I’ll give my example and I think I’m going to get a lot of hate for it. I DESPISE Dark Souls 3. It is such a mediocre game when it comes to the actual gameplay. There is like zero build diversity, the combat isn’t indepth and, while the other souls games have at least decent RPG mechanics and exploration can make things easier, DS3 just demands you rolly polly your way to victory. There is no weight to like anything, you feel so floaty and light, and you fold like a peice of paper when you get hit. And so many attacks don’t care about your positioning, and instead only if you mashed the dodge button at the correct time, something Elden Ring kind of does too, but it adds a jump button to retain some offense and I find that I’m able to out position bosses and enemies more often in it without actually dodging.

Dark Souls 3 is such a mindnumbingly boring game for me, I feel zero excitement playing it.

Love DS1, DS2, Bloodborne and Elden Ring though, great games all around.

And the music for DS3 is amazing and I do love the Pontiff Sullivan fight.

  • calliope@retrolemmy.com
    16·
    1 day ago

    To me, Rockstar Games are cool as world simulators and storytelling engines. My issue is that they plop lazily-designed gameplay on top.

    No one ever talks about the core gameplay loops of these games, the thing that makes you progress through the storyline.

    They talk about the storyline, but they don’t talk about the mediocre gunfights you have to wade through to watch a cutscene or hear dialogue. Wave after wave of anonymous enemies, like videogames haven’t changed since shooting galleries.

    They have to introduce essentially unexplained superpowers (slowing down time) to make it remotely interesting. And even then, I would argue most people are just trying to get through every single mission.

    Or the terrible movement/driving/riding physics. I didn’t finish GTA4 (also a “10/10 game”) because some of the missions relied on the abysmal movement.

    It’s like… a Rockstar game is like going to IKEA. You’re going to be led through a lot of stupid crap, just because they want to keep you there longer.

    • OmegaMouse@pawb.social
      5·
      1 day ago

      I do agree with your observations here, especially when it comes to GTA V.

      One Rockstar game that I thought did a good job with the gameplay loop was Max Payne 3. Near-death, running low on ammo and diving to the side of an enemy’s shot in slow-motion whilst you line up that last headshot and see the animation as the final bullet hits it’s target. THAT felt satisfying. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but I loved the gameplay.

      GTA V on the other hand did feel like a chore at times with its uninspiring gunfights. I think it actually shined most during the unscripted moments - being chased when a stray bullet pops a tyre, forcing you to fight your way out of a battle on the side of the road before running for your life, stealing another car and getting away. I guess that’s what you mean when you say a storytelling engine.