Games that get a bad rep but you like.

[emceelokey]

I'm just putting this in the classic section because were most likely going to talk about older games here but my pick is a more recent game and it's Too Human on the 360. I had no interest in the game originally and had no interest in it in the supposed 10 year development cycle. I really didn't care much about it until I saw gameplay footage and thought it looked pretty fun so I decided to try it out and I thought it was a blast. It's pretty much a hack and slash game like the Dynasty Warriors games but I felt it had a better gameplay mechanic and the leveling up was paced well enough that it kept me wanting to play it. I think people took all the hype and talk about the game and tried to figure it in to the quality of the game for whatever reason dismissed the game because of that. In my opinion the Dynasty Warrior games and other similar type of games by Koei, still to this day are not as fun as Too Human was a few years back and I feel it just got an unfair rap and people eventually dismissed the game. I have a feeling that it "Microsoft Studios" didn't show up on the cover of that game it wouldn't have been as looked down upon either. I just think that it wasn't fairly reviewed solely based on the final product.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm pretty sure there are other threads like this but I'll always say the same thing.

Sewer Shark.

It's a game that got unfairly lumped in as a crappy FMV game but actually happens to be a good shoot 'em up with a really fun B-movie story.

[kupomogli]

I also think I've posted on something like this before. Anyways. These are really the only games I like that I can think of right now that I know that people don't like. A few of these are disliked by people because the AVGN said they sucked. The rest it's fairly frequent when you hear that they're disliked.

Castlevania 2(NES)
Castlevania Lament of Innocence(PS2)
Castlevania 64(N64)
Castlevania Legacy of Darkness(N64)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(NES)
Fester's Quest(NES)
Driver 3(PS2)
Resident Evil Outbreak(PS2)
Resident Evil Outbreak 2(PS2)
Dirge of Cerberus FF7(PS2)
Sword of Vermilion (GEN)

[G-Boobie]

My go-to in this scenario is always going to be Capcom vs. SNK.

I also liked Castlevania: Lament of Innocence quite a bit.

[pseudonym]

1. I like Fester's Quest, but its WAY too hard to play all the way to the end.
2. I'm not talking about AVGN/CV2 because of the last thread derail on the subject, oh, wait...
3. None of the Castlevania games have really translated well to 3D. They're alright. Even the portable ones modeled after SOTN are starting to get old IMO.

How about Castelian (NES)? I didn't like this game at first but I've come around.

[Swamperon]

Billy Hatcher!

Seems to get a lot of flak for being too 'kidish' and easy. I found it to be a very solid, fun platformer that is probably of one Sega's best efforts since going multiplatform and certainly Sonic Team's.

The later levels are fiendishly difficult, the style, music and presentation is classic Sega and you get 5 games downloadable to your GBA, including NiGHTS! What's not to love?!

[Cesque]

I agree with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES... I got hooked on it, although never managed to beat the level after the dam level XD

The dam level is nowhere near as hard as the internet makes it out to be though O.o

[emceelokey]

My go-to in this scenario is always going to be Capcom vs. SNK.

I also liked Castlevania: Lament of Innocence quite a bit.


The first Capcom vs. SNK? I thought that game was generally liked. What do people not like about that game? Compared to Capcom vs. SNK 2, it's obviously not as feature packed and of course the reused characters animations and pixelation of those sprites always comes up but CVS2 is a legendary game that's still played in tournaments.

SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos... Now that's another story.

[dra600n]

Shadow Gate - NES, I know a lot of people hate that game, but I think it was a fun puzzle game.

[Ro-J]

I second Billy Hatcher (loved that game) and add E.T. I was only a small kid when I received E.T. and I didn't know it was supposed to be a bad game. I played it a hell of a lot and ended up loving the game. Sure I remember being frustrated by the pits and confused by the flower but I really enjoyed E.T. and have very fond memories of it. And yes, I still play it from time to time now.

[Jolteon]

I love Pokemon despite it being marketed to little kids. I was a little kid who loved Pokemon once, but now I'm all grown up. :(

I also like the South Park games for Nintendo 64. They are branded as "god awful" and "worst games on the N64" but I LOVED them as a kid. The racing game is even better than Mario Kart in my opinion - the controls are the only thing that MK64 has over South Park Rally.

Super Mario Land on the original game boy: Sure it's no SMB, but I still love the game.

[emceelokey]

Speaking of Pokemon. I loved Pokemon Snap! when it came out. I think the game got a fairly warm reception but not warm enough form them to make another game or game like that. Such a great unique game that was pretty much bound to, not necessiarly fail, but not reach expectations. For how big Pokemon was at that time and how few people seem to even remember it is somewhat disappointing.

