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[Phediuk]

When we don't like a popular game, we can usually still see why others do.

But every now and then, we come across a game that makes us ask, "Why does anyone like this?" And now, there's a whole thread devoted to those games.

One that comes to mind for me is Animal Crossing. I have no idea why anyone finds collecting furniture and pulling weeds to be fun. I played this on the GameCube and felt like I had wasted $50. It is a chore simulator. Even if you really wanted a mundane-everyday-life sim, you could play something with more depth, like The Sims. And then there's all the incredibly tedious dialogue that it makes you sit through for even the simplest tasks. I do not get this series. There is nothing here that appeals to me. I don't know what appeals to other people either. I had more fun playing the Balloon Fight NES game in Animal Crossing than I did with the game proper. But I accept that I am in the minority and will probably never understand what other people see in this game.

So GAF, how about you? What''s that game where you just don't understand the appeal?

 

[hwy_61]

I second Animal Crossing. I tried New Leaf and was bored to tears after a few weeks. Same shit every goddamn day.

 

[EvilKatarn]

Borderlands.

It's ugly and boring. The shooting is not satisfying at all and everything about the game just gives me a headache. The worst part is that I played 30 hours of the first game because people told me it'd be great.

Oh, and fucking Ice Climbers.

 

[10k]

Animal Crossing
Minecraft (the fuck?)
The Sims

Different tastes I guess.

 

[Chindogg]

Animal Crossing
Minecraft (the fuck?)
The Sims

Different tastes I guess.

First person Legos. Enough said.

 

[G-Fex]

MOBAs, borderlands, jrpgs, maybe strange indie games.

 

[rokero]

Minecraft

 

[GRW810]

Call of Duty.

Pow pow pow pow pow pow pow multiplied by the days, weeks, months until the sequel. Rinse and repeat. How people devote chunks of their lives to it is beyond me.

 

[dugdug]

Minecraft.

Cool. You re-created a thing in the game that you saw in something else.

ONE OF THE BEST SELLING GAMES OF ALL TIME.

 

[MxBxM]

Call of Duty, Animal Crossing, Assassins Creed, and Dark Souls.

Can't get why they are so "great" or popular.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

Balloon Fight for the NES, I've never understood the appeal of it.

 

[Lunaniem]

Dynasty Warriors.

Played one of the games for like an hour of it at a friends house once, almost fell asleep.

 

[badnewsbeers]

Metal gear solid. Everything about it screams juvenile and the plots are silly. Not to mention, the controls are terrible. I've played a handful and never have I enjoyed them. Baffles me why they are popular.

 

[thenexus6]

I get the appeal of Minecraft if you have a big circle of friends that play together (I enjoy the achievement hunter lets plays) without its very boring imo

 

[The Albatross]

Little Big Planet.

It's just something I don't get I think. To me, it just seems like a platformer with unpredictable controls... but I know it's got something much more than that, I just can't figure it out.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Call of Duty or any other online FPS.

Back when I was playing CS we used to have full servers with people in the actual game chat. You could talk to people, coordinate your attacks and curse the opponents. Now the only people in actual game chats seem to be idiots and the good people are either in private party chat or not in chat at all, I really, really, really don't get the appeal of this.

Where is the difference between this and shooting bots? And who enjoys shooting bots?

 

[Impeccable]

MOBA games - I watch streams time to time to attempt to spark an interest but it just seems boring to me. People complain about grinding in a lot of games but they seem like "Grinding: The Game" to me. Could be one of things you have to play to get.

 

[figadapaura]

Definitely Animal Crossing. I really don't get it.

Also a lot of JRPG's.

 

[hwy_61]

MOBA games - I watch streams time to time to attempt to spark an interest but it just seems boring to me. People complain about grinding in a lot of games but they seem like "Grinding: The Game" to me. Could be one of things you have to play to get.

I agree with this. All my RL friends play is LoL, and I've tried playing it with them and I can't fuckin stand it.

 

[injurai]

Amibal Xrossing
Binding of Issaacc

 

[Jb]

I was going to say Animal Crossing too.
Conceptually I understand the apeal of slowly working your way up to build a house, renovate building in your towns and buying cosmetic items (I loved The Sims 1 back in the day), but both the customization and grinding minigames aspects of AC look incredibly limited to me.

 

[Seanspeed]

Cant wait to hear all the oversimplifications of games from people who either haven't, or have barely played them and pass judgement on it.

 

[SheHateMe]

For me, it's the Soul series (Demon, Dark 1, Dark 2).

I see almost everyone on GAF loving the piss out of it and recommending it, and when I play it, not only do I admittedly suck at the game, but it bores me to tears.

Sure, I'll get backlash for this, but it's my opinion, personally. If you guys like it, I love it.

I just know it's not for me.

 

[Lonewulfeus]

For me, GTA.

No matter how good it is I just can't get into it

 

[hwy_61]

I was going to say Animal Crossing too.
Conceptually I understand the apeal of slowly working your way up to build a house, renovate building in your towns and buying cosmetic items (I loved The Sims 1 back in the day), but both the customization and grinding minigames aspects of AC look incredibly limited to me.

Also the repetitive nature of fucking everything. Every time you walk into the village shop, the clerk HAS to stop everything to welcome you to the store. Ugh.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Japanese games, except Mario and Zelda.


Aside from the Souls games I seriously fucking hate japanese games so much.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I don't particularly like MOBAs, The Elder Scrolls, online FPSs, and Borderlands, but I understand why they're popular.

