Amazing games that leave you cold

[rafaqat]

5 minutes ago, Vorgot said:

It makes it really weird following this forum when the 'big' releases are coming out. I love this place, but feel a bit left out when the hype for the latest big thing comes along and I can't get too excited or involved. But then there are enough people who like the more niche releases and then I can get hyped and involved

 

After years of getting burnt by forum hype/launch day optismism I've tended to wait a couple of weeks and see how the forum feels about a game.  I think as I've got older I've got a lower tolerance for games that "get better in hour 5"  

 

 

[gooner4life]

42 minutes ago, Hylian said:

The mystery is why Smash is so incredibly popular across the world, but why the UK, and particularly this forum, just doesn't get it.

It’s because it’s shit mate. 

[Marlew]

40 minutes ago, Hylian said:

Is that because it doesn't require you to learn 40 hit combos to win? Smash is the best fighting game because it's not like all the other incredibly slow and boring fighting games and the basic moves and a feel for the spacing and timing are all you need to compete.

 

"Easy to pick up!" 

 

Easy to put down. 

 

*frrrrt*

[Hylian]

3 minutes ago, gooner4life said:

It’s because it’s shit mate. 

Ah I understand now, thanks.

[gooner4life]

There’s a lot of game series that leave me cold.

 

Halo,

Tomb Raider,

Resi Evil,

Zelda,

Smash Bro’s,

The Last Of Us,

Half Life,

Souls.

 

i mean I’d expect to like more than half of that list, and did like earlier tomb raiders and resi evils but I just can’t bring myself to play them now.

[Qazimod]

I like fighting games and Smash Bros games, but I tend to appreciate Smash Bros games from a distance - I'll play Ultimate when someone shows me their Switch, but I don't know if I'd go out of my way to pick up a console and Smash Bros game myself. Also

 

54 minutes ago, Hylian said:

all the other incredibly slow and boring fighting games

 

Yikes. Smash Bros games are fine, but I don't know if I'd write off a 35-year old genre because they exist.

[Hylian]

1 minute ago, gooner4life said:

There’s a lot of game series that leave me cold.

 

Halo,

Tomb Raider,

Resi Evil,

Zelda,

Smash Bro’s,

The Last Of Us,

Half Life,

Souls.

 

i mean I’d expect to like more than half of that list, and did like earlier tomb raiders and resi evils but I just can’t bring myself to play them now.

It might be you that's a bit shit? 

[daifuco]

4 hours ago, BadgerFarmer said:

Uncharted. I mentioned it the other day in the completed thread after finishing Uncharted 4. The biggest thing I think is that it's so busy making sure you're doing exactly what it wants you to do and constantly making progress that it rarely leaves any room for you to actually enjoy yourself. Well that and the way the game aspects barely evolve over 15 hours - it's incredibly repetitive. 

 

I started playing uncharted for the time ever. And it feels like the Truman show adventure edition.

It has the most beautiful cardboard scenery ever.

[Broker]

What really left me cold is the Arkham games. I fucking love Batman. I would’ve assumed just having a Batman world to explore a bit would’ve been worth it for me. 
 

Problem number one comes in the form of it being absolutely hideous. Obviously the quality of the graphics is good, but the designs are repulsive. Every character is somehow the worst version of them I’ve ever seen in terms of their costume, and the faces throughout the game are absolutely terrible. Gotham is reduced to a normal looking skybox. It’s so fucking ugly.

 

And then you start playing, and it’s what I’ve always referred to as an “Eddy from Tekken” style game. I press one button, and my character does amazing shit. Watching  someone play it looks like it might be fun, but in practice you just hammer attack until it’s time to tap counter. The combat is dry, pointless shite and it’s all in service of watching a Batman cartoon that I can’t control and that is so ugly it makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

[daifuco]

38 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

Smash Bros games are fine, but I don't know if I'd write off a 35-year old genre because they exist.

 

"Fighting games are slow". He is asking for a  3f jab on the face

[GamesGamesGames]

Amazing might be overstating it but I know Invisible Inc was highly regarded, yet I've bounced off it a few times. Odd, as I'm a fan of the genre.

