5 well-reviewed games the critics were wrong about

Critics, unfortunately, aren’t always right. But usually, a unanimous good score equals a good game. However, every now and then you play a game and can’t help but wonder if the critics played it for more than fifteen minutes, or even did anything more than read the box cover and a few press releases. This is my list of 4 games not worthy of their critical acclaim.

Grand Theft Auto IV (for PC)

Grand Theft Auto IV was a great game; it had engaging gameplay and was extremely solid overall. Unfortunately, nobody without a console would ever know. Possibly one of the worst ports ever made, Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC was riddled with bugs and issues and plagued with a clunky engine that many gamers struggled to wrestle a playable gameplay experience out of.

Many people, myself included, with computers well ahead of the recommended specifications banged their keyboards in frustration while Niko did the rubber chicken all over Liberty City. Awful.

Black and White

A highly original concept and an ambitious project from bold designer Peter Molyneux, Black and White received critical adoration for its groundbreaking concept and original premise. 

However, the gameplay quickly became stale, and many gamers quickly became bored of managing a stubborn animal giant and villagers with a limited range of reactions. Unfortunately, and perhaps characteristically, Peter Molyneux overextended himself with Black and White, resulting in an awkward jumble of original concepts which never quite came together into a single cohesive experience.

Perhaps the most controversial release ever, Modern Warfare 2 hit shelves amidst boycotts, petitions and enough forum posts of gamer whine to fill a small library. Critics loved the game, and to the tune of Bob Kotick’s maniacal laughter it broke sales records, despite apparently empty threats of cancelled pre-orders and mass boycotts.

Despite its crushing sales figures, Modern Warfare 2 did not deliver. Its Single Player campaign, while enjoyable, suffered from a convoluted, preposterous storyline and a paltry length; while the Multiplayer component for many was as bad as the doom prophets had envisioned. Overall, many were left finding it hard to justify the $70 price tag.

Empire: Total War

This is a game that had loads of potential. It was clear that a lot of thought went into this game, and on paper, it looks incredible. Unfortunately, however, it suffered greatly in execution. 

The released game was riddled with so many bugs it was near-unplayable for many, and despite patches it continued to suffer from a multitude of issues.

The other glaring issue was the terrible AI. Rarely has a game featured enemies quite as stupid, at times making the playing experience quite laughable. It’s sad for a game which clearly had so much ambition behind it to come out feeling so unfinished.

Fable II

This game was perhaps somewhat let down by Peter Molyneux’s overoptimistic marketing; gamers may have been expecting a little more than what they got. Despite this, critical reception was excellent and many gamers were satisfied overall.

Some more discerning gamers, however, were a little underwhelmed. Firstly, the game itself was pretty short for an RPG, with many of the side-quests being completed as part of the main quest anyway.  It also suffered from a lack of depth – the character development and inventory was shallow and mediocre; while the NPC interactions were very limited in range. Peter Molyneux’s gushings about the inconceivably mind-blowing aspect of your canine sidekick were also, unsurprisingly, largely without merit.

Finally, the game was also found by many to be too easy, with combat often devolving into unchallenging button-mashing and money being a little too easy to get your hands on.

Any games you would add to this list? Is Chris horribly mistaken? Do you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain? Then join our forums and share your views.