Summary
Emotions tend to run high around the gaming community, and occasionally for good reason. Unfortunately, that passion often means that an initially poor reaction to a new video game can be impossible to reverse down the road.
But sometimes, you’ll find a title that braved the vitriolic waters and surfaced unscathed. Either through a series of improvements or simply waiting for theloud YouTube peopleto find other targets, these plucky underdogs managed to not only survive the negative onslaught, but cultivate their own dedicated audiences.
When Fallout 76 was first announced, series fans had been experiencing a bit of a drought after what some considered an underwhelming entry in 2015’s Fallout 4. So more of that but online wasn’t exactly greeted with the enthusiasm Bethesda had likely anticipated.
Fans were already against the idea and then came the technical issues, but despite the wasteland-wandering game’s notoriously poor launch, Fallout 76 has since bounced back through constant updates (even letting you play as a ghoul) and a devoted fanbase. The Amazon Prime show didn’t hurt either.
Ask fans of Days Gone, and they’ll likely tell you many reviews at launch seemed to want things from the game that it never promised. The prevailing sentiment was pretty down on the game, noting a repetitive structure and lack of a “wow” factor.
But thanks to several years out of the spotlight, players have had a chance to discover thisopen-world zombie-killing biker experienceon their own. Without the influence of the reviews, Days Gone has found its way into the hearts of a significant audience.
In a rather comical subversion, Rare’s Sea of Thieves was originally seen by many as a cheap attempt to latch onto Ubisoft’s then-upcoming Skull and Bones multiplayer pirate game. You know, the one that was delayed for nearly a decade before finally coming out to mixed-at-best reviews so, at launch, since Sea of Thieves didn’t immediately hit a home run, the vibe was pretty negative by default.
But as proven time and time again, effort and dedication from the developers managed to turn things around, and now Sea of Thieves is the go-to pirate game for friends looking to have high sea adventures. It’s also had a 6-year head start on Skull and Bones; nice work, little guy.
The initial backlash surrounding Assassin’s Creed: Unity remains legendary among the gaming community, and it’s not hard to see why. Hilarious glitches and forgettable characters dominated the discussions for years and seemed impenetrable.
However, things turned around in a big way; updates fixed the glitches, and thanks to Ubisoft literally using the game to help rebuild the nearly-destroyed Notre Dame in Paris (and many still praising the game’s parkour mechanics), by 2019 players were actuallyreview-bombing Assassin’s Creed: Unity with love.
It’s difficult to properly convey just how much hatred for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s cartoonish art style permeated the gaming world at the time. Numerous players were apparently so terrified of enjoying a “kiddie” game that they refused to give it a try.
The years since have been much kinder to Wind Waker, with legions of fans proudly enjoying it and praising its visuals after finally growing past the age of 12. Not to mention a shiny remaster on the Wii U, so if you can play a Mario game, then Toon Link should have never been an issue.
BioWare’s Mass Effect: Andromeda carried the tragic misfortune of following a beloved trilogy and having easily memorable moments. So jokes like “my face is tired” drowned out actual good-faith reviews, driving away potential players who just assumed it was bad.
It’s still not a smash hit, but years later, the memes have finally quieted and the game is rarely not on sale. So those willing to engage with Andromeda on its own merits have easy access to what players tend to agree is a delightful galaxy-spanning romp with satisfying gameplay,really cool builds, and their new spiky girlfriend.
Hideo Kojima pulled off possibly one of the most infamous bait-and-switches in video game history. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Promo materials and even the demo featured Solid Snake as the main playable character, only to be replaced by the far more pretty Raiden in the main game.
Fans of the series were outraged, to say the least. But time heals all wounds, and most have come to appreciate not just the sheer audacity, but the game itself and Raiden’s own contributions to the beloved and scarcely coherent stealth series.
Having a Batman game without the late Kevin Conroy in the role can feel like seeing a Bette Midler musical with her understudy. That’s what happened when WB Games Montreal created their prequel to Rocksteady’s now iconic Arkham series with Batman: Arkham Origins.
Between the lack of Conroy and a different developer, many players automatically assumed it was a lesser product. But over time, that sentiment has softened, with some evencalling Arkham Origins their favorite in the seriesand offering glowing praise for Roger Craig Smith’s voice performance.
Between the residual negativity surrounding Final Fantasy 13 and its sequel’s status as an online game, it’s a wonder Final Fantasy 14 even survived a year after release. After an almost unanimously-panned launch in 2010, Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P) came in and worked some magic.
Under Yoshida’s supervision and plenty of communication with players, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn eventually launched to acclaim, and now stands as one of the most beloved MMORPGs out there. Don’t call it a comeback, but it’s one heck of a comeback.
The hatred in the case of Marvel’s Midnight Suns took a different form. Thanks to its status as a card-based game, many potential players took the Mass Effect: Andromeda route and assumed it was bad just based on that.
Unfortunately, things didn’t turn around monetarily forthis tragically underrated game. But those who took the time to check it out on their own discovered a remarkably deep experience that’s equal parts strategic superhero fights and playing wingman for Blade.
