Just before a big AAA title is released, its hype machine kicks up in to overdrive. We’re seeing this right now with Respawn’s Titanfall, which is possibly the most hype I’ve seen surrounding an untested IP from a new studio, pretty much ever. According to most who’ve played the beta, the game is living up to that hype – a very rare thing indeed.
In fact, I can hardly recall very many games that have lived up to the hysteria surrounding them. Of course, there’s Half Life 2, which after dealing with an infant Steam proved to be a remarkable game indeed, possibly eclipsing its hype.
Some would say that Grand Theft Auto V very much lived up to its hype, and most would also agree that Naughty Dog’s first new IP in ages, The Last of Us did the same. And for a controversial one, I would have to say that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – which like Call of Duty or not, was an incredible experience in both single and multiplayer, creating a bar for modern combat shooters for years to come.
Personally, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World have lived up to, and exceeded expectations, but you all keep calling me a “Mario slut” so perhaps my opinion is a little tainted.
We’ve regularly talked about games that were disappointing, but tell us; what games have you been excited for that have actually delivered?
Last Updated: February 21, 2014
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:35
You want to see a huge list. Try games that did NOT live up to their hype.
BUT!
The new Tomb Raider comes to mind. Totally lived up to the hype.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:57
That it did. I was very impressed.
Gustav Willem Diedericks
February 22, 2014 at 12:53
Seconded!
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:35
Deus Ex Human Revolution
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Almost did for me. Almost almost. But I think I hold the first Deus Ex in way too high regard.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Aye, but this one was different, since a “prequel” of sorts
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Agreed
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
Effing loved it.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:46
Amen brother!
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:35
Tomb Raider
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Beat you to it.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Hey you gotta have at least one victory in life, else its a JJ-wash (not whitewash)
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
Racist. 😉
Spathi
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
The Last of Us. It was actually better than I expected, which does not happen a lot in gaming. Also, Dark Souls!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Fallout 3
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Skyrim
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Yup
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
Goes without saying.
Spathi
February 21, 2014 at 10:54
*deletes Hammersteyn from friends list*
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:55
Forgets who Spathi is.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 11:06
lol y u no loke skyrim
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 11:09
“loke”?
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 11:12
*like!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:13
Looks to me loke Hammersteyn is starting the weekend early.
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 11:16
I would say that lokes like a great idea
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 11:17
I loke how you okes are making me loke this
Also should that not be “lokes loke”?
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:19
It’s nothing loke I expected.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 11:21
Jsut don’t tall anyane.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:42
100%
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:36
Mortal Kombat 9
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:42
100% again.
EDIT: And Injustice
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
FTL
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
A hundred times yes!
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Hmpf, you have no say until you UNLOCK MORE SHIPS!!!!!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Ah. But maybe I have unlocked three more recently.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
EPIC! What about the Star Trek mod?
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Got it. Loving it so much.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
But did it have hype or is it just a good game?
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:51
Some hype maybe, but the game is brilliant!
Matewis Jubilai
February 21, 2014 at 11:17
I’ll agree as soon as I actually beat the game…
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 11:17
XD
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
Planetside 2
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:37
XCOM EU
CrasH
February 21, 2014 at 11:57
Love tactical games and Xcom hit the spot and lived up to expectations and beyond but if i had to say based on turn base, tactical then Shadowrun Returns far exceeded all my expectations and was the game of the year for me.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Dark Souls. It’s everything everyone said it was.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:46
That’s what she said.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:46
I know, but I don’t like to brag.
Unavengedavo
February 21, 2014 at 10:46
Exactly! I don;t think that there would be another game that can compare to it!
Tarisma
February 21, 2014 at 10:57
So true
Unavengedavo
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
1313… Oh wait…*runs for
Rince’sMy Island*Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Half Life 3
;-(
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
Yes! That was totally…
Wait a second…
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:38
Hitman Absolution
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
The Walking Dead, man, so good!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
Duke Nukem 3D
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
Aye
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
Almost thought Duke Nukem Forever and wanted to blow up your house.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
lol misread as “blow your nose” and my face went O_O
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
LOL
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
Thomas Was Alone!!!!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
Daikatana…….. no wait..
