Poorly rated games you like [Archive] - Retrogaming Roundtable

Pr3tty F1y

03-23-2019, 07:36 PM

Revolution X (Arcade/SNES/Genesis/Playstation/Saturn/PC): I never even was that big of an Aerosmith fan. I just love it's on-rails shooter goodness. For the time, I never experienced anything else with so many destructible pieces of the environment. Of course the arcade version itself is a masterpiece, but the poorly reviewed home versions have a special place in my heart. I had the SNES version back in the day and it was a ton of fun. I also traded a guy from Brazil my original Gran Turismo PlayStation game (I already had GT2) for a CIB PC version of Revolution X. I don't care what people say, I like it.

WelcomeToTheNextLevel

03-24-2019, 02:24 AM

I loved Driv3r for several years after it came out. I got it (the PS2 version) in June 2004 and loved it. I got GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas (also for PS2) in May 2006 but still preferred Driv3r over all three. Something about a car automatically exploding when it flipped just didn't sit right with me, I knew that was highly unrealistic and cheap even at 13. I loved Driv3r's excellent (for the time) damage modeling and the good vehicle simulation for the time. Okay, the shooting segments were tacked on and the game's story mode was short and shallow, but it was a game where you could just mess around with cars, sort of like Driver 1 and 2. A lot of people say that Driv3r is buggy and glitchy, yes there were a number of glitches but 95% of the time the game ran perfectly, at least my copy.

Once I got GTA V for Xbox 360 on May 13, 2008, my interest in Driv3r quickly faded, but amazing that such a mediocre rated game by the critics could give me four years of enjoyment and it took a game from the next generation to unseat it.

I also found SimCity Societies to be rather enjoyable, for a while, as a totally different game from SimCity 4 (which I also love so much, I still play it to this day, 16 years after it came out). A lot of people said it was watered-down, that it was far worse than SimCity 4, but I liked it for what it was. That is, until my copy crapped out on me. Not all at once, it just stopped working right and started crashing a lot. It ran great in 2008-2009 but ran like crap on the same exact computer by 2011.

Koa Zo

03-24-2019, 01:26 PM

Advance Guardian Heroes
It got mediocre ratings but more to the point it was widely maligned by Guardian Heroes fans as not being the sequel they wanted.
I feel it has a tighter gameplay and isn't so convoluted as the original. It's one of my favorite GBA games, just really fun to play.

Steve W

03-24-2019, 07:48 PM

I still defend Club Drive on the Atari Jaguar. It was crapped on for having low-count unshaded polygon environments, but I didn't care, it was great to have free-roaming 3D levels I could drive around in.

I will happily play practically anything on the Jaguar; I bought one during the test-market phase in 1993 and stuck with it as my main games machine all the way 'til the end. Even games like the Highlander CD game that was brutally reviewed by magazines I kept playing until I finished them. I'm just an Atari fan I guess.

Rickstilwell1

03-24-2019, 08:58 PM

Some of my favorites that people seem to widely dislike things about include:

Beyond the Beyond - PS1 (they say the story is too generic and don't like having to grind so much to level up... well I think this is like a Dragon Warrior except on PS1 and with better graphics than NES or early SNES RPGs. Good enough for me. There's other choices on the system I get it, but I had this one first. Nothing but good nostalgia for me.)

Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 -PS1 (they don't like how slow the movements are compared to other fighters. I get that but I like how in this one you can see the whole arena unlike the Butoden series where you go off in this split screen boxed in area when you fly. It's disorienting. Plus the UB22 build up mode is fun. I can't think of any fighting games older than this that had a build up mode. It was like adding RPG elements to a fighting game except it wasn't measured in points. Still, I can see why some don't have patience for the loading times.)

Big Nose the Caveman - NES (they say that it's just a generic bland looking platformer. Sure they do reuse a lot of the backgrounds and don't have very many level tropes, but I find the music catchy. You also have to think of this as a horizontal scrolling shooter when it comes to the powerups. If you get hit and lose them, it may be difficult to get your full arsenal back. But like a shooter, I've been able to memorize the muscle memory required to get a perfect run on this game. I think this is one of the best unlicensed NES games. Its sequel Big Nose Freaks Out does kind of suck though - no level music, smaller sprites, weird skateboard physics. Yawn.)