[Swamperon]

Speaking of Pokemon. I loved Pokemon Snap! when it came out. I think the game got a fairly warm reception but not warm enough form them to make another game or game like that. Such a great unique game that was pretty much bound to, not necessiarly fail, but not reach expectations. For how big Pokemon was at that time and how few people seem to even remember it is somewhat disappointing.

Pokemon Snap is AMAZING! I became quite addicted to that on the N64. Last year I downloaded it to my Wii and discovered one of my friends also loved it, we spent many a-hour trying to beat each other's high scores. Good times.

[Soviet Conscript]

JAWS (nes)
Gunboat (tg16)

[skaar]

I always bring up Zelda II in these threads, myself.

Love that game.

[buzz_n64]

Super Mario Bros 2 -nes
Castlevania 2 -nes
Croc -ps/pc
Double Dragon III -nes
Zombie Revenge -dc

[exit]

I second the N64 Castlevania games, I recently played them again and they're just as good as I remember them to be. The games have their problems (mainly camera issues), but they're still very much playable. I think most people who complain about them haven't even played them and (much like with Castlevania 2) just joined the band wagon because other people said they sucked.

Lament of Innocence tho...I hated that one.

[Tempest]

Sword of Vermilion (GEN)
Sword of Vermilion has a bad rep? That game is awesome! I will personally beat up anyone who says something bad about this game... ;)

Tempest

[ShinobiMan]

Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout

At the age of 4, it was the first game that I ever completed. It holds a special place in my heart because of that.

[bartre]

one game that always seems to get crap is Strider on the NES.
I love it, but if you go in expecting the Genesis game, you'll be sorely disappointed.
as it is, it does an excellent job of putting Strider's actual story out there, as well as providing a good adventure/platformer experience

[kedawa]

Cruis'n USA (N64) is enjoyably bad. The arcade version and sequels are just mediocre racing games with corny design, but the N64 port mixes all that with laughably sub-par graphics and sound, and somehow manages to become more than the sum of its parts.

Pit Fighter (Genesis) is just better than any other version of the game, and although that isn't saying much, it does add up to a decent game. It just hits that 80's martial arts movie chord perfectly, and the music is just so brilliantly cheesy that it's permanently etched in my brain.

WWF Wrestlemania The Arcade Game. This is the 'wrestling' game the rasslin fans love to hate, which is probably why it's the only one I can stand to play. Whereas most wrestling games require mindless button mashing for the most simple of things, this game requires controlled button mashing to do crazy combos. It's easily twice as fast as anything else in the genre, and infinitely more fun.


Billy Hatcher!

Seems to get a lot of flak for being too 'kidish' and easy. I found it to be a very solid, fun platformer that is probably of one Sega's best efforts since going multiplatform and certainly Sonic Team's.

The later levels are fiendishly difficult, the style, music and presentation is classic Sega and you get 5 games downloadable to your GBA, including NiGHTS! What's not to love?!
I totally forgot about the GBA games. I'll have to give this game another shot now that I have the link cable. I actually found Billy Hatcher pretty challenging, and I gave up on it after getting stuck on a timed platforming section where I kept dying because his shadow kept disappearing and I couldn't tell where I would land.

[Red Baron]

I'll have to echo sentiments for Pokemon Snap, Castlevania 64, and South Park 64, indeed. In the former case I still have my data card(has Bulbasaur on it) and probably a sheet or two of the printed stickers from Blockbuster, somewhere around here. I also found the game again for two dollars just recently, with a little cleaning it was good to go.

For other games, I'll also toss up Clayfighter 63 1/3, the N64 Turok games, and Dead or Alive 2/Ultimate. (Most of DoA's reputation as a bad fighting game series only good for fanservice I blame on 3 and 4, as 2 was pretty good.)

[Swamperon]

I totally forgot about the GBA games. I'll have to give this game another shot now that I have the link cable. I actually found Billy Hatcher pretty challenging, and I gave up on it after getting stuck on a timed platforming section where I kept dying because his shadow kept disappearing and I couldn't tell where I would land.

I managed to complete every level/mission but gave up on trying to get 'S' rank for every one. There's one right towards the end where you have to continually roll up a steep, thin path. It's ridiculously difficult to get the balance and speed right but so satisfactory when you do!

I'm going to add Top Shop. It's a budget 'board game' for the PS but it's fairly original, entertaining, can make people very competitive and you only need one controller to play. Sadly it's a game that looks boring and you have to play it to appreciate it.

