When was a time that a game FAR surpassed your expectations?

[Silvergun-Blue]

Resident Evil 4 is probably the best example of this for me.

I'd never really gotten into the RE games, despite multiple attempts. My relationship with them was always one where I respected what they did and acknowledged why people liked them but they just didn't click for me overall.
I'd seen a preview video on Gamespot of RE4, the village section specifically and it was obvious they'd gone in a different direction with this one. I thought "cool" and then just kinda moved on without much thought.

Then a few weeks or even months down the line I happened to check what games released that day and RE4 was one of them. U was off work, I was bored and I hadn't bought a new game for a while so I just thought "fuck it" and headed out to pick it up.

To this day it's easily one of my top 5 games ever and I consider it a masterpiece.

 

[HorseFD]

Recently, it's gotta be The Outer Worlds. I picked it up half price recently and I'm loving it. Not expecting a Fallout style open world probably lead to a better experience.

A bit longer ago, it would have to be Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. That game is so much fun.

 

[Cascadero]

I completely agree with OP. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a huge surprise to me even if it is from Vanillaware. One of the best games this year. The story is completely engrossing and even the battles are fun.

 

[SofNascimento]

Recently, FTL

I went thinking it was a fun little game and ended up with one of the best sci-fi games ever crafted by human hands and an all time favorite for me.

 

[djinn]

Final Fantasy VII Remake is probably the biggest one. I could mention a lot of indie games but I'm terms of bigger titles, I don't really know what I was expecting with FFVIIR. I wanted it to be good, I hoped it would be and it turned out so much more than I could have ever dream of. The amount of love and attention to detail that went into it was something I didn't expect from SQENX.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Resident Evil 4... I was feeling franchise fatigue at the time, and I was also a teenager that was generally pretty adverse to changes in games, so my expectations were tempered. I ended up only buying it because my local GameStop still had a shiny new collectors edition of the game in stock after I finished a round of trade-ins, and I couldn't think of anything else I wanted.

I legit was gonna pass on RE4 and picked it up on a whim. I ended up beating it like 9 times and I absolutely loved it. I had no idea the changes to the formula would pay off that much for me.

To a lesser extent, I went into Breath of the Wild with no high expectations. I had kinda just tuned out all of the pre-release marketing and previews and gone into "I'll definitely buy it just because it's a Zelda game," and my expectations were rooted in existing design ideas from the series already. When I got my Switch at launch, Breath of the Wild was automatically my first purchase by proxy of me being a Zelda series fan. I ended up just getting my favorite game of all time, I had no idea how "open" it was going to be but it was evocative of the feelings and imagination I put into the first time I played A Link to the Past and just wandered the open world on my own whims. I felt very engaged by the fact that it gave me all the basic tools I needed right at the start, and I know it gets criticized often, but the degrading weapons actually kept me engaged because I loved planning my approach to combat throughout the whole game and getting creative instead of just the usual Zelda basic hack n slash approach — I felt like a well equipped and clever adventurer that was wandering the land and building up my strength toward the final goal based on my own whim and wit and it just worked amazingly well for me.

Doom 2016. Same reasons as everyone else — the previews and marketing didn't really convey the actual feeling of playing the game and it kind of gave the impression of being a mediocre middle-of-the-road shooter, and it's actually an insanely polished and fun game and legit one of my favorite shooters ever made. For the record, I think Doom Eternal is even better which is feeling like a pretty rare takeaway with that game, but this isn't really the thread for that discussion. Current Doom is very, very, very good.

And most recently, Streets of Rage 4. I liked the way it looked from the very reveal, but I just worried it was going to end up feeling like a lackluster retro-revival game... It's still riding as one of my games of the year this year, and that's not to say that I feel like I haven't had anything better to play this year (because that's not true), it's just that good to me. It's a fantastic looking and fantastic-playing beat em up.

