Opinion Fest 2009: Most Overrated

There is always a lot of confusion surrounding this particular award, so let me come out right up front a clarify this: Just because a game receives the Most Overrated award does not mean I think it is a bad game!

The Most Overrated award, instead, goes to RPGs that, for better or for worse, have received far more than their fair share of the spotlight this year. The games may be good, and worth your time, especially if you love the developer/genre/series, etc. However, even in this pathetic year, there have been enough all-around good games that have received less than half the attention these spotlight hogs have.

The following RPGs have received way more attention than they deserve this year.

3rd: Borderlands - Gearbox, 2K - PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Though Borderlands didn't receive perfect ratings all across the board, it has demanded a lot of press attention. Don't get me wrong, Borderlands combines a very interesting mix of first-person shooting with addictive RPG elements like leveling up, equipment upgrading, and even a hint of story. But at the end of the day, it is still a shooter with heavy RPG elements. There are still better FPSes, and still better RPGs in every area. The internet should not be as obsessed with this game as it is.

2nd: Cross Edge - Compile Heart, NIS America - PlayStation 3

Cross Edge is not a good game. Mediocre is probably a better description. Sure, you've got fanboygasmic crossovers from several different developers and series, but a poorly executed mishmash is still poorly executed, regardless. Perhaps the reason this game got so much gushing is simply indicitive of the PS3 fanboy nature, which demands that any exclusive to the system be heralded as the second coming of its particular genre. Along with that, it's interesting to note the significant drop-off of fanboy love for this game when the Xbox 360 port was announced shortly thereafter.

1st: Demon's Souls - FromSoftware, Atlus - PlayStation 3

A FromSoftware-developed wannabe Western RPG with a nonsensical name, clunky animation, irrelevant story, and brutally punishing difficulty? Why, that sounds like the sure-fire recipe for a disaster! And yet Demon's Souls is the highest acclaimed RPG of the year from nearly every gaming news source I am aware of. Why is a game that has been described as "made for people with OCD" received hundreds of times more praise and attention than other, more complete titles? I have theories about that, mostly relating to PS3 fanboys and the Atlus name attached to it, but I will keep them to myself.

Whatever the cause, though the game may definitely have appeal to certain gamers, and may even be a stellar title within its territory, there is no way that it is as complete or comprehensive as many other titles this year, which you no doubt haven't heard of because the media wants you to know about Demon's Souls instead. That seems very wrong to me on so many levels that I had no choice but to grant this award.