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Admitting that a game is disappointing

squirtle

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squirtle

squirtle

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...Or maybe not. I'm not sure.

This was inspired by a couple of things.

1. Lazychu asking if I like every game.

2. World Racing, purchased on Friday and returned on Saturday for being unbelievably shit.

And point 2 was only reached after several hours of playing and trying and pain and hatred and then hitting the disk eject button on the Xbox in frustration at the crapness of it all.

I think this boils down to the fact that I want all games to be good. Especially those I invest some time and money in. They owe me a good time for the outlay. When they don't deliver I get annoyed, but at some deep level I won't accept that the game is rubbish. I think that it will get better or that I am not doing something right. In short, that the fault is mine and not the game's.

This, of course is tosh. Which I have now come to realise.

I can accept mediocrity as long as there is a little spark there - story, graphics, level, special move; whatever! - and I feel that I am way more tolerant than a lot of people on here. This, of course, makes me seem more positive about games than some on here, which is neither good or bad, just different.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to get across here. Admitting that something is not as good as you hoped/thought it would be is a hard thing to do - hence all the fanboy rhetoric we see everywhere.

I guess I'm just trying to highlight something that has been bothering me for a while.

Ho-hum.

Edit: Changed title from Crap to disappointing as feel crap is not what I mean. Nor is disappointing really, but can't think of what else to put.

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Jonnyc

Jonnyc

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Recently I have decided that if a game is not giving me any fun, then I can it.

A long look at my modest collection of games makes me realise that this covers a lot of them. A lot more than I would like to admit to myself.

I have had a lot of fun playing some so called crap games but I have also found myself slogging away without any real enjoyment whatsoever.

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Cthulhu

Cthulhu

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It's easy for me to denounce a game as "No Fun", but there's always the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that I'm wrong, or that I'm not doing it right... compounded by the fact that in the past I've gone back to games I've hated after a long time and found that I did indeed like them.

But it seems that Squirtle is one of those 'positive' people, and there's nothing wrong with that. He wants value for money, and thus perseveres. The fact that he'll try for longer than I will makes him a better person than me, in some respects...

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squirtle

squirtle

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It's easy for me to denounce a game as "No Fun", but there's always the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that I'm wrong, or that I'm not doing it right... compounded by the fact that in the past I've gone back to games I've hated after a long time and found that I did indeed like them.

But it seems that Squirtle is one of those 'positive' people, and there's nothing wrong with that. He wants value for money, and thus perseveres. The fact that he'll try for longer than I will makes him a better person than me, in some respects...

Not better, just different.

The thing is I have shit loads of games and this stems from this fact. With any other kind of media though I just won't tolerate it - if it's cack then I'll say so. With games, though... I don't know what it is.

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Cthulhu

Cthulhu

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Not better, just different.

The thing is I have shit loads of games and this stems from this fact. With any other kind of media though I just won't tolerate it - if it's cack then I'll say so. With games, though... I don't know what it is.

Quick question, because I don't really know you... do you see yourself as a videogame 'collector', rather than just a fan? If you see yourself in that way above and beyond other mediums, that could explain a hell of a lot.

Relative enthusaism levels? Do you have more energy to persevere with video games than, say, an inaccessable album?

And finally, we play an active part in video games, rather than just the passive in other screen-based pasttimes. I have no idea if that could have anything to do with anything, but it's worth thinking about...

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squirtle

squirtle

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I love videogames. Above and beyond all mediums, I would say. I have a fair collection of games (probably around 150 in total) which is not as large as other people's collections but is above and beyond Joe Casual and his Fifa and Need for Speed.

I don't mind an inaccessable album sometimes. It feels good to get into something after a few listens (although Kid A still taxes my patience!) but I will perservere with a game that I want to like.

I think that's what it is. I really want to like certain games.

Devil May Cry and The Thing are the two most recent that frustrated me into submission. I really wanted to like them; DMC for all its hyper stylistic action and The Thing because it was the follow up to one of my favourite films. And yet both failed to keep me engaged. The Thing was just poor and didn't adhere to its own internal logic ("You can't be the Thing, I just tested you!") and DMC just killed me with it shitty camera and quite unfriendly controls. In the end they both went back. But not before I was about 75% through both of them. I wanted to like them. It takes me a while to realise that the game just isn't for me.

Oh, and KOTOR to this list as well. 15 hours in before I just gave up in disgust. Pfft!

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Systemshock

Systemshock

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I think I'm more 'choosey' than Squirtle when buying games but if I buy it I will really persevere before I admit that a game is not good.

To tell you the truth I don't think I've bought a crap game for 2 or 3 years now but I have been disappointed by some (TS2, Burnout 2, Wave Race Blue Storm and even to an extent GTAIII). Disappointed usually doesn't mean crap though and I can eassily see why others might really like those games.

The last game I took back and demanded a refund on was probably The Bouncer.

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Andy_Tanner

Andy_Tanner

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Recently I have decided that if a game is not giving me any fun, then I can it.

a very sensible attitude. if you return to it a few weeks, months later then so be it. no point toiling away.

i think we're scared sometimes that if we give in it's because we're falling out of love with games, which is bollocks. i've been playing Rainbow Six 3 for the last few months, the odd hour here and there. it's good enough for me to want to return to it but i'm not kidding myself it's the best game ever. whereas Manhunt, Prince of Persia, KOTOR and Beyond Good & Evil i played each all the way through in one go (not literally one sitting :D).

real quality titles are few and far between.

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CurryKitten

CurryKitten

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I think I may be the same Squirtle - I will generally spend a long time looking for the fun in a game. I think after a while you can almost pretend to your self it's great :lol:

How many games have I taken back to the shop ever... erm, none. That's how rubbish I am at taking them back. Then again sometimes it pays off. Up until last week I though Silent Hill was crap, but after you lot going on and on about it, I got really into it and now I'm loving it... else I'm just pretending to myself, hmmm

I also tend to enjoy just about every film going. Even films that get massivly slated I can sit through and enjoy... I mean, it's just a film - but I'm going off topic now.

It's still all Horses for Courses though - I loved KOTOR but hated Turok, I've just bought Devil May Cry... and I thought you were one of the people raving about it. Hopefully the whole polar opposite thing will kick in and it'll be the best game ever for me

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CurryKitten

CurryKitten

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I still try to convince myself that Steel Battallion is fun. But at the end of the day, It just isn't. For me anyway. So I always end up telling myself 'It's an investment, think of the money you'll make when you sell it...' and everything feels okay again.

Sell it :lol: Can't bring myself to part with any game. Also, get Line of Contact - it's more fun to stomp around in little groups of friends and kill each other

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squirtle

squirtle

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I've just bought Devil May Cry... and I thought you were one of the people raving about it. Hopefully the whole polar opposite thing will kick in and it'll be the best game ever for me

Nah, mate, I've always stated my disgruntlement with DMC. Shoddy controls and a barely working camera wore even my immense patience down.

I sometimes wish I didn't trade games in, but funds are not always a forthcoming as the situation requitres so if I've finished something with little chance of ever going back then I will trade it in.

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