174 replies to this topic

[Megaman Legends]

The most overrated games now have got to be the sports titles from ea year after year it's the same sport with better graphics more teams and more players

[ledzep]

For classic I'd have to say any and all Pac-Man games. I never understood what a maze of dots being erased did for people. And this extends to collecting arcade games. I know some people who would like to get into that and don't have enough room but, boy, if they had the chance, they'd get a Pac-Man machine (or Donkey Kong, another overrated game). Seriously? They're the size of a refrigerator (I know, I own a few) and if you could manage to buy one the first one you'd go for is Pac-Man?

As for more modern games? Guitar Hero and it's more irritating cousin Rock Band. It's Simon!! Are you kidding me?!? Nobody would spend lots of money on a Simon game but, man, every person I know who owned an XBox talked up Guitar Hero and how cool it was to "play" his favorite songs. You're not playing your favorite song, you're playing Simon while your favorite song is playing through the speakers! Rock Band is even worse because there were people forming "groups" that "play" songs, they put so much effort into getting good at pressing buttons in sync with songs, it baffles me to no end. If you're that much into music and learning to play a guitar or learning that favorite song, buy a musical instrument and pay for lessons! I tried to play at some friend's Rock Band party, I couldn't get into it. I know how hard it is to learn to play guitar and this was certainly not the same thing. But people were impressed, acting like their friends were actually musicians playing songs in front of them. Wow, you're really good! Ya, at Simon.

[retrogamer73]

Ducktales on NES is so overrated. Yes it's a good game, but not the masterpiece everyone says it is.

[atarilovesyou]

ledzep, on Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:23 PM, said:

For classic I'd have to say any and all Pac-Man games. I never understood what a maze of dots being erased did for people. And this extends to collecting arcade games. I know some people who would like to get into that and don't have enough room but, boy, if they had the chance, they'd get a Pac-Man machine (or Donkey Kong, another overrated game). Seriously? They're the size of a refrigerator (I know, I own a few) and if you could manage to buy one the first one you'd go for is Pac-Man?

As for more modern games? Guitar Hero and it's more irritating cousin Rock Band. It's Simon!! Are you kidding me?!? Nobody would spend lots of money on a Simon game but, man, every person I know who owned an XBox talked up Guitar Hero and how cool it was to "play" his favorite songs. You're not playing your favorite song, you're playing Simon while your favorite song is playing through the speakers! Rock Band is even worse because there were people forming "groups" that "play" songs, they put so much effort into getting good at pressing buttons in sync with songs, it baffles me to no end. If you're that much into music and learning to play a guitar or learning that favorite song, buy a musical instrument and pay for lessons! I tried to play at some friend's Rock Band party, I couldn't get into it. I know how hard it is to learn to play guitar and this was certainly not the same thing. But people were impressed, acting like their friends were actually musicians playing songs in front of them. Wow, you're really good! Ya, at Simon.

Funny lil quotes about Simon, but if you think Guitar Hero is basically Simon, then...that's not quite true. Simon, you press a sequence of lights with memory games n' stuff. Guitar Hero (and RB) both allow you to play in sync with your friends (even having one sing, which is always a laugh) and you get to listen to great music.

If you can't see the appeal in that, then I don't know what to tell you. I had my 3 month fling with the orginal GH and I actually play guitar; it was when I realized how much time I spent 'playing' GH that I realized I was neglecting my instrument. But it was still kinda fun overall, lots of good memories.

[ledzep]

Well, it's synced Simon or karaoke Simon. To me that is still way overrated which is the subject of this thread ("kinda fun" certainly does not elevate either game to top-tier status). It would be different if you could play great music in that game. But that would be impossible using 5 or 6 buttons. It's on rails, there's nowhere for you to go except to try to press buttons in the correct sequence...

Which just reminded me of another game that is/was very overrated, Dragon's Lair. I could not believe that people were into a game that was playable by blind people. Hit joystick left, wait 3 seconds, hit joystick right, wait 2 seconds, etc., etc. Yet people acted like they were actually in control of the pre-drawn animation.

