Oh boy oh boy.

Underrated: Alpha Protocol

Obsidian is an under-appreciated studio. Not only did they make sequels that were better than the games they followed (KOTOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout New Vegas) they also are making decent CRPGs in an era where western RPG means 'BioWare or Skyrim'. Alpha Protocol was a little game that squeaked out in the era of moral choice and it was almost dismissed on launch because though it presented itself like a third person shooter it was truly an RPG at heart. It's an espionage RPG where you play as a secret agent and your skill selection influences the way the mission unfolds which is standard stuff for any decent RPG; Alpha Protocol's other quirk was its choice mechanic. Unlike in other games popular at the time, you know the ones, Alpha Protocol actually made choice matter because things weren't a simple red and blue good and bad response plus you were on a time limit with each and every response long before TellTale made that their only gameplay element. Your choices were important and changed the progression of the plot down to different final bosses and endings and even mission scenarios. The femme fatale you meet on a plane could be an ally or not, the mute assassin could try to kill you or help you out down the line or several other scenarios. It wasn't perfect, in true Obsidian fashion there were bugs and the RPG mechanics were easily broken making for a horribly imbalanced game but the writing and strength of the choice system makes this a game worth playing even today.

Overrated: BioShock Infinite

The first BioShock could go here too but that game wasn't up its own ass the way Infinite was. To this day I'm still not sure why BioShock Infinite set the world on fire critically when it came out. The mechanics of it were mind-numbingly simplistic with the supernatural powers having about three different ways to do the exact same thing and the gunplay being absolutely standard. I guess that must mean the story made up for it but that's impossible because the story presented in Infinite not only makes no sense with its own narrative and rules but it's a very poor introduction to many-worlds theory and the way it plays out is like the game begging you to think it's saying something smart when it isn't. Oh look, another game with a bird and a cage metaphor how fucking symbolic. We have characters talking about different worlds isn't that meta and intelligent and art? Infinite feels like it wants to say something about these themes but never commits to them - and that goes double for the whole race angle that the game is too afraid to actually depict in any capacity other than cartoonishly incompetent. It's a generic shooting game with a poorly constructed narrative and paper thin characters. 10/10 GOTY. And Elizabeth is a garbage tier waifu.

Oh boy oh boy.

Underrated: Alpha Protocol

Obsidian is an under-appreciated studio. Not only did they make sequels that were better than the games they followed (KOTOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout New Vegas) they also are making decent CRPGs in an era where western RPG means 'BioWare or Skyrim'. Alpha Protocol was a little game that squeaked out in the era of moral choice and it was almost dismissed on launch because though it presented itself like a third person shooter it was truly an RPG at heart. It's an espionage RPG where you play as a secret agent and your skill selection influences the way the mission unfolds which is standard stuff for any decent RPG; Alpha Protocol's other quirk was its choice mechanic. Unlike in other games popular at the time, you know the ones, Alpha Protocol actually made choice matter because things weren't a simple red and blue good and bad response plus you were on a time limit with each and every response long before TellTale made that their only gameplay element. Your choices were important and changed the progression of the plot down to different final bosses and endings and even mission scenarios. The femme fatale you meet on a plane could be an ally or not, the mute assassin could try to kill you or help you out down the line or several other scenarios. It wasn't perfect, in true Obsidian fashion there were bugs and the RPG mechanics were easily broken making for a horribly imbalanced game but the writing and strength of the choice system makes this a game worth playing even today.

I think I recall seeing "Alpha Protocol" on the front of an Xbox 360 game I own that is gathering dust in the corner of my room, among many others. I might just find up my Xbox and play it, if it's as good as you say it is. I know I enjoyed Fallout: New Vegas quite a bit, though not as much as I enjoy Fallout 3, since it took me 50% less time to give in and enable godmode when playing the former. I think that's a habit I have with Bethesda games, honestly.

Underrated: The Dungeon Siege Series

Anybody ever heard of the three games known as Dungeon Siege? No? That is okay though, I don't know anybody who actually knows of them or remembers them. The original two of the trilogy were great games, built in the style similar to Diablo with a story just as long and a great replay value. You can build your character to use specific items like in any game by choosing which path they'll follow through out the game and allotting your skill points properly. Hell, using those weapons gives levels in them allowing you to use more advanced weapons and be more proficient in using them. Unfortunately, the third game was a mess that strayed away from what made the first two great and ended up being forgotten not too long after its release.

Overrated: The Deus Ex Series

Don't get me wrong, I like the games. The setting is interesting and the world is neat. But it is just a bit overrated. The games aren't great and, despite being labelled as "a game where your choices matter", you more or less end up with a ending that doesn't align with your choices due to the restrictions the game puts on your. Your choices at the end of the second game could've changed the world's view on augs in the third game. Or perhaps it is just the fact that the outcomes were actually just vague enough to support that the hatred of augs would exist no matter what you do. Making you wonder, did your choices ever really matter if you aren't ever going to actually change the people's view?

