Gamespy's 25 Most Overrated (Overhyped?) Games of All Time
 

Gamespy's 25 Most Overrated Games of All Time

Despite the title, this really seems to be the most Overhyped games of all time list.

They'll be running this feature all week. Games 25-16:

25. Neverwinter Nights

24. Super Mario Sunshine

23. Battle Arena Toshinden

22. Star Trek: Starfleet Command

21. Morrowind

20. Impossible Creatures

19. Battlecruiser: 3000AD

18. American McGee's Alice

17. The Getaway

16. Mortal Kombat (Arcade)

15. Dungeon Siege

14. Dead or Alive 3

13. Battletoads

12. Unreal 2

11. Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor

10. Halo: Combat Evolved

9. Donkey Kong Country

8. Lara Croft Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness

7. Final Fantasy 7

6. Blinx

5. Quake 2

4. Daikatana

3.Enter the Matrix

2. Metal Gear Solid 2

1. Black and White

Of those, I own (and enjoy) 10, 21, 24, and 25.

I also own #15 (Dungeon Siege), but I'll be the first to admit that I agree with its inclusion on the list. It's a really beautiful engine, and with it Microsoft could have built a true Diablo-killer. But the character advancement is shallow, and the game is too automated. I will probably check out the expansion and sequel.

I do own #3 (Enter the Matrix) but only because I got it for free...I've barely played it.

And I own #1 (Black and White), and I agree completely with its inclusion as #1 on the list.

I've played #20 (Impossible Creatures) and agree with Gamespy's conclusion: despite the "twist" of the custom units, it really is just another RTS. On the other hand, I don't remember a ton of hype about it either.

I've tried #18 (American McGee's Alice) as well. Interesting concept, but the weapons were really poor. Beautiful game, however.

I played #16 (Mortal Kombat) in arcades back in the day, but I don't know the genre well enough. All fighting games seem alike to me.

Unreal 2 (#12) wasn't bad, but it wasn't much more than a typical FPS.

I don't have much to say about #11 (Pool of Radiance 2) but I do hope that Tomb of Elemental Evil (which ships this week) learns from its mistakes.

As for the other games, I haven't played them enough to comment.

#1 had better be GTA3 or VC.

Holy crap, Toshinden sucked.. but I would never think it was overrated.. nobody liked it back in the day, nobody likes it now.

Black and White will almost certainly make the list. I wouldn't be surprised to see at #1.

If I were putting the list together, I'd add Fable to it. This is a game I'm looking forward to, but there's no way it could possibly live up to the hype: "Fable will make sweet sweet love to you, and cuddle afterwards!" "Fable will cure 89% of all terminal illnesses, with additional cures downloadable via Xbox Live!"

:lol: Yeah.. I've been told that about Fable whenever I go to Gamestop. I think with games like Fable and Black & White is that they need to stop claiming you can do anything and everything and lay down the real deal.

Well, I guess "You get to play god" sells a lot more games than"you're a giant hand that can help villagers harvest wheat and teach an enormous cow where to poop."

BMXXX

BMXXX was overhyped, but not overrated. Everybody says and knows it sucks. I'm not sure what they're going to look for on the list, but I would assume by "overrated" they'd want to find games that are widely highly praised or liked, but really aren't that special or great.

Enter The Matrix

Trespasser has to be the most over-rated and over-hyped game of all time. Screenshots were incredible. The actual gameplay and graphics were horrific.

State of Emergency

Shenmue

Daikatana

Hey, Toshinden was great for the time. My friends and I enjoyed that game.

And Starfleet Command is pretty cool too.

There's overrated and then there's overhyped. Trespasser, State of Emergency, Diakatana and Enter The Matrix were all overhyped, because they were touted as the best thing since sliced bread prior to their release, and then critically panned upon release.

Super Mario Sunshine I could see being overrated, since it was one of those games that wowed us in presentation and then slowly showed it's weak spots in gameplay, level design, etc. Same with Shenmue, but it's overratedness caught up with itself when Shenmue II was released for the XBox. I'm surprised about Morrowind - this one got great critical response and wasn't really overhyped, because it's a hardcore gamer's type of game. So I don't know why they mean it was overrated.

