Support NeoGAF

[analog_future]

I was looking at the games I've played/completed over the last few years, and I've found that pretty overwhelmingly I'm finishing a lot of "mediocre" games more often than I finish those marquee, tentpole, "must-play" type titles as of late.

Some examples:

• God of War Ragnarok - Didn't finish. Strong vibes of "It's God of War 2018, but more!" and it just didn't pull me in.
• Horizon: Forbidden West - Didn't finish. Strong vibes of "It's Horizon: Zero Dawn, but more!" and it just didn't pull me in.
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Didn't finish. Many reasons for this one. Just like God of War and Horizon, it felt like an extension of BotW rather than something truly new, and the whole physics-focused, "spend 10 minutes building a boat out of random parts every time you want to cross a river" thing just didn't excite me. Like the others, it just didn't pull me in.
• Elden Ring - Honestly this one is an incredible game, but for many years I've been trying to force myself to like Soulslike games and I just haven't gotten there. I did put close to 20 hours into this though and came away understanding what all the hype is about, but I still didn't finish it.
• Baldur's Gate 3 - Another game where I can understand all the praise, but the combat just didn't click with me and I was unable to find the fun in that aspect of the game.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - I still hold out hope that someday this one will click with me, but in my attempts to play it thus far I've found it to be a bit dry, meandering, and un-engaging. I love the first RDR, and even replayed it this year and still really enjoyed it, so maybe I'll come around on RDR2 with another attempt.

For a while I was thinking that maybe I was just burnt out a bit on gaming in general, but then I realized that a ton of other games HAVE clicked with me. Games that aren't considered exceptional. Games that even I probably wouldn't rate higher than an 8/10 for the most part. But I DID find them engaging, and most importantly, fun.

Some examples:

• Sonic Frontiers - Charming gameplay loop, novel approach compared to any other entry in the series, nice variety of classic and new scenarios and missions
• The Callisto Protocol - Fantastic visuals, great performances, concise campaign that respects your time.
• High on Life - Inventive ways to uniquely play with the medium (the intro game-within-a-game, the talking guns, the popup ads on your HUD, etc..), great humor, fun missions, inviting and colorful art direction, etc..
• RoboCop: Rogue City - Great visuals, fun & intentionally simplistic combat, faithfully cheesy and faithful to the original film(s) and universe
• Immortals of Aveum - Fun take on the FPS genre with magic as your "guns", great colorful visuals, unique world, nice variety of spells/combat/abilities
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - Short-and-sweet campaign, really fun combat loop, great visuals, some good performances
• Alone in the Dark (2024) - Fun, hammy performances. Classic survival horror puzzles and gameplay. Not interested in wasting your time.

Again, I'm not saying any of these are great games, but they ARE games that I was able to find the fun in, get hooked for a brief amount of time, and generally enjoy my time with. Which, for what it's worth, is more than I can say about some of the purported "masterpieces" I listed above.


I think one of the biggest hurdles I'm finding with the newest "top tier" titles, is that they expect so much out of the player as far as time and dedication is concerned. Almost all the games I listed above are 50/60/70+ hour games. Maybe I just don't have time for that type of shit anymore,, or maybe I just have bad taste, idk.



Anyone else fall into a similar camp as me?

 

[Syphon Filter]

there is no 10/10 games this last decade.

 

[FoxMcChief]

there is no 10/10 games this last decade.

I did the math, and this checks out.

 

[supercapacity]

Agree that RoboCop: Rogue City has been the most fun game in an age - you can see the limits of the budget at times, but it’s concentrated, simple fun that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

 

[Ammogeddon]

Review scores are a construct. They can help inform a buying decision but a lot of scores, particularly of late, are utter dog shite.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I really enjoyed Outcast A New Beginning. It's definitely a 7ish game, but it scratched an itch and what I was in the mood for at the time.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I think the simple fact that there are more 7/10 games than 9-10/10 games would make it obvious though.

 

[gow3isben]

Callisto Protocol and Suicide Squad...?

Shiiiiiieeeeeet bro

 

[R6Rider]

Many times yes. This has been for many years, not just recently.

 

[drganon]

Callisto Protocol and Suicide Squad...?

Shiiiiiieeeeeet bro

And High on life. Op's got questionable taste in games.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Agree very much, I picked up a number of highly lauded 10s this year and didn't get on with them at all.

 

[SolidQ]

Mostly playing AA and below(love old school type and metroidvanias/classic RE style horrors). AAA near dead for me, except like Resident evil, Doom and some games.
Scores nothing matter for me, just for fun number

 

[Magic Carpet]

The last game I rated a 10/10 was Psychonauts 2.
Talos Principlal 2 comes close.

Elden Ring is an exception. It's a 10/10 that I finished but I don't enjoy this kind of game.
I still need to play Baldurs Gate 3 have not played past the character creator screen, because I want to dedicate more time to it.

Edit-I should also mention Half Life Alyx as a 10/10 for VR, and maybe Asgaurds Wrath.

