20 Games That DON'T Get The Respect They Deserve

20 Games That Are Constantly Being Written Off

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 20 games that many folks dismiss too quickly. Remember - don’t knock it till you try it.

“DOOM 3” (2004)

When looking at the entire franchise, “DOOM 3” is very much the black sheep of the family. It’s slower than the other games, it leans way too heavily into horror, and it’s much more restrictive in movement given how condensed every room is. Plus…crane puzzles? Yeah, it can be hard to like this one. But when you approach it as its own thing and accept it more of a general survival horror instead of a boomer shooter, it can be an enjoyable game. We only hope you’re playing the BFG Edition with all of the improvements to help make it a little more like the other “DOOM” games. Otherwise, yeah, the original version is kind of a mess.

“Marvel’s Midnight Suns” (2022)

“Midnight Suns” was such an awesome game in how it blended tactical RPG gameplay with card-based mechanics and a light amount of dating sim tropes. Admittedly, the Abbey isn’t going to please every player. So, if “Midnight Suns” is so great, why is it on this list? Well, because many did write the game off in the months leading up to launch. Many dismissed it not because they didn’t like the visuals or their favorite hero’s costumes or that it simply didn’t look fun. No, much of the dismissal stemmed from the fact that it was a card game. So, when the gameplay was revealed for the first time, developer Firaxis was met with a lot of comments saying “ew, gross!”

“Dead Space” (2023)

The remake of “Dead Space” had a lot riding against it considering creator Glen Schofield wasn’t tied to the project. He was too busy working on “Callisto Protocol”, which turned out to be…meh. Back to Isaac Clarke, this remake not only rebuilt the original game from the ground up with new controls and assets, it also made lighting a part of the gameplay. Diverting power was crucial to your progression, forcing you to sacrifice comfort and confront danger. It simply did not look or play the same as the original game. Alas, the “fans” made their voices loud and clear by staying silent, and so, the remake for “Dead Space 2” isn’t happening.

“Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (2008)

When Rare and Xbox put out a teaser for a new Banjo game, fans were amped to see the bear and bird make the jump to Xbox 360. What they weren’t expecting was a focus on building vehicles to obtain their Jiggies and Notes. It wasn’t 3D platforming; it was racing, time trials, taxi-driving, fetch quests, vehicular combat, and the occasional sport. And so, tantrums were thrown. The small section that gave the game a chance may not have found a good Banjo game, but what they did find was a unique game that wanted you to think outside of the box and find your own solutions to its various challenges. Sometimes, you had to do challenges legitimately. Sometimes, you could have enough parts to completely break the game and cheese the Trophy. It was a clever game that encouraged players to get creative. If only more had given it a chance.

“Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (2008)

Casuals were quick to embrace “Brawl” just as they would every new “Smash” game. This particularly was an exciting entry because of the Subspace Emissary mode, an entire campaign where we got to see Nintendo’s heroes (and a few villains) team up to save their world. Unfortunately, the ultra-competitive players weren’t having it. Yes, the tripping was annoying at times. Yes, it doesn’t play as fast as “Smash Bros. Melee”. We get it. But can’t we appreciate the game for what it does well in visuals, diverse game modes, and how it got more newcomers into the series? Why does “Brawl” have to be villainized for being four frames longer?

“Kid Icarus: Uprising” (2012)

“Uprising” was to be a triumphant return for Pit and the short-lived “Kid Icarus” series, giving the IP a brand-new identity that Masahiro Sakurai and his team wanted to realize from “Smash Bros. Brawl”. The few that tried it found a remarkable action game that found a neat idea in blending traditional gamepad controls with touchscreen controls. To everyone else, though, “the controls were weird”. Yes, they were weird, but once you got a handle on things and played on a moderate or high difficulty, it all comes pretty natural after the first couple chapters.

