Games you enjoy, despite disliking or being ambivalent towards their premise.

[Nutmeg]

A lot of people seem to play computer games due to their world or narrative (I lump these two together and call them "premise" for lack of a better word). For example someone who is very fascinated by the second world war might play many computer games which in some way or another feature this historical event, despite the merits of the games themselves. Other people may enjoy all things Star Wars, or zombie, or survival, or steam punk. Another similar scenario is when someone has no previous feelings for some game's premise, but is mainly drawn towards the game because of it. For example, a child who enjoys playing city building simulation games, might buy a medieval themed city building simulaiton game because he or she wants to experience this type of game with this premise.

Personally, I find computer games' treatment of most premeses to be amateur, so I usually play games for different reasons. For example, I was recently playing "Fire emblem: the blazing sword" (the one titled just "Fire emblem" in english). I found the narrative terrible, and I don't care too much for medieval fantasy worlds. However, I found the game really really enjoyable, and have recently started playing another game from the same series (Sealed sword).

What are some games you really enjoyed, despite an unremarkable narrative and game world?

 

[Kattze]

Valkryia Chronicles.

 

[Surf Solar]

I usually hate FPS gameplay, but got Battlefield because of the amazing sound system.

 

[DraQ]

Doom, of course.
Unreal Tournament.
DN3D.


Less obviously:
System Shock 2 (story has crippling flaws to it, not much in terms of world).


Depending on whether that counts:
Wizardry 8 (story isn't that hot, world is nonsensical mishmash of whatever seemed cool at the moment - although it's self conscious and subtly ironic about that, so this may count as liking the premise on basis of it being ironic about a premise I wouldn't like).
Divinity 2 (world is out of :hifantasy: again, irony and humour make it shine).

 

[warpig]

Football games maybe, I hate this sport but I used to play fifa/pes.

Tekken and Soul Calibur. I enjoy the gameplay despite the horribly tasteless, vomit inducing setting, character design, style etc. Here it's more an artstyle related thing than "premise"(I like martial arts, figthing..)

With me it's usually the other way around though, I tend to play some really crappy games because I like the theme, story, atmosphere, setting, art.

 

[GeorgeWood]

Rugrats: Search for Reptar

At first moment, we thought it would be a cookie cutter shovelware title, based on a tasteless saturday's morning cartoon, but in the end, it suprised us unexpectedly.

In reality it is a high quality child simulator game, and the loose play control makes you feel like a 5-year old child.

Without a shame, we gave it NAVGTR ''Suprise Of The Year'' Award tm.

 

[J1M]

KOTOR. It is space fantasy.

 

[DakaSha]

First time i fired up ADOM back in 2000 my mind was blown

 

[Carrion]

Bloodlines fits this to some extent. Vampires in goth clubs, it rapes everything that was cool about Dracula. The biggest achievement of the game is that it actually makes it work.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I hate driving games, but Rollcage is pretty damn entertaining.

 

[DraQ]

I hate driving games, but Rollcage is pretty damn entertaining.

I was hoping you'd say "Interstate 76" but you didn't.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I hate driving games, but Rollcage is pretty damn entertaining.

I was hoping you'd say "Interstate 76" but you didn't.

Can you rocket jump in that game? No? Then it's not unrealistic enough for my taste.

 

[Cassidy]

Civilization I, II, III and IV, the setting is borh bland and too ridiculous for history enthusiasts (Classical Era Kwanstain just for a start).

Paradox Games (Europa Universalis III, Darkest Hour and Victoria II). I'm not really much into historical settings.

Betrayal at Krondor, a great example of how to improve a plain premise through superior gameplay and narrative.

Temple of the Elemental Evil. Hommlet is probably one of the most banal, shit, boring game starts and RPG villages ever and the Temple isn't much interesting either, but the gameplay made up for the shitty premise.

Jagged Alliance 2. A no-frills Squad-based TBS/RPG which setting is a pastiche of 1980s action movies and series. And one of the best, if not the best turn-based combat system ever created for a videogame.

Drakensang: The River of Time. Maybe I liked it more than I should because it was one of a handful of real CRPGs released during a time of total and abject decline, but in spite of its quite generic and lighthearted setting, I still enjoyed it.

Most of the good 1990s FPSes (Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, etc).

