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Critically acclaimed games that just do not click for you?

I

IAmMonodi

Member
So I was looking at my Steam backlog, and I see Deus Ex: GOTY Edition there haunting me.

Dxcover.jpg


I have wanted to like this darn game so bad because it's cyberpunk, charmingly outdated, and has a killer score. However the gameplay just never does it for me for some reason. I have thought that it could be the keyboard interface asking to have a key for every different action, or maybe how the physics engine from 2000 hasn't aged well.

I may have attempted to play through this game for possibly 3 times already and it never hooks me and it's so frustrating to me.
 
J

johnnydrama

Banned
Games I didn't enjoy at all:
Grand Theft Auto V
Fallout 4 (or any Bethesda/Todd Howard RPG for that matter)
Metal Gear Solid V
Dark Souls 2
Persona 3/4

Games I did enjoy but not as much as most people I know, and can't quite understand their masterpiece status:
Red Dead Redemption
The Last of Us
Every Bungie Halo
Half-Life 1 and 2

GeeTeeCee said:
Pretty much any Platinum game.

I enjoy playing them, I just don't consider them god-tier status like some people do.
Click to expand...

Also this.
 
G

GeeTeeCee

Member
Pretty much any Platinum game.

I enjoy playing them, I just don't consider them god-tier status like some people do.
 
N

neurosisxeno

Member
Grand Theft Auto IV was absolute crap. Saints Row was a much better open world sand box game, and by the time Saints Row The Third came out I had completely lost interest in GTA.
 
C

CaviarMeths

Member
Basically anything by Bethesda. I can't think of a game they've made that I've actually enjoyed.

Never been wild over Rockstar, Platinum, or Naughty Dog either. Mostly good games, just nothing that blew my mind. Though The Last of Us was fantastic
 
P

Piichan

Banned
Bioshock. It's a good game, but I don't think it's as generation defining as a lot of people make it out to be.

EDIT:BakedTanooki knows what's up.
 
S

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
I keep bouncing off The Last of Us.

Couldn't get past Witcher 2's tutorial (no strafing when locked-on felt awful).

They're the only ones I can think of right now.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
99% of that category doesn't click with me. And what usually clicks is the super criticised and hated stuff. Skyward Sword, Destiny...

So I guess I have bad taste in videogames.


All right, I'm missing a real example: Anything by Bioware. I have tried to get into several of their games, and I freaking can't. From KOTOR to Mass Effect, I've tried to force myself to play them hoping that sooner or later I'd get hooked, but nope.
 
S

Samaritan

Member
Pretty much anything by Platinum. From a distance I can appreciate the SSS-tier gameplay, the dedication to absurd spectacle, and strict adherence to framerate. But I just can't ever get deep into any of these games. I'm probably just incapable of enjoying character action games, and that sucks. I hate that I can't truly enjoy games like Bayonetta or the Wonderful 101. I can see how good they are, but I just can't engage with them.
 
N

neurosisxeno

Member
Oh, I also just remembered how much I hated Super Mario Galaxy. It got rave reviews but I could not get into it. I felt like I was fighting the camera and control scheme the entire time I was playing the game.
 
J

JustSomeone

Member
Persona 3&4, and most critically aclaimed JRPGs in general. The best JRPGs got mediocre reception,like suikodrn 2 and baten kaitos origins.
 
J

johnnydrama

Banned
Thorwaldsson said:
The Last of Us

Bland shooter with a unimaginative story. However VO and cinematic direction is world class.
Click to expand...

I actually really enjoyed the story, but the gameplay did nothing for me. I played it on normal for the first time, but everyone said it was too easy, so I did the remaster run on hard. Still nothing. I think it's one of the best stories in gaming, but I had very little fun actually playing the game. On the other hand, Uncharted is one of top three favorite franchises.
 
R

random25

Member
The Last of Us. It's a good game, no question about it. It's just that I don't find anything in that game that gave me that "wow" factor I'm expecting from the over-the-top reviews it got. I just find the game to be pretty decent to good, from gameplay to story, but not a masterpiece for me.
 
K

KevinCow

Banned
I think the Metal Gear Solid series is garbage through and through, and I absolutely cannot wrap my head around why it's so critically acclaimed.

Also pretty much any western RPG. Mass Effect, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, The Witcher... but unlike MGS, I can see why people would like these games; they're just not for me.
 
1

120v

Member
witcher 3... it's like i played a different game than everybody else. i didn't really like the first two either so i chalk it up to the series just not being for me
 
A

AniHawk

Member
heavy rain is a stupid, stupid game that winds up being entertaining because it's so stupid. 87 on metacritic with quotes like:

Heavy Rain isn’t just a masterpiece; it’s an ingenious step in the right direction...This may very well be the most “human” game ever made, and an absolute triumph for the industry. Take from that what you will.
Click to expand...

Quantic Dream again brings its unique vision of videogames with Heavy Rain, its latest gem. Maybe it’s not a perfect game, but if you want a deep and engaging history and believable and touching characters this is your game.
Click to expand...

An emotionally engaging thrill-ride from start to finish, Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain is a superbly crafted interactive experience, told expertly through it's stunning visuals and believable characters.
Click to expand...

