Games that surprised you.

Chimpzy

Simian Abomination
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That one. Albeit repetitive, the combo of rush + shotgun + ground slam was satisfying to do in hardcore mode.
Aye, tho the true connoisseur would first slap Warp on that unfortunate target first, because tossing enemies around with Biotic Explosions is rad.
 

happyninja42

Elite Member
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May 13, 2010
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That one. Albeit repetitive, the combo of rush + shotgun + ground slam was satisfying to do in hardcore mode.
Oh yes. I was primarily a pure biotic fan, as I loved the Black Hole, Lift/Slam, Push/Pull "Hello I'm a Jedi" feeling of power that class provided. But..damn...the visceral satisfaction of warping across a combat map to smash into a dude, and then slam my fist to make a ground slam, further causing damage to his allies, and recharging my shield...to only have my biotic charge ready to use almost immediately, and just repeat the process. And if I messed up the cycle a bit, I could always just use a fucking shotgun on them, and odds were good I was close quarters due to a biotic charge....That was a VERY satisfying play style. Not gonna lie.
 

CaitSeith

Formely Gone Gonzo
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Jun 30, 2014
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Aye, tho the true connoisseur would first slap Warp on that unfortunate target first, because tossing enemies around with Biotic Explosions is rad.
Have some incendiary ammo for Fire Explosions for good measure.
 

Baffle

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Oct 22, 2016
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That bit in Resident Evil where the dog jumps through the window. Fuckin' hell, I'm still shitting myself and it's been about 20 years.
 

NerfedFalcon

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Actually, here's another game that surprised me quite a few times: Ghost of Tsushima. The main story may be fairly formulaic, but the sidequests are where the real surprises can end up happening. Not in all of them, but just enough that you're never quite expecting it when it happens.

Norio's 9th quest immediately springs to mind, not to spoil too much.
 

happyninja42

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Actually, here's another game that surprised me quite a few times: Ghost of Tsushima. The main story may be fairly formulaic, but the sidequests are where the real surprises can end up happening. Not in all of them, but just enough that you're never quite expecting it when it happens.

Norio's 9th quest immediately springs to mind, not to spoil too much.
Yeah the side quests were definitely top notch. I still think the resolution of Ishikawa's side story is going to be a spinoff title, or a DLC, given how it ends.
 

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
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wow, 20 years of constant bowel movement. That's some impressive constipation there. Good thing RE was there to help unblock you.
That's nothing. My first RE game was 2 at the age of 9 playing at a neighbor's. The part where Kendo got eaten by 5 zombies had me scream like a girl. The intro to the Licker, I could not even speak or make a sound. My older brother had to punch me shoulder just so I can respond to something physically. I had nightmares for about two weeks. Imagine seeing those monsters Umbrella created wrecking everything in your neighborhood or Downtown Detroit.

RE2 Remake I knew would be excellent, but then it hit me in the feels with Kendo.

 

Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
Undertale, I love Undertale but when I got it I had no idea what it was really about so I went in blind and it took me about to the halfway point to start feeling the emotional range of the game, and then that ending, boom, top 3 easily.

I'm also going to throw in Shadowrun Dragonfall/Hong Kong. I always kinda liked the shadowrun universe ever since the snes game, but I never got into table top gaming. Holy shit did I love those two Shadowrun games, the difficulty was spot on, the story and characters were fantastic, the leveling system really did let you play more of the way you wanted. Like there was no reason to fight everything since you got karma (experience) for finishing a mission, not for fighting random enemies. I include them both together since its really hard to choose one as better, I think the story and characters are a bit better in Dragonfall but Hong Kong has some gameplay improvements that make it play and look better.

Lastly, Freedom Planet. I never could get into the 2d sonic games, I liked the aesthetic and music but I really didn't like how heavy movement felt and how long it took to start really going. Freedom Planet showed me how that style of game should be done, I even have a bit of a soft spot for the anime fanfic story its got going.
 
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Houseman

Mad Hatter Meme Machine.
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Apr 4, 2020
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Undertale, I love Undertale but when I got it I had no idea what it was really about so I went in blind and it took me about to the halfway point to start feeling the emotional range of the game, and then that ending, boom, top 3 easily.
You beat the game at least three times, right?
Because that wording makes me worry.
 

Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
You beat the game at least three times, right?
Because that wording makes me worry.
Nah, I've been meaning to play through it again, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Plus, I couldn't bring myself to do genocide, I kinda love the characters in the game. I'll probably just do another true pacifist run.
 

Houseman

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Nah, I've been meaning to play through it again, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Plus, I couldn't bring myself to do genocide,
oh man, ya gotta! Talk about true emotional range!
 

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
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Strider (2014). I normally don't like Metroidvanias, but Strider really impressed. Other than Shadow Complex and Guacamelee, the genre is not my thing. The exploration is rewarding and not tedious, the combat that classic Capcom arcade style with some new school mixed in, and getting new power ups after defeating a boss is so bad ass! You truly feel like a cyber ninja! Double Helix outdone themselves and made the best Strider game ever made. Game should have gotten a physical release.

God of War 4 I thought I would hate, but gave it a chance and ended up loving it. Me personally, it's the best of the mainline games and has the best story since the first game. Atreus I found more enjoyable and interesting than Ellie as a companion character, and I was genuinely impressed that Kratos actually learned his lesson for once, and did not stay a total ass hat. I still don't forgive him for all the shit he pulled, but at least he tries now. Asura is still the best video game daddy ever. Also, the sequel better have a jump button.
 

Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
oh man, ya gotta! Talk about true emotional range!
I mean, yeah, I've heard its good and after I beat it again, I am planning on watching the game grumps genocide run.
 

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
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Dark Souls, Disco Elysium and Stardew valley.

Stardew Valley. I never really cared for farm sims. I played the first Harvest moon on the SNES way back in the day but the other games never really caught my interest nd neither did a lot of other games of the type. However, Stardew Valley really clicked for me and I dumped a fair number of hours into it before getting to a point I was happy to let it go(I built up my house, got married, was making plenty of money, etc). I think much of it was not only the feeling of continual improvement to the farm but also the depth of the various characters in the town which could only be found by getting them to like you.

Disco Elysium. I more or less ignored this game when it was coming out, partially because the title made it sound like a disco themed music/rhythm game and partially because it wasn't by anyone I'd heard of(it also seemed to pop out of nowhere as well). Then it starts getting all this good press and I decided....why not? It was one of the most fascinating and satisfying experiences I've had in a long time. Not only by the whole stick of making the mundane interesting(most of the side quests are stupid little things that somehow work because of the writing) but also the fact your skills are continually talking to you and have more influence on you as you level them up.
Also, KIm is one of the best NPC companions ever. The fact the man clearly recognizes what a fucking nut the PC is and yet puts up with it anyway goes a long way towards making almost like a buddy cop in an RPG.

Dark Souls. So, I'm sure I've said it before, I am not one who cares for EXTREME CHALLENGE. I rarely bother going for achievements that require insane feats, I almost always stick to normal difficulty and I'm more then happy to find something that works and exploit it as long as it doesn't remove all challenge from the game. I played SNES/NES games way back in the day but don't miss how fucking punishing they could be. So the fact Dark Souls(and Souls/Souls-like games) embrace the "Prepare to Die" motto was not a selling point for me. It wasn't until I started hearing about the level design and the lore and to some extent how the combat was satisfying that I decided to give it a try, and while it took me a little bit to get into it, it eventually did. Now I've beaten Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, Sekiro and dabbled in Demons Souls, so yeah, I've definitely found the appeal in it.

Oh, and also Undertale, for reasons many other people have articulated. I also enjoyed Deltarune for being a really interesting take on a sequel.
 

stroopwafel

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Soma. Normally not the biggest fan of those hide&seek games but damn this game was an existential nightmare. Soma analyzed the nature of reality, perception and consciousness in ways that took me completely by surprise.

Demon's Souls. First time of that delicious combat and otherworldy atmosphere. The game felt like if every game took a left turn when they became mainstream with games being easy and acessible and 'more like movies' this game took a right turn and doubled down on what made games special in the first place; challenging gameplay and discovery. But yeah, in 2009 I thought this was like a medieval Devil May Cry but oh no.

Resident Evil + RE2. No game before ever had this kind of atmosphere and feeling of genuine isolation. Yeah the story was campy nonsense but damn if the environments and diary entries didn't speak for themselves. RE2 felt like such an expansion of what made the original so great. The atmosphere and sound design..just incredible. And I only bought the original because I liked what it said on the box.
 
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