Recommend a game with a metacritic score less than 7

So I was talking in the Starfield thread about review scores and I thought this might be a fun idea.

Recommend a game that has a metacritic of less than 7 that you enjoyed. Insert the link to metacritic to show the lower than 70 score.

My recommendation:

https://www.metacritic.com/game/windbound/

I got this through games with gold on Xbox. I would describe Windbound as a rouge-like, zelda-like survival crafting game. It's set mostly at sea where you slowly craft a catamaran style boat where you sail on the waves in search of resources on islands.

Definitely not an amazing game but I had a good time playing it.

Potential-Monke

Think I tried Windbound but gave up as the early travel was taking too long, and then got distracted by something shiny.

I'm just about ticking the box with Immortals of Aveum currently at 69 (giggitty). A magic FPS that doesn't do anything new, but makes the whole experience just fun. It seems to ve victim to the "other people didn't like it so I won't" mentality modern gaming communities seem to have. It created an interesting world with eventual fun traversal, spectacle level combat, fun challenges, and a not too bad story that's very well acted by nearly all involved.

I recommend people at least try it. Go in with no expectations and just enjoy it for what it is.

In a similar name vein, I also recommend Immortals: Fenyx Rising. It takes the typical Ubisoft AC rpg formula, and wraps a fun story with good actors into it. Less serious than the AC games, but far more fun overall. Also doesn't do anything new but does what it does really well. Currently at 68 on Metacritic.

Retr0gamer

Going to have to think hard about this one. Good thread!

Retr0gamer

Earth Defense Force 4.1

Not the latest EDF game but it's is the last one with a metacritic score less than 7 (64 on PS4 but on PC it's 79 because PC gamers have better taste in games). It always baffles me these games don't get amazing reviews. Sure you can criticise a lot about the games. They look and feel cheap with budget levels of jank. The game throws so many enemies at you that the console versions absolutely tank performance. What can't be ignored is just the crazy amount of fun these games are. There's a huge variety in play styles with 4 very different classes to choose from. It's a loot'em up game but while weapons go up in power they also go up in how utterly ludicrous they are. It's also a wonderful couch co-op game and a fantastic 4 player coop game with friends. A new Earth Defense Force is coming early next year and it seems with the PS5 they've finally sorted the performance issues the game had on console (although there is some fun watching the frame rate tank with the insane number of enemies on screen).

I'll definitely check these out if I can get them on sale. I love a bit of jank.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121298131#Comment_121298131

They're so much fun especially with friends and there's tonnes of content. I forgot to mention most missions take place in cities with fully destructible buildings, the level of chaos on the later levels is nuts. On PC they don't tend to have massive reductions in sale price but Ive always bought them full price and got hours of entertainment out of them. You might be able to find it cheap online for playstation, I haven't really seen copies in the wild at retail. Really looking forward to EDF 6 and its the first with a simultaneous PC release.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121297894#Comment_121297894

Plenty of Immortals on the menu.

CastorTroy

Only played and finished Fenyx Rising and its DLC recently. Really enjoyed it.

Will need to think of other games that fall into this.

Retr0gamer

Nier

Nier sits at a 67 on metacritic for the Xbox 360. This is one of those cases were I totally agree with the score but also think Nier is a must play as it's the best 7/10 game you can play.

There's two problems with Nier. Cavia didn't have the budget for their ambitions and the combat is the typical flat boring button mashing you expect from a mid tier PS2 games.

Nier also has a lot going for it. The world building and story are exceptional and it's all delivered by an exceptional voice acting cast. It's also got one of the best implementations of new game plus where the game restarts at the halfway point with changes that completely questions your first interpretation of the plot. It's a fantastic high concept sci fi story that deals with the effects of oppression and violence far better than something like the last of us 2.

The game is full of variety and invention. It uses the camera to totally change the feel and genre of the game. Sections can transform into a diablo style dungeon crawler or a twin stick shooter as the camera changes to an isometric view. It can become a puzzle game or introduce fixed camera angles to become a resident evil clone. It even turns into a text adventure at one point. It's a blast to see just where that game goes next.

Despite the small budget feel there's also some exception boss fights that can be quite visually impressive. Then there's the soundtrack, Nier has one of the all time great videogame soundtracks and it's worth playing just for that.

Nier has recently gotten an update that is basically the same game as the original but brings the combat more inline with Nier automata so I'd recommend that over the original. The original game however has a very special place in my heart.

Retr0gamer

Sonic Frontiers

I'm the first to laugh at sonic games for being complete thrash an fires but I actually really enjoyed this game and think it's closer to an 8 than the 6 ish it's rates on Xbox (it's 71 on PS4). I had quite a lot of fun exploring each open world and completing the platforming challenges, so much so that I ended up 100% the game. There's some surprisingly excellent boss fights as well and the soundtrack is an absolute bop. Way better than it had any right to be.

Retr0gamer

Deception 4: Nightmare Princess

I'm incredulous that this game is sitting at 69 on PS4. It's a fantastic game. You run around arenas setting up rube Goldbergian sequences of traps and catch enemies in increasingly ridiculous trap combos. There's a huge variety of traps to use and the challenges you get along the way make it even more fun, and better yet, unlock even more traps to experiment with. I had so much fun with this game and by the end of rinsing it for content I had plowed 120 hours into it. You might be put off by the skevvie scantily clad ladies in the game but the game never takes itself too seriously.

brady12

The order 1886 it was a 9 or 10 / 10 for me

Potential-Monke

Still waiting for that to hit PS+...

ShaneU

Tenchu Z - 56 on Metacritic

Never got why this reviewed so low. The user score is 78. It's an enjoyable ninja game. I guess you need to be a fan of stealth games like me.