Games I was wrong about

mikeck · December 15, 2013, 03:20:35 PM

Have you ever decided that a game sucked for one reason or another? You come to this forum and see that others live it but you don't get it. Oh, you've TRIED to play it but it's just bad.

Then one day you fire it up out of boredom. Something happens and you end up playing longer than you did before and discover that yeah, it's a great game?

Happened to me yesterday with "Endless Space: disharmony" I had always disliked the game and found it too simplistic. I had no idea that there were so many improvements you could build on each system. No idea that I could customize my ships as much as I could.

I just had not played long enough to unlock the stuff. I also like the combat system. At least I can choose which enemy ship to target and what ranges to use various weapons.

It's no distant worlds, but it's polished, had a great AI and once you get 100 turns in...an unbelievable amount of buildings and improvements. Also a huge tech tree.

So, not trying to sell anyone...but I was wrong. This is a god game I enjoying. Kind of makes me want to pick up other games i shelved and force myself to play for an hour or two!

Nefaro · December 15, 2013, 04:31:36 PM

I was kinda surprised some people were calling ES a simple game. It actually has a good amount of options for a 4x game. I especially like how each system and planet is modelled (along with other things like the interface). It's certainly more filled-out than the GalCivs. Those are simplistic 4x games.

undercovergeek · December 15, 2013, 04:31:56 PM

great post - huw and i had a blast on Co-op over teamspeak with it

for me, maybe Fallen Enchantress Legendary Heroes - i need a good long run up at it which ill get in this week but i think its great, having not gotten on with the legendary Shadow Magic i thought it may be more of the same but definitely not

this and Wargame Airland Battle - i thought id be overwhelmed by the clicking, but its not like that for me - i need to spend more time with that too!

mikeck · December 15, 2013, 04:47:09 PM

Funny you mentioned those: Wargame EE and Fallen enchatress are the two I plan on visiting next with my new "play for two hours before quitting" plan

Sparhawk · December 15, 2013, 06:07:54 PM

I've spent sixty some hours on Fallen Enchantress and then on Legendary Heroes. I'm impressed with the changes in Legendary Heroes, it is well worth your time. As with Endless Space you've got to give it some time and get "under the hood" so to speak to really start experiencing the depth these games have to offer. Make sure to acquire new weapons and gear for your heroes and troops as they become available to keep up with the arms race.
I was impressed with the AI in Endless Space recently. I was configuring my new ships during a prolonged war to counter the single damage type of the enemy ships and it wasn't too many battles later that the enemy ship's weapons and armor configurations started changing to counter mine.

LongBlade · December 15, 2013, 07:05:25 PM

Great thread.

Yeah, I went through an RTS funk a while back where none of them did anything for me.

First Warhammer RTS was like that. I bought it and played a little and hated it.

Then I came back a couple of years later and wondered what I'd failed to see about it. Which reminds me, I should probably reinstall it (thanks, Steam!) and give it yet another whirl. Good stuff there.

BanzaiCat · December 16, 2013, 07:56:53 AM

I did just that with XCom: Enemy Unknown after foolishly paying a full $49.99 for it when it came out. It didn't get its hooks into me. I was doing not too shabby but I was waiting for that typical XCom hammer to fall...you know, where you haven't lost a man yet and are doing great, go out on a mission and everyone dies? I knew that was going to happen soon...strangely I was getting far less enjoyment out of it the more I played it.

I guess that's the opposite of what this thread intended. So to remain on topic, I could say this about Skyrim before I ever played it. I wanted so much to like the Elder Scrolls world, but never could get into it. I tried really hard with Morrowind and Oblivion, but just couldn't get into either. I didn't want to try Skyrim, either, but after I did, now I'm wondering about going back...but at the same time I'm afraid of being even more disappointed by comparing them to Skyrim, if that makes any sense.

mikeck · December 16, 2013, 08:44:51 AM

X COM is another game but I'm going to have to go back and sit down and play for a couple hours

Sir Slash · December 16, 2013, 10:39:04 AM

The original Combat Mission looked like a dog to me in the pre-release screenshots and all the big promises made by Battlefront, that it was going to be computer Squad Leader, and the game delays had me believing there was no way it would be worth the time. Thankfully they released the demo for it early and when I tried it I was struck dumb by how wrong I had been about it. Screenshots are important to me in judging a game's worth but never the deciding factor anymore.

MengJiao · December 16, 2013, 11:27:23 AM

Quote from: Sir Slash on December 16, 2013, 10:39:04 AM
The original Combat Mission looked like a dog to me in the pre-release screenshots and all the big promises made by Battlefront, that it was going to be computer Squad Leader, and the game delays had me believing there was no way it would be worth the time. Thankfully they released the demo for it early and when I tried it I was struck dumb by how wrong I had been about it. Screenshots are important to me in judging a game's worth but never the deciding factor anymore.

I had the same experience. Gad, the early combat mission looked very bad in the screenshots -- actually the games looked okay if you didn't get right up in the faces of the infantry.

Another bit of folly from that period was that I thought Operation Flashpoint (the original proto-ARMA flashpoint) sounded silly. Well, it sort of was, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and I've played all the ARMAs since 2002 (but not 2001 when it first came out).

Yskonyn · December 16, 2013, 01:45:42 PM

Dominions was a game like that for me.
First time I tried it I couldn't really see why people where so amazed by it, but once I really took the time to get into the intricacies of the game it really took me by surprise and I have been a fan ever since!

Nefaro · December 16, 2013, 02:24:31 PM

Quote from: Yskonyn on December 16, 2013, 01:45:42 PM
Dominions was a game like that for me.
First time I tried it I couldn't really see why people where so amazed by it, but once I really took the time to get into the intricacies of the game it really took me by surprise and I have been a fan ever since!

Same here.

My first run was bleh. But I fired it up a short time later and dug down into all the wonderful stuff and it clicked. I think my initial nose-wrinkling first experience was just due to the fugliness of the random maps.

Jarhead0331 · December 16, 2013, 02:35:26 PM

Great thread topic.

I was like this with Achtung Panzer! I got it and just could not get over the "Russian" UI hurdle. However, right around the time APOS came out and before they made the switch to GT, I forced myself to get into it and I now firmly believe it is one of the greatest games of our time.

SgtRock · December 16, 2013, 04:56:53 PM

I remember Wizardry, the first RPG game I ever played, I created a party, went into the dungeon and died, again and again, about a dozen times then quit. Months later I tired it again and enjoyed the series for years and years.

BanzaiCat · December 16, 2013, 05:00:56 PM

^ LOL...sounds like some Bard's Tale and Might & Magic I games I've played...