Bring out your cynical self. Games others loved that you did not

[dimorphic]

Recently, for me it was Red Faction. I can appreciate the game for what it is but I felt that it was too open for its own good. The missions didn't have a lot of impact for me, it all boiled down to blowing shit up and there wasn't much more depth than that. The story was weak and the visuals while pretty were repetitive (yes, I know it's Mars but it's still a video game).

[Spudzilla]

Little Big Planet. I was looking forward to this while it was in development but when I actually played it I was hugely dissapointed. I just couldn't get over the sloppy controls, the three different planes you can move in and the blind fanboyism after its release.

[AranchineD]

Bioshock.

Thought the story and setting was absolutely brilliant (up until post-golf club).

Thought the gameplay really, really was not.

[Munky]

Metal Gear Solid 4

More chore than fun and something felt very wrong with the game mechanics yet I don't know what.

Kill Zone 2

The most by the numbers game I have played, yes there were awesome parts but it was such a bland experience.

[dimorphic]

I still haven't finished Killzone 2 for that very reason. When I put it in and start playing I feel like I should be playing something else. It's not that its bad, its just that it doesn't stand out enough.

I'm close to the end but I'm not sure when I'll finally finish it.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

Uncharted, a nice adventure ruined by the combat

[Surgeon.]

I sound like a broken record but COD4: Modern Combat is probably the game that I most love to hate on.

Single players was pretty much what I expected, but didn't really bring anything I hadn't seen before. Shoot spawning bad guys, repeat etc . . .

My main problem with the game is multiplayer, which everyone else seems to love. Small restrictive maps, spammy weapons with no skill, strategy or teamwork required. After playing BF2 for years, COD multi is an absolute joke. This is probably where the problem lies. I tend to think that people who love COD4 multiplayer are console gamers, who don't realize that we progressed past generic spammy deathmatch years ago.

[freeradical]

GTA4-annoyed the hell out of me
MGS4-snore fest

[Munky]

Generic spammy deathmatch is good for those who want a fast easy to learn experience.

With full time work and the CA program there is no way I hell that I'll ever be able to have the same experience with games that I used to.

[Blue]

Bioshock.

Thought the story and setting was absolutely brilliant (up until post-golf club).

Thought the gameplay really, really was not.This. The FPS 'action' feels like Fallout, and aiming Plasmids is harder than it should be. Plus, it's clunky to switch between Plasmids and weaponry, and the plasmids are unbalanced. You end up just freezing and wrenching over and over again.

GTAIV wowed me at first, after having grown tired of the series. Soon, though, it felt limited and dull, with tired missions.

[Spudzilla]

I sound like a broken record but COD4: Modern Combat is probably the game that I most love to hate on.

Single players was pretty much what I expected, but didn't really bring anything I hadn't seen before. Shoot spawning bad guys, repeat etc . . .

My main problem with the game is multiplayer, which everyone else seems to love. Small restrictive maps, spammy weapons with no skill, strategy or teamwork required. After playing BF2 for years, COD multi is an absolute joke. This is probably where the problem lies. I tend to think that people who love COD4 multiplayer are console gamers, who don't realize that we progressed past generic spammy deathmatch years ago.

I was a huge fan of BF2 and COD4's multiplayers, but moreso BF2's. I didn't even use much teamwork in BF2 which would probably be why I could get in COD4's multiplayer so easily.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/SpeedFighter/Stuff/ww.jpg

Man I miss that game.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

I can't believe GTA4 got such high scores, I think it's the first GTA ever that I haven't finished

[ThePhotoshop]

Halo.

I don't get it.

[Princess Sakura]

Mirror's Edge. Fun for a while but SWEARING oh Lord the SWEARS that came out of my mouth! Neighbours would have been alarmed.
First time I've been tempted to snap one of my PS3 games. I gave it away as a present before I could waste my cash that way. The fun I had has been forever tainted with pure frustration.

[AranchineD]

GTAIV wowed me at first, after having grown tired of the series. Soon, though, it felt limited and dull, with tired missions.

Happened to me as well, I thought it was completely amazing when I first put the game in and for perhaps the first half of the game, but then just started getting frustrated with it.

