Most Overrated Video Game Designers (RunDLC)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of RunDLC.

The video game industry has a long list of celebrated designers, including Shigeru Miyamoto, John Carmack and Will Wright, and while some of them deserve all of the accolades they receive, others could use a wake up call. The following developers became famous for creating some of best titles of all time, but they’ve either fallen off their game or just need to calm down.

John Artest (RunDLC)

[Pedantic91]

OH NO THEY DIDN'T !

[ThatArtGuy]

All of Kojima's games have been good. The rest, not so much.

[guitarded77]

Yeah, Kojima can be a self absorbed tool, but his games are awesome and not overrated.

[Hideo_Kojima]

Kojima himself is overrated the games he has worked on are not.

I love the MGS games to bits but Kojima couldn't have done it without the rest of the people working at the studio.

I hate that most of you on the internet act as if its a one man job and if Kojima doesn't work on a title the rest of his team can not make a great game on their own.

[guitarded77]

Damn't, quit changing your comments people... now I have to trash my witty response. :P

[Hideo_Kojima]

Sorry lol :P

The point is the same I just made it clearer so that I don't sound like I was trolling because I was actually serious.

[rockleex]

Just look at how he transformed ZOE2 into awesomeness with just his presence in the office! Lol.

ZOE1, I heard, was just a mediocre mech game. But with Kojima's help, part 2 became an instant classic!

The MGS games on PSP were good, but the moment Kojima came in with Peace Walker the volume was turned to 11!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Myze]

@Guntrol

That is a very obtuse way of looking at it. You can say that about EVERY single developer.

[wicko]

Despite what others may think, there are right opinions, and there are wrong ones.

Kojima overrated is one of those wrong opinions.

[ico92]

lol at the reason for calling kojima overrated
'.....all those long-winded cut scenes and jumbled narratives kill whatever impact his games should have had..'
so the mgs cutscenes make him overrated , i mean is that the best they could do?

[Chuk_Chuk]

MGS4 was the first kojima game i played with no knowledge of the previous games and i enjoyed watching every single cutscene. It feels good to have a story once in a while.

[Sidewinder-]

Even people who don't necessarily like Metal Gear will say that statement is bull shit.

What next? Mario is crap because of all the variaty in it's levels?

Halo is crap because all the customisation is way convoluted?

Using pros as cons is just daft-as. Granted Metal Gear's cutscenes ARE long, but that is what makes it a Metal Gear game.

[solideagle1]

but kojima san overrated thats like telling me titanic runs on Desert.
thanks

[Solid_Snakeps3]

Kojima overrated?!?!?!?!!?! Never!

[RedPawn]

Kojima at least lived up to all his games.

[Nate-Dog]

At least make up good reasons for calling Kojima over-rated. At times he is, but just because of cutscenes and non-simplistic storylines? Pfft.

Dunno about West and Zampella, don't think anyone is giving them any sort of good credit nowadays after MW2 and their overblown fallout with Activision.

[ZombieAutopsy]

No cliffyB??

List is kind of a fail, Kojima, Tim, and Peter have all made critically acclaimed and commercially successful games....stupid article. Their is a difference between over-rated and successful, Tim is the closest to being over-rated on that list because of the terrible game that is Brutal Legend but even then his past works are incredibly good and loved.

[J5Feedback]

He makes good games, but people care way too much about his opinions and what not. He reminds me too much of Dane Cook. That's not a good thing.

[The Lazy One]

I don't think anyone thinks Cliffy B is that amazing. He's a pretty prevalent personality, and he's not a bad game designer, but I don't think anyone holds him to be one of the best game designers in the world.

[RGB]

Kojima... Overrated... wow I needed a laugh & this guy needs a brain.

[albel_nox]

Sure just because you can't follow a story Kojima is overrated. Hideo Kojima is brillant. Don't blame him for your shortcomings. Tim Schafer also is far from overrated. I've played both Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. They may not be AAA but they are good games.

[Urmomlol]

Thank you for someone finally having the balls to call Kojima overrated.

MGS isn't half as creative as people make it out to be. The characters are mostly uninspired rip offs, and the plot is such a convoluted mess that it serves only as a vehicle for Kojima to write a script that makes him sound a lot smarter than he really is.

He's not only overrated, but he's incredibly pretentious.

The only good MGS game was the first one. 2 was a disaster, 3 was decent and 4 wasn't even that fun to play.

[Nate-Dog]

How can you possibly say 3 was decent but 2 was a disaster? 2 is arguably the best in the series. Don't diss on a game or series just because you can't / don't want to follow it.

