Ben-DutkaGamers don't always agree with critics. But is there one game that received critical acclaim you just didn't understand? Or on the flip side, a game that didn't get anywhere near the praise you thought it would?
Personal preference and general opinion obviously play a role in all entertainment reviews, but there's also an objective side to any such analysis. Maybe you think the majority of critics were simply wrong in missing something (or in offering unjust compliments), and that's why the game's scores seemed off to you. Or maybe you believe a lot of critics had some sort of vendetta against a certain title for whatever reason, and you're sticking to that concept. It's always interesting to hear how gamers respond to reviews for major productions. Lots of contrasting reactions, sometimes.
I'm a gamer, too, and there have been plenty of times where I've been surprised by the overall critical response. Usually, I can make a pretty solid prediction but that isn't always the case. I sensed a definite bias against the admittedly floundering JRPG market when so many reviewers dumped on the White Knight Chronicles games, and I'll never understand the flak RAGE and Gran Turismo 5 received. Then there are games like Super Mario Galaxy that confuse me further; "Why'd this get so many perfect scores…? Maybe it's just a 10 in Nintendo's world, I don't know." But that's me.
What about you?
It may seem petty, but I think Gravity Rush received some sub-par review scores. Granted its Metacritic average is 83, yet I loved it so much that anything out of the 9 or 10 range seems absurd. With its uniquely amazing mechanics, anime-esque beauty, and intriguing narrative (plus the music!), I feel it was easily one of the year's best on any platform.
Last edited by Siris86 on 12/16/2012 10:50:37 PM
100% agree.
If I ever get me a Vita this will be one of the first games I reach for.
dude no way in hell gravity rush deserves a 9 let alone a 10!
the fighting mechanics are really basic and boring, so are the enemies and so are the simplistic and really easy boss battles.
its a great game and very artistic, the comic style cut scenes were so charming.
but it definitely had its flaws, and definitely does not deserve a 9!
@___________
Did you get a chance to fight the rare Inferno Nevi? Now that was tough!
Other than that the game was amazing and deserves at least 9.0 across the board. Kat is a fantastic character and the play/control mechanics were well done. A truly TOUGH Platinum to say the least.
i finished the game so yes.
the boss battles were not that tough, maybe im just speaking from my ninja gaiden shoes too much.
the enemies were far too similar and the combat was far too simplistic and restricted.
a perfect example of cut and paste game design if i ever saw one!
beautifully artistic and a great story, everything you would expect from a japanese developer.
but again also just like you would expect from a japanese developer it was very repetitive and basic.
Last edited by ___________ on 12/18/2012 7:58:59 AM
GR was my reason for buying a Vita at launch… It's been months and I've yet to finish it. I give a pass on some technical issues as 1st gen software but other stuff I can't. The combat is terrible and boring, amounting to mainly doing one more over and over again to glowing spots while occasionally doing a "special" move and hope it hits while you fight with the camera, at least the mid-gravity kick locking on seems to get a little better as you power up but it's 2012, a game like that shouldn't be having game play issues that were largely dealt with almost a decade ago. It failed to hold my interest, I think I'm almost done and probably should finish it though.
7/10 is fair, 8/10 too but beyond that one has to be pretty forgiving.
GTA IV. It took away everything that made San Andreas & Vice City fun, added annoying cell phone calls and the ability to be killed by a car doing 5mph. That game deserved an 8.5 at best, yet somehow it got almost perfect scores and is now ranked with the elite. I also know that MGS4 was kept from its' place in the hall of fame by one idiotic web review that gave it an 8. Guess that was somehow karma. Wait, I was screwed both times. That's just bad luck. Crap.
Be killed by car running at 5mph?
Agreed. GTA IV was a pretty good game, no doubt, but far from deserving of the almost unanimous perfect scores.
Maybe driving a prius? Is silent at those speeds and you'd be underneath it by the time you heard it
It was also really poorly optimised on PS3; the framerate, to put it bluntly, is crap; rendered in sub-HD; multiplayer is ridiculously buggy; it's not even worth playing the multiplayer anymore. All these things really hinder my enjoyment of the game now that I'm aware of them, after playing games like Uncharted that are optimised to perfection.
I think everyone, including myself, swept these things under the carpet at the time because, y'know, it's f*cking GTA :p But these problems really are major to me.
Retrospectively, I'd probably have given it somewhere in the region of 8.9 – 9.4.
Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 12/17/2012 11:35:32 AM
I agree with all you said there, Liam. It really was horrible framerate, at times it felt like wading through syrup.
Still loved Medal of Honor Warfighter.
Yup, me too – I personally rate that game an 8.5/10, and it's easily my favourite FPS this year, and I enjoyed it far more than Black Ops 2 off or online (my fave shooter is probably unit 13 though).
Mario galaxy was a 10. Critics were harsh with gt5, but I think the reviews didn't matter, it was fun.
