• Top 10 Most Overrated Video Game Franchises

  

  Written by Zeromage 380 Comments
  Last Updated:: February 8, 2009

  If there are two ways to get people riled up on the internet, one is to question their religious or political beliefs, and the other way is to make fun of their favorite video games. You see that your favorite game franchise of all time is listed on Old-Wizard’s most overrated video game franchises? Surely it can’t be! You know us though, we have a knack for knocking down the typical things people enjoy. In this list, we tried to think of video game franchises that just plain piss us off because everyone else loves them and we think that they’re total ass. Going into our thinking process when considering these overrated video game franchises were their lack of creativity and a lack of entertainment that they possessed, as well as the fading quality of each subsequent game in the series. We don’t think that these next ten video game franchises are necessarily bad, but we also don’t think that they deserve the critical acclaim that they’ve received either.

  10. God of War
  

  God of War 2 on the Playstation 2 had to be one of the most over-hyped video games to ever be released. The reason could be that IGN gave the first game in the series a 9.8, even though it was pretty much nothing more than a repetitive hack and slash game. While there are puzzle portions to these games, they are really slow and they only serve to slow the games down. There’s also no real innovation in either game. But if you’re a big fan of mindless button mashing with good graphics, you’ll probably like this series, but I doubt that many fans of the golden age of video gaming who have played classic games like A Link to the Past and Chrono Trigger would give this game a 9.8.

  9. Guitar Hero
  

  I’ve never been able to figure out why anyone likes the Guitar Hero series. Why has this franchise sold so many games? Is it because of the shitty background graphics? Or maybe it’s the bad music in the series, especially in the third installment, the so-called “Legends of Rock,” which features songs from overrated bands like Kiss, and the Sex Pistols. It’s because of these reasons that unlike many of the other franchises on this list, the Guitar Hero games aren’t just overrated, they aren’t even good. When you think about how bad these games are, it’s hard not to laugh at the fools who pretend to “riff” with their most rock star inspired poses in their dorm room, surrounded by a bunch of drunk or stoned friends. It’s also hard not to include Guitar Hero on this list.

  8. Tekken
  

  Every time I hear someone say that Tekken is the best fighting series ever made I think that he or she is a rookie. Anyone who has ever played the Street Fighter series would laugh when hearing this claim. The graphics in the Tekken games are good, but the fighting is utter crap. It mostly consists of button mashing. You’re either executing a 9-step combo that takes away half of your opponent’s life, or you’re getting in one hit that puts them in the air and then you juggle them until they die. Or my personal favorite, you knock them on the ground and do three sweeps before they can get up. Compare this style of game play to a much more fun fighting game like Super Smash Brothers Brawl where it’s much harder to button mash effectively, and you’ll see one of the many reasons why Nintendo is currently dominating the video game market.

  7. Halo
  

  When someone tells me that Halo is the greatest video game franchise ever made (and believe me, this happens a lot. O-W must have received a hundred emails asking us why we left all three Halo games off of our Top 100 Video Games List) the first thought that pops into my head is that the person telling me that is twelve years old. I don’t think that you’ll find too many old school gamers who have played truly epic games like A Link to the Past or Super Mario 3 saying that Halo is the best video game franchise of all time. Does Halo really compare to old SNES classics like Super Metroid or Mega Man 2? The first game is short, has repetitive level designs, and a pretty small array of guns. The second game is often heralded for how “revolutionary” because players can wield two weapons at once, steal vehicles and have online multiplayer. Have these people ever played GoldenEye or pretty much any other first person shooter made since Doom 2? Yes, the Halo games can be entertaining for an hour or two at most, but don’t ever say that either one is better than Super Metroid.

  6. Sonic
  

  Sonic 1 was a pretty good game, and Sonic 2 could even be considered a great game. Even we wouldn’t deny that. But after Sonic 2, the Sonic series was worn out. While Sonic 2 was an improvement over Sonic 1, in the third installment of the series everything stayed the same. There’s Sonic, and Tails, and new levels with shitty music (compared to the often overlooked soundtrack of Sonic 2.) Sonic 3 though is championed amongst Sega gamers as continuing the Sonic “tradition” of always improving games. Oh yeah, you could play as Tails. Whew, what an improvement that was. And then when Sonic went to 3D, we saw a new low point of the series. The 3D games veered further and further away from Sonic’s simple, yet elegantly satisfying roots, and entered into a territory of uninspired game play, pointless mechanics, and annoying supporting characters.