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
LOL
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:39
Borderlands 2 also really exceeded my expectations. 1 was great, 2 went even better.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
Agreed
Craig "Crios" Boonzaier
February 21, 2014 at 10:55
Ye, definitely
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
I know I was late to the party with Fallout NV, but damn, really enjoying that one!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:40
Better late than never.
(that’s not what she said)
Hermann Schwindt
February 21, 2014 at 11:31
I enjoyed it more than Fallout 3 *hides*. I guess i was drawn in by the story a bit more.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
It depends on how much you care about the hype 😛
I media blackout the games I care about. As to not get too excited about PR bullshit.
So in my experience, ME2/3, possibly mostly because I did not have any unrealistic expectations many seemed to have about the games.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
90% of the hype I’m in contact with is through other people and the fine (mostly) people of LG.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Aye, massive hype on ME3, but worth it!
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
SFII & Mortal Kombat – The originals on 16 Bit consoles
FoxHoundR - 720p is bestest
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
ALL THE CODS!!!!!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:41
THERE HE IS!!!!!!!!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
I don’t really want to say this.
But:
Welcome back.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
The fox lives!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:44
What does the fox say? 720p is bestest LOL!
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:44
hahahaha
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:44
Missed you :-*
Not all of the CODs, but definitely Modern Warfare and Black Ops 2.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
I also didn’t expect that much from Trine 2, MotN or Deadlight – just basic old side-scrolling, but they were all much more than that.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
Forgot about Trine 2. That one was great.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:42
Wow, yeah MotN was damn cool!
Deadlight also yeah, kinda dark ending though
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Diablo 3 on pc!!!!!!!!!!!
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Umm you surely mean console?
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:44
No.
I mean: Not a snowball’s chance in hell my statement could be any more bullsh!t.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:46
HAHAHA well played. Lemme try. Simcity!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
I bought that one.
Still have nightmares about it.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Say what!?!
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:44
No, The inital server issues killed the hype train for me. Still enjoy the game, but was let down when I bought it
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:43
Oh come on Discuss! Just post my post already! Attempt number 3!
Games that did it for me:
Borderlands2
Bioshock Infinite
Skyrim (along with its bugs)
Doom3 (back in the day)
Dark Souls
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:44
DS2 not out yet…
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:45
Darnet. Meant 1. Discuss ducking me around making me retype all the time made me error
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:45
I am still bug-free on Skyrim!! Woohoo!
Kind of feel like the last surviving person in a zombie apocalypse.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
Same here man
Matthew Holliday
February 21, 2014 at 11:50
install the unofficial patches from the Nexus and you’ll stay bug free for the rest of your skyrim experience.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:52
I didn’t install any patches apart from the ones steam do, and my game is running perfectly. No bugs and over 20 mods on it. 🙂
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:46
Hmmmmm, Doom 3 was pretty cool but Far Cry 1 stole it’s thunder and almost Half Life 2’s as well.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
Half Life 2 was completely worth the hype. I only got FarCry 1 much later. So missed that one. Still enjoyed it a lot though, even when it was completely outdated by the time I tried it.
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:49
Far Cry had that insanely great demo that went ‘viral’ in it’s day. Was completely mind blowing and the full game was just as good. Played far more FC than HL2 or Doom that year.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:50
I’ve actually replayed FC 1 myself. Really cool game that.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 10:51
I thought FC1 was a pretty bad game. Horrible input lag, hit detection, story, monsters, ai. But it did look good outdoors.
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:53
Never had the same exp, we LAN’ed the crap outta it in between Q3 and UT2k3 back in the day. Was always fun.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 11:00
Only lanned FC once. One of our friends where doing insanely good. So we checked it out, and none of where able to snipe the him as the host. Hit detection was completely broken. But it was fun for about an hour 😛
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 11:02
Lol, sounds like a p8 version :-p
Seriously though, we LAN’ed it a lot and never had the same exp. We were also all seasoned Quake and UT players who used to compete so we would have noticed.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 11:04
Yeah it could’ve been some bug. We where playing the out of the box version.
