Games Underrated By Critics

ManCannon

2[H]4U
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Aug 9, 2004
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What are some games you feel unfairly got the shaft from critics?

I just rented Excite Truck for my Wii and I've been having an absolute blast with it. It's just an incredibly good time, easily one of the best arcade racers I've ever played. I almost picked it up at launch but didn't because of so so reviews. While I don't feel it's a great loss, I'm sure I'll get more than enough play out of it during the 5 days rental, I still think it's a really great game and if I'd known it was this fun I would have bought it on day one. Unfortunately my EB Games never got a Wii kiosk in like they said they would so I was never able to try it before I purchased my Wii.

It seemed that the main problems critics had with it were it's skimpy multiplayer and repetitive singleplayer. I'll give them the multiplayer, but pretty much every racing game I've ever played has been repetitive at some point, and this one actually stays more fun than most thanks to it's focus on nonstop adrenaline pumping excitement as opposed to just finishing first. The singleplayer is pretty lengthy and keeps you trying for "S" rank on all the courses. There's also a challenge mode that's a lot of fun as well.

Gamespot gave this game a 6.8, with a review written by the entirely moronic Jeff Gerstmann. While I can definitely see knocking some points for the poor multiplayer component, I don't think this game deserves anything less than an 8. A couple other sites scored this lower than a 7 as well. IGN was the only major website to call this one even close to the mark with an 8, at least in my opinion.
 
What are some games you feel unfairly got the shaft from critics?

I just rented Excite Truck for my Wii and I've been having an absolute blast with it. It's just an incredibly good time, easily one of the best arcade racers I've ever played. I almost picked it up at launch but didn't because of so so reviews. While I don't feel it's a great loss, I'm sure I'll get more than enough play out of it during the 5 days rental, I still think it's a really great game and if I'd known it was this fun I would have bought it on day one. Unfortunately my EB Games never got a Wii kiosk in like they said they would so I was never able to try it before I purchased my Wii.

It seemed that the main problems critics had with it were it's skimpy multiplayer and repetitive singleplayer. I'll give them the multiplayer, but pretty much every racing game I've ever played has been repetitive at some point, and this one actually stays more fun than most thanks to it's focus on nonstop adrenaline pumping excitement as opposed to just finishing first. The singleplayer is pretty lengthy and keeps you trying for "S" rank on all the courses. There's also a challenge mode that's a lot of fun as well.

Gamespot gave this game a 6.8, with a review written by the entirely moronic Jeff Gerstmann. While I can definitely see knocking some points for the poor multiplayer component, I don't think this game deserves anything less than an 8. A couple other sites scored this lower than a 7 as well. IGN was the only major website to call this one even close to the mark with an 8, at least in my opinion.

It's all opinion, if it sounds good to you then pick it up. Don't purely rely on a critic's review. I've played games that are rated 8+ that were terrible.
 
Yeah, but I wasn't sure I'd like it and it was made to sound like the singleplayer was really short, which it isn't. I'll be able to finish it in the 5 days of the rental, but I'll be playing it a lot.

On one hand I'm glad I didn't buy it because I did want a good multiplayer, but on the other hand it's just so much fun and I'm sure I'll have the desire to play it again some time in the future. Oh well, hopefully they make an Excite Truck 2 with online and 4 player splitscreen.

Also, more crazy tracks like the last one. Anyone who's played it knows how awesome the last track is.
 
the worst worst reviewer are the one at gametrailers if im right... this guy is so negative that at one point i wonder if he likes any games...

you can check their video reviews on youtube pretty easily...
 
the worst worst reviewer are the one at gametrailers if im right... this guy is so negative that at one point i wonder if he likes any games...

you can check their video reviews on youtube pretty easily...

I think the GT guys do a great job with their reviews. The main reason I like them is that you can actually see how the gameplay is in the game.

Yes, I do feel that they point out many of the negative aspects (one of their 3 reviewers is especially picky), but the score they give at the end of the review is usually pretty fair/in line with other reviews.

Also, some of thier "negatives" only apply to particular situations and could be considred more like pet peeves. I could care less how a (console) game plays online, but I pay close attention to any multiplayer/co-op issues.

I'd rather find out about the potential negatives before I get a game, rather than after.
 
Yeah, I've only seen 3 reviews from Gametrailers but I found them to be very good.
 
game AND movie reviewers are to be taken with a grain of salt.. well maybe a teaspoon.. I'd much rather listen to the community not someone who MAY have a hidden agenda.. just like the other guys have said, i have played games, and seen movies that had bad ratings that I personally found enojyable..
 
GameTrailers tells you negative aspects of games and gives their reasons.

Why is this a bad thing? Consider the alternate scenario.

They give a glowing review, even giving their reasons why they like it, and gloss over the negative....How is that helpful? That's just a product summary. The product summary tells you all about how great the product is, but what you need to know is the stuff a manufacturer wouldn't want to tell you, the negatives. In effect, only read reviews to find negative comments.

The thing is, you're already curious enough to go through the review, so the positives are already sparking your curiousity. What you need to know is that you won't get slapped in the face with suprises. Hearing negative comments that aren't too painful on an otherwise good review implies that there was an attempt to objectify the review and find and include problems. Now after seeing that he's searched and found only minor problems, the review can set these fears to rest.
 
I like reading about the negatives of a game. Those are the potential deal breakers. You've already heard all the positives from developers, advertisements, previews, and fans.
 
