi’s Island DS more fondly than they do
Personally, I really enjoyed the baby-switching mechanic and felt it added a lot to the core gameplay, while the game being stretched over two screens led to some fun and interesting level designs that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere. Although it is an absolute pain to attempt to 100% this game, I even enjoyed the process of doing that.
I developed a sick kind of respect for Yoshi’s Island DS, and though I would still put the original release and Woolly World far above this one, I think people should remember Yoshi’s Island DS more fondly than they do.
Phew, sure does feel good to get that off our chests! Why not join in the debate? Leave a comment down below with your favourite bad game to overcome your shame!
Comments 270
Yoshi's New Island on 3DS. Bad Stages, terrible music terrible everything but lurking under all of that is a strange charm about it.
While I would probably never go back to it, I confess I did play and beat the game like... three? Four times? They were darker days, when I had more time to play and less variety.
The game was Fire Emblem Awakening. One of the worst FE games ever, like Fates to follow it. I'm thankful I have since gotten rid of it so I never feel tempted to play that trash again.
I guess to name a few I can think of I will never admit to it being trash personally, but I've seen plenty of people hating on Parasite Eve 2 meanwhile for me it is an all time favorite. Mystic Quest I love for the soundtrack, not that, that's a particularly hot take or anything... Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon both the original and especially the DS remake of it I find to be the finest game in the whole series, I donno if too many people love them quite to that degree.
Super Mario Brothers lost levels; for a Nintendo game it's a troll-y mess with physics that have aged poorly, but it's still fun. Oh, also Just Dance.
Wait, people didn't like Yoshi's Island for the DS?
I LOVED that game... So I guess that's an involuntary pick.
Otherwise I'd pick the Pokémon Ranger Trilogy - absolute gems.
I dont know if this counts but I have a great fondness for Adventures of Link. Is it because people compare it to other iterations in the Zelda series? Is it really that bad and I'm just looking at it through rose-tinted glasses? I don't know, but in my opinion it's up there with OoT, MM, BotW and LttP. Which one is first, I actually can't decide but Adventures of Link has a chance in my books.
I like all of games in this article, except Bioschock Infinite. I also like all Yoshi games, and I know some of them get a lot of hate.
Having said all that, I wouldn't qualify any as "objectively bad" though.
Nightmare on Elm Street on the NES. Maybe it's because I first played this game as a kid when there really wasn't much to go by then, but even playing it years later after people like Angry Video Game Nerd tore it apart, I still enjoy it.
Yeah I noticed it's flaws but grab a few buddies and this game and I am having fun. Or maybe because it was a NES game based off of a rated R franchise, who knows but its definitely one of my guilty pleasures.
For me it’s probably Final Fight Guy. Sure it’s missing two player mode, Cody, the factory level, area transitions and only has three enemies on-screen at once but the graphics are nicely colourful, the music sounds less scratchy than the arcade version and it was a much easier way to play the game in the ‘90s than trying to find an arcade with the game AND convincing my parents to give me money to play it.
Probably Federation Force, I had a great time playing that one with friends.
The little mermaid for sega genesis, bad controls, very short game but I still love it, the nes version made by capcom is the best though
For many years I would have said “Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon” because it got very lukewarm reviews when it was released (a 7.1 from Nintendo Power if I remember correctly, and that was just a glorified advertising firm for games appearing on Nintendo systems) and because I adored that game in ways that kind of formed who I am today. But because it has such a healthy cult following even now I’m still not sure that it qualifies. So if I had to think of a game that seems to be considered pretty bad but that I kinda love and keep going back to again and again, it would probably be Jaws for the NES.
Mine would likely be Bionicle Matoran Adventures for the GBA. It's just a basic platformer but it's also the first video game I ever owned. And it's pretty fun despite the simple game premise and recycled assets.
My favourite Pokémon game is USUM. Apparently that’s controversial.
Also, Pilotwings Resort on the 3DS.
Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis on GBA, despite its technical problems, I just loved having Sonic 1 on the go well before the DS and later portable versions appeared. I got it summer 2007 as a surprise from my mom.
Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric, despite this game being hated by many, I enjoyed it. I like game and had fun with the exploration aspect. Reminded me of the cartoon tie-in games I play, which is fitting since Sonic Boom was also a cartoon.
I loved Star Fox Zero, didn't know the game was so hated. I had a lot of fun playing this one, and being a Star Fox fan, I enjoyed seeing Star Fox 64 re-imagined. At least that's what it felt like to me.
@BoilerBroJoe
Heck yes, N64 Goemon is a dear game to me as well, game has a ton of personality and has one of my all time favorite soundtracks.
Pokemon SwSh
But only because of the DLC. Without the DLCs it's the most underwhelming mainline Pokemon game imo while with DLC it's actually pretty solid
I’m going on internet hate here..
Yoshi’s Crafted World
Yooka-Laylee
Both games I like a lot more than the internet seems to.
All about Final Fantasy Explorers. Middling reviews, cynical fans, and an unending number of Monster Hunter comparisons couldn't convince me this game wasn't fun.
Eternal Champions on the MegaDrive. First time staying over at my older sisters house. She was on vacation and I was home alone. Played that game for 2 weeks straight… Played it a while back and it was awful, but once again I just couldn’t stop playing
@Tasuki don't apologise, hermano. NOES is a fudging great game.
Paper Mario Origami King is one of my favourite games on Switch.
If you don't go in expecting it to be a classic JRPG and just take it for what it is it's an incredible adventure game with a well written emotional story with a great sense of humour too.
Not to mention a pretty great and unique battle system that really shines during the boss battles.
I completely agree with Jim, Dash is probably extremely boring to most people....but I played it when I first got a DS and being able to move a Pokemon with the simple flick of a stylus was mind-blowing to me at the time. Couple that with very addictive gameplay and its definitely one I hold close to my heart that I know a lot of other people really don't.
As for my own personal one though, there's quite a few options. Pokemon Rumble World was my first introduction to a series I had always wanted to play since I was young and didn't disappointment in the slightest, the original Star Fox, even if it is wholly outclassed by 64 (which I absolutely agree with btw), is still a fun and technically impressive time capsule and for a really large curveball: Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force on the DS. It is as good as you'd expect from a mid-2000's licensed DS tie-in, but that hasn't stopped me from loving it to pieces over the years.
Body Harvest on the N64
if yoshi's island ds is your worst favorite you've got infinitely many worse games (in the yoshi series, no less! i can think of three and they're all platformers!) to play
suppose hey pikmin might be my goto. its more middling than bad, but, eh, first thought
Dragon Age 2. I mean it’s no origins but I like it enough. The Qunari took a much bigger role which was great considering they weren’t elves or dwarfs. The Hawke family drama and Mage/Templar conflict where half decent. The combat felt a bit punchier (still wasn’t great though), and a lot of the previous races like elves and Qunari felt more distinct to each other.
The game had weaknesses but it think it’s a bit over hated personally.
Another game that I loved (but I haven’t played since I was a kid so maybe it actually was bad) is Shadow The Hedgehog. Plenty of good memories with that one. Great music, edgy AF protagonist, branching missions, shadow had a bike even though he has super speed!
Bioshock infinites not a bad game at all & resident evil 6 isn't that bad just too over the top with the focus on action & not survival horror
Sonic 3D: Flickies Island
But the Saturn version which was a much slicker affair, much nicer graphics and better music too. Still a solid 6/10 game but I will always love it much much more than most!
Main instinct coming to mind for me is Hybrid Heaven. It's kind of awful but there's just so much charm there.
For all of its faults, Resi 6 is probably the most “fun” Resident Evil game for me. It’s cheesy action shlock and is honestly WAY more playable than Resi 5.
Other contenders for me is the OG Nier, mediocre gameplay but has an AMAZING story, characters, and music. Deadly Premonition if only because of the mere existence of its main lead York.
not a bad game but is hated on none stop Kingdom Hearts 3
Shadow the Hedgehog for me. I honestly liked it despite its issues. Awesome how each and every single possible route had its own name, and there were hundreds of possible paths Shadow could take. And of course, learning more about Shadow, Gerald and Maria's history was amazing back then.
Body Harvest on N64.
It is clunky and the the draw distance is bad and there are all sorts of things you could complain about.
But to me, it will always be a masterpiece of a game. I love it in spite of its faults and sometimes even because of them.
@SoapMonki Glad I'm not the only one
Oh my word, I knew my answer to this the moment I read the headline. Mine is Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. I have played through this game so many times. I have lost count how many times I have played it. I know it's not great; it's easily one of the jankiest Mario games ever made, but I love it.
Original Zelda on NES. Still my favorite game. I also love Chasm the procedural Metroidvania game.
You could also do an article about really great games you hate.
There's quite a handful of "worst" games I liked a fair bit at the least, but one of those is Paper Mario: Sticker Star. No, it's not a good "Paper Mario" game, but I still greatly enjoyed it (and its Wii U sequel Paper Mario: Color Splash) for what it was.
The resource management system kept me on my very toes on what I should use at the right time, leading to a satisfying experience on my end that led me to replaying the game eight times (taking different paths on the map). And contrary to the crowd, the puzzles weren't even that problematic as while they do often give "vague" clues, solving them felt like an accomplishment to me and even then, there were only fewest few instances where I had to resort to a guide to get it all figured out.
