The Most Overrated Games of Recent Memory

The Masses: “Dude! You’ve got to get this game it is so f$^king awesome!”
You: “Sweet man, I’ll go get it right now.”
[Later that day]
You: “What the f*^k?! Why, oh, why did I buy this?”
You: [possible sobbing]

We’ve all been there, we listened to the glorified reviews of a game and it didn’t live up to the hype. Well here is my list of some of the most overrated games of recent memory:

[DragonWarrior]

Personally, I think 99% of the games that come out are totally overrated. But the fact is that we just take what we can get.

[Brash_Attack]

I'm going to agree and disagree. I agree that most games now a days are overrated, but, personally, I don't "just take what [I] can get". I'm choosy. I'm putting myself through college and still trying to live a life. I can't just buy every game that comes out. I have to be careful when buying games as to not waste precious cash-moniez. I don't take what I can get.

[fossilfern]

Im with Brash. I used to buy most games when they came out but i realised I was wasting my money and I needed that money for other things and iv come to realise how much I value the money I earn. So now I pick games that I know I'll like

[Eyeco]

the word overrated is overrated.

[StanLatMarveldotCom]

I don't think Halo: ODST was overrated. It had a great campaign and introduced Firefight mode to the series. If you weren't a fan of Halo it wouldn't have made you a convert. I don't think Black Ops was overrate either, the single player was standard FPS fare and I play the game on XBL so I've never experienced connectivity issues having 9 days of gameplay. I think Modern Warfare 2 was the low point of the Call of Duty series having poor weapon and perk balance but Black Ops does a better job of balancing both. To say guns have no recoil is ridiculous or the writer hasn't played Modern Warfare 2.

[kancerkid]

So I guess it is against the rules anymore to say a PS3 exclusive is over-rated, right?

I would go with Oblivion, though, either way.

I am not a Morrowind purist though (which hasn't aged well itself), I just cannot play Oblivion for how long it should be played because there are so many broken mechanics.

I have played Borderlands for 4+ days in one save, whereas I have only put 60 hours into Oblivion in the past 3 years.

Maybe I should get the fixed (PC) version of Oblivion

[Eyeco]

@StanLatMarveldotCom

i don't know why you got so many disagrees for being right , mw2 was the worst in the series i mean LMAO @ the killstreaks, your gonna give somone on 25 killstreak the ability to end the game in 2seconds , lol talk about unbalanced , BO was more balanced and more polished, how many patches were released for MW2 and its still buggy, that game was a travesty goty my ass

[Headquarters11]

Where's Crysis 2?

[Rumor]

"epically" made me lol "Epicly" is much more internet-acceptable.

OT: yea, i didn't even purchase cod:BO, don't plan to and will not on any further cod games. not spilling haterade here, but ps3 has waaaaaay too many exclusives coming and battlefield 3 is looking phenomenal.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Put Modern Warfare 2 instead of Black Ops.

And Halo 3 instead of ODST.

I still agree with the list, but there were better choices.

[RedSky]

Just like movie blockbusters, games nowadays are so big budget they have to stoop to the lowest common denominator to make back their budget. Everyone understands explosions. Not everyone understand complex storylines or cares about developing characters.

Guess where the money goes.

Also buying reviewers with exclusive pre-release version offers. Remember the last time a pre-release review for a big budget game was negative? Neither do I.

[lelo2play]

From the list... Limbo was a great game, but short.

Halo's... they are good games, but way overrated.

COD... well... every year it's... same sh*t, different smell.

Assassin's Creed... OK game.

Probably be hammered here in N4G but... but there are a few PS3 exclusives that are way overrated... mainly due to the fan-boys. Good or bad, PS3 fan-boys do tend to overate their exclusives to the death.

... and there are quite a few games that are underrated mainly because they are multiplatform games.

[DragonWarrior]

what ps3 games are overrated?

