What game/s pleasantly surprised you. Condemned comes to mind with a price of about $15.00 for the budget conscious. Also, what was your least favorite retail priced game.

Well, at the moment Fable II has been an unpleasant surprise for me. I just can't seem to stay interested in it for some reason, which is weird because I'm a big fan of RPGs.

So far Dead Space has really surprised me. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. I just got it last week and am only on the third chapter but I really like. Also I would have to through Mirror's Edge, and believe it or not The Bourne Conspiracy.

Pleasant: Overlord
A lot more fun than expected, even from the demo.

Unpleasant: Lost Odyssey
Generic linear JRPG and entire sections aren't even in real 3D.
(The dreams are cool. Wish they'd published the book in english.)
If that is what Mistwalker thinks a modern "western" "adult" RPG is like they're seriously time-warped.

Crackdown was my biggest pleasant suprise this generation, followed closely by Portal.

Bioshock for me was the biggest let down....I got bored and never even finished it. Someday though.

I do have MGS4 sitting here though that I need to play. I'm not sure how big of a disappointment (if any) it will be though, since I have my hopes down for it based off of the whole "you watch cutscenes more than you play it" stuff I've heard.

If you want to go back past the current generation, by far my biggest disappointment was Halo. But I didn't play it until it was out on PC and frankly...it wasn't very good compared to what I had been playing. Guess it was good for a console FPS at the time, but after all the hype, I couldn't believe how much I didn't like it.

Biggest disappointments for the Xbox 360 have been Halo 3 and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, although I suppose I should have seen it coming for both of them (although for different reasons, obviously). In terms of disappointing lack of game length, Devil May Cry 4 is the winner, though.

I was pleasantly surprised by Viva Pinata / Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, at least once installed on the hard drive to offset the horrible performance due to excessive disc access.

Biggest Surprise: Hulk. Something about mindless destruction that just felt great after a long day.

Biggest Disappointment: Left 4 Dead and Bioshock. Yes, I'm the one person that just could not get into Bioshock. I tried twice and was bored with it...

Biggest Surprise: Hulk. Something about mindless destruction that just felt great after a long day.

Biggest Disappointment: Left 4 Dead and Bioshock. Yes, I'm the one person that just could not get into Bioshock. I tried twice and was bored with it...

Read my post above....

Greatest disappointment was Halo 3....

However, Dark Sector really caught my by surprise.... excellent game!

Biggest surprise was Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The Club is also up there, I swear I am the only one that still talks about what an awesome game it is.

Biggest bummer gotta be Too Human.

Biggest surprise was chronicles of riddick..played it on the pc a few years back and really enjoyed it. I'm still up in the air after playing the new demo, but maybe i'll rent it.

Biggest surprise: Boom Blox for Wii or Call of Duty 4. Boom Blox is like crack on a stick when you have 4 people, even if it is short and overly simple. Call of Duty 4 I call a surprise considering how terrible CoD 3 was. The day I downloaded the beta it boggled my mind, I couldn't believe how well designed the game was.

Biggest dissappointement: Gears of War 2. I was SO excited about this having loved GoW 1, the laggy glitchy crapfest rained on my parade, sold it soon after purchasing. Either that or Call of Duty: World at War. Considering how fantastic the previous game was I was excited about this, I didn't like it at all. Felt like a half hearted effort at a game based soley on the success of it's predecessor.

I'm SO glad Treyarch isn't making any more CoD games, Infinity Ward has proven several times that they know what they're doing, all Treyarch seems to do is ride on the success of IW.

kabob makes a good point. Gears of War 2 was a **** sandwich. Absolutely terrible, I also sold mine soon afterwards. Already Epic is working on the fourth major patch for the game. Did GoW1 even have four patches?

Biggest surprise was Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The Club is also up there, I swear I am the only one that still talks about what an awesome game it is.
The Club requires one to understand the notion of "zen perfection in FPS games", I suspect. The notion of having short, fast-paced single-player levels with a scoring and ranking system is quite interesting and unique, in my opinion, but it just didn't have longevity at its original $60 price point. However, it's easy to get a copy of The Club for under $20, at which point it's awesome.

As far as another posters comment above about disappointment from Left 4 Dead... Yes! I didn't mention this one on my original list, but sheesh, this game is terrible. Graphics and physics from 2004 go along with a bland and generic zombie shooter. Not sure what all the fuss is with this one. While it may have co-operative play, it's still blah.

Biggest Dissapointment: COD 4. That game was terrible is every aspect. Such a huge letdown from cod 3 which blows cod 4 away.

Biggest Surprise: COD WAW. That is everything a shooter should be and more from coop to zombies to multiplayer.

Biggest surprise was Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The Club is also up there, I swear I am the only one that still talks about what an awesome game it is.

Biggest bummer gotta be Too Human.

lol, thats funny, my biggest surprise is Too Human, and The Club is horrible, but it wasn't be a big letdown, cause i knew from the start it'd be horrible.




and i really love reading bonzola's comments.... he loves to talk about COD4 like it raped his wife..... like its not the best selling console shooter of all time....i can understand liking W@W more... i dont, but i could see how, seeing as how they took EVERYTHING COD4 was, and just put a skin on it.... but 3 better than 4? come on... anything treyarch does on their own is garbage.... the only reason anyone is playing W@W is because they're using the IW engine from COD4.

surprise by far was portal.... i didn't even want to play the game because it looked boring... it is now one of my fav. games ever....also braid was a pretty big surprise..

Biggest disappointment is Fallout 3. I fell for the hype. It's a super bore. Same as every other bethesda role playing game I've ever played.

Biggest surprise is afro samurai demo being fun, makes me want to buy the full game. But I won't buy it at full price. The other biggest surprise is the fact that no one has dropped the price on it so I can't buy it!

It's hard to have surprises and dissapoinments for me since I read reviews before I buy games. This sometimes sways my opinion of it though.

Surprises: L4D. COD4 a close second. Wasn't into the previous COD games. I was surprised by the first half of Bioshock.

Disappointments: Halo series(more 2 & 3) and Resistance 2. Both of these are based on the SP story.

For those who disapponted with GoW2, are you specifically talking about MP? While the story wasn't particularly greay, I had fun with it. Neither GoW or GoW2 had good story lines but I liked playing both of them.

Biggest Disappointment: Left 4 Dead and Bioshock. Yes, I'm the one person that just could not get into Bioshock. I tried twice and was bored with it...

Just curious. Are you a fan of shooters?

and i really love reading bonzola's comments.... he loves to talk about COD4 like it raped his wife..... like its not the best selling console shooter of all time....i can understand liking W@W more... i dont, but i could see how, seeing as how they took EVERYTHING COD4 was, and just put a skin on it.... but 3 better than 4? come on... anything treyarch does on their own is garbage.... the only reason anyone is playing W@W is because they're using the IW engine from COD4.
Undeniably true, yes. Unless the World War II setting is the single most important factor, which it shouldn't be, then there's no way that Call of Duty 3 holds a candle to Call of Duty 4. In any case, and fortunately for such individuals, Treyarch was hired to clone Call of Duty 4 into Call of Duty: World at War, so that even those folks can be appeased. I personally like Call of Duty 4 a bit better, myself. Both are good shooters, regardless of which you like better.

Now if I could only convince folks at LAN parties that Halo 3 is a total piece of crap which should never be played...

For those who disapponted with GoW2, are you specifically talking about MP? While the story wasn't particularly greay, I had fun with it. Neither GoW or GoW2 had good story lines but I liked playing both of them.

Nope, I was having glitches even in SP, several of which made me quit/restart levels to correct. That game should never have been released as it was, they must have spent no time at all in the BETA phase as there were way too many bugs.

Biggest Dissapointment: COD 4. That game was terrible is every aspect. Such a huge letdown from cod 3 which blows cod 4 away.

Biggest Surprise: COD WAW. That is everything a shooter should be and more from coop to zombies to multiplayer.

