Games You Typically Stay Away From?

[Henry Spencer]

It's getting boring in General Gaming, so time for something different.

Can be genres, sub-genres or just specific aesthetics that put you off (such as pixel art or even fantasy settings, for example). Platforms aren't a part of this discussion (such as if you don't like/play handheld games or phone games etc).

Personally, I despise any games with those wide eyed anime characters like NIS America put out (normally JRPGs). I think of them as pedo bait games. I also generally dislike military games. So pretty much show me underage girls dressed in lingerie or shaven head "dudebros" and I'll more likely never touch those games. They both have especially run their course this gen, I think.

So pretty much, I dislike both extremes from both the East and West game developers.

As far as genre goes, despite trying them out and liking certain other Strategy genres, I just cannot fathom RTS games. They're just too complicated for my little brain. I love complex systems in games that have a lot of depth, but I always get bogged down by their micromanagement. I don't play sports games either.

[Crimson Ryan]

Sick of games with guns in general. Playing Binary Domain was an exception.

Street Fighter is far too hard for me to play.

I'd like to get into strategy games, but I don't have a good enough PC to play the same games as my friends like Total War. I did enjoy Valkyria Chronicles but I had to use a guide for it because I struggled too much on my own.

[Let's Get Sweaty]

Strategy games aren't my thing either.

I also can't abide turn-based battles, which makes it frustrating to see the mechanic used in so many RPGs that would otherwise appeal to me.

First-person shooters I generally avoid, simply because I'm no good at them. I find the viewpoint very restrictive, as you don't have the peripheral vision or speed of glancing that you have in the real world perspective it tries to emulate. I typically die before I even know who's shooting at me. There are certain exceptions that I've persevered with, up to a point: namely GoldenEye 007 and Half-Life 2. The former because, on its easiest setting, it was accessible enough for a player as hopeless as me. The latter because I enjoyed Portal so much that I was drawn to explore the gripping atmosphere of its sister title.

In terms of theme, war-based games hold no entertainment value for me. I have no first-hand experience of war but it just feels too real a subject, too grim, to be fun. Except when it's something over the top (no pun intended) like Hogs of War. Straight-faced soldier sims aren't for me, and their sudden proliferation in recent years almost feels like a cynical recruitment ploy by the US Armed Forces, as a WW2 game when I was growing up would have been considered fairly niche.

[Axm]

Also actually never got into strategy games. Specificly Strategy RPG's such as Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics.
Although recently I did try the new Fire Emblem Awakening and did kinda like that. Still, not my genre of choice though.

[St. Elmo's Fire]

"Strategy games" covers quite a wide arc, I enjoy some like Sim City and Civ games, but kinda got bored of RTS after C&C Red Alert 2.

I don't do sports games really, though I do enjoy a bash at FIFA when at friends' places, even though I'm pretty hopeless and get humped. I like car games, but more the Gran Turismo/Forza real-cars type as well as the arcadey Burnout and Ridge Racers, but find "sport" car games (like F1, Le Mans, rally titles) boring.

Genres I don't really pay any attention to are platformers and puzzle games. Fighting games too, but again, when I do play them, I quite enjoy them.

I liek Minecraft.

[MiTT3NZ]

Facebook games, JRPGs, anything with a turn-based battle system besides Pokemon (one of the reasons I still haven't completed SOA), zombie games, flight simulators, wrestling games, sports games that aren't football, film-based games, console strategy games, Deadly Premonition, dance games, MMORPGs, FMV games, trivia games, music games, straight-up third person shooters with no stealth mechanic or hub worlds, military-based first person shooters, 3D slash 'em ups, open world racing games, anything that's central theme is mechs, Mario Kart clones (sorry SASAR supporters, but there is only ONE... series), anything to do with Star Trek or Star Wars...

There's probably more but I can't really think of more than that atm.

[ThyDarkAngel]

Business-as-usual games, be it your typical military FPS, your oh-look-it's-so-kawaii (and nothing more than that) JRPG, your solid but too safe (or characterless) plataformer or your bland racer.

