Bittersweet games

[sgtshock]

Ever had a game that you really wanted to like, but couldn't help but hate? Or maybe just a game that was really great deep down, but forced you through hideous design choices that made getting the sweet inner parts painful?

For example, Battlefield 2 was a game I had very mixed opinions with. When this game was fun, it was very fun. Going on a killing spree in a tank, blowing up a low-flying chopper with C4, or dominating the enemy with your 5-man squad were some of the most epic moments of gaming. But that was only about 20% of the time. The other 80% was either mediocre or simply maddening. So many bad design choices, like indestructable claymore mines, overpowered vehicles, and poor connections. Plus, the simple fact that the maps were so huge could lead to a 5 minute walk to an enemy flag only to be instakilled by a sniper or bombing run. The fact that the game had a very immature community didn't help either, with teamkillers a common sight and teamwork a rarity.

Still, I couldn't give it up. I lived for those moments of pure awesome when everything worked out right. An addicting level system with unlockable weapons helped too.

Anyone have similar experiences? Ever play a game that you couldn't put down despite how much you hated it?

 

[TaborMallory]

I tried to like Condemned. I tried to be scared.
At the end of the day, though, the game sucked harder than any I've played so far on the 360.

EDIT:
Wait... I think I misread the question. Hmm... a game I love no matter how much I hate?
I'm going to have to go with every RPG in existence. There's no better way to mix up the definitions of work and play.

 

[Internet Kraken]

Spore

Oh god I wanted it to be good.

 

[Weaver]

Spore
Supreme Commander
House of the Dead: Overkill
Armored Core: For Answer

 

[sgtshock]

I tried \
EDIT:
Wait... I think I misread the question. Hmm... a game I love no matter how much I hate?
I'm going to have to go with every RPG in existence. There's no better way to mix up the definitions of work and play.

It doesn't really matter, it can be games you love to hate or games you hate to love.

EDIT: I actually just realized my post asks both questions. So either way works. My bad.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Shoot. I thought you were talking about games with bittersweet endings.

No, I can't think of any game I hate to love. I can think of games I hate having to defend over and over to idiots, but I don't hold that against the game itself.

 

[kokirisoldier]

Vampire Rain
http://www.microsoft.com/xbox/vampirerain/

It sounds great on paper:
Splinter Cell styled sneaking
Special forces V.S Vampires


To bad its a flaming piece of garbage.

 

[LowFatLoki]

Half-Life. The ending had the biggest ultimatum ever. But, the whole adventure of getting there was some of the best FPS gaming ever.

 

[Good morning blues]

Half-Life. The ending had the biggest ultimatum ever. But, the whole adventure of getting there was some of the best FPS gaming ever.

Hey, way to read the OP.

I agree with the OP about Battlefield 2, and extend that to the entire Battlefield series. I really want to love all of them. Playing the original Wake Island BF1942 demo at a LAN cafe with my friends was some of the best game time I ever had. The actual games themselves are roughly 90% traversing wide-open ground without ever seeing an enemy. Add to that the incredibly poor programming - if you actually have programmed in a "loading main menu" screen for when people hit 'esc' while playing, you have done something severely wrong (and this is not mentioning the lag or truly ridiculous bugs) - and you've got a generally poor experience, no matter how great it looks on paper.

I also really wanted to like Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines, but the bugs and combat ruined it for me. I understand that it's not an FPS; I was trying to play it as an RPG. Even so, there was a lot of combat, and the combat just wasn't fun. I've tried to play through it twice now; the first, I stopped at a forced stealth section, and the second, I stopped at a long, drawn-out fight in a sewer level. If this isn't an FPS, why does it include all the worst FPS cliches?

 

[mangus]

right now... trying to get through 'the last remnant'. Hate the voices, hate how I'm doomed to failure at the important story battle I'm up to... but the game is fun! it's just... impossible?

 

[JC175]

I also really wanted to like Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines, but the bugs and combat ruined it for me. I understand that it's not an FPS; I was trying to play it as an RPG. Even so, there was a lot of combat, and the combat just wasn't fun. I've tried to play through it twice now; the first, I stopped at a forced stealth section, and the second, I stopped at a long, drawn-out fight in a sewer level. If this isn't an FPS, why does it include all the worst FPS cliches?

Personally I find VtM:B to be one of my favourite games, but by far the combat is the weakest aspect of the experience. I know the sewer fight you're talking about, and yeah, it's the longest section of that style in the game. But I love the game purely for its atmosphere and storyline, and to add, once you unlock some of the higher disciplines combat becomes quite fun due to how powerful it makes you feel, without making combat horrendously one sided.