Methinks you're in the minority, but everyone's got their own personal preferences. As mentioned though I'm surprised that you thought World at War was so great as it literally was just a reskin of CoD 4 with a WWII theme. I thought the level design was awful, the textures were crappy, and the gameplay itself was boring/frusterating. Once again Treyarch trying to make something by doing as little work as possible.

The Club requires one to understand the notion of "zen perfection in FPS games", I suspect.

And that's why it failed. It was a niche game from the start, it really had no more of a chance in the wider market than Dodonpachi Dai Jou Ou or any number of games.

For those who disapponted with GoW2, are you specifically talking about MP? While the story wasn't particularly greay, I had fun with it. Neither GoW or GoW2 had good story lines but I liked playing both of them.

I didn't get far in singleplayer. I can't pass judgement on it so yes I am specifically talking about multi.

Biggest Surprise: Orange Box. I bought it for Portal and Portal only. I expected Half Life 2 to be a bad port and very dated. It was anything but!! It turned out to be a GREAT game and very addictive, despite the fact I didn't try my hand at it until 12 months after I first bought the game (the recession is bringing me back to games I long since forgot about that are just sitting on my shelf and I am glad it has as I have really enjoyed some games I never paid much mind to 2-3 years ago).

Biggest Disappointment: Splinter Cell: Double Agent - I fell for the whole "good vs evil" story line and realized soon after playing the game that the Splinter Cell premise is totally tired.

I was also disappointed in Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I felt the first game was better in every way.

Just curious. Are you a fan of shooters?

Yeah. I've played through every COD, MOH: Airborne, Army of Two, BF: Bad Company, and the GOWs.

L4D got repetitive really quickly. Bioshock, I didn't care for the environment and the story just seemed blah. Hard to say it was exactly one thing that I didn't like about it, but it just didn't click with me...

And, I guess I'm not the only person that didn't like it. :)

Methinks you're in the minority, but everyone's got their own personal preferences. As mentioned though I'm surprised that you thought World at War was so great as it literally was just a reskin of CoD 4 with a WWII theme. I thought the level design was awful, the textures were crappy, and the gameplay itself was boring/frusterating. Once again Treyarch trying to make something by doing as little work as possible.

The design philosophy of W@W appeared to be "lets have choke point after choke point and just throw lots of grenades at them."

biggest surprise: crackdown. a ridiculous amount of fun. also, i wasn't a big fan of gears 1, but i found gears 2 to be much better in every way. a lot of fun, especially horde mode.

biggest disappointment: cod3 (no surprise there) and gta4. gta4 had a LOT going for it, but the hopelessly bad movement mechanics are a real trial. oh, and GRAW. looked amazing, but it was like the senior citizens version of RB6....way too slow.

The design philosophy of W@W appeared to be "lets have choke point after choke point and just throw lots of grenades at them."

Not that that's all too dissimilar from CoD 4's Wet Work map (easily my least favorite map). Might as well call those types "random victory" or "hope you're lucky."

Biggest Disappointment: Splinter Cell: Double Agent - I fell for the whole "good vs evil" story line and realized soon after playing the game that the Splinter Cell premise is totally tired.

I was also disappointed in Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I felt the first game was better in every way.

Agree with SC. I forgot about that one. I hate the stealth score at the end of missions. It made me want to replay them when I had negative percertages and such. I sometimes hate games that give you multiple options. I had no interest in replaying that one.

I didn't particularly like RS: Vegas but i just ordered V2. Heard the coop is pretty good and I'm going to play it with a friend.

L4D got repetitive really quickly.
Thanks for the clarification on shooters. L4D is repetitive but it was my first entry into the coop gaming world. The team experience was awesome for me so even though missions were repetitive, each time felt somewhat new. I'm slowly branching out into MP.

Mass Effect good surprise since I'm traditionally a shooter
Gears 2 was a bad surprise after all the hype
Geometry Wars 1 good surprise

Agree with SC. I forgot about that one. I hate the stealth score at the end of missions. It made me want to replay them when I had negative percertages and such. I sometimes hate games that give you multiple options. I had no interest in replaying that one.

I didn't particularly like RS: Vegas but i just ordered V2. Heard the coop is pretty good and I'm going to play it with a friend.


Thanks for the clarification on shooters. L4D is repetitive but it was my first entry into the coop gaming world. The team experience was awesome for me so even though missions were repetitive, each time felt somewhat new. I'm slowly branching out into MP.

R6V2 was good for co-op and better than R6V in that regard as it included the story line which R6V did not. However, I just didn't like the environments all that much compared to R6V. In the end it felt like R6V version 1.5

Put me on the growing list for GOW2 as the biggest dissapointment for it's poor MP side which is 90% of what I play. Putting the glitches aside the netcode seems poorly done, IMO.

My biggest suprise was L4D. I put off playing this game because I didn't think it seemed all that interesting. What can I say other than I was a fool.:o

Pleasant Surprises:
- Crackdown is #1 for sure. I bought it for $15 when CC was going out of business, and it sat on my shelf for a few months. Started playing recently and I LOVED it. :)
- Star Wars: Force Unleashed. Hated the demo but picked up the game for $15 when Gamefly had a sale. Story really pulled that game from mediocre to actually pretty cool.

Disappointments:
- Gears of War 2. The single player game was one generic snoozefest, and every single character was a walking stereotype. Multiplayer was full of bugs and cheaters, but Horde mode was ok.
- Prince of Persia. Lead character was annoying and the game was so repetitive and frustrating I was glad to beat it and put it away forever.

lol, thats funny, my biggest surprise is Too Human, and The Club is horrible, but it wasn't be a big letdown, cause i knew from the start it'd be horrible.




and i really love reading bonzola's comments.... he loves to talk about COD4 like it raped his wife..... like its not the best selling console shooter of all time....i can understand liking W@W more... i dont, but i could see how, seeing as how they took EVERYTHING COD4 was, and just put a skin on it.... but 3 better than 4? come on... anything treyarch does on their own is garbage.... the only reason anyone is playing W@W is because they're using the IW engine from COD4.

Yes I think 3 and 5 blow 4 away. 2 is the best in the series BY FAR. So no its not just a treyarch vs infinity ward flame war. Its just personal preference. It has nothing to do with the wars either. But YOU have it in your mind that treyarch is crap so theres no point explaining myself. I am in the minority and I know it. But I fully expect moder warfare 2 to be an excellent game and the best in the series. But Im gonna throw a spin from your comment. The ONLY reason anyone is playing cod 4 is because its from Infinity Ward, not because of the game itself.

The only thing I hope they fix is the rediculous shooting through everything. cod 4 and 5 suffer from this. Its redicuosly stupid. NOTHING can shoot through a 3 foot concrete wall. And a rifle cant shoot through plaster but a submachine gun can?? I think they just picked and chose what to shoot through rather than actually test it out.

Biggest Dissapointment: COD 4. That game was terrible is every aspect. Such a huge letdown from cod 3 which blows cod 4 away.

Biggest Surprise: COD WAW. That is everything a shooter should be and more from coop to zombies to multiplayer.

LOL
I'm not saying COD4 is the best game in the world, it's just a lot of fun but when you sayd that W@W is everything a shooter should be and COD3 blows 4 out of the water...

http://wylfwt.com/home/files/images/Catching%20-%20You%27re%20Doing%20it%20Wrong.jpg

there are a few dudes here laughing at your comment but to each his own...

I think COD4 gets the praise it does because it was really the first shooter to introduce RPG elements into the multiplayer mode and do it in a balanced way. As you progress through the ranks you unlock more items and perks, but you can still argue that a lvl 1 player is just as effective as a lvl 50 character.

Unlike some other games where the higher level characters get to turn invisible and look like a teammate, and low level characters get stuck zapping other people with the rez gun. Not that Killzone 2 isn't an awesome game, but low level players are really gimped.

