Overrated:
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
The parry mechanic in this game, I feel, is too strong of a defensive tool. Parries in this game are too safe for how much of a reward they can offer. I realize that when you try to parry, you're taking a risk by pressing forward, but really, taking that risk is only as dangerous as walking. Other games which incorporate a parry mechanic add some risk to parries by giving them whiff animations, and usually scale damage heavily after a parry. In SFIII, there is no whiff animation, and there is no damage scaling coming off from a parry. While SFIII's parrying mechanic is fun and still requires a deal of timing and precision to use, I feel it hurts the depth of the game because of how effective it is. It's not nearly as risky as a DP, and it offers a much better reward. It's a universal defensive option that makes many of the other defensive options in the game obsolete.
Borderlands
Blah. Borderlands played like a mediocre FPS, and felt pretty shallow as an RPG. I don't feel that the two genres blended together well in Borderlands. The original Mass Effect had a similar problem where it was kind of weak in the game-play department, but Mass Effect at least had an interesting plot that kept the game exciting, and had its own twist on the TPS genre with Tech and Biotics. I didn't look forward to much in Borderlands. No plot to keep me intrigued, no characters to keep me invested, no new game-play mechanics to keep things fresh, nothing. I only played because my friends were playing it.
Shadow of the Colossus
I enjoyed SotC, but I not to the same level as many other people do. It's repetitive and unchallenging. For such giant and powerful creatures, they don't provide much of a challenge. I admire the game's artistic qualities, but unfortunately it takes more than fantastic sound and art direction to impress me.
Underrated:
Melty Blood: Actress Again: Current Code
Not enough people play this game. It's an unfairly misunderstood title within the fighting game community. It carries the stigma of being an "anime fighter", where people think it's all about panty shots and waifus, a game people play only because of its "anime-ness." But in reality, Melty is focused pretty much entirely on providing deep, competitive gameplay. There actually is very little fan-service to speak of, despite bearing visual novel roots. And anyway, Tsukihime was never about the H. Out of all the fighting games I have played, Melty Blood is my absolute favourite, as it is essentially a melting pot of all fighting game mechanics. You have parries (very risky unlike in SFIII), you have alpha counters, you have air-dashes and double jumps, bursts, dodges, EXs, Supers and what have you. Plus, Melty has a few things of its own such as its unique super meter, and reverse beat mechanics. This sounds like it could get as messy as MUGEN, but it's not. What's fantastic is that all these mechanics come together very naturally in Melty Blood. Pressure, defence and movement in Melty is unlike pressure, defence and movement in any other fighting game.
Saints Row 2
SR2 is great. I had more fun with SR2 than I have with any of the GTA games I've played. It's got a likeable cast of characters, a surprisingly interesting plot, and is hilarious. I'd hate for people to miss out on SR2 just because they think it's a simple GTA clone.
Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution
Just because it plays completely different from PSO I and II, doesn't mean it can't be as enjoyable. PSO III is a beautiful combination of Turn-based Strategy and Collectible Card Game. It's every bit as addictive as its already ridiculously addictive predecessors. I enjoyed collecting cards, building decks and strategies, and making tactical decisions in the TBS portion of the game, all with the flavour of PSO.
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