Games that were better than you thought they'd be.

[Snotnarok]

I've seen so many negative threads on games that people hated or being over-hyped I figured something positive was in order.

Fallout New Vegas honestly blew me away, I liked 3 but I had my fair share of issues with it. NV looked like glorified DLC, same everything with nothing new. I said I wasn't going to get it till it was in the bargain bin, but xmas+steam=gifts and I got it, I boot it up, and it's totally different and has much more than I expected. Is it similar? Sure but they changed enough where even me (picky bastard) thought it was a fantastic change and so far I'm loving it!

So, on to the part where you come in; what game honestly surprised you, that you thought it'd be bad or was just some glorified DLC in the guise of a sequel? Was it over hyped in your mind only to shock you that it was as good if not better?

What game turned out better than you thought it would be?

 

[SimuLord]

Some games fall into the "well, this didn't TOTALLY suck, so I guess that's a win"...but for the "didn't expect much, but DAMN" category...

Tropico. The first one. I saw the box in a Babbage's (back when they still existed, and the one in Salem, NH devoted 60% of its floor space to PC games) where it had a picture of a Castro parody and the tagline "You rule." On the side, where you'd see the genre, it said "Caribbean Simulation", and it was made by PopTop (the makers of Railroad Tycoon 2). My thought was "eh, what the hell, these guys make decent games, why not?"

Then I got it home and it became my 2001 Game of the Year...and nine years later I still play it from time to time because it's still the perfected essence of its genre, the best city builder I've ever played.

 

[Danish rage]

Civ Revolution.

The Cronicles of Riddick.

A kingdom Of Keflings.

Batman Arkham Asylum.

Two Worlds 2

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

Hm. F.E.A.R was awesome. I bought it cheaply and expected it to be another lame shooter, but that is still one of my favourite games ever.

Also, Portal. I know a lot of people are going to say it. I bought the Orange Box almost primarily for Half-Life 2: Episode Two, but when I played Portal, I was blown away at how much fun it was!

 

[Hound174]

Agree About F.E.A.R, Although it was purely because of the creepy girl, and bullet time, which even though has been recycled before so many times... was just fun again and again.
Rugrats the video game, playstation one... Did not suck.. despite the title.

 

[Pr1de]

probably going to laugh. Minecraft. when i first heard the concept i was like "thats just stupid" but 4 hours later after i started i was "wow there goes 4 hours i didnt even notice" surprisingly immersive, atleast thats one mans opinion

 

[ScatterBen]

SMT: Nocturne. I bought it knowing its reputation as being a very good game, but one that was ridiculously hard with few cutscenes to break up the dungeons. While that was right, for the most part, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it all. The demon fusion was very similar to Persona, which I found very addictive, and the story was intriguing with interesting characters who warped and changed throughout the game. Furthermore, the music was a huge surprise to me, taking on a moody, atmospheric approach with some particularly standout tracks amongst the SMT games.

 

[Ponce Master-General]

Red Dead Redemption. I mean, I wasn't expecting anything else but awesome from Rockstar, but god damn. That game blew me away the whole time it took me to beat it twice and do all the Challenges. Fuck.

 

[No_Remainders]

Red Dead Redemption. I expected awesomeness and received greatness.

Isn't "awesomeness" better than "greatness"?

OT: Probably gonna go with Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. It wasn't as bad as all the reviews and people who played it said it would be.

 

[Harlemura]

Final Fantasy XIII, but that's not difficult since I'd heard noting but crap about it.

Black Ops' campaign was surprisingly awesome, since from Call of Duty games I expect a multiplayer game with a little single-player minigame tacked on.
Haven't really played the multiplayer and I don't like Zombies because I suck at it.

Okami. I just got it because it was cheap and I was bored, didn't know anything about it beforehand. I picked up a game that now sits in my top 5. Whadda'ya know?

 

[No_Remainders]

Red Dead Redemption. I expected awesomeness and received greatness.

Isn't "awesomeness" better than "greatness"?

OT: Probably gonna go with Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. It wasn't as bad as all the reviews and people who played it said it would be.

No no. Greatness is when something surpasses all expectations and garners awards. Awesomeness is just when you are having fun and saying, "Weeeee!"

But... I'd say "great" when I hear news that's good; but I'd use the word "awesome" for something I'm even more happy about?

 

[amoamaremetallum]

Fable III. Little sister forced me to play it as a part of a losing bet, and I ended up loving it.

 

[Beryl77]

Minecraft. I first didn't see why so many people play that game but now I can't stop playing it.

 

[Locko96]

Deadly Premonition. That game looked like shit but it stands up on Francis York Morgan and it's story. That game is really good. Also I thought Enslaved looked like just another beat em' up but that had solid combat and a really fucking good story and acting.

 

[Bad Jim]

Hostile Waters. I knew the critics had rated it highly but I couldn't bring myself to buy that ugly green box until it was cheap.

 

[Trucken]

Red Dead Redemption. For some reason I didn't think Rockstar would be able to deliver and I was going to pass on it. Bought it about a month after release anyway and for me it was GOTY 2010. It's just fucking brilliant.

 

[Bigsmith]

Batmas Arkam asylum (excluding the first 10mins which were crap)

Far cry 2. Girlfriend got it free with Xbox 360, so i tried it out. 3 days later I was getting it for pc.