 

[Sirank]

Dishonored was the last one that really blew me away out of nowhere I think. Hadn't followed it at all but picked it up on black Friday and it bacame one of my favorites.

FF7 remake more recently. Never played the original and 14 realm reborn and 15 were kinda bad for me. But bought it on a whim when I saw it at the store and was looking for something to do during the pandemic. Ended up really getting into it even went through a second time on hard mode.

 

[Deleted member 54674]

Low G Man, going in blind(as that was mostly the standard at that time), first level was okayish , but as you get further and get a handle of the controls the game really starts to click, on top of replayability after finishing a first run.

Castlevania: SOTN, my first castlevania game, transformation of the castle and the new content that came afterwards was really amazing. If it ended halfway I would have been satisfied already with it being a good slightly short game. But with it, it stands in my top 10 best games of all time.

More recently:
Dragon Fin Soup: I did not expect to like this kind of game, not amazing or anything, but the game has more content and more depth then initially expected, and story objectives where nice enough to keep going.

 

[skeezx]

i scrolled past the thread title like 10 times and came up with nothing

but now it's coming to me.... Terminator Resistance. admittedly a poor man's far cry/fallout 3&4 with a bunch of terminator fanboy 'lore' slopped on top but hell i'll take it

 

[RF Switch]

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

 

[HiLife]

Persona 5 R. I went in expecting JRPGs aren't for me, and that I probably wasted 60. A few hours later I knew the game had me by the balls. Couldn't stop playing for weeks straight.

 

[rude]

TLOU2

how naughty dog went from making braindead action movies with terrible gunplay tacked on to this is still crazy to me almost 4 months later.

 

[Thisisme]

My most recent was the Outer Wilds. Thought it would be a unique indie game. Not anything goty caliber.

 

[naff]

Warhawk: I had no idea what to expect and it became my favourite multiplayer game of the gen and i still yearn for a new large scale arena tps like this to play (no battlefront doesn't do it for me).

 

[ResetEraVetVIP]

TLOU II Best game ever made imo....

 

[Rosa Lilium]

Freedom Planet - Considering I don't like Sonic games, I was surprised how a few simple game mechanic changes and a more likable protagonist made a very enjoyable game for me.
Life is Strange - I expected a moderately well written Slice-of-Life/Supernatural Adventure game. I never expected to be so emotionally invested in the story.
Life is Stange: Before the Storm - I didn't expect this game to reach the same highs as it's previous one, and it didn't. However, the fact that even got moderately close surprised me.
Mass Effect 2 - Compared to the first Mass Effect, It took such a significant step back in terms of RPG mechanics that I don't even consider it an RPG. However, it was way better in terms of action and more importantly story/characters.

 

[SpicySpiritGun]

I was not expecting FF7R to be as good as it was. My expectations were low. Probably my GOTY still

 

[purseowner]

I thought Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception would be a solid visual novel with a great artstyle. Wasn't entirely convinced about the animal ears and tails though.

Now it's my favourite game of all time.

 

[Deleted member 5359]

CoD: Modern Warfare. Never expected the multiplayer to redefine the genre.

 

[Kyra]

Hollow Knight. Didn't like the art. Now I love it to bits. And the game is masterpiece. I was not ready for it.

 

[JustinH]

I have a hard time thinking of these, although I know there are more in my brain.

The one that pops up though, is Shadowrun Returns. I bought this on a whim back when it came out and loved it. I had no experience with the franchise before, and honestly didn't have much experience with isometric CRPG either.

I never did get around to playing any of the expansions though, although I hear they are pretty damn good.

 

[Sande]

Horizon Zero Dawn. I borrowed it from a friend months down the line since I had no faith in Guerrilla. Ended up being one of the highlights of the gen.

 

[mcruz79]

I think RDR2 for me is a good exemple!!
I was expecting to be a impressive game, but the storytelling and specially the way NPCs and mainly fauna acted in this game really really surprised.
Its so alive, well animated and immersive.
I got really surprised at how we'll realized this world is...
Theres nothing even close to that and maybe it will take a long time till we saw something that impressive for me.

