Subjectively "good" games you could not get into.

[rokaraged]

What were some critically acclaimed games that everyone else loved that you didn't? Perhaps they weren't your cup of tea or they had mechanics that just didn't really interest you?

I have two games I just couldn't force myself to like.

Guild Wars 2: I played the first one for hundreds of hours. There was nothing more satisfying in making a unique skill set and having it all synergize well. The 2nd iteration though felt like a huge step backwards in the skill builder. Having to grind 80 levels with the same 5 weapon skills? That felt absolutely horrible.

Path of Exile: I',M probably going to get burned at the stake for this, but not only did I like Torchlight more than this game, but I enjoyed D3 more as well. The combat just felt much slower and less energetic than the other two arpgs. I can see why people love this game because of the massive skill builder, but everything else, the story, the combat, atmosphere, the characters felt quite generic.

 

[tippy2k2]

I'll start this off with a bang...

Skyrim
I can understand why people loved this game but I could not get into it at all. I've never been big into "open worlds" (since usually that just means I have to waste time crossing said world to do what I need to be doing) and the stealth, a game play style I always gravitate to, completely and utterly broke the game. I get that bandits are probably not the brightest bunch but when one grows an arrow in his head, the others should probably not chalk it up to their imagination five seconds after the fact...

Witcher 2
Game play was just utterly broken I thought. The only good way to fight was to roll around like an idiot, stab, then roll around some more. This is not an epic sword fight; this is me rolling around and confusing my enemies so much that it opens them up to stabbing. Not to mention that Geralt had the slowest animation ever to unsheathe his sword so I was constantly losing 1/4 of my health before the fight started because he takes a good three seconds to pull his damn sword out. Lastly, the whole "Use your potions wisely" thing was a bunch of BS since you can't use that stuff during battle and how would I know about the giant spiders coming up and that it would be a good time to use my "die spiders!" potion?

Fire Emblem: Awakening
I'm baffled that people think this is the best Fire Emblem game. The AI is piss poor (just send Frederick forward and let all the enemies jump onto his spear because they LOVE to attack him even though they do 0 damage) or it just plain cheats (fuck those "ambush spawn" things...seriously; the only time anyone really got killed was because of those). I did finish it so I suppose it did enough things right but I just don't get the 5/5 praise so many gave this game.

Dark Souls
I have one question for game developers: How can you ever ever ever ever EVER justify frame-rate lag and slowdown on a console game? You know the EXACT hardware that you are working with but that did not stop this game from being a technical mess. Depressing because I did enjoy Demon Souls but technical issues made me just plain give up on this game.

Is there anyone I haven't irked yet? I can keep going if I have to

 

[gamernerdtg2]

I'll start this off with a bang...

Skyrim
I can understand why people loved this game but I could not get into it at all. I've never been big into "open worlds" (since usually that just means I have to waste time crossing said world to do what I need to be doing) and the stealth, a game play style I always gravitate to, completely and utterly broke the game. I get that bandits are probably not the brightest bunch but when one grows an arrow in his head, the others should probably not chalk it up to their imagination five seconds after the fact...

Witcher 2
Game play was just utterly broken I thought. The only good way to fight was to roll around like an idiot, stab, then roll around some more. This is not an epic sword fight; this is me rolling around and confusing my enemies that it opens them up to stabbing. Not to mention that Geralt had the slowest animation ever to unsheathe his sword so I was constantly losing 1/4 of my health before the fight started because he takes a good three seconds to pull his damn sword out. Lastly, the whole "Use your potions wisely" thing was a bunch of BS since you can't use that stuff during battle and how would I know about the giant spiders coming up and that it would be a good time to use my "die spiders!" potion?

Fire Emblem: Awakening
I'm baffled that people think this is the best Fire Emblem game. The AI is piss poor (just send Frederick forward and let all the enemies jump onto his spear because they LOVE to attack him even though they do 0 damage) or it just plain cheats (fuck those "ambush spawn" things...seriously; the only time anyone really got killed was because of those). I did finish it so I suppose it did enough things right but I just don't get the 5/5 praise so many gave this game.

