I wouldn't really call it a 180 but I remember booting Dwarf Fortress up for the first time and seeing the world gen screen and then the embark menu and basically immediately quitting out because it was just that overwhelming. Now there's plenty of things I still don't understand or haven't tried but it's one of my favorite games, no question.
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Name a game you 180'd on (either good or bad) after picking it back up or a 2nd/3rd playthrough
- Thread starter tripleg
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Souls games aren't for me after Dark Souls 1 didn't click at all to I bought Demon's Souls full price on PS5
On the flip side of the question, Mario Sunshine in the 35th Collection left me feeling real sad. Though, I need to go back and play with Gamecube controller since they added that and FIXED CAMERA CONTROLS since they also added that (instead of just having it???). If it don't click then though.. then yeah, a game I loved for so long kind of really doesn't click with my anymore.
On the flip side of the question, Mario Sunshine in the 35th Collection left me feeling real sad. Though, I need to go back and play with Gamecube controller since they added that and FIXED CAMERA CONTROLS since they also added that (instead of just having it???). If it don't click then though.. then yeah, a game I loved for so long kind of really doesn't click with my anymore.
BOTW: While I still think its a great game, it lost its magic really quickly for me , exploration is great, game looks beautiful. but after playing it for a while, I realized how shallow it is (the game has a lot of glaring flaws that I won't repeat since they've been talked about here and other places way too much), so I stopped playing it one day and never got back into it.
Dragon Quest 11. Tried demo and thought it was boring as heck. Came back a month or two later to try demo again and I fell in love with it. Bought the full game, 80 hours later and its my favorite traditional JRPG since FF10.
Wind Waker was my favorite zelda game 10 years ago. Now, I think it's by far and away the weakest 3D zelda. Worst dungeons of the bunch, weakest puzzles, the worst overworld where you have to play a song to even turn in the empty nothingness, padding out the ass to cover for the cut content, biggest waste of time side content.
Conversely I've come to appreciate link's awakening more whereas I didn't like it on my initial playthrough.
Conversely I've come to appreciate link's awakening more whereas I didn't like it on my initial playthrough.
Oblivion and Fallout 3 were like this for me. Oblivion after Morrowind seemed uninteresting. I came back a year later with DLC and mods on PC for a much better experience.
Fallout 3 coming in after Fallout 2 felt meh. Couple years later with DLC and mods, the game felt much better. Mind you, it was still fundamentally pretty dumb, but enjoyable.
This has become my Bethesda games approach, wait a year and mod the shit out of it. :P.
Fallout 3 coming in after Fallout 2 felt meh. Couple years later with DLC and mods, the game felt much better. Mind you, it was still fundamentally pretty dumb, but enjoyable.
This has become my Bethesda games approach, wait a year and mod the shit out of it. :P.
The only one I remember is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
I got about half way through and really hated my time with it and dropped it. Ended up picking it up again 6-12 months later and loved every minute of it and wondered why I dropped it. Ended up replaying it 2 or 3 times until I got the Platinum Trophy.
I got about half way through and really hated my time with it and dropped it. Ended up picking it up again 6-12 months later and loved every minute of it and wondered why I dropped it. Ended up replaying it 2 or 3 times until I got the Platinum Trophy.
Remember Me. Tried playing first time and thought it was kind of bad. Tried again later and really enjoyed it. I love the gameplay loop. It's an underrated game from that generation. Its still beautiful on PC and I love the world they build and the combos you can create. Some fun boss fights too.
Hollow Knight.
Tried 3 times, all dropped at about 5~6hrs mark. Graphic is too simplistic, movement felt sluggish, hate the knock back from attack, the game has no color variation, and I don't like the character design.
The fourth time it clicked, 100hrs of playtime later it became one of the best metroidvania I have ever played.
Once you get a few movement skills the game opens up a lot.
Dark souls.
Stucked on undead parish for longest of time and dropped the game.
Start a new game a year later, finally understood that dying and losing souls doesn't matter, got lucky with a balder side sword and everything clicked. Then 3 consecutive playthrough immediately.
Tried 3 times, all dropped at about 5~6hrs mark. Graphic is too simplistic, movement felt sluggish, hate the knock back from attack, the game has no color variation, and I don't like the character design.
The fourth time it clicked, 100hrs of playtime later it became one of the best metroidvania I have ever played.
Once you get a few movement skills the game opens up a lot.
Dark souls.
Stucked on undead parish for longest of time and dropped the game.
