Titles you just can't get into
 

I'll start.

Valkyrie fucking Profile 1. The game has no direction once you beat the vampire and exit the cave. Giving weapons up to Lord Odin is basically pointless, because you can keep the majority of them and still have your evaluation level at a value which won't change the tides of war.

As you exit the cavern, Freya leaves and this fairy appears. After you exit, you're thrown into this world where you can visit any town and any dungeon you like, except you can only do it so many times before the world ends.

Like, what the fuck. I don't mind the time limit, although it's rather annoying. The fact is, the game has absolutely no direction. You visit a town, get to see a 15-20 minute drama between someone who's on the brink of death, watch as they join your party, and then you proceed to visit dungeons to collect treasures and kill monsters.

Of course none of this is explained in the actual game, I had to look it up. The first time I played it I ended up going back to Lenneth's mother's town, and nobody knew her. It just didn't make any sense. I've tried twice on PS1 to play through this game, once on PC (with an emulator) and managed to get to chapter 2, and once on PSP getting to the open world once again. But I just can't be bothered with it.

All in all I just couldn't get myself motivated to get through this game and for the most part, there's other RPGs which are much less confusing.

So, in this thread, we discuss games that we want to enjoy but just can't.

DDR was fun, but ultimately I don't play it too much anymore because I'm on the second floor with people beneath me, my coordination sucks and my cheap-ass pad has a left side that doesn't work all the time (and I'm not sure it's worth the expense of getting a new one). Most I could handle was up to Level 3 songs, though I still got killed by Smoke on the Water and was able to handle a couple of level 4's...Anything above that, forget it. I suck at DDR.

Most any 3D fighter, I just can't feel comfortable with. I like my jumping/air dashes/fireball motions from 2D fighters. Only one I still have is Soul Calibur 2 and that's because maybe one day, I'll "get" 3D fighters and get into it. Oh, and because it has almost zero trade value...

Xenosaga 2 and 3. XS2 just kinda threw me off, and I was turned away by too many bad things that outweighed the good stuff. XS3, however, just couldn't keep my attention once other games like Okami and Valkyrie Profile 2 were in my possession.

Wild Arms: Alter Code F and Wild Arms 4 is another duo. With WA: ACF, I was soo tired of playing a game that had so much text, and no voices. It's a petty reason, really, but something about it just....drove me up the wall. Plus, once I got near the endgame, it was becoming more and more reminiscent of the first Wild Arms--up until that point, the extra characters and modded storyline were enough of a deviation.

Wild Arms 4, on the other hand, isn't a bad game by any stretch. In fact, I enjoy it a lot. Unfortunately, I think I lost interest in it once I got my hands on Dirge of Cerberus or some other title.

I have trouble getting into the Onimusha series as well. Now, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams was a lot of fun, and I really liked it, but again it just couldn't keep my attention. After 12 hours or so, I was pretty bored. :/ The additional characters with unique abilities was a great bonus though.

The only game that I really wanted to play and couldn't get into would probably be Earthbound. I tried Super Mario RPG, and that bored me to tears as well, but I wasn't as interested in that. Earthbound would be great if it wasn't chock full of terribly boring battles.

I tried out Dawn of War, but I just couldn't get into it. I tried quite a few times to force myself to like it, but I just don't. I like RTS games too, so I don't understand why this one is one of the few that I don't like.

Galatic Civilizations II is another game that I just can't seem to get into. Played it a few times, but it just couldn't hold my interest long enough.

I've always wanted to enjoy Xenogears more than I do. It just never happens. Each time I get involved in the game, another tedious dungeon or overly melodramatic/convoluted plot element throws me off. Not to mention the poor load times and sloppy presentation. I find myself thinking that maybe it could actually be one of the best RPGs ever made if Square would redo the game proper. As it is however, it's flawed and one of the most overrated RPGs ever made thanks to the numerous zealots who worship the game. So many things need to be touched up.

I also feel similarly about FFIX. I'd like to enjoy it more for the obvious fairy tale quality of the game, but there are too many shortcomings all over the place, from the sluggish combat system to the filler-plagued soundtrack.

Finally, I've never been a big Suikoden person. Beyond the 108 character gimmick and the soundtrack of the first game, they're some of the most generic and uninspired RPGs out there. More involved and progressive gameplay as well as better art direction might make them worthy of the praise they get.