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 11:07
And the patching saga began… Q3 1.17 was the last straw, damn t4 without rockets bouncing opponents off ledges was a major game/fun changer.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:55
It was fun until the monsters were introduced. Same with Crysis 1 really.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:56
Finally someone who agrees!! That’s exactly how I felt about the first Crysis.
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 11:01
Yes that was such a letdown. The monsters sucked and just did not fit into the world. The game looked great but the design was thoughtless.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:52
Look yeah FC1 and HL2 were amazing.
Half Life 2 lived up to its hype. But Far Cry 1 didn’t have a lot of “hype” around it. It was a new IP so people weren’t going mad over it before launch. If I recall?
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:54
Once that demo was released the hype went crazy back then amongst my gaming buddies and we were LAN’in at least every 3 weeks back then.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 10:57
Mmm. I must have missed that hype train lol
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:53
Hmm I didn’t like Doom 3 that much. After a few minutes it was pretty obvious that every single time you walk into a new room or corridor something will spawn behind you. All i did was open the door for a look, walk through it backwards, kill the spawning monster, turn around, kill monster spawning in front of you.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
February 21, 2014 at 11:10
Lol yeah it was a little predictable at points. But it was still good run and gun gameplay
Umar Reborn
February 21, 2014 at 10:45
The Last of Us, Deus Ex:HR, Metal Gear Rising, Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy 13 😛
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
Yeah…… 13
Umar Reborn
February 21, 2014 at 10:47
The hypest of all Fantasies that were Final
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:48
God of war trilogy. Epic tale was epic
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:51
It got stale though. Loved the first 2 but by the 3rd one it got kinda meh imo. I also stopped purchasing GoW titles after the first 3. Same goes for Gears, the first title definitely lived up to the hype, got me to purchase an X360.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:53
Still how the story concluded was worth the hype.
Umar Reborn
February 21, 2014 at 10:50
Bravely Default blew my mind
Admiral Chief in Vegas
February 21, 2014 at 10:50
Heh Geoffus-Mario-Slut-Tim
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:51
That hurts my brain.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 21, 2014 at 10:54
1 + 1 = 2.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 10:54
*head explodes*
ElimiNathan
February 21, 2014 at 10:52
Half Life 2
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 10:53
Soul Reaver!
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:59
There was NO hype around Soul Reaver and it was of the finest games I ever played. Same goes for Rogue Trooper and the slightly broken Shadowman, fantastic fun.
Hammersteyn
February 21, 2014 at 11:06
The demo got me hyped. It came on a CD with a magazine miss those days 🙁
Craig "Crios" Boonzaier
February 21, 2014 at 10:55
Pokemon X & Y.
Yes, I have a need to catch them all.
Spathi
February 21, 2014 at 10:55
Every Sonic game – said no one ever…
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 10:58
Actually, the first game was as amazing as everyone said it was. I still crank it up to this day when in the mood.
Spathi
February 21, 2014 at 11:42
Yeah, the first one was amazingballs! My comment should actually have said every Sonic game after the original!
Hillbilly gamer
February 21, 2014 at 11:00
Far Cry 3 with one of the best villian line ever: Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 11:03
Loved Vaas but FC3 got stale VERY fast.
Ottokie
February 21, 2014 at 11:02
Theme Hospital
On a serious note… Boarderlands 2 really lived up to the hype.
Sk3tz0
February 21, 2014 at 12:21
Wish that game could be remade.. I fking Loved Theme Hospital. all games in that genre..
Willem Swanepoel
February 21, 2014 at 11:02
Simcity, Battlefield 4, Aliens: Colonial Marines .. oh wait …
But seriously now 😉
Mass Effect 3
The Witcher 2
Far Cry 3
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:03
Still have to get to Blacklist. Lying on my Steam wishlist.