 

[Jaymageck]

999.

I got it as a gift and expected it to be good. But what I got was one of the smartest games I'd ever played, an unforgettable experience.

 

[ShiftyHermit]

The first game to ever surpass the expectation of being good was Mario 64, then followed right by Ocarina of Time. The 3D aspect of gaming really made everything seem so cool and added so much more to the gameplay.

Graphics have steadily become better in each generation so nothing has really changed for me until The Last of Us. This is where I realized that games can be a platform for amazing storytelling not unlike a movie. It was the first time a game made me feel raw emotion other than happiness/gratification. After The Last of Us 2, I was so mentally drained that I felt it physically; I had to turn off the TV and go out for dinner. No game has ever given me that type of reaction and I wasn't prepared for that drain even though I knew the world/setting.

I haven't ever tried VR so that will probably be the very next thing that surpasses any expectations of what it should be like. Hoping to pick up a PSVR 2 if it seems to be well received.

 

[Eeyore]

Hades because I had none.

It has stellar gameplay with different types of weapons that have different perks.
Amazing replayability because each run is different.
A wonderful voicecast that has an incredible amount of voice lines. The VA is so aware of what choices you make and what you do as a character that it's astounding.
A simple story that involves not taking everything at false value and not believing everything you think you know about myths.
Banging music. Seriously, the boss music just hits hard.

Also it has Cerberus, a wonderful pup that you can pet.

 

[Dezzy]

Mario + Rabbids

I went from "what is this shit" to "give me more!!!"

Click to shrink...

Now this is a good one right here. My first reaction to this game was WTF? I went for it anyway and I just loved it. This game was just tons of fun. I'd die for a sequel.

 

[Fjordson]

Sleeping Dogs. I initially dismissed it as a GTA clone and it hovered around the high 70's on Metacritic at launch (I paid more attention to MC back then) but I was so, so wrong.

Another would be Assassin's Creed Origins.

I had given up on Assassin's Creed years earlier, with every game after Black Flag being awful, but Origins completely revitalized the series for me in a way I never saw coming.

 

[LegalEagleMike]

Castlevania Lords of Shadow. I figured it was going to be a massive let down but I had to give it a try because its castlevania. It ended up actually being a really fun and epic adventure to play through...the let down came with the follow ups tho.

 

[Murder She Wrote]

Hades, it's such a good game and for only $25? Fuck this might be my runner up goty

 

[Masterz1337]

Halo 4, Gears 3, Gears 4, Tomb Raider 2013 or me. Apex Legends too I guess.

 

[DarkLegion]

Persona 3 Portable. I didn't know what I was going into but I couldn't put that game down at all. PSP was plugged into the wall for days.

Same happened with Danganronpa

 

[KeRaSh]

Hollow Knight was one for me. I went from thinking: "Aw cute, a fun little Metroidvania riff" to: "this is one of my favorite games ever" in the span of a few hours.

Click to shrink...

Came to say this.

 

[Deleted member 56752]

Yakuza 0. Even after starting it up and playing for several hours..just didn't click. and then i played it again and OMG man. That game is OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD

 

[luffie]

XCOM2: WAR OF THE CHOSEN.

1st time playing xcom, was bored with all the open world rpg and all. I just expect it to be some squad simulator battling aliens. Turns out the whole game was pretty intense and exciting and makes me finally understand Firaxis' "just one more turn!"

 

[NavyPharaoh]

Portal, who could've predicted this puzzler would turn out to be something more.

Astrobot- I heard it was VR's killer app. I don't like platformers so I wasn't expecting much. Now it's one of my favorite games ever.

im a vanillaware fan but I was turned off to 13 Sentinels almost immediately. I'll check it out now.

 

[Revali]

Fire Emblem: Three Houses, my first FE game. While I wouldn't say it gripped me quite to the same extent Persona 4 and 5 did, its gameplay loop had me addicted in a way no other game ever has.