Start a new game a year later, finally understood that dying and losing souls doesn't matter, got lucky with a balder side sword and everything clicked. Then 3 consecutive playthrough immediately.
I find this interesting because I had recently stumbled on Jaffe playing through it for his first time and he stops to talk about how he doesn't like cutscenes...but for some reason he doesn't mind them in this game (his idea is that maybe because what's happening is compelling enough, or not trying to poorly imitate something he has already seen before in a movie). I wonder if he still feels that way towards the end of the game.
Destiny 2. I played through the first game's base campaign solo and didn't think it was particularly special or good. Dropped it after that. Played through the trial or beta of D2 with friends and reached the same conclusion. Started playing again before the huge content vault this November and got absolutely hooked - especially since it's now available (all expansions) on Game Pass. I finally understood what the core loop is all about. I've been playing it on a daily basis since August.
Mass Effect 1.
Was alrady a fan of the saga, just hadn't played the first one, so you gotta take into account that I had played way more modern games with better controls, for example, and ME3 had the better fps system of the saga at that point. Tried it, played for a few hours. "The controls are so bad and everything looks so janky." I didn't like the combat as much as I did on the other 2.. Kinda soured my opinion on ME/Bioware. The dialogue also felt stiffled.
Then the scene happened.
And it was an adventure from then on.
Was alrady a fan of the saga, just hadn't played the first one, so you gotta take into account that I had played way more modern games with better controls, for example, and ME3 had the better fps system of the saga at that point. Tried it, played for a few hours. "The controls are so bad and everything looks so janky." I didn't like the combat as much as I did on the other 2.. Kinda soured my opinion on ME/Bioware. The dialogue also felt stiffled.
Then the scene happened.
And it was an adventure from then on.
Dead Cells for me.
Got it on hype and couldn't get past the first boss to the point where I dropped it as too difficult.
Picked it up again after an interesting content update came out and it finally clicked. Now it's my most played indie game, quite a turnaround.
Got it on hype and couldn't get past the first boss to the point where I dropped it as too difficult.
Picked it up again after an interesting content update came out and it finally clicked. Now it's my most played indie game, quite a turnaround.
Same here, but it's probably because they improved the overall gameplay by leaps and bounds between 3 and 4. Also 1, 2, and 3 had simply too much boring "shoot guys 10 times each until they die and then move on to the next batch" gameplay while 4 cast that out. One could approach battles in other ways and everyone wasn't a bullet sponge.
This is exactly my story, but without the turnaround. I'm happy for you.
I begrudged Xenogears, Parasite Eve, Final Fantasy 8, and Chrono Cross for not being Final Fantasy 7. I've come around on all of them in subsequent playthroughs, and would have called Chrono Cross one of my favorite games until I played it again earlier this year. Oops.
I played Demon's Souls fresh off of Dark Souls and hated it. The story didn't make sense, so much of the game felt like I was being punished for playing it, and the Maneater probably killed me fifty times; even sniping it from behind the fog door didn't work. I'm not sure what I did differently the second time, but it's now possibly my favorite of these games.
I liked DMC3 a lot better after Dark Souls taught me how to play action games.
I played Demon's Souls fresh off of Dark Souls and hated it. The story didn't make sense, so much of the game felt like I was being punished for playing it, and the Maneater probably killed me fifty times; even sniping it from behind the fog door didn't work. I'm not sure what I did differently the second time, but it's now possibly my favorite of these games.
I liked DMC3 a lot better after Dark Souls taught me how to play action games.
I'd say Nioh, now i see why it gets all that praise.
Restarted the game like 5 times and i always gave up after like 2 missions, the game didn't click with me.
Now I'm very close to finishing the base game and it's much more complex and fun than i initially thought.
I'll definitely keep an eye on the sequel.
Restarted the game like 5 times and i always gave up after like 2 missions, the game didn't click with me.
Now I'm very close to finishing the base game and it's much more complex and fun than i initially thought.
I'll definitely keep an eye on the sequel.
Dark Souls 1 on PS3 vs playing the remaster on PS4 after I've played through Bloodborne and DS2. Went from absolute hate to "not my favorite but not bad either".
Batman Arkham Asylum - Loved the game after playing the demo and when I first started playing it. After a long break I came back to finish the game and hated every second of it. I felt like I fought more with the controls than with enemies in the game.
Batman Arkham Asylum - Loved the game after playing the demo and when I first started playing it. After a long break I came back to finish the game and hated every second of it. I felt like I fought more with the controls than with enemies in the game.
