What games do you think you like ... but don't?

I love Civ games. I love history. I watch the Game King's Let's Plays of EUIV and think, "this game is right up my alley", yet whenever I sit down to play it myself, I am confronted by all the sliders and submenus and get bored really fast. Similarly, I hear people's tales of shenanigans in Crusader Kings 2, and it sounds awesome, but I haven't been able to sustain interest for more than a few hours.

I think that I love space/planet exploration games, but keep bouncing off of them, especially No Man's Sky (even after the patch) and The Outer Wilds. As much as I dig the concept, the moment-to-moment experience of playing them leaves me cold.

Are there any games that you think are in your wheelhouse, but somehow they aren't? Or is there a type of game you keep thinking that you like, even though experience shows that you don't?

For me, it's Japanese tactical RPGs, so games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Devil Survivor, Tactics Ogre, God Wars, etc.

I really like JRPGs, and I like tactics games in theory. I always buy these games, admire the art, and then burn out on them within a few hours. The armies feels too big, and the RPG elements mean that your less experienced units need to get some exposure to combat (but not too much!) or they'll fall behind the curve.

There's a point I always hit in combat where I feel like I'm just shuffling a dozen useless units around the battlefield to make sure that they all get some action (but not too much!). It's like stirring a pot of ground beef to ensure even browning.

I want to like them, but I don't.

The last few times I have tried to play a FPS I have bounced off quickly. I just get bored. Even ones I know are good like Control. I just know I will go to a new level, kill everything, click a "thing" and then repeat. It just feels dull after about 10 hours.

CIV games and the like, and to an even greater extent CKII. I keep buying the Xpacks despite never even putting enough time in the base games. Despite that, I'm looking forward to the [hope] that CKIII has an overhauled UI and at least a bit more spice to the combat bits. I know I'll be in once someone tweaks the genre a bit. Much like my interest in roguelikes being very particular. I need a half-n-half at least closer to the A/AA sphere, if not AAA sphere.

The above overlaps to some degree with all genres of gaming in the following: unless the art style is extremely compelling, I have a hard time with intentional "retro" or "pixel" graphics in most cases.

Oh, completely separate, I have a hard time with most things when drenched in the trappings of ~ "anime" influence. It actually has less to do with the overall art style.

2D platformers and Metroidvanias. There are notable exceptions like Mark of the Ninja, Rayman Origins, or some Mario games, where the presentation or mechanics are so strong they overcome my usual hesitation. But generally, 2D exploration has no appeal to me, and so many have sub-par controls, or are deliberately difficult, and I just don’t enjoy that. Metroidvanias can be 2D or 3D, but something about the artifice of the concept rubs me the wrong way, and when I see a door or platform I can’t access yet, I just think about all the hours I have to go before I can, and get tired thinking about it.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

For me, it's Japanese tactical RPGs, so games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Devil Survivor, Tactics Ogre, God Wars, etc.

I really like JRPGs, and I like tactics games in theory. I always buy these games, admire the art, and then burn out on them within a few hours. The armies feels too big, and the RPG elements mean that your less experienced units need to get some exposure to combat (but not too much!) or they'll fall behind the curve.

There's a point I always hit in combat where I feel like I'm just shuffling a dozen useless units around the battlefield to make sure that they all get some action (but not too much!). It's like stirring a pot of ground beef to ensure even browning.

You just precisely described the exquisite balancing grind that is the appeal of those games to me.

Mmmm, pointless optimization....

For me, it's RTS.

It should appeal. It's got the slowly expanding power curve, the finicky optimization puzzle, and the satisfaction of both steamrolling victories and squeaking out a win.

But I just can't. I suspect that if I could get over the hump of learning one, I might fall in love, but I can't spend enough time with one to get to that point without wanting to throw my computer out of the window. It feels like I just don't understand the language of the genre. If I win, I don't know why, and if I lose, I can't figure out how not to lose next time. And the real-time nature lends itself to panic, which is weird, because I'm just fine with plenty of other fast games. I like FPS and I love racing games, which is about as real-time as it gets.

Military-style FPS's. I ogle the guns (both weapons and muscles) and like occasionally slaying, but for the most part it's actually not that fun because I'm actually not that good at it. I love the precision and adrenaline, however I just don't have the reflexes and aggression to really advance or excel in those types of games. Won't stop me from trying, though. I'll just be over here, rocking the bottom rung and ringing up killstreaks for our opponents.

I went through this years ago: I thought I liked RPGs, especially JRPGs, more than I actually do. The notion of a sprawling, 100-hour epic story has a lot of appeal to me in the abstract; but when the rubber meets the road...

I know that I would LIKE to be the kind of person who is really into weird little artsy indie games, but, I'm also not.

This introspection has value. It's made me more thoughtful about the games I commit my limited time to, so I waste less time and experience more joy. I hope it can do the same for others. I'd advise not just honesty about things you don't actually like; but looking for a common thread in what you do. Is there something weird tying it together? (I came to realize that sound and music were incredibly important to me, which wasn't obvious until I really thought about it.)

beeporama wrote:

Is there something weird tying it together?