[Jolly]

I pretty much bookmark my life by Zelda releases and consider it to be easily the most consistently excellent video game series there is.

 

But! I think Breath of the Wild is a unfocused pain in the arse. God, I found it so frustrating! I'm not completely nuts; it's a solid 8/10 for me; but it brings me nothing but sadness that the new direction that it's taken the series and its critical and commercial success probably means that's it for 'old style' Zeldas. 

 

Fortunately, I'll just play all these other series that follow that template. Oh, hang on. There aren't any. I hope you're all fucking satisfied. 

[Lying Cat]

Bloodborne. It's a complete mystery to me because I hugely enjoyed the Souls games and normally enjoy more "aggressive" games but it just wouldn't click.

 

I think I only made it as far as the Cleric Beast (that is the first main boss, right?) And just hit a brick wall. Couldn't do it after hours and hours, day and days of trying.

 

A friend recommended I go back and over-level it but that just sort of felt like replacing what should have been frustrating fun with grim, bloody-minded determination and I just stopped.

 

It felt like a real tragedy to me, because I loved the atmosphere, the art direction, general tone and the hints at the story I was picking up. I can see the game is amazing, but something about it just remained alien to me.

[Marlew]

@Lying Cat I feel for you, but that's also...like...less than 5% of the game. I also struggled to get past the Cleric Beast for ages and ages and then played it for another five hundred hours or something. 

[dumpster]

2 hours ago, Vorgot said:

Smash and Animal Crossing. And bloody hell have I tried with Animal Crossing, it just doesn't click for me. I've restarted New Leaf a billion times but just lose interest too quickly. I had it on the GC and seem to remember enjoying it, but not enough to pick up any others until New Leaf. 

 

Plus a whole bunch of stuff like the Uncharteds, God of War, Last of Us (which I finished but wasn't wowed by). GTA is another. Bloodborne as well. But for all of these I can see why people love them and thing they are great, the Souls games especially. It used to be a bit frustrating that I didn't get on with these games, I really wanted to like them. 

 

I'm old enough now just to accept that there is some stuff I don't like that a huge amount of people do and thats fine. I guess I'm looking for something different from my games. Its the same as with books, there are some genres and styles I'll never gel with and thats fine.

 

It makes it really weird following this forum when the 'big' releases are coming out. I love this place, but feel a bit left out when the hype for the latest big thing comes along and I can't get too excited or involved. But then there are enough people who like the more niche releases and then I can get hyped and involved

I notice how many threads on the forum are 30 pages of anticipation and 3 pages of actual gameplay. Or 6 pages, where three are positive and three are starting to realise the disappointment.  I try to avoid the hype these days because I feel like I've been through it so many times.

 

But Deadly Premonition 2 though.....

[MarkN]

Half Life and Half Life 2. I get that most people think they're amazing, but they just leave me cold. I like a good first person shooter, but the first thing they have to be is fun - and the fun for me lies in having good weapons to shoot, and enjoyable enemies to shoot them with. As a game designer myself I used to have a little thought exercise - basically cobble together a first person shooter from my favourite weapons, and my favourite enemies. Almost all of my weapons and enemies come from Doom, Halo and Serious Sam. These are really fun games to play. The only thing I'd consider taking from the Half Life games is the gravity gun, and it's a gimmick weapon (a very good gimmick weapon, admittedly, but still...)

 

Story in games does very little for me, so that aspect was lost on me (although I liked Dog and Alyx as characters in HL2). And the locations are a bit humdrum - East European tenement buildings and storm drains, and endless laboratory corridors and ducts, rather than alien planets and Egyptian temples.

 

Having said all that I would consider giving my left nut for a go on HL: Alyx - but then I do like a bit of VR. Sadly I don't have the necessary equipment though (the VR kit, not the left nut).

[Hanzo the Razor]

You're a right bunch of miserable buggers aren't you?

[Oh Danny Boy]

57 minutes ago, Jolly said:

I pretty much bookmark my life by Zelda releases and consider it to be easily the most considently excellent video game series there is.

 

But! I think Breath of the Wild is a unfocused pain in the arse. God, I found it so frustrating! I'm not completely nuts; it's a solid 8/10 for me; but it brings me nothing but sadness that the new direction that it's taken the series and its critical and commercial success probably means that's it for 'old style' Zeldas. 

