Playing games you don't enjoy: Anybody else struggle with this?

[Trusty Mutsi]

I was shocked I felt this way, but I just can't seem to get into Mass Effect. I'm 24 hours in, and it's... okay. I keep hearing the story gets VERY epic, so I kinda want to stick it out, but when you give a game 24 hours, how much more do you stick to it? I only have so much time to play, and I don't want to waste it with games I don't like, when I have plenty of games I still want to get into (Fallout 3, I'm looking at YOU.)

The problem for me is: Once in a great while I stick to a game, and it DOES get better, but it's VERY rare. Most of the time if I don't like a game in the first few hours, I won't like any of it. But because of the rare instances where it DOES get better, I'll play a game I'm not enjoying much longer than I should.

And then there's the other issue of me not enjoying a game, but it's very popular, and I keep thinking "I SHOULD like it. Everybody ELSE does!"

Anybody else struggle with this?

[soliddragon]

Dude, I'm totally right there with ya. Believe it or not, with the same game, I've tried twice now to get into it, but it's just not there for me. I've given it even less time; I'm just in the big space station thingy.
The problem for me, it seems that with most Bioware games of this ilk, is that for all the touting of a grand adventure, and massive options in dialog, etc. they all seem to break down to the same formula. Get to new area, and you can either stick with the main quest, or run around for hours solving the various NPC's problems. It just feels like KOTOR I and II, etc, with a prettier paint job.

Dont get me wrong, I love a great RPG, but something between us is missing. :( It's not you, its me. ;)

[Salamando3000]

Before I even opened the topic, I thought "yeah, with Mass Effect". Everything I heard about the game made it sound awesome...Space setting, RPG elements, epic storyline, well reviewed, recommendations out the wazoo...so when I saw it for ten bucks at TRU on clearance, I thought "why not". First time in my system, i played maybe a half hour before I got bored enough and put it aside. Month or so later, I try it again, and make it to the end of the first chapter before crippling boredom took hold again. After that, I traded it in, without any regret.

Personally, I just attribute this to a case of "not every game is for every person". The game failed to get its hooks into me, pure and simple. Not to saw it was a bad game, but I have enough games I could be playing that I could be enjoying more to give it all the time it needs to ensnare me, if it would happen.

[Nikadimas]

See I totally got into Mass Effect, but games that I'm supposed to love or forever be a noob, I don't get into most of them. I still have a sealed copy of Halo 3 I bought in 2007 that I just never felt the desire to play. And Gears of War, well to me both the first game and its sequel were just meh. I played through the entire first game and halfway through the second I just decided I'd had enough of that. Even Call of Duty World at War, while I played damn near 1000 hours of Call of Duty 4, just didn't interest me in the slightest after 30 minutes.

[Trusty Mutsi]

Went back and looked. I'm actually only 11 hours and 19 minutes into it. I must have been looking at the time of day I was playing, which was probably around midnight (24:00).

[DarkSageRK]

Yeah, it's happened to me a few times. See: me playing 40 hours of Tales of the Abyss and finally just having to drop it due to its fail.

[Puffa469]

I will just put a game down at some point if I'm not having fun. Good reviews and reccomendations may get me to try longer, but I wont stick with something I'm not enjoying.

Never played Mass Effect and probably wont, directly because of two games on my below list of Games most people love that I couldn't stand:

- KOTOR II - I LOVED the first KOTOR game, but this one... WTF? It's not even finished! One of the worst sequels to a game ever. I put about 12-15 hours into this before I tossed it.

- Jade Empire - I played this game right up until the second (and last) end boss fight. I was probably 30 minutes from seeing the end of the game when I turned it off never to play again. The combat is ultra broken and theres no equipment to collect for your characters. I struggled to stay awake during this stinker.

- Assasins Creed - This may be #1 on my list of most overhyped games ever. Shit controls, horrible story, and nothing to really do in the game world. Luckily I only wasted a few hours on this garbage.

- Kingdom Hearts 2 - Never played the first, but the fanbase for these games is large and loud. My wife grabbed the sequel for me as a gift. I sunk 20+ hours into this game so as not to make her think I wasn't appreciative of the gift, but it sucked that entire time. I finally tossed this back in the pile and vowed never again to listen to Squeenix EMO retards and their game reccomendations.


I wish I could have back every minute I spent playing every one of those games.

[dmaul1114]

Nope. If I can't get into a game pretty quickly I quit playing it and throw it back on Goozex for the most part.

I spend very little time on gaming these days, and I'm not going to waste it on something I'm not enjoying after I've given it enough time to get used to the gameplay etc.

[Anthem85]

I got into mass effect in a bog way. The game I cant get into is Force Unleashed. the gameplay doesnt inspire me to do anything. So I bypass most of the game by running by the targets just to get to the next cutscene where the only thing that does interest me is... its sad

[msdmoney]

I keep hearing the story gets VERY epic,

This is part of the problem IMO. Gamers demand epic, when epic really only refers to the scale and speaks nothing about the actual quality. It takes a lot of copy and paste side missions and content repetition to fill up an "epic" universe. One suggestion I would have with Mass Effect is to skip the Side Missions. Most of them add little if anything to the actual game, and they will make the game drag.

[Trusty Mutsi]

One suggestion I would have with Mass Effect is to skip the Side Missions. Most of them add little if anything to the actual game, and they will make the game drag.

