Good Games with Some Irritating Features

[Khan of the Mardu]

The title better explains the basics of what I'm looking for in replies than anything I could write. However, the thread does require a first post and I prefer something with meat on it. Basically, what games do you either love, like, or just find kind of amusing that have one or two glaring issues that hold them back from being near perfection for you? Be it story, game mechanics, atmosphere, or something as simple as a single exchange of dialogue that came out of nowhere in your view, any reason given is valid as long as you back it with at least some sort of explanation.

However, I don't want just the name of a game and what you don't like about it. I want to learn about these games and understand them, to see if they're worth picking up even with their share of problems. So, in the interest of that objective, I would also like a short section on what the game actually is. Which of the many genres is it in? Does it introduce something innovative to the genre or hearken back to the genre's roots? What's the story's main premise?

Right, I'm sure you get the picture now and can start. If you want, I have something of a basic skeleton below that you can use to organize your writing. Also, I'll put up my own recommendation for an excellent but flawed game after this initial post.

SKELETON
​

Name: (Simple one to answer.)

System(s) released on: (Seems simple, but be careful if you doing a tie-in game to a show or movie because different systems might have different versions of the same game. Go with the one you enjoyed the game most on.)

Developer: (As in the studio that handled the majority of the game's actual production.)

Publisher: (If the game has been published by different companies in different regions, go with the North American publisher.)

Release Year: (This is simply so I and other readers can search for it with greater ease. Something old or new isn't bad or good just because of its age.)

Genre: (Go with the genre that best explains the game.)

Main Premise: (In essence, explain the opening of the game's story and setting.)

Short blurb on the game's strengths: (Basically, what makes the game great or at least fun in your view.)

Main Issue(s): (What's your main gripes with the game.)

There, that's finished and I can post the thread. Give me five minutes to do some research on my game's publisher, developer, and genre, and I'll have my answer up. However, you lot can go ahead and post your answer before I do.

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

(My entry is most certainly not meant to be the required length for your entry. Honestly, I probably put too much down and I apologize for that. I just really, really love this game and love to talk about it.)

Name: Yakuza 4

System(s) released on: Playstation 3

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release Year: 2011 on the 15th of March

Genre: Limited sandbox action-adventure

Main Premise: While it is the sequel to Yakuza 3, 4's story isn't bothered much by 3 as the only returning major character (that I recognized) came late in the game as the final playable character. Basically, the murder of a rather prominent Tokyo yakuza causes four men of various backgrounds to cross paths as they attempt to investigate the crime. Along with the main story, there are the men's conflicts that are initially separate from the case itself but eventually reveal why and how the backdoor dealings of the yakuza resulted in the murder.

Game's strengths: Sweet mother of god, the fighting in this game. I had never seen a man be beaten with a bicycle before, but after the first time, I was hooked forever. The city of Tokyo is also filled with various activities and mini-games for you to take part in, most of which don't actually matter to the story but are fun additions nonetheless (think of if all or most of GTA V's mini games were actually fun.).

The story is actually pretty great for a game that involves a lot of beat'em up style fighting. The four characters all have excellent individuals stories that don't conflict with each other for importance and they each play a pivotal role in the overarching storyline. Honestly, if I needed to show someone how to make a good multiple points of view game, this is the game I would use.

Main Issue: I know this will sound pretentious as all hell, so let me explain first. I am perfectly fine with reading English subtitles. Honestly, I sometimes even prefer the Japanese voice-acting to the English dub because a company butchers itThe main indicator of this is how I refuse to watch the English dub of the End of Evangelion movie because the dub pissed on the original series.

However, this game seriously needed at least the option to have English voice acting. You see, in anime, I don't have to constantly keep my eye on the screen in case of a random event that leads to a battle. In a video game, on the other hand, I have a controller in my hands and I need to be ready. Because of this, I can't spend as much time reading the lines as I would have liked. I even missed a few plot points that turned out to be key ones later on. Seriously, if I could have played through the game just once with English dubbing then went through again with Japanese voice acting, I would have been so happy.

