When do you know it's time to give up on a game?

On 08/27/2014 at 09:32 PM by asrealasitgets

I hate giving up on a game when I just start them, but I rarley have regrets when I do. Some games I never finished that I think were good games were Resonance of Fate, and Valkyria Chronicles. With Resonance of Fate there were long sections where you had to survive before reaching the boss at the end, a dungeon if you will. Dying half way and having to restart was very frustrating, but probably meant that I didn't understand the combat well enough. This is more likely true. Valkyria Chronicles, which is like an anime XCOM had long campaigns where you could end your game after an hour over a dumb mistake. Again, it probably means I didn't understand the game mechanics well enough to keep going. They are both really good games in my opinion, but with so many games to play out there, I don't feel like investing time to learn new systems all the time. I need to cut down to one or two games a month, instead of every week.

This all has to do with Operation Racoon City. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a multi-player coop shooter that takes place during events of Resident Evil series, and was very poorly recieved.
What I thought I was getting:
A standard multiplayer shooter like Call of Duty or SOCOM with a Resident Evil themed skin.

What I actually got:
A Resident Evil game, like RE5 or RE6, minus the puzzles but with 4 players.

This game plays a lot like Resident Evil 5. There is coop for single players, with up to 4 players, but you cannot command or control the actions of the AI. Occasionally they will heal you or take out a bunch of baddies on their own, but sometimes they just give up and lay lifeless on the ground with their name handle hovering over them like halos. :(

There are bosses, but you are supposed to either run from them, or weaken them. You don't really take them down, like you do in RE games. Sometimes there are button prompt mini-games when dealing with bosses. Really bad idea! I wanted to rage quit when this appeared in the first stage of story mode.

The problem:
Basic enemies, including zombies are bullet sponges. I'm sure the game expects me to unlock better guns by replaying over and over. However, the amount of ammo it takes to take one enemy down is ridiculous. I feel like the game makers over powered even basic enemies due to the fact that there are 4 players in a game. Some areas are too long. Just like in RE6, some levels are short and to the point, others drag on forever and have ridiculous challenge and bad pacing with no checkpoints.

Conclusion:
I know this game was meant for co-op, but honestly I can imagine friendships being broken up trying to play this game together. It has the frustration factor of being overwhelmed constantly like RE games. You are fighting soldiers one minute, then a mini boss shows up sniping you, then zombies are released on you from everywhere. And everyone is just running around in a panic-- basically a zombie apocolypse simulator. I've only gotten to the 3rd stage in story mode. The few times I've attempted online matches, the players quit because they seemed lost. Also Nemesis was chasing us, and we got scared and logged off.

This game doesn't always expect you to clear out an area of enemies. Sometimes you have to just cut a exit path through the madness and just make for the exit. The game doesn't always tell you that, it's sort of implied by the given situation. It tries to be a multiplayer RE single player game, if that makes sense, but also have waves of enemies like RE6 and Left4Dead. I think Dead Island and Left4Dead are much better games than this, but I hate to say this game sucks because other games do co-op better, but other games do it better.

When do I give up?
I'm not sure if I'm a bad player--actually I totally am, or if the game is unfair and broken? I'm honestly feeling the game is broken. I will keep at it and see how far I get next time. I will not be easily defeated!!!

Some cool things...
The visuals are very nice. It's the "other side" of RE saga, which I really love the idea of. You start off as a mercenary team for Umbrella in story mode, and have to destroy evidence. The game has the feel of those Milla Jovovich films, which are more like war movies than horror movies, especially the music. I like revisiting Racoon City in HD, one way or another, but I've only seen one distinct area to the series which is the burning streets of Racoon City from RE2 an RE3. I don't remember if the Racoon City Hospital or City Hall were featured in the games before, so they might be new.

What is your take on this blog? Am I right to hate this game or am I playing it wrong? Is there some redeeming qualities to this title or is it a steaming pile of shit the internet says it is?
It looks oh so perty by the way!

Addendum

I just saw the trailer for Escape Dead Island, and I'm totally all in on this!

Matt Snee Staff Writer

08/27/2014 at 09:53 PM

I dunno man from what i heard this game is terrible.

asrealasitgets

08/27/2014 at 10:54 PM

"Terrible." In video games could mean a lot of things to different people. Some people hate Souls games, which I love. Some people hate Resident Evil games, which I loved thought were good.

08/27/2014 at 11:03 PM

that's true, art is subjective. but I think there's something to be said of games that are genuinely bad. I've never heard anybody say "ET was a great game!"

08/27/2014 at 11:06 PM

But there are reviews that state that this game is a good RE game. It doesn't play like other shooters, so shooter fans might not like it. That's the impression I got from reviews, if you played RE and are used to the mechanics and controls, you shouldn't have a problem here. My issue is mainly with the difficulty, not gameplay, but I don't normally play shooters, so it might be me.

