What is the worst game you still love for some reason?
Today marks the 15th anniversary of NBA Live 08 on the Wii. Why there was no national holiday and organized street processions for this beautiful game, we do not understand. Except, of course, it’s not excellent at all. The game was, for all intents and purposes, objectively badand yet there is a very large part of this writer who has an unabashed love for him, despite his shortcomings.
Now that got us thinking – what are our favorite games that everyone else seems to think is bad? There is no place for the phrase “guilty pleasure” here – after all, if we like them, then why should we feel guilty? — but we are working in the same direction.
Below, a group of our writers took to the gaming confessional to discuss the games they still fondly think about despite their common sense. Whether it’s nostalgia, blinding bias, or the inability to turn off a child’s mind, each entry discusses one of our most controversial best games, as well as the reason we love it so much.
This deep dive means we don’t want to be alone in our confessions, oh no we want you participate too! Why not leave a comment below with a selection of bad games you can’t help but love and see how they stack up against all the others? Enjoy reading!
Pokémon Dash – Jim Norman, staff writer
I had to turn to the Internet to find my choice, because after all, aren’t all the games I like are “good games”? Simply put, no.
I was shocked to see slander massively handed out against Pokémon Dash, and for what reason?
Looking through lists of the worst Nintendo games, I was shocked to see slander massively handed out against Pokémon Dash, and for what reason? Because it was a Pokémon-themed race? Because constant touchscreen operation is a case of carpal tunnel syndrome waiting in the wings? Because it’s weird to see Pikachu from a bird’s eye view? Apparently yes. All of the above.
Glad to raise a positive flag for such an understated name, I have so many fond memories of this game. The controls may have been a little painful, but they were fun enough and made great use of the DS hardware. The fact that you could only play as Pikachu in single player also worked wonders for me. I loved this little guy and would go out of my way to have him appear in every other Pokemon title, so the limited selection didn’t bother me.
I understand the reasons for the complaint (although Metacritic rating: 46. I’m hurt), but nothing will satisfy my nostalgia. Pokémon Dash is a fun pastime, and I can’t be convinced otherwise.
Resident Evil 6 – Ollie Reynolds, staff writer
Resident Evil 6 and I don’t have the best start in our relationship. I remember being excited watching the game’s debut trailer, but in the back of my mind, small worries also materialized. Leon and Chris in the same game? Good. Driving a tank through the streets of Edonia? Hm… Then the demo came out, and I immediately thought: “oh no, that’s awful”.
[Resident Evil 6] hindsight seems like a natural evolution of what came before it
However, time is a great healer. Sixth main Resident Evil line is inferior to such as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4; there is no doubt about it. But ten years after its release, I just love it the way it is. Yes, he abandoned the survival horror element that the series actually built its foundation on, but the actual gameplay rosy good fun!
Looking back, the game seems like a natural evolution of what came before it. But while Resident Evil 5 blatantly copied the gameplay and overall structure of its predecessor, Resident Evil 6 reached the top with four unique campaigns and perhaps Best a repeat of the Mercenaries mode the franchise has ever seen.
Jumped here and there? Absolutely. But those who ridicule it for focusing on action over horror should look back and realize that the seeds have been planted since the beginning of the franchise. Resident Evil 6 was the culmination of all that.
Bioshock Infinite – Keith Grey, staff writer
Bioshock Infinity. LISTEN TO ME.
I know it’s a fairly well-made AAA game that has received a lot of good reviews, but in recent years everyone has come to the conclusion that this is an incredibly clumsy take on real-world issues that distorts the passage, eventually forgetting what it was. statement and on whose side it was in the first place. For the record, I agree. The storyline of racism in Bioshock Infinite is as follows. terrible terribly, eventually shrugging and saying “well, actually, maybe each it’s a bit evil.” I will not forgive him for this, nor for his blatant use of racist stereotypes to characterize and caricature his villains. And its main character.
I still think that under all the ugly parts of Bioshock Infinite lies a great game.
Having said all that, I still think that behind all the ugly parts of Bioshock Infinite lies a great game. It’s beautiful – that heaven, that environment design, the incorporation of songs from the real world that reflect an alternate universe ruled by an isolationist religion – and it has themes that I adored, especially between Elizabeth and her foster family, a broken family, or a continuous thread of time. quantum mechanics and repetition.
The Lutetian twins, acting as strange, disembodied conduits, constantly hinting at the true nature of things before you yourself realize it? Marvelous. Remaking 80s bop into anachronistic ragtime waltz covers? Inspired. A requiem monument to the murdered mother of Elizabeth and her possible resurrection as an angry banshee? Kiss the chef. I mean, they messed it up by turning it into a wave fight, but they succeeded. atmosphere. I just wish Irrational would stick with cool ghosts and miss out on even more “philosopher freshman has an opinion on racism and religion!” things.
Star Fox Zero – Gonzalo Lopez, columnist
It’s common for well-known Nintendo franchises to divide their fan base into polar opposites, more often if that franchise was created before this century. Whenever Nintendo takes an old 8- or 16-bit classic and gives the series an unexpected new twist, praise from new fans and anger from old ones is sure to follow. Several games come to mind that fit this pattern, and while some of them are universally panned by critics and gamers alike, I often find something worthwhile about them. The last culprit on my list: Star Fox Zero.
I admit [Star Fox Zero’s] the flaws and the fear of how that could jeopardize the future of the series going forward… but I can’t deny it remains pretty darn exciting.
Star Fox 64 refined the rail formula set in the Super Nintendo original, while Star Fox Assault added Namco flavor to the mix. While this GameCube entry would also make a great candidate for this Talking Point feature, it’s Miyamoto and PlatinumGames’ latest look at the franchise that “knocked things out,” if you allow the pun.
I (and I’m sure every fan of the franchise) has always dreamed of a high definition, ultimate Star Fox experience because even in 1993 we didn’t see low poly models – we saw epic space and ground combat. The Wii U was more than capable of delivering this graphical prowess (and it did!), but unfortunately, due to the game’s design philosophy that Miyamoto encouraged throughout development, parts of the game were severely compromised due to control inaccuracies and often due to how unnatural it is for a more casual player to master driving in such an alien manner.
So it’s bittersweet: I love the franchise, I love Star Fox Zero, but I stand apart from my inner circle of Nintendo colleagues who consider this game to be the weakest game in the entire series. I acknowledge its flaws and fear how it could jeopardize the future of the series in the future…but I can’t deny it’s pretty darn exciting.
Yoshi’s Island DS – Mitch Vogel, columnist
My choice for this would be Yoshi’s Island DS. The Yoshi’s Island series has had a lot of ups and downs (let’s be honest, mostly downs), and I see this game getting mentioned a lot in discussions of Nintendo’s biggest misses.
I think people should remember Yoshi’s Island DS with more love than they do.
Personally, I really liked the child-changing mechanic and felt it added a lot to the core gameplay, while the two-screen game resulted in some fun and interesting level designs that couldn’t be replicated anywhere else. Despite the fact that trying to complete the game at 100% is very difficult, I even enjoyed this process.
I have developed an unhealthy respect for Yoshi’s Island DS, and while I would still put the original release and Woolly World way above that, I think people should remember Yoshi’s Island DS with more fondness than they do.
Phew, sure, it’s nice to get rid of that! Why not join the discussion? Leave a comment below with your favorite bad game to overcome shame!
