I see reviews like that a lot and I always want to peek inside their heads because the truth behind them might be really useful to deciding to buy or not.
Like, was it a great game for 199 hours and then suddenly went all "Jews control the world and are basically responsible for all wars"? Was it a bad game for 199 hours but a little man kept coming out of the computer every 90 minutes and giving you candy and now the little man is dead so there's no candy? Is it Baby's First Action Game with a final boss out of an early 90's arcade brawler?
There's a reason they played for 199 hours and a reason they hated it at the end, and if they were fully honest about both that would be the most useful review ever written.
My most played game, ARK: Survival Evolved, I cannot recommend.
In fact I actively recommend against it.
Unless the game has evolved greatly since I played, the main draw being taming dinosaurs, is an effort of pain and wasted time. The rest of the game is pain and wasted time. The things I liked about the game are long dead in favor of pain and wasted time.
So while I loved, and gifted, this game many times I definitely recommend against it. There are many better games though so far they've lacked dinosaurs.
My most played game, ARK: Survival Evolved, I cannot recommend.
In fact I actively recommend against it.
Unless the game has evolved greatly since I played, the main draw being taming dinosaurs, is an effort of pain and wasted time. The rest of the game is pain and wasted time. The things I liked about the game are long dead in favor of pain and wasted time.
So while I loved, and gifted, this game many times I definitely recommend against it. There are many better games though so far they've lacked dinosaurs.
I think Ark displays as my highest (because Skyrim, Kerbal Space Program, and Star Trek Online I don't launch through steam which doesn't seem to count) and I definitely agree. "But you can change all the sliders and make it as easy as you want," you say? Well if I'm going to be doing the full balance pass on your game I at least want my name in the damn credits.
There's lots of games I put many hours in that I eventually felt were wasted, or games where I uninstalled/tossed discs because I decided it wasn't worth it. Games that rely on exploiting addictive behaviors (of which mobile/mtx-heavy games are just one example) are games you can easily regret spending time and/or money on.
127 hours in AC Valhalla and I would absolutely not recommend it because the last couple hours were a giant middle finger to me and the story. Fuck that game's ending. It absolutely did ruin the previous hundred+ hours I spent.
There are a number of games I've put crazy amounts of hours into but either haven't aged well (e.g. a number of MMOs) or just happen to tickle an itch of mine but have too many gameplay mechanics or other things that I know would frustrate some people.
An example of the latter would be Spiderweb Software's games. They are mechanically obtuse but without the same level of depth that might entail in other games and look like ass even if you're into retro 2d graphics. But Exile 1 was one of the first PC games I ever owned and I had a fan page for the third game in the series so the dev's games hold a special place in my heart.
Third ARK as a "Played for many hours, yet can't recommend" game.
It's mainly an issue of too much effort for the payoff, and adjusting all the many modifiers to difficulty to get that sweet spot of enough challenge to make your tames and base building feel worthwhile without it being a chore is, as Hevach says, something I should get a line in the credits for how much of an overhaul it takes.
If the devs took the game in a direction that was really bad for the health of the game it would not surprise me if players who previously loved it now hated it. One infamous example being the rise and fall of The Culling.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
+1
Options
QuestorPAX Aus Tabletop [E]Melbourne, AustraliaRegistered Userregular
Jeez I go away for a weekend and you guys go mad! I mean I should have expected it, but still....!
+7
Options
KoopahTroopahThe koopas, the troopas.Philadelphia, PARegistered Userregular
Third ARK as a "Played for many hours, yet can't recommend" game.
It's mainly an issue of too much effort for the payoff, and adjusting all the many modifiers to difficulty to get that sweet spot of enough challenge to make your tames and base building feel worthwhile without it being a chore is, as Hevach says, something I should get a line in the credits for how much of an overhaul it takes.
Ooof, yes. It's bizarre climb out of the cool low tech into crazy high tech also didn't help.
And some of it's later systems were just... You want to raise this creature for max stats? Better log in ever four hours.
Ps this will take at least a day.
Healthy gameplay!
(That and the fact tame dinosaurs acted more like cars or motorcycles than living breathing creatures)
If the devs took the game in a direction that was really bad for the health of the game it would not surprise me if players who previously loved it now hated it. One infamous example being the rise and fall of The Culling.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
I'll be the first to admit I read that game title as "The Curling" and had to do a double take.
If the devs took the game in a direction that was really bad for the health of the game it would not surprise me if players who previously loved it now hated it. One infamous example being the rise and fall of The Culling.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
I'll be the first and admit I read that game title as "The Curling" and had to do a double take.
That's a common mistake. Best to just brush it off.
Need a voice actor? Hire me at bengrayVO.com
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051 Steam ID Twitch Page
If the devs took the game in a direction that was really bad for the health of the game it would not surprise me if players who previously loved it now hated it. One infamous example being the rise and fall of The Culling.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
I'll be the first and admit I read that game title as "The Curling" and had to do a double take.
