It seems to me that there is a fashion for disliking games, and attacking those who like games that others "hate". Jim Sterling on The Escapist has a good video on just this topic. I have not noticed that here, I am happy to say!
There may be good reasons for scoring a game poorly, but I have often found that some of the "worst" ames often have hidden sides that are really fun.

I'd like to know what games you liked that were widely panned, and what were the parts you liked. This is intended to be a positive thread, so respect for whoever likes something that was disliked.

And I'll start.

I love the latest Thief. I have loved all of the Thief games so far, with the possible exception of Thief Gold which I only liked (I played TMA first and then went back to TG the first time I played through the games). I score Gold the lowest because I think the living have more place in the story than the undead. In the latest version, I like the atmosphere, the city, the pacing, the secrets and hidden rooms, the overheard conversations, and the humour. I even like the Thief Taker General, for all that he is a comic villain. I particularly like the customisation - the game can be as forgiving or difficult as you like. The unique quick save feature of creating a save point when jumping into a closet is very clever, I think, and fits the game well.

There are issues, but these are patchable - random NPC models popping up ocasionally, continually looping conversations, and periods of major stuttering and long load times after moving from one section of the city to another after playing for a certain length of time that take a some time to resolve. Those are what I think of as mechanical problems though, and have nothing to do with the game story or game play, and I would love to see those things patched soon.

Overall, I am loving this game and will happily play through it again, now I know what the hell I'm doing!

Huh, there's been a whole bunch. I think Chaos Legion (PC version) is one of the most extreme examples. The PC version has a Metascore of 37/100. The mag where I got the game from gave the game a 5/10 I think. Oddly enough Chaos Legion turned out to be one of the coolest games I've ever played. It's a game very similar to the Devil May Cry series, also developed by Capcom (maybe even some of the same people were involved, I don't know). Admittedly the first time I tried it I couldn't get into it, it was simply too hard, I didn't get what I really had to do to make progress and I was left disappointed. However, one day I decided to give it another try and that time I somehow simply got it. I really got the combat system, I got the tactical stuff (an essential part of the gameplay are weird demons that support you and you can give simple commands to) and suddenly I just couldn't stop playing it, even repeated most levels numerous times to max out my character and these demons. I ended up enjoying Chaos Legion far more than any Devil May Cry game and even prefer Chaos Legion's insane plot and scenario over any Devil May Cry game. Frankly I see *no* reason why the game got such bad reception. It has really nice and characteristic PS2 era visuals, the gameplay should satisfy any fan of slasher games. I really don't get it.

I don't know if this counts because it was only panned by corporate sites/mags, AOE 1. I've never met an ordinary Joe player who didn't love it but man was it ripped (by the press) when it came out. While the graphics and pathfinding suck beyond suck it remains one of my favorite games ever.

I have the perfect example for that. Biing! 2. It got horrible reviews,like 18% or so, was ridiculed by everyone for its nudie pics, but it's a really good and complex business sim that fans are still working on to improve and fix. I loved it back then and still play it alot today.
It's even more bizarre since Biing 1 got really good reviews and is liked very much, even though it is exactly the same game with nudie pics, just in a hospital instead of a beach club, and less polished.

Alpha Protocol. The only game I've played where your choices really did matter. Hell, there was one boss I didn't even fight on my second playthrough.

Currently playing resident evil 6 and really digging it. It sure isn't the game it used to be but I'm content that it's never gonna be so I'll at least enjoy it for what it is. The graphics are great, it has that multiple character split gameplay thing that they did in res 2, real zombies at last and it's action packed corny fun.... with a few hot chicks.

Good examples! I hadn't heard of Chaos Legion, might have to give that a look.

Deus Ex: Invisible War is another one that I like. It doesn't have the awe inspiring scope of the original. Indeed it is hard to find games these days that are truly built on that scale.

However, DX:IW was a fun game. It was definitelydifferent to DX, but that doesn't equal bad. Maybe I have a thing for sequels; they don't bother me so much when the developers change or the game style is different. DX: IW was a very action oriented game, even when going for a stealth run. I loved upgrading the pistol with a silencer and glass destabliser, for taking out alarmed windows without alerting anyone.

Temple of Elemental Evil - I definitely understand the complaints and probably wouldn't like it without the C08 mod. But with the mod, the game's excellent.

The Saboteur - I mostly heard bad things about this game but decided to give it a shot when it turned up on sale for 5 bucks and boy am I glad I did. I had a blast with it.

Alpha Protocol - this is by no means the perfect game, but I honestly don't know why it got so much flak. There are things that could be better but as noted by JustSayin the fact that your choices do actually matter make the game worth playing more than once.

Lionheart:Legacy of the Crusader - while criticism of the last half of the game is deserved, I came into this one expecting much less than it delivered. Overall more than worth the few bucks I tossed at GOG for it.

SO odd as I opened up this thread to post this very game and I see it not once but twice. Why the heck did it so so poorly? (I think it was about $20 a month or two after release and I'm pretty sure I remember poor reviews). I thought it was fantastic (and was one of the games I was thinking about when I made a post in an Obsidian thread not too long ago)

In this context I can't stop quoting Pool of Radiance : Ruins of Myth Drannor.
It's one of the games I love most even though it is criticised everywhere.
The characters and levels look beautiful, the story was compelling and it has the most beautiful antagonist(s) in gaming history (in my opinion of course no claim to absoluteness).
Furthermore I like the spells and the soundtrack a lot, the only thing which bugged be like hell was the sometimes very demanding difficulty level.

Another game which impressed me is Pathologic which hasn't a so good reputation, either.
I think it has a tight oppressive atmosphere, when walking through infected districts I'm trembling in fear, ...I wasn't scared like that since I was a little child o.o
it's the stuff nightmares are made of.
with a great story and ambience like that you can ignore the rather flawed gameplay.

I'm not sure why it is mentioned here? It seems to have gotten reviews around 80, so hardly disliked.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Pagan: Ultima 8. I really loved playing this, despite its flaws - but it is reviled by the Cultima.

Alpha Protocol is an interesting one - I don't even understand how it gets to be a "disliked" game in the first place, but it is.

Kane & Lynch 1 and 2. Yes, I am fully aware that these games are objectively terrible. The first game was pushed out the door with no polish, and the second game has nothing going for it other than it's unique art direction. The shooting is downright terrible in the first game and passable in the second. The characters are awful people, all of them, and they accomplish nothing but death and destruction. Well, that's actually why I like these games. They are character studies of utterly flawed men dragging everyone down with them. It is fun to be that guy sometimes after having saved the world (or just 'MURICA!) over and over again. It is not often you get to play the small time scumbag the hero in another game would kill in the first mission without a mention again.

I know these games are terrible or at best incredibly average in parts. Still, I'm drawn to them and suffer through them willingly.

Mm interesting, so I could give it a try in the future.
What are the original game main problems for you and what did you like in the mod?

Do you know other mediocre\bad games totally fixed and improved by great mods?

Buggy as hell without the mod, basically.

I'll have to get back to you on other games. Need to do a few things first.