I think COD4 gets the praise it does because it was really the first shooter to introduce RPG elements into the multiplayer mode and do it in a balanced way. As you progress through the ranks you unlock more items and perks, but you can still argue that a lvl 1 player is just as effective as a lvl 50 character.

Unlike some other games where the higher level characters get to turn invisible and look like a teammate, and low level characters get stuck zapping other people with the rez gun. Not that Killzone 2 isn't an awesome game, but low level players are really gimped.

Nope, Rainbow 6: Vegas did it before CoD4 and even it wasn't the first.

It's all up to personal preference and yes, there's some developer bias within me (I think that Treyarch is a crap company and I'm glad that Activision has finally realized it), but you really can't say that "CoD 4 is the worst ever" and then heap praise on CoD 5 for being so great when it is essentially the same game but with a different theme. I can handle the "I like WWII more than modern" perfectly fine, but Treyarch said from the getgo that they were using the majority of the CoD 4 code.

I'm surprised at how a single title gets listed by a number of people as "a huge disappointment" while others feel that it was much better than promised. I suppose it may be a question of managing expectations, in that those titles where expectations are lower can surprise more easily, while those titles with huge expectations may also easily disappoint.

which begs the question...does a demo hurt or help a game in terms of managing expectations? Big time releases (GoW2) need no demo but relative unknowns need it to survive? true/false?

This is fun. Here's the tally so far. It really shows some diverse taste...

PLEASANT SURPRISE

Condemned
Dead Space
Mirror's Edge
Bourne Conspiracy
Overlord
3 for Crackdown
3 for Orange Box/Portal
Viva Pinata
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
Hulk
Dark Sector
The Club
2 for Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty: World at War
Too Human
Braid
afro samurai
3 for Left 4 Dead
for Gears of War 2
Mass Effect
Geometry Wars 1
Star Wars: Force Unleashed

DISSAPOINTMENT

Fable II
Lost Odyssey
2 for Bioshock
3 for Halo 3
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
Devil May Cry 4
2 for Left 4 Dead
Too Human
5 for Gears of War 2
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty 3
GTA 4
The Club
Fallout 3
Resistance 2
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Prince of Persia
Mass Effect

A lot of the games are in both categories. Mine were Left 4 Dead as the biggest positive surprise and Mass Effect for the biggest dissapoinment... to each his own.

I'm surprised at how a single title gets listed by a number of people as "a huge disappointment" while others feel that it was much better than promised. I suppose it may be a question of managing expectations, in that those titles where expectations are lower can surprise more easily, while those titles with huge expectations may also easily disappoint.

It could also be the strange occurence known as "opinions" and "tastes" which vary from person to person.

It could also be the strange occurence known as "opinions" and "tastes" which vary from person to person.
Bah! Whether or not one likes a game genre is probably a question of taste, but whether one is disappointed or not by the actual released product probably has less to do with opinion and more to do with the factors leading to that disappointment.

For example, if you were expecting Gears of War 2 to have solid net code that was lag free and didn't suffer from glitches or cheating, then you were quite possibly disappointed by it. If you were expecting one of its key facets to be a relatively novel "Horde Mode" which allowed one to play co-operatively with other players, then you may have been quite pleased. This isn't strictly speaking a judgement on whether you like Gears of War 2, just on what you were expecting it to deliver and what it actually did.

I'm a big cod 3 fan myself. Best levels of any multiplayer game I've played

Pleasant surprise: Call of Duty 5 and Dead Space. I thought COD5 would be pretty bad based upon COD3. I had little expectations with Dead Space but loved it (especially the sound design).

Unpleasant surprise: Resident Evil 5. I loved part four and thought that this game absolutely sucked!

which begs the question...does a demo hurt or help a game in terms of managing expectations? Big time releases (GoW2) need no demo but relative unknowns need it to survive? true/false?

I think it helps expectations quite a bit. I have played the demo for several games that I was on the bubble for purchasing...

I think it helps expectations quite a bit. I have played the demo for several games that I was on the bubble for purchasing...I don't rent games.
so if I download a demo, it usually falls into one of two catagories
1 - day one buy
2 - buy, but not at full price

for example, after playing the demo for Too Human, it went from day one buy to not getting it until Amazon had it for $20. Too Human is an awesome game..... for $20

I rent games...period...since I still play COD4...

for $10 though, there are some games at BB that I'll check out as well

I don't rent games.
so if I download a demo, it usually falls into one of two catagories
1 - day one buy
2 - buy, but not at full price

for example, after playing the demo for Too Human, it went from day one buy to not getting it until Amazon had it for $20. Too Human is an awesome game..... for $20

What if you hate the game, is there no option 3?

Unpleasant surprise: Resident Evil 5. I loved part four and thought that this game absolutely sucked!

Did you try this coop? I had a blast that way. Story, meh.

I think demos hurt as much as they help.

Of course, this depends on the game.

Crackdown for example got a major boost from its demo - because it was an awesome game. Same with Dead Rising. Or Bioshock. But there are ones that do the opposite, like Sonic The Hedgehog. If your game is terrible you probably shouldn't release a demo. Too Human is another one, sorry.

Of course, an awesome game can have a terrible demo. I remember downloading the SSF2THDR demo and finding out it was only LOCAL 2 player. I couldn't even play the AI to check out the new graphics. Absolutely worst demo I have ever played (okay - technically speaking, I did not play it), on any platform.

What if you hate the game, is there no option 3?
I don't download every demo available. I try some that look like they have potential, or ones that I have pegged as day one buys.

chances are, I'm not downloading a demo of a game I know I'll hate.

the only one that comes close is the WAW demo. I played it a few times and said "I'll just stick with COD4" (even for $20 ;) )

I thought COD 4 was average at best after the superb 1 and 2.

Had a swell time playing MGS4, but still found it rather disappointing.

Pleasantly surprised by lots of titles, Crackdown being the biggest. The Darkness was surprisingly good, Portal was amazing. Took me a while to warm up to Dead Rising, but now I love that game. So many good titles this gen.

I remember downloading the SSF2THDR demo and finding out it was only LOCAL 2 player.oh yeah?
well I downloaded DFKMTRARLSJPOHTD7

it was phenominal!!!!

Huh? The reference isn't that vague.

SSF2THDR = Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix

Huh? The reference isn't that vague.

SSF2THDR = Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remixgod help us, if I'm not in the minority

god help us, if I'm not in the minority

damn 77, pay attention!

damn 77, pay attention!I spend way too much time here, and not enough at IGN:o
also, this obviously isn't the COD4 thread, where humor isn't lost

I was bafflement when COD 4 cheated me out of what some might say was the most important achievement "Mile High Club" on Veteran "twice" I "hopped" right up to the person holding the gun an delivered the required head shot within alloted time only to be told by the game I missed the shot. I achieved the same results on my second attempt. I proved to myself I could get the achievement twice even if the game didn't acknowledge it. And that was that.

IMO COD 4 could have done without the endless frag fest and bodies blocking the doors to enemies doing this spinning dance of bullets with pinpoint precision that managed to kill you instantly every time before they even hit the ground.

EDIT: OK, the phone in GTA IV was as annoying as the endless fragging in COD 4...

surprised: crackdown, thought it would be dumb, very surprised at how fun it was.

wtf?: bioshock.........jut didn't get???? stopped after a few chapters.

My biggest surprise was Dead Space, easily. Amazing game and nothing like I thought it was going to be. I anticipated Resident Evil cheese in space and got a really gripping horror game that while a bit repetitive (which game isn't nowadays though?) kept me in suspense the whole time and kept me wowed by the outstanding production values. Definitely the sleeper title of the year.

As for disappointments it'd have to be, believe it or not, Grand Theft Auto 4. While very well produced and easy to get into it just felt like every other GTA I've ever played, just prettier. I kept going back to Saints Row 2 and it's excellent online co-op over GTA4. I really have no desire to finish the game at the moment though that will probably change sometime in the future.

