8 Video Games That Aren’t as Good as You Think – Part Two and Final

5. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

It always piques my interest when I see Steam reviews of PC video games as there is often more going on than meets the eye. For example, a 10/10 rating for a game is a common sight, but it doesn’t truly reflect the game itself, rather it is more about the experience with added mods that can take average titles to new heights.

Morrowind is one of those games because, if we are honest and critical, this game needs mods to be playable in this day and age. Initially, the game seems like you can cut meat on its edges and moves so slowly that wear and tear seems rapid. Frankly, traveling from city to city on foot reminds me of eerie early DayZ experiences.

The story, the lore, and the world-building in this game are incredibly rich and worth exploring, but the game itself constantly feels like it keeps you at arm’s length from enjoying things.

4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

While the Tony Hawk’s series may have seen a revival thanks to the amazing success stories of recent updates and hints of a new mainline entry next year or so, there was a time when Birdman wasn’t soaring high at all.

And I’m not talking about the failed titles like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 or Ride, where these titles couldn’t even take off. I’m actually referring to the original game, which, while it laid the foundation for the fantastic future of this profitable series, it is not a smooth ride when revisiting it today.

While the essentials like the attractive movement system, hidden secrets, and of course the exciting soundtrack are there, the game lacks any ability to link movements together, something that the second and third installments of Tony Hawk’s tried to correct, propelling the series into the spotlight.

Still a fun game, but the lack of manual trick skills and the sluggishness overall of the skaters make the title truly feel like it’s been left in the dust.

Playing this game through the recently updated version is how our minds remember that early experience, and to be honest, it’s probably best to keep things as they are.

3. GoldenEye 007

Goldeneye, in terms of level design, stunning multiplayer, and atmosphere, is a real miracle, yet, when it comes to breaking instead of making connections, the controls in this game make me angry like Dr. Kananga.

This point has been reiterated enough to be a new face on Mount Rushmore, but yes, the controls in this game, when compared to the smoothness and speed of modern FPS titles, are simply abysmal.

Inaccurate, confusing, and unintuitive, this is proof of the strength of the rest of the game that Goldeneye is still fondly remembered to this day.

2. Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire

I will always have a special affinity for Shadows Of The Empire for one reason only, and that’s Dash “this sounds ridiculous even for a Star Wars game” Rendar, the square-jawed hero who was as quick with quips as he was with his blasters.

It was easy to fall in love with the game’s plot and setup as Dash teams up with all the known rebellion heroes to face a new evil in the form of a prince passionately seeking the Emperor’s love.

However, the problem lies in that while the story is nice enough, the gameplay is extremely rough to the point where you can sand it like a door, and the shooting controls are as solid as the wood itself.

Players are given two shooting modes in the game, either hip-firing with accuracy rivaling the near-sighted Stormtrooper accuracy, or aiming precisely, improving your chances of hitting greatly but making you a sitting duck while you receive a barrage of enemy fire.

As you can imagine, in a game that heavily focuses on combat, the choice between failing to hit and dying or being exposed to a hail of bullets because you can’t do more than one task is like choosing one of your family members to watch as they are set on fire, neither works for me.

Memories will tell you this was a great game, but reality will show you that dying repeatedly is a mood best frozen in carbonite forever.

1. Parappa The Rapper

While its iconic soundtrack and totally unique artistic style are timeless, there is a major problem in the title that everyone overlooks when wearing nostalgia glasses, and that is Parappa The Rapper is a rhythm game with input lag.

Oh, don’t agree? Well, try playing the game again and tell me how it goes when you get to the fourth stage, where the timing is so off that you will have to rap out of sync, something we’re almost programmed not to do.

Things get worse if you play the game on a modern LCD TV or even on the PSP, where the timing windows have been reduced for some unknown reason!

Even the reissued version of Parappa The Rapper 1+2 suffers from this issue, meaning while you can breeze through the first or second stages easily, your fond memories will be covered in a big pile of garbage when you reach the later sections.