Great games that you hate? Awful games that you love?

[+davidcalgary29]

Halo. Played half an hour of it on the original Xbox, and then just put it away...and never played it again.

 

Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3 were massive disappointments for me. I did really like Mass Effect 2, though.

 

GTA: Vice City really started to bore me after the first three missions. I might have found it more compelling if I was within its target audience of thirteen year-old boys...

 

And I've never liked Pitfall!, which I first encountered on the A8. I was just expecting much more than a faithful port of the 2600 game on my massively superior 800.

 

I generally can't "love" terrible games...but I do love some terrible parts of great games. I spend an awful lot of time buying cassette tapes and capsule toys in Shenmue, and I enjoy grinding in Battlemorph. To each their own, I say!

[Reaperman]

I haven't managed to like any of the 3d marios or zeldas. Probably because those games are actually in the same genre with each other, rather than the genres of either of their 2d entries. The n64 incarnations are especially guilty of this, since those are practically the same game.

 

I think Deus Ex Invisible War (on xbox or pc) got a raw deal. I seem to recall people largely disliking it at the time, but today looking back at all the reviews done since launch, they seem to have balanced out over the years. Anyway, I loved its focus on making a smaller, more detailed world, and while I remember the ammo system annoyed a lot of people, not running out of stun darts was pretty nice. I will say at one point I did get one step too clever for the game, and was a little sad that it didn't reward me for that (wedging a box in the door in an attempt to grab some scientists gun, and also kill him, IIRC). Generally it did a good job with my box-foolery, though, allowing me to use them to block gold beams, etc.

 

That reminds me, I still have to play deus ex 'the fall'.--now that one still gets consistently bad reviews, so I might love it.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Reaperman

[Leeroy ST]

3 hours ago, turboxray said:

Why are you going to compare next? SMB3 to Balloon Fight? I think the concept of release games is lost on you. That's what "and".

Or the concept of "hindsight" and looking back are lost on you. Considering that's what this thread is about.

 

Imo, I found SMW didn't hold up like the others I listed. There's no complexity involved.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Leeroy ST

[turboxray]

2 hours ago, Leeroy ST said:

Or the concept of "hindsight" and looking back are lost on you. Considering that's what this thread is about.

 

Imo, I found SMW didn't hold up like the others I listed. There's no complexity involved.

Hmm...

"Great games that you hate?  Awful games that you love?"

 

"SMW paled in comparison to something like Mega Man X, Super Metroid, or even Kirby."

So "paled" - perfect past tense; action/decision (comparison) completed in the past. As in you made this judgement when these games were knew, back then. Not "pales".. with additional context of "out of games that have held up over time", etc. But that's implied, right? Got it. ?

[Leeroy ST]

9 hours ago, turboxray said:

Hmm...

"Great games that you hate?  Awful games that you love?"

 

"SMW paled in comparison to something like Mega Man X, Super Metroid, or even Kirby."

So "paled" - perfect past tense; action/decision (comparison) completed in the past. As in you made this judgement when these games were knew, back then. Not "pales".. with additional context of "out of games that have held up over time", etc. But that's implied, right? Got it. ?

Yes, and i believed in the past SMW paled in comparison to the others listed(I mentioned this before too), get over it with your poor attempts at strawmen.

 

SMW is considered a great game, I don't agree.

 

 

[zzip]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:00 AM, Pokeypy said:

What? It's one of my favourites. Ok, it's not like Pitfall II (especially not as huge), but think of it: The game idea, gameplay, graphics, sound - it's all just about perfect. Great game!

I think it's because HERO game came out right after Pitfall II that I was expecting much more than it delivered.   If I played this first, I might have had a different opinion.

[turboxray]

8 hours ago, Leeroy ST said:

Yes, and i believed in the past SMW paled in comparison to the others listed(I mentioned this before too), get over it with your poor attempts at strawmen.

 

SMW is considered a great game, I don't agree.

