Home Gaming Flamebait Friday Debate: Most Overhyped, Undeserving Franchises

Flamebait Friday Debate: Most Overhyped, Undeserving Franchises

1 min read
58

FFDnoddy.jpg

We all know what I’m on about here, right? As gamers, we are all aware of the hard hitters, the console sellers and the money makers in the industry.

There’s a ton of big names out there, some of them popular because they’re just so damn good, and others that remain on top thanks to a fanboy following that refuses to recognise their favorite franchises downfalls.

Is Halo God’s gift to online gaming, or just a worn out old useless shooter that lives on its fanboys alone? What about franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy? Are they really still keeping up with the new goods from the west? What about the time that we wait, is Gran Turismo 5 really, really worth the long waiting period (Starcraft 2 and Alan Wake fit into that category as well).

Dare I even mention games like World of Warcraft and Grand Theft Auto. Some say they are the best games ever, others think they are nothing but shallow time sinks that no one wants to waste hours of their lives on.

Your turn. I’ve named a few of the big names, but there are plenty more out there. Which franchises do you think are undeserving of their names’ fame and fortune.*cough*modern*cough*warfare2

Last Updated: August 13, 2010

58 Comments

  1. GTA series is way overrated.

    Reply

  2. D4RKL1NG

    August 13, 2010 at 10:55

    Call o’ doody. A new game each year? They can just call it COD2010,COD2011 etc. :pouty:

    Reply

  3. Uberutang

    August 13, 2010 at 10:55

    halo is the godfather, grand daddy and Western king of online shooters.

    Myself? battlefield fan, but for millions of frat boys, jamming online, or splitscreen or both is a great way to spend some fps time.

    Reah will be more of the same, in the same way the 458 Ferrari is more awesome than the 430, but it is still a car with wheels… 🙂

    Reply

  4. Fox1

    August 13, 2010 at 11:07

    I always thought Tekken was over rated but not anymore.

    Also NFS is getting over rated recently.

    Reply

  5. koldFU5iON

    August 13, 2010 at 11:12

    Final Fantasy … it had it’s epicness I think there were 2 of them 7 and 11/12 can’t remember … everything else is just the same thing but prettier

    Reply

  6. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 11:13

    It’s a toss up between Call of Duty and Halo.

    Reply

  7. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 11:14

    6 is the best final fantasy ever. EVER.7 and 9 were rad too. Otherwise, I’m just not a huge fan.

    Reply

  8. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 11:14

    I’m with you on that one, for sure!

    Reply

  9. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 11:25

    Says the guy who played FF6. :happy:

    Face it, if you enjoyed the glory of FF6, you are an FF fanboi and that’s regardless off being burnt by FFX and the most recent rotting ham sandwich.

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      August 13, 2010 at 11:35

      Hey, I played it back in “the day!”
      When i was young, and had time for things that take forever like JRPGS.

      Reply

  10. ewie

    August 13, 2010 at 11:25

    Gran Turismo. Totally overrated, yes GT 5 might change it but previous once were.

    Reply

  11. darthdad

    August 13, 2010 at 11:28

    Started playing Halo3 co-op with my boy again last night. Getting ready for Halo-Reach. Still some of the best fun I’ve had on a console. 😎

    Reply

  12. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 11:29

    I’m still neutral on GTA, even though GTA4 (in comparison to Saints Row 2) wasn’t that great, but The Lost and the Damned DLC was a great addition to GTA4 though.

    Just a pity they didn’t make that the main game. I just couldn’t identify with Niko, which is strange because CJ even though he’s a “gangsta homie”, was instantly identifiable. San Andreas was definitely their best GTA so far.

    Reply

  13. koldFU5iON

    August 13, 2010 at 11:35

    super excited about Reach :w00t:

    Reply

  14. Fox1

    August 13, 2010 at 11:43

    Playing ODST now just because Reach is coming 😎

    Reply

  15. Steve Hofmeyr

    August 13, 2010 at 11:49

    Killzone 2 :ninja:

    Reply

  16. RSA-Ace

    August 13, 2010 at 11:58

    I can’t say I agree. The initial Gran Turismo’s were incredible for their time. GT4 was the only one that looked average.