[TonyTheTiger]

I really really like M.C. Kids. It's actually one of my favorite platformers on the NES.

Sonic Spinball has a bad reputation but I have fun with it.

SimTower (or "The Tower"), while I don't know if it has an outright bad reputation, is never ever talked about yet among the "Sim" games it's probably my favorite.

Batman: Return of the Joker. A Contra knockoff that couldn't have any less to do with Batman, yet it's great for what it is.

Mega Man 5. It's often called the worst Mega Man game but it's actually one of my favorites.

Sudeki. An otherwise completely forgettable Xbox RPG, it does drop the ball on more than one occasion (notably the ending) but it held my interest well enough.

[G-Boobie]

The first Capcom vs. SNK? I thought that game was generally liked. What do people not like about that game? Compared to Capcom vs. SNK 2, it's obviously not as feature packed and of course the reused characters animations and pixelation of those sprites always comes up but CVS2 is a legendary game that's still played in tournaments.

SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos... Now that's another story.

Capcom vs snk 2 is absolutely great, but the first one gets a lot of hate in my circle. Of course, these guys are diehard Capcom fighting game fans, so maybe its just me...

As to what isn't liked, it mostly comes down to the four button control scheme and balance. I don't get the balance thing considering cvs 2 has some problems in that department. Personally I really like cvs: its ok for a fighting game to be just "fun".

[bohproper]

My go-to in this scenario is always going to be Capcom vs. SNK.

I also liked Castlevania: Lament of Innocence quite a bit.

Who could ever say Capcom vs SNK was a bad game!?!
and for my pick i would have to say wario land for virtual boy

[kedawa]

CvS1 has better stages and music than CvS2, but other than that, CvS2 is better in every way.
There were some really abusable glitches with the SNK groove, especially with Benimaru, iirc. CvS Pro fixed a lot of things, but was really too little too late.
CvS1 also had very limited movesets because it divided them up between normal and EX versions of the characters. The SNK characters felt particularly limited compared to how they played in SNK's own games. It's kind of annoying having to chose between having a either a proper fireball or the power dunk move with Terry for example.

Having said all that, I like the game quite a bit too.

[heavensblade23]

I rarely hear anyone even mention Wall Street Kid for the NES.

It's actually a brilliant little piece of social commentary in that opportunities just seem to fall into your lap as you try to please your needy and materialistic trophy girlfriend.

[emceelokey]

I'm going to throw in the Killer Instinct series in this. People either seem to love or hate this game and I love it. KI2/Gold wasn't that great but it was more of a lateral move opposed to being better or worse. FOr the most part, people hate this game for essentially creating the "dial a combo" gameplay but they did it right and the amount of flash they put behind those combos was just awesome at the time. That game in the arcades at that time was an awesome overload. First there was great music, top notch graphics for the time and having the announcer reading off the combos made that game much more sweeter. It's a shame that there has never been a good home version of either game, especially the first one and it's even more of a shame that there hasn't been a new game in the series in over a decade.

[Steve W]

People constantly crap on Club Drive on the Jaguar, but I've always liked the game. Basketbrawl on the Atari Lynx and 7800 was also disliked by most people, but I loved it. Fatal Run on the 7800 is also not liked widely, but it's another one I love. Star Wars Demolition is another hated title for the Dreamcast, but it's one of the first games I play when I fire up the console, along with South Park Rally.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think most people who complain about [N64 Castlevanias] haven't even played them and (much like with Castlevania 2) just joined the band wagon because other people said they sucked.
No, I don't think that's why anybody is dissing them. On my time at the Castlevania Dungeon, there were a core of supporters of the game but many others had good reasons for dissing it. Many people simply couldn't make the transition to the new camera - if the Zelda series showed how to transition a series to 3D correctly, Castlevania showed how to do it awkwardly. Of course, it wasn't until perhaps Metroid Prime and Ninja Gaiden especially that it was really done right for any series (well, unless you count Contra: Shattered Soldier, which wasn't a complete systems overhaul). While I'll put the N64 Castlevania games on my list of underdog favorites as well, there are legitimate reasons to take issue with them.

Mainly, they play poorly in comparison with later, more refined 3D platformers - and even some contemporary games - that did the same things better. In terms of control the Castlevanias are less fluid compared to, say, the original Tenchu (mainly on account of no grappling hook in CV + the awkward pull-up mechanic), but Tenchu also has stealth gameplay that annoys many people (obviously not a complete analogy). In terms of the gameplay mechanics - the actual fighting stuff - they just get the job done, and thankfully the system isn't overly complicated, though you can tell from how useless the powerup system is that they didn't bother to rethink the one from 1986, either. A game that DID try to rethink its systems was Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, which ended up being a mess (one that I love but still a mess). It's the scenarios and the story that hold these two games together.