[timmyrulz]

I totally agree with you however you must having some balls for giving your opinion on this site, disagrees and labels of trolling are sure to start

[HDgamer]

Lol I smell a strong hint of ignorance and lies from you. Pretty sure you think COD and Halo have very strong stories. I take that back I'm pretty sure you believe that Super Mario has a deep and rich story that touches all minds above 20 years old.

[Dnied]

You obviously havn't gone through the extensive timeline available for free on the PS3 that outlines almost every detail from the series, an entire history / backstory, family trees and relationships etc.

If you don't understand the story it's your problem not Kojimas

[mintaro]

Well if it's that good a story, why would you even have to look through a timeline to understand it?

[Urmomlol]

Exactly. You shouldn't have to read a goddamn essay in order to understand a story. You should be able to know what's going on merely by playing the goddamn games --something which is virtually impossible with the MGS series. It's a huge cluster fuck.

Kojima is a terrible writer who clearly doesn't have an editor. There's a big difference between having a deep, complex story and a ridiculously complicated story that's complicated just for the sake of it.

People who defend the travesty that was MGS2's narrative either have no clue what makes a good story or are too busy clinging on to Kojima's nut sacks.

[Nate-Dog]

@Urmomlol: Don't mind the MGS database, there were a few mistakes in that and I never saw any point to it.

As for MGS2's story, what was the problem with it? Sure it can take a while to get down to, but it's not un-understandable. MGS3 and MGS4 added to the complexity without really needing it (MGS3 wasn't really needed, like a lot of prequels, and MGS4 was made really just to tie up the story rather than for the absolute need for a 4th game).

[Unicron]

"You should be able to know what's going on merely by playing the goddamn games --something which is virtually impossible with the MGS series"

Don't play Halo then.

[P_Bomb]

@urmomlol
MGS3 was ace. You'd be hard-pressed to diss the Subsistence edition with its reworked camera control. It's more than "decent".

On the story side, it's basically the 1st game in the entire series. Easy as hell to follow for newbs even with a couple twists. The fact that MGS4 gives the cast in MGS3 even more pop in hindsight by revealing them as the Patriots, that's just even more testament to Kojima investing in these charachters.

Who's an uninspired ripoff? You saying that when you 1st saw the Darpa chief in MGS1 you knew he'd eventually graduate from a throwaway charachter into being revealed as one of Big Boss' friends and one of the founding members of a world superpower that we didn't even know about in 1998? That the 1st mini-boss in MGS1 (Ocelot) would wind up being more important than the last boss?

How many designers/producer-directors keep developing a charachter even AFTER they've died, let alone let you play from a "villain's" POV (BigBoss in SnakeEater, PortableOps, PeaceWalker)?

[Sam Fisher]

listen if kojima is here, and cliffy b, sorry sorry, cliffard blezenski (or how ever the F*** you spell his name) isnt here. i refuse to even read this article.

[BeaArthur]

Agree with Molyneux, Fable is extremely overrated.

[ZombieAutopsy]

It's like the Call of Duty of RPG's, anyone can pick it up and play it and most of them have fun with it. I agree it's over-rated but it's still a good series, just wish Peter would deliver more on his promises.

[Pumbli]

Why is the writer hating on Psychonauts? Disgrace!

Though I agree that Brutal Legend wasn't really the best Tim Schafer game, it's a pretty awesome game nontheless.

But tell me, why shouldn't we forgive him for a few mistakes?

He made epic games that defined the childhoods of many gamers and then he screws up (not as badly as it sounds, Brutal Legend is great fun) one game and now he's overrated?

I guess everyone's entitled to have an opinion and imo Tim Schafer deserves every last bit of praise he gets.

[dredgewalker]

They are simply ignorant for putting Kojima in that list. I have enjoyed a lot of MGS games and they have never failed to entertain me.

[Ares84PS3]

Stating Kojima is over rated....wow. Site failed.

[Mandatory_Install]

David Jaffe is overated

[BlackPrince 42]

Jaffe's name is attached to a lot of classic games. God of
War was certainly best when he was the one directing it.

If this new TM ends up not working out then I might say you're
barking up the right tree.

[BlackPrince 42]

How on earth is Hideo Kojima overrated?

He basically invented the stealth genre, any list of best boss
fights usually has 2-3 Metal Gear Solid bosses, and any list of
best developers usually has him near the very top.

His works provoke enormous controversy while still maintaining widespread
critical acclaim. And Unlike Schafer his games actually sell well too.

Not to mention he has an absolutely rabid fanbase like no other. How
many other developers get death threats from fans who want more sequels?

