15 Video Games You Wrongly Assume Are Terrible
Wait... That 50 Cent game didn't suck!?
Gamers are a notoriously fickle bunch, and when games cost as much as they do, it's kind of fair enough. One glance at a 65 Metacritic score can be enough for all interest in a game to completely evaporate, though often it's not even reviews that seal the deal: the toxic, excessive negativity of the online echo chamber encourages a hive-mind mentality where consensus is formed without many people actually trying games for themselves.
Now, there are plenty of games that most people proclaim to be terrible without having ever actually played, like E.T. and Big Rigs, that totally live down to the hype, but sometimes a game's bad reputation precedes it when, in reality, it's actually pretty damn good.
Sure, most of these games are not great as such, but they're still a good deal better than the online vitriol would have you believe. They're certainly not the unplayable, insulting messes that so many gamers love to bleat about.
Here are 15 video games you wrongly assume are terrible...
15. Knack
The Game: The PS4's big launch-day platforming beat-em'-up, widely touted as "the next Crash Bandicoot" as it came from that franchise's executive producer, Mark Cerny.
Why You Assume It's Terrible: Even Knack's defenders will admit that it's not the Crash Bandicoot follow-up many were hoping for, making it an immediately disappointment to many. Critics also expressed disinterest in the plot and harshly criticised the game for its sparse checkpoint placement.
Why You're Wrong: Knack may not be the most brilliant or memorable PS4 launch title, but it's a perfectly enjoyable platformer all the same, albeit one you'd probably not want to have paid full price for.
What really sets Knack apart from other games isn't so much any of its central mechanics, but rather the surprising level of difficulty for something largely aimed at children. The boss fights are fun and imaginative, and though the checkpoint system does occasionally frustrate, it's simply nice to have a platformer that doesn't handhold the player throughout. The Metacritic score of 54 is thoroughly undeserved.