7. BioShock Infinite (2013)
When BioShock Infinite came out earlier this year, the wave of enthusiasm that followed was so freakin' huge that you simply couldn't avoid it. Even people who don't play video games suddenly found themselves asking: "What is BioShock Infinite and how do I get it?" Before I go any further into explaining why I believe this game is overrated, then, I want to say that this is absolutely my favourite game on the list, but probably for all the wrong reasons. You see, in the story department, BioShock Infinite wins completely - it doesn't matter that it's mind-numbingly confusing when you try to piece it all together, or that it might not make sense at all: it sucked me in. I felt invested as I played through, driving myself toward the end with a genuine curiosity. I liked the characters. I wanted them to succeed. Where the game doesn't quite match up, though? In the gameplay department. Writing this article, I realised that there was a common theme uniting most of my picks: the fact that they were sequels, and that the games were - ultimately - far too similar to the games they spawned from. In the case of BioShock Infinite, this couldn't be more true: it's something akin to a BioShock 2.5, and doesn't feel like much of a step-up when you remember that there's been a six year gap between this game and the first installment. Still, as a first-person shooter, plain and simple, BioShock isn't entirely successful - the gunplay is repetitive and fairly difficult to "get good at," and there are aspects of the otherwise beautifully-rendered game world that feel lifeless. I still stand by the game as a great one, though. My issues with it were cast aside during my play-through because the narrative swept me away to such a notable degree. But BioShock Infinite is a game, so it makes sense to look at it and critique it as a game - on all accounts, it doesn't make a satisfying shooter. Metacritic puts this one on the first page of the "highest rated games of all-time." Quite the achievement, but one which I don't' feel convinced it deserves, when far better all-round games - like Portal 2 - are ranked lower. BioShock provides an unforgettable experience overall, thanks to how immersive it is, but I'm not sure that it's all that "fun" to play.