What games were you surprisingly pleased with when you finally got and played them?

[Aegius_NaTL]

Not sure if this thread has been done before, but I thought it may be interesting to have something a bit opposite of the "games that disappointed you" thread.

To start:

Way of the Samurai 4. It's hilarious, the combat is pretty satisfying, and it has insane replayability and MANY character/skill builds. I didn't expect much from it - I had  barely remembered playing the first or maybe second one on PS.. 2? 1? can't remember, and I saw it on the Steam store. Was very happy with my purchase. Put about 35 hours on it and there is definitely more content I didn't get to. Would recommend if you're into the samurai thing.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Aegius_NaTL

[DragonFlames]

Rune Factory 4 Special has been really, really fun for me, though I wasn't exactly surprised that I would enjoy it, I just didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I have so far. It's a farming simulator with JRPG aspects, such as combat, skill ranks, and stuff like that. You can also craft your own items, which I like.

Fate/Extra is a game that really surprised me with how enjoyable it actually is. When I first heard about the combat being basically rock-paper-scissors, and one command hard-countering the other and you never being able to see all of your enemies selected commands, I was iffy on it at first, but when I played it for myself, I quickly realized that it is fun to memorize enemy patterns and very satisfying when you counter their every move. It also gets made a little easier once your Servant learns skills to use, since these take priority over the standard actions. Knowing when to use what is the key to success in this game, and I really like it for that.

Another entry in the Fate franchise is Fate Extella: The Umbral Star. It's a musou with Fate characters. I like Warriors games, but Extella was supposedly really mediocre. And while its sequel, Fate Extella Link, is leaps and bounds better in terms of gameplay (also a pleasant surprise), I found myself enjoying Extella: The Umbral Star quite a bit.

[Lightcosmo]

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. 

I remember thinking that the card system is going to be stupid! Turns out, it was pretty fun!

[Benice]

Berwick saga-I had incredibly low expectations, as I thought it would be a weird ripoff FE. I would be surprised if I even finished a full map.

And, one week later, and it's my second-favorite game of all time. It knocked my socks off in every possible way.

[Samz707]

Driv3r

Yeah one of the most infamously terrible games ever, it's not perfect but its' actually one of my more favourite Driver games, mainly since the first two games, while good, would constantly basically put your progress on halt with luck-based missions/missions with super strict timers, Dri3vr lacks these, now it still suffers from chases where if you crash once it's basically over but at least you can consistently beat the missions now.

I also found the combat actually enjoyable, the controls were a bit wonky (First person has faster camera movement than third person for some reason, which I actually found semi-useful, FPS for close range where I need to move the crosshairs faster over a dude but third person for further range shots but the game never tells you this.), the weapons were decently different to each other, granted and sometimes the level design actually had interesting gimmicks, it's not exactly..great shooting but essentially as a mini-game in a driving game it was good enough.

The game was a bit shorter to the older games (Even discounting trial and error) and there needed to be more actual police chases in the story but I still enjoyed my time with for the most part and still go back to it occasionally.

It's by no means great but I can actually play through it without having to put my playthrough essentially on hold due to getting stuck on a luck-based mission.

Also Blazing Blade 

I don't like Awakening, it was my first game and I only played Blazing Blade on a whim since well, I heard Awakening was actually not considered a great game on the series by everyone several years after the fact, so I tried it on a whim and well, I'm here now. (Also Echoes to an extent, since it's next to the other 3DS titles that I'm not a fan of and didn't even play for a few days after I got it since I was kinda anxious it'd turn out to be like Awakening and I'd hate it.)

Edited September 29, 2020 by Samz707

[DragonFlames]

Another game I really ended up liking was Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online.
I was told that it was a broken, buggy mess with meh gameplay, but none of that turned out to be true for me. I had the game crash maybe once, and that's it.
That said, I do consider myself lucky it only happened once, but still, I can't exactly trash the game when my experience with it was nothing but pleasant. I had fun with the Warriors-esque combat, the writing and character interactions are very well done in my opinion, the humor is as zany as it's always been in the Neptunia series (perhaps even moreso in this one), and every character played differently to one another, so switching out the party leader was a thing I did rather frequently.