Interesting you say that. At first I was like "WOW!!! There are SO many planets to visit!" and I think I overdid it a bit. Not that I'm focused more on the main quest, it's dragging less.

[Gentlegamer]

Interesting that this topic in general and the game, Mass Effect, specifically should come up.

Mass Effect is on my play list (after I finish Metroid Prime): for those who like the game, what general advice can you give? My instinct is to make my character Combat/Tech or Combat/Biotics, but I've heard that it's better to go Combat specialized and leave Tech and Biotics to the other members of your squad.

I personally didn't feel very engaged playing the campaign of Halo 3 after quite enjoying the first two. I pushed through to the end for the sake of finishing the trilogy's story, though.

[JStryke]

I second KOTOR 2 and Assassin's creed.

For KOTOR 2, I'm not quite sure what it was for me. I don't know if it felt like more of the same (I never did like the combat style, but the first game made up for it), or if it was the characters, but something just never inspired me to finish it.

As for Assassin's creed, I got used to the controls so that wasn't really a problem. My problem with is was at the beginning, you find out the whole thing is a lie and you're in a computer simulation. It just ruined the whole experience for me and I think I've only played it for an hour so far. Good thing I only bought it for $5 in that recent HWV sale.

[RAMSTORIA]

Nope. If I can't get into a game pretty quickly I quit playing it and throw it back on Goozex for the most part.



this. most recently , assassins creed. played it, didnt get into it, shipped it back out. why bother playing through a game for hours if you dont like it.

[kainzero]

I remember when I used to watch anime in the hopes that it would get good later. Then I realized that falling asleep during a show probably meant it was bad, and each season would start with me watching 8 shows and paring it down to 1 or none.

Now I don't watch anime anymore.

Same thing with games.
I actually like Mass Effect but sadly I am just too lazy to put the damn game in and start. And last time when I was really into it, my 360 red ringed.

[TruthinessFC]

Yup.

I've been very disappointed that I just can't force myself to play KOTOR. I like Star Wars, but the gameplay just isn't enjoyable for me, so I can't keep going. I had heard so many good things about KOTOR and KOTOR II that I bought both on PC without trying them... Same thing with FFXII.

[DiscoDuck8k]

Although I've had the issue with wanting to like popular games and not before, it doesn't happen very often. Usually if I'm finding it hard to get into a new game after playing for about an hour, I'll get rid of it.

[neckfurters]

Dead Space was that game for me. I kept playing it because the shooting in the game felt solid, plus shooting limbs off enemies was very cool, but the story didn't grab me and the characters were kinda lame as well as the enemies. It also reminded that I was always playing a game in part because it was so linear. I never lost myself in the game like I did with Bioshock for example.

Maybe in the next game they can open things up a bit more and give the main character some or any personality for that matter. The sound effects were awesome though.

[kilm]

I struggle with liking games I know I shouldn't.

Superman 64? Yes, plz!

[Trusty Mutsi]

I struggle with liking games I know I shouldn't.

Superman 64? Yes, plz!

LOL! I have that problem too! I actually kinda dug Two Worlds. Although it helped I only payed $5 and view it as a pretty Playstation 2 game :)

[A Happy Panda]

I gave up on Mass Effect about 12 hours in.

The gameplay just wasn't for me...Mass Effect 2 on the other hand looks like it'd be right up my alley (much more shootery)

There's tons of games I know are popular but I dislike/hate. Games like LBP, the entire MGS series, Gran Turismo, etc I do not like or enjoy.

[cheezisgoooood]

Funny so many people are mentioning Mass Effect, because that game is literally the only case of such a thing happening to me. Several things just bothered me about it, like the lifelessness and emptyness of nearly every environment outside of the citadel, the lack of any feeling of engagement or excitement in the firefights, the lack of squad communication, and feeling like I'm doing chores when I try to go in and upgrade my equipment through the inventory system. There were a couple of things done right, like the ending, and the music, but ultimately I had no feelings for it by the time I traded it in.

[Mospeada_21]

I'd sure hope you were being paid as a Tester to play games you didn't enjoy.

but all kidding aside; we've all had bad experiences. playing a bad video game is like watching a bad movie or sitcom; or worse, going on a bad date. whether you choose to continue your pain as a masochist is your personal choice.

my advice: move on, don't waste your time, and never look back. [edit: good place to give a shout out to Wombat!]

[davo1224]

I played Peter Jackson's King Kong once for like four hours straight. Ugh. Then I played it again later for three hours. Mind you, the game NEVER got good and it's like eight hours total.

[Ravenduo]

My advice with Mass Effect is just stick to the main storyline. It is very good. I got half way through the game and was trying to do everything and put it down. About 6 months later I started playing again and only did the main storyline and really enjoyed it. I now eagerly await Mass Effect 2!

[looploop]

I struggle with liking games I know I shouldn't.

Superman 64? Yes, plz!

Superman 64 was hilarious. It's the only game where Superman can, by himself, play catch with a car.:lol:

[Jmclark]

I have a lot of games that I really like, but just don't want to keep playing. Like Kingdom Hearts. Basically everyone I've ever met (online and person) thinks this game is so amazing. I really do enjoy it, but it just got too boring for me a few hours in, so now I can't really bother playing more.

