What games were trying too hard?

[rutcommapat]

In any sense that you can think of, what games were simply trying too hard to be liked, or be scary, or be wacky, or whatever else?

I'm starting with Saints Row: The Third. Yeah, Saints Row 2 had some ridiculous things going on, but it also had charming dialogue and characters and at least didn't seem to be waving its dick in our faces. Saints Row: The Third not only waves its dick in our face, it makes a giant purple dick one of the main weapons.

(And I want to take this opportunity to bring up the fact that the purple dildo in Saints Row 3 was basically one of the game's biggest selling points, despite the fact that San Andreas already had a purple dildo available as a weapon. (which actually looked a lot like the one from SR3, but smaller) and in SA it was just there. The developers didn't wave it around shouting LOOK AT THIS EVERYBODY WE HAVE A DILDO FOR A WEAPON, either. It just happened to be a souvenir picked up during a mission, and was actually quite funny in context. In Saints Row it feels forced.)

 

[Baralak]

Gears of War, period. Everything about the story was trying too hard to be taken seriously. I had to laugh every time I heard Marcus' voice.

 

[Indecipherable]

yep I agree with your assessment on Saints Row: The Third. Not specifically about the dildo bat but that it pushed for extreme in just every single instance. Unfortunately that quickly loses its impact - there's only so many times you can do the ridiculous airplane scene before it is just dumb (hint: once, ever). Every mission feels like it was just trying to be as preposterous as possible, while Saints Row 2 had a lot of 'normality' that provided great juxtaposition against the ludicrous.

The pacing was off, you had attack helicopters right from the beginning, you didn't really accumulate power in any sensible fashion...

It was a fun game for mucking around in but Saints Row 2 was simply much better by knowing not to go overboard. Saints Row The Third tried too hard.

 

[rutcommapat]

I never felt it was forced, hell I didn't even use it once I got it, I preferred the spiked Baseball Bat. You just seem like you want to hate on SR3 solely for the fact you can use a giant purple dick to kill people with.

Well, the dildo bat was meant to be just an example of the game's overall extreme-ness. It's not the only singular reason I think the game is trying too hard.

 

[G-Force]

In an age where we frequently criticize games for playing it too safe and being similar to one another, I'd rather have a game trying too hard then not trying hard enough.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Fallout 3 tried way too hard to have a sad ending that it just fell flat on its face.

 

[Rylot]

In an age where we frequently criticize games for playing it too safe and being similar to one another, I'd rather have a game trying too hard then not trying hard enough.

Agreed. I loved SR2 and think it's a great game but I think Volition did the right thing when they took the series in the opposite direction of Grand Theft Auto. The story isn't as good, the pacing is off, the characters aren't as good, but I don't care. That game is just so damn fun to dick around in.

 

[kingthrall]

diablo 3, tried to hard to make it better than the origonals. Should of used the old rule of K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid)

 

[DustyDrB]

Story-wise: Vanquish. I kind of like it's deadpan silliness, though.

I can't tell if it really is trying to be serious or if it's a parody. Either way, the "serious" moments always made me laugh. It's one hell of a fun game, though.

 

[feeback06]

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Saints Row 3; I'd say Grand Theft Auto 4 tried way too hard to be taken seriously.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Mass Effect 3 tried too hard to have a deep and thought provoking ending, thats the only example I can think of

Captcha: Red white and blue

AMMMEEEEERIIIIICAAAAAAAAA is behind this

 

[mad825]

Dragon Age 2

Yea, the story doesn't have the traditional RPG story however because it was trying to be different, it became too different. To reach any climatic ending, they resorted cheap tricks (anders and the destroyed temple) and the story before that was about as entertaining as the House of lords on the BBC.

 

[Horben]

Fallout 3 tried way too hard to have a sad ending that it just fell flat on its face.

Truth. In the end I took the "good" ending because... why not? It's the end. Same as Fable 2.

FF13 and Star ocean: The New Hope were two big ones. A protagonist with wings on his armor and chickadee blonde hair named Edge Maverick? Really?

 

[JoesshittyOs]

I don't really think games have gotten to a point where they can "try too hard" to be honest with you.

I guess the only closest comparison I can make to that is Splinter Cell Conviction. I guess it "tried too hard" to make you feel like a Bad Ass, and the game ended up suffering from that rare case of being way too fucking easy. When I say that, it's a bad thing.

I can't imagine what a half decent player would have thought about it.

 

[LiquidSolstice]

Skyrim.


It tries to be many things but ultimately (at least to me) it proves to be unsatisfying at almost everything.

 

[Breadline]

I never felt it was forced, hell I didn't even use it once I got it, I preferred the spiked Baseball Bat. You just seem like you want to hate on SR3 solely for the fact you can use a giant purple dick to kill people with.

Well, the dildo bat was meant to be just an example of the game's overall extreme-ness. It's not the only singular reason I think the game is trying too hard.

The entire point of the game is to be over the top.

And the entire point of the OP was to point out that Saints Row The Third trying too hard to be over the top cheapened that experience for rutcommapat. I actually felt the same way, in Saints Row 2 the game was just grounded enough for the ridiculousness to be enjoyable, Saints Row The Third felt like a bad comedian trying too hard to be the center of attention by screaming random noises while running in circles.

My choice would be Dear Esther. I enjoyed it, but I wish it could have shown a little more humility at some points instead of constantly trying to bombard me with often very esoteric narration.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter. That game had several minigames althought the main one was the air race. It was pretty much quantity over quality as the minigames were too short and not polish enought since the air race control was hard to master.

 

[Trippin tacos]

I still remember a time me and a friend dicked around inside the shopping centre in saints row 2 for about an hour, we were both in bright pink ninja outfits riding quad bikes around trying to kill each other. Stuff like that is what made SR2 great, because while the wackyness was still there, it never felt forced and did provide a good contrast the somewhat-serious campaign, our session of mucking around was made all the more enjoyable knowing that it was purely player-driven, instead of the game shoving it down our throats.