The term "underrated" gets thrown around a lot in video games. This is not that kind of list. I think there's a difference between games that are underrated and games that simply don't deserve the type of vitriol that the internet has thrown its way.
Sleeping Dogs. Shadows of the Damned. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. All critically well-received but didn't get the kind of sales numbers or love from gamers that they should have. These games are underrated. The games I'm going to talk about all come from very popular series' that were, for one reason or another, disliked by fans or critics.
As always, a couple of honorable mentions to get things started.
Devil May Cry 2
For years, Devil May Cry 2 was the black sheep of the franchise. Then DmC: Devil May Cry came along and stole that distinction (which is also a game that could have been on this list).
I remember liking Devil May Cry 2 quite a bit, though admittedly, it was my introduction to the series, so perhaps my view is skewed. I would also like to iterate that I'm not good at fast-paced action games like DMC, Ninja Gaiden, or Metal Gear Rising, but DMC2 was dumbed down enough for even people who suck at these games to be able to beat, because I managed to at least do that.
However, DMC2 seems like one of those games that one reviewer decided he didn't like and then everyone just went along with it. To this day, I've still never received a legitimate reason why everyone hates Devil May Cry 2.
Super Princess Peach
Somewhere along the line, people decided they wanted to get offended by everything and ruined Super Princess Peach for everyone. Let's just get this out there: Super Princess Peach is essentially a game where you play as Princess Peach on a quest to save Mario by manipulating Peach's PMS to help you traverse the levels.
To some, that's offensive. To me, that's funny. Also, the game looks great and plays really well, so stop getting offended and enjoy things for once in your life.
5. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
I was very excited for Lords of Shadow solely based on the word that preceded it: Castlevania. Having been a fan of the series my entire life and coming off of three stellar Nintendo DS games, I was excited to see what a 3D Castlevania would be like in 2010.
While I was a little bummed out to find that Lords of Shadow was a quasi-reboot and didn't fit into the original timeline, I was still optimistic. It was discredited as nothing more than a God of War clone, and in many ways, it is exactly that. My question is: why is that a bad thing? As long as the combat is competent (it is), the world is interesting (it is), and the story is passable (it is), then it's worthy of the Castlevania name.
Its sequels effectively killed the series, but this one can be enjoyed on its own with no prior knowledge or subsequent playing of the Castlevania series.
4. God of War: Ascension
God of War: Ascension's greatest sin was that it was completely unnecessary. It serves as a prequel to the prequel of the original game. Got that? We already had the PSP title Chains of Olympus, which is a prequel to the original God of War. Ascension is even further back all the way at the beginning of the timeline.
Ascension still received pretty good reviews and was praised for its graphics and combat, but sold poorly and was looked upon by fans as nothing more than a cash-grab in the final months preceding the arrival of the PlayStation 4. Today, I feel like the game has suffered a lot from revisionism and receives scorn from the gaming community.
Personally, I like the game. It's not a game that I feel I'll ever want to play again, and I would still rank it as the worst entry in the series, but I certainly wouldn't tell you to avoid it. If you like God of War, you'll probably like Ascension, just don't go into it expecting something better than what you've already experienced.
3. Mass Effect 3
"Mass Effect 3's ending ruined everything! It slapped my mother in the face and crapped on my very soul!" That's a legitimate thing I read in a real-life professional review (citation needed). Or rather, that's what the Internet would have you believe.
Nevermind the fact that we had to play a very good 40 hours of game in order to reach that ending, none of that matters because Mass Effect 3's ending ruined the entire trilogy and then stole and crashed my grandfather's antique Mustang (citation needed).
2. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
This entry is strictly based on the single-player campaign, as I haven't cared about Call of Duty multiplayer since ever. Infinite Warfare's campaign was the best effort put forth by any of the Call of Duty teams in a very long time. The action was frenetic, the dogfights were better than they had any right to be, the optional missions were worth playing, and the story built to a powerful, desperate, and brilliant climax. Despite casting Jon Snow as the villain, a memorable antagonist was the only thing Infinite Warfare lacked.
But the multiplayer sucked so screw this game, right?
1. Resident Evil 5
Is it Resident Evil 4? No.
Is it Resident Evil VII? No
Is it what is looking to be one of the best remakes I've ever seen in Resident Evil 2? No.
Is it stupid that you're forced to have an AI partner? Yes.
Is Sheva the most incompetent AI you've ever seen? Probably.
Is the game unplayable if you don't have a human partner? Most assuredly.
All that aside, Resident Evil 5--in all of its boulder-punching goodness--is, dare I say, a great video game when played with another human player. Unfortunately, that's the biggest flaw with RE5; its greatness is completely dependent on having another person playing with you. AI Sheva is an idiot. Sorry, feminists, but AI Sheva has the same IQ as the keyboard I'm using to type this sentence.
I have probably played through Resident Evil 5 ten times with my buddy, Chris. We loved it on the Xbox 360, and then we loved it again on the Xbox One remaster. If the game gave you the ability to play single player or to keep Sheva in a role more akin to Ellie in The Last of Us or Atreus in God of War, then I think more people would love RE5 the way I do.
It controls just as well as Resident Evil 4, has a better camera, and looks better graphically. I say this as someone who ranks RE4 in their top 3 games of all-time. RE5's African landscape lacks the creepiness of RE4's Spanish village and Chris Redfield takes on a more serious tone compared to the over-the-top campiness of Leon Kennedy, but gameplay wise, I think the latter is just as good as the former.
Hey, thanks for reading. Here's other things I do:
Error Machine Podcast
Error Machine YouTube
-TheDustinThomas
