The Most Underrated or Overrated Games/Movies Thread

[the dark side]

im afraid i agree with googolplex that crysis is totally over-rated, but then, im biased against it because it uses gameplay mechanics i cannot stand, wich means i personally wouldnt give it higher than a flat zero, so, i quess i shouldnt really comment.

ok an overated and an underated film from me, just to keep this on topic

overated film: Casino Royal (2006) boring, badly written, nonsensical, Daniel Craig is Useless as James Bond, he is Totally the wrong actor for the part (2 words. Micheal Fassbender) the villain was not a threat to 007 and was pointless, there was no diabolical scheme or grandeur, something i have come to expect in a bond product, it was true to the book in the WORST way, im sorry, but, the book was boring as well, not to mention i think mads mikkelsen is a terrible actor. and as for vespyr lynds arrogance, ill be hounest, i was in half a mind to walk out of the theatre, GRRRR. i dont know if it was the terrible writing of Neal Pervis and Robert Wade (Bring..back...Bruce..Fierstein) or Eva Green's "i'm better than any man" smugness, but i was actually Gled when vespyr got killed, to be hounest had i been James Bond i'd have shot her on the train for insubordination. How on earth the film got higher than a 1/10 i dont know. its not as bad as Quantum of Solace (wich didnt even make visual sense! thankfully it got very poor reviews, wich it deserved) but, its worse then even The Man with the Golden Gun, AND Die Another Day. i have been a Bond fan since i was 3 years old, and CR very nearly put me off the franchise.

Underated film: "The Expendables", yes, yes, i know, this is a quilty pleasure film, a bunch of geriatric muscle men blowing the heck out of goons with ever larger guns with very little plot, but, by 'eck it was fun, it didnt bother itself with grandiose "post modernist emotional expression", it decided to stick to the formula behind the 1980s action movies i love, big guns, bigger explosions, a stratospheric bodycount, an awesome 80's rock soundtrack, some great fights, Live stunts, loads of blood and gore and some howling one liners. all the things i want, no, demand, from a "popcorn" movie, anyone who gave it less than an 8 in my opinion should stick to arthouse black and white dramas about the meaning of cheese in a soviet satellite state, because they have clearly forgotten how to have Fun when watching a movie. plus. watching "Stone Cold" Steve Austin ( i was major fan of WWE (WWF back then) during the attitude era) getting Pwned by Sly Stallone never gets old.

PS. heres a better explanation of googolplex, he doesnt want Fun, he wants Entertainment, "Fun" is ultra easy, extremerly dumbed down, badly made, storyless, over in 2 hours, lowest common denominator garbage. Entertainment is a game that gives a lot of enjoyment, but also tells a great story, gets the player emotionally invovled, gives them a Serious Challenge, requires you to read the manual, and has top notch production quality.

Basically: (FPS/Racer, for the 2 most common gaming genres)
Fun= Modern Warfare 3/ Most Wanted 2012 (you dont even have to earn cars! weres the challenge? no challenge= boring)
Entertainment= Half Life/ I Racing

that make better sense?

[Kreekakon]

PS. heres a better explanation of googolplex, he diesnt want FUN, he wants Entertainment, Fun is ultra easy, extrlely dumbed down, over in 2 hours, lowest common denominator garbage. Entertainment is a game that gives a lot of enjoyment, but also tells a great story, gets the player emotionally invovled, gives them a Serious Challenge, requires you to read the manual, and has top notch production quality.

Wait, wait...then how in the world is it that Tetris has none of that, but is still amazing as hell?

[the dark side]

PS. heres a better explanation of googolplex, he diesnt want FUN, he wants Entertainment, Fun is ultra easy, extrmely dumbed down, over in 2 hours, lowest common denominator garbage. Entertainment is a game that gives a lot of enjoyment, but also tells a great story, gets the player emotionally invovled, gives them a Serious Challenge, requires you to read the manual, and has top notch production quality.

Wait, wait...then how in the world is it that Tetris has none of that, but is still amazing as hell?

i think the fact that tetris requires a lot of brain power and is incredibly challenging is what makes it amazing, i quess i should have made it clearer that puzzle games, like tetris, kind of run on a different set of rules to other genres.

Racing does to, to a certain extent, when i play a racing game, i want stunning scenery and factory Stock Supercars, with thrilling roads/ if there is a story there, i Don't want to know, because its invariably going to involve street gangs, urban slums, and riced hatchbacks, its why i cancelled my Forza Horizon pre order, it has a story, gang lingo is spoken, there is a city (based on denver) on the map (with slum) and you start in a hatchback wich can be tuned, it doesnt have offline quick race, and it has controll hints and all of those are game killers in racing for me (controll hints are instant kill for me in all genres actually. they are patronising. my philosophy is, "Read...the...Manual!"), Story is only a requirment in action, were it is a case of the better the story, the more entertaining the game. But the rest, a High Difficulty level, At least Semi realistic Handling, great production quality, and a massive SP career (wich needs to be bolstered by quick race) are must haves for me to take to a racing game. so the rules of High Challenge and great production quality with a big lifespan transfer to All genres, action, racing, puzzle, horror, what ever.

you see, Fun, too googoplex, and to me, means a game that "holds you hand" with stuff like Quick Time event, flashing hints, showing the controlls on screen, offers no challenge, basically, is a super easy modern day "mainstream casual console game".

now, tetris as we know is the total opposite of that, it is pretty merciless, you need to work out were those blocks need to go at 100 mph, it needs a Lot of brain power, and that makes it entertaining, entertainment needs brains. Fun is the braindead "hold your hand" experience you get with rubbish like call of duty and co or post EA take-over Burnout and co.