That's a common mistake. Best to just brush it off.
If the devs took the game in a direction that was really bad for the health of the game it would not surprise me if players who previously loved it now hated it. One infamous example being the rise and fall of The Culling.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
I'll be the first and admit I read that game title as "The Curling" and had to do a double take.
That's a common mistake. Best to just brush it off.
This is still the curling thread. You're curling right now. You're lining up your shot, and your teammates would like to know why it's taking you so long. They don't know you've been imagining this entire conversation.
Hi, I'm your sub-conscious, and I'm trying to help you break free and take your shot. Your curling fans are waiting for you. Steam? Penny Arcade? Fantasies you dreamed up. Nobody gifts people things as a form of japery! C'mon, now, but curling?
Third ARK as a "Played for many hours, yet can't recommend" game.
It's mainly an issue of too much effort for the payoff, and adjusting all the many modifiers to difficulty to get that sweet spot of enough challenge to make your tames and base building feel worthwhile without it being a chore is, as Hevach says, something I should get a line in the credits for how much of an overhaul it takes.
Ooof, yes. It's bizarre climb out of the cool low tech into crazy high tech also didn't help.
And some of it's later systems were just... You want to raise this creature for max stats? Better log in ever four hours.
Ps this will take at least a day.
Healthy gameplay!
(That and the fact tame dinosaurs acted more like cars or motorcycles than living breathing creatures)
Yeah, felt like the tech tree was missing a few levels.
Use stone tools to get to metal.
Use your blacksmith anvil to make a precision CNC machine.
Use your CNC to make a matter energy conversion replicator.
There are a number of games I've put crazy amounts of hours into but either haven't aged well (e.g. a number of MMOs) or just happen to tickle an itch of mine but have too many gameplay mechanics or other things that I know would frustrate some people.
An example of the latter would be Spiderweb Software's games. They are mechanically obtuse but without the same level of depth that might entail in other games and look like ass even if you're into retro 2d graphics. But Exile 1 was one of the first PC games I ever owned and I had a fan page for the third game in the series so the dev's games hold a special place in my heart.
Yeah, a handful are games I might personally enjoy but are difficult to recommend. I've put 130-ish hours into Age of Decadence, which isn't technically a long game, but a lot of hours can be spent bashing your head against battles your character has no business even trying. That game warns you from the onset that you will die, often, and I wouldn't even say it's being unreasonable about it (most of the time). It just creates a dangerous Bronze Age world that's been through an apocalyptic event, its surviving politics cutthroat and its mysteries deadly to the unprepared. Behavior normally tolerated in other games is harshly punished here, and you need to think hard about whether an encounter is really worth the trouble.
That girl screaming for help as someone demands her money? They're both thieves doing a bit, trying to lure in some sucker like you. That guy you think you scared off, instead of killing like you were paid to do? He just went to the guards instead and whahey look who's on the local lord's shit list now. That trapped chest that killed you in one shot? Well yeah, it's a trap, not a suggestion. Those six bandits that just curbstomped you? Of course they did, dummy, it's six fucking guys. The challenge is in building your character and actually playing to their strengths, avoiding things they probably couldn't do, and being ready for someone to try and fuck you over - because someone is going to. And little by little you do get better, and legitimately start to conquer the game's challenges in your own way. Not all of them, not every playthrough, but the sweat makes your victories all the sweeter.
Or so I think, anyway, but a game like this has pretty niche appeal and is hard to recommend without a whole heap of qualifying statements. There's also a degree of indie RPG jank that requires a fair bit of patience on its own. Nonetheless, I sank a ton of time into it, and it's highly replayable on top of being fiendishly challenging, so I'll probably go back like the closest masochist I am.
What's that, the arena master spams poisoned throwing discs with near-perfect accuracy and kills me on turn one unless I thoroughly prepare, or even exploit the AI? And finding that lore dump requires a specific item from a specific playthrough with a specific skill towards the end of the game, which nobody in their right mind would just stumble onto without an insane amount of trial and error?
I can't recommend it because I managed to have pretty close to a complete collection as of the Amonkhet release, and then WotC completely pulled the plug on it and the ONLY thing they gave to us players was a beta code for Magic: Arena. Which is a much more sinisterly monetized (is that a thing? it is now) creature... AND I now never want to hand WotC money ever again because why would I throw money at your game if you're going to pull the plug on it like that and then demand MORE money?
I can't recommend it because I managed to have pretty close to a complete collection as of the Amonkhet release, and then WotC completely pulled the plug on it and the ONLY thing they gave to us players was a beta code for Magic: Arena. Which is a much more sinisterly monetized (is that a thing? it is now) creature... AND I now never want to hand WotC money ever again because why would I throw money at your game if you're going to pull the plug on it like that and then demand MORE money?
