10 Hated Video Games That Became Cult Classics

5. Days Gone

Killer 7
Sony

Critics were quick to peg Days Gone as just another sandbox title, chastising its empty open-world, minimal exploration, one-dimensional protagonist, and filler quests. Because of this, it looked like the zombie-fighting title would be quickly forgotten.

On the contrary, it got a second wind, thanks to positive feedback from the gaming community. Even though Days Gone only received middling scores on Metacritic, the populace were far more generous, rating the post-apocalyptic adventure between 8.4-8.7 on the same site.

Bizarrely, players seemed to enjoy everything that critics didn't. Rather than seeing Deacon St. John as a boring hero, fans thought the outlaw biker was relatable and uncliched. Yes, the open-world is sparse, but this makes it easier to admire the terrain's beauty, especially while zooming around on the motorcycle.

The gameplay is anything but generic, since players must manage resources, navigate hostile environments, strategically fight off mutant monsters, and devise tactics to survive encounters with human adversaries.

Even though it can take a decade for a game to be considered a cult-classic, Days Gone achieved that status in record time. Despite only being released four years ago, the rabid fanbase are already pining for more.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows