Games you wanted to like more

After peering into the Stardew Valley thread and reminiscing on my experience with it, I thought this thread would be necessary. Because it isn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last.

It's pretty, pretty fucking rare that someone wants to dislike a game. Why would they? All you do by forcing yourself to dislike an experience is deny yourself fun and probably more. As well as wasting your own time. It's contrarian for the sake of it.

So it makes sense that every now and again there comes a game that catches our attention, we play it, and...it just doesn't hook. We might not hate it, and in fact we may not even dislike it. Maybe you see the charm but it just doesn't click with you as much as you feel it should or you see the adoration it has and enjoy it about half as much as apparently everyone else. And of course, the most frustrating part of all of this? You might not even know if the reason is you or the game.

Have any games like this? I personally have a list and a basket of sighs and regrets to go with it.

I don't remember games I wanted to like but couldn't. Most cases I had, I either liked or disliked the game. The only game I could probably count is Undertale. It's an homage to Earthbound, a game I like, with a shmup kind of gameplay, a genre I like. But I really struggled with the uninteresting plot and the way the game labels you as some murderer for wanting to protect yourself from creepy people. Really wanted to like it, but it was mostly the writing that didn't allow me.

Unravel was the game I wanted to like but never could. It's a gloriously aesthetically beautiful game. Very calm, good story to it...but for some reason, I could just never get into the game. Which really sucked for me personally because I was following the game for months before its release. I'm sure a lot of other people enjoyed the game, but it wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately.

Here's a trailer for the game if anyone is interested. Xbox One exclusive unfortunately.

Overwatch.

Yep. I went there. I wanted to like it. I really did. I mean, I was even endorsing others to play it and even went ham on anti-watchers, some of them being my own IRL friends who didn't want to buy or play the game because they thought the game was overhyped.

But i digress.. I really wanted to like Overwatch more if only it was...

PSYCHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOTCHA BANDITS!

Kidding aside, a game that i truly wanted to like more was Heroes of the Storm. I have to say, a MOBA starring Blizzard's cast of characters from their different IPs duking it out in some strategic team based combat? It should have been the dream game! Heck, HOTS could have been the spicy replacement for League of Legends! But alas, even the mighty would be usurpers can falter.. and HOTS to me is Blizzard's attempt in banking in the MOBA-ESPORTS420LCSNA>EU market through the use of their iconic cast of characters, but the thing is.. i felt that there were things in HOTS that were simply missing.. some gameplay matters that simply made it hard for me to stick to it as much as I stick to League.. and no, I am not referring to a Xin Zhao clone in Heroes of the Storm.. D:<

I think what made me just jump away from HOTS is that the whole collection of gold or whatever currency as well as crafting of items to provide stats to characters was something that I felt was too core for the whole "MOBA" DNA. Yes, HOTS did try to deviate from the "MOBA" or the "DotA" DNA as much as possible to make sure that their game can stand out, but i really do not enjoy how the whole talent specing works in HOTS. You spec into the wrong talent, you basically ruin what could have been your optimal build given that match, and you'll find yourself getting punished heavily for it for simply allocating the wrong talent point for that given match. It just didn't work out for me, unlike say collecting those item parts that already provide stats for your character, then eventually completing those parts into the core item of your said character. HOTS Simply didn't have that. Not to mention that some of the heroes are just too boring for me to use since they lack the same flair and feel as that of the heroes and champions of DotA and League respectively.

Fallout 4. I bought the whole shebang (season pass and all) when it was on sale on the XBOX One. I just could not got into it. Last thing I remember doing was climbing some sort of chemical plant with tons of dudes shooting me, me being out of ammo, then me dying and swearing the game off.

Now, I could install mods for unlimited health, ammo, etc, but since that turns achievements off, that ruins the experience for me.

I've played all the Fire Emblem games and it's probably my favorite franchise in gaming, but for some reason I just haven't been able to get into FE: Fates. To me it seems more like a dating sim where you occasionally need to battle between cut scenes than a strategy RPG. The plot has very simple black/white morality, something that doesn't work in a game where you choose between two opposite factions. A few other gripes as well, but those are the main ones.

Maybe I'll give it another shot eventually.

Fallout 4. I went into it thinking that it would be extremely similar to Skyrim (especially considering that it was built off the Skyrim world, or so reports say), but I was mistaken. I recently started it again, and kind of like it more.