Now that the main issue is out of the way, I only have two minor issues left. One, this game is dripping in so much modern Japanese culture that I think it may have been at the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so be ready to wonder what's going on if you're a huge fan of Japan (stupid weeaboo). The second is how much of a pain it is to find a physical copy of the game. After a dozen or so trips to various stores within fifty miles of my home, I finally broke down and went to Amazon to buy it. However, all the issues were, in my opinion, worth the amazing game underneath. Plus, can a Japanese game being too Japanese be a true gripe?

 

[Hellis]

(My entry is most certainly not meant to be the required length for your entry. Honestly, I probably put too much down and I apologize for that. I just really, really love this game and love to talk about it.)

Name: Yakuza 4

System(s) released on: Playstation 3

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release Year: 2011 on the 15th of March

Genre: Limited sandbox action-adventure

Main Premise: While it is the sequel to Yakuza 3, 4's story isn't bothered much by 3 as the only returning major character (that I recognized) came late in the game as the final playable character. Basically, the murder of a rather prominent Tokyo yakuza causes four men of various backgrounds to cross paths as they attempt to investigate the crime. Along with the main story, there are the men's conflicts that are initially separate from the case itself but eventually reveal why and how the backdoor dealings of the yakuza resulted in the murder.

Game's strengths: Sweet mother of god, the fighting in this game. I had never seen a man be beaten with a bicycle before, but after the first time, I was hooked forever. The city of Tokyo is also filled with various activities and mini-games for you to take part in, most of which don't actually matter to the story but are fun additions nonetheless (think of if all or most of GTA V's mini games were actually fun.).

The story is actually pretty great for a game that involves a lot of beat'em up style fighting. The four characters all have excellent individuals stories that don't conflict with each other for importance and they each play a pivotal role in the overarching storyline. Honestly, if I needed to show someone how to make a good multiple points of view game, this is the game I would use.

Main Issue: I know this will sound pretentious as all hell, so let me explain first. I am perfectly fine with reading English subtitles. Honestly, I sometimes even prefer the Japanese voice-acting to the English dub because a company butchers itThe main indicator of this is how I refuse to watch the English dub of the End of Evangelion movie because the dub pissed on the original series.

However, this game seriously needed at least the option to have English voice acting. You see, in anime, I don't have to constantly keep my eye on the screen in case of a random event that leads to a battle. In a video game, on the other hand, I have a controller in my hands and I need to be ready. Because of this, I can't spend as much time reading the lines as I would have liked. I even missed a few plot points that turned out to be key ones later on. Seriously, if I could have played through the game just once with English dubbing then went through again with Japanese voice acting, I would have been so happy.

Now that the main issue is out of the way, I only have two minor issues left. One, this game is dripping in so much modern Japanese culture that I think it may have been at the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so be ready to wonder what's going on if you're a huge fan of Japan (stupid weeaboo). The second is how much of a pain it is to find a physical copy of the game. After a dozen or so trips to various stores within fifty miles of my home, I finally broke down and went to Amazon to buy it. However, all the issues were, in my opinion, worth the amazing game underneath. Plus, can a Japanese game being too Japanese be a true gripe?

Funny. I had no issues what so ever with reading the subtitles. I dont see how a game about the most japanese of all things in the world being big on japanese culture is a bad thing either.

 

[Laggy Lagiacrus]

Name: Custom Robo Arena

System(s) released on: Nintendo DS

Developer: Noise

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Year: 2006/7

Genre: Action RPG

Main Premise: It's a world where miniature fighting robots with extraordinary power are this world's "thing" (like YuGiOh cards, Pokemon, Beyblade, etc.)
"Robos" are tiny robots you control with your brain, and you make them fight in an arena called a "Holosseum." The main thing is how you can customise your Robo to suit your playstyle - there's a plethora of guns (primary weapon), bombs (explosive secondary weapon), pods (utility and traps), legs (mobility), and bodies (stats, physical attack type, jumping abilities).