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380 Comments

1. #1 hindleyite says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   In all honesty, you make some good points. Yes, people are getting cheesed off that their favourite games are on this list, but the fact remains that any game that becomes massively hyped is always gonna get shot down.

   I will say there are better turn-based RPGs or whatever than Pokemon. Having said that, I enjoyed Pokemon more than Final Fantasy.

   GTA is always gonna get people pissed off because of the huuuge marketing effort that surrounds every release, so although I love the series I probably have to agree with your choice there.

   G&G was tough as old boots, and I could never beat it, so I can sympathise with you there, but then I was only a kid with poor hand-eye co-ordination back then.

   A good read, and the twelve year old person above me speaks a lot of sense ought to be promoted to senior editor, or something.
2. #2 cody floyd says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:06 am

   fuck you god of war and resident evil kick ass,but i do agree on grand theft auto and guitar hero,and resident evil 4 is a great,no,awesome video game but you wouldn’t know that because your to busy sucking off nintendo to play anything in this century.I hope you die of aids.
3. #3 avi says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

   I agree with the list.
   -GOW is definitely overrated, but it’s still good.
   -Guitar hero is overrated, but still fun even if most of the songs aren’t spectacular.
   -Tekken is a repitive button-masher like most fighting games.
   -Halo is generic, repetitive and boring. it had to be on this list.
   -Sonic has definitely gone downhill.
   -Half-life i have the same comment as halo but most people don’t think it’s overrated which makes it even more overrated.
   -Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts is one of the worst games ever.
   -Resident evil has gone a bit downhill.
   -GTA4 higher than Super Mario Galaxy and even Ocarina of Time? are you kidding me?
   -Pokemon, while fun, doesn’t deserve to be the best-selling RPG of all time.
4. #4 avi says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

   I would like to take back what i said on GH.
5. #5 Doin'YourMom says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

   Seriously grow up and start playing Modern games, Old NES and N64 games wont be better than modern games, wii is a gimmick and GTA is over-rated LOL Gta games are loved mostly because of their refferences to pop-culture and the way it takes the piss out of stupid modern society, it has a great story and is gritty and shows the real world, with great action
6. #6 Wolf says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 10:01 am

   …So somehow you know how many enemies are in HL2 when youve only played it for 2 hours did you even get the gravity gun and experiment with the physics which is what makes it so unique?
   I do wish newer games had as many enemies as classics like Mario though
7. #7 bryan says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:14 am

   uhhh… yeah guitar hero sucks. yes halo is overrated. but half life? did you pay attention to the story? noooo? why am i not surprised.
8. #8 TrueGamer619 says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

   Doin’YourMom is a inexperienced casual gamer who just sucks at older games. 12 year old with ADHD.
9. #9 Delta says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 1:53 pm

   lmao How is Doin’YourMom an inexperienced casual gamer because he liked GTA? That’s not a casual game.
10. #10 TrueGamer619 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    GTA is a casual game, but it is fun. I am actually playin GTA4 as I type, but if GTA is a hardcore game, then that means Jimmy, the 10 year old who plays only popular overrated games like COD, Halo, Gears and GTA YET, he does not lay games that actually require skill, is a hardcore gamer. I call bullshit. GTA is casual. End of story.
11. #11 Delta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    Casual games are Puzzle games, most Music games, and really simple Simulation games. GTA has more depth than that. You actually think CALL OF DUTY, HALO and GEARS OF WAR are casual games? Wow, you’re hopeless.
12. #12 avi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    some people like to call any game they don’t like ”casual games.”
13. #13 Delta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    I would have to agree with that Avi. I’m not one of those, since I do like Puzzle games, and have liked casual Simulation games. Only one Music game I’ve out-right liked, but I’ve played few and don’t out-right dislike the genre, just haven’t found any that particularly catch my interest.
14. #14 Kantofan1221 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    You have no clue who u just pissed off. Pokemon is one of the single most entertaining game series of all time. you shouldn’t make fun of something because its popular and i am an “old school gamer” and believe that pokemon is fantastic. Pokemon is also good because u can play it over and over and try out different combos of pokemon teams unlike other rpg games where u r stuck with the same characters every time u play.
    -Thank you for your
    time
15. #15 avi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:45 am

    kantofan1221:pokemon is fun, but it’s the best-selling RPG of all time. this is why it’s deservedly seen as overrated.

