Most overrated games of 2012

Posted by on December 11, 2012 in Features

Overrated is a loaded term. It looks good in a headline. It’s often used for no purpose other than to goad a reaction. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. When I call a game overrated, I don’t mean it’s bad, that the reviews were wrong, that the people who liked it were dopes, or even that I didn’t like it. It just means I’m surprised more people weren’t more critical, that the conversation wasn’t more often about ways the game could have been better.

After the jump, the most overrated games of 2012

10) Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Why are so many people — myself included — so happy with Activision’s annual iterations when there are sequels like Darkness II, Borderlands 2, and Bioshock 2? Call of Duty has left the realm of game and ascended into eventhood, and I can’t help but wonder how much its eventhood affects how we feel about the individual games.

Read the review here.

9) Endless Space

Endless Space is all stylish interface and not much else, mainly because the AI is incapable of playing the game the designers have made. A pretty game that doesn’t work is ultimately just a game that doesn’t work.

8) Dishonored

A little Thief, a little Bioshock, a little Deus Ex. It’s an ambitious mix, and I love that Arkane Studios attempted it. But I’m not convinced it was served well in this collection of small levels, weirdly tuned powers, and often rote gameplay beats. Is it a shooter? Is it a sneaker? Both? Neither? And what does that chaos level actually do, anyway?

7) Crusader Kings II

This is one of Paradox’s finest games, but it’s so often so obtuse in its expression of Medieval families, politics, and how to tell who’s married to whom and when this guy died and why can’t I kill my brother? I guess that’s the point. But it’s quite an esoteric game that makes me long for the familiar contemporary concepts of Victoria II.

Read the review here.

6) Forza Horizon

My theory is that the Forza games are received so glowingly because people haven’t played other driving games. The previous Forzas were good, but they were often eclipsed by Need for Speed: Shift, Grid, and pretty much any other driving game that understood gameplay progression. Now Horizon does a passable job at open-world racing, but it’s eclipsed by Test Drive: Unlimited, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and other driving games that understand open-world gameplay progression.

Read the review here.

5) Sleeping Dogs

I wouldn’t be so sensitive to the foibles of middling open-world games if there weren’t so many good examples of the genre, not to mention to many ingenious examples of the genre. There’s no reason to settle for something as inelegantly constructed and poorly written as Sleeping Dogs. Is an evocative virtual Hong Kong all it takes?

Read the review here.

4) Max Payne 3

If I want an insultingly bad story constantly and stridently shoved in my face, I’ll watch my Lost DVDs. Look, Rockstar, I’m just here to shoot people in the head. I don’t need your usual rigmarole about booze, blow, and bitches. At least Remedy’s bad writing was endearing and skippable enough.

Read the review here.

3) Journey

How did so many people cull so much meaning from such an effervescent experience free of actual gameplay, not to mention actual characters? Sure, it’s pretty. So are some of Bob Ross’ paintings. Not since Dear Esther has so little done so much for so many.

Read the review here.

2) Diablo 3

Are we just going to gloss over the effects of the real money auction house, the lack of offline play, and the long slog through the normal difficulty to get to any gameplay meat? Are we that enamored of the simple act of chopping, zapping, and thwipping countless monsters, vases, and barrels? Is Blizzard just that good at appealing to our lizard brain desire to level up, our Pavlovian response to more loot, our forgiving nostalgia for those Tristram guitar chords and the panicked mewling of the Fallen Ones? Considering that Diablo III is on my list of best games of the year, I would say, “yes”.

Read the review here.

1) Halo 4

The twin pillars of Halo 4 are fan service and a back-to-the-basics approach long after the basics have gotten stale. I’d have rather seen a Halo 4 built on the principles of good game design.

Read the review here.

What are your picks for most overrated game of the year? Remember, this simply means games that you felt should have been received more critically.

2012 year-end awards
Most disappointing games of 2012
Thursday: the best games of 2012

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  • Undead_king35

    I had a feeling Journey was going to make the famed shortlist. I dunno, but maybe for me Journey’s ‘less’ did more for me. Oh well, I’m surprised to see Walking Dead didn’t make this list.

  • Mark L

    I thought about trying to write something funny to pre-empt the idiotia from sluicing in here to defend the honor of their precious vidya games, but eh. I feel like there’s nothing I can do. At the end of the day they will come just the same, troglodytic paws mashing on their keyboards, bellowing their incoherent rage. I think Shigeru Miyamoto said it best: You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.

  • My Opinion

    Hey you take that back, Walking Dead was fantastic.

