Popular games series you wish you liked but don't - The Bear and Badger

retroking1981

As the title says, what's big that most people love that you just don't get.

I've got a few, but the two that always come to mind are:

Super Smash Bros
As a Nintendo fan I really want to like these, but as much as I've tried I just don't get them. Just feels floaty, loose and unresponsive to me.

Wipeout
Has the looks and the sounds but it I just never got on with the controls.

I don't really like laying down rules but in the spirit of keeping this focused and friendly:

1. Make it something you want to like. E.g. If you hate fighting games it's pointless listing Street Fighter. Like platformers but hate Mario? Rant away.

2. If your a fan of said series please don't get upset and defend it, they're popular for a good reason. No need to defend what everyone knows is good, this is simply a place to moan that you don't.

Go...

cockbeard

Zelda, tried many times and I'm sure if I get back to gaming I will try windwaker again, but the Gameboy one upset me by being impossible. I loved Okami though so probably would enjoy it

bad_hair_day

Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There's just something about that game which never clicked despite several attempts. The long ass travelling, switching spent weapons was a chore and inventory management seemed to intrude at every turn. Just dull as fuck to me.

regmcfly

Dark Souls - seems to me as though punishment shouldn't be the point of gaming. There's obviously something there that people adore and I would love to get to, but I've tried Demon Souls, DS1-3, and Bloodborne and I just can't get past the rigid combat where everything takes its time (I know that's the point) and I get told off for pushing the wrong button to a seemingly ridiculous degree.
I would love to love it, the lore sounds amazing, but it's just never clicked.

The Daddy

MGS.

b0r1s

I’d echo MGS. Have tried three versions and just doesn’t gel.

bad_hair_day

Can we have more than one? That's Dark Souls and MGS added to the list then.

Bob

Zelda - every one and I’ve played like four of them suck

hylian_elf

The obvious one for me is Sonic. I never really understood it, how to play it, why people like it etc. I tried the original, Sonic 2, and a couple of later entries. But none of them ever clicked.

hylian_elf

And I did want to like it. To be in with the cool boys.

The film was better than the fucking game!

hylian_elf

I will echo Retro’s Super Smash Bros. I love fighting games, but Smash is just all over the place,

Facewon

Serious kudos to reg for trying all the from stuff.

Those mentioning mgs, I wonder if 5 r even just ground zero is the one for you. I like mgs, but muddled my way through a lot of them. And 4 was a weird mess. 5 allows room to breathe. That has some not digging it, but it might help others.

Not that that is the point of the thread. Oops.

I'm drawing a blank right now.

Vagrant story sort of. Loved it, but could never work out how to get through a bit midway through. 2-3 aborted starts.

Bob

hylian_elf wrote:

The obvious one for me is Sonic. I never really understood it, how to play it, why people like it etc. I tried the original, Sonic 2, and a couple of later entries. But none of them ever clicked.

Go as fast as you can

retroking1981

bad_hair_day wrote:

Can we have more than one? That's Dark Souls and MGS added to the list then.

As many as you want.

retroking1981

regmcfly wrote:

Dark Souls - seems to me as though punishment shouldn't be the point of gaming. There's obviously something there that people adore and I would love to get to, but I've tried Demon Souls, DS1-3, and Bloodborne and I just can't get past the rigid combat where everything takes its time (I know that's the point) and I get told off for pushing the wrong button to a seemingly ridiculous degree.
I would love to love it, the lore sounds amazing, but it's just never clicked.

Good shout, summed up well. Definitely another one to add to my list.

JonB

Not a popular series, but I definitely got thay feeling with Outer Wilds last year. As a concept it's seems like the sort of thing I should love, and I'm all for exploration games that leave you alone to figure stuff out. But actually playing it just wasn't a likeable experience.

I suppose another one (again not a popular series) would be modern shmup games. I used to love a good shoot 'em up back in the 80s and 90s, but these days they all seem to cater for a niche audience of experts. It all feels rather impenetrable.

davyK

Smash Bros (actually any fighting game). I am mesmerised by this genre. It's really the ultimate one-on-one genre. Kinetic chess. But I really don't get on with them. Their presentation is usually of a very high quality too. I have a collection of these games and I like them for MP casual but I'd really like to appreciate them more.

