Good games you simply cannot get into (and ways to overcome it)

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Xellos

Where'd That 6th Toe Come From?
It struck me just recently when I attempted to play Arcanum (yet again), that I will probably never be able to dive deeply into it. I'm in the second location of the game now and already know that I will probably drop it soon. Mind you, I rarely get captivated enough to finish a game these days (few exceptions among newer titles being Witcher 3, DX:HR and Starcraft 2/Diablo 3 story modes), but there is a big difference between not finishing a game and hardly starting it. I do not now why it is happening with Arcanum for me. It's considered one of the best classic RPGs out there, yet I cannot find motivation to continue playing. It's hard to nail a single cause, probably it's a blend of weird GUI, blurry and repetitive looks and the story which hasn't grown on me yet.

On the other hand I'm perfectly capable of playing Fallout1/2/PST/BG1/2/HoMM3 over and over again even though I know them by heart now, without getting bored.

Have you ever had such problems with a certain game, if so did you manage to overcome them and how ?
 
Rogue-likes, any of them.

I used to enjoy them but the developers behind them almost always are too lazy to come up with proper structure to their games and just rely on RNG to solve everything which means that any success in such a game is dependent on luck and not skill. I avoid such games like the plague now because there simply isn't any way for me to possibly enjoy them. FTL and Darkest Dungeon are two games that come to mind. Games that are considered really good but which I can't for the life of me play without feeling complete and utter loathing.

Oh and Divinity Original Sin. It's praised like crazy but I found it to be a badly designed, cheaply written, repetitive slog. I have so many problems with that game and I did consult with @AskWazzup about what to do to change the way I look at it and he did point some things out that I decided to try out but I only lasted an additional 40 minutes before I quit the game yet again. It's a mutant hybrid of aRPG, cRPG and Fable. It excels in combat variety, looking pretty and having some funny dialogue but that's pretty much it. The delay between when you can use skills outside of combat, the chain-portrait thing, the constant micro-management of equipment and looting, the cheaply written storyline of save the fucking world again; I can't stomach it and I most certainly can't overcome the issues I have with it.

Ultimately though, DOS is probably a game that simply isn't for me. Not every game has to suit your tastes. Just cause a game is considered good by the masses doesn't mean it will cater to you. If you can't get into Arcanum then maybe that's because it simply doesn't entice you in the same way other games would. Maybe it is time to just accept that it isn't for you and move on.
 
Had this problem with fable 2. Keep waitimg for it to get better and it didn't so i've sold it
 
I was never able to get into Resident Evil 4 or the original Bioshock. To this day, I still think both games are incredibly overrated.
 
Got quite a few games here:

Baldurs Gate is one. The Game seems ridiculously unbalanced, and as much as I really wanted to get in to it, the sudden changes in difficulty level throw me off.

Also Crusader Kings. I hear lots of good things about it, but the mechanics seem way too complicated to get my head round.

Deus Ex, I really enjoyed playing it, but gave up after constantly getting lost at the Naval Base.

Wasteland. I wish I could get in to it, but it seems too complex, and I can rarely know if I'm on the right path.
 
I have never been able to get into the Someguy2000 mod series. I found the writing trying to hard to be edgy and I don't being attacked by teloporting waves and waves of bullet spongy enemies.
 
Mr Fish said:
Rogue-likes, any of them.

I used to enjoy them but the developers behind them almost always are too lazy to come up with proper structure to their games and just rely on RNG to solve everything which means that any success in such a game is dependent on luck and not skill. I avoid such games like the plague now because there simply isn't any way for me to possibly enjoy them. FTL and Darkest Dungeon are two games that come to mind. Games that are considered really good but which I can't for the life of me play without feeling complete and utter loathing.

