Games that got bad reviews but you like them

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kozo
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Post by kozo »

ForceDevice wrote:
kozo wrote: Suikoden V
No.

I absolutely love GSV, it's the best Suikoden and one of the best 128-bit jRPGs ever made IMO, but underrated it isn't. There's a big difference between "underrated/got bad reviews" and "sold poorly/almost no one played". Its sales were quite poor, and few people have bothered to play it, but I don't know a single one who did and disliked it.

IV, yes, that one is a good example of an underrated game.

Eh, I wouldn't be so sure. Everybody I've recommended it to has stopped playing after 2-3 hours because it doesn't have enough Keybladez and Soraz in it (and they don't have something called an "attention span" :D)

Also:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/suikoden5

Lots of 90's in there (which I am happy to see) but an average in the 70s isn't exactly mainstream acceptance. A bit higher than I expected, so maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it in my list, but definetely not what the game deserves.

Glad to see we agree on the quality of the game itself though. :) That's what matters.
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E. Randy Dupre
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Post by E. Randy Dupre »

Jockel wrote: oO
i found the graphics to be effing amazing!
I'm not saying I didn't like the visuals, but it got a slating for the constant reuse of th same few rooms and corridors. That's the point, of course - you learn how to approach certain rooms, you learn how to approach certain enemies, and the challenge is in dealing with different combinations thereof - but for those reviewers who didn't understand what the game was doing, reuse of environments suggested that it was the subject of lazy development.

And you've got to admit, the outdoor sections were pretty grubby-looking.
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ForceDevice
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Post by ForceDevice »

kozo wrote: Eh, I wouldn't be so sure. Everybody I've recommended it to has stopped playing after 2-3 hours because it doesn't have enough Keybladez and Soraz in it (and they don't have something called an "attention span" :D)

Also:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/suikoden5

Lots of 90's in there (which I am happy to see) but an average in the 70s isn't exactly mainstream acceptance. A bit higher than I expected, so maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it in my list, but definetely not what the game deserves.

Glad to see we agree on the quality of the game itself though. :) That's what matters.
I don't consider playing a game such as GSV for a few hours as effectively "playing"; and since the whole point of the thread was games that got "bad reviews", I figured I should mention that no reviewer is allowed to say anything about a game they have played only that much. :P
Also, an average of 70% sounds reasonably good to me, at least far from even what I'd call mediocre, let alone bad.

Anyway, just wanted to point that out because I forgot to do so in my previous post. As you said yourself, what truly matters is that it's a damn great game and we both love it. :wink:
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ZOM
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Post by ZOM »

kozo wrote:
ZOM wrote: Most of my favorite games got bad/not so great reviews, Baroque is a really good example.
You are my best friend now! :D
:lol:

Yeah it's a piece of art!

And I should count you as best friend too only because you listed Suiko V as perfect. :D

EDIT: Oh and I totally agree with the Gagharv trilogy, it's a shame we never got real ports from the PC version.
Eyuu densetsu IV deserves an English translation goddamnit!
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Post by Cthulhu »

While we're talking about Falcom, I totally love them and pretty much everything they've made. Plus the music they make is always top-notch, and lots of stuff comes with some sort of music CD.

They tend to do well review-wise in Japan, but that isn't saying much - they're one of the very few JP companies that makes non-porn games. In fact, I think they're the last big one.
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Post by kozo »

