Games Below and Above Expectations

[BlackBark]

Well, it's getting close to the end of the year and I've realised that many of the games I have bought and played over the last couple of years have fallen below my expectations. Bioshock Infinite, Metro LL, Watchdogs, Dragon Age Inquisition. While it's not that they were bad exactly, they all turned out to be different to what I was expecting and I was left feeling disappointed and that they could have been so much better, at least for me.

On the other hand, very occasionally, I take a chance on a game I'm not expecting to like or just don't have much at all in the way of expectations and it turns out to be great.

So, which games you have played this year (doesn't have to be released this year) have fallen most below and most above your expectations?

As a further question, what game are you most looking forward to for next year? What do you have high hopes for?

My choices are:

Below expectations: Watchdogs. Graphics weren't that good. The game ran badly on my PC. It felt way too arcade-like, especially the driving. It was just a big let down.

Above Expectations: Persona 4 Golden. I bought a PSV this year and P4 was the first game I played on it. I actually wasn't expecting to like it much, but after seeing so many recommendations, I decided to just give it a go. I should mention I don't research games much in terms of lets plays or whatever, because I don't like anything about the story ruined before I play. Anyway, I think it is one of the best games I have played for a long time. Interesting story, great characters (mostly). I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

A game I'm really looking forward to for next year is MGS5. Although, last I heard, David Hayter isn't in it, which is already annoying me.

 

[Evonisia]

Bayonetta 2 was my most anticipated game of the year, and on release it smashed all my expectations with it's sheer dedication to being the most awesome thing since sliced angel that was the first Bayonetta. Is it better than the original? I'm not quite sure because I'm one of those mad people that gets engaged by the plot and characters of Bayonetta and found some of the content a bit bewildering in practise. But on the whole I simply cannot believe how much fun I had and how much enjoyment I got out of it. Definitely my game of the year, smashing aside Wolfenstein: The New Order with an umbran climax.

ZombiU could also apply to the above expectations category too, but that last hour and half still burns my soul.

Thief 2014 was a massive let down. I wasn't expecting it to be great or anything, but I thought it would at least be about stealing shit. But it's not, it's about running to the next checkpoint and occasionally you have to grab an item before running to the next checkpoint.

I felt compelled to say Gears of War 3 given that I replayed it this year (alongside 1 and 2, and soon to be Judgment), but to be honest the series on the whole never really lived up to Gears of War 1's promise and I did play Gears 3 on launch week. But seriously fuck Act 5. Act 5 of Gears of War 3 is Halo 4 levels of awful.

 

[SweetShark]

Ok, because I play a lot of games on PC, I guess you mean only the AAA titles, so let me think:

*real time thinking*

Ok, I have two games:

Above:
X-Com [new version]. At first I only buy because the alien's design was very cool and because the developers said the new game was a "lighter" version of the old game. So I buy it.......and I sit 6-7 hours straight like a drug juncky...
OMG THE GAME IS SO ADDICTIVE!!!!!

Below:
Diablo 3. I was going at first the first Part of Starcraft 2, but Diablo 3 take the lead. No, it is not to have to do with the "Always Online" issue. I never had problem with this.
My main problem was the story, and I specifically close to the end.....
You must understand first I LOVE DIablo Lore and I even read the "Book of Cain" book to learn more about the whole story. I was HYPE when I finished reading it!!!!! I was expecting something more awesome even from the book I read. But....I was wrong. The story was SO PAINFULL obvious and not near smart and innovative like the previous games/books.
A disclaimer: I never played the expansion, so I don't know how the story is.

 

[Amaror]

I will just go with games that were fairly recent, so

Below:
Dragon Age Inquisition. I was looking forward to this one but the whole game just feels like the developers threw as many features as they could think of together, without any of them being thought out or fit together in any way.
You have a tactical camera, that is useless because it's awkward to use and barely required in any of the fights.
You have fast-paced action combat, that you can't immerse yourself in, because you have to stop and babysit your stupid AI buddies every now and then.
You have many vast and giant regions, that you have basically no reason to visit, besides grinding a few boring quests.
You have an epic story, that is over really fast and might as well be Lord of the Ring with an Dragon Age paint job.
You have tons of tons of loot, that is all completely useless including "epic" gear.
You have crafting, that requires awkward running around between different crafting stations combined with a horrible interface and requiring boring grind to get the ressources.
You have a war table, were rewards for missions are so crab, their basically nonexistant and were every mission is overlong. Additionally requiring an overlong walk through your entire base and two seperate loading screens to get there EVERY TIME.
There are just so many features with so much potential there that are just wasted and as poorly implemented as they could be.
The characters are good, at least most of them, but that's not enough to keep me playing through an unengaging story and needless busywork.

Above:
Far Cry 3. Holy crap after far cry 2 i was all geared up expecting far cry 3 to be shit. What a surprise that one was.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Below: Abe's Oddysee: New 'n Tasty

I was really looking forward to this one. I mean, new Oddworld... can you fucking believe it!? However, it just futher cemented that Oddworld should stay the fuck away from real-time 3D rendering, as the results are always terrible. Anyway, MatthewMatosis made a very indepth review on why this game sucks, so anything I say will just feel like copying his words.

Above: Wolfenstein: The New Order

The shooting isn't all that great and it starts to drag toward the ending, but God, did this game just tickle me in the right way.

 

[stroopwafel]

Below: Density

The shooting was really satisfying and despite their simplistic designs the enemies were quite fun to tear through. Level design had a similair simplicity, but had quite a nice look like some kind of 70's sci-fi book cover. However the game is over in a flash and then it gets sooooooo boring. Grinding for loot? Who gives a shit. It's a half-assed attempt to protract such a marginal game. I expected additional locations that never came. This should have been a $20 downloadable title at most. Pvp is alright but the small maps all play similairly and they were more fun during the launch of the game. Now they are all such spamfests.

Above: Battlefield 4(released in '13 but finished in '14)

Ok, so not really my type of game as competitive multiplayer isn't really my cup of tea but this game can get sooo addictive. Each match has like their own dynamic and the chaotic battles always play out differently which becomes more and more fun as your skills improve. I'm a major noob compared to the more skilled players playing the game but I'm still having a lot of fun. This game actually make me look forward to BF Hardline. I do wonder why they even bothered with the SP campaign, it's total rubbish.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Captain Toad is exceeding my expectations so far. It's small, it's simple, but it's genuinely fun and clever. I haven't gone too far into the game though as I said. I'm also really impressed by Smash Bros on the 3DS. It may be lacking Subspace Emissary or an Adventure but it still feels like it's jam-packed with content. It's really responsive, fun to play and it looks great too.

Surprisingly though, the Wii U version of Smash is a bit below what I expected. It's still good but I don't recall any other smash being as difficult as Smash U. Maybe it's just me but I still haven't beaten things like 100-man smash or All-Star on Hard (things I've done on the 3DS version with everybody). Smash on Wii U is great but it's just a bit underwhelming to me.

As for games from years past, Kill*Switch is freaking awesome and Uncharted looks amazing despite it being 7 years old. As for games that disappointed me, this was the year I beat Skyward Sword. I had to force myself through it because of how much of an issue controlling the game was for me. I liked the story but I just didn't like the actual game-part of the game. If it had just spent an extra year being developed, it could have been simultaneously released on the Wii U, similarly to Twilight Princess. It could have had Gamepad controls and it would have been something I could have played with little-to-no issues. Instead, it was on the Wii and it was the worst home Zelda game I've played through.