Top 10 Classic Games That Are Over-rated

Christoper Ford of Nerdles writes: "Let's face it; playing Video Games is an expensive hobby, so it is important that we spend our money wisely. By way of the internet and gaming magazines, most of the time we know what games are going to be released up to a year in advance. These games range from brand new ideas, to the annual installment of your favourite game.

Inevitably, this leads to much anticipation. A lot gets written about how good the game is looking in the development stage, but when it comes to the release date, far too often there is a feeling of anti-climax. This list contains a selection of games that left me with that very feeling. They are by no means the worst games ever made (some are actually rather good), but they are games I was expecting far more from when I played them. To put it simply, these games are over-rated."

[SuicidalTendencies]

Another no name website looking for hits.

[Bungie]

LOL halo is not overrated

it's just one of the best...if not the best shooter out there

[FishCake9T4]

Too right
Halo??????
Probobly aimed towards the vast amount of PS3 fanboys on N4G. Im not going to say anymore cause i know the snoy republic will be after me.

[Saaking]

Halo 3 and Wii Sports aren't "classic games"

[kaveti6616]

Why does it says that Driver 3 is overrated. That game got terrible reviews as it is. No one overrated it.

As for Halo 3, what are you gonna do? It's a love it or hate it kind of game because some people will flame it just because it sold better than their own favorite shooter.

Halo 3's multiplayer is some of the best and most entertaining I have ever played, especially big team battle on Avalanche. But some people just don't like it. I don't know why, and at this point I don't care, because Halo 3 got the high scores and it got the mega sales and it has hundreds of thousands of people playing it every single day. So in all three categories, Halo 3 has proven to be a great game. Take away its sales because I know that doesn't count. Take away its reviews because I know that it's possible that Microsoft paid for a lot of them. And what do you still have left? That's right, the gamers are still playing it. The fanboy excuse against this one is, "Well, they have nothing else to play, so that's why they play Halo."

Wrong. If I got tired of playing a game, I would stop playing it. I wouldn't keep playing it just because there wouldn't be something else to play. I'd rather watch television than go back to a game I'm tired of.

[Game13a13y]

"LOL halo is not overrated

it's just one of the best...if not the best shooter out there"

you must be being sarcastic, right?

[KiRBY3000]

"when San Andreas was released, I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. It was a very good game, but it just didn’t quite live up to the hype."

FAIL. this game is a masterpiece, and you dont have to be a 'gangsta' to see it.

and since when Driver 3 is considered a classic?? LOL

[Zack Sawyer]

I believe that Halo 3 definately was highly overrated, but I still enjoy the hell out of it for what it is, and will buy Reach on release.

And I agree with Saaking aswell, Halo 3 and WiiSports are in no way classic status games.

[Perjoss]

I can't call myself a big Halo fan but i cannot deny that Halo IS a classic, its easy for it to go over many peoples heads as the story is not very well told, but its still a great story. Bungie were also innovators of getting rid of health packs, opting for regeneration health, which most games copy these days. The Halo series is also one of the most played multiplayer games ever.

The amazing success of Halo alone says its a classic. But as always, when something is very successful it will always have a following of haters also, look at GTA4.

[HolyOrangeCows]

You people playing the victim before your responded to is just plain pathetic.

Hey look! I can do it, too!
Waaaa! Teh Xbaux fanboys will thumbz me down!

[Elvfam511]

"Thankfully, the series is now back on top form with GTA IV."

Did I just read that right

[griffdo]

Hey guys, just a quickish defense of the article...
I run the site that this article comes from, we're basically a hobby site. Some of you have suggested that we submitted the article in a bid to get hits, I just want to make it clear that we in no way submitted the article to this site, one of your users did.
We're not trying to make a name for ourselves, we just do it coz we like writing.
The writer who submitted the article and had no idea it would receive as much attention as it has.
I just feel like I've got to defend my site, seriously guys, the first I heard of this site was when it showed up in my Google analytics report this evening. I'm surprised that another site even picked our article up...
We don't even digg our posts, that's not why we write our stuff, we write for the fun of it. To have people call the site sad coz one of our articles appeared on this site is unfair.
I'm sorry I'm coming across as petty but it's the first time some site has run with one of our articles and people are calling us sad even though we had nothing to do with how it got on here.
Still, there are some good comments on here, (actually they're all negative but I suppose they're better than no comments.)
Anyway, again, sorry for sounding petty, I just wanted to clear up the "sad" part of the comments, I'm really enjoying the other criticisms, nice to hear peoples opinions...

