I play bad games. So what?August 8th, 2008 by Brittany
Del.icio.us | Digg | Technorati | Reddit | Stumble Upon
I bought Saints Row and I found it to be as entertaining as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or Vice City. I also have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of Sega Superstars Tennis. Taking along Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team on predictably long and boring outings has proved to be quite fulfilling.
Contrary to popular belief, games that do not receive amazing (or even mediocre) reviews can be enjoyable and fun. True, buying them is not going to push developers to strive for greatness, but playing them does not make one less of a gamer.
Games, much like movies, are created for individuals of all kinds, not the one or two who base their decisions on what to take to the counter on what a stranger’s review dictates. I’m definitely not saying that reviews are moot, but what’s wrong with trying something that you want to play, even if it may well be widely considered as “bad”? Nothing, right?
Tell that to the elitists populating the gaming community.
If the game is even remotely reminiscent of what you might bag up in the trashcan, then suddenly its worth is stripped. You’re no longer a “true” gamer if you lower yourself to such monstrosities.
Um, really?
I can be blunt with you guys, right? Okay, good. Well, I can’t afford to be buying every omgawesome release that’s churned out every month just because I was told to. I like to eat, and I like to rotate my wardrobe every now and then. I don’t own a PC dedicated to gaming. My laptop can barely run Darwinia. I probably will not, for a good while. That obviously must mean that I abhor the PC, right? Wrong. Of course, don’t let that stop you from accusing me of being a strictly-console gal. It hasn’t stopped anyone else so far. The last game that was even remotely graphics-intensive that the desktop could run without too many hiccups was Jericho. BioShock was playable…for a few months. We’re still not sure what happened there. I still enjoyed it, though. Anyway, the point being is that I haven’t the money (or steady income as of yet) to invest in a GameFly account, a new computer, or most of the newest, often overhyped releases. My solution has always been to turn to their cheaper alternatives.
For instance, Toys ‘R’ Us has recently featured a number of games where I live for very low prices, such as Stranglehold, Enchanted Arms, and Ninety-Nine Nights. With an extra percentage off they ended up being very cheap. Of course I wasn’t going to just ignore them. I have only been an owner of a 360 for about three months, and amassing a collection of compatible games seemed a daunting task. I had heard opinions of these particular titles.
“Stranglehold has too many birds. It’s also probably the worst game ever made.”
“Ninety-Nine Nights? Stupid Dynasty Warriors clone.”
Upon popping them all into my system and getting my game on, I was pleasantly surprised by the fun I was having with such “vile” games. My friends were quick to reprimand me. Why am I playing this game? Why don’t I get that game? What is wrong with me?
It’s quite obvious that these additions to my library aren’t changing the face of entertainment as we know it. Sometimes, though, I’m not all that concerned with redefining FPSs or RPGs or demanding more from developers. Every once in a while I just want a cheap game to enjoy because I’m sick of what I have. Is that really so difficult to understand? I can’t turn a critical eye to every single game that I play. I’m not gaming for a living. It’s my hobby.
Being a gamer isn’t some contest where you race to see how many critically-acclaimed games you can conquer, or how many times you can put down a friend for enjoying their PS3 edition of Sonic the Hedgehog. Okay, well, maybe they deserve that. You guys know what I’m trying to say though. Just like you’d sit through a movie like Step Brothers, some of us are content to play our Dynasty Warriors clones for a fraction of the price.
With that said, unless you’re willing to supply me with all the thousands of games you find to be great, then please leave me to my bargain-hunting. I’ll get to the good ones when (and if) I can afford them.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
haha, nice article. Im big into gaming but im always a few months late on the latest stuff but ive been getting into “crappy” games as of late just because its more relaxing than fragging in css (from a borrowed steam account) or cod4 (which i dont have because of money
) i recently found you guys and have enjoyed the reads, keep it up.
-Atown
August 8th, 2008 at 11:16 am
You know, that’s how I felt about Lifeline on PS2. It got mangled by critics and while it did have its issues, if you could overlook them then you found a really great gameplay experience in there, and it involved the player in an awesome way.
There are good things to be found in a lot of the “crappy” games. Kudos, Brit!
