The 10 Most Overrated Games? Not this list.

Recently, EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) posted their list of the most overrated games in recent memory on 1up.com, and I was mildly annoyed with it. While there are some games on there that deserve it, for the most part, it's games that haven't aged well, and when I think of overrated games, I don't think of those. So, lacking any decent subject material for today, I decided to go over their list and give my opinion on each game.

10. Ico - "This will upset the art school kids, but Ico hasn't really changed our lives. It's not that we don't appreciate the relationship between its characters and the understated themes, but the "games as art" folks need to get a grip."

Okay, fair enough, they're...

...wait a minute.

If memory serves me correctly, didn't EGM constantly push the "games as art" angle as much as everyone else? Hell, I'm pretty sure I got the idea from them in the first place!

If nothing else, they talked about that game in practically every issue after it came out for two years. If Ico didn't changed their lives, they certainly talked like it did.

9. Shenmue - While this game was certainly hyped up by every gaming magazine at the time, for the most part, the reviews reflected the blurb in the article. Shenmue definitely has a strong fanbase, but even with them in mind, it still wouldn't be enough for the game to be on this list.

Hmmm... maybe they mean by "overrated," they also mean "overhyped." The list works a little better, then.

8. Banjo-Kazooie - Rare has a lot of games on this list, and this is the first one. This is one I agree with, however, because I remember trying the game and becoming bored with it after an hour or so. So, EGM, you got one right.

7. Final Fantasy IX - Now, admittedly, my memory is a little sketchy when it comes to this one, because I was still reeling from the horror that was Final Fantasy VIII (yes, it was that bad of a game. How bad? It was so bad that I stopped playing RPGs for nearly five years. Thanks a lot, FFVIII!). Anyone can gladly correct me on this, but it always seemed like it was the sleeper of the FF PS1 games, excluding the buzz that all FF games get nowadays. But overrated?

6. NiGHTS - This one strikes me as something they did to piss off the fanbase moreso than it actually being overrated. The game may not have aged well (it's been years since I've played it), but at the time, it certainly deserved the attention it recieved. It's been nearly nine years since it was released for the Saturn, and nothing even resembling it has come out in that time, including a NiGHTS sequel (boo, Sega!). It may not be the best game in the world anymore, but still deserves better than being stuck on this list.

5. Perfect Dark - If you compare it to console FPS nowadays (like, say, Halo), it hasn't aged well, but by that regard, neither has Goldeneye (Rare's first shooter). But at the time, it was the best console FPS around, and a great game on the N64. The second Rare game on the list simply shouldn't be on here because at the time, it was as good as you could get on a console.

4. Donkey Kong 64 - Rare's third game on the list, and I'm not really that sure if it deserves to be on here. DK 64 is a perfect example of how not to do a platform game, and like Shenmue, I think the reviews at the time reflected that. But this was the time that Rare could do no wrong, and the game sold like hot cakes (although that could also be attributed to the N64 Expansion Pak that was included with it). So... now that I think about it, yeah, it deserves to be on here.

3. Killer Instinct - Rare's fourth game on the list. You'd think EGM just a thing against Rare or something, because the only major Rare game that didn't make it was Conker's Bad Fur Day. But yeah, this game definitely deserves this spot. The fighting was boring and rewarded memorization moreso than any other fighter before or after it. Character designs were ugly, even back then (at least, I thought so) and the music was just uninteresting. But, it was a Rare game... so there you go.

2. Donkey Kong Country - The game that brought Rare into the forefront, and its FIFTH game on the list. I mean, geez. Now, while the game was pretty for its time, the gameplay wasn't so hot. It wasn't a bad game, by any means, but you would have been better off buying the far superior Mario games as opposed to this. So, yeah, this was a good pick for the list, but it needs to be a bit lower on the list.

1. Battle Arena Toshinden - A non-Rare game? Yes, hard to believe. What's even harder to believe that this game sold, and sold VERY well. To be fair to consumers at the time, it was a PS1 launch title, and there wasn't many choices at the time, and it was a good-looking game when it came out. But did it deserve to sell? No way in Hell. A definitely good choice for the list.

Now, to be fair to the EGM staff, a lot of them weren't around when these games originally came out, so their opinions don't have to reflect those of previous staff members. However, a lot of this just seems to be games aren't as good as the current crop of games, so that somehow makes them "overrated," which isn't the case. But, they're the professional gamers, and I'm just a guy writing a blog that nobody reads, so who are you probably going to listen to?