But I don't think I'll ever understand Dynasty Warriors. It's just shitty. The level design is fucking bad PS2-era flat levels with heavy fogging and the combat is completely shallow and unsatisfactory. I played DW Next, I think it was, on the Vita a couple of weeks ago, and it's actually barely advanced since the series became big on PS2. It's the first one I've played in maybe five or six years, and I at least expected it to have advanced a little. I know it's fun in theory to defeat a whole army on your own, but this game is so bad in almost every regard. I worry for Hyrule Warriors, and if I were Iwata Omega Force would have been the last company I'd have hired to make that game.

 

[Holykael1]

The Legend of Zelda series...
They are so terribly formulaic and boring, the very definition of generic. (Don't shoot me plz, I know that my opinion is very personal and doesn't actually matter, if you like the games I am happy for you because it's something else to enjoy )
I tried multiple games in the series and could never stomach or get past the first few hours. They do absolutely nothing for me.

Also:
Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, simulators in general ...

Well I guess I understand why people like them, I just can't see the appeal myself and Im not particularly surprised when someone says they like these games either.

I really hope most people mix the idea of this thread with the question "what games/genres can't you personally understand".

Surely it's not that hard to understand why other people like games you don't? I don't like online shooters at all, but I can see how it can be very enjoyable to a lot of people.

This is the approach im taking basically.

 

[Anura]

Any kind of shooter and minecraft are the most prominent for me

 

[PlumCantaloupe]

The Grand Theft Auto series. I have tried a few times to give it a shot (GTA 4 and GTA 3:Vice City) but usually the story, terrible controls, its focus on shock value as opposed to subtlety, and the inability to go into 99% of the buildings prevent me from being able to get into it.

 

[deviant1]

Animal Crossing - Listening to Vinny talk about this on the Bombcast, sounds like zero fun. Like an open world game with really nothing to do/

Mario Kart - I really don't get the appeal of these games. I've played all of them up to and including MK Wii and they're just so boring. Simplistic controls, no skill required, just hold the throttle and steer and hope you get decent items. I'm just sick of the whole Mario universe too

 

[genbatzu]

Call of Duty
Battlefield
EA Sports Series

all of the above have yearly iterations and are basically the same game. They could just change it into a subscription model and charge $60 a year....

Mario Games (especially Super Mario Bros in all it's variations it's only a jump n' run with an iconic character)

Smash Bros. Series

 

[Kouriozan]

It was Animal Crossing, now it'll be Tomodachi Life

 

[misterhektik]

Pokemon, Minecraft, Day Z

 

[Acorn]

MOBA's but that's mostly because I can't be arsed to learn what the fuck they are.

 

[R3TRO]

The Souls series. The combat, movement, graphics etc. are so bad in them.

 

[Waylon Drums]

Minecraft and "high level" play of almost anything. It takes every ounce of fun out of a game. Smash Brothers being the worst culprit.

 

[SkeptiMism]

I really hope most people mix the idea of this thread with the question "what games/genres can't you personally understand".

Surely it's not that hard to understand why other people like games you don't? I don't like online shooters at all, but I can see how it can be very enjoyable to a lot of people.

MOBA games - I watch streams time to time to attempt to spark an interest but it just seems boring to me. People complain about grinding in a lot of games but they seem like "Grinding: The Game" to me. Could be one of things you have to play to get.

I agree with this. All my RL friends play is LoL, and I've tried playing it with them and I can't fuckin stand it.

It's not grinding at all in the general sense. Grinding generally is something you do without any challenge. In MOBAs its a meta game of power and presence every single second, as you need to be aware of your opponent doing the same thing and you need to deny the kills from him and maybe damage him and keep him at bay.

 

[Ouroboros]

Skyrim. Or any game like that for that matter. I just can't get into them.
Borderlands to an extent. BL2 was growing on me

 

[hwy_61]

It was Animal Crossing, now it'll be Tomodachi Life

I know I shouldn't buy it, but I'm gonna. I need to see it for myself.

 

[AntiFacebook]

smash bros
mario kart

 

[Xenon]

Most F2P/P2W games. Knowing that the game is designed around trying to get you to spend money is a complete turn off. Actually you can throw MMOs in there too since they use similar grinding techniques.

 

[MrBadger]

Steamworld Dig. Always see people giving the game heaps of praise, but when I played it, it was just a game about slowly chipping away blocks, getting upgrades to cut them quickly, then getting to stronger blocks that you have to slowly chip away again. I didn't find it particularly satisfying and I didn't think the visuals were all that interesting either. I thought I'd enjoy it since I remember liking Motherload way back when, but it just didn't click for me.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

There are a lot of popular games I dislike but I can see what people like about them - Halo's success, however, remains a mystery to me. It reeks mediocrity from every pore and even the first game was average by PC shooter standards but oh well.

 

[Guess Who]

MOBAs.

Played a couple of Dota 2 rounds with a friend who was really into it and, just, nothing. Not feeling it. I can only assume there's something I'm not getting seeing as it's the most popular genre on the planet right now.

 

[Waylon Drums]

I second Animal Crossing. I tried New Leaf and was bored to tears after a few weeks. Same shit every goddamn day.

Animal Crossing is like Monster Hunter in that both game series make you "pledge" the game and get through boring beginning crap because you're initiated into the fun. I can see where that wouldn't appeal to everyone.

 

[sixteen-bit]

as far as character action games go, god of war. it plays like shit to me.

 

[Snkfanatic]

Demon Souls and Dark Souls series.

Tried both, owned both, sold both.

 

[RP912]

Call of Duty.


The series died with cod 4 in my opinion. I tried playing ghost when the mp was free for the weekend and got incredibly bored with it.

 

[Clarkus Darkus]

Minecraft
MOBA's
Assassins Creed