Bleed_DukeBlue
* 11-Apr-2023(#1)
Have you ever had a game you really wanted to like, anticipated, put a bunch of time in, but never beat? What happened?
I had this happen to me recently (and it rarely does), so it got me thinking. I loved the first NES and SNES Zelda games as a kid. I even rented a Nintendo for my birthday present from my family as a kid (since we didn’t have game systems) to play the first Zelda game. Ocarina of Time was a game changer. (You got to ride a horse!)
When I bought Breath of the Wild, I was really excited about it, because I hadn’t owned a Nintendo system since the N64 until I bought a Switch. Plus, it was so well-received by the media and everyone I knew who played it.
Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. It felt like every time I started to have fun, something got in the way. I started to explore everywhere only to be blocked by weather or stamina or something else that required wandering off trying to find the right clothing or recipe to continue. I looked for shrines and quests only to get lost repeatedly, get stuck on one of the million puzzles, or run into enemies I couldn’t beat yet. I tried to get stronger, but every good weapon I obtained broke in a few hits, and killing enemies didn’t give you experience or skills (aside from the divine beasts), so, although the shrines provided hearts and stamina, the incentive to fight any of the enemies just wasn’t there. I could definitely beat it if I put in more time, but after about 30 hours without much of a story to motivate me, it just felt like way too much effort for the amount of tedium.
Ever had a game go like this for you?
Anxiouz
11-Apr-2023(#2)Breath of the Wild hit me the same way, I just couldn't get into it. Yet I'm fine to watch my son tool around doing odd things and it's pretty interesting. But when I'm in control it doesn't hook me, I've tried on 3 occasions to give it a go. *shrug*
What I found was that BotW drove me to try Immortals Fenyx Rising instead, which I loved. You can look out and see a ton to do without even moving, and that helped drive me forward more than the find-your-own-fun nature of BotW.
Bleed_DukeBlue
11-Apr-2023(#3)I enjoyed Immortals Fenyx Rising too. That reminds me that I still need to go back and play the DLC for that.
Bleed_DukeBlue
11-Apr-2023(#6)I had the same experience with that one. I beat it, but it was disappointing.
Gypsy wrote:> Mario Odyssey. Maybe the Mario magic is lost for me now but it just wasn't fun for
> me to play.
Gypsy
11-Apr-2023(#7)Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:> I had the same experience with that one. I beat it, but it was disappointing.
>
> Gypsy wrote:
>> Mario Odyssey. Maybe the Mario magic is lost for me now but it just wasn't fun
> for
>> me to play.
I don't remember how far I got but it wasn't that long. Maybe a few hours. Felt like I was checklisting so I was like nope and moved on to something else.
WithinTemptation
12-Apr-2023(#9)I really liked Odyssey. It's my favorite Mario game since Mario 64. I thought everything about it was great, felt allot like Mario 64, only allot more. My only complaint is you can just buy moons. I still tried to figure out how to get them all, but sometimes I'd just buy some to move on to the next level. I eventually found them all, but many were well after I completed the story.
Sea of thieves is a games that I've put 20 or so hours into, its kinda fun, but then I get bored really fast. I'm not sure if they changed anything but the fact that all the weapons feel super weak and there is no upgrades gives me no incentive to keep playing. Its like I earn all this loot but nothing but cosmetic stuff to use it on. It took me like 3 hours to complete 1 of the beginner quest with these metal skeletons as just 1 enemy would take like all my ammo then I'd need to lap around the island and find more, then repeat the process for all 50 of them. I have no idea what the story is about or what is going on. And the time it takes to get from island to island really makes the game drag on after a while.
Astroneer was another I just can't get into. I was hoping for a better No Man's Sky, but so far its just not for me.
Orlandu
12-Apr-2023(#10)The Mario + Rabbids sequel was a big dud for me. The overworld was a chore to explore and the battles didn't feel as well thought out as the original game. I bailed out in the ice world. A shame because the original is one of my favorite Switch games.