monster post:
ForceDevice wrote:I don't consider playing a game such as GSV for a few hours as effectively "playing"....I figured I should mention that no reviewer is allowed to say anything about a game they have played only that much. :P
Oh, wow. So true. I wish more people got this concept. People who play 5 minutes of Suikoden 5 and dismiss it are the same types to think all shmups are all the same and credit feed without learning the deep systems they have to offer.
ForceDevice wrote:Also, an average of 70% sounds reasonably good to me, at least far from even what I'd call mediocre, let alone bad.
Very true, my bad. I guess I think it should get better scores than it's "competition", if you can even call games like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy that (that's like sleazy 99 cent supermarket punch vs. fine wine though.)
ForceDevice wrote:...as you said yourself, what truly matters is that it's a damn great game and we both love it. :wink:
YES
ZOM wrote:Yeah it's a piece of art!
YES
Ever played the original Saturn/PSX verisons? :D :)
ZOM wrote:And I should count you as best friend too only because you listed Suiko V as perfect. :D
Yes, another one who sees the light at the end of the long, dank, dark RPG tunnel we've been inside of. :D
ZOM wrote:EDIT: Oh and I totally agree with the Gagharv trilogy, it's a shame we never got real ports from the PC version.
Eyuu densetsu IV deserves an English translation goddamnit!
Good man, good man. IV is my favorite too, so far, but III and V grow on me the older I get and the better I understand Japanese-Talk. :)
Cthulhu wrote:While we're talking about Falcom, I totally love them and pretty much everything they've made. Plus the music they make is always top-notch, and lots of stuff comes with some sort of music CD.
YES! Check out their 80's stuff if you think the Falcom of today knows how to make music. :) They are good now, but stuff like Xanadu and Special Box '89 still tops their best later works, IMHO!
Cthulhu wrote:They tend to do well review-wise in Japan, but that isn't saying much - they're one of the very few JP companies that makes non-porn games. In fact, I think they're the last big one.
I assume you meant "one of the very few JP PC companies", and it is oddly true. Somehow they have managed to stay independent, small and successful all these years without changing all that much. They still make great games with old-school action/arcade gameplay, great soundtracks, great art and graphic design work, keeping a slow but steady burn of 2-5 high quality titles every year...hmm, I think I just answered my quandary as to their success. :D
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ZOM
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Post by ZOM »

kozo wrote:Ever played the original Saturn/PSX verisons?
Yup. Have the Saturn version.
The sprites on this version sure look more "moody" than the 3D models of the remake. The whole atmosphere in general is more creepy IMO.
I still prefer the PS2 version though, it's more accessible and the 1st person/3rd person camera switch option is a nice addition too...

Cthulhu wrote:While we're talking about Falcom, I totally love them and pretty much everything they've made. Plus the music they make is always top-notch, and lots of stuff comes with some sort of music CD.
Ahh another nihon falcom lover, I salute you. :)
Yes they sure pack a lot of things in with their games; every time a new Ys gets released it's like x-mas time for me. ^_^
Plus they sure have the most kick-ass trailers - see Oath of Felghana trailer.


Ugh sorry for derailing this thread into a falcom loving orgy. :?
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undamned
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Post by undamned »

ZOM wrote:Ahh another nihon falcom lover, I salute you. :)
Yes they sure pack a lot of things in with their games; every time a new Ys gets released it's like x-mas time for me. ^_^
Plus they sure have the most kick-ass trailers - see Oath of Felghana trailer.


Ugh sorry for derailing this thread into a falcom loving orgy. :?
Joins. The first exposure I think I had to Falcom was their promotion for Y's I&II for the Turbo Duo (which I still need to finish!). I absolutely fell in love w/ their work when I played through Y's III on the SNES. I've played through that game a few times and it never goes stale! I played through 98% of Ark of the Naphishtim on PS2 a couple years ago. Wonderful artwork, but the story seemed lacking. Maybe it was just the horrid voice overs. What do you guys recommend for a Falcom lover who's quite out of the loop (i.e. me)?
-ud
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ZOM
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Post by ZOM »

undamned wrote: Joins. The first exposure I think I had to Falcom was their promotion for Y's I&II for the Turbo Duo (which I still need to finish!). I absolutely fell in love w/ their work when I played through Y's III on the SNES. I've played through that game a few times and it never goes stale! I played through 98% of Ark of the Naphishtim on PS2 a couple years ago. Wonderful artwork, but the story seemed lacking. Maybe it was just the horrid voice overs. What do you guys recommend for a Falcom lover who's quite out of the loop (i.e. me)?
-ud
IMO Ys VI is the worst of the series.
You should definitely check out Ys the Oath of Felghana(YSF), it's very fast paced & has quite the challenging boss fights.
After VI i was afraid the series started to go downwards but YSF proved the opposite.