[Kreekakon]

Racing does to, to a certain extent, when i play a racing game, i want
stunning scenery and factory Stock Supercars, with thrilling roads/ if
there is a story there, i Don't want to know, because its invariably
going to involve street gangs, urban slums, and riced hatchbacks, its
why i cancelled my Forza Horizon pre order, it has a story, gang lingo
is spoken, there is a city (based on denver) on the map (with slum) and
you start in a hatchback wich can be tuned, and those are game killers
in racing for me, were as in action, its a case of the better the story,
the more entertaining the game. But the rest, a High Difficulty level,
At least Semi realistic Handling, great production quality, and a
massive SP career (wich needs to be bolstered by quick race) are must
haves for me to take to a racing game. so the rules of High Challenge
and great production quality with a big lifespan transfer to All genres,
action, racing, puzzle, horror, what ever.

You shouldn't really set your standards in stone like that. If a developer comes up with something different that might even contain aspects you don't like, and it works, then what's there not to like?

you see, Fun, too googoplex, and to me, means a game that "holds you hand" with stuff like Quick Time event, flashing hints, showing the controlls on screen, offers no challenge, basically, is a super easy modern day "console game".

I think you really need to look up the meaning of fun in the dictionary:

Fun
Noun: amusement, enjoyment or pleasure

Fun in a broad sense means enjoying what you are playing. No one says anything about the existence of fun being equal to "dumbed" gameplay. If you like what you are playing, whether it's challenging, easy, or whatever, then you are having fun.

[the dark side]

ah right, well, i dont have fun with games that are too easy, i feel patronised, offended and Bored.

i quess you could say im having "fun" with a game i enjoy, but, "fun", at the end of the day, its a besa reflex, its very low on the order of human evolutionary traits, it only activates the oldest and least complex parts of the brain, parts that have been left over from neanderthal proto humanids, i prefer to be entertained, wich means, yes, i am having fun, but im also being challenged, made to think, and am even getting inspired, wich operate a lot of the higher evolved and more complicated sections of the brain, wich makes being entertained, i think, i higher state of enjoyment than just fun as it allows more sections of the brain to enjoy themselves. not just the neanderthal hang on's.

ps. i set many standards in stone because i know what triggers a meltdown episode in my brain, or what bores me, so i set those standards so i can mostly avoid media that contains elements that will trigger a melt-down, or bore me

can we get this back on topic now please?

[Kreekakon]

Don't take this the wrong way, but personally I don't mind how the game presents itself as long as it makes me enjoy what it is trying to do, whether if it's simple, or complicated. It doesn't matter to me as long as it works, and succeeds at what it sets out to do in the first place.

[the dark side]

that is up to you, but personally that whole idea of open mindedness on games makes me feel like someone has walked over my grave. there are many things in todays games that openly offend me to the core, weather it be promotion of gang culture (wich i see as less than 1 degree removed from terrorism) or being patronising to anyone who has ever played a videogame before. i wont stop you thinking like you do, just, please, dont try and convert me to it. im an elitist and proud. i dont see any crime in it.

back on Topic/ but in terms of social standings rather then the limited feild of media.

Overated: Sporty bad boys .what is so cool about sports? or the people who play them? many i have encountered have been swaggering bullies with an ego the size of lake Baikal, a lust for violence, and about as much brain computing power as a retarded peanut. whats the appeal of being like that? its evolution in reverse.

Underated: Being a Nerd. were do you think videogames come from? the minds of nerds. you look at people who are considered the masters of games craft, Gabe Newell, Hideo Kojima, "Doctor" David Doak, etc you cant get more sterotypical "nerds" than some of them, and yet there games are heralded as some of the coolest things in the media.. go fiqure.

Exremely underated: being a videogame elitist.

[Bridge]

not to mention i think mads mikkelsen is a terrible actor.

You should see him in De grønne slagtere (it's a Danish black comedy movie). The movie itself is average but Mads Mikkelsen is excellent in it. I've seen some other Danish movies with him that I enjoyed. He's not a bad actor.

EDIT: Also your post about sports vs nerds is very black and white and ignorant. Especially in light of the recent study that says exercising increases your brain capacity. Plus some sports like climbing have some of the humblest and nicest people out there. There are always going to be arrogant narcissistic douchebags but don't hate sports for the people that practice them.

[Ghieri]

that is up to you, but personally that whole idea of open mindedness on
games makes me feel like someone has walked over my grave.

Gaming is srs business.

Exremely underated: being a videogame elitist.

There's a very good reason for that.


Underrated: Good Browser games. Back in the day, Cartoonnetwork.com was the shit. Runescape was good, too, before Jagex became all... Jagex-y.

[Ghieri]

So you enjoy games only if they're not fun? I'm sorry, I'm wondering whether I misunderstood or..

I think he is dissing casual gaming.