[Pumbli]

"And Unlike Schafer his games actually sell well too."

Ouch dude, that was below the belt.

[BlackPrince 42]

Yeah I know, but it has to be said and it's most certainly his fault.

Schafer's writing is uniformly excellent but he's always struggled at merging good gameplay with his writing.

In a way he's like the opposite of Kojima, whose brilliance shines
through whenever he's orchestrating a mindblowing gameplay element,
but tends to fall short when he's putting together dialogue.

Ultimately though gameplay is king and that's why Kojima can get a pass
for pulling that Liquid-Ocelot-Arm twist out of his arse, but it's more
difficult to forgive Schafer for bland design.

[Urmomlol]

The only controversy MGS creates is whether they're shitty games or good games.

[BlackPrince 42]

Whether they are good or shitty is a matter of personal opinion, but there's no denying that whenever an MGS comes out the nature and use of cutscenes and codecs and the effect of cinema on video games in general is
usually debated.

Of the main titles it's hard to peg which is "the shitty one." Most people say MGS2, but then when you look back on it MGS2 had the most complex and thought provoking ideas. It was just a tough game to digest.

But in my book controversy is a good thing so here's hoping Rising stirs the pot like all the others did.

[CrzyFooL]

Take that flamebait picture down right now before Snake breaks your neck!!

After reading the article: Molyneux = YES (Overrated) Tim Schaefer = NO!!(Genius)

[Aleusia]

not only did the idiot call Kojima overrated, he pretty much trashed MGS. What kind of journalism is this? The article writer is clearly biased.

He didn't even explain why he's overrated, he just went on to trash mgs for having long cutscenes just like all the other haters.

[albel_nox]

He is just a MGS hater. His brain is to feeble to process a brilliant story like Metal Gears so he whines about it being too complicated.

[Aleusia]

Then he shouldn't have even included it. The definition of overrated has been turned around so much.

[n to the b]

never played any MGS so can't speak to that. as for Molyneux, now... hard to say. as far as gameplay itself, I'd have to say both Fable games are pretty f*ing good. but the story... my g0d, Fable II story is one of the worst!

or should I say 'what story?' all that work to gather 3 other heroes, just to **SPOILER** have them stand on an unexplained magical f*ing platform so that unexplained magical beams of light can sort of link to my main character and, like, do something... lend me their 'power'? lol stands for laugh-out-loud BAAAAAADD!!

EDIT: and don't even get me started on the ridiculous (and also completely unexplained - what is it??) upside-down pyramid 'boss'!

come on, am I the only one who thinks this?

[Xfanboy]

Mgs4 is a good movie.

[RedPawn]

Yup, and I'd pay another $64.92 for it, instead of all 3 X-Men Movies & Wolverine on Blu-Ray anyday.

Sometimes the dollar has now value only the product does.

[darkdoom3000]

looking at his name. I think he's trolling sarcastly. Still. trolling none the less.

[n to the b]

@darkdoom3000: reverse psychology trolling - it's the next big thing on n4g! :D

[darkdoom3000]

Not even gonna give them the hit.

[memphis2]

uh this guy forgot cliffy b and of course the creator or halo...these 2 should be the most OVERRATED OF ALL TIME!

[Djinn]

That idiot shigeru miyamoto is pretty over rated. ITS A ME A MARRRIO!!

[s45gr32]

I disagree with Kojima being overrated, his games win videogame awards and his games deliver deep complex anime style storylines that no other game developer can provide. Is just a shame that both of his fans and Konami would not let him work on any new game or franchise besides metal gear. Tim shaffer only has one bad game and is sad but true his previous videogame masterpieces did not sell pretty well. So replace hideo kojima with cliffy b, his games are not innovative or creative and really his games are rather blah.....

[BlackPrince 42]

Miyamoto?

I know I know, father of videogames creator of Mario and Zelda.

But look at it this way when it comes to features, rumble, motion control etc., he's very influential but as a game designer not much of his DNA exists in modern gaming.

The modern classics like BioShock, or ME 2, or Uncharted 2, don't have a lot in common with anything Miyamoto has done past or present. The the most popular genre sales wise, shooters, owes more to id and Bungie than to him.

And Miyamoto's output for the last few years hasn't been inspiring either. I'm not saying he's bad or anything, just that he isn't the videogame messiah he's made out to be.

[e-p-ayeaH]

well there´s some truth in there that probaly is enough to make Miyamoto overrated.

I think also Shinji Mikami is somewat overrated cause he did make some great stuff back in the day but i think ppl just praise the guy a little to much for nothing