[Macheezmo]

I have a weird problem where I won't enjoy a game very much, but as soon as someone else in the house starts to play it, I start to really get into it. Fallout 3 was like that. I tried 3 different times to get into it, but just couldn't, but as soon as my roommate starts playing, I got really into it and ended up getting the full 1000 GS on it.

[coolsteel]

Mass Effect was terrible, I don't care what the reviews say. I played it from start to finish because hey this is a Bioware game they won't let me down............ right???? WRONG! It was so stinking boring, go to planet X, drive around ten minutes, fight pirates rinse repeat over and over. By the time the real story started kicking in I just didn't care anymore. The story may have been epic but it was in no way shape or form interesting , something an RPG kinda needs to be.

[whoknows]

I play games for fun, so if a game bores me or feels like a chore to play I almost immediately quit playing it. There's just no point in playing something I"m not enjoying.

[Malik112099]

ME was SLLLLOOOOOW for the first hour or so..after that it sucked me right in. If you are more than 5 hours in and don't like it then stop.

[johnnyrocker360]

i couldn't get 30 minutes into mass effect! as for assassin's creed i enjoyed it on the 360 but as i'm playing it on the ps3 it really is boring. especially since i got through 7 of the 9 assassinations and now i'm on number 4 and ughhhhhhhhh

[Trusty Mutsi]

I have a weird problem where I won't enjoy a game very much, but as soon as someone else in the house starts to play it, I start to really get into it. Fallout 3 was like that. I tried 3 different times to get into it, but just couldn't, but as soon as my roommate starts playing, I got really into it and ended up getting the full 1000 GS on it.

I have the same issue. If my brother-in-law comes over with a games and plays it, it's suddenly the most interesting this in the world to me. Grass is always greener, I guess...

[mang9432]

i usually give up on games if i'm uninterested after 2 hours or so. However, I almost gave up on Fallout after 9-10 hours. I was just getting sick of it, then i just kind of powered through a few hours and something clicked. Now i've put in 100+ hours and it's probably one of my favorite games of all time. Glad i didn't give up! That being said... I liked mass effect, but it wasn't the greatest game. It definitely had it's slow points (a lot of them) and i wasn't crazy about the planet exploration, which was a lot of the game.

[Trusty Mutsi]

My advice with Mass Effect is just stick to the main storyline. It is very good. I got half way through the game and was trying to do everything and put it down. About 6 months later I started playing again and only did the main storyline and really enjoyed it. I now eagerly await Mass Effect 2!

Now that I've focused on the main mission, it IS getting better.

[mtxbass1]

For me, it depends on the game. The aforementioned Ass Creed and Mass Effect were both two that I picked up and put down not even 2 hours in. I just couldn't get into them. I feel the same about Gears of War. I played the first level and never came back to it.

I recently did do this same thing with Fallout 3 however. I played it for about 2 hours, thought it wasn't all that, put it on the shelf. About a month later I came back to it and stuck with it. I've now put about 100 hours into it and it's one of the best games I've ever played.

[Trusty Mutsi]

i usually give up on games if i'm uninterested after 2 hours or so. However, I almost gave up on Fallout after 9-10 hours. I was just getting sick of it, then i just kind of powered through a few hours and something clicked. Now i've put in 100+ hours and it's probably one of my favorite games of all time. Glad i didn't give up! That being said... I liked mass effect, but it wasn't the greatest game. It definitely had it's slow points (a lot of them) and i wasn't crazy about the planet exploration, which was a lot of the game.

See, this is one of the reasons I DO stick with a game. It just sucks when you do put in the extra time, and still don't enjoy it.

[BustaUppa]

Good topic. There have been times where it took a while for a game to "click" with me, but I toughed it out and eventually I ended up having a lot of fun. However, I've found myself less likely to take these risks now that I'm living on my own. See, at that point there is generally a lot more stuff to take care of, and TIME becomes equally as precious a commodity as money.

As a result my game buying habits have changed dramatically. I pass up on deals all the time because instead of thinking about the discount I'm getting, I'm just thinking "how much TIME is this game gonna cost me?" And when you think that way, the OP's issue of actually ENJOYING your games becomes of paramount importance!

Unfortunately I've got a backlog of stuff from my more frivolous CAGging days that I'll probably never get around to now... but it's kinda liberating to realize that I'm not gonna force myself to plod through every one of them!

[tankass]

I think a situation like this has a few reasons of why your opinion does not match most people. I find that when something like this happens to me (I really liked mass effect FYI), its either because I am not in the mood to play that particular type of game or the type of game that everyone loves, I dont share the same appreciation for.

A good example for me is GTA. I enjoy sandbox games and all, but not to the point some people do, and truthfully Ive had GTA4 sitting there almost since it came out (almost because I borrowed it after my brother got it on opening day).

Another thing is that if your not into the type of game, I think it was like the 4th or 5th post that didnt like KOTOR or Jade Empire, theres a good chance you probably wont like this one. Not that you wont but if you didnt like those youll see that the game follows a simlar structure.

And most importantly, for me at least, is the timing. I cant stress this enough just because I have a backlog bigger than what some people own in general, and sometimes Im just not in the mood for a certain type of game. Or I might just not have the time to put into a game to truly enjoy it. RPGs have a tendency to require a large commitment in larger blocks just to keep the story consistent. Many times have I played a game for short periods and not liked them and stopped playing, only to end up going back when I have lots of time and putting the neccessary time and enjoying them completely. This is a case of mood or timing being the case as opposed to the game.