Personally for me its Infamous 2. Its still one of my favorite games this gen. Its a 9.75 for me and critics didn't understand its greatness. It was such an jmprocementnover an already awesome first game.
~Wrote
Mario galaxy wasn't a 10 for me. Galaxy 2 was near perfect for me. It improved on everything that made galaxy good and just put the first one to shame. Hoping that if they make a new galaxy on the WiiU that they make it with co-op. That was the only thing missing from it. At least for me.
Infamous 2 improved all around. So many nitpickers on that :.
Last edited by sawao_yamanaka on 12/16/2012 11:29:56 PM
I actually agree. Galaxy 2 felt like what they actually wanted 1 to do. It fixed my main problem with 1, the stupid camera. Also Yoshi is the sh*t and he made the game that much better. I'm actually waiting on a 3d Mario(and Zelda) to get a wii u.. and monolith sorts next game.
I also want a new infamous, with a new main character made by sucker punch.
Yup, exactly. Galaxy 2 just felt more completely and Yoshi is freaking awesome. I'm hoping that they make a new game with Cole as the lead character again. One for the vita as well. The more games the merrier for me.
When the vita was first revealed as ngp, I thought an infamous would be perfect, and be the killer app for the vita for me.. even if they had someone like sanzaru games develop it, but one exclusive to the vita made by sucker punch would be the best. Like no ps3 version for cross play, just exclusive.
I think a create your own character in a more open world online game almost mmo like would be really cool and work.
Either way I don't think Sony's done with the infamous franchise and we'll hear about it soon.
IGN gives playstation exclusives a lower score than each title should get, so I think they get everthing wrong.
A few of em.
GTA IV, it was like they built this amazing city and wrote a fun story with cool cut scenes and then rushed the mechanics, missions, and features.
Splatterhouse. That game is fun, it has a unique art style, it harkens back to the old days, has a unique battle system, humor, and a fun story. What did these reviewers expect, Citizen Kane?
Dark Void was a better game than it got credit for. It wasn't like an Uncharted level production but it didn't have any significant tech problems either.
Of course Dante's Inferno caught flack for being a GOW clone. Though I can't say I agree with Destructoid's 10 score I thought it was a point higher than most said. Those smooth, pretty 60fps battles in creative levels of Hell still give me shivers.
inFamous 2 got crapped on, and while there was some reason to crap on it nobody seemed to notice the improvements. I did.
And of course, I just think everyone is blinded by CoD. I'm not saying they aren't great games with plenty of content that deserve high scores but I will say that that franchise is allowed many many many passes that other games aren't given.
Yeah, WKC oretty much sums it up for me.
Mafia II. its not as if critics riped it apart but when it came out it seemed like there was alot of hate for it going around. i think it was a solid 8.5. it had a phenomenal story. terrific writing. excellent characters. a beautiful breathtaking city. a second to none art direction. and intense and satisfying combat.
it did get alot of praise from some critics. but some sites giving it like 5 or 6 /10 was just plain wrong. in my opinion.
agreed man, loved the mafia 2 storyline with all my heart
yeah Undertaker it was a truly epic tale.
hey your name goes good with my avatar haha 🙂
I'll third that emotion, and even got the M2 plat trophy to prove it too, LOL
Last edited by BikerSaint on 12/18/2012 11:54:29 PM
The review of Resident Evil 6 by Destructoid, it's just a plain bashing of the game. And Enslaved, I hated that game. In the end it's just underwhelming for me with all that praise. I know that the combat is not going to be good like Ninja Gaiden or God Of War. I'm just curious about the story and the settings. The first part is a breath of fresh air because of the scenery, but it was short lived because upon reaching Trip's Village well you have an idea of what's going to happen next, but cliche like that isn't bad if done pretty well, cause I still anticipating that awesome climax where trip will free monkey from the headband, I thought it was gonna be epic, I imagined that after Trip disabled the headband monkey will went away and then will come back in epic situation or he will just say, well I'm also going that way I might as well tag along. But all I get is "put it back on". Well it's just underwhelming for me. And you know how the last boss fight goes. I'm just underwhelmed by it.
You sort of missed the whole point of that exchange. Or I think you might have. "Put it back on" isn't a bad plot bridge, it's all in his face and voice, he's saying the he knows she needs him and even after enslaving him and forcing him to do things he's willing to go through it again for her because he wants to help now, he's invested and he will stay by her side.
That climax is what I'm waiting for and eager to see how it will play out. But it was just plain on how that scene go. That's the cliche but if done well it can be epic. Maybe I'm just expecting too much, but that scene is underwhelming for me. I could go for the scene where Monkey walked away after trip release him, and maybe Trip is expecting Monkey to comeback then realize he really abandoned her and she stands up walks away then a few minutes suddenly a voice, Monkey's voice saying "Hey! on second thought I'm going on the way where you're going might as well join you". and Monkey smiles a little, a sort of embarrass smile, then Trip says "ok" wipe a little tears in her eyes and then she faces Monkey with a beautiful smile. I was expecting a scene like that or much more beautiful than I can imagine.