Dark Souls
I have one question for game developers: How can you ever ever ever ever EVER justify frame-rate lag and slowdown on a console game? You know the EXACT hardware that you are working with but that did not stop this game from being a technical mess. Depressing because I did enjoy Demon Souls but technical issues made me just plain give up on this game.

Is there anyone I haven't irked yet? I can keep going if I have to

I haven't tried Dark Souls yet, nor have I tried Witcher2. Skyrim is BS on a stick though. Aside from the open world gameplay, and the lore, I have no idea why that game exists. That's how strongly I feel about Skyrim.

I can't do any of the Metal Gear Solid games since playing the first game on PS1. Not into Metal Gear Soap Opera.

I can't seem to get into Final Fantasy. Cool characters (Sephiroth and Strife) but I hate the gameplay.

I'm not into most of the "big" games like Gears of War, Halo, or Bioshock. I'd say that those are "objectively" good games, but I'm not into them.

I lost interest in Mass Effect after beating the second game. Third game seemed like more of the same with the exception of the ending, which I'll have to go watch on YouTube b/c I have no desire to play Mass Effect 3.

If they change the gameplay for Dragon Age 3 I'd be into it - if they made it more real time strategy instead of real time button mashing, I'd be into it. But fans of Dragon Age 1 were complaining about the real time combat from part2, so we're likely to get another boring turn based game with phenomenal graphics and story.

I have a long list, but I'm stopping there.

 

[Machocruz]

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

I'm often tempted to call this the worst RPG I've played, or one of the worst. But the genre is full of truly awful product, so that wouldn't be fair. But I would call Oblivion one of the dumbest WRPGs I have ever played. I played deeper, more complex, and more nuanced RPGs in the late 80s and the 90s, which is kind of sad. Having played Morrowind, Daggerfall, Ultima series, and a few other notable open world RPGs, I found Oblivion to be highly un-interesting and lazy, when it wasn't just plain poorly technically executed. Dumbing do- oh, I'm sorry, 'streamlining' can work, but only if the remaining or new choices are as interesting as the ones taken away. Here, they weren't. Not by a damn sight.

Uncharted 2

Good for what it is, which is a simple minded, easy shooter-platformer, but not the 7th generation masterwork it's touted as, at least in my opinion. Maybe I'm a natural contrarian, but I thought the least interesting parts were the ones people raved about, like the train set-piece. The tank assault on the village was so much more intense. Evading the tank while taking out goons, using Drake's traversal abilities, was the most mechanically satisfying part of the whole game. But except for that part, would not play again. It was a chore just to make it to that sequence.

God of War

The original game just felt like a not as fun mash-up of Sands of Time, Devil May Cry, and some other game I compared it to at the time but have forgotten. This series didn't hit its stride until GoW2. In general, combat is too mashy and simplistic to be seriously compared to DMC, NG, Godhand. It's no wonder all the skillful players I know of go for the challenge modes as soon as possible, as that's the only time this series can compete with the rigor of those games I mentioned.

Bioshock

Would have been pretty cool if I had not just played System Shock 2 prior. Just felt like a safer version of that game. I think it's a legitimately quality game otherwise, but after a point I just felt "Yeah, so that's Bioshock," and didn't feel the need to continue playing.

 

[shrekfan246]

If they change the gameplay for Dragon Age 3 I'd be into it - if they made it more real time strategy instead of real time button mashing, I'd be into it. But fans of Dragon Age 1 were complaining about the real time combat from part2, so we're likely to get another boring turn based game with phenomenal graphics and story.

But the first game wasn't turn-based or button-mashy...

OT: God of War - I don't like how Kratos controls, and feel that the puzzles completely ruin the flow of the gameplay. Not to mention that II and III have batshit insane stories that are more generic revenge story than Greek tragedy.

The Last of Us - Now, I'll admit I haven't actually played the thing, but that's because there's not really anything about it that calls me toward needing to try it for myself. Same as the Uncharted series, actually. I'm relatively sure I'd enjoy it well enough if I played it, but I just can't muster up enough care to want to.

Most of the Mario franchise and Zelda franchise (with the notable exception of Wind Waker).

