In this slogging post, we discuss the video games and franchises we didn't expect to like but ended up loving. We also discuss the perfect entry points for these games and franchises.
This Slogging thread by Jack Boreham, Nicolas Ng, Jose Hernandez and JeffreyHarris occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability.
Has there been a game or franchise you didn't expect to like but ended up loving?
I never expected to like Sekiro. I played it for a bit at my friend's place, got my ass kicked and gave up. A couple of months later, I got this itch for Sekiro's combat mechanics and setting after watching Demon Slayer and went on a week-long binge where I somehow got my dyspraxic hands to beat all the bosses in the game. Honestly, winning in Soulslikes is a feeling hard to get in most games.
A game that I didn't expect to love as much as I did was Hollow Knight. I wasn't super into the Metroidvania genre when I played it, but I couldn't put it down. The lore and gameplay left a permanent mark on my memory.
Interesting, mine has to be Animal Crossing. I didn't think I would be such a big fan of building a life on an island full of fuzzy animal creatures. But boy, was I wrong. I got instantly addicted and have put hundreds of hrs into the games.
what about you guys Limarc Ambalina JeffreyHarris
I wasn't a huge Doom fan until I started getting into the series due to the 2016 DOOM sequel/reboot for work-related reasons. That got me into the series for the first time. I had never even really played the original 1990s Doom and Doom II games before. I had played Doom 64 a little bit when it came out. Playing Doom in 2016 made me appreciate both that game and the classic original id Software title and id Software doing some new cutting edge stuff at the time.
Hmm, I'm not a big fan of Doom myself. Do you think playing the 2016 doom JeffreyHarris might get me into it?
Nicolas Ng This might sound like a silly question, but is Sekiro a good starting point for getting into the souls like games? I've always wanted to get into them but have never had the courage nor the patience. Is it as hard as the dark soul's games?
Jack Boreham, it's a pretty good question! Getting into Souls-like games are really daunting. I would say so, but it's not going to be a good way of learning how to play Dark Souls, just an introduction to the experience.
The gameplay is quite distinct from Dark Souls. It's based on parrying and blocking as opposed to dodging, rolling, and backstabbing. It's much simpler since you only need to get good at one weapon and don't need to fiddle with builds in the same way you do in other Souls likes.
I'm not sure if it's more challenging or more accessible because of the difference since there is pretty much only one thing to get good at, but you have to get good by the end. But, it's an excellent gateway drug and great in its own right.
Aside from Final Fantasy Tactics, I was never a huge SRPG fan and I'd neglected the Fire Emblem series my whole life, until I played Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS on a whim.
After I played it, I couldn't believe I'd been missing out on such a great series all my life. (It doesn't help that most of the games are expensive). The Gamecube and Nintendo Wii installments are crazy expensive.Now, it is one of my favorite series of all time and I just finished my first playthrough of Three Houses
After I played it, I couldn't believe I'd been missing out on such a great series all my life. (It doesn't help that most of the games are expensive). The Gamecube and Nintendo Wii installments are crazy expensive.Now, it is one of my favorite series of all time and I just finished my first playthrough of Three Houses