My biggest surprise was Dead Space, easily. Amazing game and nothing like I thought it was going to be. I anticipated Resident Evil cheese in space and got a really gripping horror game that while a bit repetitive (which game isn't nowadays though?) kept me in suspense the whole time and kept me wowed by the outstanding production values. Definitely the sleeper title of the year.

As for disappointments it'd have to be, believe it or not, Grand Theft Auto 4. While very well produced and easy to get into it just felt like every other GTA I've ever played, just prettier. I kept going back to Saints Row 2 and it's excellent online co-op over GTA4. I really have no desire to finish the game at the moment though that will probably change sometime in the future.

Why didn't I know about this game. I'm going to make a note to play this, thanks.
I read theres no hud (excellent) and the health is built into the characters spine (one less thing taking up space on the screen) along with other nice little features.

Why didn't I know about this game. I'm going to make a note to play this, thanks.
I read theres no hud (excellent) and the health is built into the characters spine (one less thing taking up space on the screen) along with other nice little features.

There's a demo for it.

I played it, not my thing.

surprise: gears 2 horde mode. Thought it was gonna suck. Pretty dang fun actually

crap: GTA 4. Sucked

Why didn't I know about this game. I'm going to make a note to play this, thanks.
I read theres no hud (excellent) and the health is built into the characters spine (one less thing taking up space on the screen) along with other nice little features.

The no HUD thing is pretty cool. You have a moment of "why didn't anyone think of this before?!?" and then just forget that there ever was such a thing as a HUD. Also, all inventory/objective menus occur "in game." You're not looking at menus and maps; the character is. Side-effect is there's no pausing the game mid-fight, which can get pretty intense.

Good suprise: Lego Games, Dark Sector, Too Human, Lost Planet, Bourne. Picked all up cheap and all were way better than expected:)

Bad suprise: GTA 4, Left 4 Dead, Madagascar 2(Daughter dissapointed)

Well I hated Fallout 3, far cry 2 sucked, left for dead was fun for 5 minutes I guess.
GTA 4 was fun and the multi is decent (it's better on the pc)
But other than fallout 3 I'd have to say I hated Gears or war 2 and halo 3 the most. I love FPS but these 2 make me dry heave when I even think about playing them.

For ps3 KZ2 was terrible also. I don't know how they can get away giving these games 9's in reviews. The reviewers should be fired.

Well I hated Fallout 3, far cry 2 sucked, left for dead was fun for 5 minutes I guess.
GTA 4 was fun and the multi is decent (it's better on the pc)
But other than fallout 3 I'd have to say I hated Gears or war 2 and halo 3 the most. I love FPS but these 2 make me dry heave when I even think about playing them.

For ps3 KZ2 was terrible also. I don't know how they can get away giving these games 9's in reviews. The reviewers should be fired.

which games have you really enjoyed this generation?

unpleasant

anything that says madden on the cover, gta iv was a huge letdown in the sp department(i had more fun driving around and killing online) i also think killzone doesn't deliver in the sp department either.(killzones mp is the best FPS i've played this generation.)

pleasant

crackdown, fable 2, bioshock, fallout 3(did not think that i would like this game at all), uncharted(did not expect this game to be good, just thought sony fanboys were hyping it up) graw and graw 2 were also great

which games have you really enjoyed this generation?
well COD4 was amazing (3 was not so good, so didn't have high hopes)
Bioshock was pretty good ( great story and seemed be be well though out)
Uncharted was also pretty good ( wasn't expecting anything so it was a good surprise)
Dead Space was also a good surprise!
I really enjoy GTA4 multi on pc

Thats about it for games that I've bought and really liked. It's too bad cause i buy 3-5 games a month and have a huge stack stiiing here that I've played for 30 minutes and didn't like.

Fallout 3 was a huge disappointment. I loved Oblivion and the setting was very up my alley. It just overall lacked humor and felt depressing to play. SF4 just didn't do it for me as a person who spent a great deal of his youth playing SF2.

Bully is a very pleasant surprise. Its almost perfect. Burnout Paradise is a game that sneaks up on ya. You hate it at first and then you slowly change your perception and appreciate its innovation. Motorstorm Pacific Rift is a great blast of arcade racing. I love playing this game. Its like Mario Kart for adults.

Bioshock, Gears 2, Mercs 2, GTA IV, and Fallout 3 unpleasantly surprised me.

This is just for 360.

Pleasant
Bioshock
Fallout 3
Team Fortress 2 (PC)
Dead Space
Burnout Paradise
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (knew nothing about the game before I bought it)
Guitar Hero II/Rock Band
Gears of War
Castle Crashers

Unpleasant
Mass Effect (wasn't as good as KOTOR in my opinion)
Grand Theft Auto 4
Street Fighter 4
Lord of the Rings Conquest
Halo 3
Madden/NCAA 07
Gears of War 2

my pleasant surprise was fallout 3. i know some opinions differ, but my god, i love this game. another one was shaun white snowboarding, for me at least.
major bummers were bioshock (i want to give it a second chance tho) and gears 2 :(
love horde but everything else sucks. and all the tony hawk skating games after 3. thank god for skate.
One of the best games i have ever been addicted to was animal crossing on gamecube. semi rpgish but it got about a year and a half out of me. and it introduced me to the kotors and mass effect and fallout 3. uhh i'm giddy for new vegas. YEEEEE!!!!
(girly comments aside)

I posted this in AVS Fallout 3 but since Fallout 3 has been discussed here more recently maybe I should have posted it here instead.

If you dont mind elaborate please. What did you like or didnt like without giving it away. Still sealed. No spoilers please.

Im using an Xbox 360 Elite pre Bobblehed dashboard.
Like many others Live is not an option. Off line only therefore patches are out of the question.

Is all the talk about Freezing Lockups and Crashed in Fallout 3 true and to what extent. Are said "technical issues" in single player, online, or both?

Should I be concerned?

Also what are the controls like?
Is the set up like most games to move character left stick, right stick look camera, right trigger shoot and so on.
Also, is the (look/aim) like in Silent Hill Homecoming for example (I prefer it this way) not sure if its called standard or inverted. If not can it be adjusted for both aiming and just looking.

Edit: Some of the claims I referenced earlier...
http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=971719

__________________

Peggle.

Seriously guys. THE most addicting game on XBL ever. It only LOOKS cutesy. That game will suck out your soul.

Assassin's Creed.

Everyone said it was pretty meh, but I picked it up on a whim and found it completely awesome. Yeah, every mission except for the beginning and the end was repetitive, but I had fun with nearly every one of them so I didn't mind. Great game. Can't wait for the sequel.

Well, at the moment Fable II has been an unpleasant surprise for me. I just can't seem to stay interested in it for some reason, which is weird because I'm a big fan of RPGs.

Same, it's a RPG-lite with some sims social crap on top.

I was surprise by Crackdown, way more fun than better selling games.

Based soley on the huge positive response to Crackdown in this thread I bought it on the $9.99 Newegg deal, hopefully it'll arrive within the next day or two.

Crackdown is definitely a worthwhile surprise. There are few other games that are only $10 brand-new that are as fun. You'll have a blast with it!

Looking back on it I'd have to say that other than Deadspace I really think the online co-op on Saints Row 2 really surprised me, in a good way. It was very easy to jump into a game with my brother and it just seemed like a very seamless integration, unlike Crackdown.

LOL
I'm not saying COD4 is the best game in the world, it's just a lot of fun but when you sayd that W@W is everything a shooter should be and COD3 blows 4 out of the water...

http://wylfwt.com/home/files/images/Catching%20-%20You%27re%20Doing%20it%20Wrong.jpg

there are a few dudes here laughing at your comment but to each his own...