[OL]

I think it's too easy to miss out on the occasional gem if I shy away from anything solely because of their aesthetics. If I were completely averse to military shooters, I may have missed out on the Army of Two games or Spec Ops: The Line, and if I were completely turned off by big-eyed anime goofiness I might never have played the Tales series, Threads of Fate, Popful Mail, or the like. That's not to say I'm just automatically fine with everything; I agree, NIS's games are usually pretty cringe-worthy in their cutesy anime-ness. But just because they look that way doesn't mean I won't pay attention if something about them sparks my interest.

I think if anything generally turns me right off, it's licensed games. Western-made licensed games, more than anything else. I think we've gotten to a point where comicbook games, specifically, have a chance of being great (the Arkham games, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, stuff like that), but if it's based on a movie, chances are it'll be the most uninspired shite possible.
If it's based on a property I already enjoy, I might still give it a chance, but I certainly won't be expecting anything "good."

[Henry Spencer]

Just thought of some more: I can't stand flight sims, they bore me to death generally speaking. Games that have "sims" anywhere in the title always bore me; like those games that have you building towns/cities and looking after the citizens. "God sims" I think the term that is coined for that. So basically every game Peter Molyneux has ever worked on. You'd think playing as god would be more fun, but it seems like god's "work" is really frigging boring.

Also games that involve piloting a space aircraft. So those old PC games set in space where you're zapping aliens, other humans or what have you. Games set in space generally bore me, since they're almost always inspired by Star Wars and/or Star Trek and since I find them both cures for insomnia, I don't play 'em.

Just looking at that Musou meets Zelda topic, it seems like some people don't like those games that Tecmo-Koei are renowned for, either?

I also can't abide turn-based battles, which makes it frustrating to see the mechanic used in so many RPGs that would otherwise appeal to me.

First-person shooters I generally avoid, simply because I'm no good at them. I find the viewpoint very restrictive, as you don't have the peripheral vision or speed of glancing that you have in the real world perspective it tries to emulate. I typically die before I even know who's shooting at me. There are certain exceptions that I've persevered with, up to a point: namely GoldenEye 007 and Half-Life 2. The former because, on its easiest setting, it was accessible enough for a player as hopeless as me. The latter because I enjoyed Portal so much that I was drawn to explore the gripping atmosphere of its sister title.

Hmmm, I never really liked turn based systems either, but there's some really excellent stuff out there. Some hybrids that use both real-time and turn-based combined together. In fact, I prefer those hybrid game systems that experiment over the tried and true usual turn-based or real-time systems.

The likes of Goldeneye and Half Life 2 are excellent, but how are you with first person adventure games (point 'n click in first person, for example, or horror games in first person perspective). And if that's the case, I take it you never play driving games in first person? And never play flight sims either?

Facebook games, JRPGs, anything with a turn-based battle system besides Pokemon (one of the reasons I still haven't completed SOA), zombie games, flight simulators, wrestling games, sports games that aren't football, film-based games, console strategy games, Deadly Premonition, dance games, MMORPGs, FMV games, trivia games, music games, straight-up third person shooters with no stealth mechanic or hub worlds, military-based first person shooters, 3D slash 'em ups, open world racing games, anything that's central theme is mechs, Mario Kart clones (sorry SASAR supporters, but there is only ONE... series), anything to do with Star Trek or Star Wars...

There's probably more but I can't really think of more than that atm.

Daaamn, that's a lot of games. Must admit I'm rather sick of zombie games myself, too. Never been a Trek or SW fan either.

I dunno though, there's been some good games based on films. I used to dislike a lot of JRPGs myself too, but thankfully my tastes have changed rather dramatically the past couple of years.

And god, I do hate browser games in general. There's very few exceptions to that rule. I remember playing them at high school during IT, just because everybody else did it and even then, I felt like they were so crappy.

