Reviews are sometimes helpful when it comes to games, but other times, they can really set you up for experiences that might not match what’s being said by the public.
RPGs are a tough genre for this because there is something different that every RPG lover looks for in their games, and not everyone is going to have the same taste, regardless of what the scores tell them.
10 Best Forgotten PS3 RPGs You Need To Play
The PS3 RPG back-catalog is pretty damn good
We’re going to check out some RPGs that were hits when they released, but would not stand the test of time if they were released today. Be warned, some of your favorites are going to be wrecked here.
That Same Rockstar Mission Design
Red Dead Redemption 2
Fextralife Wiki
Red Dead Redemption 2is a fantastic narrative experience,gorgeous graphically, and one of the most immersive games in existence.
However, I think it’s a fair question to ask: is this game actually fun to play? That’s the question I think would be ringing through the minds of players picking up the game for the first time today.
The mission design is simply archaic, with restrictions like failing the mission if you take just a few steps out of the mission area.
It was honestly dated when it came out, but plenty of people were willing to overlook it due to how it was leagues above every other game at the time in terms of overall quality.
Today? I think this game would be roasted for the stiff movement, terribly long cart rides, and weak third-person shooting mechanics.
9The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Combat Doesn’t Hold Up
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
I’m going to preface this by sayingThe Witcher 3is probably my favorite game of all time.
I do a playthrough every year or two and never get bored, but when I play it these days, it’s with a whole handful of combat mods.
The reason is that the combat in The Witcher 3 is quite bad. There is very little variety, really just one weapon type and no control whatsoever over whether you’re going to do a dashing attack, a quick stab, or anything other than a strong or weak swing.
It’s maddening and can lead to early deaths without this type of control. The signs are also pretty boring to use, and it’s among one of the more lackluster magic systems in RPGs.
I don’t know if it would be a full-on bomb, but it would certainly get torn apart for the combat, as that happens a lot throughout the game.
8Fallout 4
Bethesda Has Few Friends These Days
Fallout 4was awesome when it came out, but if this game were released today, the overwhelming negativity towards Bethesda and the fatigue from their gameplay style following Starfield would not go over well.
The combat at the time felt pretty old, and that was 2016. Today? It would simply be unacceptable and pretty difficult to play in general.
Then there is the story, which is easily the weak point and would look even worse when compared to modern post-apocalyptic games like Wasteland 3, which did similar themes far more effectively.
The dialogue tree system would also be compared unfavorably to games like Baldur’s Gate 3, and theshallowness of the system, along with the lack of actual role-playing elements, would get a similar unpleasant reception from fans.
7Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Endless Repetition
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
Middle Earth: Shadow of Waris a really fun time, but the problem is it tends to wear out its welcome, and the tone of the game might actually be a problem in today’s social climate.
I think the whole idea of the game, with you enslaving Orcs against their will, is a poignant one, but also one that doesn’t really ever get explored in the way it should.
One character claims, “Bright Lord, Dark Lord, what’s the difference?” and that idea is rarely approached again after it’s said.
You’re definitely not a good guy here, but the game kind of props you up as such, and it creates a weird disconnect that I feel would get absolutely torn apart in today’s social media climate.
Aside from that, the repetitive nature of the sieges would wear on players just like the castle sieges in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla did.
While it was viewed as a novel experience when it was released, I don’t think that same love would be shown for the game if it came out today.
6Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Unacceptable Bloat
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed: Odysseyis looked at fondly for its amazing depiction of Ancient Greece, but there are some glaring problems revisiting the game.
Firstly, the combat. It doesn’t feel good to play due to the damage sponge enemies. Everything is shown to be grounded in realism for the most part in this world, yet it can take 100’s of hacks to take down enemies that are slightly above your level.
The RPG elements just fall flat in this regard, as your gear is the most important thing. This also comes into play with the stealth. You cannot kill certain enemies with an assassination attempt if their level is too high.
This is a system that got fixed in subsequent titles in the series, but in Odyssey, it was front and center, and yet the game was universally praised regardless.
I also think theblatant attempt to make players purchasein-game items with real money to boost leveling would be torn to shreds, as the days of microtransaction acceptance are far behind us, and we’re in an all-out revolt currently.
