Topic: The worst reviewed games you enjoyed playing?

Not that the game is very low on metacritic but a game hated by its own fanbase, I had a really good time with metroid other M. Yes, the Control scheme is odd and the story kind of cheesy but it has some really good boss fights and in the end I enjoy some character progression in my games

Astro Bears (or at least, Astro Bears Party) was given a rather crushing 4/10 by this website when it releases back in 2017. I think the current version on the eShop is actually slightly upgraded, but either way, it’s been one of the biggest local multiplayer success stories for me and my less than ‘hardcore’ gamer friends.

I think I picked it it up for something like 90% off, meaning it cost mere pennies, and it’s been worth... every one of those pennies

It’s hard to argue it’s a ‘better’ local multiplayer game than something like Smash, but for the specific group of people I usually play with, it’s been more fun sprinting around the tiny globe full of bears than constantly knocking them off Smash’s great selection of stages.

I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a simple but fun local multiplayer game - especially if it gets another massive discount.

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for me. Got this Christmas 2014 being a Sonic fan, honestly I enjoyed it. Maybe it was the exploration the game offered, I had a lot of fun exploring levels in the game and finding secret areas using the Wii U game pad. It also gave me a cartoon tie-in game vibe (pretty much was given the cartoon was new), and I missed those kind of games.

Speaking of cartoon tie-ins, I also like Finding Nemo on GameCube. I do find it odd my copy doesn't have the long load times that most critics talked about, there was probably a revision with later copies I'm guessing.

Been years since playing it, I remember P.N.03 didn't do well critically, I thought it was a unique shooter game had fun with it back when it was new. Controls were different (having to stand still to shoot), pulling off certain moves to avoid being hit then shoot had a charm to it IMO.

Sonic Forces and Team Sonic Racing. I loved both games.

It's a shame really. Although the classic Miyamoto quote that a "rushed game is forever bad" is becoming less and less relevant in an age of downloadable patches, many games still really only have one chance to make an impression. I do wonder how the game would have reviewed if it was initially released in the state it is now.

Not sure if this counts bc I think it got a 7 on this site.... but I have 105 hours on Fallout Shelter

I enjoyed Iridion 3D on GBA, despite the bad reviews at the time. Dragonball Z: Buu's Fury was also fun. I remember it got some poor reviews when it came out. Thor: God of Thunder on DS got mixed reviews, and I really liked that one. Iridion probably got the worst reviews of that bunch. I'm sure there are others that aren't coming to mind. Sometimes "bad" games can be good if they serve a specific audience or if they're played in a certain way.

Aliens, Colonial Marines.
It was a fun if somewhat generic corridor shooter set in the Aliens universe.
I absolutely understand the hate this game received and agree with most of the criticism, but I still enjoyed playing it regardless.

The WiiWare Metroidvania Robox (not to be confused with Roblox or the horrible Switch beat'em up of the same name) received a 5/10 here. But its huge open world, innovative puzzles, high difficulty, and nicely hidden upgrades made this a 40 hour adventure I really enjoyed to complete 100% (I gave this a 9/10). More music and a map would have been cool though (and reduce my exploration time quite a bit).

However, this is Switch, and I don't even like some highly praised games. There are a couple NIS America RPGs that received unfortunate reviews though, but when I played them I thought they were decent enough.

@kkslider5552000 Yeah I completely agree. Both my picks, are anti-fun to actually play. Games that play well, tend to review well though.

I can't think of a game that had good gameplay, that reviewers actually panned. There's that ign review of godhand. However I don't particularly rate Godhand that highly.

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris (58)

I always have high standards when I'm buying video games, but one game I did enjoy that was panned by critics was No Man's Sky. The game was alright, and the idea of jumping between worlds, building a base, and uncovering the secrets of the Atlas was fun. Conversely a game that was acclaimed by critics that I didn't like was probably Splatoon 2. The idea was great, some multiplayer matches were intense, but I guess it felt gimmicky. My original Switch broke last year, and replacing it at the airport in Dubai meant I also got a copy of FIFA 19, which is still unsealed, and in mint condition. So you could say it's the worst reviewed game I own.

