Games you wanted to like, but just didn't

[Julius Seeker]

We've all been gamers for at least two decades; and I am sure that all of us have come across a game from our favourite developers, or one whose philosophy you agree strongly with... But just couldn't sit down and enjoy it. This isn't even going to be a 'top 10 most disappointing' list - because there were games that I was incredibly hyped for like Madworld that without me having that feeling of "You're supposed to like this!' - I thought Madworld was crap right off the bat, I didn't have that feeling of wanting to enjoy it; because after 3-5 minutes of it, I knew I never would.

I'm going to list my top 5:




1. Super Mario 64 - When this game first came out, it was a giant step ahead of everything I had ever seen before in videogaming. I still remember running around the castle, then cruising around the first level, and then being amazed by 3D water during the second level... Level 3, the luster was already beginning to smudge, and it was just downhill from there. Once I was about 5 or 6 levels in, I was already missing elements that made games like Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World classics. It wasn't until Rare's Banjo Kazooie that I was really ready to admit that I disliked Mario 64 - I loved Banjo Kazooie. Mario Galaxy was a game I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, and this is how I wanted to feel about Mario 64. A lot of people are going to miss Super Mario 3D World because it was on the Wii U, but it is a game that fuses a lot of the best elements of the 2D games, in with some of what was learned in the 3D franchise together and is a really fantastic game.

2. Metroid Prime - This game I was very hyped about, I spent probably hours on forums like Neogaf, and even here, defending Nintendo's decision to make it an FPS. Afterall, they worked with Rare who did Goldeneye 007, and the team making Prime did Turok 1 and 2. The game itself ended up being critically praised and very very shiny for its time... I really liked the scanning and uncovering the history behind the fallen civilization on the planet... I just didn't find the overall experience very fun, the first person view combined with platforming elements didn't work well, and it felt like a lot of what made the first 3 Metroid games classics was lost. I couldn't help having a "been there, done that" feeling, it reminded me a lot of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, although Seeds of Evil had WAY more fun enemies and weapons. After about 45 minutes I felt like I was forcing myself to play through every minute. Going onto forums and seeing everyone talking about how awesome this game was just made things worse. I eventually came to accept that I just hated Metroid Prime and its sequels; I had more fun playing the spinoff, Metroid Prime: Hunters on DS, than I did any of the core Metroid Prime games.

3. Phantasy Star 4 - I loved this series in the past, and recognized that this one was a step up... It is fairly easy to see why I couldn't get into this one. I got really spoiled by SNES RPGs. Going back to the old Phantasy Star games on the Wii Virtual console really opened my eyes into how poor the design was in some of these very classic RPGs; and it is not because they're old either - I can still play Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 4, and Final Fantasy 1 and enjoy them just fine; just not Phantasy Star games.



4. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Here was the Zelda I was waiting for; something that was in the style of Ocarina of Time! As soon as this was shown, I immediately threw Wind Waker under the bus "Haha! Here is the game that we've been waiting for since Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time!" Although it was really wrong of me in the long run. I didn't find Twilight Princess anywhere near as fun as Wind Waker... I wanted to, I even played the game all the way up to the Sky Temple, which is the second last dungeon in the game, but I felt like I was playing a Zelda game made by Ubisoft or Blizzard/Activision. This game was NOT the Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask spirited game I was expecting: it was drab and just didn't capture the soul of Zelda.

5. Final Fantasy 9 - this game had everything I wanted in a Final Fantasy game: pretty graphics, a homage to FF1, Moogles among other FF fan-service stuff. This was the game that would bring FF back to its glory after two installments I claimed to be dissapointed with; FF7 and FF8. I finished this game, but was left feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the experience. Especially after playing through Skies of Arcadia immediately after... The game that made me realize "Hey, maybe Final Fantasy isn't the best franchise for RPGs anymore?" During this time I was in University and terribly sick with Mono for months, I decided to sit down and replay the Final Fantasy series... Surprisingly enough, I ended up LOVING FF8 on my second playthrough, and then didn't even get through FF9; to this day I always stop playing around the time you bump into Eiko and the Lifa tree whenever I attempt to replay FF9. I appreciate the philosophy applied, and I like the homage to FF1; I just really disliked this game.