Also, despite having "Online" in the title, it is really a parody of MMOs and the Isekai genre of anime. There is an online component, but it is not needed to actually beat the game or get 100% completion on it.

[null]

Probably (as another user mentioned) Rune Factory 4. I've never been the biggest Harvest Moon fan (farming alone doesn't appeal to me enough to keep playing), but Rune Factory had a great mix of farming, ARPG combat, and meaningful story and character interactions that it hooked me. I actually came to love the game enough to buy the Special version for Switch when it released earlier this year. There's always something to do, fight, craft, a person to talk to, etc. It's just a really chill and fun experience that I always find myself coming back to at some point.

Edited September 29, 2020 by twilitfalchion

[Sooks]

The only thing I can think of is fe7. I had literally zero expectations, but I thought it would be a turn based jrpg for some unknown reason, the only one of which I’ve actually liked was Octopath Traveler. I was only playing on a whim because one day the thought just randomly occurred to me that I should check out a game from the franchise with all the smash characters, I had never even heard of an srpg. And I DIDN’T like it at first, for all of Lyn mode I was kinda wishing it would be like way more creative because the gameplay had potential in my eyes, and Lyn mode is... Lyn mode, but I stuck around til Eliwood mode and was hooked after.

[Yexin]

for games i knew nothing about but bought because of my friends' suggestions and positive reviews, i'd say NieR:Automata, which managed to become my favorite game ever

for games i knew i'd have liked regardless but didn't expect to like THAT much, it's Zero no Kiseki; i had REALLY high expectations for the Crossbell duology (which i played just before CS3), but i didn't expect them to greatly surpass my expectations, like they ended up doing

ps: i named Zero and not Ao simply because i got spoiled, so Ao's plot twist were a bit less impactful for me, but it's still an amazing JRPG nonrtheless

[Fabulously Olivier]

I literally bought Path of Radiance because of the box art. And well, here I am.

 

Also, this year, Lacrimosa of Dana. I did not expect to fall in love with it.

[Jotari]

I played Digimon Cyber Sleuth recently and found myself enjoying it far more than I expected. It has some serious issues with common enemies being way too weak, but the bosses are a great challenge (this does unfortunately lead to a curbstomp out of nowhere that can loose up to hours of progress if you haven't saved). It's also just really fun to have a catch em all pokemon style mechanic that I can actively work towards even when I'm not playing the game. The Digimon Farm turns the game into a sort of daily rewards style gacha thing only not evil.

I also picked up a double combo of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 a few years back. I had player neither of the first installments but they were on sale for two euro combined so why the hell not. Both of them I found to be excellent games with interest gameplay and engaging stories. I was surprised to see after finishing it that a lot of people seem to hare on Valkyrie Profile 2, which I can only imagine is due to unfair comparisons to its predecessor, because I honestly can't see anything not to like.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Jotari

[Integrity]

final fantasy fourteen

 

i played the alpha way back in the day, got invited to it near my birthday and was so psyched, and it fucking sucked ass. it was awful.

 

ignored the game until like two months ago and fired up the free trial cause my wife started playing and i was like well damn, this is actually fun and good

[Anathaco]

TMS: #FE Encore: I'm gonna be honest, buying this was mostly for the meme- sure I was curious about it, but I didn't think I'd end up enjoying it a whole ton. I was hooked the whole time- it was just so lighthearted, the characters were fun and entertaining, and the combat system is honestly one of my favourites I've ever played.

Paper Mario: Colour Splash: I'd heard mixed reviews on this one, and I'd actually never played a Paper Mario game before this one, but from what I'd seen of it, the writing and humour seemed like it was basically my brand, so I decided to give it a shot. Ended up really enjoying it- the gameplay was kind of a slog at times, but the writing and jokes more than made up for it.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: I actually was expecting to like this game, but I didn't realise just how much I would enjoy it. It took me a while to slog through the early game, but once I reached chapter 3, I kind of no-lifed the game until it was completed, and I'd still say its one of my favourite gaming experiences of all time. 