Short blurb on the game's strengths: Robo fights are incredibly fun, and tinkering with them to find the perfect combination is as well. Fights are simple to understand but Hell to master, especially when you're fighting somebody who actually knows what they're doing. Battles are hectic and action-packed - just the way I like them. It's like Michael Bay puked a rainbow onto two screens.

Main Issue(s): Too much pointless dialogue in the story. It'd be fine if the plot was interesting, but it only really picks up at the last part, and by then I was only sticking with it to get the parts. If I have to deal with the single-player mode to get to the good robo components, I want to at least be compelled to by something else as well.
Controls. Not that they don't work, it's just that it would've worked far better with an analogue stick or a circle pad.
No more servers. My complaint isn't that there weren't any, it's that we don't have them now and that there's no sequel I can play.

If a sequel ever comes out, buy that. If one doesn't, however, rope a few friends into buying the game and fight them. This game is meant to be multiplayer.

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

It's not bad that it is so Japanese, it's just you have to take a break sometimes and think, "Holy shit, that was really weird." The whole subtitles thing, again, I just want the option to have English voice-acting so I'm not caught off-guard during a cutscene. Imagine if you had to play Resident Evil 4 with subtitles because that would be hell.

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Name: Custom Robo Arena

System(s) released on: Nintendo DS

Developer: Noise

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Year: 2006/7

Genre: Action RPG

Main Premise: It's a world where miniature fighting robots with extraordinary power are this world's "thing" (like YuGiOh cards, Pokemon, Beyblade, etc.)
"Robos" are tiny robots you control with your brain, and you make them fight in an arena called a "Holosseum." The main thing is how you can customise your Robo to suit your playstyle - there's a plethora of guns (primary weapon), bombs (explosive secondary weapon), pods (utility and traps), legs (mobility), and bodies (stats, physical attack type, jumping abilities).

Short blurb on the game's strengths: Robo fights are incredibly fun, and tinkering with them to find the perfect combination is as well. Fights are simple to understand but Hell to master, especially when you're fighting somebody who actually knows what they're doing. Battles are hectic and action-packed - just the way I like them. It's like Michael Bay puked a rainbow onto two screens.

Main Issue(s): Too much pointless dialogue in the story. It'd be fine if the plot was interesting, but it only really picks up at the last part, and by then I was only sticking with it to get the parts. If I have to deal with the single-player mode to get to the good robo components, I want to at least be compelled to by something else as well.
Controls. Not that they don't work, it's just that it would've worked far better with an analogue stick or a circle pad.
No more servers. My complaint isn't that there weren't any, it's that we don't have them now and that there's no sequel I can play.

If a sequel ever comes out, buy that. If one doesn't, however, rope a few friends into buying the game and fight them. This game is meant to be multiplayer.

God, I always hate when multiplayer servers are taken down or no one plays on them anymore when the game itself is meant for multiplayer.

 

[HibikiKuraii]

Name: Dark Souls

System(s) released on: Xbox 360 , PS3, PC

Developer: From Software

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

Release Year: 2011

Genre: Fantasy, Action RPG

Main Premise: Uh, the story is really great because you find out more and more about what it is through playing the game, fighting the bosses, seeing the enemies and many other things. A great example of the is reading the lore on the items you obtained from an enemy that you've slain or items you've picked off the ground. There are different covenants that you can join too which helps you learn more about the different sides and different conflicts.

Short blurb on the game's strengths:
The game is quite challenging and unforgiving, but that makes it all the more worth it when you get past a certain area!
There's an expansive amount of equipment like : Thorn armor, Great sword, great scythe, katanas, etc
Deep story, very interesting characters, the scenery is different for each area, which makes playing through dark souls more interesting to see if you can find any secrets and/or hidden lore.

Main Issue(s): (What's your main gripes with the game.)

