List your games that spoiled you against later games

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Parmenides

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Apr 25, 2006
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When you talk to crusty old gamers, many will say that games these days suck and nothing past ________ is worth playing. Even those of us, who aren't the crusty old gamers, will find that after playing one awesome game, the others after just aren't quite as enjoyable.

For me, when I first played Oblivion, I found it to be super awesome. I spent endless hours on it. People, complained about the impersonal stale NPCs. I thought, what? no biggy for me. Works fine enough for me. Better than only reading text. Then I played games like Bioware games and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Now when I talk to Oblivion NPC's the the immersion is gone.

Same goes for combat mechanics. After playing Mount and Blade, Oblivion mechanics (which I used to think were awesome) now feel lame. I still enjoy some Oblivion, but it is no where near the experience it used to be.

I still think that I'm a fairly easy to please gamer, but here are the games that kinda ruined things for me:

Voice acting and NPC character personalities: Vampire tMB and any recent Bioware-Obsidian games have made most any other game's NPCs much less immersive.
Medieval combat mechanics: Mount and Blade has stripped some enjoyment of any other game's medieval combat mechanics. Oblivion, NWN, Dragon Age just don't have quite as much combat fun. (but I still can enjoy an old point an click game, I just sometimes wish the game I'm playing wasn't point and click)
Real Time Strategy: Rome Total War pretty much ruined any desire for real time strategy games where fighting and building happen at the same time. I don't think I would care for StarCraft 2, unless it's story driven. Warcraft 2 was awesome in it's day, but I'm not going back to that sort of genre.
MMO's: I played a free shard of Ultima Online. Scripting was allowed, so I scripted myself to grandmaster of all skills and enough money to purchase a castle. I just left the computer on all night. Now I can't play an MMO where I have to grind and work for anything.
First Person Shooters on consoles: I can't enjoy a console shooter when the PC has a mouse and keyboard. That and nothing on the console really compared to the fun I had with 007 Goldeneye.
Random FPS bots: Humans are more interesting to shoot at than shooting random bots in deathmatch shooters.
Driving Games: I just can't play them when there is an RPG or FPS to play instead.
Sports Games: I just can't play them when there is an RPG or FPS to play instead.

Fortunately I haven't played Planescape: Torment, so at least I can enjoy about any game without saying "All stories suck these days." :p

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'll never play a sports game again in my life... it's just that other games have raised my standard of high enjoyment. What games have raised your standard?
 
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Diablo II: Haven't found collecting shinies to be as fun as it was in D2. Titan Quest comes close, Torchlight third.
 
I try to go into games with as much of a blank slate as possible and try to judge them on their own merits. But yeah at times its hard. The great writing of Bioware and Black Isle RPGs of the past has really made me critical of game writing across all genres these days. I hate how bad the writing in Fallout 3 is for example, its bad enough to pull me out of the game at times and was certainly an attribute to me being burnt out on it. I ignore talking to NPCs as much as possible in Oblivion. Ugh.

As for voice acting, eh. I love terrible voice acting like Just Cause 2. Its fun to listen to how bad they can be, but when its ear bleedingly bad like Enchanted Arms I want to hurt someone. I love good voice acting, but it isn't as much of a problem to me as writing is.

RTS for me are kind of meh these days. I've been saying for a while that I feel the genre is going to shit. Don't get me wrong I liked some modern RTS games like Dawn of War II and SupCom, but its very rare that I find one I really enjoy. CnC3 was fun, but disappointing. RA3 was great for the cheese factor and I liked the look of it, but the game suffered from still being built on the ancient W3D engine (albeit a highly updated version of it). SC2 looks great because its got old school gameplay, something that is missing from the genre for me.

Fighting games...Yeah. Genre has gone to complete shit in my opinion. Last ones I enjoyed a lot were MvC2 and Virtua Fighter 3 on the Dreamcast. I have zero interest in SFIV I was sick of the series a long time ago. Honestly I was never a big fan of the series itself, just the arcade version of the second game. Even games I should love just don't rekindle the love I had for the genre so I guess you could say I was spoiled by it.

FPS on consoles? FUCK NO! Never, never, never. I hate using a controller in FPS with a passion. I can count on one hand the number of console shooters I have ever enjoyed and one of them (Goldeneye) I wouldn't even call a good shooter.
 