I like car games, but more the Gran Turismo/Forza real-cars type as well as the arcadey Burnout and Ridge Racers, but find "sport" car games (like F1, Le Mans, rally titles) boring.

Same for me. I like driving games too, but definitely those that are more "arcade racers" like OutRun and Ridge Racer. I also like those futuristic racing games like WipeOut. What do you think of Kart racing games like Mario Kart and Sonic Racing games?

Also actually never got into strategy games. Specificly Strategy RPG's such as Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics.
Although recently I did try the new Fire Emblem Awakening and did kinda like that. Still, not my genre of choice though.

Heathen! I will burn you at the stake! I kid, I kid, they're very much a genre for an acquired taste.

Sick of games with guns in general. Playing Binary Domain was an exception.

Street Fighter is far too hard for me to play.

I'd like to get into strategy games, but I don't have a good enough PC to play the same games as my friends like Total War. I did enjoy Valkyria Chronicles but I had to use a guide for it because I struggled too much on my own.

If you enjoyed Valkyria Chronicles, I'd definitely advise you try out other Strategy Role Playing Games. VC has a real time element to it, there's actually a new SRPG coming out in the same style soon called Natural Doctrine, for the PS3 & PS4.

I think it's too easy to miss out on the occasional gem if I shy away from anything solely because of their aesthetics. If I were completely averse to military shooters, I may have missed out on the Army of Two games or Spec Ops: The Line, and if I were completely turned off by big-eyed anime goofiness I might never have played the Tales series, Threads of Fate, Popful Mail, or the like. That's not to say I'm just automatically fine with everything; I agree, NIS's games are usually pretty cringe-worthy in their cutesy anime-ness. But just because they look that way doesn't mean I won't pay attention if something about them sparks my interest.

I think if anything generally turns me right off, it's licensed games. Western-made licensed games, more than anything else. I think we've gotten to a point where comicbook games, specifically, have a chance of being great (the Arkham games, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, stuff like that), but if it's based on a movie, chances are it'll be the most uninspired shite possible.
If it's based on a property I already enjoy, I might still give it a chance, but I certainly won't be expecting anything "good."

About military warfare games: 90% of them are dreck. I really enjoyed the first Modern Warfare and played multiplayer a lot on it, but man, those games have had their day. It's really time for FPS to move the fuck on already, it's such a good genre weighed down by the same settings/designs getting beat into our heads time and time again (deserts and the colour brown have to be the most overused), because it sells really well and everybody is after those COD numbers, which they never receive. It wouldn't be so bad if they changed the formula again every now and then, but they just tweak them so little, it really isn't worth playing COD: MW 5 or whatever they are on now, since it's the same exact experience as 1, except not as fresh or as good. Spec Ops was cool though, but that was game was made specifically as a reaction to the ridiculous amount of excessive military games being released this gen. I'm just thankful for certain other devs trying to put out other kind of First Person games this gen.

About the anime games: Those other games you mentioned don't feature that art style I'm really talking about. I love Growlanser series, which is another example and that features typical anime cliches in it (the art style is very 90s though and it's developed by Atlus). How do I say this? I'm talking specifically about creepy pandering fan-service games that feature underaged girls in "sexy clothing". That's normally just NIS labelled games though.

And just throwing this out there (don't take this the wrong way) but do you play strategy games or music rhythm games, for example? I never see you talking about them, that's all. Are those examples of genres you'd like to play but find difficult for whatever reason?

[St. Elmo's Fire]

I LOVED Mario Kart on the Wii, one of the few games I had a proper riot of laughs with online for many months. MIcro Machines v3 waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back on the PS1 was hilarious too. Sonic Racing, I played the demo and wasn't that taken with it, so didn't bother to get it. I don't really pay too much attention to that bit of the genre though these days, usually.
Wipeout was awesome too, good shout.