Sonic 3D Blast - Genesis, Saturn, PC (people don't like it just because it's not just a straightforward run through like the four main Sonic games. Myself, I don't mind the Flicky hunting and level exploring. The game has enough core elements to make it a main entry Sonic game in my book. Ring collecting, running and jumping, robot smashing, 50 ring to enter Special Stages with Chaos Emeralds, boss fights with Dr. Robotnik in a variety of weapon attachments, good game music in either version.

Sonic Blast - Game Gear (they say ugly graphics... I didn't hear them complain about Mortal Kombat or Donkey Kong Land)

Gameguy

03-25-2019, 03:23 AM

I remember this was asked before, every time it comes up I mention Bebe's Kids. Still it seems like I'm the only one who likes this game.

https://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?167568-Games-with-a-bad-reputation-that-you-absolutely-love
https://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?164835-Good-Bad-Games-Do-you-know-of-any

Edmond Dantes

03-25-2019, 10:08 PM

Let's not forget the one everyone is gonna say, Earthbound, which famously was trashed by most magazines.

Personal examples though would include...

I never got why people hate the first Bubsy.

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures is one of my favorite games and yet apparently it wasn't liked at the time and today is seen as a mistake. Screw the haters. Mostly, I like the whole idea that Pac is his own person and you're a friend helping out by giving him suggestions. There are some cracks in the illusion (the game works on a clear "X happens, Pac changes to mood Y" system rather than it being gradual, plus how you have to keep him in certain moods to do certain things) but at the same time fighting that final boss makes me feel a little good inside. Also I can't be the only person on Earth who loves those "wa-waow-wa" noises Pac-Man makes.

I feel like kind of a hipster saying this, but I liked From Software games before they were cool. EVERYONE used to say that King's Field, Shadow Tower, Eternal Ring etc. were terrible games (From used to subsist on their Armored Core series, which IS pretty good).

I've probably told the story before about how goofing around in Dragon Warrior with a character named "Bippydoo" completely changed my ideas on what a good RPG was (before then I was like most people in the early 2000s, convinced any RPG that wasn't basically a novel with controllable battles was not worth your time). After that, I tried out King's Field (the first US one, which is actually Japan's second) and loved it. It might've helped that I was familiar with PC games like Daggerfall. But yeah, King's Field was great.. basically if Castlevania SOTN was a first-person RPG (so I guess Metroid Prime done a decade earlier, and IMO done a lot better). I tried out other From Software PS1 and PS2 games... admittedly, Eternal Ring was kind of weak. Shadow Tower (which used to get downright hated by the magazines) is these days getting love--Derek Alexander (formerly the Happy Video Game Nerd) praised it in one of his videos and calls it the true predecessor to the Souls series. Not sure how true that is (never got to play the Souls games) but I will say this... Shadow Tower is freaky. Have some episodes of Care Bears on hand as a palate cleanser to help you sleep at night.

goldenband

03-25-2019, 10:44 PM

On the Genesis, it's Sword of Sodan for me. I honestly enjoyed that game, and getting to the point where I could beat it comfortably on the hardest settings. I also like Warrior of Rome II, which makes most players run screaming from its glacial pace.

On the SNES, I'd put forward Drakkhen, Lord of the Rings Vol. 1, and Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Not a coincidence that al three have great soundtracks.

On the 3DO, Immercenary sometimes gets a bad rap, but I had a thoroughly good time playing through it. I don't finish many FPSes, and it's telling that the ones I've completed tend to be "bad", offbeat and/or hybrid games like South Park, Krazy Ivan, Kileak (another bad game I enjoyed), and Immercenary.

I also thought Plumbers Don't Wear Ties was funny as hell, and had a blast playing through it with my wife.