Fighting Force 64 and Rampage World Tour spring to mind. If it had Co-op, I could overlook ALOT.

Yes, I do not rate this as the most awful Sonic game at all. There have been some that have got a lot more praise that I just could not get into. It would have been nice if they had more time to flesh out the overworlds to make them less barren, but I enjoyed the chill nature and treasure hunting of wandering around the islands.

I only played the demo, so I suppose it doesn't count, but I really liked the bit of Daemon X Machina I played.

The worst reviewed game that I've enjoyed playing is a game I first played earlier this year: Magical Starsign. It sits at a 6.9 critically on Metacritic, and at worse it lived up to its 8.1 user score. As a DS game, it checked off a couple of boxes. The game had lite use of touch controls, something I do like, and had battles incorporate both screens of the system. Beyond that, its mix of fantasy and sci-fi elements really connected with me, and I liked how the game was based around type match ups. It also had a magic system influenced by party positioning, i.e. positioned up front a character could do more direct, potent magic where as if a character were positioned in the back they would have less potent spells but a broader effect area. The game was my best RPG experience since playing Xenoblade Chronicles in 2012.

On Switch, my lowest reviewed game that I've enjoyed playing would be ARMS at 7.7 critically. I don't want to get too into how much I like ARMS. It is, to me, the best game on the Nintendo Switch, with the possible exception of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. On release, ARMS unfortunately wasn't a complete package, but by the end of 2017 I do believe it got there. Best male and female cast in a Nintendo game since Xenoblade Chronicles in my opinion, and best gameplay in a Nintendo game since my favorite game. It is the most rewarding fighting game and motion control game I have experienced.

Shadow the Hedgehog.
I hated and enjoyed it back when was like 12. Complicated relationship.

While this reviewed well with critics, most of the fanbase hates Metroid: Other M. I picked up a brand new copy off of Amazon 2-3 years ago for ~$7 USD and really enjoyed the game! Sure, some of the complaints about it are valid - earlier parts of the game are indeed too limited, a few plot characterizations are off or not well explored at all, and the means to "unlock" most suit upgrades are laughable - but there are some genuinely decent components to this game: cool areas to explore, there are some neat secrets, awesome boss fights, etc. Honestly, I would've been satisfied paying three times the price, though I definitely wouldn't have bought it for its launch price. I'd also played most other Metroid games before touching it; it isn't quite on the same level as most of them, but by no means is it bad. How bad it is is grossly overexaggerated in my opinion.

In terms of games that were universally panned? That award goes to my brother's PC copy of Big Rigs Over The Road Racing. That one was in "so buggy it's good" territory. XD

I really had a ton of fun with Tetrisphere on the N64. Also Yoshi’s Story - which is an excellent game if played as a score challenge, though a pale follow up to Yoshi’s Island.

Part of that might be that I paid next to nothing for them (new). They were both slight on content - I guess the reviews at the time we’re partly reflecting the idea that they were poor value for money.

More recently I can’t think of too many games I’ve bought that were poorly reviewed. I thought NSMBU was excellent and some of the reviews were harsh on that game (though overall quite positive). I suppose they were reviewing the game against what they’d hoped for instead of what they actually had in front of them on its own merits.

@StuTwo:

Tetrisphere definately wasn't on the short side content-wise. Getting a great and addicting puzzler that is unique to this day would already make it a classic, but 100 mission stages, 100 puzzle stages, and a whole bunch of other fun modes, secret passwords, multiplayer, cutscenes, and a soundtrack that was too good to be true, really made it a worthy full price title.

Wetrix on the other hand felt more like an indie because of it's lack of progression based modes, but was another great one-of-a-kind puzzler that went on sale often for a very low price, and for that reason it still holds up well.