[null]

Ah, another one would be The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC. At the recommendation of a fellow SF user, I gave the Trails series a try (not knowing much about it) and absolutely came to love the world, story, cast of characters, music, etc. Everything about the game is just wonderful. From beginning to end, I loved my time with the game and am currently playing through the sequel, Trails in the Sky SC.

[Jotari]

21 minutes ago, Anathaco said:

TMS: #FE Encore: I'm gonna be honest, buying this was mostly for the meme- sure I was curious about it, but I didn't think I'd end up enjoying it a whole ton. I was hooked the whole time- it was just so lighthearted, the characters were fun and entertaining, and the combat system is honestly one of my favourites I've ever played.

Paper Mario: Colour Splash: I'd heard mixed reviews on this one, and I'd actually never played a Paper Mario game before this one, but from what I'd seen of it, the writing and humour seemed like it was basically my brand, so I decided to give it a shot. Ended up really enjoying it- the gameplay was kind of a slog at times, but the writing and jokes more than made up for it.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: I actually was expecting to like this game, but I didn't realise just how much I would enjoy it. It took me a while to slog through the early game, but once I reached chapter 3, I kind of no-lifed the game until it was completed, and I'd still say its one of my favourite gaming experiences of all time. 

Wow Xeoblade 2 was like the complete opposite for me. I had pretty high expectations for it that fell, well hopelessly mediorce. Though at least it wasn't bad. Now Xenoblade X, that's something I had high expectations for that turned out really bad for me.

[Interdimensional Observer]

19 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Wow Xeoblade 2 was like the complete opposite for me. I had pretty high expectations for it that fell, well hopelessly mediorce. Though at least it wasn't bad. Now Xenoblade X, that's something I had high expectations for that turned out really bad for me.

Sorry to hear that.🙁 At least they were pretty train wrecks?

 

1 hour ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

Also, this year, Lacrimosa of Dana. I did not expect to fall in love with it.

I wouldn't quite say I loved the entire package, but I would say the Dana portion of the story was surprisingly superb.

 

 

I was very unsure of Civilization VI when I first bought it last year, but now I'm addicted, and approaching total burnout with the game from playing it way too much (doesn't help the AI is too passive and the lategame is too boring, even if I don't play above Emperor and will restart like 25 times before finding a good start- why are all my Japan starts pockmarked with mountains ruining the potential of Meiji Restoration?). I'm open to trying other games in the 4X genre now.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Interdimensional Observer

[Slumber]

Until Dawn.

I had been growing to hate the Telltale/Quantic Dream-style of adventure games, and I also hated that Sony was pushing so hard for their exclusive games to be super cinematic.

But Until Dawn is just a fun, playable B-horror movie, and there is a surprising amount of variability in how the story plays out(Even if the climax always plays out the same aside from just who survives).

[vanguard333]

I buy games that interest me, and I play games that I buy, so I don't normally have very low expectations of a game. I enjoy games, and I'm surprised when they're even better than I was thinking they would be, but I wouldn't say I was surprisingly pleased with them as I expected to be pleased with them. 

There is one exception: Xenoblade Chronicles X. I had never played a Xenoblade game before, and while I thought the trailer for X was cool, I didn't really have any intention of getting it. My family got it for me as a gift because the guy at the EB Games recommended it over the game I was interested in getting (Hyrule Warriors), and honestly, that guy at the store knew what he was talking about. 

I absolutely loved Xenoblade X, mainly because of the exploration, but I also really liked the characters and I thought the story was alright. The combat was a cooldown-based system one might see in an MMO and I wasn't a fan of that, but I did like the customization and switching between a ranged weapon and a melee weapon. Piloting skells was also very fun if a bit awkward at first. 