Witcher 3 for me. I tried Witcher 1 and 2 and couldn't get into either because of the combat. I got Witcher 3 on Xbox and stopped playing after about an hour. Then I got it on Switch and i played straight through the base game and both DLCs. I actually credit a lot of this to the Netflix show, which I really liked.
Yakuza Kiwami. I bounced off it (and Yakuza 0 for that matter) pretty hard few years ago.
I started it again two days ago due to all the praise here and because it's on gamepass, and somehow it clicked.
I already have almost 7h clocked in the game and I have plans to play the entire series, haha.
I started it again two days ago due to all the praise here and because it's on gamepass, and somehow it clicked.
I already have almost 7h clocked in the game and I have plans to play the entire series, haha.
Negative: BotW
I sunk 220 hours into my playthrough. I just got so sucked in and didn't realize I was just doing the same thing over and over again, and it all hit me like a ton of bricks one day when I was searching for Koroks and farming Hearty Durians.
There is no charm to the game. The side quests are meaningless and lack soul (aside from Terry Town), the story and characters don't carry much weight, and overall the game is cynical to what makes Zelda games great. The combat is bland and weapon durability is stupid, tedious, and boring. I dislike the game at this point, and won't ever play it again. I'm sad knowing the next Zelda is going to be a continuation of this sandbox BS which I feel has no place in the series. That being said, I feel like Zelda has been going downhill with every installment since MM, but I digress (still love WW and TP).
Positive: Sekiro
My roommate bought the game when it came out, and I gave it a shot. I was playing like a jackass, trying to force my way through the game without truly understanding it. And I blamed the game for my lack of success.
I purchased my own copy a few months later, and it all clicked quickly once I decided to take the time to understand what the game is all about. I've played through it several times, and it may be in my top 5 of all time at this point (certainly top 10).
I sunk 220 hours into my playthrough. I just got so sucked in and didn't realize I was just doing the same thing over and over again, and it all hit me like a ton of bricks one day when I was searching for Koroks and farming Hearty Durians.
There is no charm to the game. The side quests are meaningless and lack soul (aside from Terry Town), the story and characters don't carry much weight, and overall the game is cynical to what makes Zelda games great. The combat is bland and weapon durability is stupid, tedious, and boring. I dislike the game at this point, and won't ever play it again. I'm sad knowing the next Zelda is going to be a continuation of this sandbox BS which I feel has no place in the series. That being said, I feel like Zelda has been going downhill with every installment since MM, but I digress (still love WW and TP).
Positive: Sekiro
My roommate bought the game when it came out, and I gave it a shot. I was playing like a jackass, trying to force my way through the game without truly understanding it. And I blamed the game for my lack of success.
I purchased my own copy a few months later, and it all clicked quickly once I decided to take the time to understand what the game is all about. I've played through it several times, and it may be in my top 5 of all time at this point (certainly top 10).
Absolutely hated the original Ecco the Dolphin and Ninja Gaiden on Xbox, but now they are some of my all time favorite games.
The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap was one of my favorites in the series on release. I would sing its praises endlessly for years. I recently replayed it and thought it wasn't anything special at all. I certainly do not hate it and might even replay it again, but I have no idea why I held it in such high regard, it felt like such a masterpiece to me originally.
The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap was one of my favorites in the series on release. I would sing its praises endlessly for years. I recently replayed it and thought it wasn't anything special at all. I certainly do not hate it and might even replay it again, but I have no idea why I held it in such high regard, it felt like such a masterpiece to me originally.
Two recent-ish examples: Breath of the wild. I was so excited and pretty much bought a Switch for it and Mario Odyssey but after a strong start it just wasn't clicking for me and it felt underwhelming. So I deleted my save and started from the beginning again after a month or so and it clicked and I really enjoyed it, still probably less so than others going by it being many people's game of the gen but it was good fun. Also the Souls series as a whole, after many attempts with Bloodborne and Dark Souls II I had given up. But went back to Bloodborne and now Demon's Souls and this is really clicking for me and I just 'get' the gameplay loop now and why people love these games.
Love seeing all the FFXIV love in this thread.
This happened to me with Gravity Rush Remastered recently. I purchased it a few years back. Played the first chapter, tried collecting lots of the shards and immediately lost interest.
Fast forward to just last month. I decided to focus on story first. I love the game and am currently planning to buy the second game soon. It has a terrific ost and really neat visuals!
This happened to me with Gravity Rush Remastered recently. I purchased it a few years back. Played the first chapter, tried collecting lots of the shards and immediately lost interest.