Oh, I almost forgot. I also find many of Treasure's games to be a tad overrated. Namely Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy. Their games tend to focus on a central gimmick as well as constant boss fights. I prefer more deliberate and polished games. Games that feel complete and more deeply satisfying like DKC2 and SMB3. When I see Sega fans talking about how DKC is overrated because it borrows from Mario, I definitely feel that they're missing the point. I like for stages to be more than just intervals between boss fights. I like to be able to truly immerse myself in a game world. And at that, Treasure tends to be subpar. Give me Contra III or Metal Slug 2 over Gunstar Heroes any day.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night is another. I actually did get into it, and I even think that it's a good game, but by the end I took note of quite a few problems, from the artificial extension of gametime that is the inverted/rehash castle to the lack of practical applications for Alucard's various transformations. Not forgetting the shallow RPG elements and lack of traditional Castlevania platforming. SOTN is a jack of all trades and master of none. When it comes to Castlevania done right, Dracula's Curse is the better choice. And when it comes to Metroid done right, Super Metroid is clearly superior. Point is, SOTN is far from being "the best 2D sidecroller ever made".

For me, it would be MGS3: Subsistence. First, you watch this epic movie that is supposed to get you into the action, but when it's over you wait for the credits to roll and then go, "Oh, I'm playing a game, that's right." Then, you're running through this jungle that all looks the same and not really doing much of anything, and you can't figure out where to go. You have this radio doo-hicky but I can never remember how to even access it without RTFM'n. I found a radio station by accident, guess I'll sit in the forest and jam to tunes.

= formula for me to lose interest...

What? Dynamite Headdy is AWESOME!

Right now, I'm having trouble getting into FFXII. I played it for 2 hours, and then started playing Okami again, and I haven't picked up FFXII since. What should I do?

Fire Emblem. I loved Advance Wars, but the whole olden-days era just didn't click with me, perhaps I'm getting too old. The battles had good strategy, but again just didn't have that draw. Plus the fight scenes aren't as nice looking as AW by far. I'm talking about the first GBA one btw. And I felt this way in the period earlier this year when there was a serious drought of games. I thought hitting the books was actually more fun!

But I will finish it... eventually! I think I got up to chapter 12, so I'm probably missing out on the good stuff. I'm more of an action-gamer nowadays, maybe this is why it's just so hard for me to get into these slow-paced SRPGs these days.

PS. I'm getting Okami and FF12 next week. I'm compelled to finish one before I start another biggie and was planning to do FF12 after such the long wait. Bearing in mind your comment, I'll probably be thinking of playing Okami while grinding through the new-style battles!

valkrie profile 1,for the same reasons as the ones by elixir and metal gear solid because the only thing good about metal gear is the history

I haven't really gotten into the Suikoden series properly. I played the first 2 minutes or so of IV, and thought to myself that it was just average. The concept of 108 or so characters is really cool and should logically be something I like, but the presentation didn't catch my eye.

I also can't really get into Halo or anything FPS related since I just don't enjoy the genre, if that counts. Playing the same map with the tower thing in the middle whenever my friends want to play it doesn't help either.

Just as an aside...PLEASE don't let Suikoden IV affect your judgment of the series (especially the first couple of hours, which are torturous). That game was so poorly designed, it never should have happened. I didn't even bother finishing it or seeing how it tied in with the rest of the games.

That would be like me judging Street Fighter based on Street Fighter: The Movie (the game).

Well, it's not like the first game is all that thrilling either.

I merely waded through it in order to get to 2, which actually was great (despite the story turning into a huge letdown towards the end). Luckily the first game relatively fast to complete, making it a short but sweetish RPG, instead of "clumsy and dull with some great unfinished ideas" that it almost was.

But then that's another Street Fighter similarity, with the very first game not being very good at all.
Only difference is Suikoden IV is a part of the series canon, while SF: The Movie is obviously not part of the main series.

Gotcha. A couple other factors also made me stay away from it such as S1's cover art being terribly ugly, S2's Luca Blight fanboyism and the whole concept of tactical battles. One day, I'll give it a go, but right now it's just something I don't have the time or the will to get into.

I liked the original because it basically set a lot of things into motion for the series, which IV just seemed to turn a blind eye to (most notably, the 6-man parties and the close relationship your character builds with the people around him). I think it managed to cram plenty of twists and stuff into the short 20 hour playtime and I jumped at the chance to pick up Suikoden 2 later on because of it.

If someone played Suikoden 1 and didn't like it, I would say don't bother too much with the rest of the series, because it's basically the same style of story and gameplay, only far more developed. Suikoden IV is not an accurate representation of the other games around it at all and isn't even a good RPG on its' own to boot. Maybe Pocket Fighter-to-Street Fighter would be a better analogy.

Edit: Tactical battles are mostly to advance the storyline, as are the one-on-one duels. Most battles are normal, turn-based.

And heh...At least Luca earns his fanboyism and it still isn't anything compared to Sephiroth's following. ~_^

I can't get into the Ace Combat series... I borrowed the first one from my cousin and it's either: I don't get it, I don't get what to do, OR i'm too dizzy from all the damn barrel rolls.

It's a nice game, but I just can't see what's so amazing about it.