If you want a bit a more "calm" Ys, V is the answer, not loved by many but very good nonetheless.
Note that this was never translated to english though. (well, according to Deuce the translation is ready but the script is not inserted...)

For the PCE there's Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu I & II, both are equally awesome games!

Then there's Brandish.
Hehe where do i begin - well it's a love it or hate it series for the PC-9801 and I love it. :)
Slow paced dungeon crawling Action RPG (no I refuse to call it a roguelike! :twisted: ) with cool puzzles.
Solving the puzzles needs a bit of kanji knowledge though.
Just stay away from the console ports of the first two.

STAR TRADER. Like Kozo already mentioned, adventurous falcom shmupping goodness...

Ugh... I could go on forever... :roll:
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kengou
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Post by kengou »

Based on a few people in here mentioning The Club, I checked out the PC demo. I'm disappointed. Not because the the game is bad, it was actually a lot of fun. I'm disappointed in how crappy the PC port is. Bad mouse accel is the primary problem, but considering the scoring is based on speed and precision of aiming that's a major issue. If the controls were proper, I would have really considered purchasing the game.

I'd love to see a mod of single-player FPSes on the PC that adopt this kind of scoring system, too. Sort of like CoD4's arcade mode. Imagine trying to speedrun through Half-Life level by level getting the highest scores!
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SockPuppetHyren
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Post by SockPuppetHyren »

I almost forgot about this one:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

I loved this game to death for some reason. I didn't even have four other people to play it with, I just really enjoyed hacking and slashing through the game. Of course, almost no one else agreed.
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undamned
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Post by undamned »

Thanks for the infos, ZOM! :D
ZOM wrote:Ys the Oath of Felghana(YSF)
How is this on the non-Japanese reader?
-ud
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ZOM
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Post by ZOM »

undamned wrote:Thanks for the infos, ZOM! :D
ZOM wrote:Ys the Oath of Felghana(YSF)
How is this on the non-Japanese reader?
-ud
There's an English translation patch available on the net, and its a very good one too...

But even without the patch it's still very playable. The language barrier won't hinder game progression at all,
that is, if you follow the standard RPG rule and talk to every NPC at least twice. :wink:

Also, check out this trailer: http://www.falcom.com/download/movie/ysf_demoweb.wmv I love it! :)
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Post by Damocles »

I just finished up Rockman on the Wonderswan. It's not the best Mega Man game out there, but it's not as bad as the reviews would suggest.

Bass is pretty nerfed, however.
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Zuhzuhzombie!!
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Post by Zuhzuhzombie!! »

Shadowrun 360.

Have I posted this in this thread? if not, Shadowrun 360.

Solid game that got a bad rep do to Shadowrun fanboys being complete whiners.
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Post by dave4shmups »

Alien Syndrome for the Wii. I like it, and have no problems with the controls.

I should download Y's I&II, but it doesn't look too exciting when you just run into enemies to damage them. I could be wrong.
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Post by UnscathedFlyingObject »

Mega Man X8. Sure it lacks mid-bosses, has mixed bag graphics and still has problems that have plagued MM games for years (refighting bosses, too many health drops, etc.) But it is great fun. I was pleasantly surprised with this game after the shitbomb that was MMX6.
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chempop
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Post by chempop »

GUNVALKYRIE on xbox was dogged by most reviewers, some of whom didn't realize that you are suppose to mostly stay airborn throughout the levels. I wish the game was slightly more completed feeling, but given that it changed so much during development from Dreamcast to Xbox I was still thrilled with how it came out. The reason why I got an Xbox and still probably my favorite game on the console.
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Arvandor
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Post by Arvandor »

I don't know how good/bad the reviews for it were, but apparently not many people like Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm much...

I liked it alot >_<
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Post by Battlesmurf »

Some winners in here :) Some of the things that came to mind have already been talked about- but for great justice

EDF (360) is a wonderful game. Very fun with 2 people. Graphics are so so- but I think when you see the sheer scope they don't matter as much. Coupled with the budget price from the start and a developer made this game WITH a small budget- it's a great game!