You know the weapons in CoD3 multiplayer were a ton more balanced than in CoD4, plus it had vehicles.

pleasant:

dead space
demons souls
how good mgs4 was
crackdown

unpleasant:
mass effect
far cry 2- southpaw control scheme killed it

Ninja Blade has been a lot of fun.

suprise...literally

found it in garage last night, didnt know it was there,never heard of it. But pretty entertaining.

RYGAR

Looking back on it I'd have to say that other than Deadspace I really think the online co-op on Saints Row 2 really surprised me, in a good way. It was very easy to jump into a game with my brother and it just seemed like a very seamless integration, unlike Crackdown.
The one thing that's disappointing about the co-op play in Saints Row 2 is that there's no way to view which missions you have and have not completed co-operatively (for the sake of achievements). Further, there's no reasonable way to do a "mission select" sort of thing, but rather you can only keep playing from where the person hosting left off.

But certainly it's a better game overall than Grand Theft Auto IV...

True. That'd be nice. If there's a mission you haven't done and the other person has if you're hosting you can start that mission and they'll replay it but without the achievement. Same if you don't host and they do and they do a mission not available to you yet you'll end up having to replay it again once you get to that point in the game. Makes sense and true it could have been sorted out a bit better but it's pretty seamless and a lot more fun than either GTA:IV or Crackdown.

Mercenaries 2 was a pleasant surprise. I picked it up after the holidays for $14.99 and a buddy and I have had a great time playing co-op.

Unpleasantly surprised: GTA IV

I bought that game twice, and tried really hard to get into it; the story, the action, the comedy. But the game is soooooo booooring. Hundreds of unsatisfying missions, and too much in-game maintenance. Expected much more, or less.

Pleasantly surprised: Assassin's Creed

The big 4: Mass Effect, Bioshock, Gears of War, COD4-all lived up to the hype, delivering tremendous experiences on the 360. But, Assassin's Creed, while not fully likeable, storywise, suprisingly delivered some of the most beautiful graphics, and deep swordplay ever on a console. And (especially without the HUD), another tremendous overall experience on the 360. I'm hooked.

Unpleasant Surprises:
GTAIV (adding to the chorus)
Gears 2 (schizophrenic, sloppy singleplayer; borked multiplayer)
Castle Crashers (awesome game killed by six months of broken net code)
Fallout 3 (capped at level 20 at only 30 hours in :( ; ruined an otherwise beautiful experience)

Pleasant Surprises:
Assassin's Creed (simply brilliant; among the top 5 best games ever made)
Dead Space (didn't expect another space marine shooter to feel so fresh)
Mirror's Edge (time trials made for the most rewardingly difficult game ever)
Condemned (rough around the edges, but full of heart-attack worthy moments)
Crackdown (for reasons already stated by others)

You know the weapons in CoD3 multiplayer were a ton more balanced than in CoD4, plus it had vehicles.

Vehicles aren't necessarily a good thing. I played the W@W beta and the vehicles were stupid, didn't like them in CoD 3 either. Also, I don't see either A) how the weapons in CoD 3 were "more balanced" nor B) how the weapons in CoD 4 are unbalanced. I can pretty much get kills with all the weapons minus the sniper rifles and shotguns (I'm a horrible sniper and not stealty enough to shotgun). They all have their uses. Assault Rifles for medium distance, shotguns and SMG's for CQB, snipers for long range, and LMG's for suppressing fire and overall putting lead downrange.

CoD 3 was one of my biggest dissappointments this gen. The second game was fun and my roommate convinced me to buy #3...ugh.

a couple disappointments:
-Dead Space... not bad, but didn't live up to the word-of-mouth hype
-Halo3... again, not really a bad game, but never reached "epic" and the ending re-hashed Halo1

a couple surprises:
-Resident Evil 5... hated the demo, but this is the first RE I actually finished
-Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts... really bad demo, but the game clicks in after a couple levels beyond the demo

Ouch - not a whole lot of love for GTA4. I LOVED that game but I guess I'm only one of a few!

Unpleasant -

COD3
Half-Life 2
MGS4 (worst game I've ever played)
Assassin's Creed (was just ok for me)

Pleasant -

Bioshock
GTA4
Dead Space
Uncharted: Drake's
Resistance 1 & 2
Gears 2 Horde mode

Ouch - not a whole lot of love for GTA4. I LOVED that game but I guess I'm only one of a few!

I loved it as well. Only one I actually finished. Still need to pick up the DLC.

Flatout

I was surprised by Fable 2. I wasn't a huge fan of the first, but the sequel turned out to be one of my favorite games last year.

Lynesjc - what didn't you like about MGS4? I'm about to start that soon and am curious as to why you didn't like it...

Lynesjc - what didn't you like about MGS4? I'm about to start that soon and am curious as to why you didn't like it...

I'm interested too. I just started it and the only complaint, if you can call it that, is that I'm 30 minutes in and have played maybe only 5-8 minutes (the rest has been cut scenes).

That's MGS for you. It's like you're in a movie more than playing a game.

It's a good game though. My advice - some parts in the later game get kinda boring, but don't stop - plow through and you'll get to the really good part.

I'm interested too. I just started it and the only complaint, if you can call it that, is that I'm 30 minutes in and have played maybe only 5-8 minutes (the rest has been cut scenes).

Yeah, I have it sitting here too and am going to start it probably next week. I have heard the same thing (75% cut scenes, 25% actual game). I believe it also takes 4 or 5 installs throughout the game (yay!). I have myself mentally prepared for it.

I remember playing MGS1 back in the day, and being annoyed that I had an appointment, played through a rather tough part, then the cut scene was literally 20 minutes long, and I couldn't save my game or skip the cutscene. Suffice it to say I was late to my appointment.

I also have Uncharted sitting here....I have my expectations really high for it. Maybe I should play it before MGS4. I also have (FWIW), Halo 3 and Resistance FOM sitting here unopened as well. I refuse to have enough time to play games....

Yeah, I have it sitting here too and am going to start it probably next week. I have heard the same thing (75% cut scenes, 25% actual game). I believe it also takes 4 or 5 installs throughout the game (yay!). I have myself mentally prepared for it.

I remember playing MGS1 back in the day, and being annoyed that I had an appointment, played through a rather tough part, then the cut scene was literally 20 minutes long, and I couldn't save my game or skip the cutscene. Suffice it to say I was late to my appointment.

I also have Uncharted sitting here....I have my expectations really high for it. Maybe I should play it before MGS4. I also have (FWIW), Halo 3 and Resistance FOM sitting here unopened as well. I refuse to have enough time to play games....

Each act is a separate install. 5 acts = 5 installs. Each install is 10-15 minutes.

Plan to play for at least 30 minutes a session. There is no such thing as a "quickie" session for MGS (as you know)

Most of my recent acquisitions have been from the clearance rack at Target or cheap used copies from Blockbuster. I'm not expecting all that much when I'm paying less than $15 for a game.

Pleasant -- Mercs 2, Viking, Too Human
Unpleasant -- Sega Superstars Tennis, GH: Aerosmith.

Most of my recent acquisitions have been from the clearance rack at Target or cheap used copies from Blockbuster. I'm not expecting all that much when I'm paying less than $15 for a game.
That's what I said a few pages back, in terms of expectations influencing one's perception of a game! If you think it's probably going to suck but you only pay $10 for it and it's only "half-sucky", you're of the mindset "Hey, this isn't actually that bad!". However, if you paid $60 and are thinking, "All the previews say this game is going to freaking rock!" and find that it's only moderately cool, it leads you to the "Jeez, this isn't anything special... Disappointing" conclusion.

Ouch - not a whole lot of love for GTA4. I LOVED that game but I guess I'm only one of a few!
I loved it too. But it wasn't a "pleasant surprise".

I tend to be very choosy when it comes to what games I buy or don't buy, so it was hard to come up with a fair list. Most of the AAA titles I've bought at launch were both well-reviewed, and I actually enjoyed, but in those cases I expected good things, so wasn't surprised. Similarly, if a game looks like a disappointment, then I won't buy it.

That said, I do have a few.