“Skylanders” series (2011-16)

We totally see where some folks were coming from when expressing apathy and sometimes, disdain for the “Skylanders” games. The toys were pretty pricey and Spyro’s design was wrong in every way. Contrary to popular belief, these games were pretty fun to play regardless of your age. Every character came with their own movesets that made combat entertaining in both visuals and mechanics. And there are some moments in the stories that were genuinely funny or interesting in its own goofy way. Although, again, the toys-to-life market was getting pricey, so it’s not hard to see why “Skylanders” and its competitors crashed and burned.

“Death Stranding” (2019)

At one point, it seemed as if every Hideo Kojima fan was onboard with “Death Stranding”. What’s his new game gonna be like? How’s it gonna play? Ooh, the excitement! So much mystery and autuer-ish-ness! …Well, everyone was there until we got our first look at gameplay a few months before launch. So many dreams dashed because Kojima and his team decided to develop a delivery game, or as many called it, “Amazon Prime Simulator”. And so folks walked away from “Death Stranding” before it even came out. Those that stuck with it found a neat game that demands you be efficient in deliveries and use a multitude of cleverly implemented tools to get the job done.

“Fable III” (2010)

“Fable III” did see some justifiable criticisms made against it, much of the ire being made against how interactions were handled and expressions being more limited. Lionhead Studios could have done a better job at handling morality and player choices, too. However, some straight up demonize “Fable III”, downplaying the story as “your brother is a jerk” or complaining too much about the subtle changes in your character’s appearance. We can see some of those grievances being a bit frustrating. Enough to call “Fable III” “the worst in the series”? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?

“Borderlands” series (2009-)

The biggest complaint we constantly see about “Borderlands” is that “the game is cringe”, the complaint often being directed towards its humor. In all honesty, “Borderlands” was funny way back in 2012 when the second game was popping off. “Pre-Sequel” made a solid effort, too. However, we can see why this didn’t work out for “Borderlands 3” and “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands”. The hyperactivity, overexplaining, and constant quipping has gotten tiresome and less clever over the years. That doesn’t make it an awful series, just hard to tolerate when focusing on the story and characters. Gameplay-wise, each game feels pretty good with its gunplay and can feel better to play once you’ve invested in some skills. If only the jokes went beyond saying random things at an obnoxiously loud volume.

“Gex” series (1995-99)

For years, Gex has been memed and dunked on for his outdated references and annoyingly 90’s-era snarkiness. It has sort of painted the gecko in a negative light, and really, the constant memes do not help. But for the few who did play the games back then, a lot of them swear that Gex did have some great games. Whether it was jumping through TV channels or running around while playing as a secret agent, the “Gex” games had some fun ideas despite most of those ideas being purely thematic or simple in execution. We’ll just see how many of them are still around when the remasters come out.

“Kingdom Hearts” series (2002-)

Look, we’ll go up to bat for “Kingdom Hearts” on any given day. From the various Disney worlds you get to explore to the insanely fun combat and new mechanics each game brings, it’s no wonder why “Kingdom Hearts” is loved by so many. But when you ask why someone would dismiss the series, it's often because of the story and writing. You know, all that “light and dark” talk. Granted, it doesn’t start up until it gets deeper into the first game, but once it starts, it doesn’t let up. So, we get why some shove “Kingdom Hearts” aside and roll their eyes at it.

“Assassin’s Creed” series (2007-)

While “Assassin’s Creed” has been around for an incredibly long time, its popularity has dwindled the longer it’s gone on. Many still get enjoyment from running around historic cities and messing with each game’s stealth mechanics and skill trees. Fans from the old days, on the other hand, have denounced the newer games. The RPG elements and open world bloat just isn’t what the older games were like, and so, with each new game, a wave of disappointment is felt from various corners of the fanbase. “Assassin’s Creed” still sells tons of copies, but the community isn’t as big and lively as it used to be.