Diablo 3 and its Expansion...

Oh man, am i being on the Blizzard criticism train? Anyway, I mentioned in past posts how I loved Diablo 2 for it being the first action-RPG that I have played, as well as it being my first venture into the whole Isometric action-RPG with skill trees, loot based adventures, and non stop action. Heck, I still have a copy of Diablo 2 with the expansion right now. So when i remember Diablo 3 being announced years ago, I gotta admit, i was rather hyped yet skeptical, since at the time of Diablo 3's announcement, people were still enjoying Diablo 2: LoD, though Blizzard's presentation of D3 in an event was quite top notch.

To cut the story short, Diablo 3 for me was a hit and miss. It was a hit for me for it offering some pretty fast paced action, some very good user friendly interactions and features, as well as it simply being a continuation of the Diablo series. However, it was really lacking in end game.

Then came the Reaper of Souls expansion which added a really good Act 5 and the much hyped adventure mode. It was all well and good until i played the game more and realized something...

Diablo 3 was too monotonous for me. There was simply no point in playing the game again since it didn't make any sense to re-roll a new character unless one participated in a season. Even then, the meta and the level of customization you can do for your chosen character wasn't the same as that of Diablo 2.. not to mention, Diablo 3's endgame is pretty much how people would just abuse the "Best" builds through some set-item bonuses, and score higher and higher in the greater rifts... then again, at least that end-game was far better than Diablo 2's.

Maybe i just got a little too spoiled with the likes of Torchlight 2 and Path of Exile.. two isometric loot based action RPGs that i feel are better alternatives that cater more to serious "players" who were thinking men and women. Diablo 3 just felt way too "casual" in a sense that there was far less thinking of an "OP BUILD" and just following what build is OP based on a set of items that Blizzard themselves created and balance around with.. Path of Exile in particular is a game i highly recommend for those looking for a loot based Action RPG with excellent end-game and an even more excellent in-game experience.

Dying Light would be one for me. I quite enjoy Zombie games, don't get me wrong, but weapons, even items as simple as a pipe would break in a couple hits. So most of your weapons would be useless, plus lets not talk about if you happen to stumble into a swarm of zombies, it's game over.

Probably Super Paper Mario.

The story was nice and the puzzles too, but they removed my favourite element from the previous games: the RPG battles. I loved pressing Action Commands and using the right strategies to defeat the opponent. It would have been much more fun if this aspect was programmed into the third installment of the series.

GhostTrainer said:

Dying Light would be one for me. I quite enjoy Zombie games, don't get me wrong, but weapons, even items as simple as a pipe would break in a couple hits. So most of your weapons would be useless, plus lets not talk about if you happen to stumble into a swarm of zombies, it's game over.

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I'm not trying to call you out, but, this is a situation where I have to ask where would you draw the line between realism and gameplay? Would you rather search for a new weapon every thirty seconds or focus more on killing zombies with a new weapon constantly at the back of your head? And yes I know I am coming into this biased as I very much enjoyed Dying Light.


On topic that would have to be GTA IV for me. It's a great game don't get me wrong. A lot of mechanics and world are leagues ahead of 5, but with driving being such a big part of the game, I just couldn't to get into it with it's butter wheels. I remember I was stuck on some street race mission just because I couldn't keep the car on the road for 6 months. I even simply ran up on the curb one time and was launched into the air so +1 for it's car physics too.

I hope they take the better detailed world, visuals, and AI of IV and add it with the gameplay improvements of V!

Quake 2. Yes. I'm going there. I wish i could have liked Quake 2 much more but alas I have to say my points and... ahh fcuk it! Obviously I'll never talk bad about that, and I have plenty to say about Doom 2016 soon once i do my write-up review of the game ;)

On topic:

Aliens Colonial Marines! Hell yes ladies and dicks. I'm going there. Now, for the most part, a lot of people will pretty much say, and agree with the general public consensus that ACM is pretty much a bad game. From its troubled development history with Gearbox to eventually being developed by other 3rd party studious and with almost little of Gearbox's own resources, ACM came out being a rather poor game despite extremely positive reception from its promotional material. But okay, enough about that..