@B_Lindz Not sure what you're talking about. SML2 is one of the top 5 best selling Gameboy games ever and top 5 best reviewed Gameboy games of all time. I've never known anyone who didn't like it. It was a system defining game.
Personally, it's probably my favorite 2D Mario, as it has much better variety in its levels compared to SMW or SMB3 or NSMBWii, where most levels cannot be distinguished from each other based on a screen shot. Each level in SML2 is quite distinct and memorable.
Easily Paper Mario Color Splash. Yeah, the combat isn’t great, but man everything else is
I’ve a fondness for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on nes. I spent a lot of time with it as a kid and it definitely doesn’t deserve the notoriety it has.
Disaster: Day of Crisis for me.
“Eat my ballistics!!”
I can't think of any Nintendo-related games but...
When I was younger during the PS2 days, I really loved Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, which is the worst Syphon Filter. I didn't live it because of my fondness for the franchise, but because it was my introduction to a concept that would go on to define the Xbox 360: achievements.
The game had a list of challenges and awards for doing so that you can do in game and that sort of system, inelegant and simple as it may be, just triggers the right dopamine-release buttons in my brain. It was like the challenges in Goldeneye that unlocked Big Head Mode, but better catalogued.
That said, I haven't revisited it since and I'm sure if I did, I'd see what the abysmal review scores are about.
Also, the first King's Field (which never came here, we got the second one and they called it the first one) I will stand by as the first 3D Metroidvania to get it right. It may actually just be the first 3D Metroidvania. Either way, it may still be the ugliest game I've ever played, but I still loved it a whole heck of a lot.
@sketchturner Honestly, next people are going to be commenting “I know it’s controversial… but my guilty pleasures are Pokémon Crystal & Ocarina of Time!” 😂
As for me, I’m genuinely not sure I’d say I LOVE any game that is objectively or generally viewed as bad… but I think the closest thing to that is that I seem to be the only person that truly prefers Sonic 06 to Colours (I at least got through the former, I quit the latter at the water world after it almost bored me to tears). I’ve also played through Pokémon Channel 2-3 times, a game that I don’t think many would waste their time on.
@Markiemania95 Exactly 😄
@Expa0 Mystic Quest's soundtrack had no business being that good! It really wasn't a bad game, just basic. In some ways, it was actually ahead of its time for a JRPG when I think about it. You could actually see enemies on the field instead of having random encounters. Grinding was optional. You could jump and use your weapons strategically as tools.
SimCity 2013. Sure, it had a terrible launch and has many flaws, but it’s nowhere near as bad as everyone acts like it is. I recently tried playing it again and I actually had a ton of fun. It’s been completely replaced by Cities Skylines, which is deserved, but it actually beats Cities Skylines in a number of categories. The music, for example, is way better, and really adds to the game’s atmosphere. The UI also looks more professional and sleeker. Definitely SimCity’s biggest fault is the max city size, which is very limiting, but other than that it’s a decent game.
dark seed 2. i don‘t know why but i am truly obsessed with this game.
i would love to have it on the switch or iphone!
I am sure there are worse games to mention, but Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles comes to mind. The gameplay is getting old very fast and my stats were low when I tackled the endboss because of it. The bossfight was infuriating and it was one of those bosses with many forms. Well it was a very long and desperate fight.
The atmosphere, music and artstyle of the game is, what makes this game one of my most beloved games whenever I think about it. The soundtrack is easily one of the best video game soundtracks.
And the story is simple but charmly told. Traveling with the caravan through a world, that is infested with miasma is eerie and yet kinda calming and peaceful.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. I get a lot of people being turned off by how different and obtuse it is, but it's still my favorite game in the series and it is my go to game for spooky season.
I love so much Eternal Champions 2 - Challenge from the Dark Side (Sega CD)
The most brutal fatalities.....a unique fighting system with absurd combos, many characters, some moves with cinematic videos, scenario fatalities, fatalities with cinematic video....excellent gameplay....but that was not successful and few people know this fantastic fighting game.
GTA trilogy on Switch currently has a metacritic score of 46. Sure it’s not perfect but I think it is a great time. It got a lot of hate because a few songs are missing (around 10%) but not only do I like it I would actually recommend it.
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja on the NES.
Terrible game but it was the first game I ever bought with my own money.
I'd have to really wrack my brain for this one but off the top of my head, Mario Sunshine.
I loved and stil love "onslaught" a WiiWare hordeshooter. I played hours and hours of that game. It's a genius FPS in a 42MB.
Dave Mirra's BMX 2 on the GameCube is very ugly, very buggy, and very awesome.
Okay I went looking and got a REAL surprise Mario Party 8 doesn't even have a review! I can't believe people like Mario Party 9 more than 8, that's ridiculous! I played this one all the time with family a few years ago and I'm truly shocked people don't like it all that much.
Mischief Makers and Mystical Ninja, both on the N64. They both got mixed reviews, but I loved playing through these games as a teenager
@FroZtedFlake was 8 the one with the basketball mini game? I played the heck out of that
@Manxman64 Yep, that's the one. it had some super fun minigames, the fighting ones, the ghost hunt, and the shake the soda can were my personal favorites
I like Castlevania 64 a lot. I can get used to the janky combat and platforming, and the game's mood and atmosphere is very spooky and intriguing.
More recently, I had fun with Balan Wonderworld, even though it's pretty dang rubbish and should have known better than to make everything one button, or locking full completion behind completing 40 separate QTE events
Super Kick Off for the Game Gear was a terrible football game. Hardly any teams, made-up names, four colours of the massive, empty pitch, lousy sound effects, slowed down whenever a second (let alone third) player appeared on screen, and had ropey physics. But it was also very fast (when your player was alone) and you could slide tackle for about 30ft. Loved it. Even though I knew it was terrible.
I don't think these games are "objectively bad" at all, but I've seen plenty of hate for Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid: Other M and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. All 3 games are Top 5 games in the Metroid Series in my opinion, and I've got two of them as the series' best entries. While Hunters is my favorite game of all time, Federation Force is all extremes of underrated when compared to nearly every other Metroid game and I am referring to the game's single player experience contrary to how the game was marketed. I also haven't forgotten that this community at Nintendolife after Dread's release rated all three games as worse than both Metroid and Metroid II.
Rabbits Land. A guilty pleasure of mine.
Devil's Third.
Please bring it to Switch 🙏
Does sonic the secret rings count? I played that a couple times.
Metroid Fusion is my favourite in the series. This might have something to do with it being the first one I played but I still feel it gets a bad rap.
Edit: Also I loved Sonic Heroes
Oooh, I know this goes against the grain of most peoples perception but...
....the main series Pokemon games that no-one else likes. That being Gens 2, 4, 6 and 8. I can joke about it and honestly it would be lengthy to explain why but I would say I enjoyed those more than other.
Another example is Hyrule Warriors Legends for 3DS. It doesn't run well on an OG system but man, I had a blast with it with its ongoing DLC and its content. I eventually played it on an N3DS for an improved experience
I just think I'm a little more forgiving with flaws and appreciating what 6 or 7/10 games offer. Basically, if you want EDGE reviews, I'm not your guy.
I like Mario is Missing. The SNEs version has great music remixes of Super Mario World music.
@Oswinner is Crafted World not well liked? Aw I thought that game was an absolute treat — I got it bundled with my Switch along with Odyssey and had a lovely time with it.
Kirby’s Star Allies. Sure it’s a bit safe, but tje fan service with the dozens of playable characters make it the Ultimate 2D Kirby game
Wow, people sure have some elite tastes if these games are the "worst" games that you love. Most of these scored pretty well.
@DiamondJim sold!
@Cyrax77 I remember being super excited for Eternal Champions — I got it the Christmas after I'd got Street Fighter, and was all hyped for what Mean Machines' review had touted as "like having Street Fighter III" — and at first I was loving the colourful, comic booky graphics, interesting roster of misfits, each with a vast range of moves, but my excitement quickly came crashing to the ground when it dawned on me that you couldn't chain moves together... 😓
@Nf157 OK, i do despise DA2. But I have often wondered what the Bioware world would look like if DA2 had been the first instead of Origins and if people would have embraced it with no point of comparison.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. I've played this game to death, and I have a huge passion for it to the point where I pretty much won't shut up about it any any discussion related to Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom.
The other bad game is the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, notoriously known for being one of the most water-downed, half-assed ports of a Call of Duty game that is arguably even worse than what was ported to Nintendo consoles. I played it extensively because it was basically the only way I could play it before I got a gaming laptop. I also have a PS5 now, so things have definitely changed.
A few come to mind:
NES: Bad Dudes. The intro is legendary. I've had my fun with it, and while it pales in comparison to the later TMNT games, Double Dragon, etc., I laugh every time I clear a level and hear a screeching "I'M BAD!!" Speaking of TMNT, the first NES game would fit this article too, the soundtrack is such a bop.
N64: Rugrats Scavenger Hunt. As a big Rugrats fan, even back in the day, I knew that this game wasn't good, but still had fun with the game regardless, I liked the voice clips. Dil spaces were such a troll. Also, a random sidenote: The music that plays on the Pirate Treasure map is oddly foreboding.
GBA: Mario Party Advance. I think this one was very limited by the GBA hardware. Still the weakest Mario Party I've played, but for what it was, it had some neat ideas, and I like the appearance of a lot of the more obscure Mario enemies and how there was a little story element to their conversations.
