Two weeks ago we posted a feature called Great Games That Weren't, wherein the staff of Game Almighty unleashed their hatred on what most consider to be classic titles. This time we go the opposite direction, compiling a list of horrendous games that are secretly enjoyed by the writing crew. This isn't an easy undertaking. Just as bashing a beloved classic like Mario exposes you to hate mail and endless ridicule, announcing your love of a universally despised piece of junk is sure to incite a cacophony of insults. We're man enough to take the assault.

Chris Jensen

Secretly Loved: Trespasser

Why: I'll wait for your laughter to die down. Okay. First, a preamble: I had a long history with Trespasser during its development. Back in 1998 I was West Coast Editor for OGR.com and I had many opportunities to go to Dreamworks Interactive and write about the progress of Trespasser. The executive producer was Seamus Blackley, who, not many people realize, eventually left Dreamworks and went to work for Microsoft where he designed something called the Xbox. Seamus was, and is, a genius. He was passionate about Trespasser and what he hoped to accomplish with the game. It really was a revolutionary concept and all of the preliminary work I saw was fascinating and exciting. Trespasser promised the first physics-based environment, as well as cunning dino-ai, lots of action, interesting puzzles and expansive exterior environments the likes of which had never before been attempted.

Unfortunately, the game was falling behind schedule and was way over budget, all thanks to the ambitious design. When push came to shove, the suits at Dreamworks demanded the game be ready to coincide with the release of the Lost World: Jurassic Park movie. This decision forced Seamus to take an axe to the game, removing all of the elements that offered it so much potential. Seamus and I had become email buddies and he often expressed his frustration to me about what was happening to his baby. Ultimately, Trespasser was finally released to an eager public and bashed by every magazine and online critic, as well as bazillions of gamers who felt completely let down and misguided by my numerous previews. No one ever saw the game I witnessed at Dreamworks.

Yet, despite the digital abortion that was the final version of Trespasser, I still loved it. Yeah, it was frustrating and buggy beyond belief, but I still enjoyed stacking boxes and throwing them around and screwing with the environment. The graphics engine wasn't optimized and ran like crap, but it still represented the future of things to come, as evidenced with games like FarCry. I'll always have a special place in my brain for Trespasser and continue to believe it was far better than people gave it credit for. Yeah yeah, I know. I'm totally alone. :(

Matt Butrovich

Secretly Loved: Star Wars Rebellion

Why: Rebellion was an awful strategy game. By Star Wars game standards though, the game wasn’t half bad. The interface was a damn mess and made the game ten times more difficult to play than it should have been. Pretty much every aspect of the game was boring. Researching was lame, taking over planets wasn’t very complex, and I don’t think you ever actually had to see a battle if you didn’t want to. None of these facts stopped me from enjoying Star Wars Rebellion for years.

The game did a great job of keeping your attention by counteracting the boredom-inducing gameplay with an interface that would send you in to a blind rage. There’s no way you were going to fall asleep playing a game where you had six exciting menus to click through in order to issue one command! The 3D space battles weren’t much fun to control, and after spending thirty minutes with the game, most people were inclined to just let the computer guess the outcome of battles. Diplomacy was pretty much a non-issue, and there was no such thing as ground combat.

Alright, so the single-player was a complete waste, but the real allure of Rebellion was the multiplayer. Misery loves company. In multiplayer you had someone else to share in your pain, and you were going up against an opponent who had to overcome the same technical hurdles as you. It became a purely psychological battle. Who would have the most willpower not to slit their wrists while simply trying to figure out how to tell Boba Fett to go whack a diplomat? This is the pinnacle of multiplayer design folks, and the nonsensical gameplay made sure that only the most dedicated players would spend any time online. In fact, I still break out the CD every once in a while for a scrimmage against a buddy. Never mind that Empire at War has completely surpassed Rebellion in every way; that game has a functioning interface. Screw that. Isn’t half the fun of an RTS trying to figure out how the hell to get your units to do what you want?

Sam Sollars

Not So Secretly Loved: Perfect Dark Zero

Why: I’m sick of the arguments on forums. I actually tried to debate this with some douche on GameFAQs for about 2 minutes until I realized I was just wasting my time. Microsoft made the mistake of releasing footage and demos of this game too early, and the internet gloids have never gotten past that. Look guys, just because a game used to look bad in beta doesn’t mean it’s not fun to play.

Perfect Dark on the N64 was just plain awesome, and that’s another thing that lead a lot of people to cast doubt onto its sequel. While the 360 version may not be as fantastic or innovative an experience as the first one was long ago, it’s still worth playing and presents some cool features. The AI isn’t the greatest and the difficulty fluxuates more frequently than it should and sometimes for no real reason, but it’s still a ton of fun.

The missions at least have a tinge of originality in this world of cookie cutter shooters. Sneaking past guards and laser grids, infiltrating hideouts, and fighting giant flying vehicles doesn’t sound like fun to you? If you’re not intrigued by that, then maybe this will get you: Perfect Dark Zero had one of the best FPS co-op experiences of all time. Rather than just splitting the screen down the middle and letting two players gun it out for the same objective, you’ll frequently be battling to assist one another and multitasking to take out the opposition. It’s a fantastic experience on Xbox Live. Honestly, playing this game for hours on end with friends fighting alongside me has been one of my favorite online gaming experiences ever.

Oh yeah, and for the rest of you that aren’t intrigued by the gameplay, well…The main character is a hot girl with tight clothes. That do it for ya?