Players Discuss Their Favorite Mediocre "Masterpieces"

thegamer.com:

Players have recently been discussing those relatively mediocre games that are in fact “masterpieces,” at least in the eyes of their beholder. The matter has already sparked a lively debate on Resetera, players of all preferences chiming in with a few of their favorite games of this particular variety.

While some believe that true masterpieces should receive near universal acclaim and recognition, others clearly disagree with this idea, pointing out that poorly received games can still be fantastic experiences and have a lasting impact on the games industry. They argue that review scores don’t always coincide with a game's quality or even its legacy.

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“While my tastes in games usually align somewhat closely with critical consensus, there have certainly been a few instances where they deviate substantially. Sometimes a game will receive a higher overall score than I personally think it deserves,” the original poster, ScOULaris, remarked about the matter, “but even in those cases, I still agree that they are great games. This thread is about a rarer occurrence when the critical reception of a game that I consider a masterpiece is middling to average.” ScOULaris went on to say that while some of these games are “admittedly flawed and janky,” they tend to “scratch a very specific itch for me,” noting how “there is only one that I consider to be a bonafide masterpiece: Hotline Miami 2.”

Some of the other games to have come into question are Prey, Mirror’s Edge, and Wolfenstein: The New Order. “Amazing game with a ton of heart,” the user CHC exclaimed about Wolfenstein: The New Order. “Tale as old as time, when it comes to me, but I genuinely think that