Top Ten Most Overrated Games of the Past Decade By Brian Paterson on June 5th, 2008
We’ve seen it before and we’ll undoubtedly see it again: the gaming community gets so wrapped up in a particular title in the months prior to its release that reviewers feel obligated to score the game generously. As a result, gamers are forced to sift through dozens of titles deemed “must-haves” by popular magazines and websites only to be let down a few hours into play. Reviewers are not entirely to blame though, as many developers pour millions of dollars into immense advertising campaigns, touting even the most obviously flawed games as classics. These ten titles, though esteemed by many, are irrefutably the most glorified of the past ten years, and can guarantee you’ve played at least half of them.
10. Black and White (PC)
It was to be the marquee PC title of the new millennium. The premise was brilliant: the gamer assumes control of his budding nation by nurturing a creature from its infancy and training it to either unleash hell or take mercy on the land’s inhabitants. Add to the mix some of the most technically proficient visuals of its day and a number of previously inconceivable interaction options and you’d have one of the biggest selling PC games of all time – IGN awarded this title a 9.7, being swept up in the hype like a crinkled dollar in the wind. The truth is, Black and White’s baffling interface condemned it from the beginning. Communicating with your villagers was a chore, controls were a nightmare, and the creatures handled like a deafblind on Vicodin. Sadly, even when Black and White shined, tedium broke in almost immediately, making even the simplest tasks nearly unbearable to perform. If there is ever a third Black and White, here’s hoping to better execution on Molyneux’s part.
9. Dead or Alive Series (PSX, PS2, Xbox, 360)
Breasts. They’ve been a staple of the Dead or Alive series for years, and it remains an instant hit with thousands of pre-pubescent teenagers and middle-aged bachelors alike. Unfortunately for Tomonobu Itagaki, of Ninja Gaiden fame, it was not until the second iteration of Dead or Alive where the industry first took notice and that was for one thing: its astounding visuals. Not only were the buxom characters the most intricately detailed on any console fighting game but its environments were fully destructible, consisting of multiple levels to throw enemies (or be thrown) from. However, beyond DOA’s graphics, its shallow gameplay could not compete with the likes of Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur and Tekken. Furthering the shameless exploitation of Team Ninja’s series are Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball and Dead or Alive XTREME 2, in which gamers compete in beach mini-games and participate in photo shoots, amongst other things.
8. The Getaway (PS2)
Many eager gamers called Sony’s title Grand Theft Auto: London in the preceding months leading to its release, however, they could not foresee the uncompromising technical problems (there is zero user interface), lack of any sense of direction whilst driving and flawed action sequences marring the experience. Like so many gamers who compared the original Killzone to Halo, The Getaway could not even hold a candle to Rockstar’s renowned series. Though it was a success commercially thanks to a colossal PR push, it failed to attain the cinematic “realism” it strived for. The one thing The Getaway did achieve was the first use of the word “fuck” in a videogame, something millions of gamers undoubtedly said more than once during their time with it.
7. Crazy Taxi (DC)
I will assuredly be receiving copious amounts of flak for this title appearing on my list, but to this day, I believe that some games should remain strictly in the arcades. The House of the Dead, Cruisin’ USA, Metal Slug, and Crazy Taxi are a few of them. While furiously rampaging across Sega’s virtual city is a blast for about ten minutes, I found myself disinterested after a couple playthroughs. I’m sure gamers could think of something better to do than shuffle around virtual citizens by taxi to The Offspring’s “All I Want” every three minutes. And goodie, when you’re finished with the arcade mode, you can play a “pop the balloons” mini-game! Sorry Sega, Crazy Taxi would have made an excellent PSN or XBL title, but shelling out fifty beans for it when it can be played for two quarters at the movies was asking a lot.
6. Harvest Moon (Multi)
The Harvest Moon series earned itself a reputation amongst a small contingent of gamers beginning with Harvest Moon for the SNES and continuing through the currently in development Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for Wii. I understand the concept, work on a farm performing all the tasks a real farmer would, but what exactly is the draw? Is performing a menial task within a video game more entertaining than performing it in real life? Apparently, of course it is! Why slop around in pig slop all day when you can sow seeds and milk adorable Japanese cows in Harvest Moon? Call me shallow, but one job is more than enough. Games are meant as an escape from the monotony of labor, not a harsh reminder.
