Once in a while, I'll do a search for my name and the "what are you playing?" thread to see my thoughts on older games. It's funny seeing how I felt about some games that wind up changing.
What I found interesting is seeing games that I railed against only to turn around and enjoy them when I gave them a second chance. So I thought that might make for an interesting discussion topic.
Some examples:
Witcher 3: This was the big one for me. Since I hadn't played the first two, I was wary about jumping right into this with no familiarity. What initially turned me off was an interrogation scene early in the game. You're grilled about past events and other character whereabouts. Having no clue, I guessed my answers, not knowing any ramifications.
But then I played a little further and doing witcher contracts pulled me in. The Bloody Baron story hooked me and made me want to see what other stories the game had in store for me. As I progressed, I got to know the world and the characters and soon enough, The Witcher 3 became one of my all-time favourite games in recent memory. I've replayed the game in full - side missions, expansions and all - THREE TIMES. And now I'm impatiently waiting for CD Projekt Red's next game, Cyberpunk, because of the goodwill they built from an excellent game and even more excellent treatment of their customers.
Arkham Origins: After reading about the debacle with WB choosing to push DLC rather than fix the game's many technical problems, I wanted nothing to do with it. Even without playing it, I hated the game. It felt like a forced, quick cash grab with a shoddy paint job over Arkham City.
And after playing it, I still feel that way. It pales in comparison to the other games, even Arkham Knight. It's mostly a retread of things Rocksteady already did and little innovation compared to the number of additions made in City or Arkham. Even finally playing it, I hated how it was unpolished, buggy, and many little things bugged me. Like the grappling system not letting you grapple to spots City or Knight would easily allow. Or how the timing in the counters was just slightly off.
But...I wound up mostly enjoying it by the end. Some of the boss fights were fun, like Deathstroke and Firefly. I enjoyed the story between Joker & Batman meeting for the first time (and a refreshingly more restrained Joker). It's still firmly on the bottom of the four Arkham games, but I'm glad I finally gave it a chance.
Shadow of Mordor: I honestly forgot that I didn't enjoy this at first. I'm openly a fan of sprawling sandbox games that give you lots to do. This one took awhile to grow on me because initially getting around Mordor was a massive chore. I think I went into this with too high expectations because everyone was praising the game, including curmudgeons like Yahtzee.
But then more powers opened up, traveling was easier (and fun, especially the dog-like beasts). And once I started controlling orcs and building my army of mind-controlled dudes, I started digging it. The game is still flawed, mind you. The story is mostly forgettable and uninteresting. The ending is disappointing. And it gets really repetitive at times. But looking back, I'm glad I played it.
Cities Skylines: I didn't really hate this one at first. I was never huge on city-building sims, save for Sim City on the SNES, and a little bit of Sim City 4. I snagged this on sale after hearing endless praise for it (and as a middle finger to EA). I guess the learning curve was a bit too steep for me because I only played about half an hour of it. But after some help from @GasBandit and other guides, I jumped back in.
I still don't have the patience to grow a massive city (only about 7,500 population) before I give up and start over. Usually because initially well-made infrastructure progressively gets messier. But I enjoy playing it sometimes.
What I found interesting is seeing games that I railed against only to turn around and enjoy them when I gave them a second chance. So I thought that might make for an interesting discussion topic.
Some examples:
Witcher 3: This was the big one for me. Since I hadn't played the first two, I was wary about jumping right into this with no familiarity. What initially turned me off was an interrogation scene early in the game. You're grilled about past events and other character whereabouts. Having no clue, I guessed my answers, not knowing any ramifications.
But then I played a little further and doing witcher contracts pulled me in. The Bloody Baron story hooked me and made me want to see what other stories the game had in store for me. As I progressed, I got to know the world and the characters and soon enough, The Witcher 3 became one of my all-time favourite games in recent memory. I've replayed the game in full - side missions, expansions and all - THREE TIMES. And now I'm impatiently waiting for CD Projekt Red's next game, Cyberpunk, because of the goodwill they built from an excellent game and even more excellent treatment of their customers.
Arkham Origins: After reading about the debacle with WB choosing to push DLC rather than fix the game's many technical problems, I wanted nothing to do with it. Even without playing it, I hated the game. It felt like a forced, quick cash grab with a shoddy paint job over Arkham City.
And after playing it, I still feel that way. It pales in comparison to the other games, even Arkham Knight. It's mostly a retread of things Rocksteady already did and little innovation compared to the number of additions made in City or Arkham. Even finally playing it, I hated how it was unpolished, buggy, and many little things bugged me. Like the grappling system not letting you grapple to spots City or Knight would easily allow. Or how the timing in the counters was just slightly off.
But...I wound up mostly enjoying it by the end. Some of the boss fights were fun, like Deathstroke and Firefly. I enjoyed the story between Joker & Batman meeting for the first time (and a refreshingly more restrained Joker). It's still firmly on the bottom of the four Arkham games, but I'm glad I finally gave it a chance.
Shadow of Mordor: I honestly forgot that I didn't enjoy this at first. I'm openly a fan of sprawling sandbox games that give you lots to do. This one took awhile to grow on me because initially getting around Mordor was a massive chore. I think I went into this with too high expectations because everyone was praising the game, including curmudgeons like Yahtzee.
But then more powers opened up, traveling was easier (and fun, especially the dog-like beasts). And once I started controlling orcs and building my army of mind-controlled dudes, I started digging it. The game is still flawed, mind you. The story is mostly forgettable and uninteresting. The ending is disappointing. And it gets really repetitive at times. But looking back, I'm glad I played it.
Cities Skylines: I didn't really hate this one at first. I was never huge on city-building sims, save for Sim City on the SNES, and a little bit of Sim City 4. I snagged this on sale after hearing endless praise for it (and as a middle finger to EA). I guess the learning curve was a bit too steep for me because I only played about half an hour of it. But after some help from @GasBandit and other guides, I jumped back in.
I still don't have the patience to grow a massive city (only about 7,500 population) before I give up and start over. Usually because initially well-made infrastructure progressively gets messier. But I enjoy playing it sometimes.