    Reply

  17. RSA-Ace

    August 13, 2010 at 11:59

    I loved Killzone (didn’t play liberation though…)

    Reply

  18. RSA-Ace

    August 13, 2010 at 12:00

    The GTA series were amazing though. They dropped the ball with the last one though IMHO.

    Reply

  19. RSA-Ace

    August 13, 2010 at 12:01

    Madden, Fifa, Tiger Woods golf. All the yearly released games tend to suck. There are hardly any changes between each iteration.

    Reply

  20. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 12:02

    I’m not big on FPS’ – and crucify me all you like, but I’m only playing through KZ 2 now. It’s a fairly generic shooter, to be honest, but the AI is pretty damned good, which makes it much more fun to play.

    Enjoying quite a lot, actually.

    Reply

  21. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 12:03

    lol, more like under appreciated. :wub:

    Reply

  22. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 12:04

    I think my favourite “modern” GTA is actually Chinatown Wars – although that does have a lot in common with GTa 1 and 2’s more isometric approach.

    Brilliant, brilliant game.

    Reply

  23. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 12:08

    WWE Smackdown vs Raw! :sleeping:

    Reply

  24. koldFU5iON

    August 13, 2010 at 12:09

    Lol, what do you expect them to change?

    Reply

  25. Christo Le Grange

    August 13, 2010 at 12:10

    agreed, the EA & THQ sports titles, are just re-hashed, re-packaged BS…not that i have anything against sport titles, i mean, i own 1 x UFC title…and i’m looking forward to the new Rugby title coming next year…

    Reply

  26. Jarred Milner

    August 13, 2010 at 12:20

    God of war, fun games, but basically glorified button mashers. Yes, yes, I know, it’s epic “yawn”

    Reply

  27. Nick de Bruyne

    August 13, 2010 at 12:20

    Well dude, thats the point isn’t it?? If they aren’t really changing anything then STOP releasing a new version every year.

    Reply

  28. Christo Le Grange

    August 13, 2010 at 12:25

    i’d say the FF series…I think the next MMO title is going to flop…mark my words!..either that , or its gonna get delayed like mad..

    Gran Turismo 5 is being hyped to death and then some!
    and EA should calm down on the NFS titles…i mean, they should; SIT DOWN, RELAX..and think about what would be awesome and what would be the next BIG thing in racing games (be it a new peripheral or style of play…)…not jumping on the next best money making fad ie. the ONLINE experience, or NOSTALIC experience..

    beyond that, the COD and HALO are a bit much, but if it keeps being fun and addictive, all the more power to it…

    Reply

  29. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 12:31

    Agreed with Nick..if you aren;t gonna change anything, then just update the rosters via some cheap DLC.

    Reply

  30. AC!D

    August 13, 2010 at 13:02

    I would have to go with Halo and COD. Take Black ops which looks cool in trailers but will inevitable be shit because Infinity Ward arent making it. Treyarch have disappointed me time and again but will ride the coat tails of Infinity Ward again this year.

    This one is going to sound strange but i also have to list Mario. Why you ask? Dont get me wrong i love the little plumber but it pisses me off to no end when every great platformer, like Jak for example, for the rest of time will be considered inferior. The same thing happens when a Kart game releases. Every line at the end of every review likes to inform us that its inferior to Mario Kart.

    I would agree with Need for Speed except that Criterion are making the new one this year and will probably be my racer of the year judging by the trailers and Criterions high standards but GT5 will run it close.

    Reply

  31. riezo

    August 13, 2010 at 13:06

    Fifa, Call of Duty, Halo and Gran Turismo.

    All over overhyped, overplayed and undeserving.

    BTW Fifa has been essentially the same game rabranded and tweaked for years!

    :whistle:

    Reply

  32. batman

    August 13, 2010 at 13:31

    Halo by a country mile.

    Reply

  33. Geoffrey Tim

    August 13, 2010 at 13:34

    I enjoyed playing Halo in co-op. the Sp and MP bored me to tears.

    Reply

  34. lans

    August 13, 2010 at 13:43

    Forza 3 is the most over hyped piece of junk in this century.