Some would still like the game, but too many weak systems and predatory systems would come to light.
5Darkest Dungeon
Your Time Is Not Respected
Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeonwas a unique moment in gaming. The hardcore challenging souls likes of today were not nearly as abundant, and the turn-based genre was also in the doldrums.
It was a brutal breath of fresh air, but seeing how the sequel was received just a few years ago, I think the idea of losing your entire team on a run has lost its appeal.
Darkest Dungeon isn’t just hard; it isn’t just a skill check. It’s an unforgiving and often randomexercise in pain and futility.
The thrill of succeeding in the game is still a legitimate thing, but failing? I’m not here for it anymore. Losing your entire elite squad of fighters on a single run because a few had heart attacks and the other went crazy and killed another one is just not fun, no matter how unique it is.
I think that frustration would be highly unappealing to players today, who prefer their difficulty to be a skill check rather than the sadistic developers rolling some dice.
4Dark Souls
Would Be One of the Worst Souls Games
Dark Souls
I remember the first weekend I hadDark Souls. I couldn’t put it down.I’d never seen a game like it before, and I was completely in love.
Going back to the game a few years ago, it felt almost impossible to finish. Not because of difficulty, not because of a tough to pass area, but because of how clunky and bad the combat felt.
8 Soulslikes That Make Dark Souls Look Basic
Dialed-up Dark Souls
There was so little variety from start to finish. This enormous game, which can easily take 60+ hours to beat, has the combat feeling the same from start to finish.
The melee combat in particular is just hard to stomach and feels so imprecise and haphazard compared to even indie Souls games at this point.
You would think a classic like Dark Souls would stand up throughout the ages, but sadly, the genre has left it behind, and it would just be a mediocre Souls game if it came out today.
3Dragon Age: Origins
The Years Have Left The Game Behind
Dragon Age: Origins
Again, this game is a classic, but you have to play it through the lens of the time it came out to really get the most out of it.
If Dragon Age: Origins came out today, it would not do well. The MMO-style combat was rough at the time, and it would only be more difficult to get into by today’s RPG standards. It’s too slow, clunky, and unresponsive, and makes repetitive encounters tough to want to sit through.
Aside from the combat, the Fade section would cause so many people to quit. They quit back when it was released, but they’d quit in larger numbers here as it is such a departure from the core gameplay that it’s hard to even recognize the game.
The story would stand up for sure, but the lack of QOL that the game has, like a frustratingly low weight limit system, would cause the game to be looked at far less glowingly as well.
2Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment isconsidered one of the best RPGs ever made, but I don’t see it being too well-received today.
Since Baldur’s Gate 3, the bar has risen to probably unreachable heights, and Planescape: Torment does not come close to hitting that standard.
The combat was weak for its time and, over the years, it’s become downright painful. There are also mountains and mountains of dialogue, and while you have agency in the conversations, compared to something like Disco Elysium, it’s a far less fun system to engage in.
I think the way the game delivers the story would be a huge problem for today’s gamer. The patience levels have sunk, and this is more of a playable novel than a normal game, and I think the reviews would tank because of it.
1Ghost of Tsushima
A Post-Elden Ring World Would Not Be Kind
Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushimawas the perfect game for 2020, but in a post-Elden Ring world, where we’ve seen what could be possible when it comes to open-world exploration, this game would not see the same positive reception.
The reason is that Ghost of Tsushima has an exceptionally empty open world. Very little happens organically in the game, and it’s very much caught in the Ubisoft method of clearing enemy camps and clearing out different types of markers.
That style just doesn’t fly anymore, and you may expect the sequel to fix that problem.
In addition to that, I believe the enemy variety would be a huge point of contention. Games like Lords of the Fallen, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Avowed were all put to the sword over the terrible enemy variety, and there is no bigger offender than Ghost of Tsushima.
It’s the same group of Mongols over and over again, and while there are some bandits that switch things up a bit, you’re fed repetition in the worst way here, and that would not fly in today’s gaming climate.
10 Badly Reviewed RPGs That Are Actually Pretty Good
Critics tend to get most things right, but occasionally, they slip up and doom games to a bleak fate, as seen here.