Wii: Wii Play. I enjoyed a good half of the minigames on here, especially Tanks. Just very short and not enough depth. This would have fit more as a bundled-in/pre-installed game on the Wii system menu like FaceRaiders on 3DS.
@sketchturner I really like how you worded that last sentence. It's kind of how I feel when I talk about Goldeneye to others. I think Goldeneye is still a great game to this day, despite its jank and "sometimes possibly because" of it (e.g. the slow motion rolling soldiers, rocket launcher multiplayer matches becoming a 1920s slideshow). Someone on here mentioned how others may have more fun with GE multiplayer if they look at it as a "party game with an FPS coat" as opposed to a standard FPS with all the QoL and standards they expect of FPS games. Also, the atmosphere and music of the single player levels are genuinely incredible to this day, imo.
I've heard people say that Sleeping Dogs isn't all that great by today's standards, but I adore it.
@Don Yes! The nostalgia is real for that game.
Star Fox Zero. Had a great time with my son figuring this out and playing cooperative in it. After giving myself over to it, I really enjoyed the exploration of ways to control flying vehicles. Sometimes you felt like you were in it, or just controlling one part (like aiming/shooting) and others like you were flying it remote and watching from a fun perspective.
To me it seemed like a game trapped in a transition. It started as a last ditch effort to show how the Wii U could offer something different, and while Breath of the Wild took out the gamepad features and landed on Switch, SFZ had its development cut short to get it out the door before the Switch made everyone forget about it.
I think I might play this again with my son, because he has the Wii U set up in his own gaming area now.
I hope Nintendo hasn't given up on Star Fox, too. Maybe when Nintendo finally dives into VR, it will be the perfect excuse... pretty sure your hands will be covered in fuzzy fox fur.
@Andee I would enjoy Crafted World if it was free too. That probably sounds mean but that thing was way too easy for the price.
How about WWF Warzone? There's a (surely better) sequel on the N64, and then there were those Smackdown games that everybody loved, but Warzone was the game that I spent months with my friends creating wrestlers and learning the subtle art of slowly advancing on a foe, making Jaws noises while swinging around a big-ass CRT TV.
@ChameleonBros Yeah, I didn't list Goldeneye because obviously it was considered one of the greatest games on the system back in the N64 days. But it seems all I ever hear these days is how badly it aged. I understand why people say that but I don't feel it personally, even if I objectively see the "flaws." I have played many modern FPS games and I've still never played an FPS I enjoyed more than Goldeneye, other than possibly TimeSplitters 2 & Future Perfect. Even today, I can pull out Goldeneye and have a total blast with it.
the game we call life
Two Worlds on Xbox 360. There’s something just cathartic about finding armors and stacking them to make a more powerful set. Yeah it makes no sense and the rest of the game is a broken, cheesy mess (except Harold Faltermeyer’s awesome songs), but I think it’s a really cool progression mechanic.
I still have my promotional T-shirt that says “Yeah, I like to kill” and I met the producer at Pax 2010 and he was so passionate about the upcoming sequel.
@Drew250 Sonic Heroes was awesome
Tetrisphere
Superman and Bible Buffet on NES.
@FishyS Just Dance is a great choice. It’s not a “good game” by any measure. The feedback it gives based on your dancing seems arbitrary at times. And it constantly want to “reward” you with pointless cosmetics. Add to that the fact that the base version has a very short song list, so you really need the subscription service to get much out of it. But damn, it’s a blast to play, especially with kids.
But, if I love it it's not a bad game... It's a good game that just not everyone ELSE loved.
But given that I mostly play smaller games or lesser known ones, it's already hard to get a general idea of how people liked them.
I loved Little Nightmares 1 but I HATED the load times and constant unfair instant deaths. They almost kept me from finishing it, from getting the sequel (in which that issue was solved), and keep me from ever playing it again. Same for some other games. Load times and unfair random deaths or just bad balancing that requires way too much luck or is just way too frustrating... I hate them. Oh, and overly cliché anime storytelling and actual stories themselves, yet weirdly enough right now I'm playing Stella Glow and it has both.
I loved and at times even prefered many GBC / GBA versions of games that could be considered bad versions, like Payback, Max Payne Advance, Kill.Switch, Rogue Spear, Alone in the Dark on the Color, Perfect Dark (also on GBC),...
Perhaps Geist on Gamecube, or PNo3, those weren't that well received in the day if I recall correctly.
ZombiU? Devil's Third?
But those are all great games in my opinion. With some bad parts.
Many DS and 3DS games that were lesser known or slightly unpopular as well, from the Zelda games to Contact which nobody seems to know. Just rough gems, and arguably bad reviewers that don't enjoy the game, not bad games.
Long story short, I love some games. That they are bad is someone else's opinion often, and that doesn't change my experience with them. Especially nowadays when someone on internet can scream WORST GAME EVER in a bad mood, and have it eternalised online as a FACT.
Removed - harassment
The Devil's Third
Excellent bad game 😆
@Doctor-Moo When I played Just Dance with some friends years ago, it was a self rewarding experience, through the fun and hyper movement we had outside of the game, mostly because of the game. But I'd never play it alone, so I guess it's a great example indeed. Just depends on the situation and mood.
@MythTgr Agreed. I love Other M a LOT. Metroid is by far one of my favorite series, and Other M is one of my favorite games in the series. It does have some things I really don't like (such as the pixel hunts) but overall, I feel like it was very nearly the perfect direction for the series to go, just with some mis-steps that couldn't be tolerated by the internet. A sequel could have fixed those mis-steps easily and given us an unbelievable game, but the vitriol guaranteed that won't happen.
The funny thing is that it received mostly great reviews at launch, but then it got ripped apart by some Youtubers and that sullied its reputation broadly and permanently. Perfect example of sheep mentality.
Haven’t played in a while, but I loved Undead Bowling on 3ds
I have absolutely no idea. Probably my weirdest is Home Alone on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
I don't hear anyone talk about it like I do, it's quite easily my favourite game on that console.
Star Fox Zero does provide an interesting twist on the classic Lylat Wars. But that being said, it was yet another reboot of the series that we didn't need. And the mandatory use of the gyroscopic controls and the second screen did little to help (if anything, it only made it worse).
What we DID need was a sequel to Assault that ignored the events and canonicity of Command. They really did the Star Fox team dirty in Command, both before, during, and after the events of the game, so they needed a sequel to Assault in order to wash the bitter taste that Command left behind out of our mouths.
But on the subject of Assault, I would say that if they tightened up the controls a little (as much as the game is criticized, Adventures had better controls than Assault, especially the on-foot controls), and added a few more levels (especially making use of the multiplayer-only maps of the Great Fox, Titania, and Zoness), they would have had the definitive Star Fox game.
I have a few that come to mind, the first being Rambo on the NES. Gameplay is standard, the animations for the cutscenes are cringe worthy, but damn it if it doesn't have a great great score at points, and I always had a good time with it.
The second is Battle Arena Toshinden for PSX. For a fighting game the characters aren't the most memorable, had your typical tropes, graphically has aged badly, but it had a killer score, and it was the game that won me over on the PlayStation.
Dance Dance Revolution PS3
The game has the worst licensed songs, weak step charts, fewer songs, too many auto saving, very terrible way to unlock the hidden songs but I still like to keep the game as I need their Konami original songs that being used for DDR Arcade.
@sketchturner It's funny you bring up TS2, because that's also like a top 3 favorite FPS all-time for me. I guess I just like the FPS games with that Rareware footprint.
@sketchturner Agreed. It is definitely one of my favorite Metroid games, because it leans heavily on story (as flawed as it is) and explores more of Samus Aran's backstory. Otherwise, we only know bits and pieces from game manuals, comics, and manga.
Plus, we finally got to hear Samus with full voice-over in a Metroid game, beyond just grunts and screams (à la Metroid Prime); Super Smash Bros. Brawl doesn't count, since it's not a Metroid game. Some criticize that, but what they fail to realize was most of her voice-over lines were internal monologue, not dialogue, so of course it's going to sound more emotionless, like a journal entry.
The pixel hunts can be a little annoying on the first playthrough, but I'll take those any day over the pixel-perfect timing that you need to make an E.M.M.I. release you in Metroid Dread if it catches you. Ditto with the other boss fights, which feel more like Cuphead's boss fights than Metroid's.
I just love Wario World. It’s my first Wario game and the one that introduced me to the WarioWare series through its Game Boy Advance cable feature. It’s full of personality and lots of fun with its cartoon violence and bonkers boss battles. It has a great, little soundtrack. Greenhorn Forest has to be one of the best Wario tracks ever. The game’s only real downside is that it’s too short, but it’s so sweet. I miss it so much!
For me it always has to be Final Fantasy Mystic Quest whenever this kind of question comes up. Yes it was a really easy game all things considered, but as someone who had this as his very first RPG, this game was perfect to step into that world with. Plus I don't think they really did the game short on the gameplay and story elements, it feels perfect enough for a newcomer to get a feel for the genre. And I still have nothing but fond memories of this game.
Plus, the music freaking ROCKS!!
yugioh the falsebound kingdom, mysims agents(still wanting a sequel). as a kid liked mario in time.
Castlevania 64.
A good few of my most favorite games ever could fall under this umbrella, depending who you ask. ARMS and Fortnite aren’t exactly the biggest hits among us hardcore Nintendo fans, but I love those two games to death.