SupremeSarna
12-Apr-2023(#11)I was turned off by the first trailer for Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but the final trailer looked much better. So I bought the game, played 40 hours, and got bored. The path I chose wasn’t interesting me, the game expects you to play tons of optional fluff in order to recruit useful characters, and I was misled about the context of the main character of my route—Blue Lions does not have you side with a diabolical villain as I’d hoped, just a disgraced hero having a bad day. I was also playing the famously long Persona 5 at the time, and a new school semester started up, too. So I put it down and never felt compelled to return to it.
Humorously, to this day, my cousin is disappointed I dropped it, even though he was the one encouraging me to play Persona 5 and continue my education. But I’ve got better stuff to do than play a lengthy RPG that didn’t click with me the first time.
Bleed_DukeBlue
12-Apr-2023(#12)That’s unfortunate about the sequel. I was surprised by how much I liked the first one. I bought it for $10 with no expectations and thought the gameplay was a blast.
Orlandu wrote:> The Mario + Rabbids sequel was a big dud for me. The overworld was a chore to explore
> and the battles didn't feel as well thought out as the original game. I bailed out
> in the ice world. A shame because the original is one of my favorite Switch games.
Gypsy
12-Apr-2023(#13)SupremeSarna wrote:> I was turned off by the first trailer for Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but the final
> trailer looked much better. So I bought the game, played 40 hours, and got bored.
> The path I chose wasn’t interesting me, the game expects you to play tons of optional
> fluff in order to recruit useful characters, and I was misled about the context of
> the main character of my route—Blue Lions does not have you side with a diabolical
> villain as I’d hoped, just a disgraced hero having a bad day. I was also playing
> the famously long Persona 5 at the time, and a new school semester started up, too.
> So I put it down and never felt compelled to return to it.
>
> Humorously, to this day, my cousin is disappointed I dropped it, even though he was
> the one encouraging me to play Persona 5 and continue my education. But I’ve got
> better stuff to do than play a lengthy RPG that didn’t click with me the first
> time.
>
>
Big Fire Emblem fan but the newer ones are honestly too long. Though maybe I'm a medium fan at this point. Love everything pre-Fates, after that mehhh.
DarkFact
* 12-Apr-2023(#14)WithinTemptation wrote:> I really liked Odyssey. It's my favorite Mario game since Mario 64. I thought everything
> about it was great, felt allot like Mario 64, only allot more. My only complaint
> is you can just buy moons. I still tried to figure out how to get them all, but
> sometimes I'd just buy some to move on to the next level. I eventually found them
> all, but many were well after I completed the story.
I think the moons you can buy count towards 100%? Not sure, can't remember if they're limited, maybe they aren't. It's fine, bit of a cheat for people to cheese the star count if they need to.
WithinTemptation
12-Apr-2023(#17)DarkFact wrote:> WithinTemptation wrote:
>> I really liked Odyssey. It's my favorite Mario game since Mario 64. I thought
> everything
>> about it was great, felt allot like Mario 64, only allot more. My only complaint
>> is you can just buy moons. I still tried to figure out how to get them all, but
>> sometimes I'd just buy some to move on to the next level. I eventually found
> them
>> all, but many were well after I completed the story.
>
> I think the moons you can buy count towards 100%? Not sure, can't remember if they're
> limited, maybe they aren't. It's fine, bit of a cheat for people to cheese the star
> count if they need to.
Been a while but I think it caps at 999 so even when you get the legit moons the counter won't increase. The bought moons don't count for 100%, but they allow you to access everything in the game without really playing it. There was this balloon game they added that made coins really easy.
Alaisiagae
12-Apr-2023(#18)Afrika. I want to finish it, but it's rather tedious. I think it was ahead of its time - make it for PS4 or PS5 and it'd look better and run faster. It's got the slowest loading time for the main menu of any PS3 game - even any PS2 game - that I've ever played.
God of War Ascension. I loved the other games, and while the graphics are superb for a PS3 game, the combat and story felt unrewarding.
Folklore. Really tried to like it, but it didn't click for me. Gave it a second chance, and quit at roughly the same spot as my first foray into the game.
Dragon Age. Just didn't click with me, despite all the rave reviews. It would have been something I would have enjoyed a decade earlier, but my tastes changed.
