10 Underwhelming Games

[Jason Tandro]

This is my list of games that have either been labeled cult classics or were unbelievably hyped up, but upon playing them I felt somehow cheated.


10. Halo 3
While this game did kick ass, it did not kick ass on the level I expected. It was clearly a game built for multiplayer with the storyline as an afterthought.

9. Metal Gear Solid 4
The game was fine, but the weapon choices were overwhelming (to the point where I chose a few staples, such as the RPG, Desert Eagle, and Flashbangs) and the storyline finale was a massive "DAMN IT" moment. It could have been much better. (Although Act III and IV kick ass. I love the change of environment in III and the "it's about time" moment in IV).

8. Soul Blazer
[i] I know, I'm officially a pariah, but let's face it Terranigma and Illusion of Gaia were far superior games. And Soul Blazer is by no means bad, but I prefer the other two.

7. Zelda: Twilight Princess
To tay120n64 and all other Zelda nuts, I ask this question. When did we as zelda players decide to forfeit sound gameplay for cool graphics and mechanics. I miss the simple days. And the storyline was epic... yes, but a little too epic. My brain started to hurt round the middle.

6. Final Fantasy XII
Story is fine, everything else about this game makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. Even the soundtrack has only a few good pieces.

5. Final Fantasy
The original is also a horribly underwhelming game. But then I say that Final Fantasy got good at IV and great at VI.

4. Ninja Gaiden
The XBOX version of this game. I know I'm a noob, but let's face it. The tutorial level should not make you want to punch a baby. I still haven't beaten Murai!!!!

3. Bioshock
I'm sorry folks, but this game doesn't do anything that better FPS games haven't already done.

2. Grand Theft Auto IV
Weapon cheats, kill people, die, rinse and repeat. That's basically all I do. I've tried playing the storyline, but it seems the first 3 hours are tutorials! I miss San Andreas. And what's with the coffee filter graphics?

1. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
This game just sucks. I mean I guess I was spoiled by playing Oblivion first, but seriously!!!!

[psychokind]

Jason Tandro wrote:

7. Zelda: Twilight Princess To tay120n64 and all other Zelda nuts, I ask this question. When did we as zelda players decide to forfeit sound gameplay for cool graphics and mechanics. I miss the simple days. And the storyline was epic... yes, but a little too epic. My brain started to hurt round the middle. 1. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind This game just sucks. I mean I guess I was spoiled by playing Oblivion first, but seriously!!!!

now that's strange. oblivion is all graphics and mechanics without storyline and morrowind the opposite

[Jason Tandro]

dude you didn't like Oblivion's storyline? The main quest, maybe was a tad stale, but the faction stories, particularly Dark Brotherhood, was awesome.

I'll admit Morrowind had a decent story, but i couldn't get over the complications. Like the fact that switching from spells to combat was about as easy as shoving a square peg in a round hole that's thirty yards away and guarded by a laser trap that will incinerate anything that passes through it. Furthermore, this maneuver must be completed while you are shot out of a cannon from an airplane with no parachute and the only way to deploy the safety net to keep you from meeting a bloody end is to land this square peg safely in this round hole and not have a single bit of it be laser-fied. All this is happening (by the way) as a monkey chews on your small intestine, because the last thing you ate before this encounter was a piece of banana nut bread and this monkey is superintelligent and mutated and can smell the banana through your skin and is finding the fastest way to your stomach and you could kill the monkey with the 9MM you have in your backpack, but you are waiting for a supreme court ruling allowing this because that monkey is an endangered species.

So here you are falling, in severe pain as the monkey goes to town on your lower colon now (he's chasing the banana nut bread through your digestive track) and you are falling helplessly, prepared to fling this little stubby square block at a round hole thirty yards away guarded by lasers, and you finally decide, you know what, screw it. I'm better off dead.

But I digress.

[EverPhoenix]

i have to wholeheartedly agree about GTA IV - what i played was fun enough, but nowhere near as fun as the months and months of hype.

Morrowind i tried once but got bored quickly as i couldnt do what i wanted - level something up. having to regenerate mana after casting 2 instances of my first spell and not knowing how to do so does annoy me.