WoW, i regret playing it so much ruins all games of all genres for me since it can't get me the same feeling.

Can't even play WoW after WotLK came out since its so dumbed down and boring and repetitive.
 
For FPS games,Crysis and S.T.A.L.K.E.R :Shadow of Chernobyl.I've yet to see a game that matches the graphics in Crysis,or matches the open world experience of the STALKER series.
 
I don't have this problem much.

Though I will say that after beating Battletoads on the NES everything after seems too easy. (unless you crank up the difficulty on some games but that makes most of them ridiculous rather than challenging) Obtaining the invincible cheat in GoldenEye 007 (n64) was pretty tough too from what I can recall. Oh and a few of the megaman games~ though I never got TOO into them.
 
Soldier of Fortune 2
I just love the firing the guns in this game, and also the damage system on the enemy NPC.

Its still one of the best FPS game I have ever played.

And Crysis for the graphics
 
Deus Ex spoiled every other RPG/shooter for me.

More games need to make me feel like my choices matter.

STALKER came close, but was too sci-fi-ish at times.
 
syn3rgyz said:
WoW, i regret playing it so much ruins all games of all genres for me since it can't get me the same feeling.

Can't even play WoW after WotLK came out since its so dumbed down and boring and repetitive.
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I feel the opposite. I missed out on a lot of games when I played WOW and gaming was refreshing after I quit WOW. Catching up on a lot of great games was very fun.

I can't really think of too many games ruining other games for me. I'll usually give any game a good try before I totally can't stand it anymore. Although Oblivion kind of ruined Fallout 3 for me personally. I just felt more immersed and free in Oblivion and was really expecting the same feeling from Fallout 3... had to give Fallout 3 a second shot before I finished it. Never went back to it though unlike Oblivion.

I think Guitar Hero 3 ruined every single rock band / guitar hero game after that for me. They stopped trying to top Through the Fire and Flames and Devil Went Down to Georgia. Was very disappointed by that. Oh well, frets on fire made up for all that.
 
This is definitely true. Games 'ruin' the whole genre when they set the bar high. Later games never really catch up even if the graphics are prettier or whatever.

Starcraft - I never got deeply into another RTS after playing the shit out of SC1.

BG series - What I internally compare every RPG to. And unlike Starcraft, I still play it every now and then.

WoW - Ruined everything. Years of PC games neglected or put aside after an initial play through or screwing around in multiplayer. "This game was fun, too bad I cant play it online" or "Well I beat it, too bad I cant keep playing like WoW" or "I wish it had a ton of people playing, like WoW". I stopped trying to fight it and will just play til theres a new game that can scratch the itch better. Probably D3.

Strangely I never had a game kill the FPS genre. I've played damn near everything since Doom and it never gets old. I have some favorites along the way...Tribes, UT, Q3 but even BFBC2 feels like it hits a new high point in the genre.
 
Parmenides said:
MMO's: I played a free shard of Ultima Online. Scripting was allowed, so I scripted myself to grandmaster of all skills and enough money to purchase a castle. I just left the computer on all night. Now I can't play an MMO where I have to grind and work for anything.
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That is your own fault, not the game. You definitely ruined yourself by not working for anything yourself. Seriously, what was even the point of the game if you just left it on at night, when you were sleeping, and the computer did all the work for you?

Haven't really had any games spoil things. The only real problems I have is playing too many MMO's, other games, and work/school. Barely any time to do anything any more.
 
King Icewind said:
That is your own fault, not the game. You definitely ruined yourself by not working for anything yourself. Seriously, what was even the point of the game if you just left it on at night, when you were sleeping, and the computer did all the work for you?

Haven't really had any games spoil things. The only real problems I have is playing too many MMO's, other games, and work/school. Barely any time to do anything any more.
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Partly my fault, but it did ruin it. I guess it's also some of those free online MMO's I used to try out. In those you can purchase some perks and become uber with just a little money. I just remember boring mind-numbing endless hours of grinding, thinking that I could make $5 worth of real life money with little labor and use it to achieve something it would take 40+ hours of mindless grinding to achieve ingame. It's almost a job. Almost better to just hire someone to level up for you, when you can make the money to cover the cost in short time. Then you can bask in your uber character.... but even that is utter poo. After enough of free MMO's... I was done with MMO's. The journey is not usually fun in a lot of MMOs. Although, the new Star Wars one looks to be less about grinding and leveling and more about playing your own story. It does look somewhat tempting if I can get past the monthly fee.
 