[Trusty Mutsi]

Bustuppa and Tankass made some VERY good points. Specifically time being precious, keeping your backlog in mind, and realizing you just might not be in the mood to play the game. I really could just put ME aside and play later. Funny enought though, I'm finally getting into it.

[schuerm26]

Im feeling this effect with Arkham Asylum right now. I just don't get the hype.

[Rig]

It's Mass Effect for me too. Tried three times to get into it, and I just can't.

[dinovelvet]

Yeah I recently slogged through two games that I really stopped enjoying about halfway through, but dammit I was going to finish them anyway : Mirror's edge and Bionic Commando. The fun factor during those last few missions on each was absolute zero. Both are the kind of games where you often have to make very precisely timed jumps, and I friggin' HATE that, there were many times where I'd try and fail to make a particular jump about 10 times and wanted to hurl the controller through the tv.

But I endured the pain, and I finished them both. Now I've downloaded the Secret of Monkey Island for some relaxing fun. (Now where's that fucking helmet? I've fucking looked everywhere!!!)

[The Crotch]

Warrior Within is the only game that I really disliked while playing, though I've got a few not-so-nice words for KotOR II and Black & White 2.

[jchoi]

Knights of the Old Republic was a chore, as many have said.

I'm trying to play through Splinter Cell - Double Agent on the PC, but the bugs make it unplayable. I can't even finish some of the missions without having to use cheats.

[lokizz]

felt that way with mgs4 i beat it but halfway through it i could care less so i plowed through it and then i left it alone. felt the same for gta4 and loztp i enjoyed them at first but the games both became a dull grind and the ending for each was so unsatisfying i couldnt play them anymore ( except for the gta4 mp which is fun).

[lolwut?]

Jesus, this thread should be renamed "Not enjoying games that are awesome."

I can understand an arguement for Assassin's Creed or something, but KOTOR, Mass Effect, and MGS4? Really?

The only time I might play a game I don't enjoy is because my rental isn't up and there are still trophies or achievements to be had. That said, I don't rent anymore, so I rarely play a game I don't enjoy.

I guess I can say inFAMOUS because I beat it on good (and it was epic), but I'm forcing myself to beat it on evil so I can fully complete it and sell it off; that is making me not enjoy it

[lokizz]

Jesus, this thread should be renamed "Not enjoying games that are awesome."

I can understand an arguement for Assassin's Creed or something, but KOTOR, Mass Effect, and MGS4? Really?


The only time I might play a game I don't enjoy is because my rental isn't up and there are still trophies or achievements to be had. That said, I don't rent anymore, so I rarely play a game I don't enjoy.

I guess I can say inFAMOUS because I beat it on good (and it was epic), but I'm forcing myself to beat it on evil so I can fully complete it and sell it off; that is making me not enjoy it


lol join the club on infamous.its an awesome game but trying to get the trophies makes it annoying. especially on evil mode because it seems like all the upgrades cost way too much. i was hoping after i got the stunt trophy id be able to skip all the side missions and hurry through it to get my hard tophy and evil finish trophy but it seems like ill have to beat every mission so i can get the evil abilities upgrade trophy. feeling like dk 64 all over again.

[Rei no Otaku]

Nope, not a problem for me. If I don't like a game after an hour or two then it's done. I don't have the time to waste on stuff I'm not going to like. Too many good games out there.

I do have the opposite problem though. I like a lot of games people say I shouldn't. PN03, Perfect Dark Zero, Rise of the Argonauts, anything made by Koei.

[Malik112099]

I can't believe how many people are hating Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed! I lost most interest in MGS4 after about the 2nd 3-hour cut scene. I pushed through and didnt feel good about the $$$gety ass ending. I also pushed through Mirrors Edge - meh. I quit playing PDZ (the jungle level is absolutely shitacular), Saints Row, Saints Row 2 (im not too much a sandbox game person), Area 51, NFS:Pro Street and a few others....

[swayz0r]

I didn't enjoy Mass Effect the first time through because I couldn't play for more then 15 minutes at a time. The second time through I got a chance to actually sit down and play and I really got into it. I also played renegade the second time around so that may have made it more interesting.

[FriskyTanuki]

Not really. If I happen to have a game that I don't enjoy playing, I'll get rid of it as soon as possible. There's no sense in keeping a game I don't like and won't play again.

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, the Mass Effect hate surprises me. My only gripes were the slowdown and pop up.

But I thoroughly enjoyed the game, and can't wait for the sequel since it looks like the shooting (which was fine for an RPG) will be better this go around.

[Trusty Mutsi]

Here's an idea: if you find yourself not enjoying a game, stop playing it.

Problem solved.

Y'know, I thought it WAS that simple and I was crazy, but after reading a lot of the posts, there ARE valid reasons to stick with a game. Sometimes it DOES get better eventually.

But on the other hand, you're right. When I get to the 5-6 hour point, and STILL no fun? Put the game down and move on.

I think my issue with Mass Effect has been doing the boring side quests. Now that I'm focusing on the main quest, the game's picked up for me. So maybe this was just a case of "It's a fun game if you play it a certain way"?