No doubt MSG2 will be on that list. Everyone rated it highly but ask anyone about it and they'll tell you it's more of cinematics than game. I'm sure there will be a Resident Evil game on that list as well - the pre-rendered backgrounds and static camera angles, terrible controls and illogical puzzles haven't grown well. Same with Tomb Raider.

I'd be surprised to see GTA:III and GTA:VC on that list, because although they may be overhyped, they still sit well with gamers and critics alike, so I don't think they will be overrated.

Jeremy

BMXXX better be on that list!

i vote for any peter molyneux game...

zelda, pikmin, metroid prime, halo, final fantasy, and a whole lot more... :p

I highly doubt that either will even be on the list. But I can totally see State of Emergency and Black and White on there.

Blinx.

I'm guessing that #1 will be MYST

Gamespy has one of the few reviews of halo that didn't buy into the hype. It convinced me to get a Gamecube instead of an Xbox. Glad i made that choice when i did.

Halo should be somewhere on that list.

:up: :up:

Exactly! I never understood why there were so many idiots that bought this POS in the 90s to make it a top seller... :confused:

I guess I'm an idiot, because I bought, played, and enjoyed Myst when it first came out.

Your guess sounds pretty good.

:lol: Of course, the only way you'd know I was an idiot for playing the game is if you guys played it too. I may not be the only idiot in the room!

Metal Gear Solid 2.

I think i put that game in month ago, and all I've been doing since is watching movies. Maybe one day I get to control Snake ;) I'm still holding on to hope

Added #16-20. So far, none of them have been predicted by anybody.

The Getaway was a HUGE letdown.

Q-Bert

No way! Q*Bert was the bomb, yo. A fun, humorous game that was a lot different than anything else in arcades at the time.

I'm also an idiot. I played and liked Myst.

I liked Myst. Great atmosphere.

I disagree. I've finished first person shooters from the original Castle Wolfenstein, through Marathon, Doom, Doom 2, Duke Nukem, all the Quake varients, Unreal varients, Half Life varients etc, etc, etc. Halo is, to me, the most polished and involving of them all. I buy the hype.

Battlecruiser 3000AD would be my choice for the most overhyped/biggest letdown game of all time, but was never rated highly so I wouldn't call it overrated.

My choice for the most overrated game of all time is Myst.

I've played:

25. Neverwinter Nights - bleh... boring
24. Super Mario Sunshine - it was okay.
22. Star Trek: Starfleet Command - yawn
21. Morrowind - It was okay
20. Impossible Creatures - I liked it... neat twist on RTS.
18. American McGee's Alice - I liked it, but it got boring.
17. The Getaway - Overhyped, but kinda cool.
16. Mortal Kombat (Arcade) - I liked MK.

Others mentioned in this thread - I liked BMXXXX - anybody actually play it? The gameplay is pretty addictive and the levels are actually fun. Most people saying what a pile of shit it is probably never even played it. Black and White was a cool game - I don't know why people don't like it. Daikatana - complete shit. So was Tresspasser - what a letdown that was. State of Emergency was poo as well - although most people were let down because they were expecting another GTA. I liked Shenmue, but haven't been patient enough to finish either game yet.

I bet Giants Citizen Kabuto ends up on that list... that game was waaay overhyped. I liked it though. Another one was Messiah - again, another one that I liked, but was a major letdown for most people.

Outpost? That game was full of so many flaws

Master of Orion III - what a piece of shit... It was so automated that you could keep clicking end turn from the start and take over half the universe.

this is probably more of a preference but I thought Hitman 2 was way over rated and the controls sucked big time!

Apples, Oranges I think Half Life 2 will blow Halo 2 out of the water, and in terms of depth I think Half Life buries Halo.

Agreed Hm2 controls were a real pain I'm suprised no one brought up Xenosaga that game was more cinematic than gameplay and I had to lay down my controller several times because the cut-scenes ran too long. Tomb Raider, MGS2 and State of Emergency should be placed on that list as well.

Overrated:
Halo
GTA 3
Vice City
Devil May Cry
Final Fantasy X

Underrated:
Metal Gear Solid 2
Hot Shots Golf 3
P.N.03