[Let's Get Sweaty]

The likes of Goldeneye and Half Life 2 are excellent, but how are you with first person adventure games (point 'n click in first person, for example, or horror games in first person perspective). And if that's the case, I take it you never play driving games in first person? And never play flight sims either?

I'm okay with other first-person games, like Portal that I mentioned, because I'm not under the same pressure to find my bearings and perform rapid actions. Portal has action sequences but you can generally take your time to suss them out before diving in; you don't have to react on the fly. Mirror's Edge was fun to try until I started being confronted with teams of gunmen, at which point the same old problems reared their ugly head. I'd get on just fine with Dear Esther if it would run at more than five frames per second on my PC...

[OL]

And just throwing this out there (don't take this the wrong way) but do you play strategy games or music rhythm games, for example? I never see you talking about them, that's all. Are those examples of genres you'd like to play but find difficult for whatever reason?

I'm a huge fan of strategy in some cases (Front Mission, FFTactics, Fallout 1&2 to an extent, Valkyria Chronicles), but yeah, I guess you could say it isn't really my go-to genre necessarily. No aversion to it though, which is why I didn't mention it.
Music games... yeah, I guess you could say there's some aversion to it, I guess, but it isn't that I consciously stay away from them. They just don't usually interest me much, so I barely even notice they're there.

I don't think there are really any genres that I avoid out of difficulty, really. There are some I'm not very good at, but I might still gravitate toward them anyway (fighting games, for example).

[Kenny]

Not sure about "stay away from" but I'm generally uninterested in JRPGs, modern Nintendo games, tactical strategic games (Starcraft), and sport games.

Not to say I will never try any one of those ever again but either the last few offerings completely underwhelmed me or they just never caught my interest to begin with.

[south carmain]

almost all games that are level based, fps's that don't include vehicles (exception being DE:HR but that's because I was drawn to the non linear gamestyle), JRPGs without world maps (why would I want to play something as tedious as a jrpg with little choice of exploration), bethesda games (I just find them incredibly boring), fighting games in general (if a game has no exploration it get's boring fast imo), racing games without free-roam (I may make an exception for the new GT when it's price goes down), 3rd person shooters in general, srpgs (just not my thing though I do enjoy the odd rts now and then)

[Henry Spencer]

Bet most of you stay away from MMORPGs? Thinking most on here don't like it. Never see any discussion on here about those games (aside from FFXIV). Do people generally stay away from them because they're seen as shallow or just a time sink? Or do they just look boring to most of you?

I'm okay with other first-person games, like Portal that I mentioned, because I'm not under the same pressure to find my bearings and perform rapid actions. Portal has action sequences but you can generally take your time to suss them out before diving in; you don't have to react on the fly. Mirror's Edge was fun to try until I started being confronted with teams of gunmen, at which point the same old problems reared their ugly head. I'd get on just fine with Dear Esther if it would run at more than five frames per second on my PC...

Ah, right. So it's mainly just shooters you have issues with. I guess you'll never touch the Oculus Rift then? Your comments have given me an idea for another topic in the future on preferences for camera perspectives.

And just throwing this out there (don't take this the wrong way) but do you play strategy games or music rhythm games, for example? I never see you talking about them, that's all. Are those examples of genres you'd like to play but find difficult for whatever reason?

I'm a huge fan of strategy in some cases (Front Mission, FFTactics, Fallout 1&2 to an extent, Valkyria Chronicles), but yeah, I guess you could say it isn't really my go-to genre necessarily. No aversion to it though, which is why I didn't mention it.
Music games... yeah, I guess you could say there's some aversion to it, I guess, but it isn't that I consciously stay away from them. They just don't usually interest me much, so I barely even notice they're there.

I don't think there are really any genres that I avoid out of difficulty, really. There are some I'm not very good at, but I might still gravitate toward them anyway (fighting games, for example).

Sorry I wasn't being specific enough there. I meant more like PC strategy games like Starcraft series, Age of Empires series etc, rather than those Strategy RPGs and console strategy games (which I like a lot too, especially those that you mentioned in brackets).