Basically, most every gaming franchise has that one game, or even several games
that nobody really likes
Even though they like the rest of the series
Name one of those games
but name one that you liked even if no one else really did

Mine is actually the reason I started this thread
Castelvania: Curse of Darkness
I've heard several people say that Castelvania doesn't have any good 3D installments
And while there is some debate on Castelvania: Lord of Shadows 2
This is a sentiment I find shared by most fans of the series.
However, while they made a lot of mistakes on most 3D games, loosing the essence of the game or making it just boring
Curse of Darkness had a sprawling map, organic exploration, an interesting, and diverse combat system,
and you got your own Pokémon! The demons you summoned were interesting, and implemented well,
And the characters were good as well. And the plot was fantastic.
Well.....fantastic for Castelvania at least
And not to mention, though it was a game that took itself very seriously
It had splashes of ridiculous humor, that were much funnier when contrasted with the serious tone of the game
and were implemented without really ruining that overall tone either
And while I've never heard this game singled out for hate, like Castelvania 64, and Lament of innocence
I've never heard it given any praise either.

Anyway, what are yours?

Metroid: Other M.

Now, Metroid: Other M is far from a beloved game. In fact, some people consider this game the game that killed the Metroid series. Well, as you can tell, I still like Other M. I'm sticking to my guns, and proclaiming just how much I like this game. I think one of the most notable things about Other M at a glance is that this game looks utterly fantastic. These CG cutscenes are good enough to be on PS3 or 360, let alone the Wii! Other M truly pushes the graphical capabilities of the Wii to its limit, and it shows in these cutscenes. Just like most Metroid games, it does a great job of establishing a strong and effective mood and atmosphere. The use of dark shading and the inorganic structure of the facility creates an amazing cold and desolate atmosphere. You really have that feeling of being alone, isolated in the facility, yet at the same time you feel like there are eyes on you everywhere, creatures just waiting to pounce from the shadows. It's beautiful in this way.

In terms of gameplay, it's surprisingly really good. I was a little taken aback by the concept of every single piece of equipment in Super Metroid being utilized on just a Wii Remote, but it ends up being actually pretty fluid. The controls are actually pretty natural, and the way the auto-lock, the dodge, and the quick-step work iron out any faults the control scheme really had. And the first person mode I find is quite effective in its execution, allowing more precise shooting on particular targets, and while you may get hit by enemies in this mode for a bit, you can quickly learn that moving the Remote to the side as you're about to get hit will allow you to dodge. The music, dissimilar to the rest of the Metroid series, is actually fully orchestrated, rather than synthesized, and I honestly like it quite a lot. Orchestrated music has always resonated with me, so the soundtrack's pretty good in my book.

*sigh* Now, most people who dislike Other M are fine, or at least tolerant of these elements. It's the story where Metroid fans tend to start hating this game. Look, I'm not aiming to turn haters into lovers, or anything with this segment, because it's kind of a little late to be attempting any sort of rectification. All I'm attempting to do is try and justify why I don't utterly despise the story like many fans. While the story is no prize winning piece of literature, it's far from bad enough to kill the entire Metroid franchise. It's kind of overblown, the hate the story gets in my opinion. The monologuing of Samus is a little overdone, but it never really bothered me that much. I don't feel that Samus' character is ruined by this game, mainly due to the fact that this was the first Metroid game I actually ever liked. This was my first look into Samus as a character, and I didn't find it off-putting. I actually kind of like how she messes up from time to time, that she makes mistakes, that she isn't observant, and at times lets her emotions get the better of her, because that makes her more human. And yeah, her depiction here is flawed, and isn't identical to her depictions in other games she's in, but I think the amount of flak she gets for it is absurd. So yeah, Metroid: Other M. A lot of you probably hate this game. In fact, I'm very much the minority in this instance, but I consider this the first Metroid game I actually enjoyed playing, and it's one of my favorite Metroid games. Now let's move on before I mess this up.

baileyface544 : One game that everyone seems to hate, but one I personally love is the Metroid Other M. I feel that this game delivered smooth, fast action, as well as a depth of story that has never before been in the Metroid series. A lot of people complain that when Samus encounters ridley and she is frightened out of her mind and goes back to when she was three--they complain that this wea bad writing. I say--quite the contrary. This scene allows the writers to show Anthony's heroism in trying to face ridley--as well as some humerous remarks. It also highlights Samus's enormous power. This part of the story also shows that she is not an invincible remorseless assassain, but actually is a human with feelings. I mean, being exposed to all that vilonce and the ruthlessness of Ridley at such a young age--and losing both your parents. That's something that's going to stick with you! Some people say that the game is sexist--I don't get that argument at all. I think that they are complaining about the best part of the game, the reavealing of Samus's emotions. It's nice to see that she is not a heartless robot!

YES. I agree. Castlevania Curse of Darkness is great. All these bizarre weapons you could craft, like the electric guitar, were hilarious, but the crafting system in general was great. And the STEALING for the needed items (which were sometimes very frustrating rare drops... aah...) was probably my favorite thing in the game. The ultimate weapon, the scythe of death, was amazing too. And lots of other epicness in this game. Many fun hours.