08/27/2014 at 11:18 PM

I'm sure there's people who enjoyed it. I think BrokenH reviewed this game a while back but I can't remember what he said about it. I haven't played it, but I think a game like this is cool if you love the universe and you get it cheap. I've played some shitty starwars games just because they're starwars games, and I enjoyed them.

Blake Turner Staff Writer

08/27/2014 at 10:01 PM

I heard the game was fucking awful to be honest. Haven't played it myself but unless the game is Bioshock, I give up when there are bullet spongey enemies.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

08/27/2014 at 11:07 PM

Mass Effect 3 also. Those Banshees still give me nightmares.

08/27/2014 at 11:09 PM

But this is mainly a co-op game, which I am choosing to play in single-player. My impression of single player modes in shooters is that they are generally easy, compared to playing online with others who have more experience. I was surprised to find this game with a high difficult on casual settings and with 4 AI characters. It playes like every other RE game honestly. It just did away with backtracking and narrative.

xDarthKiLLx

You give up on a game when it ceases to provide enjoyment. Usually.

08/27/2014 at 11:15 PM

But I "enjoy" the panic and confusion in this game, it's just SO hard! I'm not sure if the game is BAD or too diffult. I honestly need to play it more to pass judment. File this blog post under "evaluation still in progress" and "spoke too soon".

08/27/2014 at 11:19 PM

Are you playing on PS3? How much does a copy of this shitfest cost, used? I might be able to lend a hand, provided it's under 20 bucks and readily available at my local Gamestop

08/27/2014 at 11:46 PM

It's like $10 at gamestop- used. I'm playing the PS3 version. I didn't pay a lot for it though. Like $4 on ebay.

Super Step Contributing Writer

08/27/2014 at 11:36 PM

I'd say burn it.

Michael117

08/28/2014 at 12:19 AM

I start giving up when I feel like it's not worth my time. Money comes and goes, I don't usually worry about buyer's remore so the only thing valuable a game can waste is my time.

One of the last games I remember actually giving up on was GTA 4. I enjoyed some parts of it, made it several missions into the main story, and then I just felt like I saw everything I wanted to see, did everything I felt like doing, and it wasn't worth the time investment anymore so I stopped playing.

I gave up on Manhunt, but that didn't have any redeeming qualities, novelty, and impressive spectacle like GTA does, Manhunt was just dumb and I quit after about 30 minutes.

08/28/2014 at 01:01 AM

I'm the same way. I only played enough GTA4 to get a sense of the scale of the world, but as impressive as that is, I didn't feel like finishing it either. I'm just not a completionist I guess? Too many games! Too many games!

KnightDriver

08/29/2014 at 02:48 AM

I've been trying to be more patient with games that frustrate me, but at some point I say enough is enough. It's usually when I have to repeat something over and over again. I really can't stand that.

There's so many games that I love, but haven't finished because of difficulty. It's really satisfying to return to them and get past that part I got stuck on long ago.

08/29/2014 at 03:15 AM

I actually finished the game. It wasn't that long. My criticism of the game still stands though. The area I got stuck in was cheaply designed. That, and I suck at shooters, so those two things made it harder. I was trying to clear the area of enemies, but it was easier to cut through all of them and just complete the task the game was prompting for. Run and gun. I'm sure the room can be cleared by some bad ass Rambo player, but that ain't me. Also, that area is still the worst part of the game, in my opinion.

Nicoleb1989

08/29/2014 at 03:21 AM

Im not ashamed to say that I was one of the few who didnt regret buying this game. For me I loved that they tried to do something a lil bit different from their core series which they have done several times before. Another spin off in that way was the outbreak series which even to this day me and my lil sister love. We spent countless hours playing those. Anywho, I do agree it has its faults. The enemies were defiantly over powered*i call bs on the fucking hunters dammit* and A.I. wasnt the smartest. However if you can work your way around those faults the game can still be enjoyed. If it is fustrating you constantly thou, take a step back and walk away for awhile. Sometimes get the first feel of the game and then backing away a bit can help. If it continues to make you mad then I say shelve the game and go on. I typically do that for myself when dealing with a game thats giving me a hard time or Im not really enjoying it.

I think what I felt for Soul Calibur 5 is what people felt for this game. which is odd that its reveresed for me.

08/29/2014 at 03:53 AM

I really need to do a follow up review, because I actually liked it despite its issues, and I also agree that experimenting with the forumula is a good thing. But let's not kid ourselves, those little issues can be maddening and cheap. In the final mission for example, one of my squad mates died, and I couldn't go back for him, so I had to do the whole area without him. It wasn't that tough, and he respawned before the last section, but come on? They did suicide quite a few too many times. Like don't stand in front of Nemesis you bastards, he has a machine gun cannon for a hand! Awwwwww!

PixlBit