Last edited by homura on 12/17/2012 1:20:06 AM
I like what actually happened better. 😉
Your idea is a little more cliche, I think the one used was more edgy. Imply the emotion when it's too hard to face.
World,
I liked cliche like that, accompanied by a great music in the right cue. As I said cliche is not bad if done pretty well.
Nier.
Sublime music.
Average graphics.
Wonderful story.
Has more personality in its little finger than in the whole of Final Fantasy XIII.
I Whole-heartedly agree, Nier was one of my favourite games of the generation. I still listen to the soundtrack from time to time.
YES…
Nier.
I got so damn pissed seeing the reviews that just completely destroyed what score it should've gotten. Saying Nier had like, an 'identity crisis' and that it didn't know what it wanted to be, when the reality was it was making parodies, tributes and references to games of old as a Tip-of-the-hat like the Text-adventure scene or Resident Evil haunted mansion or Legend of Zelda in the temple boss. Not just that of courser but the whining about the visuals of it, the only thing it'd ever get praised for was its soundtrack from time to time in those reviews.
Both Lost Odyssey and Nier are 'The' RPGs of the decade.
Mass Effect 2. I really like this game, but it being hailed as the game of a generation is absurd. Good gameplay, amazing characters, but any lack of a real narrative arc other than gaining trust of the side characters and then being thrust into the final mission doesn't create as tightly or as well structured of a story.
And it limits the game from advancing in terms of its design because the missions are a bit repeptitive and limited because we must gain or do not gain the trust of so many of the characters to the point.where the game design and missions are limited because it's always one or two outcomes regardless of mission diversity.
Also Male Shepherd's VA is atrocious. He is flat and dull where as Jennifer Hale is incredible. Jennifer Hale for the win. That doesn't really factor into my opinion though.
It's a really good game, but isn't worthy of being put in the same category as masterpieces like MGS4, U2, Heavy Rain, Bioshock or RDR. Just me.
Please allow me to sincerely protest! 🙂
ME2 was *f*a*n*t*a*s*t*i*c*. And the gaining of trust from the different characters was what the entire game was all about! Each their stories were so diverse and had all their little magical moments, man I even get goose bumps now while thinking back on the days of playing ME2.
The final battle were just… You know, the final scene. That's where what you did while collecting your crew came into play for that final moment. But the GAME were the trust missions. And they were *f*a*n*t*a*s*t*i*c*.
I never played the male Sheperd though. There's only one Shep for me, and that's FemShep. 🙂
I liked mass effect. But I didn't get the big deal about it either.
ME2 really was something else. It's probably the single most significant experience I've had in gaming this gen.
Me too, Temjin!
It's funny. Me2 us the only me I played. I haven't finished it and I don't have the motivation to pick it up again either
Monster Hunter games. I'm not saying it should get perfect scores, I just think they should get something better than 6s. The rampant fanbase here in asia should be an indication as to how awesome those games are.
I only played Freedom Unite, but I reckon a 6 is too forgiving. That game was just… not good at all.
Those were my initial thoughts. Once I got a hang of the controls, it became fun. It is a game of pure gameplay so anyone looking for some sort of story is gona be extremely disappointed.
It is also a great coop game. Over 500 hours clocked in on MHFU on the PSP.
Killzone 2 and 3. 2 for being overrated, and 3 for being underrated.
Well, for me 2 was rightfully rated but 3 was overrated.
It seems like the series is forever given the average rating. The first Killzone had too much counters on it not being a "Halo killer", and not enough praise on being able to go through the levels with a different objective depending on what character you chose and it's online multiplayer.
Killzone 2 was about right at 91 on metacritic (I think it is anyway). It's lighting engine is unlike any other game, and the gun combat, with the intense A.I and well-worked cover mechanic, justifies it. The only thing it really falters on is the underwhelming story and the lack of a cohesive experiance, mostly due to the story but also the general pacing of the game.
In Killzone 3…I still don't really know what to think about it. The story had more effort in it's attempt to mimic a typical Hollywood action-villian film, but the story telling was seriously underwhelming. And the pacing wasn't done anywhere near as well as the second (which wasn't brilliant to begin with). I don't know the critic response for Killzone 3, but I'd give it nothing higher than a 9, probably 8.7 – 9.0.
I can't really think of any that I can truly say ate objectively off base. The closest would probably be FFXIII. But even though I absolutely detest the game and couldnt play it for more than a couple of hours without getting so frustrated with the mechanics that I basically ragequit, I can't honestly say that the mechanics are bad. Theyre just the complete opposite of what I want in a game. So, as much as I'd want to give it a 6, I really can't.