The 10 Most Over-Hyped Games Of This Generation

Some games just fail to meet the level of hope and expectation drubbed up by pre-release hype. This is a list of the ten biggest offenders of the generation so far.

[Le-mo]

1) Grand Theft Auto IV.

[Pennywise]

GTA
HALO
TOO HUMAN

Seriously a 10 list with 10 pages?? GTFO

[maggotmx]

Im sorry but for haze n lair to be after halo 3 is beyond stupid... halo3 shoulve at least been 1 no doubt

[ShinMaster]

No one ever hyped Lair.

[TheNewerGuy]

Halo 3,God that game was trash

[DELTABOY04]

halo 3 was a major disappointment....single player sucked ass!!! its like a straight to dvd film lol...lame

[FailStation3]

we all know neither of you f@ggots have ever touched the game once let alone beat the AMAZING single player campaign.

what morons. keep making yourselves look dumb. super easy to do, eh?

that's right. keep pretending to hate the #1 franchise in gaming, just because you can't have it. sad f*cks. get a life.

[Tmac]

Gotta agree Halo 3 is trash, It's the only game Xbox Fanboys hold up on a pedestal if only they knew how GAY it was to do that and how many people make fun of them for it lol.

Edit: Just like this queer right above my text lol, look at him go, look at him struggle!

[zagibu]

@ Failstation3: The number 1 franchise in gaming is "The Sims".

[jaffa_cake]

sorry but gta 4 was a real let down, where was all the fun.

[Pennywise]

I dont think I had any fun in that game... Maybe a little online.

Everytime you tried to do something devious or fun there would be a swat team on your ass and you are running for ever. Sucked the fun right out of it.

[Nineball2112]

and I also agree with Le-mo.

GTAIV was overhyped.

[pp]

Little Big Poo
Resistance 2
GTA 4

[Pennywise]

PP you are seriously brain damaged. Say no to inbreeding!

[throwaway12345]

Obvious troll is obvious.

[UltimateIdiot911]

Trolls are such a hazard to society. Lowering gamer's IQs since 1972.

[Keele]

90% of this website is full of Ps3 fangirls and the majority of you are mentally impaired. It's impossible for him to lower your IQ when your IQ is probably the same as his.

[PirateThom]

Last year it was 90% of XBox 360 fangirls, but the times, the times they are a-changin'.

[GamerscoreWhores]

He has AIDS, don't you know?

[Keele]

Yeah, they all hit the forums due to them not wanting to deal with all the sony fanboyist idiocy occuring here and I can't blame them. Hell even I should hit the forum.

[sonyfanonly]

THE TRUE TOP 5 OVERRATED GAMES OF 08

5 - ASSASSINS CREED I THINK IS AN 08 GAME BUT TALK ABOUT REPETITIVE
4 - TOO HUMAN THE TALK WAS THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A AAA TITLE - LET DOWN IT WAS
3 - GTA 4 - PLAY SAN ANDREAUS INSTEAD
2 - C.O.D. 4 - MULTIPLAYER IS THE ONLY FUN THING ABOUT IT I FELL ASLEEP PLAYING THE CAMPAIN
1- HALO 3 - NO GAME WAS OVERHYPED THAN HALO 3 THEY PUT IT ON MOUNTAIN DEW CANS HAD A HUGE COUNTDOWN PARTY A HUGE PARADE ALL FOR A OVERRATED GAME GEARS OF WAR IS STILL THE BEST 360 GAME

[Pennywise]

Even though you are typing in all caps, good list.

Halo gets #1 without a doubt because people were drinking/eating/wiping their a$$ with products with Halo on it.

[lociefer]

gta 4 , too human , where they at ??!! its a good thing they included lair tho , i just hit the controller at the wall in frustration , seriously , did any1 get pass the lighspots level with sixaxis ???????

[Pennywise]

I HATED Lair. Rented it and took it back after 20min playing.

[Fiona]

yep. it took me like 1 hr. but yea, is frustrating sometimes with the controller . But i managed to suck it up and finished the game at least.

[jerethdagryphon]

after about 9 million attempts
good fun

[lordgodalming]

Lair is number TWO?? I know Lair was hyped before it was released, but the general consensus immediately afterward was that it sucked hairy Butters' chinballs.

And Shadowrun? I have been reading gaming sites everyday for several years, and that game only tickles the most distant memory. I wouldn't call that "over-hyping."