    George:I actually like poison. also why do you think Ratchet and clank is overrated?
16. #16 avi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:10 am

    why do they have to beat half-life to decide if they like it? i haven’t beaten e.t. or superman 64, can i call them godawful ”games?” yes? why? because you agree? oh i get it now. we should just agree with you, or else we’re biased fanboys.
17. #17 The AI says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:42 am

    Before I start my critique of your list, I don’t understand why you sucked up to the SNES so much. We KNOW the SNES was great. In fact, it’s my favorite console of all time. However, it’s not the end all be all.
    And your list? Pathetic. Besides the Pokemon choice, your picks just scream “I’m a Nintendo fanboy and I’m biased because I CAN BE!”
    Let me run down each of your picks:
    10. God of War did the same to action-adventure gaming on the PS2 as Ocarina of Time did on the N64: It reinvigorated it. Ocarina didn’t reinvent the 3D game. Super Mario 64 did that. However, it added subtle changes and innovations that made it great. So did God of War. Have you played the game? If you have, you would know how insanely satisfying the game is.
    9. I adore Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Yes, “IRL guitar” is a lot better, but nothing beats rocking out on plastic instruments at a party. I assume that you just sat and played single player. Lame. And unless you’re watching videos, why do you care about the background graphics?
    8. Tekken’s fighting is utter crap? And Brawl’s fighting is more sophisticated? lol
    7. Wow, what a cop-out answer. In defense of Halo, it’s a great shooter and is fun at parties and over X-Box Live. Don’t bash until you’ve played multiplayer. Shallow? Kind of. Brilliant? Definitely.
    6. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. You really DON’T know what you’re talking about, do you? If you had said “All Sonic Games after Adventure 2” I would have agreed with you. But bashing the 2D classics? And I saw no mention of Sonic CD in there, so your point is irrelevant.
    5. You know, on the surface, I would agree with you. The sum of Half-Life’s parts are decidedly average. But the way the experience as a whole is pulled together… man. It just has an atmosphere that most games lack. That’s why this series is among my favorites.
    4. Hmmm. Finally a game I’ve never played. I can’t pass judgment. You’ve been spared THIS time, Zeromage. *shakes fist*
    3. The first three games? They tell a good story, but the gameplay, while atmospheric, is quite bad. RE4 and RE5, though? Those are great games if I’ve ever seen a great game. The combat is deep, the game is scary, and the story is great.
    2. Even though GTA is a representation of everything wrong with the world today, it is STILL ridiculously fun. Why? It feeds off one of humanity’s most basic instincts: the need to destroy stuff. And GTA allows you to destroy as many things as you want without breaking the law. Is it for all ages? No. But for the mature gamer, it’s definitely a fun experience. Besides, they did a good job of creating a living breathing world. And yeah, the GTAIII trilogy might belong on here because of spotty shooting and driving, but GTAIV was nigh on flawless.
    1. Look, I love FFIII and Chrono Trigger. I’m a HUGE fan of RPGs. And Pokemon was what got me into RPGs in the first place. Is it simple and kiddish? Yes. But it’s one of the deepest RPGs out there, bar none. Like many other games on your list, it sounds like you didn’t play it at all and just put it on here. And it lacked depth? Do your homework before you make a list next time.
18. #18 ThisWebsiteWantsTraffic says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:01 am

    Stop it, you retard. This list is a joke and you know it. You want traffic for your gay ass site, and this is how your pretend to get it. There is a thread on gametrailers on how retarded this whole website is. So please let it die.
19. #19 serpx says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:27 am

    Gamed since the NES. Played Zelda, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Mario, all of it. You’re ignorant for having Halo off of any top 100 list for gaming — it’s not that innovative, but it has brought us great FPS games on the consoles, and without it, Microsoft may not be with the Xbox right now.
20. #20 Red-Crock says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:34 am

    Street fighter is the most overrated game ever. it’s a game of hadoken and shoryuken and that’s it.The same shit in all games…
21. #21 avi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    Red-crock, i hope you’re joking.
22. #22 Journeythroughhell says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:34 am