Ibara. I blame this on Cave Fanboys. It doesn't put off true Cave-ness- but that's the point. Once upon a time Raizing stuffs were the bee's knees. The game has some issues- but is a wonderful title. Black Label was even better- and I hardly hear anybody mention it nearly as much as Ketsui.

Guwange- not sure if this counts- but I don't think enough people have played it. Beautiful- hard as nails, great game :P

Bullet Witch. Best fun I had with $25. I played through it twice- def. is better with more powerful stuff. Some levels are CHEAP- but overall I had a fun time. I think if the developers had a bigger budget and more time- the game could have been a solid contender.

Jericho- I loved this one, too. There were some curious design decisions- but the graphics (99% of the time) were downright amazing. The pace was so quick that you didn't have time to stop and look at things- but easily one of the best artwork in that kind of game. I think with better level design and maybe some extra work in the gameplay mechanics dept the game would have done alot better. There HAS to be a sequel.
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BrianC
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Post by BrianC »

Kid Kool - I basically got this one for free by winning second place a Tetris tournament. I usually see negative press towards it, but I rather like it. A fun little platformer with some similarities to Mario. It also got some spiritual sequels in the form of Psycho Fox and Magical Hat. Vic Tokai is also one of the more underrated companies IMO.
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Jockel
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Post by Jockel »

Out of curiosity, do we have an opposite thread to this?
Because i absolutely HATE Halo 3. Just played it and switched it off after 20 minutes because i couldn't stand the terrible leveldesign.
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Post by 320x240 »

I hate the inertia in Kid Cool. I never could get used to platformers with that mechanic, i.e - everyone after SMB.

Since I already mentioned Adventures of Dino Riki I may as well mention Kings Knight. I only heard about it trough the 'verts with people in them'-thread in the main forum but googling for information about it I have come across lot's of negative 'reviews', especially after it was released for the Wii. The more I play the game, the more I like it. Learning where to find the different items and the best route to take is actually fun. The water parts are borinig though.

That said, I even like the vertical levels in Silver Surfer, because they play much like a ground based shmup.
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ForceDevice
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Post by ForceDevice »

Jockel wrote:Out of curiosity, do we have an opposite thread to this?
I'm glad we don't. It'd turn into a shitstorm anyway.
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Post by Mortificator »

LOL Squeenix LOL Cave.
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Post by szycag »

Yeah Mega Man X8 was definitely a "not bad", maybe I'd think otherwise if I hadn't seen the mess that was 7, but it can go so much worse (Network Transmission)
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Post by ROBOTRON »

The Coop wrote:Last Hope- It certainly got bashed over the head enough times around here, but I still enjoy playing it.
I enjoyed Last Hope too, even though it frustrated me at first.

Zoom - Genesis...That game rocked to me, I think it got a bad rap.
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Post by dave4shmups »

chempop wrote:GUNVALKYRIE on xbox was dogged by most reviewers, some of whom didn't realize that you are suppose to mostly stay airborn throughout the levels. I wish the game was slightly more completed feeling, but given that it changed so much during development from Dreamcast to Xbox I was still thrilled with how it came out. The reason why I got an Xbox and still probably my favorite game on the console.
Word, I love that game! :D I would also add the Cruis'n series-I love Cruis'n The World; it's not as good on the N64, but it's still very fun.
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Arvandor
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Post by Arvandor »

Battlesmurf wrote:Ibara. I blame this on Cave Fanboys.
It's not just us that doesn't like this game. The one friend I have who is really into shmups, isn't a huge fan of Cave, but he loves Raizing. Back when all I'd played was Battle Garegga, he was always tyring to get me to play Armed Police Batrider, and now that I've played that, he's always trying to get me to play Battle Bakraid. He likes Psikyo and old school shooters a lot too.

This man hates Ibara more than he hates most Cave games (which he's already pretty "meh" about).
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Jockel
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Post by Jockel »

Ibara's great, you just have to be man enough to stand the difficulty ^^
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