[saturnotaku]

I used to do this when I point-whored on the 360. With the Microsoft red brick of death out of my household, I'm much less prone to spending excessive amounts of time with games that I don't consider to be fun.

[dmaul1114]

I think my issue with Mass Effect has been doing the boring side quests. Now that I'm focusing on the main quest, the game's picked up for me. So maybe this was just a case of "It's a fun game if you play it a certain way"?

Yeah, it's much more brisk and exciting if you stick to the main quests and keep the story going forward. It's pretty short if you do it that way too, probably around 12 hours.

I did all the sidequests I found personally, but that's just how I like to play WRPGs. As I enjoy wandering around and exploring the world and doing quests.

[dburger]

For me it's Bioshock. Those stupid vita-chambers just killed any sense of tension or challenge for me, and the whole game just became monotonous. Maybe it was because I hadn't gotten better plasmids or whatever yet, but the fact that I couldn't kill a big daddy in one encounter, and the game basically became: run up and shoot the big daddy till he kills you, spawn, repeat, just ruined the game for me. The hacking got old fast too. The final straw was when I got some backtrack/collect these items mission, so I just turned the game off for good.

I'm sure that will garner some hate, but whatever. Mass Effect was awesome (I sort of ignored the side missions).

Generally I have a pretty short fuse with games. I had been looking forward to playing Mirror's Edge (really liked the demo), and I finally got it when it was 5 bucks at HWV, but the first time I got stuck and it kept reloading way before the spot I kept failing at, I knew I was done with the game. The big exception is the skate series. Those games are frustrating as hell, but the session markers allow you to retry immediately, and it actually feels like you accomplished something when you finally nail that trick you've been trying for the last hour.

[A Happy Panda]

For me it's Bioshock. Those stupid vita-chambers just killed any sense of tension or challenge for me, and the whole game just became monotonous. Maybe it was because I hadn't gotten better plasmids or whatever yet, but the fact that I couldn't kill a big daddy in one encounter, and the game basically became: run up and shoot the big daddy till he kills you, spawn, repeat, just ruined the game for me. The hacking got old fast too. The final straw was when I got some backtrack/collect these items mission, so I just turned the game off for good.

I'm sure that will garner some hate, but whatever. Mass Effect was awesome (I sort of ignored the side missions).

Generally I have a pretty short fuse with games. I had been looking forward to playing Mirror's Edge (really liked the demo), and I finally got it when it was 5 bucks at HWV, but the first time I got stuck and it kept reloading way before the spot I kept failing at, I knew I was done with the game. The big exception is the skate series. Those games are frustrating as hell, but the session markers allow you to retry immediately, and it actually feels like you accomplished something when you finally nail that trick you've been trying for the last hour.

Not to be mean or anything...but...kinda sounds like you sucked at Bioshock.

[fizzywix]

I play guitar hero for the songs that aren't on rock band.

[coltyhuxx]

I'm experiencing this, currently, with Call of Juarez. I'm still on the Civil War part. I don't know what it is exactly. It just feels completely on rails and you move forward, shoot three guys. Rest. Repeat. Hopefully it gets better.

[dburger]

Not to be mean or anything...but...kinda sounds like you sucked at Bioshock.


haha yeah I suppose that could be the case. I should rephrase though, it's not exactly that I ended up doing that every time I ran into a Big Daddy necessarily, although there were a couple times I did get lazy and employed that tactic for the hell of it; it was more that I was just getting bored with the game in general and the nature of the respawn system just made me lose all interest/drive to keep playing.

[Shrapnellistic]

@dburger
BioShock should have copied Prey's death mechanic where players were warped into the spirit world and you had to shoot as many "ravens" for more health before you got warped back to the spot you died. (see video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgRWo8jgPzw

[dmaul1114]

Everyone likes to play a game their own way. The only reason people hate a game is because they have yet to find it.

Huh? Some people just aren't going to like some genres of games period. I put 15 hours or so into GTA3 and just couldn't get into it to finish it, put 20 into GTA4 before quitting--and I'll never bother trying to like the genre again. And definitely well never put more than 5 hours into a game I'm not digging. Not enough hours in the day to waste playing a game I'm not digging.

I pretty much only dig FPS and WRPGs and that's pretty much what I stick with these days with few exceptions like Rock Band or the occasional puzzle game on the DS. And mainly FPS as I have a hard time finding time to finish WRPGs.

[Malik112099]

@dburger
BioShock should have copied Prey's death mechanic where players were warped into the spirit world and you had to shoot as many "ravens" for more health before you got warped back to the spot you died. (see video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgRWo8jgPzw


That would have had no place in that game. Wouldn't have even made any type of sense. Prey relies on the spirituality/beliefs of native indians and some spirit world is more believeable for that setting than at the bottom of the ocean.

[Phunin]

Halo 3 and Prototype are two games I know a lot of people liked, but I couldn't get in to. I still have Halo 3 just for the sake of having it, but I sold Prototype a week after I got it or so.

[Cage017]

I'm experiencing this problem now going through my PS2 backlog. I heard good things about Black and I can't get into the story or the gameplay. Yeah it looks nice, but what good is it when you aim at the guy and it takes forever for the guy to die. I'm like "why won't you die?". Call of Duty: Finest Hour is kind of similar but it's a better game than Black. My problem is it's hard to aim when it's so dark that your gun blends in with the environment. And now I'm at a level where I'm stuck in a sewer maze. Goody. I'm afraid I'm going to have a similar problem with Killzone.