Don't know if you played it or not, but you should check out Legends of Runeterra. The game blends the gameplay of Magic (interactions, combat spells, etc) and Hearthstone (mana per turn) and it's own unique mechanics, all while making the game stupidly free to play. Like no joke, if you just play the game regularly, you'll have all the cards in 5-6 months without spending a penny.
I can't recommend it because I managed to have pretty close to a complete collection as of the Amonkhet release, and then WotC completely pulled the plug on it and the ONLY thing they gave to us players was a beta code for Magic: Arena. Which is a much more sinisterly monetized (is that a thing? it is now) creature... AND I now never want to hand WotC money ever again because why would I throw money at your game if you're going to pull the plug on it like that and then demand MORE money?
Don't know if you played it or not, but you should check out Legends of Runeterra. The game blends the gameplay of Magic (interactions, combat spells, etc) and Hearthstone (mana per turn) and it's own unique mechanics, all while making the game stupidly free to play. Like no joke, if you just play the game regularly, you'll have all the cards in 5-6 months without spending a penny.
I can't recommend it because I managed to have pretty close to a complete collection as of the Amonkhet release, and then WotC completely pulled the plug on it and the ONLY thing they gave to us players was a beta code for Magic: Arena. Which is a much more sinisterly monetized (is that a thing? it is now) creature... AND I now never want to hand WotC money ever again because why would I throw money at your game if you're going to pull the plug on it like that and then demand MORE money?
Don't know if you played it or not, but you should check out Legends of Runeterra. The game blends the gameplay of Magic (interactions, combat spells, etc) and Hearthstone (mana per turn) and it's own unique mechanics, all while making the game stupidly free to play. Like no joke, if you just play the game regularly, you'll have all the cards in 5-6 months without spending a penny.
It's been on my radar! I was actually an alpha tester for Elder Scrolls: Legends and was VERY upset when ZeniMax more or less pulled the plug on it, I'll have to take a gander!
Yeah, you take the good with the bad. Thankfully they aren't taking any money for the game unless you want cosmetics. It's shocking after playing MtG and HS for so many years that they just give all the cards away.
Need a voice actor? Hire me at bengrayVO.com
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051 Steam ID Twitch Page
Posts
Yeah, Annalynn is so insanely fun if you grew up in the arcades. And it's only $5!
Buy it to support the developer.
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051
Steam ID
Twitch Page
... before they get milkshake duck'd.
(it just seems inevitable, the way things are lately.)
Thanks again
Like 1000 hours short there
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
Like, was it a great game for 199 hours and then suddenly went all "Jews control the world and are basically responsible for all wars"? Was it a bad game for 199 hours but a little man kept coming out of the computer every 90 minutes and giving you candy and now the little man is dead so there's no candy? Is it Baby's First Action Game with a final boss out of an early 90's arcade brawler?
There's a reason they played for 199 hours and a reason they hated it at the end, and if they were fully honest about both that would be the most useful review ever written.
In fact I actively recommend against it.
Unless the game has evolved greatly since I played, the main draw being taming dinosaurs, is an effort of pain and wasted time. The rest of the game is pain and wasted time. The things I liked about the game are long dead in favor of pain and wasted time.
So while I loved, and gifted, this game many times I definitely recommend against it. There are many better games though so far they've lacked dinosaurs.
I should need the internet to understand your game.
Edit: should not, should not
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
I think Ark displays as my highest (because Skyrim, Kerbal Space Program, and Star Trek Online I don't launch through steam which doesn't seem to count) and I definitely agree. "But you can change all the sliders and make it as easy as you want," you say? Well if I'm going to be doing the full balance pass on your game I at least want my name in the damn credits.
An example of the latter would be Spiderweb Software's games. They are mechanically obtuse but without the same level of depth that might entail in other games and look like ass even if you're into retro 2d graphics. But Exile 1 was one of the first PC games I ever owned and I had a fan page for the third game in the series so the dev's games hold a special place in my heart.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
It's mainly an issue of too much effort for the payoff, and adjusting all the many modifiers to difficulty to get that sweet spot of enough challenge to make your tames and base building feel worthwhile without it being a chore is, as Hevach says, something I should get a line in the credits for how much of an overhaul it takes.
Hey you over there you should play Crosscode.
I did the same thing after 60 hours of playing Breach (note: not Into the Breach) when it was discovered the developers(possibly at the behest of the publisher) included a particularly nasty rootkit in the game/launcher.
Dover has altered the thread, pray he don't alter it any further.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
Small public service announcement. Reject everything @Karoz tries to send you.
AniList
So I know if I tried to play Annalynn I would hate it. I'm not into platformers.
But when the protagonist in the trailer encounters her first snake and it hisses...I knew I had to gift it.