[Princess Sakura]

This is one of the many games in my collection that I haven't bothered finishing >_>
Actually MGS4 and The Orange Box (minus Team Fortress) are the only games I've seen through to the end and want to go again with...

[Char Aznable]

Mario 64! For the life of me I can't figure out why other people rave about it so much. I found it boring and the graphics didn't wow me in the slightest. :/ On the other hand I was a blind fangirl for OoT, so it wasn't like I was a Nintendo hater.

[Gio]

No More Heroes is really, really awful. Pointless "free roaming" overworld, bland repetitive combat. I don't know how people can tolerate it, yet alone like it.

[Silverwolf]

Happened to me as well, I thought it was completely amazing when I first put the game in and for perhaps the first half of the game, but then just started getting frustrated with it.

Same thing for me, but I remedied it by downloading a trainer for the game and editing the weapon/car files for pistols that made cars fly, and cars which could drive through a house and not get a scratch. Makes it a little more interesting.

[dinopoke]

Halo.

I don't get it.

Not many people do these days. T_T

[Cerebral]

I was a huge fan of BF2 and COD4's multiplayers, but moreso BF2's. I didn't even use much teamwork in BF2 which would probably be why I could get in COD4's multiplayer so easily.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/SpeedFighter/Stuff/ww.jpg

Man I miss that game.
Aww yeah. (h)

[Stevorooni]

Fallout 3 - I got bored, still haven't completed it.

[AranchineD]

Same thing for me, but I remedied it by downloading a trainer for the game and editing the weapon/car files for pistols that made cars fly, and cars which could drive through a house and not get a scratch. Makes it a little more interesting.

Perhaps the greatest regret I will have in life will probably be not having a computer powerful enough to play GTA4 and not being able to experience stuff like 'allo allo' for myself.

[Spudzilla]

MPVAdM43kQs

[Lex]

Fallout 3 - I got bored, still haven't completed it.

...how far did you get?

[Space_Monkey]

I say this all the time but Halo 1, 2 and 3 did nothing for me.

The whole game was ugly, the story felt like a re-ject from a poor 90s Sci-Fi flick, Cheif had no weight to him felt like a floating gun.

[Spudzilla]

MPVAdM43kQs

vwO0M-E6YhE

[Halt, Hammerzeit]

Final Fantasy 7. Just couldn't get into it, but everybody hailed it as brillant. Can't see it myself.

[AranchineD]

The only people who think FF7 is the best are people who haven't played the game but have heard other people who haven't played the game talk about how brilliant it is.

[Xanafalgue]

Assassin's Creed. What a sack of shit.

[Xanafalgue]

Final Fantasy 7. Just couldn't get into it, but everybody hailed it as brillant. Can't see it myself.

FFVI is so much better imo, I would like a remake.

[grimace06]

Bioshock - Ordinary gameplay and the setting didn't really grab me.

Half Life 2 - So...bland. The world, the characters, the weapons, the pointless creature commanding.

Call of Duty 4 - Respawn, respawn, respawn.

Lost Planet - It was repetitive, you moved at a snails pace and the game had some wierd difficulty spikes including some cheap bosses.

Perfect Dark: Goldeneye, please.

[Lazlow]

God Hand
Very much a "love it or hate it" game. I hated it. Bland environments coupled with a crap fighting system, and a shit annoying camera made for very little fun.

Grid
A confused bastard child of a game; wanna-be-simulation arcade racer witha seasoning of Destruction Derby. Horrible to drive, boring to play.

Gran Turismo 4
In 4 games (plus Tokyo Show/Prologue) this series grew very little. By the time 4 rolled out, I'd woken up to the fact they were releasing essentially the same game. Same cumbersome menus, same tracks, same cars, same driving model, same license tests, same AI, increasingly boring. Best thing about GT4, was that it lead to Tourist Trophy, which I hope to see a followup to.

[Vindik8or]

All of them.

[Hotaru_oz]

FFVI is so much better imo, I would like a remake.

I quite agree. While I liked VII it's not as interesting as VI.