KCPenguins
12-Apr-2023(#20)Fite Emblem 3 Houses seems popular in this thread and fits the bill for me, but honestly I had major reservations before it released based on the changes to the series.
Stardew Valley was another one. Too many comparisons to Animal Crossing, too much like Harvest Moon.
Many great jRPGs. I can't stand static turn based fighting. Sad as there are many games that seem like a great premise/world. I've played Chrono Trigger, FFVII, FFIII, Earthbound, and many others. Only ones I mildly enjoyed changed up fighting or had a world I already enjoyed. Mario RPG, Legend of Legaia, Parasite Eve, KotOR.
Witcher 3. Had so much going for it. Put 35+ hours into it. Gerault felt like an NPC, such a boring character imo. Not really a fan of that fantasy realm. Same for Skyrim.
I finished RDR II, but it was a chore. They totally messed up the main story. Felt damn near like a rail shooter at times. Pause to loot more than two bodies, mission failed. Go a route they didn't intend, mission failed. Such a beautiful open world, such a shame they locked you down main game. RDR1 was my #2 game all time. I expected the sequel to contend for #1. Not on the radar due to the main story.
Orlandu
12-Apr-2023(#21)@Bleed_DukeBlue If you haven't played the DLC for the first I strongly recommend it. The Donkey Kong characters really change up the game in a fun way.
Bleed_DukeBlue
12-Apr-2023(#22)Nice! I’ll have to circle back to that at some point.
Orlandu wrote:> @Bleed_DukeBlue If you haven't played the DLC for the first I strongly recommend
> it. The Donkey Kong characters really change up the game in a fun way.
tonymack21
13-Apr-2023(#23)TalonJedi87 wrote:> I’m sure there’s more but these are the ones that immediately come to mind below
> for me:
>
> Bravely Default- too long for me but I liked the unique attack / defend turn based
> combat system.
>
> Kingdom Come: Deliverance - too buggy and takes a while to get into for my liking.
>
>
> Crusader Kings III - too confusing for my simpleton brain.
>
> Fire Emblem: Three Houses - didn’t have the time to commit to it over other games
> in my backlog plus I’m not big on strategy grid based games although I like some
> of the characters in the Fire Emblem series.
>
> X-Com - although I enjoy the heck out of Mario and Rabbids which is a similar style
> of gameplay but a lot more simplified, X-Com games are a little too unforgiving
> to me in regards to losing and rotating team members too quickly for my tastes.
>
> Final Fantasy X and VII (OG) - just never got around to finishing them. X I got stuck
> at one of the Sin boss fights and had to grind to level up and got bored and never
> went back. The OG VII I just never finished but still have it on my bucket list on
> PS4 to complete.
>
> Cuphead- I just don’t feel like breaking another controller.
lol 3 of my top 5 games of all time are on this list.
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#25)tonymack21 wrote:> No mans sky for what it was at launch and kingdom come deliverance are two that come
> to mind quick. i tried no mans sky again a few months ago and while its way improved
> its still not what it was said to be and what i was hoping for. KCD was just hella
> buggy and unplayable on console, may someday give it another go on pc i hear its
> far better.
I'm glad i waited a year to play No Man's Sky. I actually had to uninstall it because i was playing it too much. I wish it had a deeper storymode, but other than that it was pure relaxation game. I'd put my synthwave/sci fi soundtrack playlist on spotify and just explore and build and colonize and all that jazz.
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#26)My Xbox just pooped the bed, so i've been catching up on PS4 exclusives and stuff on Playstation Premium.
I put 4 hours into the Final Fantasty 7 remake and uninstalled it. I tried both combat systems and neither one was doing it for it. I wish it has PURE turn based combat like the original game.
Recent open world games i pick up, i put maybe 15-20 hours into them and then i lose interest.
Oh! The Evil Within, i put a couple hours in, followed upgrade guides etc, once invisible enemies showed up, i noped the fudge out of that game. I DID play and beat the sequel, that was slightly more accessible than the first game.
I understand the X-Com hate but i wish there were more modern games like it. I want a tactical, turn based, non JRPG basically haha.
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#28)DarkFact wrote:> XCOM is great. New to it but I played it a lot the last six months
Check out Gears Tactics and Mutant Year Zero.
