Bad games with good ideas (or vise-versa)

[Glover09]

How has there not been one of these yet? Well, now there is.

OK, we have all come across this before. Either we play a game that, while a piece of whatever-you-please, will contain an element that you think was rather good, even if just the idea, or while playing a game you enjoy greatly you run across a bit that stands out as crap. Most everyone here has a story, and how many have sent topics off the rails talking about these bits?

So, here is a place for these conversations to take the main stage, but do note that while popular opinion on a game can be a general nod either way, personal opinions can vary wildly, and you may(see: will)see something you disagree with. No need to thrash anyone, just make your counter point and move on. So without further BS:

Good game/Bad bits:
-Assassins Creeds Brotherhood and Revelations(Played These)- I understand adding challenge to the game, but this 'full sync bonus' being worth 50%? And why do they vary so badly in difficulty? Especially considering half the time important information isn't given.

-NBA 2K12- Career mode has issues, a grading system in any game without set parameters is generally going to suck, but that and the free-throw confusion I had were nothing to the required media sessions that were simply "Press a button to draw ire". The only way the fans won't hate you is to be the biggest prat you can be. Apparently, this was expanded on the latest game's PS4 and X1 ports, and I'm told it's much worse.

-GTA:San Andreas- Yes, GTA4 made you keep company with incredibly dull characters doing mundane things. Why not say that? Because the girlfriends in SA, that's why. I can't tell you how many times after getting the first that I would get calls from whatever-her-name-is, getting testy about me not seeing her like she wants. WOMAN, I HAVE 12 COPS AND 17 BALLAZ PROCEEDING TO TURN ME INTO A SPONGE BECAUSE OF YOU!!!

...Err, sorry about that, moving on.

Bad Games/Good bits:
-NFL Head Coach- Both of these games are awful time sinks, they give no real indication of what coaching is like, and you are thrown into the job without any knowledge of what works and what doesn't. Basically being Madden NFL Management, it uses the same gameplay and playcalling and whatnot, but that was built for on the fly when YOU are controlling the ball. Here, you are on the sidelines and you can only pick plays, of which you start with 15 and find that the same play in a different package is seen by the game as a different play altogether. That said, a legitimate coaching, or management, NFL game that was built to be such could be a great thing, and would be a break from the endless cycle of annual titles.

-Star Trek: Shattered Universe- OK, this one is a bit odd but hear me out. Between STOnline and Legends for 360, there is probably enough ship commanding to go around, and though I can't play one and am not willing to shell out big bucks to get the other, I would agree. So why is this here? Well, while the game jumps between notably decent and god awful, the concept has stuck with me. The missions are boring and aside from the obvious give you no good help, but the story, based on the Original Series sometime within the Motion Picture timeframes, is OK and George Takei makes it better, along with decent cinematics. You are a shuttle pilot for the Excelsior under command of Sulu, or you were before the ship crosses planes and ends up in the mirror universe, changed externally, and being confronted by Chekov in the ISS Enterprise. Luckily, the shuttles you had flown are now fighters, and it's on you to defend you ship. From there on, I don't really care as it gets repetitive, boring, and arbitrary in short order, but being a fighter pilot on a Dominion ship is something that can be done without tearing into the old Star Trek canon, or simply taking place in the mirror-verse. I'd like to see that at least.

-Sega GT- Sega tried making a game to compete with Gran Turismo. It didn't. Confusing menus, poor controls, iffy graphics, music, and AI, but it does have one redeeming feature that no racing game has replicated since, not even the 2002 game. Sega GT is the only game so far that allows you to build a car from the ground up. Yes, bodies were preset, and you couldn't move the axles or the engines, but it was the Dreamcast and no reality-based racing game did this(ModNation Racers comes close). Add to that once the car was built, you could not only buy more of them, but you could buy upgrades as you would for the licensed cars. The Crew looks close to it, but I'm certain you have to keep a base vehicle no matter what, and while there are kit cars, I'm certain that if there's more than one you can't mix and match.

So, there you have the ones I had on my mind. What experiences do you all wish to share?

 

[ThatQuietGuy]

First one that comes to mind is Evil Genius, bit of a mix as far as bad game/good ideas go because it does work on some level. Rts dungeon keeper style with you playing as the villian in Austin Powers basically. That theme really carries the game. What keeps it from being a great game is 2 things.

1. The pacing is awful, long periods of time where your just waiting for money to flow in or minions to train up, or base building(which is only slow if que up a whole lot at once but parts of the game force you to do just that), or trying to find the next story mission.


2. The AI, the agents who come to your secret base island don't have a plan really, they just poke at doors and maybe they'll wonder into something that triggers their attack/sabotage state. This makes the best strategy to spam doors all over your base to keep them occupied with lock picking.

Their are other issues but they kinda stem from those two in my opinion. Still, I like this game and if your dungeon keeper fan I recommend taking a look at it.

 

[Eve Charm]

Banjo and Kazooie nuts and bolts. The game was labeled as trash for not being a banjo kazooie game, but the game itself was really damn good. Basically here's hundreds of parts you unlock over the game here's the task you gotta do, build WHATEVER you want to do that task. The Game had barely any limits, You want to put every jet engine you had on your car to the point it was undriveable, go ahead and try. Want a car to change into a plane at a press of a button, Folding wings, you want it to be a boat also, put some inflatable tubes on it. Guns put guns on. You had to balance everything. Guns and ammos made you heavier and harder to steer, even wings did the same. The online was the same way ;p. Why play normal soccer when you could make a vehicle big enough to Eat any smaller vehicles in play first ;p

Can say it's the best time online I've had.