My bittersweet game would have to be Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Parts of the game were exhiliratingly amazing, and others were so tedious I almost couldn't put myself through playing them.

 

[Paulrus_Keaton]

The Halo series.

The combat was beautiful, but it left much to be desired; especially in the final game which felt empty. I tell this joke that when Halo 2 was reaching release, Bungie realized that they had made the most groundbreaking online multiplayer.. but had totally forgotten the story. So they rushed out the story in the nick of time with some Arbiter and "finishing this fight" band aids.

Next, there was TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. There was hardly any challenge in the story, which's crap and felt like a passable "Sci-Fi Channel" flick. Some of the multiplayer maps were crap and just novelty, and the vehicles were bland. Here's hoping that Crytek notes what made this game good and doesn't fuck it up. And they also add a jump button.

And then there was Starfox Adventures and Assault. The former dragged me in with the whole "Zelda-clone", Rareware thing, and was only enjoyable the first couple playthroughs. At the end, all the game had going for it was the final battle, a uncomfortably attractive female lead, and some pretty enviroments. Assualt was just bad. I wanted the shooter aspect the work, I wanted the Arwing missions to throw me back to the N64 days, but they were bland and usually crap. And what to do when its all over? Play a tacked on NES game that you can unlock that isn't even that good.

 

[Plauged1]

Dirge of Cerberus. God, it sucks, but I still like it.

 

[Guitar Gamer]

doesn't bitter sweet mean happy but sad at the same time?
or do you mean a hate to love thing?
for the happy but sad endings portal is my number 1

for the "hate to love" or I wish it was good, I'll say: spore or Sid Meyre's civilization revolution, didn't like it and wasted good money on it

 

[SteakHeart]

I hate to love Far Cry 2. As much truly correct critisism this game recieves, I ignore it and just play the game. Sometimes you gotta do that.

 

[Thundero13]

Final Fantasy 3, I do actually like a most of it but the game is just ruined by the fact that there are bosses so often.
And while i'm on the subject what is all the fuss about the final fantasy games? even if the game didn't have bosses very often it still wouldn't be as good as some people say it is.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Oh so many.

Halo's story, which seemed to promise so much in the beginning, bummed me out no end, but the gameplay and lack of any real all brown levels did make up for it. Any game I tried for 100% completion on. Nothing sucks fun like trying to complete that last annoying fight with only a pistol, or jumping that last unjumpable gap, but when you finally manage it, the feeling is depressingly good.

 

[Rob Sharona]

Starfox Adventures.

It was Rare's last game created for Nintendo, and it combined the Starfox franchise with Rare's years in the waiting new 3D platformer Dinosaur Planet. It should have been amazing!

While it looked nice, it was one of the most boring games I have ever played. Really rubbish way to wave goodbye to a company that produced so many quality titles for Nintendo's systems.

 

[skywalkerlion]

Ever had a game that you really wanted to like, but couldn't help but hate? Or maybe just a game that was really great deep down, but forced you through hideous design choices that made getting the sweet inner parts painful?

For example, Battlefield 2 was a game I had very mixed opinions with. When this game was fun, it was very fun. Going on a killing spree in a tank, blowing up a low-flying chopper with C4, or dominating the enemy with your 5-man squad were some of the most epic moments of gaming. But that was only about 20% of the time. The other 80% was either mediocre or simply maddening. So many bad design choices, like indestructable claymore mines, overpowered vehicles, and poor connections. Plus, the simple fact that the maps were so huge could lead to a 5 minute walk to an enemy flag only to be instakilled by a sniper or bombing run. The fact that the game had a very immature community didn't help either, with teamkillers a common sight and teamwork a rarity.

Still, I couldn't give it up. I lived for those moments of pure awesome when everything worked out right. An addicting level system with unlockable weapons helped too.

Anyone have similar experiences? Ever play a game that you couldn't put down despite how much you hated it?

Call of Duty. Sometimes, when I have mah M16 out, ready to go, I can have some epic kill streaks and just rip crap apart. But most of the time, the opposite team has an insanely great player that just eats everything on the map.

That, and Halo 3. EVERY SINGLE GAME my sticky grenades bug out and go threw the person I throw them at. And because I just kinda suck. But, I catch hackers alot, and tons of racist assholes.

 

[Necrofudge]

Most puzzle games (excluding portal)
They keep drawing you in then shooting you down like a blond hooker.