As we keep on truckin’ toward EGM’s 200th issue, we must take pause for bathroom breaks and yet another controversial topic: the top 10 most overrated videogames of the past 16 years (which is how long the mag’s been around). These are the ones that were either massively overrated when they came out, or not really as good as we remember them. You’ll probably need little encouragement to go discuss our choices on our 1UP.com message board.

10 Ico • PS2 • 2001

This will upset the art school kids, but Ico hasn’t really changed our lives. It’s not that we don’t appreciate the relationship between its characters and the understated themes, but the “games as art” folks need to get a grip. We’ve got a ways to go before the Louvre....

But is it actually good? Absolutely, though you don’t need to write your master’s degree thesis on it.

9 Shenmue • Dreamcast • 2000

This epic tale of a young man avenging his father’s death was billed as the reason to own a Dreamcast. And for many, it was. But for the rest of us, Shenmue was little more than a glorified point-and-click adventure game with quasi-interactive fight scenes sprinkled here and there.

But is it actually good? Yes, if you’re the type of gamer who likes to take your time. Or drive virtual forklifts.

8 Banjo-Kazooie • Nintendo 64 • 1998

Developer Rare had a real knack for looking at Nintendo’s own games and making similar ones, replacing Mario and Co. with goofy talking animals and calling it a day. Banjo-Kazooie was patterned after Super Mario 64, but in the first of many similar decisions, Rare’s game focused on collecting arbitrary widgets and whatzits.

But is it actually good? If you’re cloning Nintendo games, even bad results will be better than most.

7 Final Fantasy IX • PS1 • 2000

Nostalgia is a tricky thing. FFIX brought back many traditional series elements, but it also introduced a weak plot and lame characters.

But is it actually good? Of the three celebrated PS1-era Fantasys, this one is the least essential.

6 NiGHTS • Saturn • 1996

Crowned by many to be Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s Mario, NiGHTS actually is more of a 2D racing game than 3D platformer. While it had beautiful art and excellent music, there’s not that much to NiGHTS beyond flying really fast and collecting as many colored orbs as you can.

But is it actually good? The concept is unique enough to be worth checking out.

5 Perfect Dark • Nintendo 64 • 2000

Rare’s follow-up to GoldenEye 007 was a justifiably big deal. But maybe the unconditional love for that game (along with PD’s choppy animations and blurry graphics) clouded judgments of this one.

But is it actually good? Aside from the visual problems, PD had a lot going for it. But in this age of Halo, it’s hard to believe what we tolerated back then.

4 Donkey Kong 64 • Nintendo 64 • 1999

As quickly as Super Mario 64 breathed life into the 3D platforming genre, Donkey Kong 64 sucked it all out. And it’s the game where Rare cemented its reputation as masters of the “collect-a-thon” style.

But is it actually good? Walk around your local grocery store for a full day, filling your cart with bananas. Then tell us if you had any fun.

3 Killer Instinct • Arcade/SNES • 1994/1995

Only thing worse than KI’s laughable characters and brain-dead combo mechanics was its speed-fueled announcer who made sure the whole arcade knew that you just got knocked out by an ULLLLTRAAA COMMMBOOOO!

But is it actually good? Sure, if you know nothing about fighting games.

2 Donkey Kong Country • SNES • 1994

Facing an impending 3D assault on two fronts (PS1 and Saturn), Nintendo needed something big to keep the focus on its aging SNES. Rare delivered with Donkey Kong Country, and the masses—fooled by the pretty plastic graphics into thinking they were playing the second coming of Kong—rejoiced.

But is it actually good?

DKC2 and 3 were improvements, but as a whole, this series got more respect than it truly deserved.

1 Battle Arena Toshinden • PS1 • 1995

Our top choice is the perfect example of why you need to be extra careful when judging a system’s launch games. It was 3D, it was flashy—Battle Arena Toshinden was exciting and new. But later Namco showed us what really could be done with 3D fighting on the PlayStation (Tekken, Soul Blade). And to this day, we still don’t know how BAT received three other installments.

But is it actually good? Oh God, no.

Honorable Mentions

Mortal Kombat • Arcade/SNES/Genesis • 1993/1994

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil • Nintendo 64 • 1998

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.