Ooof, yes. It's bizarre climb out of the cool low tech into crazy high tech also didn't help.
And some of it's later systems were just... You want to raise this creature for max stats? Better log in ever four hours.
Ps this will take at least a day.
Healthy gameplay!
(That and the fact tame dinosaurs acted more like cars or motorcycles than living breathing creatures)
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
Switch: 0293 6817 9891
I'll be the first to admit I read that game title as "The Curling" and had to do a double take.
Edit: Bad grammar.
Steam: betsuni7
That's a common mistake. Best to just brush it off.
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051
Steam ID
Twitch Page
Skip!
Just slide on past that.
Steam | XBL
Sure why not
Hi, I'm your sub-conscious, and I'm trying to help you break free and take your shot. Your curling fans are waiting for you. Steam? Penny Arcade? Fantasies you dreamed up. Nobody gifts people things as a form of japery! C'mon, now, but curling?
Curling is forever.
Something about round numbers
@HiT BiT has gifted me an oldy themed retroidvania Alwa's Awakening! Looks neat! Thanks!
For those wondering about the link in the message.
Yeah, felt like the tech tree was missing a few levels.
Use stone tools to get to metal.
Use your blacksmith anvil to make a precision CNC machine.
Use your CNC to make a matter energy conversion replicator.
A coffee cup will never look at you the same way again.
Yeah, a handful are games I might personally enjoy but are difficult to recommend. I've put 130-ish hours into Age of Decadence, which isn't technically a long game, but a lot of hours can be spent bashing your head against battles your character has no business even trying. That game warns you from the onset that you will die, often, and I wouldn't even say it's being unreasonable about it (most of the time). It just creates a dangerous Bronze Age world that's been through an apocalyptic event, its surviving politics cutthroat and its mysteries deadly to the unprepared. Behavior normally tolerated in other games is harshly punished here, and you need to think hard about whether an encounter is really worth the trouble.
That girl screaming for help as someone demands her money? They're both thieves doing a bit, trying to lure in some sucker like you. That guy you think you scared off, instead of killing like you were paid to do? He just went to the guards instead and whahey look who's on the local lord's shit list now. That trapped chest that killed you in one shot? Well yeah, it's a trap, not a suggestion. Those six bandits that just curbstomped you? Of course they did, dummy, it's six fucking guys. The challenge is in building your character and actually playing to their strengths, avoiding things they probably couldn't do, and being ready for someone to try and fuck you over - because someone is going to. And little by little you do get better, and legitimately start to conquer the game's challenges in your own way. Not all of them, not every playthrough, but the sweat makes your victories all the sweeter.
Or so I think, anyway, but a game like this has pretty niche appeal and is hard to recommend without a whole heap of qualifying statements. There's also a degree of indie RPG jank that requires a fair bit of patience on its own. Nonetheless, I sank a ton of time into it, and it's highly replayable on top of being fiendishly challenging, so I'll probably go back like the closest masochist I am.
What's that, the arena master spams poisoned throwing discs with near-perfect accuracy and kills me on turn one unless I thoroughly prepare, or even exploit the AI? And finding that lore dump requires a specific item from a specific playthrough with a specific skill towards the end of the game, which nobody in their right mind would just stumble onto without an insane amount of trial and error?
Good. Now harder, goddamnit, I ain't feelin' it yet.
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
... it's Magic: Duels.
I can't recommend it because I managed to have pretty close to a complete collection as of the Amonkhet release, and then WotC completely pulled the plug on it and the ONLY thing they gave to us players was a beta code for Magic: Arena. Which is a much more sinisterly monetized (is that a thing? it is now) creature... AND I now never want to hand WotC money ever again because why would I throw money at your game if you're going to pull the plug on it like that and then demand MORE money?
https://podcast.tidalwavegames.com/
It's Final Fantasy 14 with 4171 hours.
Heck, it's nearly a third of the total playtime on my steam account.
Don't know if you played it or not, but you should check out Legends of Runeterra. The game blends the gameplay of Magic (interactions, combat spells, etc) and Hearthstone (mana per turn) and it's own unique mechanics, all while making the game stupidly free to play. Like no joke, if you just play the game regularly, you'll have all the cards in 5-6 months without spending a penny.
Come hang out with us in the LoR thread if you're interested.
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051
Steam ID
Twitch Page
Ooooh, I may give this a look as well. I seriously miss Hearthstone sometimes.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
It's been on my radar! I was actually an alpha tester for Elder Scrolls: Legends and was VERY upset when ZeniMax more or less pulled the plug on it, I'll have to take a gander!
https://podcast.tidalwavegames.com/
Yeah, you take the good with the bad. Thankfully they aren't taking any money for the game unless you want cosmetics. It's shocking after playing MtG and HS for so many years that they just give all the cards away.
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051
Steam ID
Twitch Page