Heavy Rain is thoroughly unusual. Rarely before, a game has been as emotionally haunting as this one.
Click to expand...

but afterwards i was left asking questions like 'huh?' and, 'what?'
 
Castef

Castef

Banned
- Killzone 2: boooooooring. Boooooooring! I've found the whole saga overrated, yet the second one wins the cake in this aspect...

- Max Payne 1/2: good shooting mechanics, too much repetitive.

- Uncharted: boooring, take 2.

- Jade Empire: starts well, becomes boring in the middle.
 
V

VexyWexy

Member
Gears of War

As a big fan of Third Person Shooters it kind of annoys me how successful Gears is when it's not even a particularly good one.
 
S

SPCTRE

Member
johnnydrama said:
Games I did enjoy but not as much as most people I know, and can't quite understand their masterpiece status:
Red Dead Redemption
Click to expand...
I feel very similarly about RDD - it was very much enjoyable and really well-made in terms of production values, but people go so apeshit about this game that I'm sometimes left a bit confused.

It makes me feel like I... must have played it wrong?
 
Z

zonezeus

Member
Souls series. I get where the fun is and I see how remarkable these games are in terms of design and atmosphere, but I'm truly horrible at video games and the amount of time it would take me to "git gud" and really enjoy playing them is just too much.

And GTA series in general. There's nothing particularly appealing to me in role playing a criminal.
 
M

Mockerre

Member
Thorwaldsson said:
The Last of Us

Bland shooter with a unimaginative story. However VO and cinematic direction is world class.
Click to expand...

Same for me. Seen this story so many times in literature/cinema.

Also, Witcher 3:
Beautiful, but bland world. Serviceable, but boring combat. Low enemy diversity. Fun sidequest, boring, meandering and forgetable main quest.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
The Virtua Fighter franchise generally gets great reviews, but all the other big name 3D fighting series click with me more—Tekken most of all.

Fallout is so bland compared to The Elder Scrolls. The difference between the two series is night and day for me. TES totally pulls me in. New Vegas's story grabbed me for a while but I never felt totally immersed in a fascinating world.

I don't see what others see in Red Dead Redemption. I had fun messing about on the demo, tossing people onto train tracks and such. When I got the full game, I struggled to get through the first few missions.

The Half-Life series has always struck me as much, much, much, less appealing than Halo. Everything about Halo feels right to me. Half-Life is just...blah. I've tried to power through the series and give it a fair chance, but it just doesn't have the special spark I immediately feel in my favorite games.

So much about Metal Gear appeals to me, but I can't seem to get into the gameplay. Major exceptions: Ground Zeros, and Metal Gear Rising (which I guess doesn't count as part of the mainline series. But it's my favorite by far).
 
N

Nielm

Member
The Witcher 3. I just couldn't get used to the game's movement system.

Half Life 2. I didn't find the game to be particularly interesting. The story didn't interest me, neither did the gameplay. It felt a bit sterile.
 
L

LinkMaster111

Member
Most recently, The Witcher 3. I keep wondering if everyone else played a different game than I did whenever they talk about it, I thought it was distinctly average in almost every way.
 
amdb00mer

amdb00mer

Member
I never could get interested enough in the Grand Theft Auto games. What's weird is I do like other open world games like Just Cause.
 
N

nib95

Banned
Bayonetta 1/2
GTA IV
Halo 2/ODST
Oblivion
Skyrim
Super Smash Bros
Unreal Tournament
Rockband
Viewtiful Joe
Guitar Hero
The Sims
Castlevania
Panzar Dragoon
 
I

Insert Coin

Banned
Two games: Last of Us, GTA V

Two franchises: Metal Gear, Halo

Two developers: Platinum, Nintendo

Two genres: JRPG, MMO

I just can't find the love that people think I should show for them. I'm sure they're great for others but just don't do it for me. I'm always left noticing more of what wasn't included or done well than what was.
 
R

Richie

Member
It was actually Super Mario Galaxy 2 that made me feel the "Nintendo magic" and pure platforming bliss that everyone swore had been achieved by its prequel. Galaxy 1 is a very polished title (and I 100%'d it) but it never got beyond "good game" status for me, unlike Galaxy 2 which to me is Top 10 Games Ever material.
 
Z

Zocano

Member
Most (all?) JRPGs. If it's turn-based menu combat, I'm probably not going to like. It's not like the stories are able to keep me interested.

Notable ones I've put effort in (at least 5 hours, some much more):

Tales of Symphonia
Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 10 -finished this one
Final Fantasy 12
Lost Odyssey
Persona 4
edit: Suikoden

I feel like there are a few others but they're not coming to mind.

MGS2 and MGS3 you can probably consider. I don't think they're bad games and I can appreciate what people like about them.

But I would never *ever* say they "clicked" with me. And I've completed both at least twice (MGS3 I think 3 times and getting MHARKOR and stuff on it).

Never really clicked with me. Always was super frustrated by the controls, always felt I was fighting them to make them do what I wanted. Always felt the writing was too shit for the zany stories they were trying to tell (I blame translations but the end result is still a slog to sit through a lot of the time).

I actually prefer MGS1 over those two because it's a simpler and "tighter" game.
 
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