[toptenmaterial]

Ocarina of Time and Mario 64.

Sorry.

[BillyHW]

I can't remember if I already posted on this thread, but I'll say Dragon's Lair. Laserdisc games forgot to bring the fun. You have no idea what to do and then you die. They just steal quarters from you.

[fdurso224]

Hi guys,

Any Sonic series games after Sonic Adventure 2! Total bummers!

Anthony....

Edited by fdurso224, Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:40 AM.

[pixelated]

Sonic The Hedgehog. (ducks tomatoes thrown at him) I do like the game and the series, they're very good, but some people go on about how it's better than Super Mario World, which personally I think that's a joke. Damn good, solid gaming, but for the most part, our favorite plummer's adventures on the NES and SNES just stand up better as well-crafted platformers over the blue hedgehog. That's just how I feel.

[godslabrat]

pixelated, on Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:55 AM, said:

Sonic The Hedgehog. (ducks tomatoes thrown at him) I do like the game and the series, they're very good, but some people go on about how it's better than Super Mario World, which personally I think that's a joke. Damn good, solid gaming, but for the most part, our favorite plummer's adventures on the NES and SNES just stand up better as well-crafted platformers over the blue hedgehog. That's just how I feel.

I wouldn't say Sonic is overrated in its own right, but if you're saying it's better than Mario... yeah, that's way too much buildup. Sonic's gameplay mechanics are simple by comparison, and lack the puzzle-solving and exploration of all the Mario games after the original SMB.

[atarilovesyou]

ledzep, on Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:57 PM, said:

Well, it's synced Simon or karaoke Simon. To me that is still way overrated which is the subject of this thread ("kinda fun" certainly does not elevate either game to top-tier status). It would be different if you could play great music in that game. But that would be impossible using 5 or 6 buttons. It's on rails, there's nowhere for you to go except to try to press buttons in the correct sequence...

Which just reminded me of another game that is/was very overrated, Dragon's Lair. I could not believe that people were into a game that was playable by blind people. Hit joystick left, wait 3 seconds, hit joystick right, wait 2 seconds, etc., etc. Yet people acted like they were actually in control of the pre-drawn animation.

I think I understand now why you think these games were overrated...possibly, just because they were popular (which they immensely were), but maybe even more than that, they are games of escapist fantasy. Is it any wonder why they were so acclaimed?

GH allows you to pretend to be a rock star in a way that can't be matched by other games...in the uber popular Call of Duty games, you don't really feel like you're firing a gun, running around in the woods. You're sitting in a chair holding a controller, that's about it. Maybe mouse n' keys. But in GH, you're holding a guitar...you're singing into a microphone, you're playing realistic drums (at the expert levels, you're actually playing drums: if you went and sat behind an electronic drum kit and played what you played on Rockband, you'd actually make music). And who doesn't wanna be a rockstar, after all? I've played Simon. I've played GH. No, you're not playing real music but that's not the point: it really feels as if you are, especially if you don't already play an instrument. I play guitar, and I was surprised at how much dexterity was required to keep up at the higher levels. It's funny at how many great guitar players are crummy GH players!

And Dragon's Lair?...sure, the gameplay was simplistic. But when this thing came out, you felt like you were controlling a real cartoon, even though you really weren't...as a kid back in those days, that instantly made the game amazing. Sure, now I know, but then? It was incredible! Now, if you want to compare a game to Simon, Dragon's Lair is a much better choice...maybe even more simplistic, because the patterns don't really change.

I can't say they were overrated because when they came out, they were completely different from what came before and attracted non-video gamers as much as fans. But that's just me.

Anyway, perhaps in terms of depth, neither game can compare to the true greats, but they deserve every bit of acclaim for being what they were. To call Guitar Hero a Simon clone is inaccurate. You're more impressed with real-world accomplishments

[BillyHW]

Yeah, all those Simon clone games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band are very overrated (and stupid).

[Emehr]

I'd say Guitar Hero has more in common with Avalanche and Kaboom! than Simon. Simon shows you the pattern then expects you to repeat it. Avalanche, Kaboom!, and Guitar Hero just expect you to catch stuff falling from the top of the screen.