Griff

[TheDeadMetalhead]

"Another disappointing aspect of the game was the poor character models, which had taken a significant step back from Vice City."

What? Vice City's character models were worse than GTA3's. At least SA's character models didn't look like they were taken out of Goldeneye. O_o

"The other thing I noticed was how forgettable the characters were. Whilst names like Ryu, Ken, Guile and M-Bison from Street Fighter have earned legendary status, does anyone realy remember Sub Zero, Raiden and Johnny Cage?"

LOLWUT?

Also, third comment and already somebody's crying "PS3 fanboy" just because Halo's up there (which it should be). *sigh*

[Tachyon_Nova]

Whatever, you're probably right. But here is my list:
Zelda OoT
Any and all Mario games
GTA: IV
Fallout 3
Uncharted 2
Rainbow Six Vegas
GRAW 2

I can't think of any more off the top of my head without listing individual Mario/Zelda games.

[infekt]

Halo series is sh!t. Enough said. Move along now.

[The_Devil_Hunter]

They mispelled really. Wow. I know Im not the best writer but wow. How unusual...lol get it lol...haha ah forget it.

[sikbeta]

YOU xbox fanboys are the worst thing ever

Because Halo is a flagship tittle for xbox, is like the Super-Orgasmic-Game-Ever

Come on, everything for you is just Halo

Shooter = Halo
Racing = Halo is not a racing game, so this SUCKS for you
Sports = Halo is not a sport game, so this SUCKS for you
TPS = Halo is not a TPS game, so this SUCKS for you
Platforming = Halo is not a platform game, so this SUCKS for you
RPG = Halo is not a RPG game, so this SUCKS for you

GOD, marry with your beloved copy of Halo and leave Gamers ALONE

There is more than just Halo, you are making the franchise like Mario games, only buy it because is Halo, for the love of GOD, I'll not be surprised if Halo Galaxy comes out

EDIT: I can respect your decisions, your tastes and all, but just try to be objective at least some time, nobody is attacking Halo, but definitely is not THE PERFECT GAME, just deal with IT

[KeenanTheSavage]

I guess I was gonna say you beat me to it but seeing as how I'm usually the 200th comment on all of the popular stories that wouldn't be saying much lol. And yeah, I agree, I could tell by the image that the post was gonna just be looking for hits. :\ jesus what is this world coming to.

[Shepherd 214]

Halo 3 has the robust and expanded multiplayer features of any game on any console. It had a superb story that can only be understood if you know a lot about Halo lore, and anyone who doesnt understand what is going on shuns it and rejects it. It was an amazing purchase that squeezed out every penny of the 60 dollars that was spent on the game. But because its super popular, it is faulted. nice, i love this place.

[Noctis Aftermath]

He claims GTA San Andreas is over-rated because it has TO MUCH variety?
*FACEPALM*
The variety was probably the best thing about SA.

[ABizzel1]

First of all I'll always remember Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat they are the unofficial icons of the franchise (I'll remember Lui Kang, Raiden, Kitana, and the others as well).

Now to Halo. Halo is a good game. But the thing that separates most people are the modes. Millions of people love Halo for the multiplayer which is one of the best and most versatile around. But a lot of people hate it, because they prefer single player campaigns and to be honest the campaigns in the Halo games aren't their strong points (with the exception of the first game and that's debatable). Halo's single player has scripting problems. There's a story to be told, but it's scripted poorly, which makes you not care about the story or character unless you're a die hard fan.

For most Halo fans all they need to know about the single player is that their Master Chief and their suppose to kill.

[SoX FireBlade]

"Halo’s diehard following naturally means that there are some expert players online, but despite this, much of the multiplayer games are down to luck rather than skill, which is not what you want in a video game (unless you are a novice)"

Is he serious ?

Halo needs more skills to kill more than most games such as Call of Duty or Gears of War

The only thing the really needs luck is the plasma grenade sticks on the enemy's body (Similar to throwing knives in Modern Warfare 2)

There are others but happen rarely

those games that need luck are like Sword games or Gravity hammer games which are mostly for fun and not for skill and even with these need skill if you know how to use the weapons

if you want a game type that really needs skill try MLG game types

it needs skill and teamwork to win and luck won't help you at all

[reintype]

Sorry, Halo 3 does not warrant that distinction, it maybe slightly over-rated IMO, but the title of Most Over-rated game ever, goes to none other than GTAIV. Wow a 98 on Metacritic! Are you kidding me? It has it's moments, but personally I'll give it an 7-8, no more than that.

