God I love writing for the Dojo. "Phew! This game isn't good. I was getting worried for a moment!"

Super-agree.

Also, Final Fantasy VI. This isn't to say that it's a bad game, because it is, in fact, one of my all-time favorites. However, there are just so many pieces of the storyline to which you get a mere taste. If I had written the game, it would probably be three times longer. And, if no one else, I would like it better that way. :D

Final Fantasy VIII is another one which comes to mind, mostly because the only parts of the game I liked were Laguna's. His adventures were far more compelling, and the characters in his timeline had more personality. His romances were vastly more convincing than Sullen McPouty and his spoiled brat girlfriend. I think the Laguna 'flashbacks' could have made a fantastic game all by itself, and I would have liked the game better if it had been that way.

You're gonna have a good time. It's actually getting a lot better now that I'm out of the 3 hour tutorial.

Well, the storytelling is still jRPG. But the gameplay is bit better now.

NonCon being disappointed is always a plus in my book. Hopefully, it'll eventually teach him to stop deciding his opinion before he gets the game. :p


Because you have to admit, Nonsie, you do let your biases get in the way on occasion. ;)

Knights of the Old Republic 2. The parts that were finished were so much better than the first game, but there was just so much cut out of it, including the ending. I played through the game 5 times trying to find out what I missed, never using a guide for any of it, only to later find a guide after I was frustrated and found out that no, I didn't miss anything, it just wasn't there. So much wasted potential.

I'm probably alone with this, but I also feel that Dragon Age had a ton of wasted potential. It was a decent enough game, but towards the end it just got too repetitive. No real strategy needed beyond the one you make and use for every single fight ever, with slight adaptations that work on every single boss. Yet another 'spiritual successor' that failed to live up to the game that it was supposed to emulate.

What are you talking about? The game ends around the point where Ramsus makes Fei and Elly crash.

I have to second the comments on Saga Frontier. From what I've heard Lute's story was basicly supposed to be the 'all the main characters come together to beat the crap out of someone' storyline. What ended up happening was a story with only a miniscule amount more plot than Blue'sMister 'you can't come home until you go get the higher levels of magic and kill your brother. We'll pretend that was a plot.
I have plenty of other minor problems with Saga, like how you essentially need a guide to get a decent monster character. Still, I've always had a soft spot for the game.

I suck at similes.
 

Yeah, because everyone has biases, and pretending you don't is pretending like you don't have a ribcage. Yeah, you can say it, but no matter how much you do it proves fairly ineffectual when I break your ribs... or something...

Besides, games have a fairly easy time changing my opinion, it's just people who suck at it. I've been disappointed in games I was looking forward to, and have been very impressed with games I assumed would suck. Someone trying to convince me that a game I liked wasn't as good as I thought, or a game I didn't like was better than I thought, is going to have a hell of a time though, and I'm okay with that.

I remember previews of FF4DS claiming that they restored a large chunk of the game's plot (25%, I think), but by the time I finished the game the only extra content was being able to hear the characters' thoughts and a flashback to when Golbez was a kid.

Also, I don't think the Fable series has been mentioned yet, but I'm guessing everyone probably thought "Nah, too obvious". Not even the dog turned out to be half of what PM sold it as.

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis.

An ARPG in which you can turn into a dragon. Sounds neat, right, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately the flight combat and physics, and especially transitioning between human and dragon form, were half-assed and horrible. Combat also was generally annoying because all ranged attacks had a limited "seek" feature, meaning if you went up against more than a couple archers at a time they'd turn you into a pin cushion in short order. Pretty unbalanced.

Sacred 2.

Think Diablo with a much, much more open world. Cities are actually cities - dozens, hundred of NPCs and houses - and not a couple of huts abstracted for brevity. I wish they had spent time adding a lot more secondary quests with an overarching plot, in addition to the main plot. There are tons of side quests, to be sure, but they're all simple and there is little interconnectivity - no life to the world.

And unfortunately the open world is about its only redeeming feature. As an ARPG it's passably good (better than some I've played) but combat was generally annoying because all your trained abilities have cooldowns. This is very annoying because generally you're having to kite enemies into packs to kill them while waiting for your abilities to refresh (and when you first train them, abilities have an absurdly long refresh time). Too much of the game seems designed to inconvenience the player just to make it take longer.

I actually have the original, and for a Diablo II rip-off, it wasn't all that bad once you got going. Granted, GETTING going in many cases was like pulling teeth. The Vampiress was particularly egregious in that you're holed up in a house getting attacked by a giant mob. If it weren't for the saving grace that you respawn at your starting location at no penalty, it would literally have been impossible. On the other hand, the Battle-Mage has a good start, looks awesome, and plays well, so I stuck with him. The horse combat was handled pretty well, too, being the first to try it.

The major issue with that game is that there's not a whole lot to do starting out. It's very pretty, and mostly functional, but the beginning area, despite having pretty large settlements, comes off as very empty due to just how BIG it is. You'll find quests peppered throughout it, but they all involve killing one monster or another and coming back for a reward, and so much of it is empty space + a couple packs of enemies.

I WILL say that it does do one thing well, and that's make it feel like a consistent world. Unlike Diablo I and II, Sacred has a set map (I think), and you'll find all the other starting locations if you explore enough.