[Eric]

I'm shocked at your #1.

[Julius Seeker]

Although keep in mind that it is not number 1 because I like it the least amount. I put it as number 1 because it is the game I probably tried the hardest to enjoy without actually really enjoying it.

I had more fun playing choppy pop-up ridden Cruis'n USA... Even though it was a shitty game, I still found it fun.

[Blotus]

I'm shocked at your #1.

Me too. Though, the first two that popped in my head were ALSO SM64 and Metroid Prime (andsupermetroidforthatmatter).

I'm on my way out, but those are two of em!

[Don]

Civilization 5 - The game is flexible enough that you think it can overcome several glaring issues like how attacking a fortified position is basically impossible without level 7+ troops (which is never attainable in the first place against anyone halfway decent), or that air power has no counter whatsoever, but eventually you realize it doesn't work.

Touhou - If Ikaruga is the best vertical shooter then Touhou can certainly be in the running for #2, but it's way too unforgiving in general. It's basically like playing Meta Slug without continues. You tell yourself that this game is good enough to try to slog through its borderline impossible difficulty but you eventually realize that it is not, because you'll have a hard time beating even the easier games like TH10 with a one hit kill bug (Yasaka, the final boss, is immune to all damage for a ridiculously long time).

Phantasy Star Online 2 - Because it isn't available in the US, even though it's supposed to be.

Tale of XYZs - These have 'generic RPG' written on them, and I play a lot of generic RPGs, but for some reason I was never able to get into it. Maybe it's because it's way too generic.

[bovine]

noteables for me

- The Civilization series

I play them, but I can't do more than two or three rounds and then I just retire the game. The combat has always just been so terrible and I think that's why I go into RTS games.

- Diablo 1 + 2 + 3 (And torchlight and all these games)

Are these games fun? Clicking on stuff, pressing hot buttons and managing cooldowns? It has always felt so distant and unskilled that every kill and every death just seems so divorced from my actual input.

- Borderlands and Borderlands 2

I play these games, but I still feel like it's just numbers and my actual input in the game is secondary to math that is happening based on my equipment vs their stats. I feel like games like Borderlands and Diablo are better served (to me, specifically) as turn based endeavours.

- MOBAs

I like watching theses, but I know that the entry level knowledge required to be any good at these is not something I am willing to commit. I had fun with Monday Night Combat, but it lacked the items that are found in the mainstream MOBAs.

[Lox]

A few off the top of my head:

Viewtiful Joe - I sucked at this game
FF Tactics - just can't get into tactical RPGs of any kind
FF: Dissidia - wanted to like it, but writing annoyed me

[Flip]

For me, pretty much every MMO i've ever played. I've tried to get into Dark Ages of Camelot, City of Heroes, Eve, some space one I cant even remember the name, FF11, and even WoW. I dont know why I kept trying new ones, because I've never liked the formula. I think I have fun in the beginning, when I can solo, but the group and guild aspect for later quests always turned me off. I want to play for 2 hours whenever I want, not have to rely on other people to progress. If i want to take a 5 minute break to take a shit or eat some food, I dont want to have to explain myself to anyone.

It is a very introvert attitude, but MMO's arent fun because of all this. Jumping into a group in Diablo is way different, still fun, but you can then jump right out whenever you want. Games like Elder Scrolls are some of my favorites for this very reason, you can play single player in a huge world and have fun.

[Eric]

(andsupermetroidforthatmatter).

Dead2me.

FF Tactics - just can't get into tactical RPGs of any kind

I'll forgive you since you have a blanket dislike of TRPGs.

[Zeus]

By far and away, my #1 is Final Fantasy 7. Especially after the first 8 hours, I thought it was going to be the greatest thing ever. Then it goes downhill BIG TIME. No matter how you look at it, it's just a mediocre RPG and arguably the worst sequel of all time considering how amazing the one before it was. I tried playing it again not too long after I beat it and I just couldn't do it.