The thing with ACM is that for whatever complaints and criticisms the general public may have head years ago when this game came out, they are still quite justified. The finished product is far worse than the game shown in the promotional material. The game also doesn't feel like the "Aliens" game that the playerbase and even the fans of the Aliens franchise wanted it to be. The game is basically your typical cookie-cutter Call of Dudes clone but with the Aliens skin and the occasional moments of brilliance from Gearbox's part. Also, performance wise, the game is okay. Ally NPCs for the most part are kinda cancerous with certain NPCs acting brain dead at times, but since i played the PC version along with a friend of mine, we were lucky to not have the brain dead ally AI, though there were still some occasional instances.

For the most part, ACM can be a likeable game despite it being rather cookie cutter. Some of the levels in the game fit very well with the whole "Aliens" lore and theme, and the level designs and graphics for the most part are quite good. The weapon customization and character progression systems in the game are extremely spot on, which is easily one of the game's strongest points aside from the music, certain levels, and even the online multiplayer.

I really do want to like this game more.. heck much more. But the more i played it, especially when alone, the more i got to see its glaring flaws. The campaign for the most part, is pretty solid when played on Co-Op, but on single player the game really has problems with its game flow. it was as if Gearbox forgot to consider how playing the game on single player is like. Also, the generic cookie cutter sameyness kicks when when you realize that the Aliens do not really offer much strategy aside from the typical cliches, and that the main enemies of the game, the bulk of the opposition, . Not to mention, despite some of the rather occasional signs of brilliance that the game could have had in certain levels, those moments are too few and far between. The game is pretty much your typical overly linear campaign Military themed Shooter experience when there have existed games such as Aliens vs Predator (The Human/Marine campaign in the games), heck even something as old as ALIEN TRILOGY were out and they had decent in-game campaigns.

Its such a shame that ACM could have been a far better game when more discipline, resources, and talent were given to the game. Of course we may never have had Borderlands 2 but still.. Gearbox please.

JRPGs. The only ones I can happily play all the way to the end are the main Pokemon games (and LOTR: The Third Age which you'd think would be a bad idea but I remember it fondly and I wish someone would speedrun it nowadays so I could enjoy a nice flash-reel of nostalgia). There's no actual role-playing, for starters, and even if there were I seem to have some trouble getting into RPGs in general. But I have like 600 hours each on Skyrim, Dark Souls, et al., so I can get along with some such games. It's just that classic 'walk around until you encounter enemies, then play a turn-based battle instance you can generally easily win, then rinse & repeat while these encounters gradually wear through your resources' mode of play is very... I can't even say 'grindy' like it's a bad thing since games are all about working toward and overcoming some goal. This is only a test of endurance rather than skill (with the requirements of Undertale's genocide ending representing the ultimate expression of what's so bad about this). I feel it gets in the way of the story, which is often the only interesting part of these games (even if it has nothing to do with actually roleplaying my character!) and often pretty good by itself, but heavily bogged down with a battle system which is highly detached from the narrative. I think Pokemon stands out not just because it's the only JRPG my parents could afford for me to grow up with, but because the whole notion of Pokemon battles is a really hard-wired thing in the world's culture and the stories always revolve around these creatures. In other JRPGs you've got generic palette-swapped slimes and shit, ya know?

So yeah, 1/10 would marry all the waifus, but since that's all I'm playing for I'd do better to watch one of those "Game: The Movie" playthroughs that cuts out anything non-story, but I'm not really into movies either...

Also, the Fallout games, any one of them (ie. including those before 3). Gameplay's solid, but while the setting's cool in some way I don't actually like it and it keeps my immersion at bay for some reason... probably because it doesn't take itself seriously. I like muh srs business and have a thing for consistency.

Yea, I also wish I appreciated jrpgs more. And Elder Scrolls games. While I absolutely loved Morrowind, I never quite got deep into Oblivion and have basically not played Skyrim at all :/ same with Dragon Age Origins tbh. Fantasy in general.

Having apparently trouble with enjoying playing single player games in general, I could technically say that everything single player is something I would like to like more. I do find myself finding other means to have some contact while playing stuff, though, so it's been less of a bother, although I still do find myself preferring multiplayer over single.

But more specifically, games that have great stories but I just can't really get in to them. I suppose mainly Bioshock 3 in this case. Being told that it's a great game that I need to play by friends, and knowing that the story is A-OK, I'd love to get in to it and complete the game. I just never find myself able to because I don't like playing it.

I'd also say JRPGs with turn-based combat, or overly tactic, something like Disgaea. I love the aesthetics and the whole principle of the game, I actually love the whole RPG concept, but I just can't get in to the whole game it self, it just seems to not be my thing, sadly.