    Turn 10 promised the most definitive racer of all time, but all we got was a downgraded forza 2 with shinier graphics, the collision detection on the game is shocking as the crash simulation is completely not realistic, you can bash a car on the right hand side of your car but the entire car will reflect damage!!!

    The undersides of all cars are poorly detailed as well as the completely unrealistic way the games cars simulate their real life counter parts!

    the games developers claim that wat they have done is not replicable and that theyve taken the crown from gt, but for all their promises of the Definitive racer all they have to show is no weather, no night time, only 8 cars on track poor online experience, nno karting , no rally, no nudda
    unrealistic physics, i mean seriously i can drive vertically for half a race without trying!
    The online netcode is an utter disgrace, more than half the time cars are flying above or below u into the ground i mean sometimes the tracks dissapear altogether, what kind of a rushed unfinished product is this??!
    Sure gt USED TO BE LIKE THIS BUT THE FIXED IT HAVE TURN 10?:angry:

    Reply

  35. lans

    August 13, 2010 at 13:46

    The only thing forza does is have better trees!!!!
    but i mean GT5 does 1080p, 16 cars online, all weather/night, Nascar, head tracking, 2x the number of cars, more detailed car models, new physics/AI models
    It may also sell 3x as much as Forza
    But according to lazygamer Forza does trees better than GT5, which proves its the better racing game”

    Reply

  36. AC!D

    August 13, 2010 at 13:56

    Geez Lans i know these guys go over board with GT5

    Reply

  37. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 13:57

    Trees are rather important though. It helps with immersion. 😉 But seriously, I still play GT4 and Tourist Trophy on PS2. I can’t remember when last I played Forza. In fact I might have actually traded the disk in at BT Games for a DS or PSP game (true story).

    Reply

  38. AC!D

    August 13, 2010 at 13:58

    Sorry no edit button for my last post so ill type it again. Lans i know these guys go overboard sometimes with GT5 but you fuel them on when your on the opposite extreme. Im not sure if you realize that. If they want to miss out on a great game then let them.

    Reply

  39. Nick de Bruyne

    August 13, 2010 at 14:09

    You should have an edit button, what browser are you using? Also, Gavin and Geoff are not big racing fans so they pretty much don’t play any of them. I’m really excited for GT5, even though I am constantly told that I’m not :ermm:

    And for the recond Lans, please start using “GT5 will do” instead of “GT5 does”, I’m sure that it is going to be great, but you seem to still think it was already released and that you know all about it.

    Reply

  40. Bobby Kotick

    August 13, 2010 at 14:11

    GT5 is just an easy target. It’s been in development for so long, and they were going to do some crazy things to the franchise (the dlc, gimped game rumours etc.), which obviously rubbed a lot of people (myself included) the wrong way.

    We’ll only know how good GT5 will be once it launches. I have faith that it’ll rock my socks, but I won’t lose sleep over it if it doesn’t.

    Reply

  41. easy

    August 13, 2010 at 14:16

    all AAA titles are over hyped… no matter how good the actual game is; the great marketing machine will always taint everything it touches.

    Reply

  42. Nick de Bruyne

    August 13, 2010 at 14:20

    I don’t know if that’s a completely fair statement though. While you are right when it comes to many of the games out there, there are those gems that live up to the hype and give gamers what they really wanted.

    Reply

  43. easy

    August 13, 2010 at 14:31

    no for sure, but off the top of my head i can’t think of any.
    they are the exception rather than the rule

    Reply

  44. Gavin Mannion

    August 13, 2010 at 14:37

    Hey AC!D if you register you should be able to edit the post, http://www.lazygamer.co.za/forum/register.php should sort you out.

    Reply

  45. Parker

    August 13, 2010 at 14:38

    I’d have to say Halo. No idea why it’s so special, story isn’t immersive at all, shooting is the embodiment of “generic”, graphics nothing to write home about…

    Oh yeah, multiplayer. Tried it once, was fun, but not deep at all. Definitely not as good as Call of Duty’s, and nowhere near MAG’s, though they do cater for different audiences.

    Reply

  46. Nick de Bruyne

    August 13, 2010 at 14:57

    I never really enjoyed MAG, it got boring very quick, I much preferred Killzone 2’s multiplayer to be honest

    Reply

  47. bokka1

    August 13, 2010 at 17:13

    The Wii is overhyped.