 

[Hookshot]

It's know that the majority of game reviewers know each other, whether you want to believe they collude or not is up to you but surely they should have got together and decided to change the review scoring so that it's harsher once 5 games a week were deemed 9s or 10s.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Review scores are a useless.

Ftfy.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I think Elden Ring is easily the best game of the generation, and I don’t think I’d give it higher than a 9/10.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Ratings of a game are irrelevant and don’t mean anything to mean, I’m proud to have finished 70/100 games and 90/100 games.

 

[SlimySnake]

I think one of the biggest hurdles I'm finding with the newest "top tier" titles, is that they expect so much out of the player as far as time and dedication is concerned. Almost all the games I listed above are 50/60/70+ hour games.

I think you nailed it here. Those games are just way too long and if for whatever reason they dont click with you fully like a 10/10 game should, you are inclined to quit at a certain point instead of investing another 50-100 hours in the game.

That's precisely why you are enjoying those 7/10 games because they end in 7-10 hours and you dont have to worry about investing in them.

Same thing happened to me with a lot of those games. Elden Ring, Horizon, FF16 and to a lesser extent GOW. I stuck with HFW and GOW because they are easier games with decent stories I wanted to see through, but since Elden Ring doesnt have that hook, i just got tired after 15-20 hours of grinding boss after boss after boss. BG3 i didnt even bother trying once i found out its 100 hours long with turn based combat. Fuck that.

Zelda I loved. Those physics based creations were so unique and fun, I fell in love quick and played for 150 hours straight. RDR2 was a slog for the first 20 hours, but I am glad I stuck with it because the story is probably the best ive seen in a game. But again, if it wasnt for the story, i likely wouldve bailed out. It's partially why i ended up really liking spiderman 2 as well. Good story and only 15 hours long.

That said, robocop, suicide squad and immortals simply didnt click with me either and i dropped them after just a few hours. I did enjoy Callisto even though i think its a 7/10 game at best. I also didnt like Avatar which has a 69 on metacritic despite loving Days Gone which has a 70. I have yet to try Alone in the Dark, but im afraid that my patience with B games or 7/10 games is also running thin. Edit: I just played Evil West and am loving it. It is linear as fuck, 10-12 hours and has some of the most OP combat ive seen in a game to date. you feel like a god and they keep giving you more and more upgrades every half an hour. Give it a shot.

It's funny. I would rate these 85-95 metacritic games like Horizon FW, FF16, FF7 Rebirth, Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk, Starfield, Elden Ring all around 7/10. Which is Good in my book because they are competently produced, but either didnt compel me to play through them or enjoy playing through them.

 

[CrippledGod]

I went with Star Wars Outlaws over Elden Ring expansion. Sometimes I want that junk comfort food where the difference between 7 and 10 is mostly polish.

That being said BG3 and Elden Ring are masterpieces and in the league of their own.

 

[Dr_Salt]

Don't base your enjoyment of games in scores.

 

[Arsic]

You’re gonna love concord and Star Wars outlaws.

 

[clarky]

You’re gonna love concord and Star Wars outlaws.

I dont follow, neither of those are a 7/10

 

[FoxMcChief]

You’re gonna love concord and Star Wars outlaws.

 

[Mortisfacio]

GoW: Rag i enjoyed, but not as much as 2018.

I would agree i got far more joy out of high on life than i did TotK.

For as much hate as it got at launch, and rightfully so, my most played game of the year so far is D4. Satisfactory is another I've spent too much time on and many people i meet have never heard of it.

 

[Hrk69]

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Concord.

Idgaf about the general consensus, I'm enjoying it for what it is, for as long (or short) as it lasts.

 

[Pop]

IDK OP you got some questionable taste in games

Your 7s are really 3s or 4s

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Same.

High scores are mostly related to polish, animation quality, amount of unique content etc

It is not related to how good a game is. Thats what I feel anyways.

 

[AJUMP23]

Concord.

Idgaf about the general consensus, I'm enjoying it for what it is, for as long (or short) as it lasts.

TIS A JOKE

 

[MagusMajul]

there is no 10/10 games this last decade.

come on man persona 5 & Crusader Kings 3 are 10s in my book

 

[Danjin44]

I don’t pay attention much to the “score“, I mostly rely on my own judgement and nothing else.

 

[existensmaximum]

Of all the games you mention OP, the only good game is Baldur's Gate 3 imo. The other "10/10" games are pretty mediocre to me. For me BG3 is one of the most enjoyable and well-made games of the last 15 years or so.

The 7/10 games you mention.. No, not for me. I think they're just kind of bad. Haven't played Robocop tho but I thought the Terminator game was shit.

 

[RoboFu]

Baldur's Gate 3 was extremely boring for me. i didn't even make it past chapter 2.

FF16 lots of reasons beyond the game itself being bland. did finish it though after I got super powerful doing all the hunts lol.

I didn't play the last assasins creed mainly because of my stance on the epic game store.

 

[RodriGames40]

Those games did not get 10/10, but the thought is valid.

 

[jshackles]

I agree that most AAA stuff these days is bloated and boring. Although I really liked Rebirth and am currently near the end of Infinite Wealth (and enjoying it), I've had a lot more fun with stuff like Alone in the Dark, Balatro, Unicorn Overlord, Hades II, and SMT V Vengeance than all the AAA games I've played this year combined.