[ledzep]

atarilovesyou, on Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:14 PM, said:

ledzep, on Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:57 PM, said:

Well, it's synced Simon or karaoke Simon. To me that is still way overrated which is the subject of this thread ("kinda fun" certainly does not elevate either game to top-tier status). It would be different if you could play great music in that game. But that would be impossible using 5 or 6 buttons. It's on rails, there's nowhere for you to go except to try to press buttons in the correct sequence...

Which just reminded me of another game that is/was very overrated, Dragon's Lair. I could not believe that people were into a game that was playable by blind people. Hit joystick left, wait 3 seconds, hit joystick right, wait 2 seconds, etc., etc. Yet people acted like they were actually in control of the pre-drawn animation.

I think I understand now why you think these games were overrated...possibly, just because they were popular (which they immensely were), but maybe even more than that, they are games of escapist fantasy. Is it any wonder why they were so acclaimed?

Not really. I mean you've just described most great games, right? Popular and escapist fantasy? That's Space Duel, Pac-Man, Centipede, Star Castle, Donkey Kong, etc.

Quote

GH allows you to pretend to be a rock star in a way that can't be matched by other games...in the uber popular Call of Duty games, you don't really feel like you're firing a gun, running around in the woods. You're sitting in a chair holding a controller, that's about it. Maybe mouse n' keys. But in GH, you're holding a guitar...you're singing into a microphone, you're playing realistic drums (at the expert levels, you're actually playing drums: if you went and sat behind an electronic drum kit and played what you played on Rockband, you'd actually make music). And who doesn't wanna be a rockstar, after all? I've played Simon. I've played GH. No, you're not playing real music but that's not the point: it really feels as if you are, especially if you don't already play an instrument. I play guitar, and I was surprised at how much dexterity was required to keep up at the higher levels. It's funny at how many great guitar players are crummy GH players!

I don't mind the "pretend to be a rock star" aspect, Asteroids lets you pretend to be a spaceship pilot shooting apart asteroids. What I can't stand is this idea that is for the most part just like being a rock star. Hell. No. And you hit the nail on the head - most guitar players stink at Guitar Hero. Which tells you all you need to know about how close it feels to really playing guitar. Yes, better than a normal game controller but what you have is a Simon game in the shape of a guitar - press the colored buttons in the right order or you got the pattern wrong, very overrated especially because fans were consciously ignoring that fact.

Quote

And Dragon's Lair?...sure, the gameplay was simplistic. But when this thing came out, you felt like you were controlling a real cartoon, even though you really weren't...as a kid back in those days, that instantly made the game amazing. Sure, now I know, but then? It was incredible! Now, if you want to compare a game to Simon, Dragon's Lair is a much better choice...maybe even more simplistic, because the patterns don't really change.

I liked the cartoon, I couldn't stand the rigid patterns. I was used to Tempest and Defender and Star Trek, games that allowed you to actually control something and have to deal with many many independent enemies. Overrated.

The only laserdisc game I ever liked was Cobra Command. Still very rigid, you're not even piloting the chopper, really, just aiming the gun, but at least the gun was independent of the pre-drawn animation (the cross-hairs and the bullets tied to pressing the trigger). You could fool yourself into thinking that one of the random bullets wiped out that enemy vs. what was really happening which was probably just checking that the gun was fired at a certain moment while the cross-hairs were in a ballpark area. Still, great animation and very cool sound effects. But I wouldn't rate that game up there with the all-time greats, either.

Quote

I can't say they were overrated because when they came out, they were completely different from what came before and attracted non-video gamers as much as fans. But that's just me.

Anyway, perhaps in terms of depth, neither game can compare to the true greats, but they deserve every bit of acclaim for being what they were. To call Guitar Hero a Simon clone is inaccurate. You're more impressed with real-world accomplishments

What I'm more impressed with is games that test hand/eye coordination and dexterity. That is a bias, of course, I'm not a big fan of RPGs on PCs regardless of how massive the world is or how great the textures are, for example. They are impressive, don't get me wrong. And, yes, Guitar Hero and its ilk do have hand/eye coordination requirements but those requirements aren't really any more difficult than Simon - green green yellow green blue red red red blue green green yellow...