It's all opinion, if it sounds good to you then pick it up. Don't purely rely on a critic's review. I've played games that are rated 8+ that were terrible.
I've been trying to play through Final Fantasy X, which got great reviews when it came out. However, I'm finding the game to be somewhat awful. I am spending a great deal of it not actually holding the gamepad in my hand, and just watching cutscene after cutscene. I wouldn't mind so much if the voice-acting wasn't god-awful. The story seems kind of neat, but I don't know how much more I'll be able to handle.

If I want to watch a movie, I'll go rent one.

At any rate, I've gone back to read reviews again, and it still gets praised. I just don't get it.
 
I've been trying to play through Final Fantasy X, which got great reviews when it came out. However, I'm finding the game to be somewhat awful. I am spending a great deal of it not actually holding the gamepad in my hand, and just watching cutscene after cutscene. I wouldn't mind so much if the voice-acting wasn't god-awful. The story seems kind of neat, but I don't know how much more I'll be able to handle.

If I want to watch a movie, I'll go rent one.

At any rate, I've gone back to read reviews again, and it still gets praised. I just don't get it.

I agree, I didn't like Final Fantasy X at all and I played 30 hours into it hoping it would get better. It never did :(.
 
Titan Quest.....because it's compared to D2 and of course it has attained such mythical proportions they can't possibly rate it anywhere near D2. But, from a single play standpoint, it betters D2 easily.
 
I rely on the gamespot "What you say" ratings, the ones given by players. One, it is an average, not just from one person, so it is more likely to be balanced. Also if a player took the time to write even just one line about a game, it is probably because they thought it was worth playing (or so bad it pissed them off)

I feel bad for critics sometimes because I know they can never get the most out of a game because they are too busy looking at is with such a critical game instead of letting themselves be absorbed.
 
I agree, I didn't like Final Fantasy X at all and I played 30 hours into it hoping it would get better. It never did :(.

Exact same thing here. It was the best movie I ever played. Or maybe the best game I ever watched. Or the worst game I ever played. Or the worst movie I ever watched.
 
Who cares.....

"Critics" arent robots from the future to give us ratings on games and movies that are 100%, or even 50% accurate. Theyre just other people. This is why you never listen to a critic's rating. Everyone has their own opinions.....I understand the point of this thread, but if you think about it....wouldnt saying "Games underrated by people we dont know, some of which are douche bags" be the same thing as saying "Games Underrated By Critics"?
 
I always check GameSpot for reviews just so I hear of things that are unarguably bad, IE bugs, crashes, issues that halt gameplay out of the box. I also like to read about the length of the game. I've been disappointed more than once by a game I beat in 5-6 hours.
 
Who cares.....

"Critics" arent robots from the future to give us ratings on games and movies that are 100%, or even 50% accurate. Theyre just other people. This is why you never listen to a critic's rating. Everyone has their own opinions.....I understand the point of this thread, but if you think about it....wouldnt saying "Games underrated by people we dont know, some of which are douche bags" be the same thing as saying "Games Underrated By Critics"?

Everyone understands this, a critic's opinion isn't infallible, it's not the be all end all last word, and you shouldn't just listen to what they say. But I think if you read a couple reviews, check gamerankings, then seek out some reader impressions you can usually get a feel for whether or not you'll like a game.

The only problem is that sometimes the critics have a hidden agenda or are just outright off target with what they have to say, and the people on the messageboards talk about a game because they're trying to convince themselves they like it just as much as they are you, to try and justify their $50 purchase.

Before you buy a game you don't have much sometimes, you have to count on other people's opinions and impressions to decide whether a game is right for you. Sometimes you end up with a real piece of shit because of this, and sometimes you miss out on a game you find out you like later on down the road.

That doesn't mean we can't try and rectify the situation, by pointing out games we feel were unfairly shunned by critics. While you and I might not decide what games we want based solely on reviews, some people do, and I just thought I'd mention a game I felt deserved a little more credit then it got and maybe discover some other games people liked that got passed over in years past.
 
another under-rated game = test drive unlimited for the 360.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. That game had ridiculous potential but it turned into bad arcadey driving and pointless online play.
 
Titan Quest.....because it's compared to D2 and of course it has attained such mythical proportions they can't possibly rate it anywhere near D2. But, from a single play standpoint, it betters D2 easily.
I never liked Diablo or Diablo 2, and when I played TQ I thought "Wow, it's a Diablo clone. Lame."
 
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic has garnered overall fair reviews from some of the prominent review sites. I, just like the OP didn't get it on release becuase of the reviews but did get it for X-MAS. Im finding this game a blast! A fantasy fps, we really don't get these that often and Im enjoying the hell out of it! I'd give it a high 80% at a minimum. I buy tons of pc games and this is one of my very favorites over the past year and probably a tie with Company of Heroes. The review sites WIZZ all over it. I guess they want more WWII/Recon style/BF fps....uuggghhh. I want more Blades of Darkness, Heretic 2, and Rune games! I'd even settle for another Jedi or NOLF title. :D
 
Yeah, I was thinking about getting that too but didn't because of the reviews. Not because of what they said about gameplay though, I loved the demo, but because they said it was horribly buggy and everyone I talked to who played it said it was filled with bugs too :(.
 
I read about the bugs to but havent encountered any. Maybe they fixed them with the patch. All I know is I loaded it and unlike most pc games I pick up and check it out for about 10 minutes, 4 hours later I was still playing ;)
 
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