Eiyuden Chronicle, Granblue Fantasy Relink, Palword, Apollo Justice... all pretty great. I just looked and every game I mentioned here is between 79-90 on metacritic though, so maybe my taste in games is more tuned to the 8/10 stuff than 7/10.

Hell, even stuff like Cat Quest III I would personally rank higher than Tears of the Kingdom. Fight me.

 

[adamsapple]

You’re gonna love concord and Star Wars outlaws.

 

[fart town usa]

Been this way for generations. Most 10/10 are overhyped snoozefests and the true gems are the games that get dogpiled or outright ignored.

 

[fart town usa]

I really enjoyed Outcast A New Beginning. It's definitely a 7ish game, but it scratched an itch and what I was in the mood for at the time.

That game is so damn good. Not without issues of course but in terms of pure gameplay, so much fun. I got the platinum and still listen to the OST at work. Will definitely 100% it again at some point.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

A lot of the higher scoring games are higher scoring because they are focus group tested and check a lot of boxes while being super safe. I agree with your God of War take. Own them both, can’t make it a few hours into the 2018 game without being bored to tears.

Give me a nice 7 or 8/10 game that might be rough around the edges or not check all the boxes the media wants. Rise of the Ronin, perfect mid 7’s game. Greatly enjoyed it.

 

[Arsic]

I dont follow, neither of those are a 7/10

 

[nemiroff]

So, in other words you have a valid subjective opinion where some times other people's 7/10s are your 10/10s and vice versa Well, I'm pretty sure all of us have those moments.

 

[jmiller180]

Edit: I just played Evil West and am loving it. It is linear as fuck, 10-12 hours and has some of the most OP combat ive seen in a game to date. you feel like a god and they keep giving you more and more upgrades every half an hour. Give it a shot.

Couldn't agree more about Evil West. Had a blast a few months back when I got around to it. Feels like something out of the Xbox 360 era, in a good way.

 

[Ultros]

RoboCop: Rogue City - Great visuals, fun & intentionally simplistic combat, faithfully cheesy and faithful to the original film(s) and universe

I loved Robocop. It was what a game should be, entertainment and fun from start to finish. But I also rarely look at reviews. If I based my purchases on reviews then I would have missed out on some of the best experiences I had with games

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

That game is so damn good. Not without issues of course but in terms of pure gameplay, so much fun. I got the platinum and still listen to the OST at work. Will definitely 100% it again at some point.

I liked it so much I grabbed the remake of the first one for cheap to beat it as well. I can't really recommend it though. It's rough. And I ran around killing all the enemies kind of early on and they don't respawn. So now it's basically just a run around talk to people game. Not fun.

 

[Bond007]

In most cases yes.
I finished alot of the ones you mention not having finished- and loved them. (God of War, Zelda, Red Dead, Horizon)
But ive tried to go back to a simpler times as a kid- where something looking cool was good enough for me to try. Not being swayed by reviews or other's opinions - herd mentality. I try what i want and am obviously entitled to like whatever i feel like.

Loved Shaq Fu as a kid. Woulda surpised me if you told me it was trash.
Most recently got my monies worth out of Skull and Bones. Fun naval combat game to me; i wasnt looking for Assasins Creed like everyone else apparently.

 

[Crayon]

I can say I did have dropped a few in the last few years because they are simply too long. I don't mind that in itself. Horizon is fun and I played it for 40-50 hours. I'm not one to wish a game was shorter, as that is important to a lot of people. Baldurs Gate was the same. 130 hours in and while it was quite good, that's a long ass time for me.

Zelda was an interesting case. My most anticipated game for years and I bounced right off it. Ironically, they did everything I wanted them to do and I barely played for 20 hours. I really dislike the building mechanics and it's sprinkled all over the place.

Elden ring almost doesn't count. I've been waiting till I'm really in the mood for it and have a good long weekend to start. No rush at all. But I had some friends playing together, tried to jump in before I really felt like it, and bounced before 20 hours.

Tekken 8's issues got to me. On paper, it looked like the kind of stuff that would only be glaring at higher levels. Maybe I was being too optimistic. The issues were in my face as soon as I was getting my tekken legs back and just barely started climbing the ranks. I've heard it's a little better now but I'm not super excited to try again.

As far as mediocre games I've finished? Can't think of any at the moment.

 

[The Cockatrice]

What? You mean based on critics score? Who the fuck cares what they think?

 

[cireza]

I don't care about reviews. I review the games myself.

 

[fart town usa]

I liked it so much I grabbed the remake of the first one for cheap to beat it as well. I can't really recommend it though. It's rough. And I ran around killing all the enemies kind of early on and they don't respawn. So now it's basically just a run around talk to people game. Not fun.

I've heard that First Contact is questionable. It's a PS+ game so I will likely get to it at some point. I also own the OG Outcast v1.1 from GOG and most people recommend to play that over the remake.

 

[bundylove]

Atomic heart was a blast.

Alone in the dark is good too