[Vindik8or]

I too sometimes sit and ponder whether seagull shit is better than pigeon shit.

[Jickle]

I've tried to play through Mass Effect twice now, but as much as I like the story I'm not big on the combat engine, the driving sections, the elevators, or the fact that it isn't Knights of the Old Republic 3.

[Tukenstein]

I completely abhor (I never get to use that word as much as I'd like to) Oblivion. The world was boring, I hated the characters because they all sounded the same and were boring and, as rediculous as this reason is, I kept wishing the game's combat was still left up to dice rolls.

[Vindik8or]

Mate, I don't think Elder Scrolls combat was ever left up to 'dice rolls'.

[fishfishmonkeyhat]

I thought MadWorld played like shit and the black and white style looked like shit.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

GoldenEye - it sucked in 1997 and it still sucks now

[Mike-Towns]

Final Fantasy VII, VIII, X, X-2, Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3, StarCraft, World of Warcraft.

Oh hey heaps of other people like this game even thought it's shit, I guess I do too.

[Jay]

Of course, a lot of the time with these things the fault lies not in the stars, dear Brutus, but in ourselves.

That said, I struggled with WoW and absolutely hated San Andreas (though a friend told that's because I am racist, which made me hate the game even more).

[incompatible with life]

Mate, I don't think Elder Scrolls combat was ever left up to 'dice rolls'.
Yep it was, though if I recall they toned it down a bit in Oblivion and just used dice rolls to modify the amount of damage taken/received.

Morrowind used to frustrate me when swinging away at an enemy with hits that were definitely spot on but did no damage.

[Gemerald]

Portal. There I said it. Yeah it was innovative, unique and interesting but I felt sick every time I played it. The game required too much thought to plan everything in a step by step pattern. I play games to relax and chill so this is probably a major factor in why it never appealed to me.

Am I the only one who disliked portal?

[Silverwolf]

That's one of the reasons portal was good - because it made you think, it's the same reason why I love turn based strategy games, even though they do get mentally tiring.

Since you don't want to think hard when playing a game, you and portal don't really mix.
I think you are mad, tbh.

[TSplodey]

Command and Conquer 3. It had FMV, and the chick from early House, but I still couldnt even be bothered to play the campaign. I got sick of it at the mission where you have to defend the base by powering and unpowering various defence structures, THEN launch an assault of your own. Ugh. I played Generals a million times longer than CnC3.

Am I the only one who disliked portal?
Yes.

[Blue]

The only people who think FF7 is the best are people who haven't played the game but have heard other people who haven't played the game talk about how brilliant it is.And now we part ways.

No, really, I enjoyed the story, characters, and most importantly the setting, more than any other Final Fantasy. At the time it was a revelation, it was gorgeous. The music was brilliant. It absolutely begs for a remake, to do it all justice. If they'd made it a few years later, when FFVIII was released, it would have been even better.

As far as Portal goes, I don't think it was a masterpiece by any means; The level design was repetitive, and it was clear that it was all made on a tight budget and limited timeframe, with the re-use of assets throughout the very short game very evident. Having said that, the gameplay was sound, and the puzzles were inventive. With no real enemies to kill or arbitrary time limits imposed on the player, I would say it was very relaxing. It gave the player all the time they needed to work their way through the rooms.

[ThePhotoshop]

No, really, I enjoyed the story, characters, and most importantly the setting
I love how you don't mention anything about the actual game.

[sausage]

Portal was shit and condescending.

Mass Effect was complete arse.

I wouldn't vomit on Starcraft even if it was on fire.

The original Diablo hurts my eyes.

[Vindik8or]

The game required too much thought to plan everything in a step by step pattern.

Ahahahahahahahahaha. Oh-heheheheheheheheheheheh!

I sure hope you're not serious.

[Mike-Towns]

No, really, I enjoyed the story, characters, and most importantly the setting, more than any other Final Fantasy.

I don't reaalllyyy like pushing my opinion on people, but...

http://forsythe4kc.com/uploaded_images/HeadExplodeBig.gif

[Gemerald]

Ahahahahahahahahaha. Oh-heheheheheheheheheheheh!