In terms of objectively bad games, a buddy and I played Lawnmower Game: Next Generation, a Switch eshop shovelware title, for our let’s play channel and we had an absolute blast. Any bad game is a good game if you play it with the right people.
Edit: I also really like crappy NES games. Urban Champion and Pro Wrestling as two of my favs.
@sketchturner Sheep mentality would have been everyone also praising it because reviewers were positive. Actual players didn't like it. That's the opposite of sheep.
@ChameleonBros a few months ago came across my rugrats cartridge and played a round. it's still fun.
@LikelySatan yeah it was such an easy, breezy game — I got my Switch as a treat to myself as I was going through a bit a rough illness at the time so it was the perfect panacea
Assassin’s Creed. The first game. Most folks I see on the internet feel that ACII is really when the series took off, meanwhile for me it was the beginning of the end. I loved how well AC I stuck to its principles merging a historical simulation with a centuries long feud or while still hinting at the end of the world. Much like Mass Effect 1 the original plot hinted at a greatness that we never actually saw play out as the series became a victim of its own success. And now that Ubi has pretty much confirmed they are gonna keep beating the horse to death I know what ever conclusion they come up with won’t satisfy me. (Especially since Juno is dead). Also I found Ezio to be mostly unlikable except in revelations.
While I mostly enjoyed Bioshock Infinite at the time I played it, the story was hamfisted and a bit tone deaf. I remember feeling the racism plot was poorly handled but I pushed through. I tend to revisit 1 and 2 and ignore infinite now.
Definitely disagree that Bioshock Infinite is a "bad" game in any sense of the word. If anything it's an underappreciated masterpiece whereas Bioshock 1 is a recognised one.
Sonic and the Secret Rings. The controls are pretty bad but I like the story, characters, and music. Black Knight is still the better of the Storybook duology though.
I heard you out and I still don’t understand the Bioshock pick. Everyone I know the played it loved it and heard nothing but great things from critics.
That said… I have a few games I love despite knowing they’re mediocre. I loved Crash Bandicoot Purple and Spyro Orange when I was a kid. Replayed them a few years ago and still enjoyed it… probably nostalgia but I had a lot of fun.
Oh, I also really enjoyed Yoshi’s New Island. Some of the music is… absolutely terrible. But minus that it was a fun return to traditional Yoshi’s Island gameplay.
Deus Ex Invisible War
My favorite "bad game" is probably The Last Remnant. The game has issues (graphical bugs, voice acting at times, over encumbered battle system, hard as balls) but I love it!!! A truly forgotten masterpiece of the 7th gen that deserves more love than what it receives! If you've yet to try it please give it a go it is one of the most unique JRPGs of the last 20 years with an amazing world, cool battle system and an amazing cast!
Crystal Defenders was not well received but is one of my most played over the last 15 years!! I bought a version on the Wii, PS3, 360 and my phone!! I really wish it'd get a release on the Switch but Square seems to have forgotten about that short lived series.
I feel like a lot of people rag on The Outer Worlds, but I love that game to pieces. It's like a less content-bloated Fallout game, and the main crew are a lot of fun.
I also love LEFT ALIVE to pieces as well, it's an incredible stealth game.
@Lizuka I loved Hybrid Heaven but I don’t know why. It was fun building up power in one leg and kicking aliens to death
@Mommar I mean, I understand your point. But in the early days when Other M came out, gamers online were generally positive toward it until a few negative people nitpicked on the game and next thing you know those talking points were repeated ad nauseum, and every one acted like they had never liked the game and always thought it was trash, with little recognition for the many things the game did right and the fact that many people initially enjoyed it until they were told they weren't supposed to.
I don't mind one bit if people genuinely don't like the game. I can pick apart its flaws quite easily, even though I'm a big fan. But the way public opinion was swayed so easily never sat right with me.
Daemon X Machina - Switch
Zombi U - Wii U
Dragon Quest Swords - Wii
P.N. 03 - GameCube
Vortex - SNES
Terminator 2 - NES
@Oswinner Just finished playing Yoshi's Crafted World and I found it to be delightful. It was a little too much of a collect-a-thon but I enjoyed finding the Poochy pups. The levels were varied and looked great. However, a lot of people feel it is inferior to Woolly World which admittedly I never played.
Jonny Mosley’s Mad Trix!
Paper Mario Sticker Star. I never played a Paper Mario game before this one. While it is inferior to other entries, the music is top notch, the visuals are great and the game play isn't too bad outside of the bosses where you need to have specific stickers to win. For that, I just recommend consulting a guide.
Phantasmagoria II on PC, i mean was terrible but i renjoyed it. Also Codename Iceman that many consider the worst Sierra On Line game but my dad bought it for me.
Bubsy (the first one). Its heavily flawed (fall damage, one hit deaths, water deaths etc) but as far as the levels, music and environments go I genuinely have a soft spot for it. I used to watch it on game show segment after school also (they competed against each other in various SNES games along with Plok, Super Mario Allstars, Super Mario Kart and the bug swatting game from Mario Paint).
Metroid Other M. I really enjoyed it at launch and I still enjoying going back to it from time to time.
Is the story crap? Yes. Does it capture what makes Metroid “Metroid”? Absolutely not. But the action is a lot fun, it looks lovely and the cinematics are gorgeous even if the story they tell is nonsense. I really think Team Ninja deserved another crack at a 3D Metroid- one that controlled more conventionally, focused on the same kind of map and sense of discovery of previous games and (for the love of god) had an actual soundtrack. From the outside looking in it seems that a lot of Other M was hamstrung by Sakamoto, but the core gameplay was enough to convince me that Team Ninja could have done Metroid justice if it had better direction.
Primal Rage
Its slow, clunky, and a lot was lost in translation from arcades to home consoles. But even still, giant prehistoric monsters beating each other up is right up my alley. An awesome cast for a fighting game
Super Mario Maker 2. It’s just the worst/one of my personal favorites
@sketchturner I was about to point that out. Nitpick might not be the right word for what was done, it felt more extreme than that. I think many read those lengthy articles/essays tearing the game apart, you know the "character assassination of Samus" breakdown, and ran with those points. I guess if it sounds intelligent, it must always be true. When I was defending Other M's story on another site back in late 2010-2011, I had the person I was debating with actually link me one such article as their points. I was amused, and still do feel when I see most Other M criticism now that it stems from those large negative takes.
I've read them and felt they were an interesting, negative alternative take on, mostly, the game's narrative. I actually played Other M a few times before reading them or hearing one of their points repeated to me. I knew that I had enjoyed my time with Other M prior to reading, so I didn't flip flop and never saw those negative articles as the narrative as many now do.
@Royalblues
I'm kicking myself for forgetting Phantasy Star 3 from my list, that's definitely a game I feel gets hated on way too much, I personally prefer it to Phantasy Star 2 at the very least.
Simon's Quest is another good one someone mentioned, game has some questionable design choices but I think it's fun to play and I'd argue it has the best soundtrack of all the NES Castlevania, including the mansion theme which might just be my favorite Castlevania track of all time.
I guess I could also drop Suikoden 4 in here, most seem to consider the weakest of the main series Suikoden games and I can see why, game's awkwardly barren to the point where it feels unfinished, the ship sailing world map is slow, annoying to control and boring and its the only main series game that drops the party size to 4 instead of 6, a big flop for a game with like 60+ playable units.. But in spite of all that I l quite like this game, and if it wasn't for the 4 unit limit I'd argue it as the 2nd best game in the series.
7th Saga also is another I can think of, I think a lot of people are turned off by the difficulty but I think its a solid old school JRPG with some interesting ideas and an awesome soundtrack.
Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter seems to have a very mixed reception, some people absolutely hate it, others love it, there doesn't seem to be much in between, I first played it this year and I can safely say that I think it's a fantastic and a very unique game, it's also a rare case where I actually got invested into a game's story.
I’ve just recently completed Bioshock Infinite again, this time with the DLC (I last played it on Xbox 360) and my take on it was that unlike Bioshock 1 and 2, in which you had full control over your character’s outcome of being good or bad, Infinite is far more morally gray. Yes, there were some very uncomfortable views expressed by characters throughout, but given the time period it was set in that was unfortunately not uncommon. The fact that there aren’t really any ‘good’ people in it was uncomfortably realistic; the dlc very much helps to show just how morally conflicted many characters are. Booker is only the nominal hero, having done extraordinarily bad things in the past, Elizabeth is consumed by revenge and needs to redeem herself only after her powers have driven her to do some very dark things.
I’m not sure quite what the writers were going for to be honest but my take was that there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ people in the world; there are people who do good and bad acts. How much we choose to allow these to define ourselves and others is ultimately up to us. It’s actually quite an existentialist point of view, though ironically we may be ‘condemned to be free’ it is also a game that strongly suggests there is no freedom to our choices (‘there’s always a man and there’s always a lighthouse’).
Yoshi’s Story, tho I genuinely think it’s a very good game, just hated.
@dfdfleming I never played it when it is was new, but I had all the toys lol. The marketing was very strong for that game
Final Fantasy VIII gets a lot of flack but I hold that one dearly in my heart.
Also game like Donald duck in Cold Shadow are in there.
Super Mario Sunshine, something about the music and environments immediately put me in a good mood. Easily my favorite Mario game.
