8. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
To kick this article off calling what was perhaps the most highly anticipated game ever made (not to mention one that received amazing reviews across the board) "overrated" is sure to provoke a major reaction, but - before you begin your journey down to the comments section to rip me a new one - let me assure you that I thought GTA V was brilliant. I don't mean that flippantly. It kept me entertained from start to finish, there were very few moments where I felt bored, the script was sharp and brilliantly satirical, and many of the problems inherent to GTA IV had been fixed or fine-tuned. Still, would I bestow Grand Theft Auto V with a perfect 10/10 score, as so many did? Um... When GameSpot gave this game a 9/10 upon release, the outcry was incredible. People who hadn't even played the game called for the reviewer in question to be fired, almost as if they could not fathom how somebody would dare draw attention to the fact that it might have some flaws (to clarify, I'd also give the game a 9/10 score). Because, let's face it, there are flaws - lots of them. And although they don't do much to spoil the game, (it's far too much fun for that), the fact that they exist calls GTA V's standing as a "perfect" game into question. The fact that they could've been fixed quite easily, too, just seems to make it all the more annoying that they weren't. As a game worthy of your hard-earned cash, GTA V delivers in droves, of course, but I'm still not convinced it's the step-up from GTA IV that any of us really imagined: sure, the world is vast and beautiful, but some of the most important elements still feel unsatisfying. Granted, the driving was far improved from the previous game, but c'mon - why can't Rockstar design a shooting system that works? It can't be that difficult, given that they arguably perfected such a thing in Max Payne 3. And the physics? Not up to scratch, in my opinion. The story? Bold, brilliant, and... highly forgettable? Yeah, you remember Trevor, but the intricate story details? Not so much. I want to repeat this, just in case my intentions have been blurred over the course of the last few relatively negative paragraphs: this is a great game, and Rockstar should be commended for their efforts and for what they've achieved here. But GTA V feels like a sequel and a step-up in a hollow sort of way - a game that isn't working cohesively in all the ways it pretends to. A common line of dialogue you've probably heard in a whole bunch of movies is: "You're not that different, you and I." In this case, it's like overhearing a conversation between GTA IV and GTA V.