[evrfighter]

Killzone, gt5, heavy rain was ok but here at N4g it was "best game evar!!!!111!!!!!", gow3 was a borefest

My opinion btw

[Echo307]

"there are a few PS3 exclusives that are way overrated..."

Oh man, I can already feel the animosity starting to build just based on this comment.

A PS3 game that's overrated? Preposterous!

EDIT @evrfighter

I'll agree that if you read nothing but N4G comments, Killzone 3 and GT5 are 'mildly' overrated. But that's only because the SDF boys here counter every piece of non-PS3 news with a PS3 game so no matter what article you're reading, you hear about PS3 exclusives.

Personally, I loved Heavy Rain. And God of War 3 is definitely NOT boring. One of the best games this gen, IMO.

@silly

He said something that negatively reflects the PS3... so yes, there will be fireworks. Did you forget where we are? ;-)

[Silly gameAr]

@Echo307

You think his comment holds that much weight? It's his opinion. Everyone is entitled to one.

[zootang]

I think it's the other way round, nearly every xbox360 exclusive is over rated in my opinion. What 360 exclusive is a 10/10? The reason why I sold my 360. PS3 on the other hand had LBP, Demon Souls, Flower, GT5, Uncharted.

[TKCMuzzer]

I don't understand. I have a 360 as well and there are many games on there that are overrated. So your point is useless as many 360 fanboys overrate 360 games. See the pattern.

[dgonza40]

i thought Red Dead Redemption was overrated.
dont get me wrong, it was good, but not amazing.
The ending felt very forced, quick, and unsatisfying
SPOILER
when John walks out of the barn to die, there's no send-off music, no one is talking, and john doesnt say anything. He just breaths deeply for like 20 seconds, then the officer lights his cigar, and the bad guys walk away. how f*ing lame is that?
The real ending where his son kills Ross isnt as cinematic either. Music does amplify emotion, so idk why they wouldnt include music in two of the most important scenes in Red Dead. Again, the game is good, but like a book, the ending is important

[spektical]

@dgonza40

i felt exactly the same way. It was as if Rockstar needed a quick ending to a very long, yet interesting narrative. Seems like they either didnt have time or ran out of ideas to form a nice flowing conclusion.

[Iroquois_Pliskin]

@evlfighter

You´ve never played them.

[NanoSoldier]

And the fanboy war goes on in here. what I can tell you is that a Uncharted, Killzone or God of War is very far from being overrated.

[Vherostar]

That list is BANG ON. Never heard of Limbo but the other 3 are top 3 in my book. ODST only because it was an overpriced expansion pack.

[Dart89]

Cod has been getting over hyped every year after cod 4.I member last year everyone saying blk ops was going to b the best it's a freakin snore fest it's not fun to play like mw1 is.

[metsgaming]

GTA4 for sure, and all the cods. Those are at the top and just after those i would say halo.

[HeavenlySnipes]

But only 2. Now please don't bubble rape me lol, but I found 2 almost the same as the first. The only real fun was doing the main missions or the catacomb ones. Finding feathers and shit was too boring for me, and was a pain especially because Ezio loved climbing the wrong way or jumping off a ledge when I CLEARLY did not press anything to do that.I ended up just stopping about 3/5's along the way and haven't touched it for about 5 months.

ODST wasn't really overrated because we all say it should of been DLC. When have you heard someone defend it going full retail?

COD has always been the most barebones FPS. Only casual FPS players claim its the best FPs ever. While the majority of us hardcore gamers would agree that several FPSs are better.

[QuodEratDemonstrandm]

You don't even remember the first Assassin's Creed... a testament to how overrated it was. Go to Damascus (or Acre, or Jerusalem), climb the towers, save the civilians, listen to a conversation, give someone a beat down, pick a pocket, then kill the target, rinse, repeat.
Then Came AC2. I didn't catch any of the hype, I just knew it was coming, so I can't really comment on whether or not it was overrated, or whether or not it deserved the praise it got, but I did enjoy it, much more than the first. I can understand if you didn't, I had some of the same issues you mentioned, the tedium of finding feathers, and the missed jumps, but... another agree.... the main story and the Assassin tombs were a lot of fun. I also have to admit, I liked the glyph puzzles.

