Post-Hype Revelations

[PainInTheAssInternet]

What opinions changed on what games in what way after the hype died down? Were you more willing to see the faults? Were you more accepting of its strengths? Did your opinion change at all?

GTA 4 was a game that I tried to like every time I played it because everyone kept going on about it. I did get a very good deal on it; $20 for the original game plus all DLC. Yet every time I would pick up the disc, I didn't really feel like playing it. It was a popcorn game when the system was on and when it turned off it could easily have faded into obscurity as it has now. I mentioned in another thread, but GTA 5 and a few games on the PSP made me remember/realize how unpleasant GTA 4 was, and now I never play it for more than 10 minutes before getting bored. Keep in mind I'm a compulsive replayer.

Far Cry 3 is the only game I've ever not purchased from a bargain bin. My opinion remains the same; a very fun game that makes a dreadful mistake by killing Vaas and replacing him with Hoyt to serve a hackneyed narrative that has convinced itself it's smarter than it really is. Wow that came out way harsher than intended. I've sunk an unusual amount of time into that game, though I do see it in the bargain bin now and really regret buying it new.

I avoided the Assassin's Creed franchise because of all the hype so my opinion was shaped as a reaction to other people rather than my own, which can't be all that good. I have since played and fallen in love with AC2.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I avoided the Assassin's Creed franchise because of all the hype so my opinion was shaped as a reaction to other people rather than my own, which can't be all that good. I have since played and fallen in love with AC2.

If you're anything like me, it'll be the last one that you will love

 

[Bofus Teefus]

Come on over, sit your ass down, and let Uncle Bofus tell you about a little game called Dead Island.

The Pre-Hype

About two years before the first commercial came out, I saw it on GameSpot. It was not yet far enough along to where I had the sense of what kind of gameplay it would have, but there was enough to give the impression that it would be a creepy survival-horror type game. Since I tend to eat those up, I followed the updates on it... most of which were uninformative, but they gave enough to keep it interesting. I knew it was going to be a zombie game set on some kind of lush tropical island.

The point of the pre-hype? I was pumped before most of us knew it existed, priming me for the hype-hype.

The Hype

Here. See if you remember this.


Once this trailer released, it was all I heard about from my gamer friends, most of whom had no knowledge of the game prior to the trailer. It was going to be the best game ever, blah blah blah. I saw the trailer and got excited, but I always have reservations about game trailers with no gameplay. Still, leading up to release, I heard more and more about it, and it was a title that I bought on release day along with many people who I play with.

The Game

...Was a piece of crap. Note- I got it on 360, and there was a different load of crap between 360, PS3, and Steam.

I was mostly happy with the Island area at the start of the game. If The game quality hadn't fallen apart as things progressed, I'd have stuck with my initial 4/5 rating. The problems arose after my character hit level 20 or so, and the faster-moving zombies (who leveled up as you did) started to glitch through me repeatedly, making them disproportionately deadly once they got to me. That was irritating, and brought the game down to about a 2/5, but I kept playing.

In the second area, which I nicknamed Craptown after the way it was rendered, my friends and I encountered a few progress-ending glitches while playing multiplayer. Doors that didn't open on queue during missions, causing us to have to re-start the entire mission. I kept playing...

I finally gave up in the third area, when my mission marker was trying to lead me through a closed door, and I was sinking through the ground on an incline. Stopped playing, haven't finished (though I will someday), and give it roughly a 0/5. Now when I see Deep Silver and/or Techland as developers, I know not to buy unless it's in the bargain bin.