Pleasant:
BioShock: This was actually one of my very first games when I bought my 360 (I was late to the party). I didn't know a whole heck of a lot about it, but it looked cool... and was even more awesome when I played it. I was blown away by this title.

Assassin's Creed: I was on the fence with this title, so I decided to rent it. I tore my way thru the game in one week, actually busting my ass to find time to play it so I could finish before the rental period was up. Anxiously awaiting II.

Braid: One of the best values for the dollar I've spent in gaming. I hemmed and hawed about the price before I bought it, but after I played it... I feel like I got a great deal.

CoD4: I expected this game to be good, but I'm still playing it. And it's still every bit as much fun as the first day I fired up MP. Maybe even more.

Disappointments: This is a very small list, since I'm not afraid to not buy a game I'm fence-sitting about.

Gears of War: Not that I didn't like it; I did. But I never finished the single-player, and never felt compelled to fire up the MP. Too many frustrating points. Didn't live up to the insane hype, IMO. Good, but not great.

Oblivion: I just had a hard time enjoying the setting, and not that far into it just lost my enthusiasm for playing it.

That's not to say that there weren't some so-so games I've played (GRAW), or absolutely mind-blowingly awesome games I've played (GTAIV, Fallout 3), it's just that those games delivered what I expected. I wasn't surprised either way.

I loved it too. But it wasn't a "pleasant surprise".

I tend to be very choosy when it comes to what games I buy or don't buy, so it was hard to come up with a fair list. Most of the AAA titles I've bought at launch were both well-reviewed, and I actually enjoyed, but in those cases I expected good things, so wasn't surprised. Similarly, if a game looks like a disappointment, then I won't buy it.

That said, I do have a few.

Pleasant:
BioShock: This was actually one of my very first games when I bought my 360 (I was late to the party). I didn't know a whole heck of a lot about it, but it looked cool... and was even more awesome when I played it. I was blown away by this title.

Assassin's Creed: I was on the fence with this title, so I decided to rent it. I tore my way thru the game in one week, actually busting my ass to find time to play it so I could finish before the rental period was up. Anxiously awaiting II.

Braid: One of the best values for the dollar I've spent in gaming. I hemmed and hawed about the price before I bought it, but after I played it... I feel like I got a great deal.

CoD4: I expected this game to be good, but I'm still playing it. And it's still every bit as much fun as the first day I fired up MP. Maybe even more.

Disappointments: This is a very small list, since I'm not afraid to not buy a game I'm fence-sitting about.

Gears of War: Not that I didn't like it; I did. But I never finished the single-player, and never felt compelled to fire up the MP. Too many frustrating points. Didn't live up to the insane hype, IMO. Good, but not great.

Oblivion: I just had a hard time enjoying the setting, and not that far into it just lost my enthusiasm for playing it.

That's not to say that there weren't some so-so games I've played (GRAW), or absolutely mind-blowingly awesome games I've played (GTAIV, Fallout 3), it's just that those games delivered what I expected. I wasn't surprised either way.

Bethesda makes both Fallout 3 and Oblivion but you state that FO3 was mind-blowing while Oblivion was an unpleasant surprise. I haven't played FO3 yet, but I am 85 hours into Oblivion and love it. The videos I've seen of FO3 suggest to me that the games are more similar than different. Is it just the setting of Oblivion you dislike? Is it the story, or what? Share more detail because I'll be playing FO3 soon.

Bethesda makes both Fallout 3 and Oblivion but you state that FO3 was mind-blowing while Oblivion was an unpleasant surprise. I haven't played FO3 yet, but I am 85 hours into Oblivion and love it. The videos I've seen of FO3 suggest to me that the games are more similar than different. Is it just the setting of Oblivion you dislike? Is it the story, or what? Share more detail because I'll be playing FO3 soon.
I think that, personally, I found the world of FO3 more compelling. It's not that I disliked Oblivion; there was a lot I liked. I just didn't find it very compelling, and ended up drifting away from it. I was nowhere close to completing the main storyline. For me, that constitutes a "disappointment" for a game.

They are structured very similarly but (to me at least) have a very different feel. I enjoyed both, not sure which I enjoyed more. Although I'd say neither was mind-boggling.

That's what I said a few pages back, in terms of expectations influencing one's perception of a game! If you think it's probably going to suck but you only pay $10 for it and it's only "half-sucky", you're of the mindset "Hey, this isn't actually that bad!". However, if you paid $60 and are thinking, "All the previews say this game is going to freaking rock!" and find that it's only moderately cool, it leads you to the "Jeez, this isn't anything special... Disappointing" conclusion.



Guess im of a different mind. First i wouldnt spend $60 on a game unless it was going to blow me:eek: And i paid $10 for Silent Hill Homecoming 2 weeks ago and regardless of the low $$$ it still sucked!! But for the same $10 Dark Sector will gladly suprise many that havent played it.

Most recent games I haven't liked

GoW
Halo 3
WaW
Madden '08 (and everyother version on 360)
GTA4


Hopefully there's some good games coming out soon. Or maybe I'm just getting burned out on gaming.

Most recent games I haven't liked

GoW
Halo 3
WaW
Madden '08 (and everyother version on 360)
GTA4


Hopefully there's some good games coming out soon. Or maybe I'm just getting burned out on gaming.


Id bet its the later. How about something new. Almost seems like the most innovative games are the psstore/xblive games. And i dont have the live access so i havent even seen a game like Braid which sounds pretty neat.(yes i said neat) Really how many times can you blow something up, shoot something, or play the same damn sports game with a few tweaks and a year later on the cover. Little Big Planet was gay as hell, but at least they tried:)

That's what I said a few pages back, in terms of expectations influencing one's perception of a game! If you think it's probably going to suck but you only pay $10 for it and it's only "half-sucky", you're of the mindset "Hey, this isn't actually that bad!". However, if you paid $60 and are thinking, "All the previews say this game is going to freaking rock!" and find that it's only moderately cool, it leads you to the "Jeez, this isn't anything special... Disappointing" conclusion.

That's the "money is valuable" mindset, whereas I tend to have a more "time is valuable" mindset. So I get more upset if I'm wasting my time on something mediocre than if I'm wasting money on it (of course, now that I'm in my mid-30's, money's not that much of an issue for me anymore, but time certainly is.)

That's the "money is valuable" mindset, whereas I tend to have a more "time is valuable" mindset. So I get more upset if I'm wasting my time on something mediocre than if I'm wasting money on it (of course, now that I'm in my mid-30's, money's not that much of an issue for me anymore, but time certainly is.)
As a gainfully employed adult, yes, I agree that ultimately the price doesn't ever prevent me from buying a game I really want. However, if I pay full retail price and find that the game sucks and turns out not to be worth the effort to play, I tend to be more irritated than if I paid only $10 or $20. If the game really is just a total waste of time, my reaction will be that I probably won't play it much, so that sort of resolves itself.

There's no reason to continue to play a game if you're not getting enjoyment out of it unless you feel compelled for some reason. However, paying a lot of money might make you feel compelled, so again it seems like purchase price is a key factor!

Just want to mirror what alot of you peeps have said. Crackdown finally arrived and I'm only 30 mins into it but it's already terrifically entertaining. Got my first strength level up right before I had to stop. Got killed by a crime boss as well. :(

That's the "money is valuable" mindset, whereas I tend to have a more "time is valuable" mindset. So I get more upset if I'm wasting my time on something mediocre than if I'm wasting money on it (of course, now that I'm in my mid-30's, money's not that much of an issue for me anymore, but time certainly is.)

heh. I've never heard it put like that. I like it. I have far more of a time is valuable mindset. But, I'm also a cheap bastard, so usually don't pay full price for anything.

heh. I've never heard it put like that. I like it. I have far more of a time is valuable mindset. But, I'm also a cheap bastard, so usually don't pay full price for anything.