Overrated? Maybe, but overrated doesn't necessarily mean BAD, just like popular doesn't necessarily mean good. A good game can be over hyped by critics and players (GTA4 is an example, so is Final Fantasy XIII), and a game that doesn't even rate being called shovelware can become wildly popular (A hyperbolic statement, but you get the drift).

[HeavenlySnipes]

but I do think its overrated. I'd give the game an 8-8.5. I did play and complete AC however (yeah I know I'm weird) but it was probably because it was one of my first next gen games so I didn't really give a shit on the gameplay. lol

[QuodEratDemonstrandm]

I don't think it's weird. I finished the story. I just didn't get to all the Templar knights and flags.

I'd rate AC2 and AC: Brotherhood about the same 8-8.5... maybe a 9 for Brotherhood. The Romulus Lairs are a lot better than the Assassin Tombs, but the Armor of Brutus is..... I don't like that look. I preferred the Altair Armor in AC2.

and now I'm out of Bubbles....

[Baka-akaB]

I dont see how a 8 or 8.5 title , in your own opinion and wording , can be overrated . Unless you use the scale and rating way too loosely .

I disagree either way .

There isnt anything else that offer what Assassin creed 2 offers , besides well the assassin creed serie .

Games that mix so well actual element of culture and history with fiction arent legion . Heck they are usually only the good old fashioned point and click mystery/pc adventure games .

Their numbers take an even bigger dip , when you add fidel historical architectures .

The story itself was already easily better than most current games .

And even the "cash-in" current sequel Brotherhood , has beaten expectations with its content , and its surprisingly good multiplayer , when most cynicals like myself , expected a tacky tacked on mp experience .

Overall the serie is a very unique experience in every aspects . I dont get how it could be even called overrated .

Another abuse of the word imo .

They becomes even more rare

[shuuwai]

Here's my list.

AC 1
COD
Too Human
GTA4
MAG
Gear of War 2
Fable
GT5
Warhammer online
Mirror Edge(still good)
HomeFront
Tabula Rasa

[Anderson8]

i agree with creed.. i just cant get over how clunky the parkour is and the fact that is platforming without a jump button!!. holding in x leads to jumping of the top of the highest building when all i wanted to do was turn around..

...ah well

[Kon]

Final Fantasy is very overrated.

[B1663r]

Lol, is it trolling to say that FF13 was downright bad??? I don't want to lose anymore bubbles;(

[QuodEratDemonstrandm]

By the standards of the Final Fantasy games I remember playing... it was pretty bad. It didn't deserve the Final Fantasy title. I miss FF7. I'll have to DL it when I get some funds added to PSN. I think I still have the strategy guide. (Say it with me "F'n nerd")

That's not to say it was a terrible game though. It was worth what I paid for it.
When that Godzilla movie with Ferris Bueller came out a friend of mine said the director made a good monster movie, but not a good Godzilla movie. I could say that here. Square made a good RPG, but not a good Final Fantasy.

[Baka-akaB]

nah the movie was pretty bad , even without drawing comparisons to Godzilla .
Any syfy monster crap like "Sharktopus" would easily beat it , if given the same budget

[Otheros00]

No. Hate xiii as well.

[ASTAROTH]

Well ad Crysis 2 to the list...

Ohh and its all based on opinions and they are like an a$$, everybody have one. . .

[SolidDuck]

I agree with all of those. Gta 4, odst, and limbo for sure. They were all huge letdowns. Odst and limbo were a joke value wise. And besides graphically, Gta 4 was the worst in the series.

[SuicidalTendencies]

If you're dumb enough to listen to hype from other people you deserve to have your money wasted.

[Suicyco 13]

ST is one of my favorite bands!

[SuicidalTendencies]

Mine as well....obviously...hence the name.