Metro 2033 - Mandatory broken stealth sections can go to hell. Considering the reputation the late-game amoeba have, I'm not all that disappointed about dropping the game pretty early in. Fantastic atmosphere and world-building though.

 

[thesexyoffender]

Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4

I think that the 1st game in the series was incredible, and the constant breaking of the 4th wall changed how I perceived video games forever. The second was also good, even if it was more of the same. Almost everything that I've read about the the franchise seems to hold the third game in the highest regard, but I just haven't been interested in the story, and found the game formulaic and have never played it for more than 2 - 3 hours.

Its the same with 4.

It may just be that I'm older now and have grown out of the games, o'r could be that the plentiful "stealth" games of the last generation have simply put me off that style of gameplay. I find it quite disapointing though considering how much i thought of Metal Gear Solid 1.

 

[Savo]

Uncharted 1.

Maybe it's because I played Uncharted 2 first and then went back to #1, but good lord this game did not age well. The-ridiculous bullet sponge enemies, poor level design, and brutal spikes in difficulty made it a chore to get through. Really made me appreciate the improvements they made in #2 and #3.

Witcher 1.

I have genuinely no idea why this has an 86 on Metacritic and is considered to be one of the best WRPGs in years. The combat system is an overly simplistic mess, what with the tapping your mouse to swing your sword, the writing makes most JRPGs look like fine literature in comparison, the quests are shallow and repetitive, the graphics and art style are generic and poorly done, and I think they got homeless people to do the voice acting.

Whew, that felt good to get off my chest. I don't mind other people enjoying it, I just don't think I'll ever understand the acclaim for it.

L.A Noire
Odd example, I did the entire murder desk in one night and it was one of the finest gaming experiences I had in a very long time, it was excellent, then we moved to Vice desk which was okay, but as soon as I reached the Arson desk, I really couldn't stomach how the story was going after that "revelation" so I stopped.

I know exactly what you mean. The writing was just great up until that point, I have no idea how they managed to so badly botch an important part of the story like that. There is no meaningful buildup to that twist, it just happens.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Witcher 2. God, could you stop going on about how "mature" and dark you are? Thanks.

The combat was alright, somehow a silver sword bounces off humans but ruins monsters all the same. Surely the silver sword could deal with everything? No they just wanted Gerald to look cool with two swords on his back I suppose.

The sheer amount of nonstop Grimdark the entire game was throwing at you was silly. Now I love good theming, really I do. All my favourite games have exceptional theming (Persona 4, Ace Attorney) but it's like Witcher 2 forgot what subtlety is and decided to remind us how dark and gritty their world is by making people swear all the time and you can't walk down the street without someone bragging about his latest rape.

It's pretty much a slap in the face every 30 seconds to make sure we're paying attention

Oh and Skyrim. I couldn't care less about your "immersive" expensive open world if there is nothing we can do with it. The conversation system is a joke, nothing more than a "press A to continue the quest" button and being the head of every single organisation ever means fuck all. For an open world it's ironically very constrictive.

If I want some open world game I could roleplay in I will stick with New Vegas. It's a testament to how good that game is when I make a character who was basically a pissed off sociopath with a shotgun and didn't break the story. Literally walked into any room and with the slightest excuse just shot everyone and walked out.

Plot "Unconscious lol" armour be damned.

 

[The_Lost_King]

Fire Emblem: Awakening
I'm baffled that people think this is the best Fire Emblem game. The AI is piss poor (just send Frederick forward and let all the enemies jump onto his spear because they LOVE to attack him even though they do 0 damage) or it just plain cheats (fuck those "ambush spawn" things...seriously; the only time anyone really got killed was because of those). I did finish it so I suppose it did enough things right but I just don't get the 5/5 praise so many gave this game.

Is there anyone I haven't irked yet? I can keep going if I have to

The reason people(or atleast me and my friends) say Fire Emblem Awakening is amazing is not because of the combat, sure it was kind of fun and all, but the real star of the show was the story and characters. The interactions with your teammates and their interactions with eachother are what made this game one of my favorite games of all time. I can't tell you why people thought it was the best fire emblem because I never played any other Fire Emblems, all I can guess is the mechanics were good and they thought the story and characters were the best out of all the fe games.

you are going to have to keep going to irk me though. Everything you have said has been true and you didn't sound like a massive jackass while saying it, so I wasn't irked, just responding to your question.