Dark Souls is also known for it's competitive community, but it somewhat falls short. Why? Dark Souls doesn't really balance out PvP since it goes by an "Invading" system as players invade another players world using items and whatnot in an attempt to kill them and obtain their souls / rewards depending on what covenant their in.
Though, there are items and weapons that are a bit overpowered given the chance once upgraded fully and enchanted (Literally winning by R1 Spamming)
Another thing about is that there are infact hackers in dark souls, causing frustration and the like.

^ The community is more or less a little rude for these reasons, and you can get sworn at quite a bit for invading ( I guess that's some of the fun in invading?)

Anyways that's about it for my gripes!

Solution to the griping is just play in single player, but I'm a little competitive so.. yea ; A ;

 

[The Ghost Note]

Name: Kingdom Hearts

System(s) released on: PS2, and the remixed version was released on the PS3

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios

Release Year: 2002

Genre: Action role-playing

(^ All the above was stolen from Wikipedia yolo)

Main Premise: Alright, so you're this homie named Sora who after living on this island with several other homies, gets this magical key and goes on an adventure through the Disneyverse fighting these monsters known as the Heartless. More or less reenacting Disney movies with these new plotlines, characters, and whatever.

Short blurb on the game's strengths: This might be nostalgia talking, but this is easily one of my favorite games. It was an interesting premise (At least, to me), the gameplay was pretty fun, the exploration aspects were the best. Oh yeah, you were also going through fucking Disney movies beating up monsters. They were kept pretty true to the source materials. I'm playing through the Remix edition right now.

Main Issue(s): Now, know what you have to do to get to different Disney worlds....? The fucking Gummi Ship missions. Jesus christ those are so awful. They're out of place, boring, and you have to do them all the damn time. They're like an unnecessary break in gameplay you're greeted to every time you beat a world. It gets better because as you play the game you get the ability to simply teleport to worlds you already visited. But, you still have to play them. At least they made them somewhat fun in the second game...

Also, the dialogue is ass sometimes. Like really not good at all, and really awkward. It might be the translation, but stil...

 

[LunaValentine]

Name: Animal Crossing New Leaf

System(s) released on: Nintendo 3DS

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Year: 2012

Genre: Casual

Main Premise: You become mayor of a town (on pure accident) and now it's your job to run the town how YOU want. Don't forget to pay back Mr. Nook!

Short blurb on the game's strengths: Nearly Everything. So customizable. So many things to do, so many things to collect, it doesn't require you to play with others and you can play for years on end. it's a never ending game ^.^

Main Issue(s): 1. Eye shape is random (you need a guide to get the specific look you want).....and animal tracks or the official name "Grass Wear" It sucks that when you play EVERY DAY for many hours you start to wear out the grass. The whole town starts to look like a dust bowl and it means that there's less snow on the ground in the winter. You either have to cheat and Time Travel, or you have to patiently lay out paths made from patterns and plant flowers, watering them every day over places where there is a track of wear spot. :(

 

[Asena]

Name: Kingdom Hearts

Main Issue(s): Now, know what you have to do to get to different Disney worlds....? The fucking Gummi Ship missions. Jesus christ those are so awful. They're out of place, boring, and you have to do them all the damn time. They're like an unnecessary break in gameplay you're greeted to every time you beat a world. It gets better because as you play the game you get the ability to simply teleport to worlds you already visited. But, you still have to play them. At least they made them somewhat fun in the second game...

Also, the dialogue is ass sometimes. Like really not good at all, and really awkward. It might be the translation, but stil...

THE GOD DAMN GUMMI SHIP. I'm glad I'm not the only one who HAAAATED these!

Actually, tbh, I just like stabbing stuff. Even in the Assassin's Creed games, whenever I HAVE to get on the ship and have ship battles, I'm immediately over it. I hate the ship battles. I just wanna stab people, please just let me stab people.

 

[Kylulu]

Name: Tales of Xillia: 2.