 

Fortunately, I'll just play all these other series that follow that template. Oh, hang on. There aren't any. I hope you're all fucking satisfied. 

BOTW was needed as the Zelda series had become stale, too reliant on the OoT template and had long run out of ideas. I loved the Links Awakening remake, it’s probably my favourite Zelda game ever, I’m hoping that there’s a market for both BOTW style Zeldas and smaller Links Awakening top down styles too. Then everyone wins.

[kensei]

I get not liking Smash, but "not a fighting game"? Any high level play videos on YouTube are insane and on a vanilla 1 v 1 mode it's as technical as any other fighter, just in different ways. 

 

Modern first person shooters leave me totally cold. I wish someone would update the Goldeneye / Perfect Dark formula. It's absolutely ripe for it. 

[gooner4life]

3 hours ago, Hylian said:

It might be you that's a bit shit? 

No that’s definitely the smash bro’s series.

[fat flatulent git]

Animal Crossing would have been my answer a few years ago, but I love New Horizons.

 

Souls and Bloodborne I can't get into at all.  Can see why people do like them, but they aren't for me.

 

Hated DriveClub, but I think that's a shite game.  So for me it doesn't count as an amazing game that left me cold.

 

Got a bit bored with Mario 64 even in its heyday.  Can see the quality but many levels felt a bit empty and batten.  Preferred 2D Mario until Galaxy came along.

 

 

[Fry Crayola]

3 hours ago, Broker said:

And then you start playing, and it’s what I’ve always referred to as an “Eddy from Tekken” style game. I press one button, and my character does amazing shit. Watching  someone play it looks like it might be fun, but in practice you just hammer attack until it’s time to tap counter. The combat is dry, pointless shite and it’s all in service of watching a Batman cartoon that I can’t control and that is so ugly it makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

 

Don't play Arkham Origins, then.

 

I like the Arkham combat system, it's really less of a fighting mechanic and more of a rhythm action game married to crowd control. You leap around, prioritising targets while reacting to those about to attack, keeping an ear out for the tell tale cocking of a gun, trying to work some space to deal with shielded or armoured enemies who need special treatment. When you're in full flow, I love it.

 

Origins gives you a power up about halfway through the story which renders all the above a case of Mash X To Win after a short period, when you're able to activate the gadget and smash through any enemy regardless of their defences. Initially a relief, you soon realise every combat encounter is identical in a way they weren't before.

[Floshenbarnical]

4 hours ago, Broker said:

What really left me cold is the Arkham games. I fucking love Batman. I would’ve assumed just having a Batman world to explore a bit would’ve been worth it for me. 
 

Problem number one comes in the form of it being absolutely hideous. Obviously the quality of the graphics is good, but the designs are repulsive. Every character is somehow the worst version of them I’ve ever seen in terms of their costume, and the faces throughout the game are absolutely terrible. Gotham is reduced to a normal looking skybox. It’s so fucking ugly.

 

And then you start playing, and it’s what I’ve always referred to as an “Eddy from Tekken” style game. I press one button, and my character does amazing shit. Watching  someone play it looks like it might be fun, but in practice you just hammer attack until it’s time to tap counter. The combat is dry, pointless shite and it’s all in service of watching a Batman cartoon that I can’t control and that is so ugly it makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

get out

 

48 minutes ago, Fry Crayola said:

 

Don't play Arkham Origins, then.

 

I like the Arkham combat system, it's really less of a fighting mechanic and more of a rhythm action game married to crowd control. You leap around, prioritising targets while reacting to those about to attack, keeping an ear out for the tell tale cocking of a gun, trying to work some space to deal with shielded or armoured enemies who need special treatment. When you're in full flow, I love it.

 

Origins gives you a power up about halfway through the story which renders all the above a case of Mash X To Win after a short period, when you're able to activate the gadget and smash through any enemy regardless of their defences. Initially a relief, you soon realise every combat encounter is identical in a way they weren't before.

come in

[df0]

Zelda. Wind Waker was my introduction to the series and it was mediocre.