I still have it with me though. I played it for like a week and that's it, never even bothered to finish the game, nor do I plan to go back to it. Being a game collector, I don't like trading my games, but if I'm in a bit of a spot, and if there's a new game that I really want, this one will be the first to go.

[kaveti6616]

Although it was overrated, I would say GTAIV was highly polished. It has the story, it has the visuals, and almost every mission is tightly paced. Something doesn't click about it, though, and that's why many feel it sucks.

[n to the b]

IMO they shoulda left in the rpg-ish character leveling as this can make shooters much more engaging over a longer time (ex: Bioshock). but I agree with your points about GTAIV, kaveti.

[Zack Sawyer]

I liked almost everything about GTAIV, especially the way it took a more serious and realistic tone.

But the character you played just bored me to death, his life was dull and it felt like a chore having to go out and do missions as him, especially as most of the missions themselves were tedious and had very little fun in them.

To me Vice City will remain the best GTA I have ever played, if the next GTA can be more like that then it would be perfect for me. I loved that I could run a business empire and do interesting missions to further improve each different enterprise thus generating me more cash to buy more. Having a porn actor sat on the back of a sports motorcycle racing about town was hilarious.

[Mista T]

gambling is like Halo multiplayer, it's all about luck and who the luckiest is

but the most over-rated game ever is GTA4

[DARK WITNESS]

lol, if you think halo is all about luck then clearly you play with the wrong crowed.

[Zack Sawyer]

I agree. Maybe I'm just not that good at it but I hate the fact that on Halo 3 multiplayer somebody can just respawn near you, then run directly at you firing with whatever weapon he/she has began with jumping up and down until they are close enough to melee. All the while you are shooting at them trying to hit only to run out of ammo as they get into melee range leaving you to just throw a punch and hope that your strike lands before theirs. In that instance maybe its just luck!

How is that tactical or skillful in anyway? It would interest me more if in the next Halo they implemented some cover system like Gears or Uncharted, weaken the melee attack or make the default starting weapon across the board in ranked games be a pistol.

[infekt]

"Crowed"

1. to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
2. to gloat, boast, or exult (often fol. by over).
3. to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.
4. the characteristic cry of a rooster.
5. an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Erm. Okay.

[KeenanTheSavage]

hahaha, that was great.

[DARK WITNESS]

@ infekt

lol, thanks for pointing that out.. yes i meant crowd. lol
your powers of observation are top notch !

[Santa Hirai]

The title picture says it all.

[chidori666]

yep.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

I still fail to see how something is overrated when it was successful with regards to sales,and longevity.

[Perjoss]

exactly

[infekt]

As in, it fails as a quality game. Its not that hard to understand.

[BWS1982]

because sales don't equal quality, and ratings don't equal quality. Ever heard of "a sleeper hit"?

You only have to look at shovelware, how does some of that break a million sales? How do bad movies with a good license sell out at the box office? It's not always that the best gets the best sales. There's always that issue, Mad World selling like crap on Wii, but being an amazing game? Then you have Wii Music selling much more...Why? Sales do not equal quality, quandary solved.

Halo is a "good to great game" but to say it's one of the best ever is insulting to games like Zelda, Metal Gear, and Half Life. I had a TON more fun with GoldenEye and Perfect Dark 1 (and still do) than I ever did with any Halo title...and THOSE titles made a name for console FPS/multiplayer, NOT Halo..

Ask any critic what the term "sleeper hit" means..ie: Beyond Good & Evil or Indigo Prophecy, games like that often sell like crap for what they are, but are loved by critics and gamers alike. Then you have a hyped mess of a "solid" but not perfect game seen breaking 5 million sales. It's lopsided and off balance, and I believe that's where "over-hyped" claims come from.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

And you assume I was talking about halo? So lets discuss it. Quality is based off of personal views of what a game achieved. Some like the leap in graphics, online efficiency, or game play. Quality is determined by many overall factors that are reflected by sales, and popularity. To say halo is not a quality game is contradicting to it's success.

And last time I checked the XBOX was defined by halo. Without it no one would have bought the console. Everyone I know who bought an xbox bought halo as their first game. It changed FPS gaming and I am positive it is responsible for more LAN parties than any console FPS game. It has more sequels, and spin-offs than any FPS game you mentioned. BWS1982 you let your obvious disdain for halo overshadow it's continued success.