What's your favorite album? Mine is pictured but I also love their first album.

[SolidDuck]

What retro? Dragon age? Borderlands? Look I'm not going to bash u cause of your opinion, but those two games are two of my favorites. And I'm sorry the new twisted metal will be great. TM will have one major thing going for it most games fail at nowadays, is that is going to be a blast to play. It won't be the best looking or deepest game, but it will be that old school fun that I miss in games today. Just my opinion.

[dragon82]

Funny thing is I own every game on that list. LOL

[anubis56]

lol even Jesus is funny ><

[rob6021]

Black Ops, OSDT, and Assasins Creed 2 all had 'Review Events', and all games scored well, no surprise.

Halo 2, Bioshock, Halo 3, Gears of War 2, MGS4, GTA4, Halo 3 ODST, Assasin's Creed 2, Call of Duty MW2, Call of Duty Black Ops, and now Bulletstorm, and Crisis 2 all held 'Review Events'. Every last game is overrated out of those if you ask me, and sequels ride the coatails of previous high scores.

AC1 didn't score that high because reviewers hadn't had their integrity manipulated with yet, until game 2 hit.

[Solid_Snake-]

MGS4 how dare you?

[Undeadwolfy]

MGS4? Grrr... definitely not overated...MGS4 delivered. very very well. how dare you indeed.

[slate91]

Halo 2 and Bioshock 1? Halo 2 basically revolutionized online gaming for the consoles and Bioshock introduced a new and very successful IP. Both of them won plenty of GOTY awards from developers and fans alike...

[Fromrio]

This article is ridiculous - it should have listed BAD games that were overhyped, instead of enjoyable but not great games that were overhyped. What the hell were this guy's expectations for Limbo anyways - it's an independent game with a unique visual style and unique gameplay...do you really need to replay it 15 times????

[kikizoo]

? overyped don't mean all the time "bad", so it's completly acceptable to talk about overyped games, who was good, but not as good as we should have expected with marketing and/or reviews.

[anubis56]

GTA4

Killzone2 and 3

Uncharted 2

CoD:blops

The Halos "didn't play any of them"

Enslaved

dats it!!

[NoobJobz]

How can you say a game is overrated if you never played it? I mean I agree that Halo is but you've never played them, so how would you know. Just a guess?

[maxcer]

because he listens to the gospel that is the N4G users.

[strickers]

I don't agree with UC2.That game is great and one of the best this gen.
KZ2 I agree with single player but not multi.
I can't say for 3 single player but the multi is superb,nothing less.

[nano88]

nigga halo are u serious all halos are classic omg uncharted 1 and 2 wow

[hoops]

There are so many games out now that are over rated.

[xstation79]

Another article that just list some of the most popular games and call them overrated. Just another excuse to hate on cod and halo. Maybe one day people will get tired of talking shit about the 2 most popular franchises in recent history. Why don't you people just get a wii and play wii sports or something if you hate games that much?

[IHateYouFanboys]

ODST - i dont agree. i think its underrated if anything. it was a great ADD-ON that was released at retail. Bungie called it an add-on, we all know its an add-on since it even has Halo 3 in the title, but Microsoft - the publisher - wanted as much money as possible so they charged full price for it. as such, people treated it like a full retail game when it shouldnt have been treated as such, and under-rated it because it wasnt a complete game.

Limbo - cant agree there, its brilliant. itd be like calling the statue of david overrated because its only a single statue of one person. whats there is brilliant, and deserves all the acclaim it gets.