 

2 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

Also, this year, Lacrimosa of Dana. I did not expect to fall in love with it.

That's good to hear; I've been meaning to get that game for over a year now as the trailers for it caught my eye (never played a Ys game before) but I've been busy with other games and not having much free time. 

Edited September 30, 2020 by vanguard333

[Ottservia]

Ghost of Tsushima is one I definitely loved this year. I’m personally not too big on western developed games because I’m a weeb and I just generally don’t like the obsession western triple A develpers have with realism and multiplayer shooters but this game oh boy. This game was basically the scratch for an itch I never knew I had. A sort of realistic samurai game in a historical fiction setting. I love just about everything about this game from the stealth, the combat, the story, everything just had my inner Japanese history nerd screaming with delight. 

[Aegius_NaTL]

8 minutes ago, Ottservia said:

Ghost of Tsushima is one I definitely loved this year. I’m personally not too big on western developed games because I’m a weeb and I just generally don’t like the obsession western triple A develpers have with realism and multiplayer shooters but this game oh boy. This game was basically the scratch for an itch I never knew I had. A sort of realistic samurai game in a historical fiction setting. I love just about everything about this game from the stealth, the combat, the story, everything just had my inner Japanese history nerd screaming with delight. 

This is the one PS exclusive I'm actually angry that I can't play. I'm considering buying a PS4 just to play GoT and then to sell it right after. Kind of hoping they upgrade it for PS5 and do a PC release along with it... but that's unlikely (well, the second part is unlikely).

The very fun, although quite dated, Way of the Samurai 4 is the closest I'm getting. 😕

[Integrity]

1 hour ago, Ottservia said:

and I just generally don’t like the obsession western triple A develpers have with realism and multiplayer shooters but

do you get your entire knowledge about 'western triple a developers' from angry weebs or what my dude lmao

EDIT: in case it isn't clear: this is because the thing you said is incredibly wrong

Edited September 30, 2020 by Integrity

[Ottservia]

4 minutes ago, Integrity said:

do you get your entire knowledge about 'western triple a developers' from angry weebs or what my dude lmao

I just don't pay much attention to the triple A gaming industry in the west. I'm not really much of a platformer guy either so it's that side of the gaming market just doesn't really have what I like. I'll play the odd rpg or open world game on occasion though. I just don't care for a lot of the popular titles that come out of western studios. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

The first Fire Emblem. I had no intention playing this particar Kaga game since I don't lean on emulation and Shadow Dragon was the game that almost made me quit this series. But the original is just so much...better. It's a marvel of the NES era with great sound and visuals. The goofy, sometimes reused portraits on characters are charming. The balancing makes way more sense in this version. Marth is an S tier unit for once in his pitiful career. Plus the game has zero kanji, making it very easy to read for somebody with very rustic japanese like myself. FE3 unfortunately is loaded with Kanji, because I guess Japanese children don't play Nintendo games. The scene where Marth saves Maria made me laugh out loud, it's so good. And the Engrish names for everything were consistently entertaining, like the Elephant Cannon, or Gato, the powerful sage. Did I mention the soundtrack?

[Armagon]

Paper Mario: The Origami King. There was so much negative press surrounding this game and the developer interviews didn't help. And at first, i wasn't too impressed by the game. But after i cleared the Red Streamer, the game consistently increased in quality. When there's multiple enemies, the battles are actually fun, bosses are creative (the Legion of Stationary had no right being so good), the OST is Godlike and Olivia is an incredibly charming addition to Nintendo's roster. Origami King was the first time in a long time where i was pleasantly surprised (since i usually tend to get games i know i would like).

[Michelaar]

For me, only one comes to mind: Nancy Drew, Secrets can Kill Remastered. It was my first Nancy Drew game and it was honestly a lot of fun! I do love mystery games but there are also lots of puzzles in this series so I was kind of concerned going into it, but I found them to be very fun and interesting, with great characters and great soundtracks.