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[Seraphim342]

Now I don't think anyone would ever consider them bad/unpopular games, but they do get knocked a lot for their stories:  The Metal Gear franchise.  I think the storytelling in these is absolutely amazing.  They had a few jump-the-shark moments that made you scratch your head, but overall it was just... excellent.  I still load up my MSX2 emulator to play MG1+2 occasionally. 

As for terrible games I played just to see how the story played out, Fable 3 is one.  By an hour in, I literally said out loud "I can't believe I paid $30 for this game... on sale."  But the story was actually pretty good, so I ended up finishing it just for that. 

Aside from that, the Command and Conquer/Red Alert sequels.  When EA bought out Westwood after Tiberian Sun came out, they managed to squeeze out one more good game in the form of Red Alert 2.  After that, though, the series went to hell in a Tiberium-encrusted handbasket.  I still bought them all when they were on sale and played through them (all the while silently weeping and asking the gods why they would make a series so good that I became emotionally invested in it, then ruin everything I loved about it) just to see how the story played out.  At least they kept Kane. 

[Virtz]

That's kind of a tough one, cause usually it's the storyline/writing that's way worse than the gameplay.

I guess I'd have to say Soul Reaver 2. The gameplay just felt like such a chore compared to the first. The puzzles were mostly "put fire reaver in fire slot". And the combat got really tedious in the latter part of the game, cause it started putting up forcefields and forcing you to fight some really annoying enemies. Only thing that kept me going was to find out what happened next in the story, and in that regard it didn't disappoint.

[Leatra]

Beyond Good & Evil.

I actually like it. Fightining can get boring after a while and taking photos of how corrupted the goverment is while being all stealthy is difficult but it's still a "meh" kinda game.

Story was great though.

[Neyvn]

Found the name of the Game I mentioned last game, also found a vid of the story I mentioned...
Its in japanese as the game allows you to choose between it being Subbed or Dubbed...

[alexandertnt]

Almost every JRPG considered good. Seriously, it's like the gameplay exists for the sole purpose add artificial and redundant padding between pieces of story, for the sole purpose of preventing the player from completing the game in 1 hour. I would have preffered the game just take 1 hour (with the gameplay stripped) with an interesting story, than stretch the game by making me hit attack over and over and increasing a few integers over the course of hours.

Good JRPG's are about the metaphorical equivelant of reading a page of a good book, but in order to advance to the next page you are required to do menial tasks for no apparent reason.

Not to derail, but if you feel this way, why don't you just read a book?

I do read books. That does not make me feel that the game play of JRPG's is not terrable. In fact, that is probably why I dislike them.

[The Fool]

Killer 7. I seriously loved this game. You play as an assassin with 7 different main personalities who fights a terrorist organization called the Heaven Smile. The game is twisted, letting you find things like severed heads in dryers, and using blood to upgrade your abilities. The dialog does nothing to tone down the creepiness.

It would have been a great if it weren't on rails, and used a first person shooter camera that resets everytime you aim. Those two things made it really hard to really love this game.

[Jiokuy]

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

This game wasn't so much bad as unfinished. The early stages played like one of Lovecraft's finest novels. Due to development problems the game gets progressively buggier, and the second chapter is nearly impossible to complete even with a walk through.

[Svampapa]

Emperor of the fading suns

That game is broken on so many levels, yet the setting and art just keeps me starting new games only to abandon them when I realize the OMGWTF AI has built a quadrillion unbeatable starships and starbases by the time I manage to get my production going and can launch my first own spaceships.
No less than two different PBEM community games going on in the "play with your buddies" section btw.

[kg333]

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

This game wasn't so much bad as unfinished. The early stages played like one of Lovecraft's finest novels. Due to development problems the game gets progressively buggier, and the second chapter is nearly impossible to complete even with a walk through.

Did you play on PC?  The second chapter and the last chapter both have sections that are near impossible to complete in the PC version, due to unfortunate engine design: your movement speed is tied to framerate/resolution.  You have to kick resolution down to 640x480 or use a trainer program to increase your movement speed.

That game definitely fits though.  Great story early on, hobbled by poor gameplay.

KG

[Muz]

Too many. A lot of RPGs. I guess I'd put Sengoku Rance on top of the list.

JRPGs are all about pissing you off to the point of making you grateful to see the rest of the story.

[Ibid Straydrink]

Lost Odessey: A horrible, shallow excuse for a grindy low-grade, low-tech RPG on the nexgen systems with a heart-rending story. I was especially fond of the "memory" cutscenes- some of those were pretty profound.

[Toady Two]

That's kind of a tough one, cause usually it's the storyline/writing that's way worse than the gameplay.

I guess I'd have to say Soul Reaver 2. The gameplay just felt like such a chore compared to the first. The puzzles were mostly "put fire reaver in fire slot". And the combat got really tedious in the latter part of the game, cause it started putting up forcefields and forcing you to fight some really annoying enemies. Only thing that kept me going was to find out what happened next in the story, and in that regard it didn't disappoint.

This. SR2's story made me play the whole rest of the series. They were some pretty mediocre game. Especially BO2. Apart from Defiance they have disappointingly little in terms of clues for understanding the storyline. 

[postal83]

Ultima 8 - Pagan : had a great story and lore but the game-play was a huge detachment from the Ultima series which left a bad taste in the mouths of Ultima fans.

Basically you are banished to the land of Pagan, a realm controlled by the Guardian.  You are a stranger in a strange land, trying to make it back home, but in order to do so must overcome four elemental titans.  Had a dark and gritty atmosphere and I liked the reagent/totem based magic system.

EDIT : shit.. now that i read what i just wrote, its sounds like every other game.

[lordcooper]

Lost Odessey: A horrible, shallow excuse for a grindy low-grade, low-tech RPG on the nexgen systems with a heart-rending story. I was especially fond of the "memory" cutscenes- some of those were pretty profound.

Totally agree with you here.  But holy shit, that game knew how to pull on the old heartstrings.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Dragon Age.... story is great but gameplay is repetitive, combat is boring , character development is straightforward.