Black Ops i agree with to an extent. i havent played more than 20 mins of single player so dont know either way about that, but its multiplayer isnt overrated IMO, at least not on the 360. it works, i always have green connection, and its fun. on the PS3 i know its a different story, and yes, it has its problems, but i dont think you can call it overrated when 1mil+ still play it online every day.

some games i would add to the list:

PS3 exclusives:
- Uncharted 2 - good game, but nowhere near the second coming of christ that fanboys make it out to be.
- MGS4 - if youre a diehard MGS fan then maybe it lived up to the hype, but for everyone else it didnt really. too convoluted and full of itself, not enough actual gameplay, and terrible loading/installing.
- Killzone 2/3 - apart from graphics, theyre nothing special.
- Resistance 2 - Resistance 1 was great, 2 sucked. how it got higher review scores ill never know.
- God of War 3 - very good game, but its just God of War 2 in HD. did nothing new whatsoever.

360 exclusives:
- Halo 3 - multiplayer is fantastic, co-op campaign is great, but the campaign overrall still left me a bit wanting. good game, but not as good as the 360 fanboys make it out to be (multiplayer aside).
- Fable - good, but didnt really deliver on promises.

now i know youll all cry 'xbox'/'360 fanboy' because i listed more PS3 exclusives, but its not like that - the reason i say theyre overrated is because the fanboys/ps3 fanboy sites all say theyre the best games ever and give them 10/10 etc, then they turn out to be 8-9/10 WHICH ARE STILL GOOD/GREAT SCORES. and the reason why i listed more PS3 exclusives is because there are more, and there are more PS3 fanboys that claim every exclusive is the best game ever.

theyre the very definition of overrated - good, but not as good as people make them out to be.

[Solid_Snake-]

well said.

metal gear solid 4 wasnt over rated in my opinion.

[HellzAssassin]

Uncharted 2: Gameplay was flawless, the gunplay was well done, graphics are incredibly impressive, storytelling is beyond most movies out there, voice acting is top-notch, platforming, etc. My only complaint was the lack of variety of weapons. And I do not think Uncharted 2 is the best game ever, but I don't agree with you saying it's overrated. It deserves it's scores.

MGS4: Besides the "terrible loading/installing" which seemed to be your biggest gripe. How has the gameplay NOT improved from it's predecessors? Explain? The variety of guns, ability to customize them, storytelling was pretty well done as well. Graphics are actually quite impressive too.

Killzone 2/3 - It's a unique FPS. First person cover system, and alot of thought put into the environments. Intelligent AI systems (KZ2), brutal melee systems, and an incredible online component that sets it apart from many of the other FPS's out there.

Resistance 1/2: I agree with you on that

GoW3: Never played it. But I'm sure there's many improvements to which you never took into consideration.

Than again, those are just my opinion, but your statement at the end was hilarious! Same with the Uncharted 2 one, hahaha. To be quite honest, most of the PS3 heavy hitter exclusives are actually top-notch and incredible; therefore many of the "so-called PS3 fanboys" claim it's the best game ever for a reason.

[silvacrest]

"but i dont think you can call it overrated when 1mil+ still play it online every day"

the amount of people who play a game regularly has no bearing on whether the game is overrated or not

i'll admit halo has good multiplayer features but that's all i would give it, fable 1 was great but it got progressively worse

i thoroughly enjoyed the PS3 games you mentioned so i wont go there

[IHateYouFanboys]

the thing you guys are missing is that i didnt say they werent good games (apart from MGS4/R2), just that theyre overrated.

i had a blast playing GoW3, think Killzon3 is fantastic, and i enjoyed U2 - but IMO they are still overrated. none of them push boundaries, none of them do anything new, theyre just good games with above average graphics - but the fanboys maked them out to be so much more. the overrate them.

just because something is very good doesnt mean its not overrated.

@HellzAssassin: "Uncharted 2: Gameplay was flawless"

in your opinion. in mine the gameplay was mediocre, as you really had very little options or input in how the game was played. there was never more than 1 way to get to the next part of the game, the enemy AI was mindless and consisted of shooting from cover, then throwing pinpoint accurate grenades at your feet if you stayed behind the same cover for more than 5/10 seconds (depending on difficulty level), and it just felt too much like i was being led through the game. too linear IMO.