System(s) released on: PS3

Developer: Bandai Namco Games

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

Release Year: Japan - 2012, Europe/North America - 2014

Genre: RPG

Main Premise: The game takes place a year after the original Tales of Xillia. Under orders from her father to find the mystical Land of Canaan, Elle boards a train which is hijacked before its departure. Ludger (main character) follows her onboard and works with Jude Mathis (ToX protagonist) to retake the train. The train crashes and the resulting medical treatment from Spirius Corporation puts Ludger in debt. Aware of the Kresnik family's ability to destroy parallel dimensions, Spirius hires Ludger for this purpose since the spirit Origin can no longer sustain the abundance of souls in the worlds. At the same time, Ludger searches for his brother, Jullius, who has been declared the train hijacking's instigator.

Short blurb on the game's strengths: The story is a great driving factor for the game, with branching paths and bonus scenes depending on the choices you make throughout the game. The combat flows smoothly as well, with up to four people being able to play at one time during the entire campaign. Multiplayer isn't required, though it does help with some of the more difficult fights. And the game looks beautiful. While it doesn't have as high a fidelity as some other modern games, it has a definite aesthetic, with detail and effort put into the characters, monsters, and the world in general.

Main Issue(s): In the main premise section, there's mention of you being put into debt, right? This pops up as a game element, which halts the main story and make a payment on said debt, forcing you to farm enemies for gald (money) or rare items that can be sold. OR you can do meaningless little side quests that give you tiny pieces of content for the game, usually in the form of costume pieces or items that could be sold. However, the side quests don't pay a whole lot, ranging from about 500g to 1500g. Did I mention that your debt is 20,000,000g, with single payments sometimes reaching upwards of 200,000g? It takes FOREVER.

Another thing. The main character, Ludger, is the only character who doesn't speak. The game is fully voiced over, and yet Ludger barely says a word. (Does a lot of scream/yealling though) Except near the end, where he has a fully voiced conversation. So why the fuck couldn't his other dialogue be voiced?!

 

[Pachamac]

It's not bad that it is so Japanese, it's just you have to take a break sometimes and think, "Holy shit, that was really weird." The whole subtitles thing, again, I just want the option to have English voice-acting so I'm not caught off-guard during a cutscene. Imagine if you had to play Resident Evil 4 with subtitles because that would be hell.

Like Hellis, I had no problem at all with the subtitles in Yakuza 4, and I in fact always play any game I can with subtitles on, and do the same for most movies and tv, to make sure I actually catch everything that's spoken of during something. :) It's something you get used to. :)

If there's one major cripe to be leveled at Yakuza, it's the fact that Sega never bothered to localise Yakuza 5

 

[Hellis]

I am still waitin for Yakuza 5. I am so pissed that its not gonna come here. The Yakuza series was what replaced Final Fantasy for me after FF went to shit.

 

[Asuras]

Name: Destiny

System(s) released on: xbox 360/One, PS3/4

Developer: Bungie

Publisher: Activision/Sony

Release Year: 2014

Genre: First-Person Shooter with MMORPG elements.

Main Premise: An immensely powerful entity (in the shape of a massive city-sized sphere) called the Traveler arrives in our solar system and plants seeds (in a vague sense) to spur humanity on to quantum leaps in technological (and magical!) advancements. The Darkness, the Traveler's supposed arch-nemesis, arrives in our system and wreaks havoc until humanity is reduced to a single city on Earth, leaving behind a system full of formerly colonized planets and moons. You play as a Guardian, a warrior of light selected by the Traveler's tiny little helpers (called 'Ghosts'), whose job is to defend humanity from the minions of darkness (four alien races that have invaded the system).

Short blurb on the game's strengths: As a shooter developed by Bungie, I can say with confidence that the shooting aspect of the game is top-notch. You get what you want and more, akin to a Halo campaign experience. The guns are cool, the variation is pretty great, and the fighting mechanics add some flair and tactics to the experience that even Halo could not achieve. With MMO elements added in, it's easy to jump into dungeon-esque lairs and lay down the law with (albeit silent, though that has changed recently with the addition of a built-in teamchat) two to five other Guardians. The graphics in particular (especially when played on the newer-gen consoles) are stunning (Bungie's skyboxes are always orgasmic), with a variety of locations and enemies that always keep me interested. The difficulty is challenging and engaging, especially when you come to the (as of now single) Raid(s), which requires a level of teamwork and communication I've never experienced in a game prior.