Then they had the gall to say that they were "suckered" by the Halo 3 hype machine? They're a gaming site! They fed the hype! To be all hoity-toity now and say that "in hindsight it’s easy to see that the single player campaign was nowhere near as epic or as compelling as we were perhaps led to believe after all" is just pandering to get hits from people who love/hate Halo. Your site gave the game a perfect review. At least have the decency to own up to your own BS.

Finally Kayne and Lynch at number 1 is Icing on the cake. The only reason that game got an ounce of publicity after its mediocre release was because it destroyed Gamespot from the inside out.

Sorry to sound so angry, but sometimes I wonder if some of these sites 1) Read their own stuff, or
2) Ever actually play video games.

[Andras84]

you guys must suck! I think it was easy to control the dragon in Lair once you got used to it. I only had a problem in Lair when you got betrayed and had to find water after that. Other than that it was very easy for me.

[Killjoy3000]

Halo 3 and GTA IV can fight it out for this title.

[heyheyhey]

GTA4 should be on there...

..it's not a bad game per se, and the production quality was outstanding- but R* failed to stay true to the series renowned core gameplay... which included massive fun factor

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

What?

That's the ONLY fun GTA.

Are you people on crack or something? GTA has never been fun, until this one. The terrible AI, repetitive missions, and lack of character development weren't exactly FUN to me. Even shootouts, no matter how long they were, got old quick. Why does everybody like the old ones?

[Raoh]

didnt bother reading

i too hate those sites that have a pic, a 3 sentence paragragh per page and want you to click through 10 pages..

[lordgodalming]

You're a wiser person than I.

[DRUDOG]

gamedaily, anyone? I hate that crap too, although I did click through this one...

[Gamer61]

Halo 3 is the most overhyped game with that stupid tagline of "believe" or "finish the fight" which you never did. The campaign was rubbish (finishing a fps with a driving level?)

[Vespertine]

I'm one of the few that actually enjoyed Shadowrun.

[caffman]

but I agree with Halo 3 in one part.Overhyped yes. Good game.Certainly

[thematrix1298]

Halo 3 first then GTA4

Funny thing is all all game analyst gave both of these games 10/10 or 9.5/10....tells us something about what $$$ can do

[FailStation3]

halo 3 and gta4 sucked? u must be one of those idiots who thinks he's cool if he pretends to hate the most popular games out.

you're cool! especially your commie av! super cool!

[vidoardes]

I just saw 'Over-Hyped' and Halo 3 sprung to mind

[PSWe60]

Ninja Gaiden
GTA IV...although I liked it

[clevernickname]

Great graphics, bizarre and cheesy storyline, impenetrable controls, ridiculously, absurdly long cut scenes, and a level of interactivity that is essentially on par with that of my DVD remote all add up to one overhyped game.

I also concur with those that hold Halo 3 up as another example. Good, but not overly so graphics, absent storyline (shocking for a Halo title, I know), but good gameplay mechanics and all around fun. Still, on the whole the game was ridiculously overhyped.

[thor]

Have to disagree with you there. If you didn't get the storyline, that's probably why you didn't enjoy the cutscenes. My gripes with the game were those of difficulty balancing mostly. Some of the cutscenes were _intentionally_ long, and I wouldn't have been satisfied with a shorter finale. The controls were practically perfect - I take enormous issue with the fact that snake didn't hide up against a wall like he always used to, and instead decides to press against the wall but around 2 feet away if you actually rotate the view to see where his hands are :( That was pretty lame. I think MGS4 is overhyped but only slightly. It does a lot of things worse than MGS2 did IMO.

If you want to try to get through MGS4 with a DVD remote, be my guest, but I'll say that most people who played through the game for a second time, even whilst skipping cutscenes, got more play time than your average game.

[thor]

OK disagreers - you think that snake being "pressed" up against a wall when actually there was a bug so he was 2 feet away from almost every wall was a good thing?

Or you think that MGS4 was shorter than the average game (even a SPEED RUN is challenging to get under 5 hours - compare with Halo 3 where it's around an hour and a half)?

Or you think there WEREN'T issues with difficulty? Where's my European Extreme mode? Why is it FAR, FAR too easy to just ignore everybody and just run to the exit, shooting some people as you like? Why is the drebin point system so easy?