Oh, man, I almost forgot: Virtual Hydlide on the Saturn. The Hydlide series, with its early-1980s computer gameplay, has always clicked with me for some reason. Virtual Hydlide may have a terrible framerate and many other issues, but I genuinely enjoyed my time with it. (Well, mostly.)

Tupin

03-25-2019, 10:50 PM

I've always had a soft spot for Lagoon on SNES.

Edmond Dantes

03-25-2019, 11:00 PM

On the SNES, I'd put forward Drakkhen, Lord of the Rings Vol. 1, and Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Not a coincidence that al three have great soundtracks.

Oh, man, I almost forgot: Virtual Hydlide on the Saturn. The Hydlide series, with its early-1980s computer gameplay, has always clicked with me for some reason. Virtual Hydlide may have a terrible framerate and many other issues, but I genuinely enjoyed my time with it. (Well, mostly.)

Seconding Drakkhen and the Hydlides (Tho I never got to play Hydlide II MSX or Virtual Hydlide). It's hard to believe people hate those games. Okay, Hydlide 1 on NES I can understand but like, when people complain about Super Hydlide or Drakkhen, I have to question their standards.

I've always had a soft spot for Lagoon on SNES.

Yeah, it's got a weird sort of appeal about it. Like... I'm not sure how to describe it (Happy Nerd once called it like "preferring vinyl over compact discs") but for some reason Lagoon doesn't feel like any other SNES action-RPG. Something about how the world looks. Always brings me back to the game, despite being armed with a pencil.

gbpxl

03-26-2019, 11:06 AM

I agree. Pac Man 2 and Bubsy were great

WulfeLuer

03-27-2019, 03:58 AM

Pac Man 2 is something that stands at "I pretended to hate it because I was 12 and wanted to play FF6 some more instead but now I admit I liked it a lot."

Legend of Mana is still a game I very much like despite the backlash that was simmering (I remember most of my circle liking it a LOT for all of two weeks and dropping it in some sort of desperate attempt to look cool).

Operation Darkness was loads of fun; I only dropped it because I wanted to give yet another 'sucky' game a shot: the PS2 version of Romancing SaGa. And immediately before those two, Star Ocean: The Last Hope. I personally feel that if Operation Darkness was released on PS3 and had its mechanics be a bit more clearly explained then it would have been more successful. Romancing SaGa is still SaGa; there's infuriating mechanics and you're going to spend your first playthrough bumbling around like a moron, but there's wonders to behold for a player willing to put in the time and effort. SO4...well there's glimmers of a good game here and there, and some good ideas (all hail Bacchus D-79, aka Space Elf Robocop) but there's an area that turns into the whole game into a boring slog and it never fully recovers, made worse with the 360 version's disc swaps. I still like, I just can't explain why.

Army Men RTS. That game is just stupid fun. All it needed was multiplayer of some sort.

Emperor Megas

03-27-2019, 09:56 AM

NIER was one of my favorite games of its generation, but I remember reading a few mediocre to poor reviews for it when it was current.

I don't think I'd ever played anything quite like it, and the way it blended so many genres together in a way that seemed very organic was something really special to me. Also, the soundtrack was just incredible, the story was amazing (IMO) and the characters were great. There were certainly flaws (like weapons balance, and lots of repetition), but I still feel the game was among the best of its generation.

I feel like it'll get a lot more interest and appreciation now because of the popularity of the sequel, NieR: Automata.

RPG_Fanatic

03-29-2019, 05:45 PM

Mangar

04-10-2019, 09:19 PM

Pataank on the 3DO.

People hate this game. However, I absolutely loved it. Easily my favourite game on the entire system.

thom_m

04-11-2019, 02:17 PM

Everytime I answer to this kind of question, the first game that comes to mind is Heavy Nova for the Genesis. It's a piece of garbage, I know. But, for some reason, I really enjoy playing it.

SeverThe7th

04-16-2019, 01:50 AM

Mario is Missing. People seem to hate it due to the fact that its educational/uninvolved. Its a relaxing game, you get to learn about different countries (which is nice) and has great music. The only complaint I have with it is it's too short!

gbpxl

04-17-2019, 09:17 PM

I love Mario is Missing

Natty Bumppo

04-18-2019, 05:54 AM

Traysia - Gets a lot of disprespect. While it is pretty much a run of the mill game it isn't as terrible as many people make it out to be.