I've been embarrassed to realize in the last few years that I'm considerably more likely to get into a game if I'm attracted to someone in it. As a recent example, Second Sister did way more to get me interested in Jedi: Fallen Order than anything else that was shown off.

This isn't true of every game I love (there's no one sexy in Doom) but it's true for enough of them for me to be ashamed.

I love strategy games, but don't like Civilization. It's almost entirely because of the upgrade tree.

Bioshock. All of them. I'd rather read a book or watch a movie based on them than play the games.

I think I like 2D side view games. Lord knows I bought a lot of them: Rogue Legacy, Terraria, Spelunky, Risk of Rain, Shadow Complex etc., etc.

I cannot get into them at all. Something about the 2D side view just makes things feel very very wrong to me. Nothing feels natural and I fight the controls all the time and end up hating my time with those games. I would like to see why people love Spelunky, for instance, but I just can't. And I am not willing to put in the time to figure out 2D side view stuff because I would rather just play something I already understand.

I have no problem with top down 2D games. It is just side view that breaks my brain.

Narrative heavy games.

Whether it's reading or cutscenes, I just don't have time these days for video game story. The best ones serve as a brief break from the gameplay.

Jonman wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

For me, it's Japanese tactical RPGs, so games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Devil Survivor, Tactics Ogre, God Wars, etc.

I really like JRPGs, and I like tactics games in theory. I always buy these games, admire the art, and then burn out on them within a few hours. The armies feels too big, and the RPG elements mean that your less experienced units need to get some exposure to combat (but not too much!) or they'll fall behind the curve.

There's a point I always hit in combat where I feel like I'm just shuffling a dozen useless units around the battlefield to make sure that they all get some action (but not too much!). It's like stirring a pot of ground beef to ensure even browning.

You just precisely described the exquisite balancing grind that is the appeal of those games to me.

Mmmm, pointless optimization....

I don't have the time for all the nitty gritty that tactics games require anymore. Disgaea is the only series I'm interested in anymore, not that there are many being made. Disgaea is so free form and unlocks so many (easy) ways to get your guys up to level.

Clock, the management of a million guys doesn't change, but the newer Disgaea games unlock a Cheat Shop where you can push Exp gain waaaaaaaay up to cut down on grinding up a new class.

That said, grinding up characters, armor, weapons, etc is the entire point of Disgaea games. It breaks all the rules to make the grind enjoyable. If you've bounced off it before because it's tedious to level folks up to the other characters, maybe give the newer ones a go.

garion333 wrote:

Clock, the management of a million guys doesn't change, but the newer Disgaea games unlock a Cheat Shop where you can push Exp gain waaaaaaaay up to cut down on grinding up a new class.

I'm on hour 525 of Disgaea 5, so I'm not sure that your point about the Cheat Shop holds too much water.

Seriously though, they're really comfort games for me - I can switch my brain off for some mindless grinding and relax. Perfect right before bed game.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
beeporama wrote:

Is there something weird tying it together?

I've been embarrassed to realize in the last few years that I'm considerably more likely to get into a game if I'm attracted to someone in it. As a recent example, Second Sister did way more to get me interested in Jedi: Fallen Order than anything else that was shown off.

Dammit.. my slingshot has no will to zing on this one because, yes,

Spoiler:

Trilla

was entirely hot to trot (arguably even before the helmet comes off). Elizabeth Grullon (her VO and some mocap) is fairly easy on the eyes too.

I appreciate that [same as spoiler tag] wasn't outrageously gorg'yd up in the usual gaming ways and that they let her carry things largely by -drumroll- the force.. of her presence.

garion333 wrote:

Bioshock. All of them. I'd rather read a book or watch a movie based on them than play the games.

This is The Witcher 3, for me. I'm on a second effort to try and find a groove there. Honestly, it's a struggle. It could go either way.

Reaper81 wrote:

Narrative heavy games.

Whether it's reading or cutscenes, I just don't have time these days for video game story. The best ones serve as a brief break from the gameplay.

I've a similar quirk if the gameplay isn't particularly good. It could be the greatest tale ever to be told. Held up by everyone. Nevertheless, that matters not if the interactive element - the gameplay - is lacking. Conversely, good gameplay will see me through a trash story, a forgettable story, or an embarrassing story. That's video games for me. It's how they play. Less what they say. Yet I do still find moments for walking simulators or adventure games, sporadically so.

I may have to delete my account after my prognostication here:

I think I should like Card Collecting Games. I don't like Slay the Spire one tiny iota.

I love collecting things. I love games that have complex interaction that you learn over time. I love games with turn based combat. And for the life of me I can't understand or like Slay the Spire at all. I don't have fun while playing it. I've tried 6 or 7 separate times for hours at a time and every time I can see there's a game there, but no, it just doesn't work for me at all.