 

[raeior]

2. The AI, the agents who come to your secret base island don't have a plan really, they just poke at doors and maybe they'll wonder into something that triggers their attack/sabotage state. This makes the best strategy to spam doors all over your base to keep them occupied with lock picking.

Pretty much this. Besides Evil Genius I'd like to name "Dungeons". The idea to invite heroes power them up with spells armor etc. and then draw them further in with the promise of shinies is kinda cool. The humour is also pretty good. Only problem is the heroes behave like the agents in Evil Genius. They just walk around aimlessly and you have no way to lead them down a certain path. So they walk around in areas of your dungeon where you are mining gold, get bored because there's no spells or armor or other interesting stuff there and start killing your imps. Also it's a micromanagement hell. Your creatures are generally incapable of killing heroes so you have to send your dungeon lord after each and every one of them when they are ready to be harvested. In theory it's a nice idea but practically it ends up very repetitive and tedious.

 

[Elfgore]

*Turns and glares at Alpha Protocol* "You could have been so much more."

So yeah, bloody Alpha Protocol could have been such a great game instead of a mediocre one. Everything, the story, the consequences, the setting were fantastic. Then they decided to butcher the fucking gameplay. From my experience the only class that was even worth playing was stealth. Guns were downright useless. And for some moronic reason, they decided to add boss battles. Stupidly hard boss battles.

 

[Wasted]

Anyone remember Mark of Kri on the PS2? It had a great combat system that made engaging groups fast paced and fluid. It was unfortunate that minus the first and last level, the whole game was entirely stealth-based. The game was filled with armored enemies that essentially negated the combat system (and discouraging the fun head-on combat) and nearly required you to exploit an instant-kill counter maneuver to not get slaughtered by most enemies in the game.

I know there was a sequel but I never got around to play it so I'm not sure if they fixed the first game's flaws.

 

[Someone Depressing]

The new Alone in The Dark, without a doubt. The fire-combat aspect was interesting, the item crafting was unpolished at worst, and the lack of a health bar, but your health being indicated by the main character's visible wounds is probably the worst thing about the whole game, but it was a good idea.

It really seems like they poured their heart and soul into this game, but instead of trying to balance things, they just threw in ideas that seemed good at the time.

 

[Uriel_Hayabusa]

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Blade Mode is a great mechanic and the game did some cool/creative things with it.

 

[Evonisia]

The new Alone in The Dark, without a doubt. The fire-combat aspect was interesting, the item crafting was unpolished at worst, and the lack of a health bar, but your health being indicated by the main character's visible wounds is probably the worst thing about the whole game, but it was a good idea.

It really seems like they poured their heart and soul into this game, but instead of trying to balance things, they just threw in ideas that seemed good at the time.

I think Silent Hill Downpour did a similar thing with the health. On the first try it was annoying but once you realise how many blood stains you can handle it becomes manageable and kinda interesting. Speaking of Silent Hill!

Good game: Silent Hill Shattered Memories
Bad idea: Using the Wii mote to shake off the monsters. The lack of combat in the game is interesting and it allows for creating a unique level design that isn't like the other games. Unfortunately when monsters do show up the only way you can get rid of them is to flail the Wii mote around because it will never properly register what you'll try to do with it. Maybe the PS2 version is better, but outside of ordering it online good luck finding it.

Bad game: Mirror's Edge
Good idea: The jump about fast pace and fast paced combat involving disarming. It's very nice when it works, too bad many times your character will just refuse to acknowledge your commands, leading to many, many, many deaths or failure to even make contact with the guard you just punched in the face.

I hope they fix that in Mirror's Edge 2, but the trailer makes it look like the combat will still be shit.

 

[scorptatious]

For me that would be Mirror's-

Bad game: Mirror's Edge
Good idea: The jump about fast pace and fast paced combat involving disarming. It's very nice when it works, too bad many times your character will just refuse to acknowledge your commands, leading to many, many, many deaths or failure to even make contact with the guard you just punched in the face.

I hope they fix that in Mirror's Edge 2, but the trailer makes it look like the combat will still be shit.

Dammit. Beat me to it.

Banjo and Kazooie nuts and bolts. The game was labeled as trash for not being a banjo kazooie game, but the game itself was really damn good. Basically here's hundreds of parts you unlock over the game here's the task you gotta do, build WHATEVER you want to do that task. The Game had barely any limits, You want to put every jet engine you had on your car to the point it was undriveable, go ahead and try. Want a car to change into a plane at a press of a button, Folding wings, you want it to be a boat also, put some inflatable tubes on it. Guns put guns on. You had to balance everything. Guns and ammos made you heavier and harder to steer, even wings did the same. The online was the same way ;p. Why play normal soccer when you could make a vehicle big enough to Eat any smaller vehicles in play first ;p

Can say it's the best time online I've had.

Have to agree with this. As much as I loved the original BK games, I can't really say that this particular game was trash. It starts out kinda slow, but once you unlock enough parts, the game really shines through the amount of customization you can do.