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Some games are a disaster at launch and become either infamous or forgotten. Then there are titles that receive a second chance and are appreciated overtime. These titles were maybe too ambitious, over hyped or heavily plagued by a bad development cycle. As a result they were panned by critics.

Yet as time passed, gamers and critics started to give these titles a chance or appreciate what it tried to achieve. Other times its just gamers disagreeing with the critical consent and enjoying a title for what it is.

These are five examples of games with a misunderstood reputation.

5. Sniper: Ghost Warrior

Sniper: Ghost Warrior is a series of tactical shooters that has players take on the role of a Special Forces sniper tasked with taking out or rescuing key targets. Both games in the series have received mostly mediocre reviews due to what is perceived as a weak story or gameplay.

Despite the reviews, Sniper: Ghost Warrior has developed a strong fan base while gamers have praised its gameplay. Users reviews on Steam and MetaCritic have been positive while PlayStation Now members have highly recommended the game. Even I could vouch for how great this series is after playing both titles on PlayStation Now. This is one of the few games on the list that was a commercial success.

So what do gamers see that critics have failed to notice? Its supporters are shooter fans but are tired of the fast paced action that has become the norm for the genre. These are gamers who want a more complex gameplay experience.  In fact many fans have described the series as a game were every level is like “All Ghillied Up” from Modern Warfare.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior is popular because it breaks from the norm and offers a more challenging experience.

4. Duke Nukem: Forever 

This is the classic story of a game being in development forever and it’s a disaster upon release. While such games have been around for awhile, Duke Nukem: Forever has become the poster child due to its almost decade long time in development only to be panned by critics and gamers.

Duke Nukem: Forever was panned for its mediocre gameplay and a series of glitches that hampered the experience. Many felt that action was dull and lacking the fast paced action that has dominated the genre for years. Others felt that the character of Duke Nukem was too juvenile given that the quality of story telling in the medium had become more complex and thought provoking.

The problem was that many bought Duke Nukem: Forever for $60 and played it expecting to be the greatest game ever made. When the hype died and the price dropped, many gamers started giving it a second chance. Those who waited until it was on sale for $15 and had no expectations had a more favorable opinion of the game. These fans treated it like an old school style shooter that payed homage to the B-Films of the 80’s.

This latter success should give fans hope of Duke making a return sometime in the future.

3. Battlefield 4

Gaming was about to enter the Eight-Generation era back in 2013 and EA fumbled badly with Battlefield 4. During their slump years, the disastrous launch of Battlefield 4 became the last straw for frustrated fans. Dubbed “Brokenfield” by disgruntled fans, the game became infamous for the many bugs and glitches that plagued it upon launch. The problems would be resolved but it would take awhile for EA to repair its reputation.

Those who were patient got to experience one of the greatest military shooter that had been developed. Battlefield 4 found the perfect balance between the fast paced action from Call of Duty with the intense combat experience of ArmA. Larger and more unique maps were featured while most of the issues from Battlefield 3 gameplay had been resolved. Also the other military shooter released that year was Call of Duty: Ghosts, which was a total dud.

Despite the botched launch, Battlefield 4 started with a good community that has grown strong. Fans have been posting  videos of their best or wackiest moments online for awhile. After several years along with several new entries into the series, the game is still continuing to flourish. This is also one of the few games on the list that was a commercial success.

2. Daikatana

The development of Daikatana is one of the most infamous in gaming history while its outcome is one of the most tragic to befall on a gaming icon. John Romero was rock star in the industry and the game was over hyped as being the next revolutionary title. Yet after a series of delays, the game failed to live up to the hype. In the end, it became a textbook example of what not to do in the gaming industry.

There are few things one needs to understand about Daikatana. First up, it was never universally panned by critics as it mostly received good to mediocre reviews while few panned the game. Second is that when the game was released following the success of FPS titles like 007 GoldenEye, Half-Life and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. Finally, many seem to forget that its commercial failure has been often times lumped in with the Dot-Com collapse of the late 90’s/early 2000’s.

Many years later and after all the hype died down, gamers started to appreciate what Daikatana tried to accomplish at the time. Several critics have noted that game introduced features and mechanics that were ahead of its time. Those who have played it are often confused as to why the the game has such a bad reputation.

Daikatana was the victim of over ambition and hype while its failure ended up defining its quality as a game.

1. Jurassic Park: Trespasser

This was the Crysis of its time, as in it was a highly ambitious and advanced title while gamers needed a supercomputer to unlock its full potential. Jurassic Park: Trespasser offered players the ultimate experience of exploring Site B while battling a verity of dinosaurs. The project was ambitious for its open world setting, no HUD, regenerating health while emphasizing greatly on the players need to interact with the world.

Unlike Crysis, this game was not highly praised by critics but was actually panned as one of the worst games of 1998. Many felt that the unique gameplay features were just annoying while the overall experience was just too boring. Others felt it was just unnecessarily difficult thanks to its frustrating setup. In the end, the game was only able to sell 50,000 copies at launch.

Jurassic Park: Trespasser biggest problem was that it was too ambitious and the technology at the time was very limited. While many of the its gameplay mechanics have now become staples of gaming, they were unheard of at the time. Also it was unfortunately released around the same time as iconic titles like Half-Life and 007 GoldenEye.

It would be many years before gamers would appreciate what Jurassic Park: Trespasser tried to accomplish at the time. Fans began to correct its many problems or improve upon the experience using the TresEd software. Pundits have also acknowledged the many revolutionary mechanics it introduced to gaming. Meanwhile its control scheme was the inspiration for many memorable indie titles.

Did we change your mind about any of these games or was there a title you felt should have been on the list? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.