I mentioned this in another thread the other day, but Nier: Automata hits so many bullet points that I ache inside for the fact I have never found the flow. Weird story, stylish action, RPG mechanics for leveling up (AND I love the veneer of chipsets)...and it just falls dead each time I try.

I suspect my efforts are not over, though. I took four shots at Mass Effect 1 to get into it, then it became my favorite series of all time. That experience has made me hold on to games to check a lot of boxes, because deep down I just know the next time is going to be the time it sticks.

Grand Strategy games. I've found I like the narratives some of them create more than I care anything about actual strategies. If I play Civ, I mostly just want to create a geographically interesting looking country, not nuke Gandhi or whatever it is people do.

Somewhere along the line I lost my taste for CRPGs. None of the recent Baldur's Gate or Fallout style remakes have really done much for me (although Shadowrun was a big exception). I think the problem is that most of them really aren't pulling any weight with characterization. We've had twenty+ years of improvements in games narrative, and a lot of these games aren't even hitting the marks that Minsc and Jaheira managed with a single 16-bit portrait and a few text prompts.

staygold wrote:

I may have to delete my account after my prognostication here:

I think I should like Card Collecting Games. I don't like Slay the Spire one tiny iota.

I love collecting things. I love games that have complex interaction that you learn over time. I love games with turn based combat. And for the life of me I can't understand or like Slay the Spire at all. I don't have fun while playing it. I've tried 6 or 7 separate times for hours at a time and every time I can see there's a game there, but no, it just doesn't work for me at all.

You're not alone. I enjoy playing collectible card and deckbuilding games in physical form, but Slay the Spire did absolutely nothing for me. You gave it more of a shot than I did, at least; I played a single game, and I'm not even sure I made it to the end of that game.

I think I should like strategy games along the lines of the Civ series. I've played many of them, for hours at a time, but I don't really find it stimulating; it feels like just boring busy-work. I wish I enjoyed my time with them more, because I do love diving through the tech trees and seeing all the things that unlock.

Finally, Rocket League. I don't know if this quite fits this topic since I can't think of any reasons that I should like it, other than that I occasionally enjoy playing a regular car racing game -- but Rocket League isn't really that genre, anyway. It just frustrates me a bit hearing everyone proclaiming their love of Rocket League, and I'm like "meh".

Space 4X games. I love science fiction stuff in basically every other type of media, and I love scifi games that aren't space 4Xs. Since I feel like I should like these games I buy all of them. I play 10-15 hours, and then bounce off. All of them are just so bland and none of them want to do the legwork of building out a believable universe.

I do better with space grand strategy games (Distant Worlds, Stellaris), but even there I don't think I've got more than ~70 hours into any of the games. I've got more hours in Civ VI, which I feel like I don't really love like I loved past entries and have barely played at all.

^ *blinks*

Ima go on record right now: not only do I need a major UI revamp for CKIII, but I just realized that I need CKIII to, uh, bench the Crusading Kings stuff for a cycle and give me a Stellaris in a CK-ish formula.

Part of my problem with, at least most, Space 4X is that the factions/races/etc and whatnot don't feel alien enough between each other. I want a bit more in the personality department outside of varying spaceship art, or some 2D ruler image.

staygold wrote:

I may have to delete my account after my prognostication here:

I think I should like Card Collecting Games. I don't like Slay the Spire one tiny iota.

I love collecting things. I love games that have complex interaction that you learn over time. I love games with turn based combat. And for the life of me I can't understand or like Slay the Spire at all. I don't have fun while playing it. I've tried 6 or 7 separate times for hours at a time and every time I can see there's a game there, but no, it just doesn't work for me at all.

This makes sense to me. I've never really liked CCG's or any other 'card battlers' at all; I don't remember why I gave Slay the Spire a shot, but I have become a huge fan. So much so that I thought maybe my tastes had changes such that I enjoyed that genre of games after all. I've been trying different games left and right, and none of them have maintained my interested for long at all. This makes me wonder if Slay the Spire is in a genre of its own, that just superficially looks like a 'card battler'.

I love this topic.

For me: Pokemon.

Why I should like Pokemon:

1. Collecting things! I love collecting things!
2. Giving things silly names like "Angry Squirrel" and "Swampbutt". I love doing that!
3. Having nice, turn-based battles, where everyone takes turns beating each other up. Orderly!

So I keep buying Pokemon games, because I really should like them.

But I just don't think I do.

For me, it's Japanese tactical RPGs, so games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Devil Survivor, Tactics Ogre, God Wars, etc.

Any tactical or tactical RPG that has a roster that you form squads and go out on missions with. I played so much Final Fantasy Tactics because I got into the story and got into the grind of training an army, but did so much save scumming because I never learned to deal with permadeath that it just dragged on forever. I think it was combination of the new X-COM games and Darkest Dungeon that broke me though.