I sure hope you're not serious.

Not sure if the 360 version of Portal is the exact same as PC but obviously the challenges got harder (which I finished mind you) but I found having to plan out where to put the 2 portals annoying and then adjust the timing so some magic orb could strike some point to trigger something else to happen.

Given that this is not my type of game it's no real surprise as to why I don't enjoy it. I think it's very unique and innovative though, just didn't enjoy it.

[Halt, Hammerzeit]

Final Fantasy VII, VIII, X, X-2, Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3, StarCraft, World of Warcraft.

Oh hey heaps of other people like this game even thought it's shit, I guess I do too.

I enjoyed FFX. I thought the story was good and I liked the mechanics of the Sphere Grid and being able to plan which direction (magic and skills wise) to take your characters. Couldn't get into the junctioning system with FF8, so never played past the first hour on that, and FFX-2 was just painful in some places, but I haven't heard everybody say that they loved that game.

[Lazlow]

Not sure if the 360 version of Portal is the exact same as PC but obviously the challenges got harder (which I finished mind you) but I found having to plan out where to put the 2 portals annoying and then adjust the timing so some magic orb could strike some point to trigger something else to happen.

Given that this is not my type of game it's no real surprise as to why I don't enjoy it. I think it's very unique and innovative though, just didn't enjoy it.

I don't get this. You actually bothered to finish a game whose basic concept you hated.

Must be bliss to have that much free time :/

[Watchers]

Super Mario Galaxy. Severely lacking in platforming challenge and fun.

[Gemerald]

I don't get this. You actually bothered to finish a game whose basic concept you hated.

Must be bliss to have that much free time :/

I found it strangely addictive yet incredibly annoying if that makes sense. Game wise it wasn't overly long, just required more thought than other games I play. More to that I was also after some achievement score to boost however little I have.

You've got Orange Box for 360 IIRC. Did you enjoy it?

[fishfishmonkeyhat]

super mario galaxy. Severely lacking in platforming challenge and fun.

Get out

[Lazlow]

I found it strangely addictive yet incredibly annoying if that makes sense. Game wise it wasn't overly long, just required more thought than other games I play. More to that I was also after some achievement score to boost however little I have.

You've got Orange Box for 360 IIRC. Did you enjoy it?


I do, largely due to Portal (and HL eps 1 & 2). I love it, but haven't finished it due to getting stuck on one level, and never getting back to it thanks to another game grabbing my attention. And I'd rather not cheapen it by resorting to a FAQ.

Short game for some, but for me its perfect in the sense you can quickly plough through a few levels. God knows why I buy games like Mass Effect or Fallout 3, I'll never get around to finishing them. just don't have that sort of time or staying power.

[Almighty Beanchild]

InFamous really left me cold. I found the controls particularly frustrating, and the gameplay largely unengaging.

[Second]

Bioshock.

Thought the story and setting was absolutely brilliant (up until post-golf club).

Thought the gameplay really, really was not.
I've been meaning to actually play through it, but I've been delaying due to the gameplay. :(


I say this all the time but Halo 1, 2 and 3 did nothing for me.

The whole game was ugly, the story felt like a re-ject from a poor 90s Sci-Fi flick, Cheif had no weight to him felt like a floating gun.I can't stand it, but helped my brother get through Halo 3. Most fun I've had in the game was using Ghosts for the final scene for some 0 point achievement.

God Hand
Very much a "love it or hate it" game. I hated it. Bland environments coupled with a crap fighting system, and a shit annoying camera made for very little fun.

I still think any person who actually likes this game must have some form of mental defect.

[FrozenSoul80]

Gears of War

The story didn't grab me, and everything looks the same. I couldn't tell who my friends were because they looked identical to the guys shooting at me. I got up to the second level and didn't bother continuing on.

[Second]

Gears of War

The story didn't grab me, and everything looks the same. I couldn't tell who my friends were because they looked identical to the guys shooting at me. I got up to the second level and didn't bother continuing on.

Same field as Halo for me. Another one I did with my brother. I'm thankful when we can just rock out in Guitar Hero or just play Scene it or Monopoly.