I don't even like the Gears of War games, but i LOVED tactics, played through it twice. Both above mentioned games are the closest to the "recent" XCom games.
Marvel Midnight Sons is a spiritual successor to the XCom games, just as addictive, its just missing the grid system, thats my only complaint.
Bleed_DukeBlue
13-Apr-2023(#30)I loved Hades. I got the platinum and probably beat it over 100 times before I moved on. Then again, I like roguelites.
Heavyd814life wrote:> Damn, so many of the games listed here are in like my top 20 all time. Makes me sad.
>
>
> I can’t think of any that stand out because I have this annoying need to finish
> every game I start. It’s a problem. The only game that comes to mind is Hades since
> I only completed two runs and didn’t actually see the credits. Supergiant is one
> of my favorite developers and I wanted to love this game as much as I loved Transistor
> and Bastion, but roguelikes aren’t really my jam. It’s a cool game, but I definitely
> didn’t enjoy it as much as other people did or as much as I hoped I would.
>
>
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#31)I gotta give Hades another go. I love rogue-lites. I couldn't get into it.
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#33)TalonJedi87 wrote:> Hades I got through once, beat Hades' butt and called myself a winner, not the 40
> something odd times they said to get the "true" ending, so I guess add that in my
> list as well for not 100% completing.
That reminds me of Slay the Spire. I think I've "beaten" that game 50+ times but is it possible to kill the heart?
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#35)TalonJedi87 wrote:> We’re winners when the credits roll for the first time in my eyes!
yes, i like that
DarkFact
* 13-Apr-2023(#36)Simon_Belmont wrote:> TalonJedi87 wrote:
>> Hades I got through once, beat Hades' butt and called myself a winner, not the
> 40
>> something odd times they said to get the "true" ending, so I guess add that in
> my
>> list as well for not 100% completing.
>
> That reminds me of Slay the Spire. I think I've "beaten" that game 50+ times but
> is it possible to kill the heart?
ye. Ascension is the real hard bit. Eventually you'll unlock a way to collect keys during your run, pick up the three keys by meeting requirements and you'll get to the real fight with the Heart. Then just do it 20+ times with each character as it gets progressively harder even though your tools more or less stagnate!
You'll find that generally speaking a normal deck isn't going to clear the run, you need a deck that's broken in one or more ways, not just "good", you need a deck where when you're playing it you're just like "Wow, this is fudgein' stupid" and even then, might not be enough.
imageI think I'm up to ascension... five or six on one or two characters, maybe? I think I'm one of the worst players on the site that discusses it honestly. I do not believe you need to kill the heart to move up to the next ascension, but it's been so long I forgot.
Simon_Belmont
13-Apr-2023(#37)Jesus. I have 105 hours (and 43 minutes) on console and haven't even heard of ascension.
nonamesleft
* 13-Apr-2023(#38)Pokémon Legends Arceus.
I was excited for this game. An open world style Pokemon game? Yes please. As it is, I felt like the mainstream Pokemon games weren't really grabbing my attention anymore, so I was excited for a spin-off.
But after a couple of hours, I realized that I simply wasn't enjoying it. Every time I played it, it felt forced. I decided to move on and not continue. Perhaps someday I'll go back to it, but that day isn't today.
I really wanted to enjoy it.
And the repetitive tasks weren't helping either. Things like watch shinx use bite, watch Shinx use bite 2 times, then 4, etc.
Sneak up on a starly and catch it, then do this 2 times, then 4, etc.
Why would they implement something so repetitive and, in my opinion, boring.
Big disappointment for me. I'm sure others enjoyed it, and that's okay. But when I tried it, definitely didn't do it for me.
DarkFact
* 15-Apr-2023(#39)Simon_Belmont wrote:> Jesus. I have 105 hours (and 43 minutes) on console and haven't even heard of ascension.
>
Don't think you unlock the keys until you reach the heart with all three original classes, might be it. Once you've got the keys you can have the real fight with the heart, you basically have to purposely get into a more difficult midboss fight, take a key instead of resting once aaaaaaaaand... there's a chest where you'll be presented with a relic or a key, you take the key. You've got three acts to do those three things before you reach the heart!
