What in your eyes is a game that completely got shafted from the stupid reviews it received or hype. But was a good game after you had played through it?
My vote Quake 4 360 period. Sure its buggy and the frame rate get really choppy but its a damn fun campaign to play through IMO of course. Its nothing like Quake 2's layout of the campaign but the damn game is badass.
Dead or Alive 5 - Most of the series deserves the exact rap it has because it's true. The gameplay were simplistic (counters are too strong so if you can nail 3 per match with a few other hits, you can win each match) and boobs. This entry though really benefited from not having any Itagaki involvement. The characters look far less uncanny valley, the mechanics were tightened, and everything looks way better.
Shadows of the Damned - When you compare how much hype other entries get from Suda51 (No More Heroes & Lollipop Chainsaw) to what Shadows of the Damned gets, it's just not right. Shadows is probably the most complete title he made. Where NMH and LP benefit is from having strong story or likeable characters, but the gameplay is pretty weak on both. SotD has the fun story/characters AND is actually a pretty good TPS as well. Plus, dick jokes.
Bulletstorm - While a lot of people around here I'm sure like this game, the fact that isn't getting a sequel (it was underconsideration) is such a shame. The FPS genre is getting far too serious and up it's own ass and this game was a welcome change. The story/dialog was fucking redonk and the leash/kicking/combo points mechanic was a really interesting take. Used to have tons of fun doing group matches just trying to max combo killing dudes. Favorite scene below...
Every Nintendo game on the Wii/DS that had a score knocked for not having graphics the system couldn't produce - This is just something that the industry/fanboys did for YEARS where the review score on so much of the Wii/DS library was knocked for being not up to par of their counterparts. That always seemed like insanity to me. You're reviewing a game on a system with certain capabilities, review it TO THE LEVEL THAT IT IS CAPABLE OF. Everyone already knows what they are getting going into those systems, it's not going to suddenly produce PS3/PSP graphics.
Most people I know refer to bulletstorm as the "kill your dick" game. I agree with the quake 4 sentiment as well, the strogification scene freaks me out which is a good sign in a horror game, and the level design is a bit more wide open than doom 3 which feels nice. There is an xbox game, called breakdown? Whatever that game is, I always thought it was awesome but it seems nearly forgotten these days.
I think the Cyanide published Game of Thrones game (2012) was a lot of fun. There were some pretty big problems with the combat system and some of the progression systems, but the story was just incredible. I really enjoyed it and was on edge to see what would happen next. I really recommend fans of the books to check it out. I played it on the PC.
Castlevania II was ahead of its time, the choice of not only the developer, but the translation of the US version are just poor, poor examples of ruining the game. Shit should have had a map too. There's a translated version I'm playing through now, most of the the dialog is now better hints and you know what? It's got a MAP. Select button from the gods. Otherwise? CV II is top tier in my book, even with all its broken shit.
Almost all of the Dynasty Warrior games. Gets bad press since a lot of people do not like the style of gameplay but they are really fun to play, well to me at least. Hoping that Hyrule Warriors helps the series somewhat.
Castlevania II was ahead of its time, the choice of not only the developer, but the translation of the US version are just poor, poor examples of ruining the game. Shit should have had a map too. There's a translated version I'm playing through now, most of the the dialog is now better hints and you know what? It's got a MAP. Select button from the gods. Otherwise? CV II is top tier in my book, even with all its broken shit.
I agree with you 100%, I am a champion of Simons Quest and play through it once a year. Simons sprite is f'n awesome, mansions with people getting hung and the music in Draculas Castle still give me chills.
The translation bothered me back in '90 but now that I know what banging my head on Deborah Cliff means I can deal.
Chrono Cross got massive shit (and still does) for having next to nothing to do with Chrono Trigger. It's an incredible game with a very cool battle system. It's one game I'd really like to see a from-the-ground-up HD remake of, but SE wouldn't invest the time and money into it because people are stupid with their criticisms of it.
I'll also go on the record with E.T. on the Atari 2600. If you strip away all the hype that came around the game and judged it purely on gameplay, it's not much different from most other Atari games. It's confusing and disjointed, but so was 90% of the 2600 library.
Super Mario Bros. 2/Lost Levels is another one. People want to bitch about it being too hard, but fail to realize that not every game should be easy. It was a bold step and it's still a monster of a game today. The first "hardcore mode" of a game, if you will.
Godhand got a bad rap? Maybe by mainstream press. Never played it but only heard good things, though it's what i'd call a "gamer's game." As trite as that sounds.
Chrono Cross got massive shit (and still does) for having next to nothing to do with Chrono Trigger. It's an incredible game with a very cool battle system. It's one game I'd really like to see a from-the-ground-up HD remake of, but SE wouldn't invest the time and money into it because people are stupid with their criticisms of it.
I think it was just IGN that gave God Hand a bad review. It was generally pretty well received if I remember correctly. Final Fight Streetwise on the other hand got blasted. I remember reading reviews destroying it for basically being a Beat em Up while at the same time praising the Warriors (which was released around the same time) for the same things. It was crazy to see such blatant favoritism. Pretty much destroyed the credibility of game reviews for me. All peer review from that point forward.
My answers:
Resident Evil 6: I feel like that game got dog pilled out the gate and that most people never gave it a proper chance. The combat alone redeemed it but the campaigns, while bloated weren't that bad either.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Its not without its issues but its still one of the best games of the generation for me. Popular game to hate for some reason.
Devil May Cry 4: People often say this game outright sucks which baffles me. I mean the back tracking kinda sucked but you do that in pretty much all the DMC games. Game is one of if not the best character action games of all time.
Street Fighter X Tekken: Same as RE6. Capcom fucked up with the on disc DLC and gems but the game itself wasn't bad. Games not perfect but the crazy train of hate was on a whole other level. Game was already decent but got even better after the 2013 patch.
Bionic Commando: Games tone is too dark, the plot was dumb with the stupid wife arm BS and the radioactive barriers were really stupid but the game itself is still so fun. Wish they'd make another one.
Onimusha Dawn of Dreams: Thought the game was amazing and easily the best game in the series for me and one of the best PS2 games overall.