Sadly even though I'm gainfully employed I'm such a tightwad that for me it's still a "money is more important" mindset.

Biggest Diappointments

Bioshock. I normally like atmospheric games, but this bored the heck out of me. Part of it could be that, after play Rainbow Six Vegas, the combat felt extremely primitive.

Half Life 2. What is so great about this game? After playing through an hour or so of generic, highly linear shooter action I put in on the shelf and have had no desire to return to it.

Forza Motorsport. This is the game that made me realize that frustratingly "realistic" racing games that make me want to throw my controller through my TV are not for me.

Tomb Raider Legend. This is the game that made me realize that annoying platformers where you have play the same sixty seconds of game fifty times over until you get it right are not for me, either.

Eternal Sonata. Or, as I like to call it, "Eternal Snore-nata". Yes, it's pretty, but, good lord, is it dull. And the fact that changing your equipment does not change your character's appearance is weak.



Actually, though, my biggest disappointment has been with the next-gen games as a whole. Gameplay-wise, the current crop of titles seems, at best, incrementally better than the previous crop.

Take Rainbow Six Vegas (one of the few games I felt was actually worth the money I paid for it) as an example. They made some nice improvements to gameplay by adding the cover system and the ability to customize your weapons, but then they ruined one of the best things about the original Xbox Rainbow Six games by making the Terrorist Hunt mode totally suck.

Mass Effect is another good example. I liked the game well enough to play through it three times, but I still feel that both KOTOR games are, overall, better. And I can't possibly think up an adequate excuse for allowing the god-awful inventory system in that game to see the light of day.


I don't know, it just seems like very, very few games are capturing my interest this generation.

Biggest Diappointments

Bioshock. I normally like atmospheric games, but this bored the heck out of me. Part of it could be that, after play Rainbow Six Vegas, the combat felt extremely primitive.

Half Life 2. What is so great about this game? After playing through an hour or so of generic, highly linear shooter action I put in on the shelf and have had no desire to return to it.

Forza Motorsport. This is the game that made me realize that frustratingly "realistic" racing games that make me want to throw my controller through my TV are not for me.

Tomb Raider Legend. This is the game that made me realize that annoying platformers where you have play the same sixty seconds of game fifty times over until you get it right are not for me, either.

Eternal Sonata. Or, as I like to call it, "Eternal Snore-nata". Yes, it's pretty, but, good lord, is it dull. And the fact that changing your equipment does not change your character's appearance is weak.



Actually, though, my biggest disappointment has been with the next-gen games as a whole. Gameplay-wise, the current crop of titles seems, at best, incrementally better than the previous crop.

Take Rainbow Six Vegas (one of the few games I felt was actually worth the money I paid for it) as an example. They made some nice improvements to gameplay by adding the cover system and the ability to customize your weapons, but then they ruined one of the best things about the original Xbox Rainbow Six games by making the Terrorist Hunt mode totally suck.

Mass Effect is another good example. I liked the game well enough to play through it three times, but I still feel that both KOTOR games are, overall, better. And I can't possibly think up an adequate excuse for allowing the god-awful inventory system in that game to see the light of day.


I don't know, it just seems like very, very few games are capturing my interest this generation.

So you don't like Forza because it's difficult or because you can't race unrealistically? Forza 2 is my favorite racing game (pretty much of all time), if you drive is even halfway realistically it's a great game. If you try to play it like Burnout: Paradise or PGR you'll not enjoy it at all.

Half Life 2 was fantastic when it came out (in what, '04?) but nothing new has been added to keep it up to date. I still think it's a fun game though.

How is Forza 2? Is it similar to Gran Turismo?

How is Forza 2? Is it similar to Gran Turismo?

yes.

Biggest Diappointments

Half Life 2. What is so great about this game? After playing through an hour or so of generic, highly linear shooter action I put in on the shelf and have had no desire to return to it.



Maybe you would find out if you played it past an hour?

Tomb Raider Legend. This is the game that made me realize that annoying platformers where you have play the same sixty seconds of game fifty times over until you get it right are not for me, either.
Thankfully, I figured that out during the demo. :)

Biggest Diappointments

Half Life 2. What is so great about this game? After playing through an hour or so of generic, highly linear shooter action I put in on the shelf and have had no desire to return to it.


Well, true it is linear but then again so is pretty much every game out there in one way or another. HL is all about the atmosphere. I guess it helps I played the original a billion times.

I was really disappointed with Half Life 2 as well, but did not realize that it had come out on the PC in 2004. I only played it a few hours and will give it another shot -- my expectations may have been too high.

Had not even heard of Portal before I bought The Orange Box -- wow, what a fantastic game.

The only real pleasant surprise I can think of was GTAIV. I only bought it because I found it at Target for $20 for the super-collector's-metal-box-thingy edition (that's the REAL name of it :)) and my friend had raved over it. I had tinkered with previous GTA games and really didn't like them. IV was decent which made it a pleasant surprise, even for $20.

On the unpleasant side:

Crackdown - I just got this with the Newegg $10 deal and I'm glad I didn't pay any more. Maybe it was great 2 years ago when it came out but I find it pretty disappointing. Just a couple of examples why I'm not digging it - the loads take FOREVER when you start the game on top of having to sit through 4 startup screens that you can't skip by. Kind of a nitpicking, non-play issue but very irritating for me. Secondly, when you complete a race the starting line indicator never goes away. How am I supposed to remember which of these I've done before when I only do one every other time I play? There are other reasons but I won't go on and on here. Incidentally, I will finish it and hope it gets better because I have a compulsion to finish the games that I buy. The only two games that were so bad that I couldn't finish them were Breakdown and Blinx, both on the Xbox.

Mirror's Edge - Actually, I did like it but it was way too short. I didn't really feel like I got my money's worth out of it.

So your big gripes about Crackdown are the load times and races? Dude, the races are the WORST part of the game by far. I didn't even bother with them (BTW if you go into the achievements section of the menu you can see which you completed) Crackdown is NOT about driving and racing.

I mean, if you don't dig the game thats fine but criticizing Crackdown for the races is like criticizing pr0n for the story.

I mean, if you don't dig the game thats fine but criticizing Crackdown for the races is like criticizing pr0n for the story.

absolutely true. it's all about the jumping, shooting rockets form the rooftops, and collecting all the glowing/buzzing things. a seriously fun game that's well suited to people with compulsions :D

So your big gripes about Crackdown are the load times and races? Dude, the races are the WORST part of the game by far. I didn't even bother with them (BTW if you go into the achievements section of the menu you can see which you completed) Crackdown is NOT about driving and racing.

I mean, if you don't dig the game thats fine but criticizing Crackdown for the races is like criticizing pr0n for the story.

Those are two of my gripes but I don't even know if they're the biggest ones. There's numerous camera issues and clipping with the environment. When you get to the higher agility levels the jumping becomes highly inaccurate and annoying. While it might be amusing to jump really high and far across the rooftops, it's hard to control the height of the jumps. Sometimes I only want to jump over a small bump but end up jumping 20 feet in the air.

Also, if they didn't want to bother doing the driving and racing segments well, then why even bother putting them in there? Especially the driving. The majority of the cars handle terribly and all of them have a tendency to flip over at even the smallest clip of an an object.

So while the shooting and jumping might be fun, there are a lot of little annoying things that get in the way.

Also, if they didn't want to bother doing the driving and racing segments well, then why even bother putting them in there? Especially the driving. The majority of the cars handle terribly and all of them have a tendency to flip over at even the smallest clip of an an object.

That's a damn good question, I have no idea. Probably because some focus group morons told them to put it in because its "open world like GTA." The game would've lost very very little if it did not have driving, I beat 90% of the game without even touching cars, and only started driving around the agency cars to get some achievements.

The cars only become fun once you power up your driving skills to the max. I think my first playthrough I never used a vehicle unless I was throwing it at someone. Once you reach the higher skill levels the game is an absolute blast.