Counter-strike

Diablo 2

Ultima online: Kill someone and take all their stuff... no newbie b.s. like in WOW.
 
Old School EverQuest

makes any and all other online games of this genre just seem like a kids joke imo.
 
BC2 killed mw2 for me. I bought an xbox for just basically mw2, and well... atm it has been off for 4 months
 
People will think i'm strange, but general chaos on the genisis ruined shooters for me.

More recent. Supreme commander (the original) ruined strat games for me, i got so into that game and good at it that nothing else interested me. I loved the depth and management in that game, it made me think like the A team, specializing in the abnormal lol
 
Total Annihilation: RTS with 3D and HUGE (HUGE!) playfields. I can't play an RTS with a tiny playfield anymore unless it has a lot of objects in it.

UT2004: Bots in multiplayer. I have passed on many games because there aren't bots in multiplayer.

STALKER: You always remember your first RPFPS. I just recently played it through a fourth time.

WoW: It's been a year and it's the only MMO I think about going back to.
 
Rainbow Six 1, 2, and 3/Ghost Recon 1. Military shooters have never been the same. Mission planning, challenging, quality story, large collection of realistically modeled weapons... Redstorm I miss you.
 
Tribes: Makes all other "large scale multiplayer battles" seem like a joke, and puts most game's net code to fucking shame. 16v16 in 1998 on dial up, and the shit didn't suck. 32v32 in 2001, but there were servers that modded it and I seen some ridiculous 50v50 games. (Those weren't so great lol but it was possible)

Counter-Strike Source: A graphically scalable, fun game, with a functional server browser and filter settings! Gasp!! Also programming that doesn't explode the game. Looking at you BC2 :mad:

Everquest: If a new mmo doesn't feel to easy, it's likely more grind than EQ, which sucks either way. Haven't subscribed to an MMO for more than 4 months since I stopped EQ.

Starcraft: Wasn't great on release, but at least they kept patching it, UMS maps added great variety, and there's a reason the game is still played today. Most RTS' I've tried just don't seem so great now.
 
Casus said:
Tribes: Makes all other "large scale multiplayer battles" seem like a joke, and puts most game's net code to fucking shame. 16v16 in 1998 on dial up, and the shit didn't suck. 32v32 in 2001, but there were servers that modded it and I seen some ridiculous 50v50 games. (Those weren't so great lol but it was possible)
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Can not agree with you more. Their net code was so solid playing over dial up was lagless. Tribes 2 was pretty innovative as well. With the community tools in game email etc. To bad the game lost support shortly after launch. I miss this game so much. All down hill after T2 RIP Sierra and Dynamix
 
UT99 ruined almost all multiplayer FPSes for me, because there are only a handful of games ever made that come close to it's gameplay perfection.
 
RTS: Company of Heroes. It has forever spoiled the entire RTS genre for me. It set a new standard: I simply cannot play resource gathering, base building, army massing spamfests like SC2 or C&C anymore since playing COH. Tactical, micromanaged RTS games are all that appeal to me now.

FPS: Bad Company 2. Destructible environments. I find it very difficult to play any games now that do not feature at least a modicum of destructibility in the environment, for both aesthetic and tactical reasons.
 
Zero82z said:
UT99 ruined almost all multiplayer FPSes for me, because there are only a handful of games ever made that come close to it's gameplay perfection.
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UT99 is fantastic...Sometimes I wish that someone would make a better looking version of that game then stop, then sell it.
 
TheCommander said:
System Shock 2
Planescape Torment
Starcraft
Diablo 2
Star Control 2
Tribes 2
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System Shock 1 was superb for its time... hardly anybody played it though.



For me, Muzzle Velocity spoiled all RTS games... what fun is an RTS game when you can't zoom down and drive a tank around for a bit. Even though it wasn't quite the same, just the mere thought of it has ruined them all, and i loved the original C&C.
 
Diablo 2... can't play titan's quest and such because of d2.
UO, can't play other mmo's without getting utterly bored. The awesomeness of UO won't leave me.
Ninja Gaiden Black, the fluidity of gameplay and animation was amazing, I can play other games but I can't help but compare it to NGB and feels it comes up short.
UT99 was awesome... while it's not affecting gamesl ike previously mentioned games, but I can't help but want games to be more like UT99.
 