Kommie
16-Apr-2023(#40)Dragon's Dogma - I should like this, but find it so dull and boring. Tried it a couple of different times, same result of dropping it.
flamingtoastjpn
16-Apr-2023(#41)Pleasantly (un)surprised to see so many people say Fire Emblem Three Houses
I own and have played all of them to some degree except for Engage (I just haven’t had time yet), and I seriously dislike FE3H. I loved Echoes and Fates Conquest so this one was a real surprise for me.
It’s just really weird, on the surface FE3H should be a great game. Weapon triangle is back. The maps and game mechanics have some strategic depth. I wasn’t too impressed with Hard but I gave it another shot after they added Maddening and the game is incredibly difficult on Maddening, so two thumbs up there.
But the pacing is so. god. damn. slow. I couldn’t stand the “school” sections. I never made it to the timeskip and currently don’t plan on picking it up again.
Kommie
16-Apr-2023(#42)flamingtoastjpn wrote:> Pleasantly (un)surprised to see so many people say Fire Emblem Three Houses
>
> I own and have played all of them to some degree except for Engage (I just haven’t
> had time yet), and I seriously dislike FE3H. I loved Echoes and Fates Conquest so
> this one was a real surprise for me.
>
> It’s just really weird, on the surface FE3H should be a great game. Weapon triangle
> is back. The maps and game mechanics have some strategic depth. I wasn’t too impressed
> with Hard but I gave it another shot after they added Maddening and the game is incredibly
> difficult on Maddening, so two thumbs up there.
>
> But the pacing is so. god. damn. slow. I couldn’t stand the “school” sections.
> I never made it to the timeskip and currently don’t plan on picking it up again.
Everything has to copy Persona with JRPGs now, it seems.
flamingtoastjpn
* 16-Apr-2023(#44)> Everything has to copy Persona with JRPGs now, it seems.
Yeah, and my only real gripe with the Persona series is that the games tend to overstay their welcome.
I friggin love persona 2, but me and my dumb ego decided to try and open the treasure room in the underwater dungeon and now I’m almost 90 hours in, nowhere near done, and it’s been sitting in my backlog for like a year 😬
The time to clear on persona 5 is so legendary at this point I’m not sure I’ll ever even start it haha
SupremeSarna
16-Apr-2023(#45)Also, can lengthy RPGs knock it off with the "play through it 3+ times to see everything" nonsense? FE3H has four 80-hour routes plus a DLC campaign, and you can't tell people you've beaten the game if you haven't played through all of them. It's just a pain.
Also, big ups to the execs to decided to release a fun war game where you run a school during the summer months when its target audience wants to forget about their upcoming real-life school semester. Great timing on that one, heh.
Gypsy
16-Apr-2023(#46)flamingtoastjpn wrote:> Pleasantly (un)surprised to see so many people say Fire Emblem Three Houses
>
> I own and have played all of them to some degree except for Engage (I just haven’t
> had time yet), and I seriously dislike FE3H. I loved Echoes and Fates Conquest so
> this one was a real surprise for me.
>
> It’s just really weird, on the surface FE3H should be a great game. Weapon triangle
> is back. The maps and game mechanics have some strategic depth. I wasn’t too impressed
> with Hard but I gave it another shot after they added Maddening and the game is incredibly
> difficult on Maddening, so two thumbs up there.
>
> But the pacing is so. god. damn. slow. I couldn’t stand the “school” sections.
> I never made it to the timeskip and currently don’t plan on picking it up again.
I wasn't too big on Echoes/Fates but I certainly actually beat them which is more than I can say for 3H.
flamingtoastjpn
16-Apr-2023(#47)SupremeSarna wrote:> Also, can lengthy RPGs knock it off with the "play through it 3+ times to see everything"
> nonsense? FE3H has four 80-hour routes plus a DLC campaign, and you can't tell people
> you've beaten the game if you haven't played through all of them. It's just a pain.
>
I felt this in my bones when I finished SMT Strange Journey on the neutral route. The other two routes seemed cool but starting over twice in Fornax sounded like a grind and a half lol. Apparently the remake has even more endings.