[Ad-Rock]

Am I the only one who disliked portal?

No. It was interesting at first, but I soon found it to be quite lacklustre and straight forward.

Good concept, the portal gun would be wicked in Half-life or something.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

I still think any person who actually likes this game must have some form of mental defect.

I love Godhand, it is hilarious and stupidly difficult. Plus the combat system is a blast to mess around with.

[Afrogamer]

I could not stand all of the halos for the life of me...

[JubeiSaotome]

Call of Duty 4, Multiplayer was terrible and unbalanced.

Any RTS, but that's more of a "not my cup of tea" thing.

Any Mega Man series that isn't the original Mega Man series. X was just casualised Mega Man.

[Blue]

I love how you don't mention anything about the actual game.You mean gameplay? Okay then. Pretty standard Final Fantasy (so obviously an enjoyable JRPG). Not as good as FFX in this regard, but as I said, it needs a remake to update the gameplay slightly. I like the materia system. While some will argue that characters in JRPGs should be restricted to classes, like in FFX (Where Auron can only be the heavy hitter, and Lulu must be a mage), I found the hugely customisable characters and weaponry in FFVII to be fulfilling. The characters still fit into archetypes, with Tifa being the thief, and Barrett being the archer, and Aeris being the mage, but it allowed you to really shape their skills. So basically, the gameplay was fine, but it's never the make-or-break element to a JRPG. Those that I mentioned earlier, such as the story, setting and characters, are the most important part, and obviously many people connected with those present in FFVII, including myself.

[dinopoke]

Good concept, the portal gun would be wicked in Half-life or something.

Yes, it probably would (http://www.primotechnology.com/2007/10/17/half-life-2-portal/)

Portal ... The game required too much thought to plan everything in a step by step pattern.

Really? I felt the game was really streamlined to the point of being a tad underwhelming. There weren't really any complex or elaborate puzzles. I got through most of the puzzles with initial instinct and if I ever got stuck (which was rarely), it would be due to something really simple or stupid.

[Manny M]

The only people who think FF7 is the best are people who haven't played the game but have heard other people who haven't played the game talk about how brilliant it is.

Haha, interesting viewpoint, but can't say I agree.

I loved FF7. Until that point I had played nothing like it. The gameplay in itself was tactical, while being accessible and varied without being confusing... and it provided so much more depth outside of battle than anything I had experienced.

It was just a huge game, in many ways. From the story which I found very interesting, to the tactics and planning surrounding your use of materia (which I still think is the best system in any FF game yet), to the score and the pure majesty of seeing something as epic as a Bahamut summon for the first time. There was just so much to do, and at 4 discs it was mammoth at the time.

Going back and playing through it again recently, sure there are things it could've done better... but personally I appreciate it for introducing me to the genre and showing me the potential gaming had for providing a rich, cinematic and interactive experience. The FMVs just blew my mind.

[AranchineD]

See, I kinda thought the same thing...and then played so many other JRPGs that did it better that even the sentimental value of being introduced to the genre by the game wasn't enough to make me consider it a great game.

[ThePhotoshop]

Exactly. As a game, it's terrible. Story might be OK but playing the thing is an exercise in frustration

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

I like the materia system.

As do I, do we know what the system in 13 is like yet? I would really love to see a sort of extended and more complex materia based system.

Even from a non-sentimental standpoint FF7 is an extraordinary game. A guy I lived with last year had never played it before so he decided one day to start playing my copy, he got completely sucked into it, the music, the story, the characters, here it was ff7 over a decade old still being the reason a uni student failed 2 subjects.

But I'm not here to start arguments, I can completely understand how anyone could dislike it, come to think of it I know very few people who actually like the game.

[dimorphic]

I'll throw another one in, Killzone 2. Generic FPS #10298. The characters had no personalities, story was ambiguous and slow and the gameplay as copy, paste from other, better games and even then it felt somewhat forced.

