Most Underrated & Overrated game(s) you've ever played.

• Underrated: The Binding of Isaac and Cthulhu Saves the World

Before we get this started, let me make two things clear to everybody:

• Overrated does not mean bad (although the two can certainly overlap). You can still like an overrated game.
• Underappreciated does not mean underrated. There are probably lots of people who like an underappreciated game, but I doubt a lot of people would like an underrated one (hence why it's underrated in the first place).

That clear to everybody?

Getting the obligatory Call of Duty out of the way as the most overrated game for the sake of the rest of the thread.

I have always felt Halo was over rated.

Hold on, don't get out your pitch forks its cool. The game has its merits, and it truly defined that FPS can be made well for a console, but as a game it never drew me in and I never felt the connection to it a lot of people did. I heard the second was better then the first and that may be why. I never liked it so much that I played past the first. Regardless, while I accept completely it is a decent game and historically significant, I find the game to be generic and over rated as a game franchise.

Not flaming nobody, that is just how I feel about it.

Under rated: El Shaddai is a great game that few played

Does Rage count as an over-rated game? I tried playing the thing but was constantly berated with a flurry of visual bugs, audio issues, and bizarrely egregious texture pop-in. Though, that could be because my 360 is certainly in the throes of seemingly archaic and moribund hardware.

@Video_Game_King said:

• Underappreciated does not mean underrated. There are probably lots of people who like an underappreciated game, but I doubt a lot of people would like an underrated one (hence why it's underrated in the first place).

Underappreciated and underrated are colloquially synonymous.

Mega Man Legends is tremendously underrated. Not only is it generally a great game, but It also did many innovative things that you see in a lot of later games but sadly, more often than not doesn't, get credit for.

Portal 2 for me. Still liked it though!

Over rated - Enslaved.

@bwmcmaste:

People are idiots. Except for @Soapy86: apparently.

I think the entire Trials series is fairly overrated. I mean, it's fine for what it is, but I've never found it very enthralling to jockey this faceless dirtbike rider forward and backward to try to physics my way through the stupid obstacle course. Sure, it's a good challenge, but there are better challenging games out there.

Half Life 2 is by far the most overrated game I've ever played. And I play games for about 20 years now.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.......NEVER thought it was any good

@zodiac_motherfucker: I played through all three campaigns and unfortunately the game is garbage, sorry. I wanted to like it because I loved the first AVP, liked the second AVP, but no... the marine campaign was decent (horrible writing and voice acting though, no suspense at all) the rest is not even worth mentioning.

All games are appropriately rated on Giantbomb.

@zodiac_motherfucker said:

@CptBedlam: DISAGREE AND BE WRONG BITCH

WHY ARE YOU TYPING ONLY IN CAPS?

Most Underrated: The Last Express
Most Overrated: Twilight Princess (and most other modern AAA titles)

My Overrated is Resistance: Fall of Man. I played through that game and hated a majority of it. It did some neat stuff, but it was basically "Hey, Halo did this!" the game to me.

Underrated would be Mirror's Edge. I love that game. However, I see why it has its issues. I know what I don't like about it, but what I do like is so damn good.

My other addition to this is Half Life 2. I have tried many times to play that game, and I cannot do it. I can't stand the level design, or at least that is the part that I can put my finger on. The story is boring to me as well, but I feel the level design and layout are the parts that really kill the story too. Too much of the game is "Go there" and you run into a bunch of dumb obstacles between A and B, only to get to B and have someone shove you out of the door instantly on your way to C. "Freeman! I thought you were dead! Look at this! Bye bye! Good luck getting to *LOCATION NAME*" Alan Wake suffers from the same level issue. "Go to the Radio Station" and then you run into three other buildings on the way with you running through the woods for too long between all of those. I've tried so hard to like HL2, it probably will never happen now...

@Landon said:

@zodiac_motherfucker said:

@CptBedlam: DISAGREE AND BE WRONG BITCH

WHY ARE YOU TYPING ONLY IN CAPS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Brunk500/ZODIAC_MOTHERFUCKER

Underrated: Europa Universallis 3

Overrated: Crysis

@PeasantAbuse said:

@Landon said:

@zodiac_motherfucker said:

@CptBedlam: DISAGREE AND BE WRONG BITCH

WHY ARE YOU TYPING ONLY IN CAPS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Brunk500/ZODIAC_MOTHERFUCKER

Idiot attention whore with bad taste in everything. Good to know.