Oh and Divinity Original Sin. It's praised like crazy but I found it to be a badly designed, cheaply written, repetitive slog. I have so many problems with that game and I did consult with @AskWazzup about what to do to change the way I look at it and he did point some things out that I decided to try out but I only lasted an additional 40 minutes before I quit the game yet again. It's a mutant hybrid of aRPG, cRPG and Fable. It excels in combat variety, looking pretty and having some funny dialogue but that's pretty much it. The delay between when you can use skills outside of combat, the chain-portrait thing, the constant micro-management of equipment and looting, the cheaply written storyline of save the fucking world again; I can't stomach it and I most certainly can't overcome the issues I have with it.

Ultimately though, DOS is probably a game that simply isn't for me. Not every game has to suit your tastes. Just cause a game is considered good by the masses doesn't mean it will cater to you. If you can't get into Arcanum then maybe that's because it simply doesn't entice you in the same way other games would. Maybe it is time to just accept that it isn't for you and move on.
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Have you tried Risk Of Rain? It's the better Roguelike out the bunch, and I despise Enter the Gungeon, TBOI, Darkest and FTL when it gets silly with RNG
This one though, it's a lot more player skill centered, as the power ups just add to the mix, each stage has two possible levels with two variants each, and there is the ticking clock that increases the difficulty every five minutes, so you manage your time and not spend an hour in a level grinding ala Isaac.
I could pass my review beta of the game, if you are interested
Edit: Oh, and I like Nuclear Throne too, mostly for the same reasons; It has to be 101% fucked to be impossible to survive most RNG obstacles.
 
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cordelionreaver said:
I have never been able to get into the Someguy2000 mod series. I found the writing trying to hard to be edgy and I don't being attacked by teloporting waves and waves of bullet spongy enemies.
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I couldn't even bother to boot them, just played Russell. Hope that he mods a proper game in the future
The Forgotten City for Skyrim was good, though
 
I'm not really interested in Risk Of Rain, I've considered it at first but the enthusiasm for it dropped quickly. I might reconsider it when a sale comes along but since there are other games that take precedence I doubt I'll ever try it out. :shrug:
 
Age of Decadence. I know a lot of you guys rave about it but I just can not get into it. I don't know why. In theory, it's my perfect game. I've given it three chances and it probably won't get a fourth.
 
Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy VI.

Now I love both of them, don't get me wrong. I have the DLC and Strategy Guide for Witcher 3, but I can't play for more than a couple of hours because I just keep thinking to myself, I really want to play Morrowind instead.

As for Final Fantasy VI, I consider it the best in the series, but everytime I start it, I just can't seem to pull myself through the first couple of hours.

I will make sure I get through both games, they are on a gaming Bucket List and I will play them at sometime point.

Another game I forgot to mention is System Shock 1 and the Older Elder Scrolls.
I really want to play them as they look really good, but the age of the game and the controls just put me off right away.
It doesn't help that trying to set-up Arena and Daggerfall takes forever, I really wish Bethesda would just stick them on Steam, even if it costs a tiny bit of money.

I have System Shock 1, but again, I feel like there's something I need that I don't have to really play it properly.
 
R.Graves said:
Really? I find his characters lore friendly, interesting, and well written.

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He does good dialogue, but I feel he relies on too much on sexual abuse and abuse of children. I didn't like his attempts at guilt tripping in Bounties 3. I played a Dark Sided bounty hunter in SWTOR. My character killed a man, cut off head and gave it to his wife as a warning. Took hostages to make a bounty surrender and then killed one when he didn't.(which oddly enough didn't give me DS points)

Yeah, I am not going to feel bad about defending myself against a assassin.
 
Xellos said:
It struck me just recently when I attempted to play Arcanum (yet again), that I will probably never be able to dive deeply into it. I'm in the second location of the game now and already know that I will probably drop it soon. Mind you, I rarely get captivated enough to finish a game these days (few exceptions among newer titles being Witcher 3, DX:HR and Starcraft 2/Diablo 3 story modes), but there is a big difference between not finishing a game and hardly starting it. I do not now why it is happening with Arcanum for me. It's considered one of the best classic RPGs out there, yet I cannot find motivation to continue playing. It's hard to nail a single cause, probably it's a blend of weird GUI, blurry and repetitive looks and the story which hasn't grown on me yet.