OT: Dark Souls is the only one I can think of right now. I just can't get into it. I start die a couple times get mad and quit and then don't play it. I don't understand exactly why it vexes me more than any other hard game though. I think it might be the whole losing your souls after dying thing that gets to me. If I want a challenge I will go to a different game, like monster hunter, love me my monster hunter.

 

[Directionless]

Skyrim. Such an incredibly boring and lifeless game.

Dark Souls. Didn't really enjoy the combat, and nothing about the game interested me at all.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

GTA San Andreas - It's a great, fun game. Not a moment of boredom. But it plays and feels too much like every other GTA game I ever played. I sort of stopped playing and wallowed into different games without even noticing.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Witcher 2 for me as well. The weird thing is not only is it widely praised but, if you were to look at it on paper, it's by all rights a game I should have loved. On actually playing it. however, I just couldn't get into it at all. The graphical style did nothing for me, and I found the combat just too clunky to enjoy.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I got done with the first mission, got out into the city to explore for the first time and after that, I just kinda dropped it. Felt too... restricted I guess.

Also, 2D games. A whole lot of them can't keep my attention for more than 10 mins. Only one so far that's been able to do this has been Super Smash Bros.

 

[Daniel Janhagen]

I actually like the Witcher games (both of them), except for the gameplay and the characters, which is unfortunately a huge part of a game's appeal for me. So those, I guess.

Fallout 1 & 2: I can see the quality. I can tell it's good. I should like them a lot. I think the problem is they're too good at making me feel "post apocalyptic" - I get totally depressed playing them. Did manage to finish the second one, but I'm not going back there!

Beyond Good & Evil has pretty much the same issues the Witcher games have for me. Jade/Geralt is just so dull and uninteresting!

Rayman, the first one. I don't know if that particular game was highly praised, but my experience with it has pretty much prevented me from getting into the new ones that are. I might even like them, I just can't really work up to giving them an honest chance.

Any of the "main" Mario games in 3D. Neither the controls nor graphics do much for me. 2D Mario, though, is still awesome, and I do enjoy the Mario sports games (Smash Football, Tennis, Kart), but I suspect that is more due to the "party" thing they have going. Doing stuff with a bunch of friends can make most things seem fun.

 

[EyeReaper]

Well, I'll admit, I despise shadow of the colossus. That's not to say I don't understand why people love it, but it just doesn't work for me. Sure, it looks great, but so does Avatar, and that movie wasn't very good either. besides, if I want to feel like an inconsequential speck crawling over giant animals and stabbing them, I'd just watch Attack on Titan, or play Mr. Mosquito. Then again, I don't really like either of those, so... moot point, or whatever.
My biggest problem though, is what a lot of people seem to like, the complete lack of story. Who is wander? why does he want to save Ms. Comatose? doesn't matter, kill more giants and feel bad about it.

 

[Evonisia]

Skyrim and Morrowind: The former I just found too dull and I've never really been able to pinpoint why. Besides it's bugs there's nothing too hideous about it but I just wasn't invested in it. I rushed through to the end of the main quest, haven't been able to play for more than half an' hour since. Morrowind, too I just couldn't get into. I think the murky art style is probably what turned me off, and the bizarre combat.

GTA V: Meh, it made some improvements over GTA IV (like actually being playable) but I wasn't really getting into the story or the characters. I've never really been a fan of GTA's gameplay either, I've always preferred the better flowing Saints Row gameplay.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Borderlands was bored me to the point that I didn't even give its sequel a chance. Apparently the second one improves upon the first in every way but I just couldn't stick with Borderlands while I had rented it.

Resident Evil 4...I tried it for a while and had a bit of fun but I just couldn't stay engaged. I'll probably retract this at some point in the future when I try it again.

Sports sims in general like Madden and Fifa. No interest whatsoever.

Modern-War shooters in general for their lack of dinosaurs and, levity...and bosses.