Jacob
August 8th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I’m a fan of bad games, just the same as bad music, sometimes they’re just a guilty pleasure. There’s just some bad games that are good for what they are. Mindless entertainment.
August 9th, 2008 at 12:12 am
This is a genius article, and it did me good to read it. I am a sucker for these so-called “crap games.” I mean, c’mon…would you rather get ONE game for $50…or like four? I agree completely and all that. Btw, great site, makes my day every time I read it.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Again, a great article. I felt like I was reading my life story about being poor and ravaging the bargain bin for cheap games lol.. Gotta LOVE those bargain bins.. and sometimes you find some gems in there.
Hoorah for all of the unloved games!! They all deserve chances!!
August 9th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
The internet is an amazing thing - it can turn an ordinary gamer into a maniacal fanboy in no time flat, especially if you happen upon places like Gamefaqs, GAF, or /v/.
To them, the only things that matter are bulletpoints they can use for ammo in order to “prove” that their system is in fact the correct one…and for something to fall into that category, it has to be a 9 or a 10, and preferably exclusive (though 360 and PS3 types often combine their forces to talk about the games they can play on their systems that the Wii owners can’t).
All of a sudden, we live in a time where games in the 6-8 range don’t matter. It’s pretty mind-boggling.
That’s not to say anything bad about the 9-10 games out there - for the most part, the praise they get is well deserved. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t have more fun with a 7-8 game, or that I couldn’t be bored to tears by a game that I would objectively call a 9 or so.
N3 is a great example of that. Condemned: Criminal Origins is another. Hell, last.gen Radiata Stories was quite possibly my favorite game out of them all, flawed though it may be. On the other side of things, I probably played CoD4 for just a few hours before I put it down for good. Just not my thing, really. I can see that it’s an “amazing” game and wouldn’t argue with any of the praise it’s gotten, it’s just not for me.
So yeah, I blame the fanboys. And, uh, fangirls, I suppose. Except, you know, girls don’t exist on the internet, supposedly. That’s what Gamefaqs, GAF, and /v/ told me, at least.
August 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Okay, I don’t want to steam anybody’s vegetables here, but I thought Saga Frontier was a terrible game.
And yet, with two other people, I played and beat all seven stories, because we enjoyed laughing at it, and the system was smooth enough to avoid being arduous. In the same way I enjoy a terrible movie, like “Hard Rock Zombies”, we were able to enjoy (what I thought was) a terrible game:
“Wait, she’s a lesbian?”
“She’s a lesbian VAMPIRE.”
“But I thought she was only a vampire if you used to boot attack.”
“I thought that made her a lesbian, not a vampire…”
Or stand up, shouting “WTF?!” at the end of the game, not unlike my reaction to the lightsaber fight with Hulk Hogan underneath the orphanage at the end of “Santa with Muscles” (yes, that does happen).
Does this mean I enjoy that game more or less than, say, Disgaea 2? I don’t know, but I got well more than $50 of enjoyment out of both, even though one is a “good” game and one is a “bad” game.
On a side note, my planned birthday gift to a friend of mine is just going to be, like, 7 copies of Eternal Ring, a naueseating (as described by him) PS2 game that he beat for some unclear reason.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:51 am
When I have no games to play, I just run to the store and pick up a handful of “(Insert number here) for (Insert low low price here)” games. Some of them turn out to be total gems - I bought Monster Rancher 2 for a tenner at a tiny second-hand game store and it’s one of my favourite games ever.
Some are bunk - but the kind of bunk I can enjoy, the same way I watch old movies for the bad special effects and the corny plots (For example, my latest 360 purchase: “So why are you killing endless lizards as a French katana wielding vampire?”)
August 13th, 2008 at 7:39 am
lol. my b/f has a good job so we can get most game on release, i just wish i had the damn time to play them. Its TERRIBLE. having something so nice so close. BUT if i ever see games for cheap i always pick them up, if not for me then for someone i know whos got the empty-pocketbook-blues.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I agree with you. While abominable games do exist, some games are overly criticized by the gaming community. Also, it’s hard to afford all of these new games when they come out. Purchasing simple and cheaper games helps saves money and keeps you busy until the prices on the better games drops to a reasonable price.