Brigandine - people seem to be split on this one - most people seem to either really like or really hate this game with no middle ground. I find it really flexible if you want to create your own challenges. For some reason detractors often like to compare it to Dragon Force (which I think is way overrated) when in fact the games share only a few pretty minor similarities.

7th Saga - this game requires a lot of grinding - but offers a lot of variety of play depending on your choice of main and secondary characters. Another game that people either really like or hate with generally no middle ground.

Bighab

04-19-2019, 09:39 PM

Star Trek Conquest-not a highly rated game. As a strategy game fan I love it. Each faction plays differently. I do automated battles because I can't fly the ships worth a dam but whatever. If you like Star Trek and strategy games give it a try.

Centurion Defender of Rome-As a big Genesis fan and strategy game fan there are lots of highly rated games for the system.Herzog Zwei, Master of Monsters, Warsong come to mind. No one ever talks about Centurion. Love the theme. Starting with one legion and spreading out and building an empire. Your moral is low? Well I guess you had better spend some gold and hold some games to entertain the masses to avoid a revolt. I love when you enter a new territory you start negotiations with the leader. Want to be all nice and hope they submit? Rarely happens so I'm often rude and wipe their army out anyways. Game is turn based but the battles are kinda in real-time(You can pause play) I got this game shortly after it came out(yes I'm old lol) and try and play it once a year.

Niku-Sama

04-20-2019, 03:05 AM

Natty Bumppo

04-20-2019, 11:56 AM

Centurion Defender of Rome-As a big Genesis fan and strategy game fan there are lots of highly rated games for the system.Herzog Zwei, Master of Monsters, Warsong come to mind. No one ever talks about Centurion. Love the theme. Starting with one legion and spreading out and building an empire. Your moral is low? Well I guess you had better spend some gold and hold some games to entertain the masses to avoid a revolt. I love when you enter a new territory you start negotiations with the leader. Want to be all nice and hope they submit? Rarely happens so I'm often rude and wipe their army out anyways. Game is turn based but the battles are kinda in real-time(You can pause play) I got this game shortly after it came out(yes I'm old lol) and try and play it once a year.

I always get a somewhat perverse enjoyment when you get elephants and they squash the enemy troops.

Gemfire is often criticised for being simplistic. It is. But it is the perfect filler when you don't want to invest a lot of time in a game - you can always finish a game in a night or two.

Steve W

04-22-2019, 01:04 AM

A few responses here made me think of Star Trek: Shattered Universe. Horribly balanced, it has 20-something levels but #4 is nearly impossible to get past, it's so insanely hard. And yet it's a style of game I loved and being a Trek fan I kept going until I beat it. I went into many a rage that made me think I would pop a blood vessel in my brain. I did grow to love it once I powered my ships up to get past level 4 easily, but you only get that powerful well into the game, not at level 4.

South Park Rally on the Dreamcast was another one that was panned, people saying the tracks were confusing and poorly laid out. And yet I loved the crap out of it. I never unlocked all the levels, since some of the game modes were nightmarishly hard to complete, but there was a lot of replay value with a lot of the games. I wish I could get it working properly in emulation so I could play it again.

Star Wars: Demolition is another game from the dark days of Lucasarts when they'd slap their name onto any dreck they could. And yet, I can't tell you how many hours I've logged with this game. They reworked the Vigilante 8: Second Offense game engine and beefed up the special attacks along with tweaks to make it play smoother. I love vehicular combat games, so the Star Wars veneer doesn't matter to me, it's the core gameplay that I love.

AB Positive

04-23-2019, 11:23 AM

I know one that always gets rather crapped on that I loved was Granstream Saga on PS1 - sure the 3D models as spooky no-faces and the anime cut scenes had, like, 240x160 resolution but I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Also, whoever said Beyond the Beyond in this thread - you poor soul. That was also my first RPG I ever owned and even I rage quit that at age 14. Oof.