    Again, I would like to countradict the posts of this strangely uninformative top ten.
    10. God of War
    God Of War perfected hack-and-slash, not just did it right, perfected it. You can’t call a game overrated if you simply don’t like the genre.
    9. Guitar Hero
    Same thing here. By the way, Kiss is better than Oasis and GH3 tracklist is fucking awesome.
    8. Tekken
    Oh, it is so better than your favourite SSBB.
    7. Halo
    Same thing here, Halo reinvented FPS. But you, guys, hate FPS. That’s why Halo is overrated. Hell, makes sense to me?
    6. Sonic
    Yeah, I don’t like it very much either. But Mario is much more overrated.
    5. Half-Life
    Again, Half-Life 2 is one of the best games ever. And so is Half-Life 1. By the way, this statement is hilarious: “Compare how many different types of bad guys there are in Half Life 2 to a game like Super Mario 3 and you’ll see why we like games from the 16 bit era so much more than the games released today.” Let me clarify this. More bad guys do not make the game better.
    4. Ghost’n'Goblins
    I’ve never seen anyone praise that series…
    3. Resident Evil
    Another killer statement: “ou walk around and random things attack you. Its not scary, it just bad horror flick shit when someone comes from behind you trying to attack you. You get the usual weapons to fight off the usual suspects. You can get devoured by parasitic monsters everywhere you turn.” That is the action horror genre, you dumbasses.
    2. Grand Theft Auto
    I love GTA. It is one of the most immersive game series ever. “GN gave GTA 4 a 10 out of 10, while giving a really fun game like Super Mario Galaxy a 9.7.” Ooh, cry me a river. Which of them sold more?
    1. Pokemon
    Although I do agree, this spot should be reserved for The Legend Of Zelda games.
23. #23 metalisticpain says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

    I agree with most of this list.

    Except pokemon. Not that i dont agree, its a simple rpg at best, just that i dont see anyone really hyping this up as an awesome franchise… how can it be overrated when if you mention you love the pokemon games, your like instantly ignored within the gaming population.

    I liked pokemon red. after that i was done with the franchise.

    So yeah. Unless u live in japan, i dont think Pokemon is rated very high at all
24. #24 Fucko says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    omg… complaining over the armor in Ghost n ghouls is just lame, you can complain of anything in that era… how can Mario kill a gomba while jumping at it? how can he jump on the end boses in every level that is equal his hight? and how is he being abel to go in to some of the pipe? you se, the logic those days was not to question just to game on.

    also, by playing a game in 2 hours is not equal to complete it. and to be honest name a game that have enough variate enemies? and using got bored on the game as an excuse to put it there? jees.

    this so called list should be more be called nitpicking list then top most overrated games.
25. #25 tl;dr says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:11 am

    Everything popular is going to somewhat suck, because to appeal to a large amount of people it must have enough redeeming qualities to make the majority able to tolerate it.

    The best way to describe it that I can think of is that a popular franchise will be a ‘jack of all trades’, having a wide variety of features, but barely skimming the surface of each one. That is why they will always lack in certain areas, and depending on one’s point of view and likes/dislikes, these faults can range from tolerable to unbearable.

    Another case is that it will try to appeal to a certain group, while dialing down the difficulty to reel people outside the target audience into trying a game out. This simplicity will be perceived as a lack of depth and unoriginality to some, while others will enjoy the experience because they are familiar with the franchise or are looking for a source of entertainment that isn’t overly challenging.

    Or, the game may attempt to outperform others in its genre by upping the difficulty and originality just enough so that the satisfaction of completing it is worthwhile to the effort spent playing. Excruciating to almost everyone, but addicting in some way or another.

    By appealing to the many, popular games are always going to repel a few. And because nothing is perfect, games basked in spotlights created by society are going to have their flaws illuminated, and because people are more inclined to criticize, then they are going to focus on the negatives. So nothing is ever good enough for anyone. But that’s life.
26. #26 jake holland says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:40 am

    Hey i am 12 years old and while i sometimes play halo i am not like OMG BGE i am yes it is fun to play sometimes so fuck you assholes I mean seriously JUST because some people think that halo is the best you automatically mash on 12 years old?Well fuck you i think that you are no better then the countless retards that say “my game is better then yours” so 1:Your a opinionated asshole and 2:8 years olds can be childish 10 year olds can be childish but i know that while most history books overlook them 12 year olds are important and smart you know there was a 12 year old that sailed across the pacif past the gulf of mexico and got to america with jack shit and a 5 year old girl.And you wanna know something that kid grew up and became a god man that did good things for good people so i repeat fuck you.