The only thing I didn't like that much, although it being an essential part of the game, was the Innocent Devils. I didn't like it that much, as I wrote, but I think it was well executed, even though I think I'd have preferred something different instead of the Innocent Devils. I don't know why I don't really liked it. ^^'

I know and am willing to admit Final Fantasy X-2 was a pretty bad game. However, I still had fun playing it. I know it was really fan service-y but I did like the idea of the sphere grid and as awful as the story line was I liked that it had multiple endings depending on how you did in the game. At the time when I first played it, it was just nice to be able to go back and reminisce playing FFX although it hadn't been that long.

Sonic and the Black Knight. I hated what that game did to my arm (I had to go to the doctors because I pulled a muscle) but I enjoyed playing it overall. The main reason for that is because I love Arthurian legend and even though this is far off I still enjoyed it. Although it's not a game in the franchise I would play twice.

I'll go ahead and say Super Mario Sunshine. I know, it's not as hated as it once was, but it's not seen as that great by many fans. I understand some of the criticisms, but the game has so many redeeming qualities that most people would find it pretty enjoyable. In fact, i think it's above average for a Mario game. It introduced loads of fresh new mechanics and systems, something most of the other games were content with not doing.

I would have to say Advance Wars. I have not yet to find an Advance Wars fan on this website so far. It is a good strategy game that is based on military tactics but in a kiddy version.

ghostfishy : I am an Advance Wars fan.  I got the first, second, Dual Strike (my favorite) and Days of Ruin. 

Deus Ex:Invisible War. though it downgraded from the original i still liked it ignoring the more linear paths and weird inventory system

styrofoamboots : the same game I wanted to talk about(thief) 

I wanted to talk about Final fantasy 10-2 because it has so much hate on it but I really enjoyed playing through the I liked all the characters and it might have been challenging but in the end you had a great feeling that you accomplished  it some of the music might have been over synthesized in most cases but other times it was a sweet loving melody. The battles may have been hard to get used to but they got fun to move around attacking I think it was a big upgrade and was glad it was made like that

endings : Finally! I found an Advance Wars fan!

I really enjoyed Shadow The Hedgehog. It was ridiculous with the guns and swearing, yes, but the gameplay and story were actually really good! The mere concept of diverging storylines and paths in a Sonic game is just a great concept.

   I found that everybody seems to think Mario Kart Super Circuit is the worst of all the Mario Kart games. I don't think it's the greatest or anything, but I think it improves in pretty much every way from the original making it a much more fun game, as well as much more variety in the tracks. The music is great, and although the retro stages are not ported well at all, they can provide a really good challenge, and I don't think it gets the love it deserves for what it is.

Rat Attack from the 64 because even though it was only one game, I really liked the gameplay of having to capture these mice before they destroy the room by eating up the objects.  The boss battles were interesting because for some you need to use a different strategy but for the scarab king, you have to use the mice trap and destroy technique to cut the hp out.  Then the white mice get annoying if they pass that transformation pad because they soon become a harder force to handle.  Especially the brain one because it can kill an object in an instant, regardless of hp and you cant stop once it began.

baileyface544 : I find the Donkey Kong Country games, which they have low attention. I really love those games especially DKC, DKC2 and DKC3. Awesome gameplay, kill enemies etc and fun bosses!

I personally found Pokemon Black Version a fantastic piece of work.

The fifth generation of the Pokemon franchise gets a LOT of unnecessary hatred from fans, and it drives me nuts. I think Pokemon Black and White Versions, along with their sequels, were amazing games with truly gripping stories, unlike other games in the franchise.

Don't get me wrong - I adore the other generations, and generation five isn't even my favorite, but I found it amazing, and I believe it gets the bad comments it does because of fans who are either too lazy to memorize the new Pokemon and use it as an excuse or just people who don't think and immediately assume that anything new must be bad.

Castlevania 2 . It introduced an overworld, not just fighting in Dracula's castle. The titular castle is very downplayed,almost not in the game, and contains only Dracula himself. The collecting of artifacts is interesting, and I like Simon has all these useful items before even stepping into the castle. I mean he is often one underprepared vampire hunter!
In every other Castlevania...
Belmont "ok, time to kill that dracula again. Glad he comes back, I need the work. Lets see, do I have holy water? Nope! Garlic? Nope! Boomerang? Axe? Nope! Alright, I got my weakest whip, I think I left all that other stuff in Castlevania last time, anyway. Probably not important. Time to go!"

This game tries many new things. Most don't work as well as they should. A bad translation, lack of map, make this not a great Castlevania game, but I appreciated it went boldly in a new direction.

I liked megaman 8, the game gets so much hate, when I feel it's probably the 3rd best in the series.

The game's graphics were phenomenal, I honestly don't think the 8-bit graphics were all that, they looked cool, but honestly 8 bit is only charming for so many games. The voice acting, I found wasn't bad, not in the cut scenes, those were abysmal, but in game, megaman doesn't sound too bad, the robot masters have fitting actors, and dr. wily and bass sound stupendous. And the criticism of no rush items, so? You complain that rush makes the game easier, then they finally take it out and you whine about it.