    Well OK as a game it wasn’t fantastic but as an interactive story it was as engrossing as a good film or a good book. I really don’t have the time or eloquence to tell you how much I ended up loving the game, it really does show how much potential games have for telling us stories.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-McMaster/607680289 Jason McMaster

    Dishonored is awesome. That is all.

  • http://profiles.google.com/matthiaswatkins Matt Watkins

    Darksiders 2. I got a few hours into the game and realized that the only worthwhile part of the game was the dungeons. So I started moving through the overworld content as fast as possible to get to the dungeons. Then I played a few more dungeons and realized that they use the same puzzle mechanics over and over again. I had to stop playing before it ruined all games for me. And did we really need Pinata World 67?

  • Pogue Mahone

    Pinata World 67 sounds awesome! When’s that coming out?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Mayer/709955662 Bob Mayer

    Also loved Walking Dead. Less game and more like a modern movie version of those old choose your own adventure books. I can see how folks looking for more game in their games would be disappointed.

  • Johnny Niska

    I’m not sure what part of the internet you’ve been frequenting, but the parts I’ve been to have been practically ablaze with criticism of the real money auction house and DRM issues of Diablo 3. To the point of overshadowing any talk about the actual game.

  • Anders

    Agree on Dishonored. I did enjoy it and I’m glad they did well what with the “No new IP:s, everything must have multiplayer and social media tied in” attitude going on, but so many seemed to treat it like a gift from the heavens instead of a solid concept with room for improvement.

    In a sense, I also agree with Journey although it is becoming symptomatic to anything with art game elements getting big enough. There is a growing pool of games – even well-known ones – that try to do something different at the cost of most traditional game elements, and it is disappointing how much has been written about how Journey is oh-so-different from Uncharted but so little about how it compares to other art games.

    On the risktaking note, I am not a big fan of the Okami HD remake getting so much praise – It is a great game, but why are Capcom not called out for not even pretending to release a new game?

  • Porousnapkin

    Torchlight 2. The game had plenty of levers to play with (primarily through itemization) for you to build the character you wanted to play. But the game was horrible about feedback. It was extremely difficult to see which parts of your build weren’t working (not enough resistance? not enough vitality stats? damage output too low? etc.). Combat moved so quickly and in game messaging for what was working / wasn’t working was so bad that actually trying to understand where your builds problems were and address them was nearly impossible. I’m surprised this complaint doesn’t come up more often.

  • http://www.bricewgilbert.blogspot.com Brice Gilbert

    Similar to how I imagine Tom feels about others reactions to Journey I feel the same toward his. The co-op metaphor, the music, the visuals, the journey and how it makes you feel when you get to that second to last area with a buddy and then how it ends is just so joyous it made me overwhelmed. Similar feelings I felt with something like Tree of Life (which is a flawed film). It’s a piece of interactive fiction that uses game tropes and expectations to create an emotional experience. You can read it literally as a fantasy tale, as religious, or even as a secular pondering of the journey of life. I don’t even understand how “characters” could even be an important element to this kind of game. No doubt what I just said Tom finds like it came from the mouth of someone who has little artistic taste, but what can I say? It worked for me.

  • Tom’s Dick

    You are a fucking retarded troll. That is all.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-McMaster/607680289 Jason McMaster

    I had no idea this was linked on Metacritic!

  • digi_matrix

    Is Tom Chick jealous of all the other people who got meaningful experiences out of Journey?

  • Mark

    The chaos affects the ending.

  • Manresa

    The appeal of Forza is easy to explain: adequate driving model paired with a car list to die for. Shift and Shift 2 drive better, but have something like 1/5 the cars. Everything else on the 360 is more arcadey (at least by reputation), and the only competition for car variety on any platform–Gran Turismo–completely fails at being a game.

    On the PC the sim community gets up in arms any time unlocks are even hinted at, much less implemented. Forza wins by default. Maybe some day we’ll get an accurate driving sim with an extensive stable of accessible and exotic cars (or even nails a single series, like Can-Am), paired with a game that actually teaches one how to drive fast (an ideal task for video games). But I’m not holding my breath.

  • Manresa

    No, my read on Tom is that he focuses almost exclusively on mechanics (better than anyone else, I think), at the expense of setting, graphics, story, mood, etc. Journey’s mechanics consist of pushing an analog stick in one direction, with the very occasional jump. The pleasure is entirely in the multiplayer, and the atmosphere.

  • JDIncinerator

    Well this article appears to sum up QT3 very well. Overrated is an out dated term to describe games that receive more credit than they deserve. But whether they or any of you like it, developers work their arses off to ensure gaming quality is up to snuff, and its like a spit in their face if you say their games are overrated.

  • JDIncinerator

    if anything it’s like this dude hates games or at least hates those that have the moxie to be great.