Genjackson

04-23-2019, 03:55 PM

To be fair, a lot of bad games are fun while drinking. Here's a couple. . .

Caveman Games - NES
Custer's Revenge - Atari 2600
Mr. Mosquito (bicycle mini game) - PS2
Eye Toy - PS3

Gameguy

04-24-2019, 01:54 AM

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/67421944/when-you-see-bebes-kids.jpg
The game is infinitely better than the movie it's based on. I don't know if you ever watched it or not, but it's really bad. One of the many lessons it tries to teach kids is that it's ok to ignore rules you don't like or agree with because they weren't fair rules anyway. What makes them not fair? Apparently if you don't like them, it means they weren't fair. That's it.

BHvrd

05-01-2019, 01:32 PM

Link: The Faces of Evil - CD-i

Even though I had played every Zelda game prior and have played every one since I still liked this steaming pile of dog doo. Can't explain why it's just got a certain kind of craptacular charm.

goldenband

05-02-2019, 08:04 PM

^I enjoyed Link: Faces of Evil. It's janky and frustrating but also quite forgiving, and the fact that I was able to beat it with an infrared controller (!) indicates that it's a lot more playable than people claim it is. Some of the backgrounds are quite lovely to look at.

Edmond Dantes

05-20-2019, 06:21 PM

So, I haven't played much of this one but I took a taste of Strider Returns: Journey From Darkness and wondering already, is this game as bad as people say it is?

pichuscute

06-01-2019, 04:28 PM

Most of the ones I like that are more low rated are on more recent consoles, like Fragile Dreams on Wii, Monster Rancher 3 on PS2, or Digimon World 4 on Gamecube.

The only older game I can really think of liking that isn't highly rated was honestly also Link: Faces of Evil. I played it recently with a friend, and honestly? We had a blast. The controls were clunky, the game is damn weird, and it plays like an adventure game more than a Zelda, but once you know what's going on, it's actually quite fun. I'm sure it does help that I'm a big Zelda fan, though. All I know is, I expected to hate it but ended up beating it. I also will probably end up beating the second game at some point.

Edit: I just realized I've also been a fan of the licensed Beyblade games, mostly just due to nostalgia from growing up with the series as a kid. The ones I've played most were the two on GBA and the GC game. I guess the GBA games might count here? Ones a decent isometric maze collectathon game that's actually pretty great. The other is a bad JRPG, lol.

goldenband

06-02-2019, 10:44 AM

pichuscute

06-03-2019, 04:54 PM

Oh, man, that makes me think of the Beyblade game I recently beat on PlayStation. It was terrible, but at least it was entertaining.

The announcer was so amazingiy mush-mouthed and incongruous! "What a weak launch! Well! Well! Well! (pause) Well! Unbelievable! What's happening here?! Wow! Wow! Wow!"
Haha. I briefly had the PS1 game as a kid, but didn't understand it so ended up getting rid of it. I do believe they use some of that same announcer in the Gamecube game, though. And it's just about as weird there, too. Gotta pick that one back up at some point... since I'm getting a bit of a collection going (will probably end up with all the Beyblade games eventually lol).

Montrealer

06-12-2019, 02:14 PM

Edmond Dantes

06-17-2019, 04:32 AM

I'm a 3DO fan so most of the games I enjoy on there aren't considered good, save a few obvious key titles.

I like Seicross on NES.
Romance of the 3 kingdoms 2 on any platform (SNES being the one I owned and played the most)
Destiny of an Emperor on NES
<---- Mighty Bomb Jack

.... come to think of it, it's not so much that these games are considered bad rather they get 0 recognition as good titles.

I was about to say, "Aren't Destiny of an Emperor and Romance of the Three Kingdoms II considered good games?" I could see the latter being seen as inferior to the later installments (I don't remember III and I never played IV at all, but I recall after that the series got so complicated it was unplayable)

Also I just found out that apparently reviewers used to hate the Splatterhouse games. What the hell?