“Starfield” (2023)

Much of the ire towards “Starfield” can be traced to console war silliness. It isn’t the greatest title Bethesda has ever put out. And yet, it was treated as such when it launched. It may not have delivered on a lot of the promises or potential as many were hoping for, but in the end, the focus was on exploration, and we got that in abundance. The slow improvement may be a Bethesda staple for better or worse, but chances are newcomers who leap into this space-fairing adventure are going to get a lot more for their buck than those who may not have had the best time on day one.

“Soulcalibur” series (1995-)

“Soulcalibur” is in the weird position where it's constantly living in the shadow of its slightly older brother, “Tekken”. And it isn’t hard to see why one is favored more than the other. Sure, fans of Bandai Namco and fighting games in general know what “Soulcalibur” is, and many of them have a solid understanding and appreciation for it. But to an average player who loves “Tekken” and thinks “ooh, it’s from the same publisher, so it's ‘Tekken’ with swords”, you can only imagine the disappointment they’re setting themselves up for. “Soulcalibur” plays so differently compared to its more successful sibling; it’s slower, a bit clunkier, and much more focused on defense and counters. That said, the failure of “Soulcalibur VI” was almost expected albeit sad to witness.

“Dead Or Alive” series (1996-)

The “Dead Or Alive” games truly are some of the greatest 3D fighting games you could possibly play. Even the 1996 original holds up insanely well in controls, and “Dead Or Alive 6” is only considered the worst in the series because of its post-launch support or lack thereof. Problem is that saying that you’re a fan of the series to an outsider holds some…social risks. The jiggle physics are real, they are prominent, and at first glance they can be…off putting. That being said, it’s more of a case of them working adjacent to a great fighting system, not smothering it.

“BioShock 2” (2010)

While the first “BioShock” is always held in high regard (and rightfully so), the same cannot be said for its sequel. Right away, you can tell that creator Ken Levine had little to no involvement with “BioShock 2”. Some disregard it and trash it without hesitation for unknown reasons. The slow start is a bit irritating, yes, and some parts of the game do feel like they were recycled from the first game. Even so, the story and gameplay were top-notch, and even the multiplayer was surprisingly fun in its own way! Where did all the hate for this game come from?

“Batman: Arkham Origins” (2013) & “Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)

We have all heard the complaints about these two games several times over. “Origins” had an open world with nothing to do in it while “Knight” hamfisted the Batmobile and tank gameplay a few times too many. That does not negate the other parts of the game that are really well done. “Knight” ran with “Origins’s” idea of an open-world Batman game and added a ton of complexity to Gotham’s layout through hidden militia bases and secrets shoved into alleyways. Plus, “Origins” did offer a unique concept in having to piece together crime scenes and look for evidence based on how they most likely played out. And to “Knight’s” credit, the Batmobile segments weren’t as frequent as some make it sound. They aren’t perfect Batman games, but to just cast them aside like they’re fodder might be a bit out of line.

“The Last of Us: Part II” (2020)

Whether you’re a hardcore fan or a casual outside observer, it seems as if “The Last of Us: Part II” can never get any ounce of respect. You have people angry about Joel dying and revering him like a saint even though he’s just as awful as Abby. Speaking of, Abby is one of the biggest points of contention with this game as some point out how much of a slog her portion of the game is. Others take it to a much more politically inept extreme. So many focus on Abby and Joel that you can’t have a serious conversation about the game’s sound design, the combat, not even the impressive assortment of accessibility options.

“Fortnite” (2017)

So many folks write off “Fortnite” now like it's the worst game you can possibly play. We have criticized the game for its obsession with crossovers and licensed cosmetics. But most just see a dumb game the kids are into. What most fail to recognize is that “Fortnite” can be really fun between the Zero Build, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Fest modes. There are even some user-created games that are equally fun to play through and give the free-to-play title more replay value. So, we really should give Epic Games the credit in making a platform that is super malleable instead of hating on the game just because it's mega-popular.


What’s a game you feel people are too quick to hate on? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!