@CptBedlam said:

@PeasantAbuse said:

@Landon said:

@zodiac_motherfucker said:

@CptBedlam: DISAGREE AND BE WRONG BITCH

WHY ARE YOU TYPING ONLY IN CAPS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Brunk500/ZODIAC_MOTHERFUCKER

Idiot attention whore with bad taste in everything. Good to know.

I guess? I think it's funny, but I suck.

@zodiac_motherfucker: Okay, that's funny. You can stay. Merry Xmas. :)

Overrated: Halo 3

Underrated: Vanquish

@Video_Game_King said:

Before we get this started, let me make two things clear to everybody:

• Overrated does not mean bad (although the two can certainly overlap). You can still like an overrated game.
• Underappreciated does not mean underrated. There are probably lots of people who like an underappreciated game, but I doubt a lot of people would like an underrated one (hence why it's underrated in the first place).

That clear to everybody?

Underrated does not have to mean professional ratings. It doesn't even have to mean it is underrated by those who have played it. It can be underrated by those who blow it off without playing it. If something is unappreciated then it is by definition underrated.

You are right about overrated though.

While I like the concept of this post, people will ruin it with "you're gay and dumb and wrong, (game) sucks/rules!!!!" ... It's already happening. People need to learn to start with "I think" or a simple "in my opinion", instead of aggression straight away. For the record... Overrated - Twilight Princess - got 42 hours in (checked my save about a week ago) and probably only enjoyed around 15 of those. Loved Ocarina, Majora, Wind Waker and can't stop playing Skyward Sword (serious GOTY contender), but Twilight Princess is lazy, ugly and terminally boring to me. Under appreciated - Resident Evil 5 - I loved this game. I was lucky enough to have a friend willing to sink close to 100 hours into it with me and looking back its one of my favourite video game memories. But I hear so much trash talked about it - bad controls, old formula, repetitive, not as good as the old ones. But I can't help it, I think it's great. That or Sonic Generations - really great game, too bad it didn't sell.

What an unexpectedly excellent thread this turned out to be.
 
As for my pick, I'd have to go with Uncharted 2. I had heard so much about how great it was and it was one of the primary reasons I purchased a PS3, but despite me really wanting to love it, it left me underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, in fact I'd call my experience with it overall pleasant, it just didn't have any impact. Nothing about that game stands out to me as more than fluff, and it does that well enough, but I was expecting more from what so many people consider one of the best games this generation.

@TentPole:

Not exactly. While there can certainly be overlap, they are still distinct concepts. A game may be underappreciated, but those who appreciate it may appreciate the hell out of it. For example, Fragile Dreams is a pretty damn excellent game, and those who have played it can attest to that. Problem is that only, like, five people have played it. It's not that people hate it (although I won't deny that those people are out there), but simply that many people glossed over it, not giving it the chance to be appreciated. I hope that makes sense on some level.

@CptBedlam said:

Half Life 2 is by far the most overrated game I've ever played.

I have to agree with this, some act like it is the greatest thing ever made, but it really just is a good video game. Nothing more, nothing less.

As for underrated I want to say Half-Life: Blue Shift, which has been my favorite of the Half-Life games.

Also No One Lives Forever!

I KINDA THOUGHT THAT ALIENS VS PREDATOR GAME FOR XBOX360 WAS PRETTY FUCKING UNDERRATED. PEOPLE PISSED ALL OVER IT BUT I PLAYED THROUGH ALL THREE CAMPAIGNS OF THAT MOTHERFUCKER INSIDE OF THREE DAYS

IF NOTHING ELSE NO GAME HAS DONE THE PREDATOR EXPERIENCE AS WELL

Also, not going to lie. I cracked open Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for the first time. Not really grabbing me so far.

Mass Effect 1 and Fable 2 are overrated as fuck. The Warriors often gets overlooked but it's probably Rockstar's best game.

@Video_Game_King said:

@TentPole:

Not exactly. While there can certainly be overlap, they are still distinct concepts. A game may be underappreciated, but those who appreciate it may appreciate the hell out of it. For example, Fragile Dreams is a pretty damn excellent game, and those who have played it can attest to that. Problem is that only, like, five people have played it. It's not that people hate it (although I won't deny that those people are out there), but simply that many people glossed over it, not giving it the chance to be appreciated. I hope that makes sense on some level.

Yeah that is the definition of underrated. It is not not held of value by the larger audience. Regardless it is silly argue over semantics but I believe you are in fact describing underrated. Also you are thinking too hard about this.