How is the aspect of alert mode etc. better in MGS4 than in MGS2? In MGS4 they will hardly ever even send backup, and the backup they do send you can just shoot to pieces with your endless supply of rocket launcher ammo/grenade launcher ammo etc.

I think the metacritic score it has (94 I think) is perfectly justified. That's probably what I'd rate the game. I love MGS, but MGS4 isn't without its flaws. Only a fanboy would say otherwise.

[MiloGarret]

I disagreed because of the following statements: "The controls were practically perfect" Ummmm, no, they were actually quite bad.

"Some of the cutscenes were _intentionally_ long, and I wouldn't have been satisfied with a shorter finale" I found the ending dissapointing, on the other hand I found the entire storyline to be a bit silly. To Anyone claiming the contrary I can only suggest watching a good movie every now and then. The lenght of the cutscenes became a slow torture for me. And yes, I "got" everything.

Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed most of the game, with the most WOW moment being the bike-chase where I reacted like this: "Cool looking cutscene... looks very well directed. Wait, I'm playing this!? Holy crap it's an on rail part of the game, look, its me shooting, its me!"

[zypher]

if we're talking "Over-Hyped" as in final review scores inadequately portraying what's generally agreed upon as the actual quality of the product, then GTA IV and Halo 3 immediately spring to mind. and as much as i liked it and think it was a good game, i gotta say that Mass Effect was SOMEWHAT overhyped too. but if we're talking "Over-Hyped" as in final product not living up to initial hype, then Lair and Too Human stand head and shoulders above the pack.

[Twiky]

Because I'm having trouble in accessing it!

thank you

P.S.: I just bought the 360 (yesterday) and I have to agree that 'halo 3' sucks!! I mean it's even worst than 'haze' for ****s sake!!

I just had to let this out!

[boodybandit]

1. KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN
2. LAIR
3. TWO WORLDS
4. ASSASSIN’S CREED
5. HAZE
6. HALO 3
7. HEAVENLY SWORD
8. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 6
9. PREY
10.SHADOW RUN

[boodybandit]

I got a disagree for accurately writing the list for this article at the request of a N4G member? Wow.

[Twiky]

It´s really incredible your disagree!! Don't mind much though!

[theEnemy]

I'll go with Assassin's Creed.

That game deserved a 7 tops.

It's so repetitive that it's not even funny.

[NegativeCreep427]

Granted yes, the mission structure throughout the entire game can be a little dull sometimes, but overhyped and deserving of nothing over a 7? I thinks thats seriously exaggerating it a little.

[LethalToxins]

Oh, yeah, surely moreso than Halo or GTAIV, right? AC's repetition wasn't worse than many games (what about SMG where you play the same level like five times). Just be real and say you didn't like it.

[okcomputer]

I agree totally with the op. Assassin's creed is the most disappointing game I've played this gen. I'd say a 7 is about fair, and the only thing keeping it from falling into the 6 category is that the graphics were great and the voice acting and cut scenes were decent.

The article's line that "once you've played the first level you've played the entire game" is so true. Just saying its repetitive doesn't do it justice. You can say all games get repetitive to a certain extent, but at least most of the time you're repeating things that are actually fun to do. The "free running" system took all the skill out of the platforming, all you did was mindlessly hold down the action button and steer which way you wanted him to go. No timing, no skill, no challenge and most importantly no fun. The combat was horribly broken and simplistic, sorry but pounding the same attack button over and over is not a combo. The counter move was so easy to pull off though that it was all you needed anyway and it gave an instant kill. The ai was also completely brain dead. I could keep going about what a huge let down ac was, but you get the point. It belongs at the top of this list because despite how bad it was, it still got good reviews, and still sold a ton of copies.

[LethalToxins]

I agree with the combat being broken. It was way too simplistic and easy. It took little to no skill to master and did indeed take away from the overall fun factor of the game. A more indepth system would have helped that system boatloads. How about a kick? I guess assassins don't know how?

Having said that, I see the same complaints you just listed with GTAIV and this game deserves a 9 or 10? The missions in that game are repetitive and boring right off the bat. I guess I don't have that wannabe thuggish kid in me where the same ol' "Kill this n*gg for stealin' my ride" mission is entertaining enough to keep the game fresh. Everything I see wrong with AC I also saw with GTAIV. I think the only difference was I actually enjoyed the storyline to AC. To each his own, I guess.

[jmcorp]

useless list!

where is the biggest most over hyped game ever!?