Going back to the Neo•Geo here, for a ridiculously hard and comedically fugly mahjong game - Minna-san no Okage-sama Desu. The two characters you play against are a schoolgirl with a horrendous overbite and a monobrow that looks like it’ll transform into a huge-ass moth one day, and some creepy well-the-wrong-side-of-60 lothario whose 5-o’clock shadow turns his jawline white.
It was one of the games that taught my how to play mahjong, but JESUS is it tough. You progress round a board each time you win, but if not - even if it’s a tie, but the CPU makes tenpai (one tile from a win) and you don’t, you go backwards. And if you’re on the start, that’s a Game Over. And on top of that, every third space on the map is an instant Game Over an’all!
You really have to know what you’re doing as well, because the CPU can throw some huge wins at you - I was one tile off a win once, but I made the schoolboy error of throwing away a south wind - BAM! the CPU whacks me full In the chops with a Dai-San-Gen (Big 3 Dragons). And this was with me right at the start of the map! The hell chance have I got against that‽
I should hate it. I really should. It’s unrelentingly difficult, it looks terrible - but the characters just make me laugh.
@Browny Yeah, the game that saved the franchise.
Balan Wonderworld, although I don’t see it as a bad game unlike most others. Recently played thru it and found it really good. A little out there in its style, but for a 3D exploration game it’s fun and interesting.
@Gamecuber that is one of the best takes about Bioshock Infinite I've read! I don't agree with Kate's views as I think the point of the game was to show how messed up people are by systems and ideologies. Even people who are victimized by these systems allow themselves sometimes to express the very same bigotry and moral darkness as those that profit from it.
That's my two cents. Awesome take!
Star fox zero would have been the greatest star fox game but whit this unplayable gameplay twist it ruined all the experience for me I bought it returned it to GameStop in the same week never did this before, worst game ever. I don’t like remaster but this one should be reworked and remastered for switch to finally have the star fox game we deserve.
@Oswinner my son love Yoshi’s Crafted World
Journey to Silius wasn't much to remember, but that music is epic. It's the main reason I fire it up from time to time.
Ghostbusters (NES) is a terrible ***ing game but... Back then it's about all a GB fan with an NES could ask for.
Castlevania (64) absolutely gets ****ted on, but it had its moments, and I honestly don't think it was nearly the dumpster fire people made it out to be. Hell, the music at times made up for it-- I even have the soundtrack for it.
Superman Returns (XBOX 360). Flying is fun and there are moments when you feel pretty super. Its orchestral score is great. The game also has sluggish combat control and a ton of repetition to accompany its choppy framerate and other technical issues. There are 100 cats to rescue but no one does because it's such awful filler. But until someone finally gets around to giving a Superman game as much thought and development resources as almost any modern Batman game, Superman Returns will have to do.
Wet. I get why a lot of people don't like it, but the haphazard mashing together of Max Payne, Prince of Persia, and DMC is fun despite all the jank.
Soul Calibur only It's only half a game, but what's there is well made.
Tron Evolution Battle Grids. Of its five modes, three kinda suck. But one of the good ones is light cycle racing, and despite it's faults is the best attempt at that any game has ever done.
Very confused about the point Kate is trying to make about racism with regards to Bioshock Infinite given its setting - the whole idea of Columbia wouldn't work at all without portraying society the way it is
Final Fantasy 8. This game had a lot to live up to after 7, people basically wanted "FF7 part 2" but instead got something mostly different. It had a unique approach to character progression with its junction system which not many liked or had the patience to master, and the story while having some very promising ideas became very rushed later on and resulted in some disappointing twists and payoffs. I still enjoyed the game from a gameplay perspective and certainly like it more than later FF games.
Pokemon Sword/Shield. I agree this game was a let down for the first console exclusive mainline Pokemon(not counting Coliseum or XD) due to looking and feeling like an upscale 3DS game. I still enjoyed it for the very safe and comfortable Pokemon formula, the raid battles, and the music was awesome(especially for gym leaders).
Zelda 2. I think adding RPG elements like level based progression to Zelda is a great idea which they shouldn't have abandoned as well as the idea of a sidescroller Zelda which shouldn't be the series standard but it could have had some better games in this style like how Metroid and Mario work well in 2D and 3D. The biggest problems with this game is the early difficulty spikes starting at Death Mountain which stems entirely from the awful combat system that limits you by forcing you to use a tiny weapon with little to no health recovery options besides a magic spell that uses 3/4 of your MP. I think this game would benefit from the Samus Returns treatment.
Triforce Heroes… I keep hoping for a Switch port. I swear people think I’m trolling every time I mention that title, but it’s my favorite Zelda title in recent years. I’d also like a Federation Force port, but that’s more so because I never actually played it but everything I’ve read makes it seem right up my alley.
1-2-Switch. One of my favourite Switch launch titles despite being objectively overpriced. Also Zelda: Spirit Tracks is still the second best game in the series in my opinion (Link to the Past is best)
Jeez, you guys are all calling out 7/10, 8/10 (or better!?) tier games like they’re universally panned games in the 4/10 tier status, including the NLife staff. I give props to the person that said Simon’s Quest because I also adore the game and think it’s been unjustly panned by critics. I enjoy it more than the SNES and Genesis entries in the series.
For me, I’d like to give a shout out to Friday the 13th on NES. It used to scare me when I was a kid and I thought it was a fairly tactical platforming challenge. Was it a great game? No, but it was fun for what it was in the era it came from.
Honestly, there’s dozens of games I could list. I’ve enjoyed a lot of “bad” games over the years.
Devil's Third! I just played it a few hours ago. Sure, it runs like garbage, but I think the gameplay is so fun. I shouldn't admit this, but I also like Emergency Heroes on Wii. But the ultimate case of me loving a game most people consider reviled trash is Fight for Life on the Atari Jaguar. Never heard of it? Look it up on YouTube, but be prepared for an avalanche of lies from the haters!
Elden Ring. I actually kind of enjoyed that game. No idea why nobody talks about it.
DEVIL'S THIRD. I pre-ordered it and still throw it in the WiiU every 6 months or so. The multiplayer is still may favorite. It was a sad day when the servers were shut down.
Pokémon Dash? It's probably the worst game I have ever played. I have no clue how anybody could even like it.
Anyway, my pick would probably be Paper Mario: Sticker Star. I still think it's the least good Paper Mario game, but it's still a really fun experience.
Ice Station Z I dunno what it is about it that draws me in. I recently got it again on Switch and actually spent a good whole day just putzing around instead of my usual Monster Hunting.
@vyseofhr I loved Disaster… one of my all time favorite games. Wish we could have a remake with more powerful hardware.
Also, for me Wonderful 101 is one of the greatest of all time… but many people despise it. It is way beyond epic
What on earth is Bioshock Infinite doing here? Colombia is modelled on 19-20th century America, so of course racism is present. If anything the game shows how morally repugnant it is. And to assume making a black person (Daisy Fitzroy) an antagonist is racist is nonsense. I will concede Infinite's story isn't as great as some make it out to be, but the gunplay and stunning environments mean it shouldn't be anywhere near a "Worst Games" list.
First game that came to my mind is Alone in the Dark: Inferno. Second was Silent Hill: Downpour.
With Alone in the Dark it is bad game. It's filled with so much jank, but I really admired all of the systems and ideas they tried. It was a really forward thinking game that just didn't have the budget or the hardware or the time to execute it.
As for Silent Hill, well, I actually don't think it's a bad game at all; I only thought of it because everyone else seems to think it's bad. The thing is I think Downpour is actually pretty good. It doesn't reaxh the heights of 1 or 2 but it's an excellent evolution of Silent Hill gameplay into a semi open world that would go on to be used by Evil Within 2, but not as effectively. The main story isn't one of the better in the series, but the side stories are really excellent and give the town a lot of additional character.
@LikelySatan I love that game soooo much.
There are so many games that I have loved that are "hated".
Off the top of my head, on the NES there's Renegade, Predator, Rambo, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Magmax, Zelda 2, and Castlevania 2...
On the Genesis, the 2 that come to mind are Phantasy Star 3 and the Haunting, starring Polterguy.
There are a lot more. I guess I have had taste in games haha!
xmen next dimension gamecube
My answer to this question has probably always been Sonic Heroes. Never as great as SA2 at its best, it also avoids that game's lowest lows. It's a much more consistent game than any previous 3D Sonic, if the best it ever gets is "just good."
As for the games on this list, I hated RE6, but I did enjoy Star Fox Zero. The backlash against that game is really pretty comical. The worst you can honestly say about it is that it's a lesser Star Fox 64, and therefore almost entirely redundant.
Absolutely adore the first Epic Mickey game. Completed my 4th play through last month
@BabyYoda71 I also love Spirit Tracks
Even though it’s been decades, the only ones I can think of are Faxanadu and the Goonies 2 on the NES.
The only real gem for me the last 10 years is Splatoon. IT makes me think I’m 14 not 41. Amazing game
Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer. Way more relaxing than the mainline AC Games and gives the villages a very fun dollhouse feel to it all.
The first possibly bad game that comes to mind is Summoner for PS2. It was very ambitious but suffered some spectacular technical issues, even for the time.
Another one that had so much promise but just couldn’t put any of the pieces together was Black Sigil for ds. I willed my way to enjoyment, and still like it a lot but man what a missed opportunity.
