Giving games a second chance

Ever play a game which everyone praised, butyou just couldn't get that into? Or better yet, a game you were really hyped up for? Then disappointment. You just don't like the game, no matter how much you want to, and so you leave it on your shelf. Leave it there to rot and fester.

It's weird to think of it now, but when I first played Mass Effect I didn't like it. The combat was clunky, the squad command sucked (not to mention I had to check the manual for controls every. single. time. I wanted them to do something) and.. I just couldn't get into it, for some strange reason, and this is Bioware! One of my all time favorite developers. I actually did beat the game that time, because I figured "Hey! I'm already this far, might as well get this over with", but after that nothing from the game stuck with me. Except the story. The story is awesome.

Part of the reason I didn't like it probably has a lot to do with expectation. I had just finished Dragon Age when I started playing Mass Effect and I guess I expected the latter to be much more like the former. I went into it in the wrong set of mind. I was ready to leave Mass Effect behind for good, when one day I bought the sequel at one of those "get 2 for the price of one!" sales. I bought it because.. well, you know, just in case I ever wanted to play it. It too had to rot on my shelf, for 6 months. Until I one day decided that I might as well beat it, I've got nothing better to do. Wait a second! I can't remember a squat shit of the story! I decided to play through the first game a second time, just to catch up on the story. I was really dreading it. Last time I played it, it was a 40 hour snorefest. Not this time.

Like I said earlier, a game has a lot to do with expectations. The last time I played Mass Effect, I had been superhyped about it, because of all the perfect scores it garnered from reviews. This time I was prepared for a tedious game. After a while the memories of the great story came floating back to me. The gameplay wasn't as bad as last time. I cared to speak with my crew members. I actually started enjoying the game. So you can just imagine how stoked I was for the sequel, which somehow garnered even better reviews than the prequel. Instead of impressing me, it blew my mind.

Anyway.. I had a point with this article, but was it again.. Ah! You should give some games a second chance. You might be surprised to find out that you actually enjoyed it. Oh, and also, only 2 weeks left for Mass Effect 3!

(PS. I probably should have proof-read this article, but I can't be arsed because fuck you.)