There's also a huge amount of games in my steam library that I would definitely want to play, but I don't even install them because I wouldn't enjoy playing them.

So I was just looking at my steam library to see what are some games that I need to rip and tear a new suckhole off, mainly since I liked it at first but never really got to playing it again..

oh here's one..


Demon's Crystals:
Basically, its a twin-stick isometric shooter where you basically kill some demons and collect some crystals as the basic goals. I'm really in to some arcadey twin stick shooting since I remember buying this off Steam when it was on a rather massive discount, and I was also having such a hangover from playing Alien Shooter as a source of stress relief. Anyway more on this.. I really wanted to like this game more if not for the rather mundane and below-average production value, and for the rather frustrating level design in some of the stages, which also include some unfair RNG to boot. Not to mention that the game doesn't have much in the little things such as sound effects, audio feedback, and other enjoyable things to help appreciate the game a little better.

Oh and to add to some salt in the wound, Demon's Crystals has 4 playble characters yet all four characters act the same, with no differences whatsoever to their gameplay. Not even their stats, or anything special.

Secondly, despite having some system specs that a computer from 2005 should be able to run, it doesn't run well on my laptop considering that my laptop should be more than capable of running the game on 60 Frames. Instead I'm on 30, and considering how insane the game can be, 30 frames with still signs of occasional slowdown is still rather iffy for me. Anyway, maybe when i move to the new computer, I should be able to play the game on 60 frames. Till then, Demon's Crystals deserve a slap with my BFG.

Maybe its just me, but again. We all have our own personal opinions towards games and game genres so whatever i say makes as much sense as what everyone else has to say.

Originally I wasn't sure, out of the games I've played recently, but

EvilChameleon said:

Fallout 4.

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GhostTrainer said:

Fallout 4. I went into it thinking that it would be extremely similar to Skyrim (especially considering that it was built off the Skyrim world, or so reports say), but I was mistaken.

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I got myself pretty hyped for Fallout 4, somehow. I guess I basically wanted it to be Skyrim with Minecraft elements. When I say the construction features showcased at E3, I just became so much more interested in the game

Those construction features proved rather disappointing, and I just wasn't able to get into the game overall. Not a fan of all the guns, and the environments are so bland . . . they have a reason to be, of course, and I don't believe it to be an issue with the game, so much as it being an issue with me preferring games like Skyrim. High fantasy, medieval weaponry, much more my style.

I fully intend to restart Fallout 4 at some point and make it through the game, as I can see some appeal in it

I just get the urge to play Skyrim instead every time I put it in my PS4, lol



I can say the same about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. I do enjoy it, but I haven't been able to get as into it as the other two games. The moon environments are all the same, too. I think that may have had more to do with the timing of when I played it, though; just wasn't in the mood for it. I restarted it the other day with a friend, so hopefully we can make it through and I can finally finish it

I really wanted to like Eternal Sonata because of its beautiful graphics and interesting premise, but the linear progression and snooze-inducing dialogue were too much to overcome.

This is an ongoing one. I wanna play more Street Fighter games, and boost my potential in them. I'm already great in Smash, but I don't want it to be the only fighting game I play. Sadly, all I have is Street Fighter II on VC and Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition on 3DS. And V is PS4/Steam-exclusive, so I'll either have to get a PS4, get a super-good PC, wait till Capcom exports it to a Nintendo platform (which looks semi-likely in a few years' time), or go on without... ; ^;

thedestinedblade said:

I've played all the Fire Emblem games and it's probably my favorite franchise in gaming, but for some reason I just haven't been able to get into FE: Fates. To me it seems more like a dating sim where you occasionally need to battle between cut scenes than a strategy RPG. The plot has very simple black/white morality, something that doesn't work in a game where you choose between two opposite factions. A few other gripes as well, but those are the main ones.

Maybe I'll give it another shot eventually.

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Conquest is gameplay-heavy with a plot whose fat has been trimmed. Birthright is nice and slow with a better story, but the characters fall flat compared to the Nohrians. Revelations is basically a fallen angel: it has the same number of chapters, leaving no room for story to breathe in; basically, to appreciate the final path, you'll have to pretend like things from the other two happened in it or like Corrin's mind went through both stories before siding with nobody. Yes, even with Revelations' unique story, you'll be hoping they added on (although Silas' integration was nicely done in my opinion...).