Halo has spurred the development of toys, novels, global game competitions, game based parodies, game soft drinks, and anime. None of the FPS games you mentioned did any of that. And when a new FPS game is nearing released what game is it immediately compared too? HALO

[BWS1982]

so I wouldn't say there is any disdain. Are they the highest quality games of the last 10 years? My opinion is not really. There's a difference between saying a game sucks and it's over rated, a big difference. I can like a game, and see that it's good, but still say it gets too much credit for what it is, and yes, that's my opinion not a fact. I played through the second Halo with co-op with my gf, and I had great fun. I don't hate the game, you're reading too much into it. And btw, I believe I was speaking on Halo as an example, but apparently by your post, you WERE speaking about it, as you're obviously a big fan, and that's okay.

I agree quality is subjective, as is your and my view of what constitutes "quality" and what games achieve it. I just don't have a sentiment that Halo is in the top 10 games of all time, and am sort of disappointed that other games I like better don't get more exposure, that's what this is. When someone says they've never heard of Red Alert or Serious Sam, but love Halo or COD, yeah, it's going to disappoint me.

I think No One Lives Forever 2 is one of the greatest FPS games (single player) this decade, but that may be a horrid game to others. All my point was, was that sales do not equal a "quality" title, it indicates popularity, and very often, yes, a level of quality. Yet, that is a collective popularity, and again, not guaranteeing quality, as like you say, it's opinion. Many opinions.

But again, the term sleeper hit is there for a reason, and the fact that Mad World sold poorly whilst shovelware excels is a testament to the fact that sales don't equal a "great game" they just equal sales.

I just happen to disagree with how good Halo is and what it did for the hobby, then again, I didn't buy an Xbox 1 for it, I bought it for games like Elder Scrolls and Splinter Cell (and to get superior multiplats last gen, to be honest, as I felt they looked better and played better), actually, and never once went to an LAN party, I'm not so much of an online gamer...so again, opinions, just like I disagree with yours, and you don't agree with mine.

You really just make the case for how popular Halo is, and that doesn't guarantee "quality" because as you say, that's an opinion. I would rate the two I played at between 8 and 9, with me actually liking #2 better. We won't get anywhere arguing opinions, and that's what quality is.

Look at Twilight, very popular, look at the show American Idol, very popular...I don't see those as quality, and that's my opinion.

One last edit: And to clarify, I don't condemn you for enjoying the hell out of Halo, you play games, and like shooters, I already have something in common with you. I just would still play GoldenEye or Perfect Dark 1 story or multiplayer before playing Halo again, I don't care what level of exposure and popularity it has, I have my opinion and acknowledge that you have yours.

[BWS1982]

two disagrees and no valid counterpoints or mature thoughts?

C'mon, at least be big enough to state what you don't see eye to eye with, I made clear and concise points, and if you can't explain what you don't like, then I may as well chalk it up to you being pissy that I've made valid points, because you have nothing left to say.

I tried to respectfully answer your concern about the concept of "quality" and I was polite and mature. You come in, arm's swinging, make some hasty and brash statements, I correct you, and you just click a button? I think I know what you really think.

[BWS1982]

Nothing still? I guess I was right, as I'd suspected.

[knifefight]

I'm surprised several of those are considered "classics."

[BreakNeckSpeed]

Haha another no name site looking for hits.

Here comes the sh1tstorm.....

[KeenanTheSavage]

And it has arrived.

[crazyturkey]

I don't agree with is MK, IMO MW 1 or 2 should be there. (If they can be considered classics that is)

[dirthurts]

I love some earthworm jim. Still one of my favorites.

[Demonsdown]

That is the worst list of over hyped games I have ever seen. GTA SA was the best GTA out of all them. Earthworm Jim was great for its time. football manager, Ecco The Dolphin and Mortal Kombat 4 where hyped wth?

[Simon_Brezhnev]

yeah GTA SA was the best GTA i guess he not to fond of the hip hop community/gangsta style.

[n to the b]

MK4 is pictured but he's talking about orig MK if u read the article. but yeah, I especially don't agree with earthworm jim or orig MK being on there. the author says MK wasn't tight like street fighter II; but MK was more about the digitized graphics/sound and over-the-top violence anyways.

[LittleBigSackBoy]

Vice City was better, but that's just my opinion.

[Gun_Senshi]

List Fails.

Not only FF is not close to best JRPG, but FFVII is not the best FF

[LittleBigSackBoy]

That's your opinion. FF7 will always be the best JRPG IMO, and before anyone says "it was probably your first JRPG ", it wasn't by a long shot.

[RockmanII7]

Everything on this list is an opinion.