Then again, I don't know if I like the games where your choices impact that world. They just never get it right for what my character wishes to do. A choice either leads towards a bad ending or a good ending simply because of the fact that there were somethings you agreed with and somethings you didn't. Simply because there were moments where you thought killing was better than leaving the people alive and other moments where you spared somebody's life.

@Fabricant451 oh shit, I was genuinely convinced that you and @Penny were the same person.

And on a side note for all of Alpha Protocols goodpoints, (sexy apartments, and snarky dudebro quips) the combat makes it literally unplayable *cough* Brayko *cough*

@Gullinkambi if you want to spend money on a an RPG that doesn't get enough shine then buy this

@Fabricant451 oh shit, I was genuinely convinced that you and @Penny were the same person.

And on a side note for all of Alpha Protocols goodpoints, (sexy apartments, and snarky dudebro quips) the combat makes it literally unplayable *cough* Brayko *cough*

@Gullinkambi if you want to spend money on a an RPG that doesn't get enough shine then buy this

Eh, I'm not really into all the Japanese-style RPGs. Besides, I already own Alpha Protocol, so it's worth a shot. Being a veteran of the Hotline Miami series, I'm sure I can make something good happen with "literally unplayable" combat systems. Nothing is ever unplayable.

Resonance of Fate has a fun, if needlessly systems heavy, battle system but the main draw is playing dress up with your characters.

@Fabricant451 oh shit, I was genuinely convinced that you and @Penny were the same person.

@Dynamo Frokane

Have you ever noticed how you never see me and @Fabricant451 in the same place?

*Dramatic mysterious music*

Well I've been playing games since 1995 at the ripe ol' age of 4 on my super nintendo, so it'd be hard for me to really choose one of each. But I'll give it a shot.

Underrated


Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders was an incredibly good game set in a very dark fantasy world. It was strategic warfare coupled with epic hack n' slash. It was pretty much total war, only slightly more emphasis on the heroes. As long as you didn't mind the dark elves and most ladies in general being half naked for some odd reason, it was AWESOME. I have always wanted them to remaster it. I miss it so much.

Overrated:

Not so much anymore, but Overwatch. It's a fun game, and I quite enjoy it. But people made it out to be a God tier creation. I'd give it a solid 8/10.

Resonance of Fate has a fun, if needlessly systems heavy, battle system but the main draw is playing dress up with your characters.

The hexagon grid is confusing but the game-play is very straightforward once you learn how to juggle.

The dress up would have been a highlight if there were more than 2 costume types per character and everything else wasn't a goddamn colour swap. 3/10 for customization, hair dye is only entertaining for a couple hours.

The voice acting (in and out of battle) is what holds the game together on its 50th hour.

Quite self-explanatory, but ~

Underrated: Final Fantasy 6
In short, I like the game, the story is deep, clear and concise. The story depth is game of thrones quality, which includes a well-fitting ending ~

Overrated: Final Fantasy 7
Game is good, but a more complete ending, and a clearer story would do the job

@Noodles lol find 1 top FF list written after the year 2000 with 7 higher than 6 (its harder than you think).

Final Fantasy 7 has received so much hype backlash since 1997 that I would argue its the other way around now

Underrated - Vandal Hearts (This is one of those games I would have repurchased on every release of the play station and even today it is still my go to game when I want to play but not sure what to play. Loved the story line, the characters, the options, the game play, and omg the sound track was the first I really fell in love with. I have had 3 copies of this game over the last 20 years. Any time the Disk gets too messed up to play anymore I hit ebay for another.)

Overrated - Final Fantasy Tactics (God, this one was just a disappointment to me for Tactics games. A simple cash in on the Final Fantasy Franchise name that didn't live up to anything. It was too bogged down, as if they tried to include everything from a classic FF game and a tactics game only to come out with something that felt like a failed kitchen experiment of making a dessert out of sardines. - This was the one game I actually tossed into a microwave and hit start on!)

Special Mention - Game that got all the hype it deserved... Suikoden - First in the franchise, and one I wish they would continue today. There was a reason this game got RPG Game of the Year, Best Game Story of the Year, Best Soundtrack of the year (when it was released) and why it is listed as the 82nd Best Game of All Time by Game Informer. It is everything a good RPG should be.

(And yes, I totally am showing just how old I am with these but I don't care. Yet to find a game that has drawn me in and back again as much s Vandal Hearts or Suikoden. Even today, they are just as enjoyable as the first time I hit ~start~)

Oooh I love talking about this type of stuff. I could go on and on. But I'll stick to one game each.

