Mindless?

[Cranyx]

there are a few games out there that are consistently lauded for their gameplay value, however, have the stigma that they are just "mindless games" in that there is no cerebral action there or any sort of engaging story.

The two that come to my mind are Gears of War and God of War. Personally I've never played the latter and the former I've only played for a brief time. Because of this, I cannot justly make a decision to how true these stereotypes are, but am aware of them nonetheless. For those of you who have played them, is this assumption true?

Are there any other games you can think of that fall into the same category of great gameplay but lacking in story?

 

[BlumiereBleck]

If you've only played them for a short time you really can't say they're mindless. Sure you don't have to like them but that kinda doesn't mean it's okay to call them mindless.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Games are about fun, first and foremost.

Not having fun? Then it has failed as a game.

I would consider MGS4 a pretty deep game, but was it fun? Not particularly.

Is Gears of War deep? No, but is the story interesting enough to keep me playing and the gameplay fun? You bet your arse it is.

The Monster Hunter franchise has next to no story, but they're up there with the funnest games I've ever played.

Mindless would suggest that anyone can play it. This couldn't be further from the truth for most games considered 'mindless'.

 

[Cranyx]

If you've only played them for a short time you really can't say they're mindless. Sure you don't have to like them but that kinda doesn't mean it's okay to call them mindless.

I'm not saying they are, in fact I openly stated I don't have the right to say, but it seems to be a common belief among some gamers. For instance, when people call ME3 "turning into Gears of War", they don't mean it as a compliment. What I'm asking is if people who HAVE played it agree.

 

[Seishisha]

Since all games require some form of input to get through the levels and story, you can argue that there is no such thing, i think the closest you can get to having a mindless activity is sleep because everything else you do in daily life requires atleast some interaction.

 

[genericusername64]

Dynasty warriors, and any fps really

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Well, they are mindless. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Drakmeire]

Mindless mostly refers not to lack of story but lack of thought in the game-play meaning the only strategy is Hide, aim shoot, rinse, repeat. while other games require you to plan ahead to attack.
Mindless gameplay works in some games since it helps you get into rhythm but it hurts when you get bored from the repetitive tasks.
Good mindless would be Punch-out after you get good and the game becomes a test of reflex and clearing your head during each fight.
Bad mindless would be Duke Nukem since it just turns into, grab shotgun, and fire without much variety beside the occasional finding of a hidden item.

 

[Zhukov]

The first God of War had a bit of weight behind it. I wouldn't say it had a lot, but there was something there, mostly regarding the character of Kratos. Sadly, the sequels were written by different people, who clearly weren't as good as whoever wrote the first one.

Gears? Yup, it's utterly braindead. Still mildly fun though. Well... the second one was fun. I thought the first game was utter pants.

As for other mindless games... dude, walk into a game store and throw a bloody rock.

 

[Zhukov]

Basically, the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something. Trashing something they haven't really given much thought to.

And you know this how, exactly?

Allow me to apply the same technique: Basically, the people who say, "the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something", are just severely lacking in mental stimulation. So they dismiss anything they lack the intellect to understand as being pretentious or not fun.

Gee, I sound like an arrogant git. Fancy that.

Sometimes people say things are mindless and puerile because they think it's mindless and puerile.

 

[Andy Szidon]

Basically, the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something. Trashing something they haven't really given much thought to.

And you know this how, exactly?

Allow me to apply the same technique: Basically, the people who say, "the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something", are just severely lacking in mental stimulation. So they dismiss anything they lack the intellect to understand as being pretentious or not fun.

Gee, I sound like an arrogant git. Fancy that.

Sometimes people say things are mindless and puerile because they think it's mindless and puerile.

So, sometimes it's not a phsycological problem. Sometimes it's a problem of someone not being able to understand.

 

[TitanAtlas]

GTA san andreas.... the story... was ridiculous...

and it got to be so ridiculous, that it became a little funny. Nevertheless, i found myself doing more stuff like dogfighting with the police helicopters, or exploring the maps, has a road reporter, looking for secrets...

 

[Zhukov]

Basically, the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something. Trashing something they haven't really given much thought to.

And you know this how, exactly?

Allow me to apply the same technique: Basically, the people who say, "the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something", are just severely lacking in mental stimulation. So they dismiss anything they lack the intellect to understand as being pretentious or not fun.

Gee, I sound like an arrogant git. Fancy that.

Sometimes people say things are mindless and puerile because they think it's mindless and puerile.

So, sometimes it's not a phsycological problem. Sometimes it's a problem of someone not being able to understand.

Amusingly, I do not understand your post.

Are you referring to people not understanding intelligent games, or people not understanding that games don't have to be deep so long as they are fun? Or something else entirely?

 

[Princess Rose]

God of War. Personally I've never played the latter and the former I've only played for a brief time. Because of this, I cannot justly make a decision to how true these stereotypes are, but am aware of them nonetheless. For those of you who have played them, is this assumption true?

Huh? People consider God of War mindless?

I thought it was rather well liked in the story department (at least the first two). From what I've heard, the first one had a pretty strong story - a true Greek tragedy of epic proportions.

I was just surprised because I've never heard God of War called mindless. **shrug**

 

[jawakiller]

I now include you on the list of people I've never met yet still hate. How can you say either of those two games are mindless when you compare them to even worse offenders? Most RPGs, plenty of FPSs and of course, the RPGMMO.

Have you ever played a dungeon in WoW? Then you've just basically played every other level in the whole fucking game.

 

[Smooth Operator]

When people say "mindless" it's usually standard action movie story, not something you need to think twice about and may actually make it worse if you do.

God of War has a simple story, but well presented, Gears even simpler and not that well done on story presentation.
This goes for most games out there, a well done story is hard to come by.

 

[Corax_1990]

Gears has a chainsaw machine gun, if thats mindless then sign me up to vote Rebulican.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I dunno. I can't really imagine a game getting "mindless" unless it's either incredibly basic (like, Bejeweled level basic) or if you've played it enough to essentially memorize it.

Gears of War I'd definitely dispute. I've only played it once, granted, but in was for a few hours, and even with a friend you have to be attentive and creative to get through it. The bits early on where you use the Hammer of Dawn were some of the most fun strategic moments I've done multiplayer (especially since I was controlling the hammer, and only had a shotgun for basic self-defense), and it took us a while to get through the driving segments.

Me: "Crap, there's too many of these things! Can't you drive faster?"
Friend: "You know the tank stops whenever you fire that thing, right?"
Me: "...shit."

 

[Zhukov]

Basically, the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something. Trashing something they haven't really given much thought to.

And you know this how, exactly?

Allow me to apply the same technique: Basically, the people who say, "the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile' just want to feel superior about something", are just severely lacking in mental stimulation. So they dismiss anything they lack the intellect to understand as being pretentious or not fun.

Gee, I sound like an arrogant git. Fancy that.

Sometimes people say things are mindless and puerile because they think it's mindless and puerile.

You seem to have missed the last part of my post. Either that or you intentionally ignored it so your point wasn't harmed.

I stated that I intentionally look for the... 'mentally stimulating' (I feel icky for actually saying that.) games out there. And books and films.

You see, I have this amazing ability to enjoy more or less anything without dismissing it based on half assed assumptions or because it's not 'obscure' enough.

You should try it some time. Your horizons, they will broaden!

I wasn't making a point beyond taking issue with you claiming to know the thoughts and motives of "the people who say 'ohhh it's mindless and puerile'" and expressing that in an abrasively arrogant manner.

 

[Randomperson9999999]

pretty much most shooters are mindless