 

 

It's not strawman. You literally back peddle your statements every time you get called out on stuff; "actually I meant this <>. Can't you read?".. when clearly you didn't haha. You've done this on other threads. I don't give a crap if anyone "likes" SMW or not. I'm just calling people out when I see ridiculous statements (and you make them quite often). Like catpix statement; I get what they're saying.. it's too simplistic/not an upgrade to SMB3/doesn't show off the system.. whatever. But that does not equate to being/feeling "8bit". That's a lil bit absurd hahah.

[Leeroy ST]

2 hours ago, turboxray said:

It's not strawman. You literally back peddle your statements every time you get called out on stuff;

 

I didn't change anything. You're just being emotional and won't let go:

 

On 9/18/2021 at 1:27 PM, Leeroy ST said:

Even Nintendo didn't think SMW was too much of a jump from SMB3 on their new console.

 

Personally I didn't really care for any of them until Sunshine. Which still wasn't a great game but was fun.

 

But SMW paled in comparison to something like Mega Man X, Super Metroid, or even Kirby. Never got some of the hype select fans showered it with. 

 

 

 

Nothing has changed from the original post above. I'm sorry you're upset but nothing changed, there was no "backpedal", it's ok man. The opinion doesn't change regardless.

 

Just like you emotionally challenged Catpixs' opinion, you aren't changing his viewpoint either.

 

 

[CatPix]

3 hours ago, turboxray said:

 But that does not equate to being/feeling "8bit". That's a lil bit absurd hahah.

It's a feeling, not a statement. But for me, yeah, SMW was build like a big NES game. It's just a feeling, I don't have nor can justify it. It's just my explanation as to why I don't feel remotely impressed by SMW. You are absolutely right to disagree. But please don't turn that thread into a battlefield (Or do. It's not my thread). Obviously this thread will contain unpopular or odd opinions, it's kind of the idea.

Edited September 21, 2021 by CatPix

[Cynicaster]

I feel like I enjoy a lot of "lesser known" games that I've discovered through 10+ years of random exploration, but most of them probably don't qualify as "awful" so don't apply to this thread.  

 

I can definitely name some very highly-regarded games that I don't care for, especially classic arcade games.  Some super-popular arcade games that I don't care for:

 

Star Wars - without the IP it's just a lame rail shooter, IMO.  I loved it as a kid, but can't play it for more than 5 minutes now.  Cool controller, though.  

 

TMNT and Simpsons - named together because they're almost the exact same game.  Again, I feel like the IP carries these ones.  Loved them when I was 14, bore me to tears now.  Very shallow and mindless gameplay, IMO.

 

Moon Patrol - not terrible, but seems rather dull to me; can't get into it and never could

 

Wizard of Wor - of all the games on this list, it genuinely baffles me that lots of people actually like this 

 

Dig Dug - I can't even articulate why; maybe I just need to keep trying to like it and eventually I will

 

Galaga - love Galaxian and Galaga '88 but cannot get into this one no matter how hard I try

 

Joust - played it on the 2600 a fair bit as a kid but just don't find it remotely enjoyable anymore

 

 

For the more modern era, I'd say Uncharted 2 on PS3.  My buddy raved about it and let me borrow his copy after he finished it.  I forced myself to play through it and it was OK fun for a short time but eventually I found that I couldn't wait for it to end, to be honest.  This game basically convinced me that I'm wasting my time trying to like modern games, because I just don't connect with them.  I hate cut-scenes and games that mostly play themselves.  That was 2010 or so, and I haven't played a single other "modern" game of that style since.  

[zzip]

18 minutes ago, Cynicaster said:

Star Wars - without the IP it's just a lame rail shooter, IMO.  I loved it as a kid, but can't play it for more than 5 minutes now.  Cool controller, though.  

I was obsessed with it as a kid,  but find it pretty hard to play without that arcade controller, so I find it dull for that reason..   that plus it's since been exceeded by plenty of other space combat shooters.