Underrated: Beyond Good and Evil

I'm too lazy to go back and see if anyone posted about this, but I think I can safely say this is a very underrated game. While it has a cult following and is making a comeback with a new installment in a few years (which looks like SO MUCH FUN btw), this is a game I remember picking up when I stopped at Gamestop with some spending money. It was a used game that looked interesting. I remember popping it in, experiencing the story, collecting as much as I could, and genuinely falling in love with it. I am a big fan of this game. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the mechanics. It isn't without its faults, of course (I HATED the racing segments), but I liked exploring to find every thing I needed. I loved the stealth mechanics. This is a game I definitely would recommend picking up if you can.

Overrated: Life Is Strange

I feel I should mention that just because someone feels a game is overrated, it doesn't mean the game itself isn't good, isn't ground breaking, or isn't fun. I, for one, LOVE this game a lot, but I feel that people were getting too hyped over it. The story was interesting, I liked most of the characters, and it was an interesting take on the rise of Choice Games. I am looking forward to the new game with Chloe later as well as Life is Strange 2, but I feel this game got too much credit. First off, I hated Chloe as a character. It was interesting seeing her grow and I am sure I will learn more with the next installment involving her, but I feel she wasn't a character I could get behind. I feel they tried too hard to get Max to be like "Hey, look, it's your old best friend. Wanna make out with her?" I am fine with homosexual relations in games (been a part of them since Mass Effect), but I feel they tried TOO hard for that to happen. And the last choice? It didn't take me a second to pick which one I wanted (I won't spoil, of course, but suffice to say you can probably guess which one I picked). I liked the game, but there's a good amount I dislike from it for me to get behind the appeal.

@Surtr you seem like the type of nigga to play dark souls with the brightness on your TV turned all the way down

Quite self-explanatory, but ~

Underrated: Final Fantasy 6
In short, I like the game, the story is deep, clear and concise. The story depth is game of thrones quality, which includes a well-fitting ending ~

Overrated: Final Fantasy 7
Game is good, but a more complete ending, and a clearer story would do the job

I'm not sure what was unclear about FF7's story. Incomplete and unclear story is the territory of FF15, fam.

Real talk though you could probably fit almost any FF game into either scenario here and it'd be viable

Under-Rated:
Salt and Sanctuary. Now if you can guess I'm a Soulsborne fan (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne), so a 2D game that is similar to those, hell I'll play it. The game really didn't seem to get a whole lot of advertisement, I think there is only two trailers made by the developer, Ska Studios, but it was a really good game that like Souls has some rather interesting lore tied to it with each boss fighting feeling unique and different from the next.The interconnect level design with how different zones match up was flawless and overall had a covenant system that I think Fromsoft should really take some lessons from. To top it off it was made by two people, just two people and it was brilliant. An indie title that IMO could rival some triple AAA titles.

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Over-Rated:
Skyrim. I had never played an Elder Scroll game before so this was my jumping point into the series but ignoring that, this was the game that in highschool I remember people talking about and hyping about. So eventually I caved and got it to see what was the deal. For maybe the first half hour it was good but it then fell like a rocket. People hyped this idea of fighting dragons that I found to be annoying, I don't know how you ruin a good dragon fight but Skyrim did that for me, making them feel like misquitoes you swat away on a hot summer day. The story also was just so dull and boring that I had no desire to beat it.
At least there is modding for it on PC, modding is the only thing that made the game somewhat fun to play, to see these things other players made that I would argue rival what Bethesda gave us.

Overall for me Skying did not deserve the 9/10s it got and at most I would give it a 6/10.

Underrated: Romance of the Three Kingdoms: A game series which allows you to play through almost any character from the name sake's series. You play as an officer, a free agent, a ruler, or whatever the hell you want and you fight for what you want. You can take alternate interpretations of certain characters (like Lu Bu not being an idiot in some cases), or make your own officer to do as you please. You can be a warrior, a diplomat, a merchant, a simple man trying to live through the chaos, a mercenary, the god damn emperor, or a religious fanatic (yellow turbans). When it comes to quality it can get boring at times if you do the same thing over and over and with the lack of events it can be tiring but the series is still very fun to play with especially when you get events you've never seen before. I was playing XI at one time for over 5 years of my life and when I sent two sworn brothers out to capture a city they had a mini-event on the way there and got a (unneeded) boost of morale for the soldiers they were leading which had never happened before for me.

Overrated: Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle - The mobile game has so little actual substance to the game. It gets stale quickly in the late game when you realize the power creep is not only real in so many forms but you can't clear content with lower quality characters like in F/Go, or Naruto Blazing. The only thing the game has going for it is the DBZ motif, and the fact that the art is usually awesome. This game somehow is ranked 1 in the google play marketplace regularly when big events come.