Crappy FPS (Navy Seals 2, just to name one) are a blast to play if you like so-bad-they're-good games. More than ten years after, I still chuckle when I think of some of the bugs I encountered.

It's a reversed Deus Ex: I reinstalled it yesterday, and now you mention it. ;)

Whoa, whoa there! Nobody's calling Dark Messiah of Might and Magic terrible. Nobody. That game had some brilliant mechanics to it which have scarcely been seen since. Yeah, sure the plot twist could be seen from space. But other than that it was outstanding.

Its indoctrination. Our one-sided gaming media keeps hammering into people's minds what is socially acceptable as 'good taste'. Many seem more than willing to fall in line with this cultural doctrine, especially young people who have yet to find a 'gaming identity'. Younger gamers are the most active in our gaming communities, they are the only ones who have enough leisure time to post their opinions anywhere they can. Their activities serve to re-enforce the indoctrination of LA/SF-based gaming culture, a hub that sets the norm for other media to follow.

Most of the people who claim to hate this or that game have never actually played it for themselves, they are going by what their favourite youtube gamer or critic is saying, who themselves have more often than not actually played the game for themselves, they too are only repeating what others have said before them. Its a cycle of ignorance guided by hearsay.

My impression from media is that they thought it was mediocre at best, with scores ranging between 5-7, and many gamers described it as 'a poor copy of Oblivion' or an 'Oblivion-wannabee'. So my impression is that most gamers and media did not think highly of the game at all. That's the basis for my stance on the game and the OP's question.

Personally I think DMMM is great, there's nothing like it even today.

hitman 1. a really god game but I hated it for the lack of quicksave...

Postal 2,The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

Etherlords comes to mind.

Shadows of the Empire comes to mind.

X3:TC comes to mind.

It was absolutely nothing like Oblivion. Plus, it was released a couple of months after Oblivion, so anyone calling it a copy is simply retarded and not worthy of having their opinion heeded.

Chaos Legion. A seemingly universally disliked slasher game from Capcom in the vein of the Devil May Cry series. Each review I've seen of it was awful and yet it was one of the best and most addictive gameplay experiences I've ever had. Loved both the gameplay and the unique setting.

Hydrophobia: Prophecy certainly got a negative reception but I was drawn to play it anyways, I cannot say why. When I did play it I enjoyed it, it may not have been my game of the year, but it was fun and I am glad I played it.

Deathtrap Dungeon, because I played it together with a friend, taking turns at levels and laughing at all the ways the other one died. That was very fun. Though we never quite made it to the end.
Yeah, I don’t see this connection either, since Oblivion is open world und Dark Messiah has a level structure and therefore a much tighter story and gameplay. And I honestly can’t remember any bad review about it, all were very positive, at least here in Germany.

Journey to Jaburo is one I played to DEATH!

I fuckin love that game, Blue Destiny for life!

I have a feeling that Progress Quest wouldn't even make it as far as 'game'.

I liked Shadow the Hedgehog on Gamecube. The controls are slippery, but it's fun. The writing is like a bad B-movie.

Beyond the Beyond is another good one. People hate it for its generic plot and overall punishing difficulty, though.

Someone mentioned Two Worlds and I liked what I played of it. I don't remember what the plot was, because listening through a conversation is so painful I don't think I've ever done it.

Quest 64. It may lack certain elements common in RPGs, like an equipment system, but sometimes it is nice to play such a simple game. I also like the fact that it doesn't have much of a story and doesn't use cutscenes to tell it.

Also, Zelda 2 is my favorite Zelda game, and Majora's Mask is up there.