Gypsy
16-Apr-2023(#49)SupremeSarna wrote:> Also, can lengthy RPGs knock it off with the "play through it 3+ times to see everything"
> nonsense? FE3H has four 80-hour routes plus a DLC campaign, and you can't tell people
> you've beaten the game if you haven't played through all of them. It's just a pain.
>
> Also, big ups to the execs to decided to release a fun war game where you run a
> school during the summer months when its target audience wants to forget about
> their upcoming real-life school semester. Great timing on that one, heh.
>
>
If I'm doing all routes I'm just cheating after the first tbh.
Yoshi
16-Apr-2023(#50)Everything Vanillaware has developed falls into this for me. They are gorgeous games, but I have yet to really enjoy playing any of them with the half-hearted exception of Dragon's Crown.
SupremeSarna
16-Apr-2023(#51)I wanted to love Octopath Traveler. I did beat it, but I felt underwhelmed in a lot of places, and the stories are pretty vanilla or half-baked. Take a shot every time a jerk turns out to be helpful or a trusted ally betrays you. You'll be too drunk to defeat the Redeye!
Simon_Belmont
16-Apr-2023(#52)Just now, Killzone Shadows Fall. For a 10 year old shooter it is ahead of its time in so many areas but Holy crap there is something derpy in engine. Random ledge falls, glitchy stealth and item pickup, the regenerating enemy mechanic is real dumb. Also my thumbs constantly hit the touch bar changing the powers of OWL mid combat. It has everything that I should love; slightly open world combat missions that give you just enough freedom to play it your way without it being too much. Plus the graphics are great, the story and soundtrack were great (up to my quitting point) and the guns were well done and the enemies were just challenging enough. Oh well, another PS Exclusive off the shelf.
Gypsy
17-Apr-2023(#53)Yoshi wrote:> Everything Vanillaware has developed falls into this for me. They are gorgeous games,
> but I have yet to really enjoy playing any of them with the half-hearted exception
> of Dragon's Crown.
Big same. A lot of style and not much substance.
Simon_Belmont
17-Apr-2023(#54)Gypsy wrote:> Yoshi wrote:
>> Everything Vanillaware has developed falls into this for me. They are gorgeous
> games,
>> but I have yet to really enjoy playing any of them with the half-hearted exception
>> of Dragon's Crown.
>
> Big same. A lot of style and not much substance.
They did 2 PS2 games that i really dug at the time..GrimGrimoire...and something else
Simon_Belmont
17-Apr-2023(#55)SupremeSarna wrote:> I wanted to love Octopath Traveler. I did beat it, but I felt underwhelmed in a lot
> of places, and the stories are pretty vanilla or half-baked. Take a shot every time
> a jerk turns out to be helpful or a trusted ally betrays you. You'll be too drunk
> to defeat the Redeye!
>
>
What's the combat like in it? I've been meaning to give it a shot.
ued222
* 17-Apr-2023(#56)Cyberpunk, , Atomic Heart, Saints Row so many games I gave up on for various reasons. Honestly I buy way to many games and I dislike the majority of them. Tron Legacy was a quick refund thank you Steam for your easy refund policies and Gamepass for your cheap games.
jgrant78
17-Apr-2023(#57)Atomic Heart. Wanted to love it, but the puzzles aren't intuitive and the controls are just so clunky especially anytime you have to do anything with platforming.
Scott
19-Apr-2023(#60)DarkFact wrote:> I thought Odyssey was a blast! The world after the desert had a fudging slammin
> overworld theme, least I think it was after the desert. It was the forest world
Yes! That theme is amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy8RqDyorLg DarkFact
19-Apr-2023(#61)Scott wrote:> DarkFact wrote:
>> I thought Odyssey was a blast! The world after the desert had a fudging slammin
>> overworld theme, least I think it was after the desert. It was the forest world
>
> Yes! That theme is amazing!
>
image SupremeSarna
19-Apr-2023(#62)Ring Fit Adventure. It's an exercise game, sure, but I was hoping it would be a little better than it ended up being, especially for the price.
