how are they shit though
They're shit because I think they're shitty and I hate them, but to humor you...
SoT specifically is a very gimmick oriented platformer. Time control is shit, glitchy, and useless if you aren't totally haphazard retardo. The puzzles, for the most part, are akin to that peice of shit Soul Reaver. And the FIGHTING ENGINE IS GOD FUCKING AWFUL. I do like some of the platforming segments in each of the games, but they're mostly straightforward and uninspired.
The two sequels do some tweaking to the fighting engine, but it's still total shit. Also, they come with some unnecessarily added angst! Hate hate hate this series.