I'm sorry everyone, but I'll have to put down Vagrant Story. Now all the RPG fans will kill me. It's hard, complicated, and leaves me going WTF most of the time. I also find that this is probably one of the most dark, both emotional and physically speaking, games from Square that I've played.

I'm also not a fan of how you have to be absolute PRO at basically your timing skills with the combos. You've basically got to get your timing of the hits down to a science, or an art, to yield maximum damage before. I feel like I'm so underpowered, and that same boss is still wasting me like holy shit.

Another thing is the whole RISK factor, which I can understand, but I can't seem to master this. I do tend to button mash, which is probably why the risk keeps increasing, causing my damage to the enemies to decrease, while exposing myself for a counterattack.

I'm sure Vagrant Story is a great game. Hell, very few Square titles have disappointed me, and VS doesn't disappoint - it's just ... something I can't get into, and it's not newb friendly.

I bought Virtual On: MARZ for PS2 a while ago and its just terrible. I can't even play it. I don't know if it's so much I can't get into it than it's a terrible game. I loved Oratorio Tangram and I still play it sometimes. MARZ just doesn't do it for me.

Ironically, the Konami members responsible for Contra III are Treasure, for the most part. But I will agree that Treasure's output is wildly uneven.

No argument here. When I first bought VS, I was terrible at it but still worked through it out of sheer stubbornness and the burn of having wasted the $50. I beat it, deleted the save file and didn't touch it again for 3 years.
After a lack of other things to play, I was determined to do it the 'right way'. I studied FAQs, kept notes, restarted once or twice, and then finally got the hang of it, beating the last boss in all of 5 minutes. This is not to say I enjoyed myself. Matsuno games seem to preoccupy themselves with dedicated micromanagement, and severe penalties for not embracing it. He may oversee some of the most nuanced VG storytelling out there, but actually getting to those finely crafted nuggets of narrative usually turns out to be an attritive chore.

The big one would be...

Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter: I liked the Breath of Fire games, and so did my family - I-IV make up both my parents' favorite RPG series (besides these my mom also enjoys the Lufias and Earthbound while my dad is more about Wild Arms and Zelda...in case anyone was wondering). Then came along this one that pretty much wrecked the series for all of us. The press embraced it for all its new ideas without warning that none of the new ideas (forced restarting by design, proximity strategy in battles, coins needed to save) were any kind of fun at all. We played it for about 8 hours total and then shelved it forever.

Silent Hill and Resident Evil deserve mention for making "horror" as dull as dishwater. Also I've restarted Suikoden 1, Panzer Saga, and SaGa Frontier each three times over, convinced that getting hooked is just a matter of perseverence. As it turns out, not hardly.

I'd have to go with GTA. Never actually found the interest in stealing cars. Or escaping police. Or just running down innocent people.

And I almost couldn't quite get into Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The First one was kick ass, but there was definitely something lacking in the GBA port, whether it's the more childlike look of the characters, childlike behaviors of the main characters, I dunno, but more than likely, it's the fact that no matter where I hit, the maximum hit percentage is 75%. Compared to the original where stuff was all mathematical.

Most sports games fall under this category, by the way. Stuff like FIFA and Madden, regardless of whatever iteration they're on, I can't stand to play but occasionally.

Finally, most fighting games I just can't get into. I'm talking about the normal fighting game like the iterations of Street Fighter, Soul Caliber, Dead or Alive, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, etc. Stuff like Marvel vs. Capcom and Smash Bros series, I can deal with and I Love, but the other stuff, No, I can't get into that.

It's not you, it's the game. I tried this game when I was in a shop in Ginza, Tokyo, and at that time I was like, what the hell is this game? Why isn't this fast pace and fresh as the original 2 character fighter? The controls were sluggish, the mechs slow, and it was like you're fighting in a giant jar of molasses.

So yeah, I don't blame you if you can't get into that piece of crap game.

Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy VIII.

Vagrant Story's battle system didn't do it for me, the beginning dungeon-thing was boring, and I just got tired of the game.

Final Fantasy VIII left me not caring about the game after leaving the school to go to Ifrit's cave. I mean, I did end up playing more of it, but unlike Final Fantasy VII (where I've beaten it multiple times, gotten Omnislash on the first disc, and beaten it in 16 hours) or Final Fantasy IX (where I got to disk 3 in a weekend), I just can't sit down and play the game and care enough to beat it.

Pikmin 2: I want to like the game, I really do, but I just can't seem to stick with the game for long before switching to other games.

Timesplitters 2: This one I think is because I'm too used to keyboard/mouse combo for FPS. Aside from Halo, I don't think I really enjoyed many other console FPS titles.

Need for Speed:Most wanted

I really loved the first 2 underground games, but I couldnt get into the cop chase scenarios in Most Wanted. I played it for a few hours trying to get into the gameplay, but It got old too quick.