"Overrated" doesn't just mean at the time it came out, does it? I think it also means in terms of all-time ranking. At least that's how some people seem to view that term. I mean if a game comes out, is overrated, but then people quickly figure that out and stop liking it then eventually it's not overrated, it's down were it always should have been. I think most overrated games are games that people still think are amazing when it's obvious they're not actually that fantastic.

[AtariBrian]

i never understood the popularity of space invaders, i hate that game !

[atarilovesyou]

BillyHW, on Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:40 PM, said:

Yeah, all those Simon clone games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band are very overrated (and stupid).

Well, Billy, you've convinced me. Case closed!

[BillyHW]

atarilovesyou, on Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:25 PM, said:

BillyHW, on Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:40 PM, said:

Yeah, all those Simon clone games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band are very overrated (and stupid).

Well, Billy, you've convinced me. Case closed!

Glad to see you've come around.

[Arkhan]

LoZ for NES is pretty overrated.

The music sounds goony, the graphics are OK, I guess.

but the gameplay is nothing exciting. You just go from dungeon to dungeon. the whole world seems empty except for a few geriatrics that steal your money or throw fireballs at you.

I like the game, but always thought it was overrated.

[xg4bx]

toptenmaterial, on Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:26 PM, said:

Ocarina of Time and Mario 64.

Sorry.

i never understood the OoT worship. even as a kid i thought it felt half finished and dull. (kid lol i think i was almost 20 when it came out). i thought link to the past was,and is, an infinitely better game.

i never understood the praise FF7 gets heaped on it either. i watched my brother play a good chunk of the game and there was just nothing there.

[pixelated]

Ooh, thought of another one: the original Metal Gear. I always see it on top 10 NES games lists, but I simply don't see how this is anywhere near the quality of such top NES games such as SMB3, Contra, Duck Tales, Metroid, Castlevania III, Punch-Out!!, LoZ, etc...
WAY overrated, IMO.

[A_Locomotive]

Final Fantasy 7, most FF games really.

[roland p]

pixelated, on Wed May 2, 2012 6:14 AM, said:

Ooh, thought of another one: the original Metal Gear. I always see it on top 10 NES games lists, but I simply don't see how this is anywhere near the quality of such top NES games such as SMB3, Contra, Duck Tales, Metroid, Castlevania III, Punch-Out!!, LoZ, etc...

Indeed, Metal Gear should be played on the MSX2

[Sonic R]

pixelated, on Wed May 2, 2012 6:14 AM, said:

Ooh, thought of another one: the original Metal Gear. I always see it on top 10 NES games lists, but I simply don't see how this is anywhere near the quality of such top NES games such as SMB3, Contra, Duck Tales, Metroid, Castlevania III, Punch-Out!!, LoZ, etc...
WAY overrated, IMO.

I can clearly recall, when Metal Gear (NES) was new (I was about 12-13) most kids at my school actually didn't like it.. it was slammed for its lack of action... I remember renting it and after a while, it's non action, stealth/covert style grew on me...

it's weird that during its time, the game was generally disliked... and now today, Metal Gear is held in such high acclaim...
if one is to be called overrated, I would say Metal Gear Solid is the overrated game... it's high praise has trickled down to that anything with Metal Gear in the title is automatically a great game... so far as that even the once loathed NES game has become an all time classic...

[mbd30]

Any other examples of older games becoming much more honored in retrospect due to the success of later incarnations?

It didn't work for the original "Street Fighter".

[Seob]

Zelda adventure for cd-i, in terms of it's price/rarity. Why do people pay like 100 euro or more for this game? I mean, if i look at the online marketplace in my country, there always seem to be like 7 copies or so for sale. Even on ebay they're for sale pretty much every day. And still people try to charge more then 200 euro for the game. It's about time this games drops down in price and it's rarity reconsiderd. There are a lot more cd-i games that are far more rare and cost a lot less, like "drug war" or "de zaak van sam".