Another one is Castlevania 64. After you get past the putrid first two parts, it becomes a pretty solid game. But I just don't like it that much even with all the good it has going for it. I don't mind watching my bud go through it but I can't play it myself.

One of the more recent ones is Catherine. Great concept, really neat setup but....I just don't like the game that much. Too bad, it shoulda been awesome.

For some reason, I just don't like the GTA series that much. Great concepts, neat games, but I just can't play them for too long. I get bored and stop. Happened with both GTA 3 and GTA 4. That's why I haven't rushed out to play GTA 5. Same thing with the majority of open-world concept games or sandbox games. I just prefer a path, I don't have time or patience to spend a long time figuring out what to do.

And I'm there with FFT and Starcraft. Just can't do the genres.

[Shrinweck]

I wanted to give this some thought before posting because all that I could come up with was the Bioshock series. And that's still all I can come up with. I can't play this series at all. The gunplay is rudimentary first person shooters at its worst and the powers don't entice me either. I've put two hours into every iteration and never came out wanting to play more. Even what I've gathered about the story doesn't interest me.

Oh.. nice. Zeus posted while I was writing mine. I'm going to add GTA to my list, too. I never could get into that stuff. Watching people who aren't gamers become sociopaths while playing these games is entertaining though.

[Eric]

GTA5 was the first GTA I finished. I enjoy the games and all, but I found the others significantly longer then 5 for some reason.

I'll tell you a series I really want to like but it's kinda like I just go through the motions with and that's Assassin's Creed. I love the concept of Assassin's Creed, the trailer for the first game says volumes about what the series can be:



The first game flawed as it was captured this pretty goddamn well.

Every game past the first one I feel like said fuck stealth, fuck escapes, fuck blending, let's go damage and action and if you get caught fight your way out, you don't even have to be subtle about getting in, you can just kill everyone on your way to your target in the open.



vs

[Don]

I was never able to get the GTA games. I just go around and shoot people and eventually get arrested.

Another series I have problem like is the rest of the Fire Emblem games. It's hardcore in the wrong way as it's more like you already have to know what you're being graded on and how exactly everything will move to be able to get the best ranks. It's pretty trivial if you play it without caring for these games, but I always hated the games where you finally beat the game in a seemingly dominant manner and then were told you totally sucked at it (Sonic the Hedgehog comes to mind as a precursor of this type of game). And then there's also the fact that Ishtar died in FE4, so it makes me wonder if there's any justice in the world of Fire Emblem.

[Zeus]

Although I will agree with Eric on some aspects of the Assassin's Creed series, it wasn't until after Brotherhood that it got stale IMO. The first game was a tech demo. It was a very unpolished game with great ideas and horrible execution. I've heard this secondhand from one of the people developing the series and I agree. 1 should only ever be watched and never played.

They certainly did eliminate a lot of the stealthy stuff from the first game. But they had to for one simple fact: it wasn't fun. You still had lots of stealthy missions but they were pretty easy to do and were pretty much just walking around. They tried making it "real" and everyone fucking hated it. It was unplayable. Every time you moved it was a mistake. Couple that with the putrid fighting controls and the first game was rendered unplayable. So they had to get rid of a lot of that.

What happened after 2 really redefined the series was Brotherhood became the peak. Then it was like they lost all sense of creativeness and Revelations regressed (but tied up the storyline before it incredibly well) and 3 basically went back to the level of 1 in terms of gameplay. Not only that but they almost automated the gameplay over the last 2 (I haven't played 4 yet).

All that together and you really have no reason to play the games aside from 2 and Brotherhood. Just download the movies someone put together from the cutscenes and watch them, much more enjoyable.