In the past, there's only two games I was dreading at first and it got better:

Tomb Raider: I kept getting lost but I finally got through it once I reached a certain level. Been a fan of the series ever since.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requeim due to the progressing story and adapting controls.

Other games that failed to get my attention (short version): Jak and Dexter, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto, Prince of Persia, and basically any sports game that isn't NFL Blitz or a WWE game.

[lokizz]

haha yeah I suppose that could be the case. I should rephrase though, it's not exactly that I ended up doing that every time I ran into a Big Daddy necessarily, although there were a couple times I did get lazy and employed that tactic for the hell of it; it was more that I was just getting bored with the game in general and the nature of the respawn system just made me lose all interest/drive to keep playing.


depends on the difficulty level youre playing on too the big daddies get harder as you get further into the game but once you get some of the better weapons and abilities you an pretty much stomp them down.

[dmaul1114]

I miss-spoke. The only reason a gamer dislikes a game is because they have yet to find their own way of playing it.

I still don't get it. Some people just aren't going to like some games or genre's period.

It's not a matter of not finding their own way of playing it, it's just not liking that type of gameplay. No matter how long they play it they aren't going to like it.

Just like people don't like certain types of music, or movies etc.

You're comment just reeks of that pretentious type of attitude of "You don't like this game/band/movie/book that I love because you 'don't get it.'"

[Rodimus]

There's some games were I started out enjoying then got bored and finished it only cause I was near the end. Grandia III & SMT Devil Summoner come to mind.

Loved Mass Effect. That's the only WJRPG I liked.

[Malik112099]

I miss-spoke. The only reason a gamer dislikes a game is because they have yet to find their own way of playing it.


By that logic every game that comes out is good. That logic is fail.

[dmaul1114]

The only thing idiotic in this thread is you, who apparently has not taste, no life, and thus can sit around finding something to enjoy in every game you play.

The rest of us will stick with what we actually immensely enjoy since we have limited time to spend on gaming.

And yes, I'm fine not being called a gamer. They're nothing but silly little time wasters I play every once in a while simply to have fun. I'm not going to sit and play games I'm not enjoying. I've got limited free time these days and lots of hobbies I enjoy more than gaming. So if I'm going to keep gaming and not completely lose interest in it, I've got to play games I throroughly enjoy in the few hours a month I spend on games.

But hey, if you want to sit in mommy's basement playing anything and everything trying to find some enjoyment in it, knock yourself out. I'll play games I have fun with 5 or so hours a month and spend most of my time on more worthwhile endeavors. Which won't include reading and responding to your dumbass posts in the future.

[aheineken]

I'm having this problem with Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. I heard good things about it, so I picked it up when GS had the B2G1 deal. Started playing it the other day, got past the first chapter and partway into the 2nd, and I just don't really care to play it anymore.

I appreciate the realism of the game, but it sucks when you think you've killed everyone, so you pop up to move forward only to get shot in the head by some dude who was sitting in the corner the whole time. Then it's like...oops..you died, go back to the last checkpoint and repeat the last 20 minutes of play.

[mr_burnzz]

GTA4 was a big let down. for some reason I thought I loved it since i played it at my friends house alot but then I realized it got old...FAST. The story is there but its like, go kill this guy, get info from him, get this...basically going somewhere to kill someone. Won't be buying this genre again...

Grandia 3 sucked, too. Grandia 2 on Dreamcast is one of my favorite RPGs but this one really blowed. I stuck with it for like 4 hours. Seems soooo childish for some reason.

Im so stuck on nazi zombies and fighters (MvC2...all the street fighters). I got COD5 in Jan and still play it all the time. Didnt even start bioshock and valkyria chronicles which I've had for awhile and anticipating to play....but first, the zombies..they must be killed...

[intoxicated662]

I was shocked I felt this way, but I just can't seem to get into Mass Effect. I'm 24 hours in, and it's... okay. I keep hearing the story gets VERY epic, so I kinda want to stick it out, but when you give a game 24 hours, how much more do you stick to it? I only have so much time to play, and I don't want to waste it with games I don't like, when I have plenty of games I still want to get into (Fallout 3, I'm looking at YOU.)

The problem for me is: Once in a great while I stick to a game, and it DOES get better, but it's VERY rare. Most of the time if I don't like a game in the first few hours, I won't like any of it. But because of the rare instances where it DOES get better, I'll play a game I'm not enjoying much longer than I should.

And then there's the other issue of me not enjoying a game, but it's very popular, and I keep thinking "I SHOULD like it. Everybody ELSE does!"

Anybody else struggle with this?


I had 20 hours, 41 minutes then my gamesave got corrupt somehow and I called bioware and microsoft support and no one can answer me why. I started a new campaign but after getting the Spectre status I just didn't bother. I wanted to get a few achievements in my 2nd play through but I am not going to play the game through 2 more times (will total to 3) and the new dlc sucks. I agree with you. I get bored easily and not many games can keep me going and interested to keep playing it. For now, it's just gears of war 2 for me since it takes awhile to rank up just 1 level.