Persona. 4 Golden on VITA was my introduction and I found the time mechanic restrictive and the upgrading of Persona complicated. Great game I am sure, not for me.

Kingdom Hearts. Nah I am kidding, that is just trash. I refuse to believe there's actually people out there/on here thinking otherwise.

[iknowgungfu]

If anyone read this thread they would assume we were some sort of anti-gaming forum!  However, of the games I've played mentioned in here I tend to be in agreement with most of it. I'm 38 this year and I think that a lot of what I experience is related more to me than than video games alone.

We've just been around the block a few too many times but newer/younger generations lap it up.  Same thing has happened to my tastes in music which seem to be heavily biased between early 90's to early 00's.

 

[Oh Danny Boy]

I’ve got little time for most modern games, I prefer and always have a pick up and play mechanic, the ability to have short bursts of gameplay etc. I don’t expect to watch a new movie or tv series and have to sit through 30mins of it instructing me on how to watch and understand it so loathe gaming tutorials before starting up, especially those that treat you like an idiot, move camera left, right etc. WTF! 
 

Overly complex controls, I don’t want to relearn complex and clunky control schemes with every new game, rockstar games are awful for this, controls with a steep learning curve, those games lose me instantly. 
 

A lot of big budget games these days feel like nothing more than interactive movies, modern FMV games. Press A and your character performs some outrageous attack, press forward and it performs some gymnastics. Looks great but I have not done nothing to achieve that, I feel that I have less control within many games these days. Being more of an observer then part of it. 
 

Most games lose me in five mins. The switch has been a revelation for me as I’ve got a platform full of pick up and play games and controls and fewer cinematic wank fests and more gamey video games if that makes sense. It’s kept this hobby alive for me. 

[Boozy The Clown]

Rocket League. 

 

It makes people make sex noises and it's just a bunch of dogs chasing a ball around a park.

 

"oh oh oh oh oh Ooooooooohhhhh…………………………. Yes!"

 

edit : I hate myself a little for contributing to this thread.

[cubik]

I know it's a forum fave but Burnout Paradise did nothing for me. I just wanted to race on a course, not drive around looking for stuff to do.

 

Destiny takes "playing for the sake of it and waiting for it to get as good as others say it is" to another level though. I hated that game so much with its crappy voiceover, stupid bullet sponge enemies and having to fly to a space station and then walk for ten minutes to unlock some stupid encrypted engram that added nothing my character.

 

"But the DLC is amazing" I hear you say. Why would I buy DLC for a game that's as bad as this?

 

I did play it for a few weeks, but out of a sense of responsibility, rather than enjoyment.

[Floshenbarnical]

35 minutes ago, cubik said:

I know it's a forum fave but Burnout Paradise did nothing for me. I just wanted to race on a course, not drive around looking for stuff to do.

 

Destiny takes "playing for the sake of it and waiting for it to get as good as others say it is" to another level though. I hated that game so much with its crappy voiceover, stupid bullet sponge enemies and having to fly to a space station and then walk for ten minutes to unlock some stupid encrypted engram that added nothing my character.

 

"But the DLC is amazing" I hear you say. Why would I buy DLC for a game that's as bad as this?

 

I did play it for a few weeks, but out of a sense of responsibility, rather than enjoyment.

These two losers I work with play it around 8 hours each day when they get home from work. Does not compute

[Flanders]

Quite a lot of Nintendo games, oddly enough, with Mario as exhibit A. 
 

I play them, am kind of gobsmacked by the total mastery Nintendo have over how a game should control, how to do puzzles in 2D and 3D space, and then invariably completely lose interest a couple of hours in.
 

The only Mario game I ever completed was Odyssey, which I really enjoyed but at the same time can remember sweet fuck-all about.
 

I feel most Nintendo games are like exquisite deserts that evaporate in the mind immediately after you finish eating them.
 

But they are a great enough publisher that they still have two games that I’d count among my favourites - Metroid Prime and F-Zero X, and they have BOTW, which I think is simultaneously an absolute masterpiece and wildly overrated. Which makes me wonder if I just have an issue with the more colourful Nintendo aesthetic. I tried playing the Splatoon free demo the other day and was turned off by the overall presentation in about five minutes.