GTA 4...is a great, no a perfect example of what $$$ can do..."10/10? of course now where's my pay check Rockstar?"

at the very best an 8

but i would give it a 7.5, talk about BOOOOORING!

pull out a pistol, and the SWAT team surround you and KILL you...

[kevnb]

is such a lame expression, almost as bad as epic fail and flop.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

You guys didn't enjoy GTAIV? It was the only GTA with an actual storyline, a good one at that. It was so much fun blowing up crap with your rocket launcher, hijacking helicopters in mid air, having a shoot-out on the top of the statue of liberty, and everything else.

What's wrong with you people? That's the only GOOD GTA!

Prey was really good too. What's the problem there?

Heavenly Sword was really good too. The only thing wrong with it was the loose controls.

I agreed with the rest of them.

Lair was the kick-start? No...Warhawk was the kick-start for the motion controls...and Ratchet & Clank is the only other game that's gotten it right yet.

[tehReaper]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Uncharted use it well?

[Xi]

MGS4
GTA
Halo 3
Super mario galaxy
super smash brothers
LBP
GoW
fable 2
killzone 2

that's my list.

[Max Power]

God of War?

[BlackTar187]

LBP
GoW
fable 2
killzone 2

[Xi]

But fable, killzone 2 (beta) and lbp (beta).

Lbp isn't really "fun" imo, it's like map editor fun just with instant gratification, where you build something then get to experiment but in that sense it's not really a game, and more like a tool.

Fable is meh, it has it's up and downs, I think a lot of the stuff there should be tossed to make the world look better. Good story though, very fun if you're not following it.

killzone is your average good looking shooter.

[FailStation3]

Lesbian Sword, Hazy, Liar... Can't argue with that.

But only a sony fanboy would talk sh1t about halo 3. halo 3 rules. period. haters are just plain dumb. lol. stupid droids, lol.

[Tmac]

Obvious retard is obviously retarded lol.

[FailStation3]

oh really? and what was so god awful about halo 3? do tell. u obviously beat it. let's hear it.

[Baba1906]

i loved HS. could have been longer sure. but it was soooooooo beautifull.

[TheWickedOne]

I loved it too, the length was it's only draw back.

[Mc187]

But it was too short.

[Gorillaunit]

This was the worst list of overhyped game i have ever seen ! Prey ? Halo ? ASSASSIN’S CREED ?? They guy who did this list, YOU SUCK !!!!!!!!!

[mettalhead70]

Where's too human or gta4?

[zagibu]

Two Worlds didn't produce a lot of hype. Also, I think it was pretty solid. Same thing with Prey, there was a little more hype than with Two Worlds, but not a lot. And that game, too, was solid. Not awesome, far from that, but also not bad at all.

[Firstkn1ghT]

This one is easy. MGS4! Not even a real game. More like an interactive movie. Close second is LBP.

[psnSkareFace]

i liked kanye & lynch most have been the only 1 lol

[otherZinc]

Lair
Heavenly Sword
MotorStorm
Warhawk
LBP
MGS4

Now, these games were over-hyped, and not HALO 3, you know why: you friggin haters!

Halo 1 sold 8mil+, Halo 2 sold 8mil+, Halo 3 broke the entertainment record! Now, wouldn't you like to have Halo-like attention & steady playtime.

Now, with the OVERHYPED GAMES I'VE NAMED! They all had titles: Year of the PS3, Best game ever MGS, Revolutionary.

MGS 4 had to be a pack-in in order to maximise sales, and guess what? when that pack-in was over, MGS4 dropped off the top 50 sales list & the game released in June 2008. A great game will stay on the top 50 list for almost a Year without being a pack-in!

LBP has received 9's or higher! Boooa St! If LBP is as good as the critics say it is, it will break the entertainment record Halo 3 set while being sold on 1 Console! LBP wont come close to Halo 3, in fact, LBP will never be the #1 seller for any month: Unless they pack it in with the PS3. Then the sales will drop sharply.

As for the other games on the list, well, they were just overrated. MotorStorm, 200k 1st month, had to be a pack-in later on to sell any copies. The others just didn't sell like they should have seeing the attention they received before release.

You guys can list Halo games all you want, but something isnt all hype when more than 300,000 people play the game, every single day since release!

[BlackTar187]

go back to school. best answer i have for you . I dot have time to dissect ignorance esp. when its in the amount of overwhelming.

So funny.

