To this day, I know when gamers discuss playing the most overrated titles this generation, Grand Theft Auto IV is always in the pipeline. It’s inevitable and I wonder if it effects Rockstar as much as it effects the loyal followers who are still excited and anticipating every little Grand Theft Auto V detail that leaks out.
Square Enix as a Company
I understand that Square Enix doesn’t qualify as a “franchise,” but has any famous developer/publisher released more garbage franchises this generation than they have? Let’s be honest — anyone who grew up playing Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, and a laundry list of other titles will agree that Square Enix was the pinnacle of the industry and the source of endless entertainment. Can you think of any other company’s titles that you have put over 100 hours into? I can’t. However, Square Enix took a dive this generation of epic proportions. In fact, I’d even say that Tiger Woods took less of a dive in his career than Square Enix has with its recent run of garbage titles.
The problem with SE is that its issue isn’t going to fall back on the media or retail stores. Sadly, it falls back on all of the loyalists who were willing to turn a blind eye to the company they adored to check out its next offering regardless of how many flies were flying around it. It’s almost embarrassing to think that Square Enix put its label not only on Infinite Undiscovery, but The Last Remnant, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Nier and Final Fantasy XIII all in the span of three to four years.
I’d like to go ahead and state that these games were overrated hardcore (none were outside of FFXIII), but I obviously can’t. The fact remains that the only reason these games got even a minor look in their direction was due to the company on the box — Square Enix. So, how do I justify putting them into this article? Well — Square Enix has certainly become and is deserving of being known as easily the most overrated producer, publisher, and developer of franchises during this stretch of the generation.
Thankfully enough, for us RPG fans anyways, we were blessed with hidden gems like Resonance of Fate, Tales of Vesperia, Valkyria Chronicles and many others to the point where we no longer have to blindly follow the company we once swore complete allegiance to in the field of roleplaying games. How people can be remotely excited for Versus XIII baffles me.
So, now that you have my list — what games or franchises would you add onto it?
FFXIII looked like colorful “meh” ever since they introduced afroman and the queer kid. But Versus is another story, that game is directed by Nomura who also directed Kingdom Hearts (fun and compelling series), designed characters for the most of the better Final Fantasies, and directed Advent Children which had some sick combat, so I’m expecting a really fun and good looking action RPG with a deep story. I never even bought FFXIII because the reviews were “meh” and the cheesy appearance looked like “meh” so I’ll be putting my bets on Versus with no regrets.
how about Blizzard’s Starcraft 2?
Why does everybody hate on FFXIII? It is a really good game with a long and engaging story. Who cares if it doesn’t have a hub world? I have beaten the story in that game and it is not overrated. IMO it is underrated.
You know, when I first found this article on the ECA newsletter, I was interested to check it out and see what someone had to say about recent franchises. I can agree to some extent on the first 2 points. Call of Duty has been a bit overblown by Activision, but the Infinity Ward titles are excellent and very well made titles. After finishing the article, however, I began to feel as if someone were trying to preach at me. It felt like the author was disappointed, not necessarily in the games, but with something else and was taking it out on the games. Then, I realized what website this was on, and it all made sense. Both Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto signed exclusive deals with Microsoft for early content release. Square Enix, on the other hand has been producing more games for XBox 360, some of them exclusive to the 360, than it has for the PS3. Realizing this was on Playstation University, I come to realize that this is mostly the ranting of a disappointed gamer (fanboy might be going too far, but then again, maybe not) who has backed one console and started looking across the fence. I am not trying to say that one console is better than the other. I own all 3 consoles this generation, as well as all 3 from last generation, and each one has pros and cons. PS3 does have some excellent games, and many more on the way, so let’s stop pointing fingers at the other guys just because they have a few exclusives that you want, and play the great games you already have.
@Some Guy
Lol I own an Xbox 360 as well. If you care to look on N4G for this article, a commenter made the comment “What about Gears of War?” I replied thoroughly and explained why Gears of War wouldn’t qualify for this list… Two of the main reasons being that it is an engaging title that I enjoyed from start to finish and that it is an excellent new IP despite the trilogy being wrapped up this coming April.
If I cared even an ounce about Call of Duty’s “map packs,” (which I purchased none of) or about Grand Theft Auto IV’s (which I completed on the 360) it wouldn’t be because of a “timed exclusive” deal that had no effect on me whatsoever as a dual-console owner.
Thanks though.
I so agree about SE in it’s current state being overrated.
GTA4 was a downgrade from its past games. I thought that after 3 years they would finally release a GTA that was just as good as sanandreas (best sandbox game in history) but instead……
it had no planes, fun weapons like flamethrowers, miniguns, duel weapons etc, you couldnt get fat by eating or go to the gym, everything looked the same in the city, there where no fun cheat codes like the chaos cheat in sadandreas, the character custonisation was bad, you couldnt customise your car, the controls where annoying( you had to walk in a circle just to turn round and the cover system was horrible) there where no tanks, the army was removed and you couldnt have gang wars!
There are even more things wrong with the game but i think you get the idea.
I thought after the terrible ‘vice city and liberty city stories’ games (which where just cheap clones of vice city and liberty city) they would finally make a game like sanandreas but instead they spent $10 million removing things from the game!
back in 08 i was looking at great ps3 games that i wanted to play
but the upcoming release of gta4 was the game that made me buy a next gen console
i realy enjoyed the first 20 houres, up until i finished the game, where i was left with a small city, an underwelming story, less than half the weapons, weicles and outside mision activities to do, the multiplayer was there to fill some gaps, but it dident made the game worth 70 euros(that i spend for it), luckily i had uncharted & hewenly sword, and the same year resistance2, motorstorm2, metal gear4 and lbp were released to make up for what i wasted on gta, the ps3 exclusives that year were so good that(because of gta4) i dident buy a single multiplat(for the ps3) after about a year or so
also, to the list id like to add a franchise caled guitar/dj/milkage hero where you buy a game with 70 songs and can get the other 90% buy paying 2 bucks for it on the PSstore or xbox live, yay
I would have to go with another overrated company: Bethesda. Daggerfall was a great RPG, but since then every Elder Scrolls game has been worse than the one before. Morrowind couldn’t hold a candle to Daggerfall, and Oblivion was a bad joke (as an RPG.) As for Fallout 3, it was just Oblivion with a Fallout skin, it felt nothing like the classic first two Fallout games.
Where is Madden on this list? What a POS that franchise has become remove every feature worth having on PS2 and Xbox only to not incorporate this generation. Go into any Gamestop and see 10-20 after a month release
This article appears to be written by someone who doesn’t know what a franchise is. The article should be titled, “most overrated entries in a franchise,” since that is at least what the first two are. BTW, GTA IV was the best of the GTA games.
@Charles
Or maybe a reader doesn’t know how to read… “Overrated franchises THIS GENERATION…” If there is only ONE Grand Theft Auto released thus far this generation…that qualifies as the entire franchise for THIS GENERATION.
Get it?
Much <3
Give me a break. Call of Duty World at War was a fine game. Grand Theft Auto IV was great. Stop acting like we keep getting “duped” and grow up.