    I only played Halo 3 and enjoyed it but think it was overhyped.

    I am playing Just Cause 2 and that was underhyped. It is a great, fun game.

    Reply

  48. Parker

    August 13, 2010 at 22:36

    MAG doesn’t offer instant gratification obviously, but if you’re lucky to have a good squad leader and a team that’s willing to work together it becomes the stuff of dreams. Going lone-wolf won’t get you anywhere, and to be honest you shouldn’t be playing MAG if that’s you’re strategy. I know when the game came out it was a bit difficult to find good games, but it’s been out for a while now, only the dedicated are still playing, so having a bad team shouldn’t be the case anymore. I believe a patch was released today as well.

    Reply

  49. Gavin Mannion

    August 14, 2010 at 00:14

    I’d like to apologise for Nick and Geoff’s lack of sporting knowledge :P, it’s more than just rosters it’s gameplay and rules and teams and a bunch of other things.

    Every year is a bit much possibly but every second year is the least it can be.

    Reply

  50. Gavin Mannion

    August 14, 2010 at 00:16

    I find the fanatical following of the GT series to be overrated, each sequel is the exact same game with new cars and shinier graphics… but then again non sporting fans say the same thing about FIFA I guess.

    After GT I would have to say MGS is horribly overrated, bored me senseless.

    Reply

  51. Geoffrey Tim

    August 14, 2010 at 08:30

    that’s all I’m saying – release a new game every two years – that’s a little more justified. Minor things can be updated via dlc for the intermediary year.

    Reply

  52. Bobby Kotick is a gaming conservative

    August 14, 2010 at 13:45

    Never played MAG, and although it sounds awesome, I just don’t like the idea of games that are exclusively multiplayer. It took me ages to accept MMOs like WOW or to even play WOW (granted I enjoyed it for a while), but I reckon I’m just a gaming conservative. :sleeping:

    Reply

  53. lans

    August 14, 2010 at 18:49

    gavin thats why ur an mtv gamer no? :angel:

    Reply

  54. west alabama dead beat

    August 15, 2010 at 07:47

    Did not play XIII due to reviews and word of mouth, also I cannot believe they threw so much out that is tradition in FF (towns, MP, ATB, etc.). I beat Final Fantasy 1 through 10, they were some of the greatest games for their time (save for #2 for NES, it blew haaaarrd) so watching one of my most nostalgic and loved francises shat on itself makes me sad. Ever since they tacked on the number 11 to their halfass MMO(played it for a day, needless to say that day was wasted) they haven’t came close to the storytelling and gameplay of the older titles…. and the VII spinoffs (Dirge of Cerberus(PS2), Crisis Core (PSP)) are ridiculously inferior to their forefather almost to the point of blasphemy. Square, either rehire and return Sakaguchi to the direction of the series or plz put this dead horse to rest. As long as we still have Dragon Quest putting out awesomeness in JRPG form we will be alright, I promise. BTW the only Halo game that I can honestly say I feel was/is overrated is 2,all the rest were brilliant campaign-wise (especially ODST, short and sweet) and 3 is to me probably the best multiplayer this side of a PC. 2’s campaign was boring and overly drawn out.Oh yeah, off subject, Ratchet and Clank is a very underrated series. Loved Up Your Arsenal especially.

    Reply

  55. Gavin Mannion

    August 16, 2010 at 03:07

    What would I do without your wonderful observations 🙂 real gamers = people who like GT and MGS, everyone else is a MTV gamer.

    Reply

  56. lans

    August 16, 2010 at 09:05

    wow ur catch on quick, im sure you’ll make an excellent editor at You magazine

    Reply

  57. M@GE

    August 17, 2010 at 00:19

    I think GTA4 was a bit too over-rated. San Andreas was much better….. If only they could make a San Andreas sequel with current gen graphics… :wub:

    Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was really underhyped IMO…. One of the best of it’s kind.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Microsoft Replacing 1 vs 100 With Full House Poker

Remember how 1 vs 100 was going to revolutionise the way people spend their evening as wel…