Definitely not the best games ever, but I can think of worse ways to spend my time, even on "better" games - like, say, the Rare N64 platformers which get absolutely obnoxious in the amount of backtracking and fidgety crap to do; Donkey Kong 64 seems way over the top to me.

-------------------

From the arcade games camp, I somewhat like Exerion, though many others don't. Actually, I spend a considerable amount of time with less well-known or even "middling" arcade games, though the top tier games (the Battle Gareggas / Raiden Fighter Jets) are getting more love from me now.

-------------------

So yeah - I've already mentioned (by accident) another game that doesn't get much love - Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.

The main problem with Tomb Raider AoD is that it's always been buggy. I had to use saves because the game simply wouldn't progress at points (later in the game). Thankfully, there aren't really collectibles that you will lose forever if you use somebody else's save; just load what you need with cheats.

Tomb Raider AoD was based on the premise that Lara Croft starts the game in a "weakened" state and has to regain her strength - apparently pulling and pushing slightly bigger rocks once or twice is as good as a full workout and rest period in a gym. Strange genes Lara has (but nice jeans...er).

The problem this causes is that you're never quite sure exactly how far you can jump or how far you can swing on monkey bars (that's also based on a strength timer, which runs out) because it gets longer now and then. While a few restarts will solve the problem, the lack of consistency is a problem. I suppose the designers rationalized it as always being a new challenge - you're always being pushed to jump from the edge of each ledge and it never feels routine, but some people really had problems with it. For myself, I didn't feel that I had to load more often than usual (on average) in a TR game, but there were some spots that were tricky due to there being so little margin for error.

It also felt like a waste of time to be held up by needing to find statues to haul around to gain "strength" in addition to the usual puzzle elements - a waste of my time and the developers' as well, for no obvious benefit.

The game stands out in stark contrast to Resident Evil 4; though not much of a platformer, it does show how to give the player an emotional connection with the progress (or lack of it) that their avatar is making in the game. That is essentially storytelling, and storytelling isn't done by artificial systems and chimes when you "get stronger" (level up!) but by the story and carefully directed cutscenes which cannot easily be replaced by a simple gameplay mechanic (if you want to replace human directors, you need a complicated AI system like Valve's Director for the Left 4 Dead games, but that's another story). It's an odd thing that AoD tried it, since AoD also relies heavily on its story and cutscenes - for my money the story and variety of locations in AoD is one of the strongest in a Tomb Raider we've seen yet, and the adventure gaming elements helped break up the pace a bit too - but once again, both were done better in RE4.

---------------

Final thought, I hope sometime to play through the Alone in the Dark game for Game Boy Color. I've played a little of it before and I thought it was charming in a way. I'll have to see more. I've tried playing the original on Mac and it was too slow and awkward for me (instant death in the first room, okay! Where's the mood when you know you're going to be mauled to death by a big ugly in a brightly lit room from the get-go?)

[hellraiser]

Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the snes...

I dont care if it has a 3 second delay after it says FIGHT. I think it got a bad rap because it was ported on more powerfull systems. Put that aside and its really a awsome lookin game that pushed the limits of the snes.

Mega Man 7

I know the "X" series already got started but at least they didint ditch the original series!!!

[todesengel]

I'm gonna have to go with the 3D Castlevania's and Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Subzero(PSOne version, never played it on N64). Once you get past the camera in the first in the 2 N64 Castlevania's they're a lot of fun to play. MK Mythologies I feel you just have to get used to the controls and then it's damn awesome.

[Malon_Forever]

Mega Man 6
Castlevania 64
Chrono Cross

[Rick 2007]

I did like BB Blow Out for the SNES.

A game I have played to death is most likley on
some of your worst games list.........

Super James Pond for the SNES.
This is one of my favorite games of all times.

[Dr. Dib]

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams and Sonic and the Secret Rings come to my mind right off the bat.

NiGHTS: JOD isn't nowhere as good as the original, but it was still fairly enjoyable. I liked some of the things they did such as actually making the child portion have a purpose. Of course I found the voice acting annoying as well as the cheesy story, but still a decent game.

Sonic and the Secret Rings I also find usually gets hated on more than it deserves. I do admit the focus on missions instead of multiple levels was disappointing, but some of them were frustratingly enjoyable. I wouldn't say it is the best 3D Sonic game, but it was a decent outing.