FPS: i come from cs 1.6 and i must say...bdbc2 set the new bar for me....
open world: i used to love the GTA series but just cause 2.... wow. two words: grappling hook.

i like (mainly) shooters, blow stuff up games, and side scrollers like mario...but i cant recall playing any side scroller ish game after duke nukem for pc or mario bros for nintendo.... anyone got suggestions for similar type games?

im too impatient and lazy to read story lines so i dont play final fantasy stuff.... and i just suck at rts games although i own warcraft 2 and starcraft =X
 
W.O.W., never played a single player for more than 2 hours since then
 
Goldeneye :)

it was very hard to go back to classic SP shooters after that game. Spent so many hours with my friends, drinking beers and playing that game.

Mortal Kombat 2 is also up there
 
Freedom of choice in fallout2 for its day was unparalleled.

You really could get through the game with chracters build for melee, small guns, big over the top guns, with diplomacy, with sneaking and lockpicking...you never really grasp just how much choice there is until you replay it and find specific events which can be done in entirely different ways.

And the freedom was great, you bore responsability for your actions...little kid bothering you? Shoot him in the face...but you'll get the child killer tag and people aren't going to treat you the same...rob graves for extra cash and you end up with a similar thing. Help one band of people and get benefits but create enemies with their rivals, or be smart and play both side, or even remain neutral. You could be arbitarily generous and sometimes it would pay you back much later in the game, being a badass and stealing everything and killing people netted you quick gains but deprived you of vendors who would otherwise restock ammunition...

The freedom both in exploration and in how you fine tune your character, as well as the freedom of choices, including moral choice, made this game so good I just couldn't stop playing.

One strong memory I have is of some religious teacher in the middle of a well armed city, and you get a mission to take him out, my first play through I had high charisma and talked my way out of a lot of things, in the 2nd play through I was a stealthy sneaky lockpicking pickpocketing son-of-a...so I snook into the building, set a timer on some dynamite, then pickpocketed it into his inventory and sneaked out...boom...try doing that in a modern RPG :)
 
The online portion of RTCW for XBOX live, i could play this game for hours day after day and never get tired of it, for some reason the community was very tight, very competitive and in my opinion the game was perfect! I never had the same feeling playing any other online game.

Warcraft 3 - This is definitely the best RTS for me, I just can't get enought after all those years.
 
Arcanum, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 2, CSS, most Bioware games, Half-Life, Monkey Island series, Diablo 2, Morrowind, Final Fantasy 6, Super Mario Bros 3, Goldeneye, more but can't think of them.
 
Everquest 1. I just have been completely unable to get into any MMORPG even remotely close to how much EQ1 had me by the balls.
Diablo 2. All of the clones just dont cut it, even if they are good. cant bring myself to play.

Rome: Total War, havent gotten into a new TW as much since that one, perfection.

Quake 3. Made me feel like every MP FP since was made for noobs and the days of everyone playing 1-2 games on end to get good at are gone.
 
Everquest: at release. Back when the world felt massive as there was no map or compass and all you had was landmarks to navigate with. Back when your gear stayed on your corpse and could get stuck down in a dungeon, needing help to get it out again. Back when people roleplayed and PvP'd without being told to, because that's just what you did in a roleplaying game. Back when playing the game, experiencing it and simply surviving was the whole point of it and not just a chore you had to endure in order to find a mythical 'endgame'.

Dark Age of Camelot: because no game has managed to come close to this in terms of community or massive scale warfare. I mean.. really massive. PvP sieges on castles and surrounding countrysides that might involve hundreds of players. Everyone having their part to play in a grander scheme, from solo players scouting and harrassing, to coordinated groups roaming and taking out reinforcements, to people just wanting to hang out in the zerg and find a role. With 45 classes, everyone had a role to fill in this big, endless event. MMO's have gradually downsized and catered for the individual rather than the community, which is failing to see the point, imo. Single player games do that really well already...


I think that both of these examples show how dull the genre has become. It's really turned into the Facebook farm genre now. There is so much emphasis on making them accessible and simple to succeed at that they are just grinds. You are led by the hand through a boring treadmill with little to no challenge or variety and when you're done you simply sit around and moan at the developers because they aren't giving you any more generic content to chew on, like a cow. Do cows look excited to you? I didn't think so.
 
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