9 Critically-Panned Video Games That Players Love

4. Mafia 1

Metacritic Score: 65

At a time when Grand Theft Auto was taking over the world and providing players with epic, lifelike open worlds for players to get lost in, the Mafia franchise was using the sandbox structure to tell a serious and linear gangster story.

Taking inspiration from the likes of The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Once Upon a Time in America, the original entry in the long-running series hit all the expected genre beats, but presented them so confidently and without the irony that undermined most other crime games at the time.

The problem critics had, though, was that the technical limitations of the title couldn't live up to its lofty ambitions. A true open world wasn't possible at the time, and the narrative focus didn't gel with its clunky combat, making the intentionally serious story come across as unintentionally parodic at times.

Still, fans adored what the title was attempting to achieve, immersing themselves in the world of these characters and enjoying a more mature take on the gangster genre.