BlackMageJ: Metal Gear Solid
Part of it was because it was just old fashioned console wars- there was no way this PS1 game could be the best game ever when that title obviously belonged to the N64 and Ocarina of Time. But I also thought that the whole idea of a 'stealth' game where you pretty much lost if the enemy even saw you sounded stupid.
Then I got a PS1, and a demo disc with the MGS1 demo. And I played it... and it ended on a fascinating cliffhanger. And I had to find out how that cliffhanger resolved... and I've been obsessed with the franchise ever since. And have completed pacifist runs of even stealthier stealth games like Thief and Deus Ex (and Silent Assassin runs of most Hitman games).
Ocarina is still better, though.
Same. I thought i'd never like stealth elements in games, especially stealth games, because of LoZ's stealth missions. Whether ocarina of time or wind waker, they sucked. What kills me is that now that you play real stealth games, they're cakewalk. It seems more logical to say that those one of missions were just badly done, and seem harder than they really were, since you don't have the background to do them properly.
EDIT: And Monster Hunter. I never expected that one to be awesome, since the title's crappy. Dead or Alive i ended up enjoying alot, too, and consequently Virtua Fighter despite it always being in the bargin bin.