 

[Vintage]

Prey (2017)

From initial trailers I expected it to be some generic space shooty with superpowers, didn't expect at all that it's an immersive sim.

 

[Mahonay]

RDR2. Did not expect an actual masterpiece.

 

[matrix-cat]

Devil May Cry 5 and The Last of Us 2. I had high expectations for both and they still absolutely floored me. Two of my favourite games of all time in two consecutive years.

 

[pbayne]

13 sentenials is so good

Hollow kinght would be the main one for me though. Just in terms of how staggering the amount of content it had and how consistently good it was too.

 

[Mistermetz]

Zelda BOTW , I've been absent from videogames for years before it's release and everytime I tried to play a game I quickly got bored after an hour or so. But with Zelda BOTW I did not expect that it will suck me in for 60 hours straight and bring back my interest for video games. It felt just magical and wasn't overloaded with clunky menus like in many other games these days.

 

[Sanctuary]

Hollow Knight was one for me. I went from thinking: "Aw cute, a fun little Metroidvania riff" to: "this is one of my favorite games ever" in the span of a few hours.

Click to shrink...

This. It somehow flew under my radar for the first few weeks after release, and then I read about the bug aesthetic, which I thought would be a complete turn-off, but it ended up being tied for my game of 2017, and is easily in my top ten, if not top five of this gen. Hasn't really been anything since that made me think "Wow, this is really amazing", and most everything else has either been as expected, or a disappointment for the most part.

If this even counts, Dragon's Dogma would have been the game to blow past my expectations last gen. I was supremely hyped for it prior to the demo, but then when I actually played the demo, it was so off-putting that I wrote the game off entirely for four months until seeing a bunch of awesome gifs that displayed things nowhere to be seen in the demo. So I gave it a second look, and it became one of my top fives of last gen.

 

[Timppis]

Most recent ones would have to be in chronological order.

1. Hades - First time ever that I've felt the need to continue pushing through roguelike. I am actually happy when I die too so I can find out new info and bits and pieces of the world building around me. Even fishing as completely glued on activity is somehow fitting for the game.

2. Hollow Knight - Ok ok, everyone and their mother have been praising this and won't shut up. I'll try it, it'll probably be good en... WOW WHAT THE HELL THIS IS MIND STAGGERINLY GOOD HOW THE HELL DID SUCH A SMALL TEAM BUILD THIS KIND OF A MASTERPIECE?!

3. Breath of the Wild - Let's see if this is worth all the 10's... *50+ hours later* Holy shit. Like Holy Shit this is good... HEY A MOUNTAIN! GOTTA GO THERE!

 

[Katarn343]

• Skyrim: Bought it when I was a high school freshman because I wanted something to play through summer vacation. Seven years later, I still play it. I don't think I've gone a single month in my entire life since without at least playing it once.
• Prey (2017): Played the demo and liked the plot twist, but didn't think much else. Bought it Black Friday 2017 for $20 and loved it. If there is ever a sequel, it's a guaranteed day-one for me.
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey: I have never played any AC game, don't really care for them. Bought Odyssey for like $15 last spring. 200 hours later I still love it. Love Kassandra so much.

 

[Automagical]

So i'm keen try this out since the game play appeals to me. But before i do can some one that has play deep into the game tell me if im going to encounter any dragon loli, or weird sexualized young teens/kids that just tend to pop on the regular from japanese devs?

 

[Deleted member 23046]

The way how the game hides almost all choices offered to the player is really great.
This plus the persistency of your first run make it goes really deep.

 

[Rhaknar]

Paper Mario and the Origami King recently, I am absolutely loving the game and I had ZERO expectations going in.

 

[theDidact]

Titanfall. The beta on PC had me absolutely hooked.

 

[ArchAngel]

Breath of the Wild
There couldn't have been less expectations after Skyward Sword and BotW of my Goat!