Summary
Gaming is filled with all sorts of games, ranging from the most seven out of ten experience you could ask for to perfect games, such as the classicTetris, and evengames that are so bad that pretty much everyone agreeson it. But what about the titles that are so close to being perfect across the board, only to have one or two issues hold them back?
Unfortunately, there are many of these titles out there that are bangers from start to finish, but have something about them that drives you out of control the more you progress through them, ruining an otherwise lovely experience overall. While they’re still phenomenal titles, these aspects of them should have been handled a bit differently!
Being the sequel to one of the best stories told in gaming must be a challenging task to live up to, and that is more than proven inThe Last of Us Part 2, which delivers one of the most over-the-top and needlessly convoluted tales of revenge you could dream up.
While the first Last of Us had a phenomenal story, its combat and gameplay could be a bit stiff; in contrast, Part 2 is the exact opposite. Its gameplay, visuals, and even voice acting are all top-tier, but its writing and general plot just don’t quite hit.There are still some stellar moments that shine through,but the majority of the time, you’re left rolling your eyes at how ridiculous everything is!
Fextralife Wiki
First things first, we absolutely adoreThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntandboth of its phenomenal expansions.Still, we cannot defend the oddness of its gameplay and combat, which put a dent in its otherwise impenetrable armor. Even with the updated control settings, Geralt feels bizarre to pilot, and the combat isn’t necessarily what we’d call fun.
Nonetheless, that almost doesn’t matter for once, as the writing, world design, and characters all carry everything forward, locking you in for hundreds of hours as you fight some of the coolest monster designs and make some questionable choices. But that gameplay… Here’s hoping The Witcher 4 fixes this issue!
Being praised for their smooth, fluid, and intoxicating combat design,Batman: Arkham Knightapparently thought it would be best if Batman spent most of his time in his Batmobile,making us scratch our heads every single time we think about it.
Even highly anticipated boss encounters take place in the Batmobile. We’re still stunned that you fight Deathstroke in your car, rather than having an epic showdown atop some rooftop, in the pouring rain, having you deal with his arsenal of weaponry. It’s baffling how heavily this game leans into the Batmobile aspect, completely ignoring what made the series so great!
This one may have furled some eyebrows, but hear us out. Much like The Witcher 3, we considerDark Soulsto be an all-timer and easily one of the most influential and great games of its generation. However, its back half feels a bit lacking compared to everything you did before it.
Izalith is a mess to get through and has one of the worst boss encounters in the series. Navigating through the Duke’s Archives is beyond tedious and unrewarding. It is also far too linear compared to the masterful interconnectedness that leads all the way up to Anor Londo. We still love Dark Souls with all our hearts, but these areas drag it down pretty hard!
Okay, it’s time for the great debate ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s weapon durability. While the rest of the game is fresh, rewarding, and magical to poke around in and explore, weapons shattering after a few uses is just simply not a fun mechanic and completely ruins its combat.
On one hand,we understand how it encourages you to pick up new weapons to try out,but on the other, it’s frustrating and not enjoyable to interact with at all. Especially when you need a specific weapon type but don’t have it on hand because, surprise, you smashed it into smithereens by hitting an enemy one too many times with it. And, yes, it returning in Tears of the Kingdom also made us salty!
3Soul Calibur 6
When Fighting Games Take Rock, Paper, Scissors Too Seriously
Many fighting games rely on a basic ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ type system, such as strikes beat throws, throws beat blocking, and blocking beats strikes. However, whileSoul Calibur 6also features a similar system, it has also added a literal Rock, Paper, Scissors quick-time event via Reversal Edge.
Any character can activate Reversal Edge during a match, causing both players to clash with each other, forcing them into a guessing game. Vertical Attacks beat Horizontal Attacks, Horizontal Attacks beat Kicks, and Kicks beat Horizontal Attacks. On top of this, you can also guard or try to evade their attack, adding even more randomness to the mix.
Aside from this bizarre system, Soul Calibur 6 is an excellent 3D Fighter and is arguably the best it has ever been. We strongly believe that if this game didn’t have this annoying system, which would be spammed throughout each match, it would have performed much better and would still be somewhat relevant today if it received a rollback update!
Ah,Halo Reach, Bungie’s last Halo release before going their separate ways, leaving us with one of the best entries in the series without a doubt. Despite itsemotionally riveting campaign,exhilarating multiplayer, and tremendous Forge Mode and Custom Games, there was a glaring issue with the gameplay. Spartan Abilities.
Perhaps it’s the Halo purist in us, but Spartan Abilities, Bloom, and the entire Credits system were baffling. Armor Lock will forever make us wake up in a cold sweat, and Bloom just made gunfights feel random and less engaging overall, which went hand in hand with its awful leveling system. At least Ranked Play eventually got fixed!
Lastly, we have the one and onlyFinal Fantasy 15, one of the most potent stories in the series, with the most lovable cast of goofballs you could ask for. Every character in this world is a homerun. Full stop. And the writing is unreal, giving us many twists, turns,and emotionally charged moments that will leave you bawling your eyes out.
However, there is one problem; It’s not all that satisfying to play. The combat feels shallow and uninteresting, and driving from one blip on the map to another is initially unique and freeing, but it grows stale very quickly. While we don’t mind spending more time with the cast, there is a lot of downtime and emptiness here that makes it really hard to overlook.
Noctis and company are all ten out of ten characters, but the action isn’t nearly as engaging as it is flashy, and that’s a big no-no for an action game. Regardless, we love these weirdos with all our being and would still slog through the bad to see it experience it all again!