[looploop]

Grandia 3 sucked, too. Grandia 2 on Dreamcast is one of my favorite RPGs but this one really blowed. I stuck with it for like 4 hours. Seems soooo childish for some reason.
.
The Grandia series has always been very light-hearted/childish. Maybe you've just grown out of it. I know I couldn't get into G1 or G2 again.

[roflade]

Fable 2, it sucks but it has alot you can do that still suck.

[Rodimus]

It wasn't the childish nature of Grandia 3 that turned me off, it was the complete disinterest of both the characters & story. Grandia 1 gave off this Hayao Miazaki "Studio Ghibli" vibe that while childish was rather charming, much like Lunar. Grandia 2 was a little more adult with memorable characters & plot. The only saving grace w/ Grandia 3 was the battle system besides that it was bland.

[looploop]

It wasn't the childish nature of Grandia 3 that turned me off, it was the complete disinterest of both the characters & story. Grandia 1 gave off this Hayao Miazaki "Studio Ghibli" vibe that while childish was rather charming, much like Lunar. Grandia 2 was a little more adult with memorable characters & plot. The only saving grace w/ Grandia 3 was the battle system besides that it was bland.

I agree that G1 was very charming.
I'm pretty hard on G2 though. The plot was a run-through of cliches seen one too many times. Disgruntled mercenary heroes, evil brothers and corrupt churches need to be put out to pasture for a while. That and Cam Clarke RUINS EVERYTHING.:lol:

[LostRoad]

It wasn't the childish nature of Grandia 3 that turned me off, it was the complete disinterest of both the characters & story. Grandia 1 gave off this Hayao Miazaki "Studio Ghibli" vibe that while childish was rather charming, much like Lunar. Grandia 2 was a little more adult with memorable characters & plot. The only saving grace w/ Grandia 3 was the battle system besides that it was bland.

Was it worse than Grandia Extreme though? Extreme has made me hold of on picking up 3, done with the poop. How are you like Abyss so far?

[Rodimus]

I agree that G1 was very charming.
I'm pretty hard on G2 though. The plot was a run-through of cliches seen one too many times. Disgruntled mercenary heroes, evil brothers and corrupt churches need to be put out to pasture for a while. That and Cam Clarke RUINS EVERYTHING.:lol:

I'm not sure how well G2 aged since it's been almost 10 years since I played it. I've been meaning to give it another run. And yeah, Cam Clarke was the voice for Ryudo wasn't he? His voice is just too much Leonardo that it felt odd.

Was it worse than Grandia Extreme though? Extreme has made me hold of on picking up 3, done with the poop. How are you like Abyss so far?

I only played a few hours of Xtreme so it's tough to make a comparison. But at least G3 held my attention longer so I'll give it that. Abyss is good, thanks for asking. I haven't played it in about a week since Batman came out. I'm past the point where Luke gets his personality make-over.

[jh6269]

Half Life 2.

I hate zombies games and gross deformed things making weird sounds (like in Uncharted at the end). Those head crab zombies freaked me out. I kept playing, even got through the Ravenstown or whatever the name is. I started playing Killzone 2 and I'm dreading going back to this game.

Oblivion is also another of those games. I just can't get into it.

[mr_burnzz]

I agree that G1 was very charming.
I'm pretty hard on G2 though. The plot was a run-through of cliches seen one too many times. Disgruntled mercenary heroes, evil brothers and corrupt churches need to be put out to pasture for a while. That and Cam Clarke RUINS EVERYTHING.:lol:



Grandia 2 was kinda of like that..really corny with the love triangle thing but somehow it really worked..very well! :bouncy: I think i've played this 2 or 3 times thru.

the game was way too easy (very fun battle system) but the story was really good, IMO. what was that beast guys name? he was the friggin man (if youve played it you know why). G3...i want my time back for that game.

[KingBroly]

How could I have missed this thread for 5 days? Unpossible I say!

I've definitely played through a good number of games I didn't like, including...

- Assassin's Creed (horrible framerate)
- Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
- Bionic Commando
- Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
- Dead Rising
- Mass Effect (horrible technical issues made me sick)
- Kirby 64

There are probably a few more I'm forgetting.

[Gourd]

Bioshock.

I get up to Arcadia and I just can't make myself continue. I keep coming back to the game, starting over and eventually give up. The 'theme' is interesting, the design is fantastic, but I just don't find the game fun.

There are other games, but this game in particular came to mind.

[Brak]

Bold Opinions Reaching Critical Mass...

[Trusty Mutsi]

I officially gave up on Mass Effect this morning. Even my 6 year old daughter saw me playing it and said "Oh, this is the boring game."

I feel like I've been playing it just to get to Fallout 3. Games shouldn't become chores. When I got Resident Evil 5 and Batman: AA, I put this aside and played all the way throught those games because I wanted to. Every time I came back to Mass Effect I felt like I was going back to work.

The dialogue just isn't as well done and the characters are not as fleshed out or interesting as in KOTOR (in my opinion). So I just read the rest of the story on wikipedia. Looks okay, but I don't feel like I missed anything huge.

I'll give Fallout 3 a decent amount of time, but not over 10 hours, to see if it hooks me.

[Trusty Mutsi]

I officially gave up on Mass Effect this morning. Even my 6 year old daughter saw me playing it and said "Oh, this is the boring game."