@TentPole:

No, I think this is an important distinction. Underrated implies "people think this is bad, but it's not"; underappreciated merely says "this product is good, but not enough people know that". They may not even hate it; they may simply be ignorant to its existence.

@TentPole said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@TentPole:

Not exactly. While there can certainly be overlap, they are still distinct concepts. A game may be underappreciated, but those who appreciate it may appreciate the hell out of it. For example, Fragile Dreams is a pretty damn excellent game, and those who have played it can attest to that. Problem is that only, like, five people have played it. It's not that people hate it (although I won't deny that those people are out there), but simply that many people glossed over it, not giving it the chance to be appreciated. I hope that makes sense on some level.

Yeah that is the definition of underrated. It is not not held of value by the larger audience. Regardless it is silly argue over semantics but I believe you are in fact describing underrated. Also you are thinking too hard about this.

GTA4 is probably overrated by critics but at the same underappreciated by a lot of players (you know, the guys who claim that it's basically the worst game ever).

I thought Mirrors Edge was greatly underrated. I couldn't get enough of that game. Played through it tons of times

I've never understood why people love Castlevania games so much. Every time I play one, I just think about how much I'd rather be playing a Metroid game. Plus, hearts don't even fill up your health. That's just stupid.

Overrated - Red Faction: Guerilla, TES: Oblivion, Half-Life 2

Underrated - Saboteur (everyone seemingly hated it; I thought it was a decent enough game), Guitar Hero series (I found it be better and more responsive than Rock Band), Killzone 3

People always say bad stuff about it, but I thought Dark Messiah was the shit.

@ThePickle said:

Mass Effect 1 and Fable 2 are overrated as fuck. The Warriors often gets overlooked but it's probably Rockstar's best game.

Agreed almost completely. I LOVED The Warriors, especially since the vast majority of people didn't even seem to play it. However, it's nowhere near Rockstar's best game for me. RDR and GTA4 were better in my opinion.

@Cramsy said:

I thought Mirrors Edge was greatly underrated. I couldn't get enough of that game. Played through it tons of times

This^ A lot of people said it sucked, and I was shocked when I played it. One of the best first-person games I've played. It wasn't without flaws, of course...(shooting and combat in general was pretty fucking awful) but it wasn't bad by any means.

@CptBedlam said:

@TentPole said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@TentPole:

Not exactly. While there can certainly be overlap, they are still distinct concepts. A game may be underappreciated, but those who appreciate it may appreciate the hell out of it. For example, Fragile Dreams is a pretty damn excellent game, and those who have played it can attest to that. Problem is that only, like, five people have played it. It's not that people hate it (although I won't deny that those people are out there), but simply that many people glossed over it, not giving it the chance to be appreciated. I hope that makes sense on some level.

Yeah that is the definition of underrated. It is not not held of value by the larger audience. Regardless it is silly argue over semantics but I believe you are in fact describing underrated. Also you are thinking too hard about this.

GTA4 is probably overrated by critics but at the same underappreciated by a lot of players (you know, the guys who claim that it's basically the worst game ever).

Agreed with Cpt. Bedlam on pretty much everything on this thread.

Over-rated: Grand Theft Auto IV - Was a good game but I don't think it's anywhere near the best game of 2008.

Under-rated: Probably either Picross 3D or Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts - Loved both of those games.

GTA4 is probably overrated by critics but at the same under-appreciated by a lot of players (you know, the guys who claim that it's basically the worst game ever).

I must've spent hundreds of hours (probably not true at all) on this weird old game called Evil Islands. It's wasn't covered at all in the media and nobody remembers it, I'll imagine. So I give that the title of 'most underrated game'. I loved it.

Most overrated game? There's plenty. After spending more than half my life to this media I've noticed how bad the "critics darling" -cathegory can be, not rarely concerning indie games. Some games becomes praised way to much at launch, and then later being shrugged off as a mere footnote. LA Noir, for instance. But personally it might be the first Trine. Janky controls, physics-based non-puzzles and bad voice acting... no thanks.

Underrated: Nier, overall.

Overrated: Half Life 2. Forgot about this till now.

I seek out those obscure games that critics love but aren't commercially successful, so I'm kind of a fan of underrated games. But this also means I occasionally play some games that the critics overrated.

For me, Flower was the most overrated game by the critics. The game totally bored me and I never had anything close to what I kept hearing was a deeply emotional connection with the game. Could just be me, though?