 

20 minutes ago, Cynicaster said:

Dig Dug - I can't even articulate why; maybe I just need to keep trying to like it and eventually I will

This is one of those games that was great at the time due to the novelty of it,  specifically the digging mechanic.   Since then, other games have done it better, and I don't find it that much fun anymore.

 

22 minutes ago, Cynicaster said:

Wizard of Wor - of all the games on this list, it genuinely baffles me that lots of people actually like this

 

22 minutes ago, Cynicaster said:

Joust - played it on the 2600 a fair bit as a kid but just don't find it remotely enjoyable anymore

Both Wizard of Wor and Joust where among the few arcade games at the time that offered 2 player head-to-head gameplay,  so I think that boosted their popularity.   Also the flapping mechanic in Joust was new and unique.  Wizard of Wor was one of the first games that "talked", so that made it stand out.  It was a few years after that when digitized audio became common-place, and games using speech synthesizers were no longer impressive.

I don't find WoW that enjoyable anymore,  but I still do like Joust.   The 2600 is not the best place to play it though.

[Razzie.P]

3 hours ago, Cynicaster said:

TMNT and Simpsons - named together because they're almost the exact same game.  Again, I feel like the IP carries these ones.  Loved them when I was 14, bore me to tears now.  Very shallow and mindless gameplay, IMO.

 

 

Yeah, pretty much the same here, but I'd lump XMen in there, too.   I've never really thought either of those games were "good," but I've always enjoyed them because of A) the IP, and B) mindless button mashing fun with friends.

 

 

[Cynicaster]

20 hours ago, zzip said:

Both Wizard of Wor and Joust where among the few arcade games at the time that offered 2 player head-to-head gameplay,  so I think that boosted their popularity.   Also the flapping mechanic in Joust was new and unique.  Wizard of Wor was one of the first games that "talked", so that made it stand out.  It was a few years after that when digitized audio became common-place, and games using speech synthesizers were no longer impressive.

I don't find WoW that enjoyable anymore,  but I still do like Joust.   The 2600 is not the best place to play it though.

 

Good points - makes a lot of sense.  For me, I never spent any significant amount of time on the arcade versions of these games until adulthood, so the "novelty" of 2-player gameplay and speech did/does not factor into the equation for me, since these things have been commonplace for years.  

 

17 hours ago, Razzie.P said:

Yeah, pretty much the same here, but I'd lump XMen in there, too.   I've never really thought either of those games were "good," but I've always enjoyed them because of A) the IP, and B) mindless button mashing fun with friends.

 

 

Agreed - those are the factors that made me love these games when they were current.  And sure, on the (increasingly odd) occasion I have somebody who wants to play some arcade games with me, I'll gladly fire one of these up on my cabinet for a quick blast if the other person is into it (after all, both enthusiasm - and lack thereof - are contagious).

 

When the A1UP TMNT was announced and people in online groups were clamoring for it, I remember thinking those people should download MAME and play a few games of TMNT before dumping a few hundy on this cabinet because if their experience is anything close to mine, they will be rather shocked at how poorly the "magic" of these games translates from the early 1990's arcade to the 2020's home.  

 

 

 

[CatPix]

I found myself loving the home port of TMNT... when played with friends. Yes, played alone, it's a rather stale experience after a few rounds, but the game shine quite well with two players. In most cases. I wouldn't dump hundreds in a ready-made cab for home, but I can see people with retro gaming friends doing it for the kick. It works.

Edited September 24, 2021 by CatPix

[electricmastro]

Planet Monsters is probably of the more definitive examples of a guilty pleasure game.

 

 

[BawesomeBurf]

Hmm...Hate is a strong word. There are lots of great games I don't care for such as Zelda and Grand Theft Auto, but can't really think of any that I hate. The closest I can think of are the God Of War games. Mainly because everything's gotta be a QTE fest. I enjoy the actual gameplay and story, but those get ruined for me by the excessive overuse of QTEs.

[mbd39]

Mr. Do is a big improvement over Dig Dug, IMO. Much more interesting play mechanics.