[Manny M]

Exactly. As a game, it's terrible. Story might be OK but playing the thing is an exercise in frustration

Why is that? I had played nothing quite like it, so in my experience the gameplay in itself was fantastic. The sheer variety in skills, items, magic, summons, limits and materia never created a dull moment because there were so many options available to you to take an opponent down, whilst the turn based gameplay gave you the time necessary to take a strategic approach and plan ahead.

[Xanafalgue]

Fallout 3: depressing and buggy. The horrible subways were just reskinned Oblivion dungeons. I enjoyed it to some extent but the hype was unfounded.

[Manny M]

Fallout 3: depressing and buggy. The horrible subways were just reskinned Oblivion dungeons. I enjoyed it to some extent but the hype was unfounded.

It's funny because at times while playing it I thought the same... then at others I had an absolute ball with it (although to be fair, I think that would've been every time I wasn't in the subway).

Exploding bodies were fun... to begin with. After a while, shooting someone with a magnum and have their body split into multiple pieces was just stupid.

[sausage]

I honestly don't know what everyone goes on about regarding Fallout 3's subways being boring after a while. I played well past level 20 for about 80-odd hours and only had to traverse about 3 stations/subways. Rest of the time I was cavorting around the wasteland massacring anyone in my path.

Also; bloody mess never gets old.

[incompatible with life]

I honestly don't know what everyone goes on about regarding Fallout 3's subways being boring after a while. I played well past level 20 for about 80-odd hours and only had to traverse about 3 stations/subways. Rest of the time I was cavorting around the wasteland massacring anyone in my path.

Also; bloody mess never gets old.

From memory getting to the radio station pretty much required going through a long stretch of subways with all overland passages being rather inconveiently block off.

[BB2K]

I thought Crono Trigger was a rather average JRPG. And I don't like JRPGs.

[Dorkify]

Bioshock

As mentioned before, loved the setting, but the gameplay left me feeling cold. Switched off after a session and still haven't felt any desire to turn it back on.

Mirror's Edge

Played 2 levels and turned it off, once again, no desire to turn back on. Just doesn't grab me and annoys me more than anything.

Oblivion

Levelled up a bit, but just didn't enjoy the setting or the gameplay. Thoroughly loved Fallout 3 however...



I hate playing the campaign on any of the Halo's single player. I have a ball when I play through them co-op though.

[Ad-Rock]

Oblivion was ok, but i think you need a heck of a lot of time to commit to it to get the most out of it - which I didn't.

A game which left me rather disappointed was Empire: Total War. Played it for about 10 hours so far and I don't really want to play it again. The campaign has far too much going on for my liking, manouvering units and ships is a pain in the arse and the computer AI is rubbish. Maybe if I was unemployed and had more time on my hands I would try and get into it, but for now its staying on the shelf.

[sausage]

I gave away my Oblivion GOTY PC edition after 400+ hours to my step-nephew a few days ago.

There was quite a ceremony... very moving moment between a 42 year old man and a 12 year old boy and not awkward at all.

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2001_Scary_Movie_2/tn/SM2_James_Woods_001.jpg

[Allick]

fallout 3 was awesome at the begining, but it couldn't really keep me interested with the plot.

I find this with most sandbox or open world games, I always get distracted and decide to see how many things i can kill, or how many towns i can find, or something like that, and i never get around to finishing it. I find it much easier to finish a game if I am directed exactly where to go and who to kill. The funny thing is that I much prefer sandbox games to linear games:p

[Silverwolf]

A game which left me rather disappointed was Empire: Total War. Played it for about 10 hours so far and I don't really want to play it again. The campaign has far too much going on for my liking, manouvering units and ships is a pain in the arse and the computer AI is rubbish. Maybe if I was unemployed and had more time on my hands I would try and get into it, but for now its staying on the shelf.

I have to agree with this, I don't want to (I really really wanted to love this game) but I just didn't find it anywhere near as engrossing as R:TW was. The fighting is fairly uninteresting, it seems to be whoever with superior numbers, or whoever is on a hill wins.
Shipfighting is fun, but the game has been so buggy when battling that its a miracle i'd ever actually complete a ship battle.

I agree that it feels like there is too much going on in the campaign, that is probably what put me off the most. At least when playing Galactic Civilizations II or Civ IV I know whats going on.