We've all played and enjoyed a few, whether we'll admit it or not. For me, I don't understand all the hate levelled at games like Far Cry 2 and Assassin's Creed. Don't get me wrong, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and generally speaking these games were actually well-received. And if we all had the same opinion it would be a boring world etc... But the games we get excited about before they're released and the final game we play can sometimes be two different beasts entirely.

Expectations are high for games like Far Cry 2. Advertisements are shown at the cinema; the gaming media is saturated with two-page ads and so forth. Does it meet expectation? Rarely. And here's why: hype can ruin a gamers enjoyment. It's not necessarily the games fault.

Far Cry 2 is a massive achievement and a vast improvement over the previous games in the series. The graphics are awe-inspiring and some of the best I've ever seen (personally, I'm in love with water graphics and fire effects). Enemy AI is sometimes questionable and gameplay can be a bit repetitive but I'll stop there because this isn't a review. All I'm saying is, I don't think Far Cry 2 is a perfect 10 game (I'll reserve that for my GTA IV review). What I'm saying is, it's underrated because some gamers are blindsided by its flaws which don't really detract from the overall gaming experience.

These games wouldn't have disappointed people nearly as much as they have if it weren't for the hyperbole surrounding their release. But hey, that's how they sell games.

I'm not lashing out at anyone in this blog, I'm simply stating how I see it. And there's other games that don't receive the critical accolades but can still give a gamer a warm fuzzy feeling. And here's where I list a few titles from the past that I felt were underrated. Shellshock 'Nam 67 (a decent historical FPS that barely makes it past 65% in reviews but one that I played through more than once) Tomb Raider Legend (actually a lot more fun than people give it credit for but decidedly too short) Shadow Of Rome (Labelled 'generic' by most, but I revelled in the bloodthirsty gladiator combat and admittedly broken stealth sections) and anyway that's quite enough. Underrated games: I'm sure we all feel there's a few out there that we can't understand why they don't get bigger love. And give a gamer a chance to state his opinion. It might not be the same as yours but it's still just as valid.