10 Video Games That Were Scored Way Too Highly On Release

9. SSX (2012)

IGN: 90 Gamespot: 85 Eurogamer: 90 Remember SSX Tricky? Remember how the gloriously OTT, celebrity-voiced characters were damn-near loveable, screaming out an endless stream of catchphrases as you pulled off some of the most satisfying moves this side of busting out a gun-mounted chainsaw? Well, EA didn't, as come time for a full reboot of the PS2 launch game (back when launch titles were killer apps) absolutely none of what made the franchise so euphorically appealing in the first place was anywhere in the new product. Did you like the old character designs? Eddie's big afro, Elise's sexy demeanour or Moby Jones'... absolutely everything? Well it's all gone now, as each character was reduced into being far more subdued versions of themselves in every way, from voice-acting to fashion sense. They literally stripped out all the character from a game whose biggest selling point was its identity and personality. That was just the first instance in a whole tsunami's worth of frustration that very quickly engulfed all but the most devoted fan. A rewind system that was supposed to let you rewrite mistakes took far too long to kick in and was also finite, so chances are if you messed up you'd never fully recover, which thanks to levels that actively flung you off into the surrounding depths, made for endless instant game-overs. A remixed trick system didn't help either, as even if you switched back to the shoulder buttons, loading screens didn't adapt, so you were reading one thing before having to re-map it in your head. The whole thing was a total mess, and short of having to sit and convince yourself it was worth continuing to play because of how much you liked the previous titles, it's shocking this did so well without any of its major flaws being noted.