  • Barac Wiley

    And the number of rats and guards in the levels, and I think a few other things.

  • JDIncinerator

    could be said of the whole list really.

  • Barac Wiley

    “Are we just going to gloss over the effects of the real money auction house, the lack of offline play, and the long slog through the normal difficulty to get to any gameplay meat?”

    I’m sure not. When Diablo III was announced, I was so very, very excited. Then when the baffling, insane decisions about the server requirement and the RMAH came to light (though I feel -much- less strongly about the latter), it became clear I was never going to own Diablo III. And so I don’t.

    Also: “Is an evocative virtual Hong Kong all it takes?”
    Yes.

  • Barac Wiley

    The latter -should- overshadow any talk of the actual game, because it should have meant nobody buying it in the first place. Unfortunately, we live in a disappointing world where millions and millions of people are apparently okay with games being disposable things you never actually own.

  • JDIncinerator

    Well this article appears to sum up QT3 very well. Overrated is an out
    dated term to describe games that receive more credit than they deserve.
    But regardless of whether they or any of you like it, developers work their arses off
    to ensure gaming quality is up to snuff, and its like a spit in their
    face if you say their games are overrated.

  • JDIncinerator

    So according to this guy Midnight Club, NFS Most Wanted and TDU are better than Forza Horizon simply because they came first and understand the open world racer. What? so maybe once Playground games produce another few, then QT3 will welcome them with open arms? Forza Horizon is a gorgeoes racing game built for those who love driving.

  • krayzkrok

    Haven’t you ever wished that your favorite game took a few bits and pieces that another one just happened to get right? That’s the point here.

  • Pogue Mahone

    So everyone gets an A for effort? We’re all unique snowflakes? That sort of thing?

  • Nik

    It’s not a critic’s job to make developers feel good. Focusing exclusively on that would be a disservice to readers.

    I’ll agree with most of the list here. Particularly Diablo 3 – not for any gameplay reasons, but for the DRM.

    Also I haven’t played Endless Space because I read similar things about the AI. It’s a damn shame, sounds right up my alley.

  • Gnasio

    Most overrated reviewer of all time:

    10. Tom Chick

    9. Tom Chick

    8. Tom Chick

    7. Tom Chick

    6. Tom Chick

    5. Tom Chick

    4. Tom Chick

    3. Tom Chick

    2. Tom Chick

    1. TOM CHICK

  • Mygaffer

    Your Tom’s Dick? I guess so, since apparently he yanks you about until you spew all over the comments section.

  • Mygaffer

    Come on man, are you really going to make that argument? That developers put their heart and soul into games, therefore we shouldn’t criticize them?

  • Mygaffer

    It wouldn’t only be a disservice to readers, it would be a disservice to developers. If developers don’t get honest feedback they are not going to improve their game designs. Criticism is an important part of any creative field.

  • Barac Wiley

    I think Guild Wars 2 would probably be my primary entry under this category. I tend not to expect much one way or the other from games before release, and studios that provide quality on a regular basis rarely suddenly drop their standards, so I’m rarely particularly disappointed by games. And if anything I think a lot of people around Qt3 and Rock Paper Shotgun are overcritical of a lot of games I’ve played this year, not undercritical.

    So really it boils down to the lavish, almost rabid praise delivered to Guild Wars 2, in particular declarations that it will revolutionize the MMO genre the way that World of Warcraft did back in 2004. Now, make no mistake, I think Guild Wars 2 is a very good game. Polished, varied, gorgeous, and with a great deal of attention paid to eliminating traditional MMO irritants. I think its dynamic events do a great deal to improve on the public quest model that Warhammer Online pioneered and other games such as Rift advanced. And I love how varied and flexible the classes are. But for all that it’s a better MMO in a number of ways, I don’t think it breaks nearly as far from the MMO mold as the previous Guild Wars, and certainly doesn’t represent the claimed paradigm shift. And I think certain core elements are mishandled or possibly ill advised to begin with. For example, the solo storyline quests are often questionably written and paced, and I would not have made them singleplayer-only in an ostensibly multiplayer game (yes, much of the content in other MMOs is -designed- for solo play, but it’s not a good idea to force it). And the decision to “eliminate quests”? Well, the ambient hearts are basically just quests you don’t have to pick up to start with, and particularly dull quests so far at that. I get that the idea is that they’re basically just something to do as you explore and run events, but…I’d really just as soon have a proper story-based quest instead.

  • Nik

    Yep, also a good point.

  • Joseph Shaffer

    Eh, Journey’s not for everyone. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but I can see where others would be put off by it.

  • amanda_chen

    Like they should give Peter Molyneux a knighthood or something. That’s not such a bad idea – maybe it would embarrass him into making a good game sometime this century.