[Bloodreign]

City Connection on the NES, no one ever talks about it, it almost seems forgotten.

[tomaitheous]

Spriggan Mark 2 for PC-Engine. Generally considered not as good as Compiles other shooters, from what I've seen on the net (and considered only average compared to other PCECD shmups). I disagree. It's one of the best Compile Shmups IMO, and one of the best PCECD games for the system too. Some have said it's too easy on default difficulty setting, but there's plenty of harder modes (more bullets, faster bullets, more enemies, and even an extra boss at the end) to keep you busy. I've beaten it on all the harder settings. Very satisfying.

[Aussie2B]

I can back up a lot of the previously mentioned games - Zelda 2, Super Mario Bros. 2, Castlevania 2, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Sonic Spinball; that's a lot of fun times right there. I'd add:

Castlevania Adventure
Haunted Castle
Secret of Evermore
Donkey Kong Country 3
King's Field series/Shadow Tower/Eternal Ring
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Lagoon
Majora's Mask
Radiata Stories
Star Ocean 3
Super Mario Sunshine
Tower of Druaga
Just about anything for the Super Scope (Battle Clash and Metal Combat are awesome)
Just about anything on Virtual Boy
Just about all dating sims, unless those elements are within a bigger game, like Persona or Harvest Moon, in which case people love them, go figure :/
Tail Concerto and, in all likelihood, Solatorobo

The sad thing about Tail Concerto (and the same thing is happening with Solatorobo) is that its bad rep isn't even coming from people that have played it. Instead, people just get a look at the art or a screen and say "lol furries". They get this idea that it's "Yiff: The Game" or something, even though it's no worse than the Sonic the Hedgehog games. And the artist, Nobuteru Yuuki, is highly respected for his work in Escaflowne, Seiken Densetsu 3, Chrono Cross, etc., so why is his art suddenly a joke for these games?

[God-Zilla]

I love dreamcast ecco the dolphin, its excessive hardness never bothered me.
I also really enjoy 2600 starship, e.t., laserblast, entombed though they always get dissed.

[kupomogli]

I didn't think of adding these ones. Alot of my favorites here.



Castlevania Adventure
Haunted Castle
Secret of Evermore
King's Field series/Shadow Tower/Eternal Ring
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

I'll also add some others I didn't think of. I didn't think of any of the handheld CV games. I enjoy Castlevania Legends a lot and Castlevania Circle of the Moon is my favorite exploration CV.

I also wasn't aware that King's Field has a bad rep, just an unknown series. I will add Evergrace and Forever Kingdom though that I know do have some bad rep and two of my favorite adventure games. Evergrace because it was a PS2 launch title that most people bashed because of the difficulty and the music. I like them better than Demon's Souls to be honest. All three games are amazing.


Tail Concerto and, in all likelihood, Solatorobo

I never hear about Tail Concerto because hardly anyone knows about it. I like it.

[Ackman]

Aeon Flux, it could have been great if they'd spent more time on it but it's actually pretty good except for the one pinball type part..... It's got some great platforming when you get down to it.

Oni - almost 40 playable characters, I enjoyed it much more than I enjoyed Halo.

Catwoman, hey it's actually a pretty dcent game.

The Smurfs Megadrive, part 2 sucks but part 1 is almost up there with Aladin and similar type games.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon It's fun

Eragon For me it was better than the LOTR games in the gameplay department, could have been longer but hey I got it cheap so it was bang for my buck.

Shinobi PS2 it's difficult in parts but it's got such a fantastic atmosphere, when you kill a boss with a stealth kill, it is the video game equivilent of busting a nut, really. quite replayable too. I knew I was taking a risk with this one but it was damn worth it.

Shadow of Rome
Everybody complains about the stealth I found the stealth enjoyable I will admit a few pretty tough parts but if you followed the FAQ pretty easy. But the fighting sections are just bloody damn awesome it's like Golden Axe in 3d.

King of Fighters 2006
I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed KOF XI OR KOF2k3, it could have been better but it must be the most new friendly fighter ever, fun for everybody. I'm not even a fan of SF4 but I like 2k6 go figure.

[sniperCCJVQ]

I agree with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES... I got hooked on it, although never managed to beat the level after the dam level XD

The dam level is nowhere near as hard as the internet makes it out to be though O.o

Me too!

I learned to lovw TMNT over the year...it's not a "arcade" game like all TMNT should be but it demands skills and lot of attention.

the dam is easy but the last level is impossible to finish without any kind of trichery

[kedawa]

I used to have the Amiga version of TMNT. I think it might actually be harder than it is on the NES.