Soulblazer was a good game, but is really nothing compared to Terranigma and what ive seen of Illusion of Gaia. There's like no story. Its all 'go kill this', 'go get this'. But fun nonetheless

having not played many of the rest i cant offer an opinion, but i do disagree on one point:

Twilight Princess. The game is remarkably epic, the awesome graphics do make it seem like it is a full world, even if the interaction could be better. Even though i still need to find enough time to finish it, im very much impressed with what the game has showed me so far. The epic bosses, the story, everything. but i can see your point about gameplay, it is a bit of showing off as far as the wii goes. but hey who doesnt like showing off?

[Manibrandr System]

I have yet to find one from personal experience. I pick my games well and carefully.

[tay120n64]

Ok, I most certainly agree regarding Halo 3. I mean, I spent $140 on that effing game, so you can imagine how disappointed I was.

As for Morrowind... Really? I mean, I haven't played either, but I always hear about how awesome ESIII was. Especially compared to Oblivion.

Awww... I like the simple and sometimes underwhelming Soul Blazer. Even though IoG is better, Soul Blazer is just too different to really compare. They're presented in similar styles, but can you really even compare them gameplay-wise?

And finally, GRRRRRRR!!! Twilight Princess was the best Zelda game I've played this decade! Seriously! It improved on OoT's formula so perfectly! If anything, the only weakness the game had was the lack of side-missions, but after the side-quest heavy Wind Waker and Minish Cap, I can let that slide. To me at least, it's amazing that the game could last so long when it only focuses on main story! My first playthrough was nearly 60 hours! (which is insane for a Zelda title)

Where was there anything that was forfeit? Twilight Princess was a solid title. I think that you're thinking of Phantom Hourglass.

[Manibrandr System]

I am thinking the same too

[tay120n64]

I have become so obsessed with that show.

[psychokind]

Jason Tandro wrote:

I'll admit Morrowind had a decent story, but i couldn't get over the complications.

I remember you had to press "F" in order to use spells. and then left-click.

hmm now for some sucky games most people don't think of:

- Gothic 3: like oblivion a soulles sequel of an amazing series, besides that full of bugs

- assassins creed: oh my god, 20 guards! run! lucky me, theres some straw to jump in right in front of them - safety!

- farscape: nothing but looks

[chicken]

Jason Tandro wrote:

The main quest, maybe was a tad stale, but the faction stories, particularly Dark Brotherhood, was awesome.

OMFG oblivion was so cool... i spent like days just to enjoy its graphics and the gameplay... but if you went throught the game like 5 times or something, even that got boring

psychokind wrote:

- Gothic 3: like oblivion a soulles sequel of an amazing series, besides that full of bugs - assassins creed: oh my god, 20 guards! run! lucky me, theres some straw to jump in right in front of them - safety!

gothic 3 sucked as hell but assissins creed was pretty hawt Oo oh and you didnt had to run, i enjoyed counter-killing the guards more than just running away ^^

[Azure Phoenix]

zelda TP that was a good game, i liked the fighting style, i remember the first time i fought a dark nut, i paniced used all my bomb arrows on it's head, then mashed buttons swinging the wii mote all over the place, i actually used every skill there is, it was actually what i think of as the most epic battle ever... too bad i'll never be able to do that again...

ahem. anyway, if you played morrowind without mods then yes it would suck, i was no real fan of it (i found it boring, then again i didn't go through the storyline)

[Jason Tandro]

To tay and Valerie: No, I never played Phantom Hourglass.

And don't get me wrong I'm not saying Twilight Princess was a BAD game. I'm just saying it didn't live up to my expectations. I loved the storyline, even though it made my brain hurt a little bit.

And tay, yeah the lack of sidequests = a lack of kill time. Link's Awakening had that problem too. If there's no point to a game besides the main story then you don't get as immersed and there is nothing to do when you get stuck on a dungeon. Like in OoT, I'd be thinking: "Well the Shadow Temple is kicking my ass... let's go do that mask quest or fish."

[Manibrandr System]

Didn't know you were a side quest whore, but yeah I can see where you are coming from.

[Jason Tandro]

Oh totally.

[inferiare]

Meh. Any Halo game is just... it's a FPS for crying out loud. Goldeneye on the N64 plz.

Any sports game; if you look they're always returned/traded in to your local game store not a few months later and then they sell for $1.99USD a year later since they have a million copies and no one wants them.



...when I'm not tired, I'll mention more.