God of War - one of my biggest disappoints ever. Ps2 version. Gorgeous looking game. A theme/scenario I really like. One of the most boring games I have ever played.

Lurch666

Came to mention dark souls.
Many times I've played the first one after friends have told me how good it is once you "get" it.
Had other games that took a few tried to click with but over the years dark souls have never worked for me.
I guess it's the back to the start of the level on death that I hate.
Some people seem to like that but I can't stand playing the same level over and over to get to the point where I can beat it.
Guess I just lack the patience but I feel like I'm still missing out.

poprock

Wreckfest. On paper it’s ideal for me. Ticks all my boxes. Driving game, Xbox, fun as opposed to serious, rewards playing dirty, etc. But driving feels floaty, just disconnected from the action. I bounced off the game almost instantly.

digi

Halo

bad_hair_day

Spoiler:

tigersgogrrr

Mario platformers. Dull. I don't doubt they once set a standard, but snore snore snore. Precision isn't enough - I need some thematic interest and there isn't any here for me.

Uncharted. Dull as ditchwater. Generic games for generic people. The FIFA of 3rd person action games.

God of War. Just so much worse than all the other big titles in the genre. Bayonetta is infinitely superior in every single respect.

Skyrim. Bethesda are fucking hacks. Boring characters, buggy as hell, dull combat, shit mythos. The skyboxes were good but other than that it was just so generic.

regmcfly

"the FIFA of 3rd person action games" is such a fuckin slam dunk I'd put it as my signature, and I like them games.

Moot_Geeza

Smash Bros for me too. Tried the Wii U one and sold it almost immediately, then stupidly went day one on the Switch version. Everything on screen seems to just be sort of happening while you waft a floaty character into position and wonder if picking someone else would've been a better bet. It feels like trying to influence a raffle by tilting the tombola.

If Sega released a game with that level of fan service, that many features and that much polish, but with a similarly wonky core, I think I'd explode in frustration.

And Super Metroid. Probably would have loved it at the time but Samus doesn't feel good to control imo.

mistercrayon

Sony single player actions games.

But. I don’t really care I don’t like them. I guess it’s more a statement: I can’t understand why people like these games over a good movie.

mistercrayon

I think there are some games which i bounce off because I’m not a child with infinite time now. Dark Souls would be a great game to get into but any friction in the difficulty feels like too much gobbling of my precious time. I think what makes dark souls annoying versus rhythm heaven is that the intrinsic joy is okay in the latter even if the game is hard.

I acknowledge there’s an element of contradiction in my views.

regmcfly

The smash Bros hate in here makes me Crai. I spent my seriously bad day of self isolation playing smasho online because I just needed something wholesome.

regmcfly

Another for me -

Red Dead Redemption (specifically 2)

I actually had this game twice because of thinking there was something wrong with me. It is a slow ponderous game where everything requires just too much effort in terms of button presses. The vistas I have seen are mind blowing, but the game itself seems to wallow in its own complexity.

yourfavouriteuncle

MGS
Halo
Final Fantasy
Dark Souls
Elder Scrolls - any of ‘em.
Gran Turisimo
Wipeout
Smash Bros

Doesn’t leave loads really does it?

Dubs

I struggled with Smash until I watched some competitive Melee. I still don't particularly enjoy playing it but have at least a loose grip on what's going on. Even practiced some of the advanced stuff via mods until my hands started hurting. Crazy level of execution required.

Guilty Gear: Love the visuals, the character variety and Potemkin. I just couldn't get my head around the neutral and the defensive options after years of Street Fighter's relative simplicity. I'll try again with Strive and give up after a month of blocking in the corner. Could probably expand to non-SF fighting games tbh.

Another that springs to mind is Vanquish. Mikami's directed some of my favourite games but I never got into the groove with that one.

regmcfly

Vanquish - et tu, dubs

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