[Firstkn1ghT]

You don't have to time to reply to his comment but you have to time to verbally attack him??? That's funny.

*Mark BlackTar as offensive*

Otherzinc, good points man! An average of 94%. Near 10 million sold. Number 1 Xbox Live game since launch. Halo 3 not only met the hype but exceeded it in every way. The only ones that disagree are the jealous sony fans. MGS4 on the other hand was just a silly soap opera. Lackluster sales filled with controversy over their "bought" reviews. Easily the most over-hyped game this gen.

[BlackTar187]

Okay, you obv. missed the point but whatever buddy. A first generation gamer who thinks sales define game exp. yep real winner. mark me as offensive. becasue I called you out on the other post. Take you bias hate elsewhere mark me as offensive why. Becauase I use logic and all around general love for all videogames as a basis for my comments unlike YOU. Okay hate me if you want your the last person i want on my side. you want me to discst it no need I can go into a whole long drawn out thought of why Sales=nothing in regards to quality etc. but you should know that already if you didnt put all your horses in one stable "XBOX" I at least judge and play games for what they are entertainment and I dont get off on seeing possible good games fail unlike YOU but like I said dont accuse me of anything. Never once did I call him names I simply stated something thAt is 100% accurate SALES = NOTHING GAMEPLAY= EVERYTHING. If halo is this guys favorite game great thats his opnion but to justify it in a way of sayin sales etc. is just garbage and only you would support that.

Dont address me please first knight with your childsh ways of "MARK HIM AS OFFENSIVE"

I addressed him in such a way that he addressed others maybe even nicer. Hell I like to think im a pretty nice Guy : )(Up for debate) but one things for sure I love games for games you love games for ammuntiton to feel good about yourself. Now look thru this whole post i didnt call you a name at all just ref. certian types of personality defects : )

Also you still playing with all those cheaters?

[BlackTar187]

your stickinfg up for him becasue he turned it into a sony vs microsoft war and your alliegence is stated 100x, me I dont have that problem. My post was not even negative in a way that it should hurt his feeling just said his logic was bad and to go back to school since they do teach you in school that is Money doesnt equal good or happiness or anything other then money.

Is titanic the best movie ever made? Answer that question knight and you have your answer to your sales=best argument you currently have with halo. I played halo 1 loved it top 5 favorite games of all time 2 meh 3 meh you hate me now because halo is in my top 5 or you just hate becasue halo has a tie in with micro and I think they were let downs. Ohh no I said it im a Fan*** now oh no. Play games for games there for fun grow up a little and take it in. You are lucky you have these companies putting out top tier stuff on both sides of the fence someday you may not get that and you will miss it.

[BlackTar187]

ignorent the same thing as calling him ignorent? I dont think so Ive done some stupid/ignorent things in my life and will in the future does that make me ignorent or just human?

[PS3Freak]

I agree with every game on that list, except for Heavenly sword. Heavenly sword wasn't THAT amazing but it deffinetly shouldnt be on this list.

[otherZinc]

1st of all, I had Logic as a Sophomore in college, on my way to a double major in Business Administration & Marketing, with a minor in Economics in 1991.

2nd, I'm not offended, games are my hobby outside of my family & my business. I love to debate games, I could do it all day. I've been an avid game player since Pong in 1976, my mom bought me an Atari 2600 New at Sears for $400, I've gamed ever since.

The Titanic was a fantastic movie by the way, but its subjective if someone likes that kind of movie or not. My wife dragged me to the movies to see it, however, it was very good.

Now, back to real life: Games! I know sales are not the qualifier of a great game or not, but when it sells phenomenally well over 3 iterations & 300k+ play it everyday, Investors Love it! Investors Love it, thats right.

When you can please investors, thats where you get the Sequels. That's why you haven't seen ICO 3: poor sales = bad investment to your investors, business 101. If you cant please the public, you lose funding for your next project. ICO may get another try, but they need to prove to the investors they will get a good ROI (return on investment). Someone has to fund that project for 3, 4, or 5 years, it gets expensive.

I would love to talk further, but with this whack N4G system, I wont have enough bubbles to comment further, but I'll read your response.

ps3freak18:
Heavenly Sword is the only game you see on that list that doesnt belong? Well, you may see a HS2 but if 1st month sales are as weak as Heavenly Sword 1, you'll never see that game again.

Sales matter, you need investors to fund your project.