Willem Swanepoel
February 21, 2014 at 11:03
One of my favourite Splinter Cell games. I like it a lot
Willem Swanepoel
February 21, 2014 at 11:04
Forgot to add: Hitman: Absolution
Kromas
February 21, 2014 at 14:42
I disagree with ME3. The ending was too much of a let down. Maybe if you bought it after the ending dlc was released. Still the best series out there though.
Willem Swanepoel
February 21, 2014 at 15:16
You cannot judge the whole game based on the last 10 minutes 😉 That is just wrong
Kromas
February 21, 2014 at 15:51
Only judging the last game but yes you can judge it since the last 10 mins is the payoff. Imagine lord of the rings ending instead of throwing the ring into mount doom they decide to rather leave it and go have lunch. Would ruin a movie that already ruined the books. 😛
Rags
February 21, 2014 at 11:09
Perhaps not of this generation. The two games which I expected so much of and delivered in every possible way: UT99 and Quake 3.
Skyblue
February 21, 2014 at 11:13
+1000 upvotes. I remember being terrified that Q3 was gonna suck along with the entire Q2 community back then. That Q3test demo, damn, just damn. UT took a while to get into the physics changes but the weapons shined, fantastic game.
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:20
Best feeling in Quake 3 is when you shoot a rocket about 100m into the air and another player meets the rocket there after jumping off one of those launch pads!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:21
UT shock rifle. Getting it perfect to hit the secondary fire ball right when it reaches your opponent and it blows them into a hundred pieces.
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:28
Never played UT, don’t even know why. Was probably too much of a Q3 fanboy.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:38
At the time those were probably the only two games I was playing.
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:40
Hehe same here. And probably Simcity 3000. That was the very first original game I bought! It came in those huge ass boxes but I lost it over the years! So bummed.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:53
Me too. Wish I still had my UT box.
Matewis Jubilai
February 21, 2014 at 11:19
Can’t believe nobody said : Batman Arkham City
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:20
Batman Arkham Asylum. Definitely. Arkham City not so much (for me at least).
Gareth L (That Guy)
February 21, 2014 at 11:22
Mass Effect 2
Diablo 2
WarCraft 3
Baldur’s Gate 2
Mortal Kombat 2
Tomb Raider (2013)
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:22
Mine would have to be Bioshock Infinite, Doom 3 and possibly (going way back) Age of Empires 2.
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:22
Just finished downloading Infinite this morning!
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:24
I wouldn’t call the combat great, but expect one hell of ride. Just plain old fun running and gunning while you uncover the secrets of Columbia!
General JJ the ashamed
February 21, 2014 at 11:25
I haven’t hyped up myself too much about it.
Mossel
February 21, 2014 at 11:27
Yeah man, just play it!
Burnz
February 21, 2014 at 11:46
Borderlands 2 – hype train was rolling on! And the game rocked from start to finish
ElimiNathan
February 21, 2014 at 11:55
BEYOND: TWO SOULS
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
February 21, 2014 at 11:56
Pacman
Rikus
February 21, 2014 at 12:07
Metal Gear Solid
Sk3tz0
February 21, 2014 at 12:19
Sim City 5 LOL… nah Grand Theft Auto 5 i think.
iPixelPierre
February 21, 2014 at 12:21
Tomb Raider & The Last of Us
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:41
Skyrim, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Titanfall, Mass Effect 2, The Last of Us, Starcraft 2
Ultimo_Cleric N7
February 21, 2014 at 12:45
Injustice Gods Among Us
Melasco
February 21, 2014 at 15:26
Most recent games that delivered imo was AC4 and TLOU.
The_Goblin
February 22, 2014 at 16:38
I say uncharted series and The last of us
Aussious
February 22, 2014 at 21:14
All The Super Marios except Sunshine..
Warcry_ZA
February 23, 2014 at 13:52
Bioshock Infinite…………..was hyped at 3 E3 shows – if I’m not mistaken it won the “Most anticipated game for 2011;-2012; and -2013 ……………?
Scratch17
February 24, 2014 at 14:03
Does an under-hyped game going massive count? In which case, Portal. Valve released one or two videos for that game and the gaming public went to town on it. The companion cube became a household meme and Ellen McClain became a voice-acting idol overnight.