RE: MGS4 - "How has the gameplay NOT improved from it's predecessors? Explain?".

a few ways - drebin points are stupid. being able to buy any gun you want whenever you want is so incredibly stupid and unrealistic, and it hurts the game by making it too easy.
- it was often easiest just to run through the level without being sneaky or even killing enemies.
- there was absolutely no reason to play it stealthily. with unlimited ammo for every weapon, wheres the incentive to hide in a shadow for 45 seconds for a guard to look the other way, advance 10m, hide in another shadow, and rinse and repeat? just blow the hell out of them and run to the next bit.
- the AI is stupid. you could be on the ground sprawled out right at an enemies feet but because your suit is camouflaged to the colour of the ground he cant see you. thats ridiculous.

and as a gamer who holds MGS in his top 5 games of all time, MGS4 just left me bitterly disappointed in every way. the storytelling especially was atrocious. PMC this, PMC that, telling the same story over and over and over for 11 hours of cutscenes.

"Killzone 2/3 - It's a unique FPS"
- lol. nothing unique about Killzone 2/3 at all.

"brutal melee systems"
- you mean scripted melee kills? like the ones found in Halo Reach? or AVP? or pretty much every other FPS game of the last 5 years?

"incredible online component"
KZ3 online is awesome, good fun - but its absolutely bare bones compared to even Halo 3 which came out in 2007. KZ3 is even more basic than KZ2 was, and KZ2 was barebones.

"GoW3: Never played it. But I'm sure there's many improvements to which you never took into consideration. "

- nope, there werent. again, i absolutely LOVE god of war. 1 and 2 are also probably in my top 10 games of all time. but 3 was just them in HD - i expected more. the story wasnt the greatest compared to the others, the gameplay was virtually identical, and the game just came down to learning AI routines and exploiting their weakness. had fun with it, completed it twice, but it was essentially a PS2 game in HD.

[ThanatosDMC]

"- the AI is stupid. you could be on the ground sprawled out right at an enemies feet but because your suit is camouflaged to the colour of the ground he cant see you. thats ridiculous."

If you played MGO and there's a Snake and MKII player in the match, you'll see how Octocamo looks from an enemy's perspective. It's like Stealthcamo but in the sense of cloak being seen with movement or somebody with really good eyes. It's really hard to see Snake.

[Otheros00]

But M$ didn't call it an add-on. Halo:ODST is an add-on and it should have been priced like one. Add-ons for a $60 game shouldn't even be $60. An add-on for a game that cost the same as the game when it came out doesn't make sense and NEVER HAPPEN BEFORE IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE GAMING INDUSTRY. You are paying twice for halo 3.

[SSKILLZ]

Halo and mario bros .

[Raven_Nomad]

That list has no overrated games IMHO.

Overrated to me means the game is well hyped and didn't live up to expectations.

So like back in 2005 when we saw the first Killzone 2 footage that was CGI and here we are 6 years later and it still isn't anywhere near that, to me that is overrated. Also the whole "Halo Killer" aspect with that game makes it one of the most overrated in recent memory.

Also I'll say Too Human though fun was a letdown and overrated.

Same thing with MGS4, which I couldn't even finish, I loved the series up until that point, but it seems they forgot the stealth and actual "Game" part to their "Video Game"

Almost anything can be overrated to one person or another, really it's more opinion then fact when it comes right down to it.

[NoobJobz]

My personal overrated list includes Halo 3 and Gears 2. Those were two games that I waited hours upon hours in line waiting for midnight release and spent previous months reading about them online. I was highly disappointed with both. But then again that may be because I was expecting so much out of them. Maybe if I had gone in with low expectations they would have seemed better. Anyway, I haven't done midnight launches since then. I try not to get hyped about games, so I don't expect perfection and then end up disappointed.

[ThanatosDMC]

Lost Planet 2 is something i waited with high expectations then just had to trade it back in. It was so disappointing. I wanted a good co-op game with my stupid friends. Hopefully, Socom 4 will live up to my expectations with it's 5 player co-op.