Now that the current gen is almost over, we can safely say that we've seen some amazing games and some proper stinkers. But in the midst of all these, there are some really great games that probably haven't received the admiration it really deserved. Similarly there are a few games that (according to me) have been given too many accolades that I felt it didn't deserve.
Obviously this is an opinion piece so what I might find under appreciated might be over appreciated or rightly appreciated for someone else and vice versa.
I just wanted to see how many people out here thought similarly on the under-appreciated and over-appreciated games of the current gen. Give your reasoning too if possible.
Here are my picks:
UNDER-APPRECIATED
Mad Max (2015)
Maybe it was the time of release or the fact that people were getting frustrated and tired of open world games, but somehow this game just didn't connect with many people out there. For me, this game did almost everything right (story was a little lackluster that only picked up speed towards the final third of the game).
The driving, combat and customization of the vehicles were top notch, some of the most fun I've had. The game looked beautiful with some of the best sky-boxes I've ever seen in a video game. The on-foot combat was weighty and meaty, even though it was a very toned down version of the Arkham Style combat, it was still enough to get you into the fights. The world, while barren, felt alive and almost every corner was telling a story on its own.
I tried roleplaying through it, completing all objectives for each camp before moving on to the next in order to ensure they are fully upgraded and in a much better position than when I came, leaving them ready to fight their own battles with ease, come what may.
Give this game a try. Might be heavily discounted at the moment.
--x--
Days Gone (2019)
I might get a lot of flak for this, but let's keep aside all the bugs (since almost all of them have been patched out by now). I had almost 0 expectations going into this game, after seeing how it was received. Got it recently at a discount and started playing through it. The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the game looked. One of the best looking open world games I've ever played.
The gameplay was quite fun too, the melee combat was fun and heavy, the guns felt powerful and every bullet felt like it had an impact on the enemy or the environment. The freakers were easy to deal with when sparse, but the swarmers were something I've never experienced in a game, besides probably Left 4 Dead, but the hordes takes this game to another level. The careful planning and setting of traps before going in guns blazing to clear out a horde is some of the most frantic and satisfying zombie (oops, freaker) encounters I've ever had in a game.
The human enemies were fun too, albeit quite easy to tackle. I particularly liked riding around on the bike that I kept customizing. Didn't feel any attachment to it early on but as I kept enhancing it, I felt the change in the bike and how it handled and drove and started to care for it more and more. Looking after the fuel was never a chore but another gameplay opportunity, should I go into the hot zone and refuel now or drive a little further in hopes to find a gas can somewhere? Same with fixing the bike when damaged. The same scrap used to repair your melee weapons and create bombs is used for repairing your bike, so item management was also a decision making game.
But I'm not here to just talk about the moment-to-moment gameplay of Days Gone, but the story. I was not expecting to get so invested in the story. I haven't felt such a strong connection to any video game characters since The Last Of Us. Without spoiling anything, I really cared about Deacon's journey and his quest to find the truth or closure for his dead wife. It was something that really connected with me and I really wanted him to succeed. I even cared for some of the supporting cast and really, really hated one character in the game who you are supposed to hate, so kudos to the game for making me feel that way.
I'm guessing Days Gone is pretty cheap right now too. And since most of us are stuck at home, no better time than now to give this game a go.
--x--
OVER-APPRECIATED
NieR:Automata
(I couldn't find one negative review on this game, so you understand why I feel that definitely something is wrong with me, lol)
I have only one game in this list. And I'm probably going to make more enemies than friends with this opinion. But for me, NieR:Automata was such a disappointing game. It was so hyped up, even from this forum. A friend of mine convinced me to get it and he was the one to get me into Witcher 3, which I love. So I thought to trust his judgement and I got NieR:Automata. But man. I was not expecting what I got.
Combat was boring. The graphics were so bland. The story, while interesting, dragged so much more once I had to replay everything all over again as 9S. There was nothing fun about it. The open world felt not-required and... ugh, I don't know I just forced myself to get through with all the endings because apparently only then will I get the satisfaction this game gives, but it just didn't work for me. I just don't see why this gets so much praise. I kept thinking something is wrong with me and maybe I'm unable to understand art. I read through so many forums about this game to just understand what I have missed, but I still don't get it.
So for me, NieR:Automata is probably the only current gen game that I feel gets too much praise for what it has to offer.