Fast forward to just last month. I decided to focus on story first. I love the game and am currently planning to buy the second game soon. It has a terrific ost and really neat visuals!
Hotline Miami; bought it based on reviews and it wasn't for me. Had a mate around and after a few joints (back in the day I did that) I knew he liked violent games so popped it on. We ended up passing the pad each death till we completed both games and I love the game now.
Most recently, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Played it at launch this year on PC, and I thought it was ok, but I think due to performance issues, so many other games coming out that I wanted to play around the same time, and, ya know, this whole pandemic thing starting up right at that time, I just wasn't in the mood for it. Bearing all of that in mind I knew I wanted to revisit it for game of the year purposes, and bought it on Switch while it was on sale. And while I'm not as in love with either of the Ori games as a lot of other people, I do now think that Will of the Wisps is my favorite metroidvania I've played this gen after Hollow Knight.
Also, having just replayed Donkey Kong Country 3 for the first time since I was a kid, I think that game is every bit as good as DKC2, after being under the impression for years that it's the black sheep of the family. Its theming isn't quite as striking as 2, and it does have a lot of gimmick levels, but if anything that makes the world feel even more unique (and the world map is so cool!), and I largely think the level gimmicks are fantastic, and share more design DNA with Returns and Tropical Freeze than the first two games do
Also, having just replayed Donkey Kong Country 3 for the first time since I was a kid, I think that game is every bit as good as DKC2, after being under the impression for years that it's the black sheep of the family. Its theming isn't quite as striking as 2, and it does have a lot of gimmick levels, but if anything that makes the world feel even more unique (and the world map is so cool!), and I largely think the level gimmicks are fantastic, and share more design DNA with Returns and Tropical Freeze than the first two games do
Dead Rising on the 360.
I just "didn't get it" back in 2006 or 2007 (whenever I first played it), but gave it another shot right before Dead Rising 2 came out (and probably after I played Case Zero). I guess maybe playing Case Zero helped me understand the "flow" of the games, or maybe it was because I had an HDTV for playing games by then, lol.
I just "didn't get it" back in 2006 or 2007 (whenever I first played it), but gave it another shot right before Dead Rising 2 came out (and probably after I played Case Zero). I guess maybe playing Case Zero helped me understand the "flow" of the games, or maybe it was because I had an HDTV for playing games by then, lol.
Bought Driveclub at launch. It was fine but I sold it after a while. Rebought it later, got really into it and it became one of my most played games on PS4.
Bought GT Sport. It was fine but I sold it after a while. Rebought it later, it really clicked and I had so much fun with it.
Maybe there's a pattern.
Bought GT Sport. It was fine but I sold it after a while. Rebought it later, it really clicked and I had so much fun with it.
Maybe there's a pattern.
I was quite underwhelmed by Dusk the first time I played it and refunded it with under an hour of playtime. Later on I saw footage of later episodes which seemed actually fun and gave it a new try thinking it probably gets better and it absolutely did already in episode 1.
Subnautica. Never really cared for the survivalgame genre and saw nothing really special with this at first. It wasn't until I discovered the narrative side of the game that it all clicked. Very glad that I tried it again after seeing a lot people mentioning it as one of their favorite games.
Mass Effect.
After the initial mission, it goes into such a sludgy Bioware lull, but picks up after you get Liara nicely.
Definitely a game of "despite" for me, but I do love it. Possibly the best third person shooter I've played when bundled in with the other two.
After the initial mission, it goes into such a sludgy Bioware lull, but picks up after you get Liara nicely.
Definitely a game of "despite" for me, but I do love it. Possibly the best third person shooter I've played when bundled in with the other two.
The Last of Us
I LOVED the game the first time I played it when it launched on PS3. I thought it was one of the best experiences in gaming. When I played it a second time on PS4 a year later I couldnt bear to even make it to the half way point. I disliked the characters and the setting / tone and pretty much everything it's story was trying to do. I found the sudden distaste for the game / series weird considering since then I replayed Uncharted 1-4 multiple times and loved every second of each play through.
I LOVED the game the first time I played it when it launched on PS3. I thought it was one of the best experiences in gaming. When I played it a second time on PS4 a year later I couldnt bear to even make it to the half way point. I disliked the characters and the setting / tone and pretty much everything it's story was trying to do. I found the sudden distaste for the game / series weird considering since then I replayed Uncharted 1-4 multiple times and loved every second of each play through.