[SineSwiper]

2. Metroid Prime - This game I was very hyped about, I spent probably hours on forums like Neogaf, and even here, defending Nintendo's decision to make it an FPS. Afterall, they worked with Rare who did Goldeneye 007, and the team making Prime did Turok 1 and 2. The game itself ended up being critically praised and very very shiny for its time... I really liked the scanning and uncovering the history behind the fallen civilization on the planet... I just didn't find the overall experience very fun, the first person view combined with platforming elements didn't work well, and it felt like a lot of what made the first 3 Metroid games classics was lost. I couldn't help having a "been there, done that" feeling, it reminded me a lot of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, although Seeds of Evil had WAY more fun enemies and weapons. After about 45 minutes I felt like I was forcing myself to play through every minute. Going onto forums and seeing everyone talking about how awesome this game was just made things worse. I eventually came to accept that I just hated Metroid Prime and its sequels; I had more fun playing the spinoff, Metroid Prime: Hunters on DS, than I did any of the core Metroid Prime games.

Bah, you're mental, but I guess you just don't like FPSs in general. Metroid Prime 2 is one of the best Metroids (and FPSs) of all time. The refined gameplay of the first MP, with the isolation of the dark side, neat areas, high-quality music and sound. Retro Studios really did a good job on the series, and it's a shame there isn't anything else of note with that company.

I do remember it feeling very different, though. It had some bit of a learning curve. Also, if you're not used to console FPSs, it might be jarring trying to get your brain to understand the controls.

5. Final Fantasy 9 - this game had everything I wanted in a Final Fantasy game: pretty graphics, a homage to FF1, Moogles among other FF fan-service stuff. This was the game that would bring FF back to its glory after two installments I claimed to be dissapointed with; FF7 and FF8. I finished this game, but was left feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the experience. Especially after playing through Skies of Arcadia immediately after... The game that made me realize "Hey, maybe Final Fantasy isn't the best franchise for RPGs anymore?" During this time I was in University and terribly sick with Mono for months, I decided to sit down and replay the Final Fantasy series... Surprisingly enough, I ended up LOVING FF8 on my second playthrough, and then didn't even get through FF9; to this day I always stop playing around the time you bump into Eiko and the Lifa tree whenever I attempt to replay FF9. I appreciate the philosophy applied, and I like the homage to FF1; I just really disliked this game.

I was never a "fantasy" fan, at least in the traditional sense, and having them go from cool sci-fi and reverting back to this basic SD graphics shit was highly disappointing.

[kali o.]

Spectral Force 3...unlike you heathens, I like tactical RPGs. But this game was so fucking bland...and it really shouldn't be.

Assassins Creed 3+. I liked the first and second game, but after that... I dunno, maybe I had enough? Maybe it's not the games themselves...

Skyrim. I really, REALLY want to like this stupid game...but I don't. I'm not sure what it is...but something feels *missing* (a sense of exploration maybe? A world that doesn't feel lifeless?). Thank god for mods.

[Eric]

Skyrim. I really, REALLY want to like this stupid game...but I don't. I'm not sure what it is...but something feels *missing* (a sense of exploration maybe? A world that doesn't feel lifeless?). Thank god for mods.

I wanted to like Skyrim too, I played it for an hour and thought it was awful lol, then I had to listen to my friends talk about it for the next 2 years while I ignored them and it won a bunch of rewards. I went back and started playing it again recently(Got the Game of the Year Edition off steam for like $7.50) and I actually really enjoy it, granted I'm not really into world exploring unless I'm running to a new town or location, I just fast travel everywhere to do quests that seem interesting.

Bah, you're mental, but I guess you just don't like FPSs in general. Metroid Prime 2 is one of the best Metroids (and FPSs) of all time.

I love FPS games and hate all those Prime games, might just be because I hate all the non-2D Metroid games though.

[Zeus]

I was never a "fantasy" fan, at least in the traditional sense, and having them go from cool sci-fi and reverting back to this basic SD graphics shit was highly disappointing.

I felt exactly the opposite about #9. I was so disappointed with #7 that I didn't even wanna play #8 (I know it's different, it's just how I felt at the time). Then I heard about #9 and what it was doing, going back to the crystals, so I decided to try it. And I loved it. That summer (Summer of 2000) Square had 4 consecutive solid releases (Parasite Eve 2, Vagrant Story, FF9, and Threads of Fate) and it's like they were the Square of old for 4 months. #9 really should have been #7 in every way (it was the last of the crystal games, brought back some of the major bosses, including the 4 fiends from #1, very old-school feeling, etc.). I loved how they incorporated the ATEs which just extended the story but only if you so wished. It was great having the classes back as well, felt much more balanced. It was just a great game, even if it was the least successful of the post-SNES era FF games.

