Controversial Games That Became Classics

Video game fans are passionate: they’ve convinced developers to fix games, created mods that kept games relevant, and championed games that were slammed by critics. Series like Sonic the Hedgehog and Tomb Raider have only been able to reinvent themselves thanks to fan support.

Split image of Lara Croft, Dante (rebooted design) and Lightning from Final Fantasy 13.

10 Divisive Games That Deserve A Second Chance

They’re not as bad as you might remember them being.

Yet sometimes even the fans get it wrong. Some games prompt mixed reactions when they come out: maybe they’re too avant-garde. Other times, a game might get a bad reputation in online discourse simply for being too popular. As the years go by, some games have been hailed as classics despite having gotten a lot of hate over the years. Here are some of the most notable ones to undergo the re-evaluation treatment.

8

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Systems

Released: March 24, 2003
ESRB: E For Everyone
Developer(s): Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Engine: Havok
Multiplayer: Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op

Nintendo has far more hits than misses, but The Wind Waker was an unfortunate miss, according to many. Coming out after the series had undergone a massive reinvention on the N64, The Wind Waker boasted a new aesthetic that prominently featured cel-shaded characters and cartoonish water effects. There were also long ship sequences.

The game was well-liked by critics but was met with utter revulsion by the fanbase. Toon Link was not a popular look for Nintendo’s second most famous hero, and many fans complained that there was too much water. The game sold 4.6 million copies: a success by any other measure, but a massive dip from Ocarina of Time’s 7.6 million. Today, however, The Wind Waker is seen as a brilliant game with a fresh aesthetic and fun gameplay. Toon Link himself became popular enough to be included in Smash.

7

Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine

Systems

Released: August 26, 2002
ESRB: E For Everyone due to Comic Mischief
Developer(s): Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Engine: unreal engine 4
Franchise: Super Mario

It is a mark of consistency for the Mario series that even a game considered among its weakest holds a 92 score on Metacritic. Yet for a long time, Super Mario Sunshine was the red-headed stepchild of the series, due to its high difficulty and gimmicky gameplay. Fans disliked the camera controls and FLUDD system, and hailed Super Mario Odyssey as a return to form.

Split image of artwork from Yoshi's New Island Super Princess Peach and Paper Mario Color Splash

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SMS has undergone a revival in the public consciousness over the years. This is, in part, due to the fans who grew up playing it on GameCube being active participants in online discourse now. The game is now appreciated for its water mechanics and bubbly presentation. While popular opinion will never hold this as the best Mario game, SMS is seeing sunnier days now.

6

Deadly Premonition

Deadly Premonition

2.0/5

Released: February 23, 2010
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes
Developer(s): Access Games
Publisher(s): Ignition Entertainment, Marvelous Entertainment, Rising Star Games, Aksys Games, Numskull Games
Engine: Proprietary Engine

Released as a budget title when the seventh console generation was over the halfway mark, Deadly Premonition inspired no great expectations. There are many games of a similar caliber that have come and gone without being appreciated by any but the few who bought them on launch. And Deadly Premonition received terrible reviews for its bugs, strange characters and terrible graphics – the visuals are so low-fidelity that the text on in-game objects is illegible and has to be communicated through subtitles.

Yet Deadly Premonition caught on. Over the next ten years, it amassed a fanbase that loved the game for its interesting plot and zany main character. Thanks to its newfound popularity, the game ended up receiving a Switch port as well as a sequel.

5

Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops: The Line

Released: June 26, 2012
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Developer(s): Yager Development
Engine: havok, unreal engine 3
Multiplayer: Local Multiplayer
Franchise: Spec Ops

The best way to describe Spec Ops: The Line is as the best Silent Hill game that’s not Silent Hill. Though it purports to be a generic military shooter, the game is a psychological horror masterpiece, a meta title that asks the question: does fighting fictional wars make you feel like a hero?

The game was not a critical success due to its mediocre gameplay, and many felt that the events depicted therein were shocking and unpatriotic. That is the point the game was trying to make, though: video games glorify war, so long as it’s somebody else that’s getting shot. It took a few years, but these days Spec Ops: The Line is hailed as a classic that explored its lead character’s psyche in a way few games ever do.

4

Final Fantasy 12

Final Fantasy 12

Released: October 31, 2006
ESRB: T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes
Engine: Zodiac Engine 2.0

Square Enix was not skimping us with the launch of Final Fantasy 12: after the incredible story of FF10 and the massive world of FF11, Final Fantasy 12 offered similarly lush production values. No expense was spared: the game had a huge world, great characters, an incredible dub, a new combat system and a sprawling story communicated through CGI cutscenes that were prettier than feature films of the time.

To its credit, Final Fantasy has never given up its penchant for experimentation despite being one of the most popular JRPG series worldwide. This time, the experiment didn’t sit well with fans: the combat alienated many people, and it was often equated to an MMO game with bot companions. However, after the game was remastered as The Zodiac Age, the combat finally caught on. Its indirect control might take some getting used to, but is rewarding in its own right. The game also grew to be loved for its more mature story direction, despite the Star Wars parallels.

Among its contemporaries, MGS 2 is one of the most ambitious games ever conceived. Yet, on release, the game divided fans due to Raiden being the protagonist. The trailer had framed Snake as the main character with Raiden in a supporting role, so many fans felt that they’d been played like a fiddle. The game’s deep, philosophical discussions on AI and the memetic nature of content creation were dismissed as so much technobabble.

Split image of Venom Snake, Naked Snake and Old Snake.

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The years have been kind to MGS 2. Ask anyone now, and they’ll tell you it has a commentary on sociopolitical issues that weren’t even in the public consciousness in 2001. Fans now appreciate how ahead of its time MGS 2 was in its gameplay too: it features incredible enemy AI with deep, immersive stealth gameplay, and all of it in glorious 60 frames per second as an early PS2 title.

2

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4

4.5/5

Released: January 11, 2005
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
Engine: RE Engine

Now that the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 is out, it may be hard to believe that the 2005 version of RE4 was divisive at one point. The game was a massive hit and is one of the most influential third-person shooters of all time. Its over-the-shoulder aim mechanic has carried over into almost every single third-person action game made since.

Yet, for most of the 2010s, RE4 was subject to an almost obsessive dislike in online communities. The game was blamed for moving the RE series in an action-oriented direction, with the older games being seen as a purer form of survival horror where tank controls and resource management mechanics were all but mandatory. The launch of the remake finally put these criticisms to rest, as the gaming community seemed to realize all at once that RE4 had always been great, and it was all just reflexive bias.

1

Tekken 4

Tekken 4

Systems

Released: September 23, 2002
ESRB: t
Developer(s): Namco
Publisher(s): Namco
Engine: Unreal Engine
Multiplayer: Local Multiplayer

Tekken 4 is a prime example of how it pays off as a creator to stick to your guns. When it came out, the game was disliked by fans for its small roster and gimmicky locations. Stages had uneven terrain and walls that factored into gameplay, and the story took on a darker tone. For well over a decade, Tekken 4 carried a reputation as the worst game in the series.

Yet, director Katsuhiro Harada didn’t derail from his vision. The things Tekken 4 was hated for grew to be core components of future titles. Tekken 4 was where the series matured: its use of walls and launches completely overhauled the gameplay. The serious storyline allowed Tekken to flourish as a fighting game series where the plot actually matters. Where it was once considered the worst game in the series, many now consider Tekken 4 the best.