Mass Effect 1. Never clicked for me at launch, found the combat to be really awkward and punishing. I just didn't really get it. Picked it up again a few months before ME2 released and it clicked and it became one of my favourite games ever. I think I went into it originally pretty ignorant of what it was trying to be and was expecting an action game. The second time around I think I had more patience to enjoy it for what it was, and I also had a few more RPGs under my belt by then so had a better understanding of the genre.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - I first bought the game when I got my Xbox. Rushed through the character creation, didn't spec my skills right, got lost out of the gate, and got killed by a scrib. I put the game down for a while, but I had heard such praise that I decided to give it another shot. I took my time. I studied my skills. I read all the dialogue. And then I fell in absolute love. It's one of the greatest games ever made, in my opinion, and the future entries just watered down the formula way too much.
Dark Souls 3 for sure. I am a Souls fanatic, but 3 just didn't do it for me. It seemed like it was just trying to be the original game all over again and I was pretty sour on it overall. I just did a series run through again however and I finally started to enjoy the game, it's still probably my least favorite in the series (yes I like 2 more, sue me) but I started to appreciate it far more than I did previously. One thing that I still hate about it is the enemies seem to just have infinite stamina and can attack nonstop which is bullshit but it is what it is.
Metal Gear Solid. I hated the demo on PC. It was on a CD collection later that I bought for Crimson Skies and another game. I decided to give it another try and it became one of my favorite franchises of all time.
I was quite lukewarm on Alan Wake when I first played it at a friend's house on his 360. Despite the thick atmosphere and the obvious Twilight Zone/Twin Peaks inspiration, I found it way too easy and simplistic. Playing it on PC on the highest difficulty years later made me appreciate it much more. Even on Nightmare it's pretty manageable and it actually makes you use your entire toolset for crowd management rather than just mowing down enemies.
It's my go-to answer for these questions, hoping that others who also didn't like it at first give it another shot.
It's my go-to answer for these questions, hoping that others who also didn't like it at first give it another shot.
Sekiro and Death Stranding gave me a hard time enjoying them when i first played both at launch.
a few months passed and i gave both a new chance and BAM! hooked and could not stop playing. my absolute two favorite games of 2019 and i have a hard time deciding my 2019 goty.
a few months passed and i gave both a new chance and BAM! hooked and could not stop playing. my absolute two favorite games of 2019 and i have a hard time deciding my 2019 goty.
I'm gonna go a little old-school here.
X-Com: UFO Defense AKA UFO: Enemy Unknown
I did not understand that game. It was entirely obtuse on how to even do basic things, and the aliens cheated and shot off-turn. It may not have helped that at the time I played it, my English skills were lacking and that the game is in British English added to that.
But then as the new games approached, I gave it a second chance and it just clicked. Posted an LP of it and everything at the old place. That was fun, and I get why the game is such a revered classic now. The new games do some things better, but I think the original still did the strategic parts between battles best.
X-Com: UFO Defense AKA UFO: Enemy Unknown
I did not understand that game. It was entirely obtuse on how to even do basic things, and the aliens cheated and shot off-turn. It may not have helped that at the time I played it, my English skills were lacking and that the game is in British English added to that.
But then as the new games approached, I gave it a second chance and it just clicked. Posted an LP of it and everything at the old place. That was fun, and I get why the game is such a revered classic now. The new games do some things better, but I think the original still did the strategic parts between battles best.
Shadow of Mordor. Played it once early in and thought it was average at best. Replayed it a year or so later and loved it. Still struggling to finish Shadow of War though. Mordor was a much better rounded game. War has so much to do it gives me choice anxiety. But I know that one day I'll get into it and 100% the game.
Dragon Quest as a series.
I played most of VII, some of VIII and the opening hour to XI, and hated it.
Fast forward almost 3 years. Being a massive Yakuza fan, I D1'd Like a Dragon, was enthralled by Ichiban and his enthusiasm (for Dragon Quest and more generally too).
I have since finished DQ I, II, III, XI S and I'm playing VIII on the 3DS.
I'm still not the biggest fan of the series (far from being my favourite JRPG) but I "get it" now. Its appeal, its charm.
I played most of VII, some of VIII and the opening hour to XI, and hated it.
Fast forward almost 3 years. Being a massive Yakuza fan, I D1'd Like a Dragon, was enthralled by Ichiban and his enthusiasm (for Dragon Quest and more generally too).
I have since finished DQ I, II, III, XI S and I'm playing VIII on the 3DS.
I'm still not the biggest fan of the series (far from being my favourite JRPG) but I "get it" now. Its appeal, its charm.