I feel like I've been playing it just to get to Fallout 3. Games shouldn't become chores. When I got Resident Evil 5 and Batman: AA, I put this aside and played all the way throught those games because I wanted to. Every time I came back to Mass Effect I felt like I was going back to work.

The dialogue just isn't as well done and the characters are not as fleshed out or interesting as in KOTOR (in my opinion). So I just read the rest of the story on wikipedia. Looks okay, but I don't feel like I missed anything huge.

I'll give Fallout 3 a decent amount of time, but not over 10 hours, to see if it hooks me.

Played Fallout 3 for the first time last night, and I LOVE the game. Didn't take me any time to get into it. This is my kinda game.

[blueshinra]

I found myself really bored by Okami after awhile, but I pushed through until the end, mainly because I promised myself that I'd beat it. It just got kind of tedious (being as easy as it was didn't help), and I was feeling the story less and less as it wore on; the dramatic moments really jarred with the whimsical ones.

There were some parts of the game I did enjoy, but overall, it wasn't for me.

[aheineken]

I had a lot of trouble getting into Oblivion.

I finally finished the main quest this morning, and I started the game about 3 months ago. The side quests were so bland and tedious, that I just decided to stop doing them and concentrate on the main quest. When I did that, I finally started to get into the story a little bit, and then all of a sudden.....it's over. I did enjoy the ending, but I doubt I'll go back for the side quests.

[DQT]

One time where sticking it out paid off for me was when I played Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time. Initially, the game was too dense and I just plain kept getting my ass kicked. I kept at it, and now I agree with all the hype all my friends gave it back in the day.

I agree with whoever made the comparison of games to dating. You'll just click with some games (no matter what reviewers or the community has to say) while with others you just won't.

[bleak]

First of all, Mass Effect sucked in my opinion. I bought it because all the reviews were amazing and one of my best friends said it was amazing too, and then once I started playing it, I was bored as fuck. The characters were all douchebags and the shooting system was uninspired. I know for some the story was amazing but I've read some bad Sci-Fi in my time and I'd put it just a notch above the L. Ron Hubbard level. The plot wasn't so bad but all the characters were just so blah.

Also, people need to realize that Assassin's Creed really sucked a lot of ass. Big time.

I'm experiencing this, currently, with Call of Juarez. I'm still on the Civil War part. I don't know what it is exactly. It just feels completely on rails and you move forward, shoot three guys. Rest. Repeat. Hopefully it gets better.

I agree. I traded it in. Everytime I'd get the awesome you can shoot everyone bonus there'd be maybe one or two guys to shoot. That told me someone really hadn't thought things through. It's not a bad game, it's just there a lot of really good shooters. So why bother?

Dead Space was that game for me. I kept playing it because the shooting in the game felt solid, plus shooting limbs off enemies was very cool, but the story didn't grab me and the characters were kinda lame as well as the enemies. It also reminded that I was always playing a game in part because it was so linear. I never lost myself in the game like I did with Bioshock for example.

Maybe in the next game they can open things up a bit more and give the main character some or any personality for that matter. The sound effects were awesome though.

The story just disappeared about 1/3 through the game. I ended up finishing it and even the ending was disappointing story-wise. The gameplay, graphics, atmosphere were incredible, but I wished they had delayed the game to spruce up the story more. It felt like it was really close to having an awesome story, but they ran out of time to put it in the game. It's such a shame.

I'm having this problem with Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. I heard good things about it, so I picked it up when GS had the B2G1 deal. Started playing it the other day, got past the first chapter and partway into the 2nd, and I just don't really care to play it anymore.

I appreciate the realism of the game, but it sucks when you think you've killed everyone, so you pop up to move forward only to get shot in the head by some dude who was sitting in the corner the whole time. Then it's like...oops..you died, go back to the last checkpoint and repeat the last 20 minutes of play.

Rainbow Six: Vegas was incredible for its time. I loved that game, and I still like laying prone waiting for someone's head to pop out so I can one shot them. Nevertheless, I hated the sequel. They barely made any effort with it and it came out the same time period as Cod 4. So needless to say, I played it for about 10 minutes. It went from $60 to $30 in a matter of a month. Ubisoft had a nice little golden period and ever since Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Assassin's Creed, I'm pretty much at the point where I'm loathe to buy a game from them. Their games drop in price so quicly anyways.

----

In general, I'm at the point where if I don't like a game very quickly then I just trade it in. I don't have time to waste on something I'm not loving the hell out of anymore. I've traded in a lot of supposedly A+ games that I just can't get into. At the end of the day, I'd rather trade it in quickly and make the total loss $5-$10 than stick it on my bookcase or force my way to play through it. When I really like a game, it hooks the hell out of me and I know it pretty quickly. Occassionally, I'll give a game I traded in a second try around once it gets a lot cheaper, but for $60 I expect a lot. For $20 or less, I'll get it and hang on to it to play when I'm bored and am in the mood to try giving something that's supposedly great another chance.

[davo1224]

I *really* hated Super Mario RPG towards the end

[SpazX]

I'm kind of the same way about mass effect. Then I decided to play it yesterday, and it's not that I'm not into it really, it's just a difficult game for me to decide to play. It's like, while I'm playing it I enjoy it, but if I want to play a video game I'll look over and think "should I play mass effect? Nah." I think it's just because it takes a lot of time and after 2 or 3 hours I don't feel like I've accomplished all that much in it.