Phew, now that that's out of the way, what are your under-appreciated and over-appreciated games for the current gen?
Obviously this is an opinion piece so what I might find under appreciated might be over appreciated or rightly appreciated for someone else and vice versa.
I just wanted to see how many people out here thought similarly on the under-appreciated and over-appreciated games of the current gen. Give your reasoning too if possible.
Here are my picks:
UNDER-APPRECIATED
Mad Max (2015)
Maybe it was the time of release or the fact that people were getting frustrated and tired of open world games, but somehow this game just didn't connect with many people out there. For me, this game did almost everything right (story was a little lackluster that only picked up speed towards the final third of the game).
The driving, combat and customization of the vehicles were top notch, some of the most fun I've had. The game looked beautiful with some of the best sky-boxes I've ever seen in a video game. The on-foot combat was weighty and meaty, even though it was a very toned down version of the Arkham Style combat, it was still enough to get you into the fights. The world, while barren, felt alive and almost every corner was telling a story on its own.
I tried roleplaying through it, completing all objectives for each camp before moving on to the next in order to ensure they are fully upgraded and in a much better position than when I came, leaving them ready to fight their own battles with ease, come what may.
Give this game a try. Might be heavily discounted at the moment.
--x--
Days Gone (2019)
I might get a lot of flak for this, but let's keep aside all the bugs (since almost all of them have been patched out by now). I had almost 0 expectations going into this game, after seeing how it was received. Got it recently at a discount and started playing through it. The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the game looked. One of the best looking open world games I've ever played.
The gameplay was quite fun too, the melee combat was fun and heavy, the guns felt powerful and every bullet felt like it had an impact on the enemy or the environment. The freakers were easy to deal with when sparse, but the swarmers were something I've never experienced in a game, besides probably Left 4 Dead, but the hordes takes this game to another level. The careful planning and setting of traps before going in guns blazing to clear out a horde is some of the most frantic and satisfying zombie (oops, freaker) encounters I've ever had in a game.
The human enemies were fun too, albeit quite easy to tackle. I particularly liked riding around on the bike that I kept customizing. Didn't feel any attachment to it early on but as I kept enhancing it, I felt the change in the bike and how it handled and drove and started to care for it more and more. Looking after the fuel was never a chore but another gameplay opportunity, should I go into the hot zone and refuel now or drive a little further in hopes to find a gas can somewhere? Same with fixing the bike when damaged. The same scrap used to repair your melee weapons and create bombs is used for repairing your bike, so item management was also a decision making game.
But I'm not here to just talk about the moment-to-moment gameplay of Days Gone, but the story. I was not expecting to get so invested in the story. I haven't felt such a strong connection to any video game characters since The Last Of Us. Without spoiling anything, I really cared about Deacon's journey and his quest to find the truth or closure for his dead wife. It was something that really connected with me and I really wanted him to succeed. I even cared for some of the supporting cast and really, really hated one character in the game who you are supposed to hate, so kudos to the game for making me feel that way.
I'm guessing Days Gone is pretty cheap right now too. And since most of us are stuck at home, no better time than now to give this game a go.
--x--
OVER-APPRECIATED
NieR:Automata
(I couldn't find one negative review on this game, so you understand why I feel that definitely something is wrong with me, lol)
I have only one game in this list. And I'm probably going to make more enemies than friends with this opinion. But for me, NieR:Automata was such a disappointing game. It was so hyped up, even from this forum. A friend of mine convinced me to get it and he was the one to get me into Witcher 3, which I love. So I thought to trust his judgement and I got NieR:Automata. But man. I was not expecting what I got.
Combat was boring. The graphics were so bland. The story, while interesting, dragged so much more once I had to replay everything all over again as 9S. There was nothing fun about it. The open world felt not-required and... ugh, I don't know I just forced myself to get through with all the endings because apparently only then will I get the satisfaction this game gives, but it just didn't work for me. I just don't see why this gets so much praise. I kept thinking something is wrong with me and maybe I'm unable to understand art. I read through so many forums about this game to just understand what I have missed, but I still don't get it.
So for me, NieR:Automata is probably the only current gen game that I feel gets too much praise for what it has to offer.
Phew, now that that's out of the way, what are your under-appreciated and over-appreciated games for the current gen?