@Wexter I agree with you. I think another issue it dealt with was moral hypocrisy; several characters claim to have the moral high ground throughout but we see it all as a sham as we go through the game.
I’m guessing what Kate might be alluding to (but I could be wrong) is the horrible way American Indians/First People are depicted throughout Columbia. As players we rightly think ‘well that’s awful; even if it was possibly the majority view back then, racism is always wrong’, only to find that not only are we playing as a character who was guilty of massacring entire groups of people at the mere suggestion that he is related to them but that his actions are praised in universe. Booker is the embodiment of the ‘redemption equals death’ trope as he is in no way a good man. He’s very different from Jack in Bioshock (who was largely an unwitting pawn in someone else’s game) or the Big Daddy in Bioshock 2 (who is as much a victim as the Little Sisters), Booker is a man who has committed terrible acts and is on his last chance to redeem himself in some small way (‘bring us the girl and the dept is paid’). Whether that is even possible is left unanswered. The juxtaposition with the overt fundamentalist religious elements (which are exposed as entirely corrupt) is also interesting as well.
I should say I do think it is a good game (it plays well, looks great and provides a decent challenge) but it does tell an uncomfortable story, which isn’t always coherent, so it is far from perfect.
Metroid: Other M
Don't hate me
@Zilock the dlc further fleshes out Fitzroy’s story. We can see that she is being played by the Lutces and is deeply conflicted about her actions and role in the uprising. I believe that there is an audiolog where she specifically talks about how she can see how her actions are getting too extreme but are still necessary but she is unsure. She is far more complex a character than is portrayed in the vanilla game.
I only remember this because Infinite is the last game I completed. Honestly, I still prefer Bioshock 2!
@LikelySatan Sleeping Dogs was really fun!
Final Fantasy World, a bit annoying, and forgettable, but since it has my #2 best video game boy, Warrior of Light im always going to come back to play it when I get a TV again (because I will not taint it with handheld graphics).
And I'm not sorry for my reasonings of loving the whole game just because of one dude with a small small significantance to the game in a funko pop form.
Starfox Zero is one of the most underrated games of all time, it's criminal what happened. This is the best Starfox game of them all.
Resi 6 also is way better than most people said. Definitely better than Resi 5.
But back to the headline. My personal worst best game is Sonic 2006 on Xbox 360.
I still combine a lot to this game. First of all I bought this like a day before release, before reviews were out.
I died a lot in the first level until I got the hang and after that, I enjoyed this game for a lot if hours.
I completed the whole game and after that, made all characters on hard mode. I even completed all side missions, even if the load times were a pain. At that point, the function of installing games to the hard drive wasn't existing. I never saw someone with a Gamerscore of 650/1000 like me.
I know, Sonic 2006 has flaws. It felt rushed and deserved more production time. The camera was a pain at some points and I had a few bugs. But there also were good things. The graphics looked nice, the story was fine, it this Sonic Adventure feel, the soundtrack was great, boss fights were fun.
UMK for the Nintendo ds. Terrible art design as the background isn’t lined up correctly with the ground. And Jade is a big cheater she can read the buttons pressed and then respond accordingly. But I like it because it puts my fighting skills to the test.
For me it will always be Deadly Premonition, sure there are other bad games I like but this one is a glorious turd that I will love for eternity. It isn’t just my favorite bad game, it is one of my top 5 favorite games along with Majora’s Mask, Snake Eater, Hollow Knight and Final Fantasy VI/VII/X(can’t choose).
The Karate Kid for the NES.
When I’m in the zone, I can play through it perfectly. No deaths and in around 8 min from first kick to the wink at the end.
Sonic 06. It's definitely Sonic 06. As horribly unfinished as it is I love the level design, music and to an extent the plot.
I'm going to say Master Reboot. I played the Wii U version several years ago. It's a pretty rough indie game on the surface (one of the early offerings from Wales Interactive), but I loved its atmosphere and story. Nintendo Life gave it a 7 out of 10, which I think is fair given its shortcomings. It looks like a PS2 game, and the gameplay isn't exactly exciting (but it's not meant to be). But I think the intriguing sci-fi storytelling more than makes up for certain elements being a little rough around the edges.
Pokemon XY:
It's an obvious step down in quality compared to the ds games and it's still declining aside from a few exceptions.
But I still really like the game and it's one of my most played 3ds games.
An old favorite of mine that pretty much everyone i know hates is werewolf the last warrior on Nes. It's got really cool music and you play as a werewolf! Plus the box art just grabs you. It's got the werewolf ripping his way outta the cartridge! That's makes the game look awesome and like something you'd wanna play. That's why i rented it one day and i still get it out once in a while.
I'd also like to add that i too quite enjoyed resident evil 6. It stars my favorite RE protagonist as well as Playable Ada Wong and i like That's It's got traditional spooky exploring kinda stages with Leon and more action based with other characters.
Oh and star fox zero is not the train wreck everyone says it is. You'd be surprised how many people don't know this but aiming with the wii u gamepad isn't actually required. You can can simply press select for the cockpit view right on your TV. Even Nintendolifes review never mentioned this.
@Neph Seriously, I will never understand why that is considered a bad game. At least with New Island, I get people's gripes with it, though honestly, I still thought it was fun. This game not only added to the formula, not only did it mix things up with its final boss, but it was also more challenging than the original. The only thing I didn't care for was the soundtrack as, just like Mario Land 2, every level just uses a different variation of the same track, which honestly isn't even that great of a track.
@Olmectron
Yup. Saved it at the cost of its very identity.
Monkey paw situation if ever there was one.
I know these aren’t the worse games but people give me a lot of grief bc I like the Darksiders games.
Like others have pointed out, what are most of these doing on this list? The vast majority of these are considered good by the general public.
Anyway, big one for me is Shadow the Hedgehog. Yeah, the story is stupid, the graphics look pretty outdated for the time, and it is questionable that Shadow of all characters would need a gun and vehicles, but it's still pretty fun to play, and I feel like that's the most important thing. I also never understood why people found the gun controls bad when, seriously, the gun auto-locks onto enemies. How it is difficult to hit enemies with a weapon that homes in on them? That makes no sense.
The only issue I do have is that I did come across a few missions that no matter how hard I tried, I just found impossible. Like, I could not figure out for the life of me how to complete them. Luckily, none of them were mandatory to getting the true ending, but still.
I liked Paper Mario: Sticker Star. I know it's no Thousand-Year Door, but it's a lot of fun if you just accept it for what it is. Really all the Paper Mario games are pretty good if you don't hold them up to Thousand-Year Door.
Castlevania 64
Dragon Spirit: The New Legend.
A NES shooter with the worst graphics and klunky controls, I think I got it from a discount bin somewhere. It’s bad but for some reason I kept playing it over and over when I was a kid.
NiGHTS Journey of Dreams. From the start, many people were critical of the game and it was released next to a big hit Super Mario Galaxy, negatively affecting its sales.
It may not have the same quality and impact as the original NiGHTS game, however, as a direct sequel, it retains many of its charm. The on-foot levels and pacing definitely needed more work, but the main flying stages are a delight to play, accompanied by some of the greatest soundtracks of its time. I hoped a remake can iron out the issues and bring it to a wider audience it deserves.
Digimon world 2. Yuck 🤮 but good times 😁
Infinite Space for the DS.
It's a JRPG ship fighting game with a reasonably simple rock/paper/scissors combat style. The gameplay is fairly basic, however the game doesn't present all of the information on combat mechanics well (such as weapon distance where different weapons won't properly fire if you are too far or too close to the enemy fleet). The graphics were pretty bad even for the time it came out.
But the ship/crew customization was neat, the story was excellent, the characters were interesting, the setting was incredible, and it's probably one of my favorite "Hidden Gem" games. I don't know if I'd really recommend it - it feels even more dated now than it did on release - but it was definitely a fun ride.
I don’t know if these really apply here, but I was pretty obsessed with:
Zelda II - adventures of link - my entry to the franchise, maybe it’s nostalgia, but I would play this through every 2-3 years
Super Star Wars - I think I would play it to get to the Death Star trench run and pretend I was a Jedi or something
Prince of Persia 2 - the shadow and the flame (on PC it may have come to
SNES in some regions?) - no one ever talks about this game, but maybe I was young and impressionable, but I thought the story blew the franchise wide open - but I guess everything is forgettable compared to the original and sands of time
The Last Ninja 1 and 2 on C64 - I was OBSESSED. It’s a good game, but gets zero recognition compared to many other lesser c64 titles
Return to Castle Wolfenstein on PC. I put a lot of time and effort into the competitive side of this FPS. But it felt like no one else looked twice at this game haha
Also probably really showing my age right now
For me
Maybe Syberia
@SoapMonki — Phenomenal game
For me it's Devil's Third. So much hate but I actually enjoyed it. I agree with Starfox Zero as well. I still play it.
Definitely the worst of the Mario Party series (except Advance, that one is beyond saving) ...and a fair few older movie license games.
Also, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash on the Wii U (Yes, I'm dead serious. I played a ton of it).
My favourite game of all time is a forgotten Treasure title called Bangai-O Spirits for the NDS. A puzzle game wrapped in the guise of an action shooter. 100 levels played in whatever order you want. And a level create system that you could share by playing a sound out of the speakers into a friend's DS microphone. It's genius and insane.