And I agree with Metroid Prime 2. Although many people were put off by the dark world, I thought it added a ton to the gameplay. For at least half the game it was truly uncomfortable to be in the dark areas, which was refreshing. It was a neat gameplay mechanic that added a true sense of fear for your character, which is hard to do now. It is my fav of the Primes, I loved it.

The 2D and 3D Metroids are truly different animals but both provide excellent versions of the adventure/exploration games (one Metroidvania, one first-person adventure). I loved Zero Mission and Fusion was pretty solid too (and I can't wait for AM2R to finish....). But I adored the Prime series as well.

[Zeus]

Assassins Creed 3+. I liked the first and second game, but after that... I dunno, maybe I had enough? Maybe it's not the games themselves...

You didn't like Brotherhood? Is it just you had Assassin's Creed fatigue? I can certainly see that, I had it after Revelations and #3 was just a bad game. Couldn't even bring myself to play #4 because of that. But I thought Brotherhood was the best in the series.

[SineSwiper]

And I agree with Metroid Prime 2. Although many people were put off by the dark world, I thought it added a ton to the gameplay. For at least half the game it was truly uncomfortable to be in the dark areas, which was refreshing. It was a neat gameplay mechanic that added a true sense of fear for your character, which is hard to do now. It is my fav of the Primes, I loved it.

Yeah, it had the kind of unnerving context that I only experienced in the newer Fallout games.

[Julius Seeker]

On the contrary, I played several console FPS games before and around that time that I liked quite a bit: Goldeneye 007, Turok Dinosaur Hunter, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, 007: Agent Under Fire, 007: Nightfire, Medal of Honor, and Timesplitters 2.

It is true I don't really like the FPS genre at all anymore; I have a few Wii FPS games, and didn't enjoy any of them - unless you consider the rail shooters, of which I enjoyed even the bad ones. I got Metroid Prime years before I grew out of (or away from) the FPS genre.

I wish I could explain why I didn't like Metroid Prime - but there's not really anything that I can put my finger on. I tried to reason this out in the past with a similar post; and a couple of the reasons I had was that I found the first-person view and the actual shooting/combat to be intrusive to the game I was enjoying; the exploration/scanning stuff. To use an analogy, it's kind of like adding sugar to sweeten coffee which the majority of people enjoy and even require to enjoy it - I like sugar in many other things too, but keep it out of my coffee.

[Lox]

AC3 is another one for me. I like the series, loving AC2 and AC:Brotherhood, but I cannot stand to play AC3.

[Shrinweck]

There are a lot of reasons to not like AC3. I liked it when I first sat down to play it but it just wasn't very good. The missions were annoying. The main character was bland. Guards were telepathic and if you angered one, then a guard 1000 yards away would attack you as well if you got close enough. It made getting away VERY annoying and that's one of the main game mechanics. AC4 was a pretty big improvement in just about every way, but I'm looking forward to them getting rid of the dumb ass ship mechanic. In fact, the coach driving and the horse riding can go to hell, as well.

[Zeus]

There are a lot of reasons to not like AC3. I liked it when I first sat down to play it but it just wasn't very good. The missions were annoying. The main character was bland. Guards were telepathic and if you angered one, then a guard 1000 yards away would attack you as well if you got close enough. It made getting away VERY annoying and that's one of the main game mechanics. AC4 was a pretty big improvement in just about every way, but I'm looking forward to them getting rid of the dumb ass ship mechanic. In fact, the coach driving and the horse riding can go to hell, as well.

AC3 oddly reverted to AC1's problems all over again. It's almost like the people working on #1 and #3 were a different team than those working on the Ezio Trilogy. Add in the fact that the forest running was flat out boring and almost automatic and a poor ending and you get a game that's barely better than #1.

Ship mechanic is what everyone now loves. I despised it in #3 and didn't really care for it in the opening of #4. But it ain't going nowhere.