Main Issue(s): When you compare this game to their previous IP, Halo, you are simply left utterly sour when it comes to storyline. The setting leaves a huge amount of potential to the game, but it is squandered on what seems to be a series of missions almost solely devoted to getting you familiar with the enemy races and their "themes" (and to get your character to ~level 20). "Grimoire cards" are unlocked throughout play which can be viewed on the internet through the main website (ugh), which reveal more hidden elements to the Destiny universe. Some are fairly insightful and interesting, but the idea of having to go elsewhere to learn about these things is aggravating, and ultimately most of it pointless jargon that offers little in the way of interesting plot or setting.

Worst of all, however, is what I generally call the, "Frequency of supers." Destiny players are given access to a sort of "super move" that is unique to each class. Every one of them (with the exception of two, which nevertheless make your life hell) is an instant kill during competitive PvP combat (which is in itself severely lacking in gameplay variety, unlike in Halo), which, when coupled with the availability of "Heavy Weapons" ammunition (also instant kills) makes for an obscenely annoying PvP experience. You're more often looking at a respawn recap than you are actually shooting other players, due to the high likelihood you'll be OHKO'd before being able to pull the trigger.

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Ugh, don't even remind me about the lack of exporting for Yakuza 5...

 

[Minibit]

Name: Tales of Xillia: 2.

System(s) released on: PS3

Developer: Bandai Namco Games

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

Release Year: Japan - 2012, Europe/North America - 2014

Genre: RPG

Main Premise: The game takes place a year after the original Tales of Xillia. Under orders from her father to find the mystical Land of Canaan, Elle boards a train which is hijacked before its departure. Ludger (main character) follows her onboard and works with Jude Mathis (ToX protagonist) to retake the train. The train crashes and the resulting medical treatment from Spirius Corporation puts Ludger in debt. Aware of the Kresnik family's ability to destroy parallel dimensions, Spirius hires Ludger for this purpose since the spirit Origin can no longer sustain the abundance of souls in the worlds. At the same time, Ludger searches for his brother, Jullius, who has been declared the train hijacking's instigator.

Short blurb on the game's strengths: The story is a great driving factor for the game, with branching paths and bonus scenes depending on the choices you make throughout the game. The combat flows smoothly as well, with up to four people being able to play at one time during the entire campaign. Multiplayer isn't required, though it does help with some of the more difficult fights. And the game looks beautiful. While it doesn't have as high a fidelity as some other modern games, it has a definite aesthetic, with detail and effort put into the characters, monsters, and the world in general.

Main Issue(s): In the main premise section, there's mention of you being put into debt, right? This pops up as a game element, which halts the main story and make a payment on said debt, forcing you to farm enemies for gald (money) or rare items that can be sold. OR you can do meaningless little side quests that give you tiny pieces of content for the game, usually in the form of costume pieces or items that could be sold. However, the side quests don't pay a whole lot, ranging from about 500g to 1500g. Did I mention that your debt is 20,000,000g, with single payments sometimes reaching upwards of 200,000g? It takes FOREVER.

Another thing. The main character, Ludger, is the only character who doesn't speak. The game is fully voiced over, and yet Ludger barely says a word. (Does a lot of scream/yealling though) Except near the end, where he has a fully voiced conversation. So why the fuck couldn't his other dialogue be voiced?!

His voice is available in a replay, it's a grade reward. Everything else I agree heartily

 

[Cpt Toellner]

Just gonna leave this here...

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

At least the whole harvesting resources mission/side quest didn't shit on the series like the "endings" to 3 did.

 

[Cpt Toellner]

At least the whole harvesting resources mission/side quest didn't shit on the series like the "endings" to 3 did.

That can of worms still has yet to be closed, you could set off a fire on this forum by bringing that up.

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

Captain, if a fire did occur, then I would have only one thing to say to the arsonists.