Favourite retro title that is universally disliked is an old NES game called Dr. Chaos. That is one difficult to describe game with a lot of elements that don't really fit together... But legitimately figuring things out (there was no guide at the time) it's layered deep in weird and was a joy to discover when I was 10.
easy. minicopter adventure flight for the wii slaps.
“D” on the PSX. I was always terrified playing this game as a kid even though I knew it was really bad LOL. The pre-rendered graphics aged terribly but it always drew me in with its strange puzzles.
Conan on the NES, Waifu Impact, Robotron 64, Empire Strikes Back on GB, Criticom, Mario is Missing on SNES and Stunt Race FX have all entertained me far more than they probably should have throughout various stages of my life. Theres probably a few other games, but they’re hiding deep in my soul… from the likes of Conan’s blade. Oh yeah. And RoboCop on a Tandy Color Computer, or it was some kind of computer you’d hook to your TV. You’d have to dig through a giant book to learn how to teach it commands to do just about anything, including vector shapes and art. You’d actually have to run a code to get the game to play in color. I was determined to beat that game as a kid, even though the NES was there and was far better.
Not sure how Yoshi's Island DS made a "worst game" of anyone's catalogue. It was an excellent game, and my second favourite of the series, with Woolly World just behind.
In terms of actual supposedly "worst games", at least of a series, I would say Castlevania 2. I beat in the NES days, returned to it on the NES Mini, and then again in the Castlevania Collection.
Hillsea Lido for the Amiga! I found it again on an Amiga emulator and have become addicted to it again! Also, more recently, a little indie game called this House on PC - strange hand drawn graphics but amazing puzzles and atmosphere! I spent hours in that game!
@ChickenJoe it's possible. They may have looked at it more like fantasy mass effect than a disappointing streamlined sequel to origins.
Overlord is a game I love. It's not especially great or anything but I don't know i just love playing it ok 😆🤣
I know it's not a Nintendo title but Duke Nukem - Land of the Babes was a truly terrible game, but I still enjoyed it in some strange way.
Not Nintendo ones, but Dragon Age 2. I also love .hack//GU and while it's not a terrible game, it doesn't deserve to be held in the same esteem as games like BotW, FFVII or Planescape: Torment and yet it's up there as one of all time favourites. I'm also currently playing and loving Star Ocean 4 despite its countless flaws.
@sketchturner My thoughts exaxtly. Super Mario Land 2 is the perfect 2d Mario. To add to your points:
Disney Dreamlight Valley comes to mind.
Last Battle (Sega Genesis):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvUoLB4yRk
I wonder how the flip side to this article would go… games that are loved but you hated? I feel that would generate too much divisive chat haha
@somnambulance Critic reviews aren’t a great barometer for a game’s quality forever, opinions change and often collectively as people return to older games. Look at Sonic Adventure, reviewed great at the time but by most accounts it definitely wouldn’t be a 9/10 today
Arc Rise Fantasia for the Wii. It's a perfect combination of a combat system, soundtrack and core gameplay loop that's unironically good, with a story and voice acting that are so bad they are hilarious. I genuinely laughed my ass off so many times at the absurd plot twists and terrible vocal performances, and I was having a good time. It's exactly the right kind of bad, mixed with plenty of good.
Final Fantasy X-2. It has some problems but I think it's great.
@VR32X Waifu Impact lmao.🤣🤣🤣
Go Vacation. I haven’t played it since I was like, seven, but I’m guessing it’s no where near what I remember being. Other than that, I usually either hat games or love ‘em.
Does World of War craft count? Been playing this stupid game 18 years now. Very sporadically at this point but it always has a draw, even if the story went totally off the rails and is completely aimless. I kinda can't wait for 10.0 The Fan-service xpack.
I just remembered another one... Marsupilami on the Genesis. I think that game is brilliant but boy is it widely hated.
I don't think it's a bad game, but Castlevania: Lords of Shadow wasn't terribly well received when it came out. It was accused of being a derivative GoW clone, and too much of a deviation from the Castlevania formula. That one titan boss, and that annoying puzzle box stage aside, I still freaking love this game. The music and atmosphere are incredible, and that awesome twist ending.
My pick would probably have to go to Battleborne.
I really dug the fps moba gameplay and kinda wish other shooters would implement that gameplay instead of the same Battle Royale multiplayer add ons.
It's too bad it released as closely to Overwatch as it did and required so much grinding in order to unlock all the heroes at the start. It had, in my opinion, the potential to be something special
For me, it's Eledees (or Elebits, outside of the PAL region). When I got that game with my Wii as a kid, it charmed me in a big way. i played it through numerous times, made my own stages, got S ranks etc.
But yeah, the game's a crude, janky mess that crawls at like 15fps whenever too much happens on the screen at times. I played it again recently, and still had a great time
@sketchturner the same happened with Skyward Sword
San Francisco Rush. The amount of content is pathetic. The music is so bad, you gotta turn it off. The gameplay is glitchy and awkward. Still I loved playing it for hours and hours. Death circuits were the most entertaning, I liked to kill all the bots first and then finish the race!
@waluigi86 Yes, actually that's another great example.
Dillons rolling adventure - always thought it wasn’t the best game but still loved it anyway!
Wish there was a new one on switch
Quest 64. I loved that game
The guitar hero games on DS (except band hero, that was absolute cr4p).
Megaman X8 for PS2.
I personally love it and consider it my favourite in the series aside from X1 & X4. I understand the hate, it’s loaded with instant death traps and has some really gimmicky stages, but I love a lot of stage designs and the story and twist at the end was such a breathe of fresh air.
Also it was so refreshing after the dumpster fires that were X6 & X7…
Not a Nintendo game but I really love Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts. Got all the achievements too. And I really enjoyed Yooka-Laylee also! 🥰
@Gamecuber I think Kate is actually upset because Infinite didn’t portray the Vox as goodness and light, and she was looking for affirmation of her own political beliefs that were then quashed (Daisy not being the hero). Even though history has proven that often uprisings result in opposite extremes often being just as bad…
The DLC shoehorned in the story about Daisy being coerced to pander to people like Kate because they got so upset about the realism in the story.
Bioshock Infinite isn’t bad because if it’s bad story, it’s bad because it’s pretty dang boring gameplay wise compared to the other ones. Can only carry 2 weapons at a time and upgrade machines are so few and far between you either use the same weapons all game or don’t use upgraded weapons. The vigors aren’t very interesting and 90% of the game is “shoot the police guys in blue or the other people in red”. It’s more COD than Bioshock
@HeeHo that’s a great choice. I’ll throw this out there for myself too. I even ended up liking the ring system by the end
@Alaninho the Vox turning out to be just as ruthless Comstock’s side as the city tears itself apart did seem to be scarily accurate to certain events in the history of revolution, especially the idea that once noble ideals can easily be crushed under anger, greed and a desire for revenge. I’m really surprised that more people were not upset by the obvious discrimination aimed at other groups thought the game.
It did turn on its head the idea that your character is a saviour, as really you are no better than anyone else in the game. You’re only redeeming feature is your attempt to save Elizabeth (which starts off entirely mercenary in nature and only becomes more noble as the game progresses). This leads to accepting that you must die in order to save everyone else, hence ‘redemption equals death’. It is an uncomfortable game to play in terms of its morality but that has been a feature of all Bioshock games. Mechanically though it is a good game.
Sonic 3D Blast and yes I own it on Genesis, Saturn, PC and Switch.
@Mrkittyhead I had to see if people were paying attention. Lol
Well Sonic Labyrinth (Game Gear) gets a lot of hate. Apperently it's a bad game! Trust me, if you want a bad Game Gear game, try Taz Mania.
Why do I like it? It's a nice game to beat in under 1 hour, it has some nice music, it takes advantage of the Game Gear's palette, and it's fun looking for the keys.
Is it the best Sonic game? Well no, but then neither is Super Mario Bros. on the NES. But it is a charming game that I enjoy playing.
Yoshi Story N64. Not a bad game.... But it could have been so much more! I still play it on NSO every so often, but it legit could have been an amazing game.
I rented every SNES RPG I could as a kid, and I even enjoyed Tecmo Secret of the Stars.
It just so thoroughly looked, sounded and played like a game that should have been released four years earlier than it was.
Yet I still think it is more enjoyable than The 7th Saga (especially the English version. I feel like even the Japanese version is probably unremarkable at best).
At least TSoS doesn't despise its players with contempt that some might not pay full retail price!
@Gamecuber Agreed. Some of the plot points involving tears were a little wonky, and it’s not a perfect game by any means, but the only people who have issue with the politics of the game are those that have strongly held political beliefs and want to see them stamped across every piece of media as ‘the correct and true way’. Some of the facets in the game are clearly good/evil (Comstock and Fink would not be acceptable to many people nowadays regardless of political persuasion), but it’s embarrassing (though not surprising) that a journalist would be offended that a game isn’t pushing the ‘correct’ agenda.
the stuff Kate Gray wrote about Bioshock is embarassing
@Alaninho I agree with lot what you are saying about the game. It is a game that doesn’t really have a clear message other than morality is generally a grey area or for us to look at the decisions we make playing games. That may be one of its biggest problems as the other Bioshocks were far clearer in their ideas of good and bad.
I suppose the inevitability of the player’s actions always turning out destructive and wrong fitted in nicely with its ideas of fatalism. Having said that the multi-dimension aspect of the game implies that here is at least one world where the Vox are genuinely good, but it is not the world we partake in, which is far more ‘pay evil unto evil’. By that measure there is a world where Booker never gives Elizabeth/Anna up or where Comstock is not an evil bigot, but then that would not really have been much of a story.