I also used the custom soundtrack feature, which I normally only reserve for racing games. Tearing around the city with your own tunes might help.

The cars only become fun once you power up your driving skills to the max. I think my first playthrough I never used a vehicle unless I was throwing it at someone. Once you reach the higher skill levels the game is an absolute blast.

I also used the custom soundtrack feature, which I normally only reserve for racing games. Tearing around the city with your own tunes might help.

Yeah, now that you mention that I remember being extremely frustrated at the driving when I was first starting the game.

To the previous poster who said the cars handle horribly, they don't. Your driving just sucks until you level up. Once you gain some skills, driving becomes a blast.

You're upset about the long starting load times? That's kind of a crappy gripe as there's pretty much no loads whatsoever through the rest of the game. I'd rather load it all at once and then have a seamless experience.

And I too am really bad at the car driving, I finally finished my first race on my 4th or so try.

Question, my strength is at lvl 4, how do I throw stuff? I pick it up but instead of throwing it several hundred feet (as the agency guy says) I just drop it or barely push it. What is the key?

Loving the game so far.

Just keep leveling up. Been awhile, but I don't even think you can pick up a car at level 4. Pretty soon you'll be tossing those things around like footballs...

I wouldn't even attempt car races until your driving skills are a lot higher. Driving is hard until you level up....

All this crackdown talk makes me want to put the game back in. Man it was a blast. Glad I held onto it instead of selling it.

For all the people that are complaning games are too short as a reason they are dissapointing......have fun...maybe get a real life....and move onto the next game.....short excellent game...perfect:D JMO

You're upset about the long starting load times? That's kind of a crappy gripe as there's pretty much no loads whatsoever through the rest of the game. I'd rather load it all at once and then have a seamless experience.

And I too am really bad at the car driving, I finally finished my first race on my 4th or so try.

Question, my strength is at lvl 4, how do I throw stuff? I pick it up but instead of throwing it several hundred feet (as the agency guy says) I just drop it or barely push it. What is the key?

Loving the game so far.

Are you pressing B instead of the right trigger? My strength isn't that high yet but the smaller things I can pick up I can chuck a decent distance.

OK, I can add Halo 3 to my "pleasantly surprised" list. I never was very enthusiastic about it, which is why I never bought it, but my wife bought me a used copy for my birthday (at least she tried!). I played the SP campaign, and was pleasantly surprised. The gameplay largely seemed like a throwback to older "space marine" games, but the story itself was pretty good (if confusing at times since I hadn't played Halo 1 or 2). The music was top-notch. The piano bits are haunting.

No interest in the multiplayer. I'll stick to the Modern Warfare series for that, thanks. :)

OK, I can add Halo 3 to my "pleasantly surprised" list. I never was very enthusiastic about it, which is why I never bought it, but my wife bought me a used copy for my birthday (at least she tried!). I played the SP campaign, and was pleasantly surprised. The gameplay largely seemed like a throwback to older "space marine" games, but the story itself was pretty good (if confusing at times since I hadn't played Halo 1 or 2). The music was top-notch. The piano bits are haunting.

No interest in the multiplayer. I'll stick to the Modern Warfare series for that, thanks. :)

That's good to hear because I have it sitting here unopened (got it for free, and also only interested in SP). Not sure when I'm going to get around to playing it, but never played Halo 2. Figured I'd just read up on the story so I'm not lost.

Halo 3 was a great singleplayer game. It was very fun, quite challenging, lots of variety, and very tactical. Lots of strategy at the higher difficulties. Story was nonsense but who plays these games for the story? It's definitely one of the best SP FPS games I've played. This is even taking into account that one level near the end that was total crap.

Halo 3 was a great singleplayer game. It was very fun, quite challenging, lots of variety, and very tactical. Lots of strategy at the higher difficulties. Story was nonsense but who plays these games for the story? It's definitely one of the best SP FPS games I've played. This is even taking into account that one level near the end that was total crap.

Strange, as I'd put Halo 3 as one of the worst single player experiences I've had this generation. In fact, I honestly can't think of a game I've bought that I enjoyed less for single player.

Most recent game I came away "pleasantly surprised" from was Fable II. I didn't really care for the first one, but the choices you make within the last 2 hours of Fable II were some of the most powerful I think I have ever been asked to make.

Overall, it was a pretty good time killer.

Strange, as I'd put Halo 3 as one of the worst single player experiences I've had this generation. In fact, I honestly can't think of a game I've bought that I enjoyed less for single player.
That's funny - I think we've had every possible combination of opinions about Halo 3 in the last couple posts. Which I think just underscores how subjective some of this stuff can be.

Personally, I think "storytelling" is an important aspect of a game's quality. Not the only aspect, and I'm certainly not pining for hour-long cutscenes (MGS4!!), but for me, a well-told story that connects me to the characters is important. I think it's what can separate "great" from "good", and in the case of Halo 3 it kept me engaged enough to slog thru that penultimate chapter, which sucked donkey balls from a gameplay POV.

I also loved the single player of CoD4, even tho I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters (they were all very one-dimensional) the story and storytelling were great.

CoD4 SP... would probably be my unpleasant surprise. The story and setup was good, lots of flash, but the actual mechanics and game setup was terrible. A Linear, mindless grenade dodge and cross the invisible spawning line fest.

One game that really pleaently suprised me was " Lost Planet ". This game looked gorgous and MP rocked! SP was garbage and a absolute bore but once I tried the MP i was hooked. To get inside a mech and then transform it into a snowmobile rocked! Im hoping the SP in the next one will be alot better.The amont of different grenades was very cool.



Halo 3 = all hype worse game ever

I was actually very surprised by Viva Pinata. Spanish title containing "Pinata" with cute animals and very colorful box art made me never even look at a preview or read about it until well after it was popular. Finally read something about it and picked it up for $10.

Great game though. That'll teach me for judging a game by it's cover (literally).

I was actually very surprised by Viva Pinata. Spanish title containing "Pinata" with cute animals and very colorful box art made me never even look at a preview or read about it until well after it was popular. Finally read something about it and picked it up for $10.

Great game though. That'll teach me for judging a game by it's cover (literally).


Please return your man card back.... lol :P.

Please return your man card back.... lol :P.

Anyone who ends their posts "lol :P" should never criticize someone else about their "man card" status.

Yeah, now that you mention that I remember being extremely frustrated at the driving when I was first starting the game.

To the previous poster who said the cars handle horribly, they don't. Your driving just sucks until you level up. Once you gain some skills, driving becomes a blast.

Also there is only 1 car you should be driving..... the agency SUV. You can't tell me driving that thing isn't fun

Also there is only 1 car you should be driving..... the agency SUV. You can't tell me driving that thing isn't fun

It definitely isn't until you hit 4 stars.

Anyone who ends their posts "lol :P" should never criticize someone else about their "man card" status.

Anyone who would criticize somone about how they end their posts should never even bother bringing up "man card" status.

It definitely isn't until you hit 4 stars.

I actually liked that particular car better at 3 stars. At 3 stars you could have the brakes completely on and then throttle the gas and slowly move forward which made it exceptionally easy to run people over and maneuver in circular motions better.

At the 4 star level the brake will keep you at a perfect halt. Really ruined that ability to snake the car back and forth while moving forward and mowing down people trying to dive out of the way.

I actually liked that particular car better at 3 stars. At 3 stars you could have the brakes completely on and then throttle the gas and slowly move forward which made it exceptionally easy to run people over and maneuver in circular motions better.

At the 4 star level the brake will keep you at a perfect halt. Really ruined that ability to snake the car back and forth while moving forward and mowing down people trying to dive out of the way.

Didn't even know you could do that! Would have made it a lot easier to move from 3 to 4 stars. I ended up just using the big truck and ramming cars at full speed as it was instant death for the other car.

I was pleasantly surprised by X-Men Origins: Wolverine, didn't expect much from a Movie Game and it turned out to be really good.