games you dislike that everyone likes and vice versa

[BullockDS]

Games I like that others don't

• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: the game definitely has its share of issues, but I seriously don't think it deserves as much contempt as it's gotten. The world may not have had as many regions to explore, but I feel that it was properly offset by how much bigger and how much more there was to explore in those regions.
  
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin: Clashing graphics galore (probably the worst clashing in the series), but I still think that this was an enjoyable entry to the series. The two-character gimmick, whilst not used as often as it should, makes things interesting, and it's refreshing to go to worlds that aren't just the inside of the castle for once. Plus, three alternate playable scenarios aside from the main game gave this game some great replay (even if the touch-screen-centric Sisters mode did not accommodate lefties like me).
  
• Super Mario Sunshine: fuck Blue Coins*, but otherwise this game kicked all kinds of tits. The control and freedom that FLUDD gave Mario was so satisfying for me (the camera was especially a huge improvement over SM64), plus I found it amazing how much variety Nintendo managed to inject into level designs despite the strict overarching tropical theme.
  
• LoZ: Phantom Hourglass: I felt that the game did more "right" than Spirit Tracks. Overall better controls, better control (fuck double-tapping to roll), more fluid and free world exploration... the only shit thing was the Temple of the Ocean King, but I didn't think it was bad enough to make the game unplayable. It's not as terrible as, say, having to restart and retrace your steps from the very beginning after a Game Over in Zelda II.
  

Games I don't like that others do

• Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance: The game has great controls (seriously, back AND forward dashing are a blessing to exploration) and the spellbook system is pretty awesome, but other than that this game tried way too hard to be Symphony of the Night 2: Electric Boogaloo, especially with the whole double-castle aspect and the corrupted ally plot device. Plus the music was so repetitive and grating to listen to; Circle of the Moon (this game's predecessor) really made great use of the GBA sound hardware, why couldn't this one have as well?
  
• LoZ: Spirit Tracks: the aesthetics here were superior to Phantom Hourglass and the Tower of Spirits was less tedious (albeit more difficult than) the Temple of the Ocean King, but there's nary else I could say I enjoyed about this. Railroad traveling is so boring and repetitive (and annoying since it's prone to slowdown, particularly when Tanks show up), the plot isn't as engaging as Phantom Hourglass' (what especially bugged me was how the Lokomo Sword comes absolutely the fuck out of nowhere at the end), the dungeons didn't feel as brilliant as Phantom Hourglass' since hardly any new items were brought in (making the use of the items feel largely less clever and fresh), and those fucking Spirit Flute segments can go right back to hell. (Either DS/3DS mics really are trash or I've just had consistently bad luck with all of mine, as the only way I could effectively use the microphone for the Spirit Flute portions was to blow into a straw directly into the mic).
  
• LoZ: Link's Awakening/DX: I don't care that it was the first portable Zelda. I still vastly prefer the Oracle games due to having far superior world/dungeon designs, more engaging stories, better music, and the sheer amount of content within both games. 
  

*If I were designing Sunshine, I would've taken out 120 of the Blue Coins. With those 12 Shines, I'd use 11 to make another full level, and put the remaining Shine in a new secret one-off level.