So Nearly Great

[Pighardia]

Maybe I am getting too picky nowadays, but a hell of a lot of games seem to be disappointing me atm, and usually I am pretty easy to please. However, far from just being poor games, they nearly always leave me thinking 'you know what, a few changes here and there and that could have been epic!'

The latest one was when I tried playing Kingdoms of Amalur. It is a pretty fun games, but absolutely everything in the game is just nearly there...the combat is fairly deep and can be great fun, but could do with a bit more refinement, and is let down by a few targeting issues also(and rolling, whilst potentially useful, is almost useless!). There are strange design choices that hamper it such as not being able to turn dialogue subtitles off, and shields not showing until the second you use them. The quest inventory is confusing and is not helped by an awfully cluttered UI and minimap. There is a totally open world where you can go off and do whatever you want right from the start, but exploration is not fun, mainly due to an abundance of invisible walls absolutely everywhere ....All of these things and more hold the game back, and stop it short of greatness, but it is so close to getting there.

What games fall in to this category for you?

 

[krooton]

The whole build up of ME2, even with the massively reduced RPG elements compared to ME1, had me so hyped, and then the final boss happened.

 

[Teaf]

Spore
BioShock 2
Mass Effect 3
Warhammer Online
Diablo 3
Witcher 1 and 2
Rage

Spore was a weird one. The concept was there as was the potential and the beginning of the game was fun, but then it just got worse and worse and just ended up in mediocrity.

 

[Mockingbird]

Warhammer online is a definite.

Also, Max Payne 3.

 

[V4NT0M]

Many games are this way these days.

 

[Doomedspeed]

Currently Playing The witcher 2 and i get that "nearly great" feeling..

The cut scenes and 'lore talk' is too long (even from the start of the campaign), THe combat isn't great (switching between 2 swords when fighting humans and monsters, Ugrhh).

It looks ******** spectacular though.

 

[krooton]

Currently Playing The witcher 2 and i get that "nearly great" feeling..

The cut scenes and 'lore talk' is too long (even from the start of the campaign), THe combat isn't great (switching between 2 swords when fighting humans and monsters, Ugrhh).

It looks ******** spectacular though.

Lore is one of the biggest things about the series though, SO much depth and detail, makes many other RPG games look laughably shallow.

 

[Sleepery]

Definitely Warhammer Online, that showed all the signs of perfect intital design being crippled by being shoved out the door 6 months early.

 

[pestt]

The whole build up of ME2, even with the massively reduced RPG elements compared to ME1, had me so hyped, and then the final boss happened.

Same deal with Rage.

 

[Omaeka]

Dishonored is a huge one for this, the games great in ever aspect bar the stealth combat system, really clunky and bad but the combat and magic system is great. I much prefer being stealthy in any game that offers the choice so for me that was what was holding it back from being brilliant.

 

[weyland yutani]

Also, Max Payne 3.

God I hated the controls in this, so slow and clunky. Then there's the cutscenes that bogged the game down massively . . . bleh

 

[Mockingbird]

God I hated the controls in this, so slow and clunky. Then there's the cutscenes that bogged the game down massively . . . bleh

I got on OK with the controls, and the cutscenes were, while frequent, quite good at keeping the story pacing along. What killed it for me were the immersion breaking inch-high steps that you butt up against while diving, and the (realistic but not fun) way that if you play on hard there are some sections you just have to keep replaying until you AREN'T randomly one-shot-headshot killed. Hard is fun, random instakills aren't.

 

[Woogie]

I'm currently having this with the new Splinter Cell, Game play wise it is amazing, so many tools and tricks, the levels are well thought out and combat is great. The only let down is the controls, They are a tad clunky at times and I frequently find myself trying to sprint past a wall/box/car/something and clipping it so he either goes into cover, climbs over it or climbs up it. It can be pretty frustrating. Also climbing up and down ledges can require repeated taps of buttons to get him moving. If these had been fixed or done slightly better the game would have been near perfect for me.

 

[wildman]

Witcher 2
SWTOR
War Hammer online
ME2 and 3

the biggest let down in that list is SWTOR, so much potential yet what was delivered was so much fail. EA should die in a fire for that one.

 

[C64]

Because games are rush released these days and have a shorter build time.

 

[fastwunz]

Bioshock 3. I'm frankly appalled by it.

 

[VincentHanna]

Well it's Bioshock: Infinite not 'Bioshock 3'.

What specifically are you appalled by? I've played through it twice and thought it was a very good story.

Gameplay hasn't moved on much since Bioshock, though stylistically it was great.

 

[VincentHanna]

I got on OK with the controls, and the cutscenes were, while frequent, quite good at keeping the story pacing along. What killed it for me were the immersion breaking inch-high steps that you butt up against while diving, and the (realistic but not fun) way that if you play on hard there are some sections you just have to keep replaying until you AREN'T randomly one-shot-headshot killed. Hard is fun, random instakills aren't.

Completed it on Hardcore, that was a ballache in places and according to Steam less than 1% of players have done so.

Thought it was a good game though...

 

[Pighardia]

The whole build up of ME2, even with the massively reduced RPG elements compared to ME1, had me so hyped, and then the final boss happened.

I think even the final boss doesn't detract from the otherwise epic final missions for me. It was pretty bad, but didn't ruin anything, the game is still great, just a bad moment in it.

(The Witcher 2) THe combat isn't great (switching between 2 swords when fighting humans and monsters, Ugrhh).

Yeah, I never really understood the swapping swords for different enemies thing, doesn't make sense to me, but I thought the combat was great.

 

[Rroff]

Yup so many games lately have been "nearly there" it just amazes me how many games are only some fairly minor tweaks away from being amazing but instead are merely average or the whole potential ruined by some silly gameplay aspect - does no one sit down and play them any more before going final?