When was the last time you were surprised by a game?

[Leemaster777]

So, I got myself a PSP not too long ago, and to celebrate, I got an eBay lot of several games for the system. I've been working my way through the pile, and the last game of it I've played is a little game called Lumines.

I thought, "Oh, a Tetris clone. Think I heard about this once. Should be fun for 15 minutes or so."

I am currently ADDICTED to this friggin game. I think I like it even BETTER than the original Tetris. And yes, Tetris syndrome has set in for me (i.e., I now see falling blocks everywhere I go, even in my sleep.)

So, when was the last time a game just completely surprised you? Maybe it was an unexpected gem of a game, or maybe a game you were really hyped for just surprised you with it's poor quality, or maybe just a singular moment inside a game that you didn't see coming.

 

[Wierdguy]

Tbh - DragonAge:Origins. When I bought it I didnt know anything about it or even Bioware. I was just randomly browsing my local game store when I saw it on the new release shelfs. After reading teh back I thought; "Huh... guess this will keep me occupied for a few hours atleast... bet its just an Oblivion clone though...".

Im not sure supprised is the right word.... but I sure felt SOMETHING when I emerged from my room 150 hours and 6 playthroughs later.

 

[de5gravity]

For some reason, Splinter Cell Conviction which I played a few weeks ago for the first time. Also I'm playing The 3rd Birthday on the PSP and strangely really liking it! (I'm understanding surprised as in going in with no expectations and finding out out you really like the game)

 

[Iwata]

Costume Quest. I bought the game and the expansion because I'm a huge Tim Schaefer fan, but I was not into the concept of the game at all, and I generally dislike RPG's, lite or not.

How wrong I was... I went through the game and the expansion practically non-stop. Sorry I doubted you, Double Fine! What a gem of a game.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Portal 2, entering the second act was the biggest "HOLY CRAP" I've played through in recent history.

 

[Sudenak]

Fallout: New Vegas. I expected myself to hate it because I'm not a big fan of brown-n'-bloom-shooters, but it was quite pleasant. Until the ending, which chucked me clear out of the game with so much rage that I hated myself for being pleasantly surprised with the rest of it.

But possibly the nicest surprise was Space Station Silicon Valley. An N64 game that I expected to be quite terrible. Instead it was super fun, a tiny bit humorous, and just challenging enough to make me gnaw on my controller. And the music was so darn catchy.

 

[MrLlamaLlama]

Terraria.. bought it thinking it'd be a 6 quid, 7 minute play around. 32 (no kidding) hours later, and my Degree is in serious danger.

*goes back to dissertation*

 

[Savagezion]

Red Dead Redemption but moreso for story purposes than thinking it wasn't going to be good. Based on something turning out to be better than I expected, it was probably all the way back to like Shadow of the Collossus.

 

[Zarus]

You know... I think that the last game I was actually surprised by was the first Portal. I got the orange box to get access to TF2 early so i could play with my friends and was shocked at how amazing portal was. All the other gave I've goten in years past I have expected about what i got from them.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Nier. Rented it figuring it was going to be a generic action RPG but it turned out to be either an awesome parody/satire of video games or a game so bad it ended up being good. I'm not sure which and it is very hard to tell which it was. But either way the game is great to me.

 

[Groundchuck]

MGS 4, I forgave the Prequal in 3 after the end of Sons of Liberty, but I feel it should have been so much more than an extended cut scene with pesky game play sections.

 

[Faux Furry]

To say that I was surprised by how much Mortal Kombat 2011 is improved over the original Mortal Kombat would be an understatement.

Nothing else in gaming this year, not even the 'All That Remains' quest in Dragon Age 2, can top that shock.

 

[swenson]

DAO also surprised me. I expected Mass Effect in Middle-Earth, but while it wasn't the most original thing ever, it was very well-done. The ending... well, not to give anything away, but let's just say I was playing a female Warden and failed to make certain choices, and spent a miserable afternoon after feeling depressed about it.

So then I replayed the end to "fix" it.

Portal 2 also surprised me. I wasn't surprised that it was good--I assumed that from the beginning--but it just kept throwing twists and turns at me that I didn't expect at all! The surprise in the third act is a good example of that.

Finally, Mass Effect was really the first RPG I played after a few FPSes, and it surprised me because I realized FPSes aren't really my thing... RPGs are!

Oh, and text-based games. Interactive fiction (like Zork or Colossal Cave) and Roguelikes alike. Do you think a game like that can't be immersive? You're wrong. Completely, totally, utterly wrong. Play some Nethack, play a good IF game, and you'll find out how unimportant fancy graphics are!

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Red Dead Redemption was a huge surprise for me. I've never really been into westerns, or cowboys, but this game completely blew me away, and made me love the setting.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

L.A. Noire, the whole facial expressions, not just in interrogation, but at all times are just incredible.

 

[Tigerlily Warrior]

Enslaved surprised me. And it surprised me how surprised I could still get when playing a platform game. Brought up playing SMB3 as a kid. So much fun!

 

[krazykraig]

dead space, mainly due to the fact of how much it scared me playing it in the dark, i mean i knew it would be but i think i stayed up that entire night cos i couldn't get back to sleep,
or the Darkness at just how boring that games was, i really can't get in to it

 

[OctoH]

Dead Space 2. The end, where you have to stab a certain someone (especially in the manner in which you do it). Vague, but if you have played it then you can guess what I am talking about.