[+GoldenWheels]

7 hours ago, BawesomeBurf said:

Hmm...Hate is a strong word. There are lots of great games I don't care for such as Zelda and Grand Theft Auto, but can't really think of any that I hate. The closest I can think of are the God Of War games. Mainly because everything's gotta be a QTE fest. I enjoy the actual gameplay and story, but those get ruined for me by the excessive overuse of QTEs.

What this guy said. I love the normal combat of GOW. Then when it turns into basically playing Simon....I completely lose interest. I don't HATE it...but....don't long to play it either.

 

JM2C, along those lines in a way, I never liked Devil May Cry. Never appreciated the stupid camera angles, and I am just not a fan of long set piece battles and the like. The core gameplay/combat is fun! But the overdone boss battles....not for me.

[zzip]

1 hour ago, mbd39 said:

Mr. Do is a big improvement over Dig Dug, IMO. Much more interesting play mechanics.

Amen,  The day I encountered Mr. Do in the arcade was the day I got bored with Dig Dug.    Most people don't seem to agree with me on that though

[NeonSpaceBeagle]

I can't stand story-driven games or games you can't turn narrators or human voices completely off.   I think this is why I was never able to get too much into online gaming... human voices ugh!

 

[Zoyous]

Tetris - I just don't like the physical feeling of stress this game gives me. It's the type of game you can't win, you can only stave off defeat for as long as possible. Now that's true of a lot of classic arcade-style games, but in the case of Tetris it seems much more stark. Just getting faster and faster until you reach the limits of human cognition isn't really brilliant gameplay design. And, recent "light show" versions aside, it's just about as visually unimaginative as can be. Its utter bleakness seems perfect, almost cliche, considering its Soviet origins.

 

Missile Command - This also has the "simply accelerate until impossible to play" game design, but with the added challenges of a time/space delay on your weapons making your agency in the game rather imprecise in spite of the trackball offering pixel-level control. The behavior of the "smart bomb" enemy is so unfair, it's almost humanly impossible to strike it. And the theme/meaning of the game is crushingly sad. Who wants to be bummed out this bad at the arcade?

[zzip]

4 minutes ago, NeonSpaceBeagle said:

I can't stand story-driven games or games you can't turn narrators or human voices completely off.   I think this is why I was never able to get too much into online gaming... human voices ugh!

The ones that drive me crazy are the ones that bombard you with text..   talk to a character, read a blob of text.  push a button-- more text  push the button again more text again and again and again.   I'm like "shut up already and let me play the game!!"   Often you can't even skip the text or speed it up.   Seems like Nintendo platforms get a lot of games like this.

[turboxray]

1 hour ago, Zoyous said:

Tetris - I just don't like the physical feeling of stress this game gives me. It's the type of game you can't win, you can only stave off defeat for as long as possible. Now that's true of a lot of classic arcade-style games, but in the case of Tetris it seems much more stark. Just getting faster and faster until you reach the limits of human cognition isn't really brilliant gameplay design. And, recent "light show" versions aside, it's just about as visually unimaginative as can be. Its utter bleakness seems perfect, almost cliche, considering its Soviet origins.

 

That's actually pretty funny haha. I never thought of it like that. But to be honest, you could probably apply that to every 70's and early 80's games. Maybe that's why I don't connect with those games.

[mbd39]

Tetris is a high score game, not a "beat the game" game. It's great for competition too.

 

Also, people  have thought they reached the limits in a game like Nintendo Tetris but players keep coming up with new techniques to push further. What was considered the "kill screen" is no longer such.

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by mbd39

[zzip]

1 hour ago, turboxray said:

That's actually pretty funny haha. I never thought of it like that. But to be honest, you could probably apply that to every 70's and early 80's games. Maybe that's why I don't connect with those games.

Pretty much,   since I grew up with this play style, it probably explains why I had trouble connecting with something like Super Mario Bros which hands out free lives like water and lets you hit continue almost forever.   It ended the social gaming we used to have where we played a few minutes, lost then passed the joystick to the next person and tried to beat each other scores.