On the other hand I'm perfectly capable of playing Fallout1/2/PST/BG1/2/HoMM3 over and over again even though I know them by heart now, without getting bored.

Have you ever had such problems with a certain game, if so did you manage to overcome them and how ?
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One good way to gain interest and momentum when playing a hard-to-like good game is to research the fuck out of it. Look up ways to metagame a bit and get an early edge, or spoil yourself lightly to build suspense. Basically you want to weed out all the repetitive, time wasting shit that is in most games to make the burden a little lighter. Look for tips about whatever aspect of the game you don't like if possible. So you don't like the combat? Read up on it and see if you are doing it wrong or you can make it more fun/easier. I like to delve into lore (if the game has it) like a madman before I start. Recently I did this with the Persona series. It got me through one of the games at least, mostly due to me swallowing my pride and using a damn walkthrough for the entire game. Just to cut through boredom which would inevitably make me quit. Food for thought. ;)
 
Witcher 1, as much i like the story, the combat is just too MMORPG-like.
The UI and Alchemy system is pretty good though, or at least i like them.
 
Strangely, DOOM 2. I really like DOOM 1, and have finished it multiple times, but DOOM 2 is just not fun - or fun enough - for me. I can't get past the first dozen levels before I get bored of the game. Mainly because I know that mancubus and pain elemental spam is going to get upscaled to shit in future levels.

Just tell me how it ends!
 
  • Skyrim
  • Bioshock games
  • Minecraft
  • Telltale games
  • Fallout 4
  • Paradox grand strategy games (except Crusader Kings 2, for some reason I could learn how to play that game easily, but I can't understand how to play any other Paradox games, didn't try Stellaris yet because I don't have a machine to run it)
  • Fallout Tactics (I kinda like the game, I just can't seem to be able to play it anymore, I get so bored)
  • Rogue-like games (Just like @Mr Fish . For example I like FTL but I can only play it heavily modded and without the time limit)
  • FPS games (I can only play FPS if I am playing multiplayer with good friends, otherwise I can't get into playing those games by myself or random people, I get bored in just five minutes or less)
  • Portal games (any puzzle based game just makes me bored and frustrated)
  • Most "newer" RTS games (newer RTS games just seem to miss the "strategy" in RTS, basically you can only survive if you pump units non-stop faster than the enemy. I heard Starcraft 2 might be more like the older RTS, but I never played SC2)
  • Any game with micro-transactions (even if the game is fun, I just keep getting OCD about it having a real money store and I just feel so sick about have to pay for a game and then the company still tries to squeeze more money from players that I just can't get into the game anymore)
There are probably more specific games I could mention, but i just can't remember them at the moment, sorry.

Yeah I am weird :shrug:.
 
Risewild said:
Rogue-like games (Just like @Mr Fish . For example I like FTL but I can only play it heavily modded and without the time limit)
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Time limit? You mean the "Red Tide" or the Last Stand countdown? Both could use a 1.5x slowdown indeed
 
Baldur's Gate. I can't explain it, but something about it bores me to tears, which is weird because I'm pretty patient with games and love pretty much every other IE game. It's just those two. I'm fairly sure it's because the characters bore me. I've been spoiled by kotor 2 and Planescape Torment I guess :P

Also, I don't understand what the big deal is about Dragon Age.
 
Arnust said:
Time limit? You mean the "Red Tide" or the Last Stand countdown? Both could use a 1.5x slowdown indeed
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FTL is more like Turn limit, while you can stay in one spot forever, when you move to another point, the enemy will also move more close to you, you need to decide how many points of interest you want to visit before leave the sector, if you take too much turn the enemy will eventually catch you.
It's not mean Game Over though, but you will need to fight your way out, and the resource you got at the end of the fight are quite limited.
 
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