[CDbiggen]

wow...never thought i'd see hate for earthworm jim. Poor list.

[squallsoft]

..aren't "classic". Halo and Wii Sports are way too new. And some games on the list just flat out aren't classic, period. Football Manager?

-Squall

[DuneBuggy]

Well,I agree with the guy on Vice City being better then San Andreas at least. The Wii Sports/Halo 3 being overrated though? Sorry,but both sold a ton and are still popular long after they were released.Overrated to me is a highly anticipated title that disapoints and ends up in the bargain bin in short order.

[SlaughterMeister]

GTA: San Andreas' big problem was the disgusting brown fog you saw everywhere you go. Vice City was awesome for its draw-distance, you could literally stand at one end of the city and see the entire city from there. Granted, if you zoomed in on a far off building with the sniper rifle, it looked all low-res, but who cares? You could SEE them! In SA, while you're in Los Santos, you couldn't get a few blocks from the downtown core before it vanished! I know LA has a lot of smog, but come on! I know it was due to PS2 tech limitations, but it still sucked. When the PS3 came out, SA was my most-played game on PS2, and I wished and wished they would release an updated version with awesome AA and a draw distance to eternity. Plus faster load times for changing clothes, and that's still a problem in GTA IV.

Mortal Kombat: ALL Mortal Kombat games are overrated, I hate them. But I hate all fighting games except Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

Driver 3: This game BLEW! "Oh my God, you can see bullet holes on the cars, and you can swim!" "What's the gameplay like?" "Stiff and boring! But look, BULLET HOLES! SWIMMING!"

Halo 3: Anyone who thinks this game is overrated is on meth. After the disappointment that was Halo 2, Halo 3 brought the series right back on track and was damn fun. Halo has the nicest, smoothest controls of any FPS I've played, and Halo 3 was very fun.

[Setekh]

I disagree with almost all of their game choices. Most of those listed aren't even close to "classics" and some of the ones that are far from overrated.

[phantomshadow]

Driver 3? Honestly... Driver 3? That game on the list proves that this person clearly has no clue what the hell they are talking about.

Yet another no name site trying to get some hits through N4G. Sad really.

[111111]

Virtua racing is pretty good at the arcades. Its amazing how well this game feels. I say the controls on this game are better than in most contempoary driving games. Its just the home versions that suck due to the hardware limitations.

[ambientFLIER]

His review of Halo 3 says this:

"Add to this the disappointing single player campaign, which is long, dull and repetitive"

Wait a second, I thought that people always bash Halo 3 for having a short campaign! All of a sudden, it's too long?? That pretty much says everything about this site and the article.

[Ultimarad]

I can understand why Halo is on that list, but I rarely to never hear about anyone else talk about any of the others nevermind say they are fantastic games so I don't see how these games are over-rated. But that's just my opinion.

[nnotdead]

Liu Kang,Johnny Cage, Raiden, Kano, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, Reptile, Goro, Shang Tsung.

yep i can name them all.

[PS360PCROCKS]

In addition: Noob saibot, cyrax, sheena, rain, ermac, jade, kitana, Jax, Baraka...that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

[Kakihara]

Mortal Kombat (at least in the arcade) IS my youth and I'll love it forever. Earthworm Jim stands up today, I played it a few weeks ago and it's just as cool.

[Silly gameAr]

I agree man. Can't wait for the Earthworm Jim HD remake. My cousins and me played the hell out of that game on the Genesis. People understood gaming for what it was back than, a fun hobby. And, I'm also curious about the direction that the next Mortal Kombat well take. I want to see how dark MK can become. I hope it goes way over the top with the gore and violence. It would feel like I was a kid playing MK1 for the first time all over again.

[Silly gameAr]

since he gave his opinion on GTA SA, let me give mine. It was easily one of the best GTA's ever made. GTA 4<GTA SA. Back to top form with GTA 4? I loved 4, but (in your opinion) GTA 4 returns GTA to top form, is crazy. Hell, GTA Vice City>GTA 4.

[RandomGamer]

GTA 4 was really boring for me personally,once I bet it I had no interest in playing it ever again,which is the first time that ever happened to me playing a GTA game I usually play through each one 3-4 times.

[Silly gameAr]

@Random Gamer

I liked GTA4. It lacked some of the features like customization, like making you fat, skinny as hell or buff as a bodybuilder, no planes or parachuting, (which is in Ballard of Gay Tony) but it was a pretty deep story and it had decent multiplayer.. A little to serious at times but I enjoyed it.