I think one interesting inversion the game plays with is that it starts out by hinting that there is a similar morality choice that will determine the outcome by your actions just like in the original game (i.e. to harvest or spare the Little Sisters). You have the choice to humiliate the couple on stage or to refuse to do so. In the end this makes no difference whatsoever, other than the fact that they will later thank you for your kindness if you find them. Your actions don’t change Booker’s fate in the slightest, nor offer any sort of redemption. It’s kindness for kindness sake but doesn’t change the fact that Booker has done some terrible things in his life. Ultimately he is answerable to no one but Elizabeth and himself and chooses death in order to try to make up for what he/Comstock has done. There is no punishment or reward, no legal or divine judgement. ‘No gods or kings. Only man’.
Yoshi's Story. I still love it.
@Mattock1987 Both got in the 70s on GameRankings, which used a wider of sources from the time. Regardless, neither game is amazing, but both are great IMHO.
@Mana_Knight yeah I live that game too! I still think it doesn’t get enough credit for what it was doing either. If an indie game came out now with the same gimmicks I think it’s be showered with praise.
For me it’s Triforce Heroes. I stand by if you got 2 friends and played it locally it was a fantastic time!
My pride would not allow me to say Sonic 06, which at this point I just think it's a decent action game that is exactly what the fans wanted in 2005.
I just refuse to recognize a bad game if I find it fun to play. Like, that's the point.
Otherwise I could say Ocarina of Time, because the visuals are bad, the frame rate is bad, the pacing is bad, you can't skip cutscenes, and all the other aged stuff in OOT.
I actually like Wii music, yes.
Hmm it's tough to differentiate whether to name games I've seemingly enjoyed more than most, or games that are objectively considered 'bad', but I still enjoyed above how they were generally received. In both cases wouldn't they just be considered subjectively "underrated"?
Meh, without overthinking it further I'd say...
.. lots of good memories with these games and hopefully more to come.
... Wun can only hope.
@Andee that's great. I think 3D Land was that for me.
@LikelySatan ah, loved 3D World — one of the few games I've ever actually pre-ordered - pretty much caned it over the span of the whole weekend 🙃
Hey Pikmin and Chibi Robo Zip Lash. Despite everyone’s hate for these games, I could never convince myself that I wasn’t having fun. I guess I have bad taste for 2D platforms.
The 3DO was a console that went no where, but I loved this terrible fighter called way of the warrior and a racer called crash n burn
Paper Mario sticker star. I don’t know why, but I like it.
BIOSHOCK INFINITE I would say its a very good game, good story fun gameplay, Graphics are bright and vibrant- until you get near the end and the DLC, has some likable character. BUT Its not really a good BioShock game it doesn't really have the same tone as 1 and 2, which is one reason I think a lot of people are turned off by it. Good game just not a good bioshock until you get to the DLC which is like a Pre-sequel to the first bioshock and it gives more of a normal bioshock feel more than the Base INFINITE game. I played infinite before the other two and I think its still a fun and an enjoyable game just like the first two but just prepare for a bit of difference. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Has to be The Wonderful 101. The Saturday Morning cartoon vibe, slick platinum combat and a fun story was a massive suprise to me on its release. It became one of the rare examples of a game I go out of my way to persuade others to try. It was a 10/10 to me and a rare example of creativity and joy in an increasingly formulaic gaming landscape. The internet seems to strongly disagree with me
@RubyCarbuncle @RubyCarbuncle That's actually one of my main complaints about all the Yoshi games after the first Yoshi's Island: they all have rather terrible soundtracks.
Also have to agree that Yoshi's New Island was actually somewhat fun. Certainly better than Yoshi's Island DS.
Probably Dark Souls 2, for me. And Castlevania 2. And Super Mario 2. And MMX2 That's a lot of 2's!
@Ogbert I so agree. Be called "Wholesome" and seen a lot more favourably.
Mine would probably be "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years." I originally played this game via the WiiWare installments, shortly after I completed Final Fantasy IV for the first time on Wii Virtual Console. I thought it was a great follow-up to the original game and it satisfied my curiosity about the many characters I'd grown to love. It got mixed scores from reviewers, particularly Jason Schreier, who called it the worst RPG he ever played.
@Octorok385 I got a fair amount of enjoyment out of FFE as well. It wasn't enough to get me interested in the Monster Hunter games it imitated, but it was a pretty decent game that I put about 20 hours into.
PenPen TriIcelon! I still don't get why the Dreamcast failed with this gem as part of the launch lineup. Seriously, though, I have some great memories of this not-so-great game. I was fresh into my first year of college and living away from home for the first time... my friends and I would take over the giant TV in our dorm's lounge and play my shiny new Dreamcast, and this game was by far our favorite because of how ridiculous it was. The best part, though, is that the TV was inside of a giant wooden box (I guess so no one would try to steal it?) which made the crazy techno/polka music EXTRA loud and obnoxious, and turning the bass all the way up would cause the entire room to shake. Ahhh, precious memories.
I will never agree to the hate star fox zero got when a game like affordable space adventures exists. Both great games, both have high learning curve when it comes to controls, just like most new games you never played. However, fan boy whining, just like Metroid other m, ruined the game for some. I still enjoy it and keep my Wii U hooked up to play both those, as well as what I wanted to say as well, is devils third. Another great game that got review bombed and because it was on Wii U and not other consoles, it sucked. Well, it’s still a decent playing, fun experience that is a solid “B” in my book.
@Sunsy
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric just gives me a dump of nostalgia.
Darksiders II, come at me!
@somebread God, Yoshi Touch & Go can touch and go jump into lava for all I care
I am a 50 year old who completed Magikarp Jump, and loved it!!
Kirby Rainbow Curse I guess,
I don't know why it got such bad reviews.
@timp29 Way of the Warrior is a Naughty Dog game. So weird.
@Joriss I love the Darksiders games. What in the world is the problem with Darksiders 2?
@martynstuff Since when was Gen 2 of Pokémon rated poorly? Sure, it has quite a few glitches (but not as many as Gen 1) and is very outclassed by its remakes, but otherwise it's considered one of the better generations.
Meanwhile, only D/P in Gen 4 are considered relatively poor, as most of their problems were fixed in Platinum.
I'm with you on Gen 6, though. I thought X/Y were excellent entries and at the very least better than Gen 1, D/P, and Gen 7 (haven't played Gen 8). While they don't have a very good story, there were minor issues with the transition to 3D graphics, we still had to deal with HMs for the last time, and there's not as much of a postgame as usual, but otherwise I thought they nailed it with those games.
@sketchturner One of the issues I have with critics about "Other M" is how badly it's criticized for its more linear mission-based activities in the first half of the game before it opens up to more exploration in the second half (although personally I prefer the relatively more linear structure), yet "Metroid Fusion" wasn't criticized anywhere near as badly for doing the exact same thing several years beforehand.
@Donutman The issue with "Star Fox Zero" is the controls and levels are mandatorily designed in a way that the majority of players (including myself) can't mentally adjust to no matter how much we could ever try. While many players can figure it out and can therefore find it to be a good game, for the rest of us, our brains are simply not wired in the necessary way to simultaneously pay close attention to two different viewpoints at once.
@larryisaman People have flipped too far on "Sonic Adventure," though. While Big's fishing levels suck, Amy's levels are meh, and there are some graphical and camera issues (although still a better camera than the stupid manual ones that Nintendo still insists on using in most of their 3D 3rd person games) in the transition to 3D, it's still deserving of a 7/10 or so.
@BulbasaurusRex Yeah I personally think Metroid is best when it starts out a bit linear and then really opens up for wide exploration later on. I like how both Fusion and Other M did this, and to a lesser extent, so did Echoes.
@BulbasaurusRex I'm glad you asked. Whenever I see twitter discussions about the 'best gen', I frequently see some people say GSC are overrated, the story is weak, the Gym leaders mostly use Gen 1 Mon.
I've seen people say the postgame is meh and baby Pokemon are a waste of dex slot.
Really, for a follow-up to their biggest hit, GameFreak did a great job with them. They added new features (breeding, held items, new types) that continue onto future games. I mean, every gen has flaws but Gen 2 brought a lot to the table. I think it's comparable to PL:A where GameFreak had to create something to really surprise people.
In relation to this, I always felt like Gen 4 was the true successor to Gen 2 because many of those features returned (day/night cycle, new babies, more cross-gen evolutions) and that's why I like them so much despite its flaws (in fact, my favourite thing about Gen 8 was the return of a baby Pokemon and cross-gen evolutions. Something that looks to continue in ScarVio)
Gen 6 was something special. I took a hiatus from the series. I skipped Gen 5 so really what I was experiencing was a game with 200+ new Pokemon. It felt different yet so familiar at the same time. I'm glad they've chosen to base regions based on places outside of Japan to give each game a different cultural style. It's those little nuances.
tl;dr I've seen some people play down Gen 2 a lot due to 'nostalgia goggles' or emphasise on it's flaws or 'why it's not that good' despite it being a GBC game that only do so much.
Chibi Robo Zip Lash! is probably my all time favourite 3DS game. It was just some nice comfy old school platforming. Aah
Tap here to load 270 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...