  • MikeO

    Wow, you really told him!

  • BLAM!

    I would definitely put The Walking Dead on my list. I read dozens of reviews that gushed how it was the best game story written in years.

    Then I finally play it and it’s nothing but an adventure game with no puzzles. It’s a game that’s entirely about story where the writing is mediocre pedestrian cliche that throws rote shock scenes at you in the place of actual character, atmosphere, and tension. GASP! You mean those people were actually cannibals? Chopping through this chain will take too long, I have to hack off the limb! This exact scene has never been done before!

    Nothing to do but walk around asking the NPCs how they’re doing. Hello, irrationally angry type A stock horror movie character, how you holding up? That is the entire game, something that wandering around the Ebon Hawke in KotR did this better almost 10 years ago. I can name almost a dozen games off the top of my head that did story better as an afterthought.

    Something about zombies that just rots expectations.

  • dukeofradish

    I wonder if I can get approved for Metacritic with my “Rainbow, Unicorn, Ice Cream Cone” rating system.

  • dukeofradish

    Diablo 3 was the worst game I ever sunk 100+ hours into. Diablo 3 is one of about 3 games I ever sunk 100+ hours into.

    I was hoping to love Dishonored but I just can’t bring myself to make any progress. I don’t like the silent, simpish protagonist. Them:”You did it!” Me:”Ok…” Them:”You need to seek revenge” Me:”Ok…” Also, for seem reason all the NPCs look like they were pulled from a Toulouse-Lautrec painting. I mean A+ for artistic merit but not something I want to look at for a long time.

  • http://redbarrels.net/ Graeme

    I’m not a PC gamer so I can’t comment on everything here, but on a whole, we actually seem to largely agree here! Halo would even be up for most overrated franchise of all time!

  • JDIncinerator

    so blatant borrowing then? Sure there could be more under the bonnet in a few places, but the decision to go open world was a chance to freshen up the rotting circuit racing.

  • JDIncinerator

    Not exactly, but why on earth would franchises get whirlwind recognition if the developers didn’t do anything right. Every COD hater always thinks that it is overrated, but there’s a reason why they are popular. COD may be simple and mindless, but it attracts millions. Sometimes simplicity breeds success.

  • JDIncinerator

    That’s not what I’m saying. Games should be critisized in an effort to convince developers to improve a franchise. But the term “overated” doesn’t represent anything more than the ignorance of the time and effort that developers give games. Not that I know anything about any particular developers, they may be lazy and lackadaisical, but there is nothing overrated about what people enjoy.

  • IAMCRAIG

    Ahahahah, what the christ? Crusader Kings II overrated? It has had barely any press, let alone people talking about how amazing it is all the time.

  • http://twitter.com/sethdehaan seth

    All of this. I’m having a really hard time understanding how people who swear off WoW as a plague can get totally on board the Guild Wars 2 train. I mean, I think it’s a well-built game, but I got bored with it just as quickly as I do with every other MMO. The same mechanics with different names.

  • http://twitter.com/sethdehaan seth

    And success is not synonymous with quality.

    If you’re going to put something out into the world for public consumption, criticism is inevitable. It happens this way with books, movies, television, comics and every other medium under the sun. Games are no different!

    When Chick questions the reception of these games, he’s trying to get us to think about WHY we like and support the things we do. This is important for the games industry to stay healthy.

    Also, how is ‘overrated’ an outdated term? The opinion that something might not be as good as everyone says it is doesn’t really have an expiration date.

  • http://twitter.com/sethdehaan seth

    The belief that something is overrated has absolutely nothing to do with how much work went into it, or whether people have fun with it or not. It’s a question of quality.

  • Juan Pablo Bouquet

    Even though I loved Journey, I must admit Tom Chick makes a good point. Journey got the atmosphere, the controls, even the story, but fell short on gameplay. The fact that you dont really need the other players makes it a bit of a smoke and mirrors thing. I understand that actual puzzles where discarded in favour of accessibility, fearing that frustration would have ruined the experience for some people. That is also true, but it would have made Journey so much more potent for the people who actually put the effort to make it work. It would have made the bonding with the other players that much stronger.

  • JDIncinerator

    A question of quality? people have different perceptions of what is deemed overrated. So people can debate the quality, which essentially throws out anything that is overrated. Besides there’s nothing anyone can do about it being overrated. Of course you probably don’t want to or can’t do anything about it, but the fact is overrated is an opinion. This opinion is shared through a community like this forum and anyone who has an alternate view is alienated or at least argued with. I personally don’t believe in anything being overrated because we are gamers, we should just do what we do without trying to initiate any bias towards a developer or a franchise.

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