 

[SCO]

I hate driving games, but Rollcage is pretty damn entertaining.

I was hoping you'd say "Interstate 76" but you didn't.

Can you rocket jump in that game? No? Then it's not unrealistic enough for my taste.

You can do a double barrel roll and still hit the road running (though i only managed once by accident).

 

[SCO]

It was awesome
Music is incredible too and it has one of the most stylish install menus ever (wish there was a video of it).
But here is its install music - low quality, imagine that with crossfading awesome pencil drawings:



btw, this game has a UNAVOIDABLE BUG that crashes the game at the start of a certain mission (9 i think) unless you exchange a dll. The exchanged dll has a other limitations i can't recall
Nitro riders (or whatever was the name, the expansion pack) also had awesome missions. Pity they were not placed on a sequential order! (or any order at all really, you choose them from a menu, without any cutscenes to link them, typical slamdunk budget product).

GoG aren't you supposed to fix games?

Use a voodoo emulator with very high resolution for maximum graphic whoreishness (not much).

 

[Absalom]

Gearhead, since it's a wapanese mecha game. But since it's a rogue like with no grafix, I can just pretend they're all battletech mechs

 

[deuxhero]

I really can't think of any. There are plenty of games settings I have no interest in, but still remain neutral, not against, the setting because of it (I have no no interest in any sports or the culture surrounding sports and especially skateboarding, but THUG is awesome in both gameplay and plot).

Only thing I can say I "hate" unattached to a genre is Toliken plagerized fantasy (complete generic fantasy, with no elfs ect, is complete neutral), but I have never really cared as long as the game didn't try to be storyfag about it (which I can't think of any games that did that and were good).

That said, I'd imagine a lot of the Codex would enjoy the Atelier games, even if they hate the concept of cute girls doing cute things.

 

[Nutmeg]

Here's another one from me: Tecmo superbowl. Going into it, I didn't care much for the sport of American football (I must admit I don't really follow any sports on TV, although I sometimes watch the bigger events with friends), but I found the game immensely enjoyable. I ended up looking up videos of the IRL players and everything. Now I know all the rules of American football and a whole bunch of useless information about the '91 NFL season, but not really any other.

 

[Blaine]

That said, I'd imagine a lot of the Codex would enjoy the Atelier games, even if they hate the concept of cute girls doing cute things.

It's not just "cute," it's diabetes-inducing (the Rainbow Brite of Japanese RPGs) and vaguely pedophilic when played by adult men. I'd rather be caught watching gay porn that playing one of those games.

For the unfamiliar, BEHOLD! Jump to 2:35 for a "dialog" scene....

 

[Unkillable Cat]

LHX Attack Chopper - I don't bother with flight sims in general, but this one kept me going for quite a while. Possibly because you can choose between 4 helicopters and each of them plays a little differently.

 

[deuxhero]

That said, I'd imagine a lot of the Codex would enjoy the Atelier games, even if they hate the concept of cute girls doing cute things.

It's not just "cute," it's diabetes-inducing (the Rainbow Brite of Japanese RPGs) and vaguely pedophilic when played by adult men. I'd rather be caught watching gay porn that playing one of those games.

For the unfamiliar, BEHOLD! Jump to 2:35 for a "dialog" scene....

What's wrong with that scene? I saw Filly was involved and thought it would actually be her being... Filly. That's just a minor scene pointing out a possible ending goal (reach so many people).

If you are talking about the lack of VA, blame NISA, not the game. That's voiced in the Japanese version and if you turn on Japanese audio.

 

[Whisky]

I can't really think of anything now, but I used to play The Sims way too much for a normal male.

It was only when installing the games exceeded the time playing it that I ditched it for good.

 

[shihonage]

Erm, WoW.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Blaine

-complaints constantly about how feminism is a secret woman plan aiming for the downfall of man

-would rather watch gay porn than play some game

is there something you wanna tell us, friend?

 

[laclongquan]

Knight of the Old Republic 1.

I despise the Star Wars universe. Never interest much in the films or games or cartoons. But I can roll with KOTOR1. Too easy sometimes, but I can roll with it. And running around the places in undies do have certain charms, beside raising the difficulty.

Why not Kotor2? Because my rig has some incompatibility with it, so I never play it.