Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

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insightguy
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Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by insightguy »

Ether it be the devs getting their shit together and fixing their game or mods that make it better than it was, what games do you think deserve a retry or even an OK to finally purchase. (I know some people have a disdain for larger game companies, and with good reason, but I simply want to give credit where credit may be due, please leave any political positions or past actions of the company out of it unless the action was to correct a past mistake)
Spoiler: Video that inspired me to make this topic
Personal pics: (WARNING: PERSONAL OPINION AHEAD)

STRAFE: Millennium edition

(Disclaimer: I avoided strafe until I heard millennium edition fixed most of the issued)

From what I've played, though it may not be the best recreation of a retro game, is still a good time. The fact that I managed to get to the 2nd level and see how creative they got tells me that they re-balanced it for the better and that whoever decided to make the blandest level first. There are no enemy hitscan weapons, all projectiles are dogeable levels seem better balanced and path-finding of the AI seems to be a decent for the most part. The guns seem to be better as shotguns can one shot most smaller enemies, railguns are railguns and the machine guns can one shot enemies in the head. All in all, the game seems better (but Fuck acid though)

Payday 2: The ultimate edition

As of update 175.1, they've gotten rid of the micro-transaction drill system for the most part since update 100 (it's still there for people who've had it but will no longer drop and all future boxes are free to open), released a bunch of free content (includes new heists, guns and, charachters) and bundled all the DLC into one neat package along with the game (questionable, but at least you get a discount if you owned the game with some of the DLC. also, I don't count the H3H3 charachter pack as such due to profits going straight to H3H3 and not the company).

The guns are for the most part fun (LMGs now shoot more than apologies and using the minigun while zipping around at the speed of sanic is an actual possibility, doge is fun*), Solo is now viable with solo play perks (which you have to equip on the bot) and choosing your bot's weapons, grinding is now easier thanks to crime spree (which is a pseudo endurance mode that basically amps up the difficulty the longer you play and giving you higher rewards and a guaranteed supply of continental coins, the game's currency to get weapon mods and safe-house upgrades). Though the PC version is the one to get, the console versions are bugged to hell.

*For those who don't play payday 2, doge is the chance that any shot misses you, so having 60%-80% of all bullets not hit you is a fun gameplay mechanic making no armor gameplay possible.
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Reactor
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Reactor »

I'd place Stalin Subway here. The first one, that is - the sequel is hopelessly, utterly, completely fubar.

Image

I've already wrote an evaluation of this puppy about in the "Fun games to try" topic, y'can look that up. When it comes to fixing stuff, I couldn't really do anything with the models physics and game glitches, since that'd require the source code, and alas, I don't have it. Instead, I focused on replacing the game's innards with custom made stuff. Graphics are fine and dandy, so I focused on the music and sounds instead. Using other games and Tristania 2 resource material, Stalin Subway is now better than ever!
I never thought that replacing sounds and music is so radically game-changing, but apparently...it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAd1vo-GQLw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cByZ-Kw0CzM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV7ypjPyB2A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AG3JG3tNOE
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PlayerLin
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by PlayerLin »

Daikatana.


*crowd just yikes*


Well, the original version really so buggy, problematic and annoying(got GameOver because those stupid AI sidekicks just rush into enemies or encountered some weird problems cause your game goes fubar), I won't really recommend to play the original version, even in my opinion, it still playable but maybe not for most.

But there is still has some hopes.

The unofficial Daikatana 1.3 Patch Project : https://bitbucket.org/daikatana13/daikatana

I know many already know about that project but I don't care! :P
It's not only fix bugs and problems from original game, also added more other OS(es) supports(*) and provided some extra optional things like updated texture packs, updated official levels and community maps. And the sidekicks will not easily to die anymore(at least won't just kamikazes, and better AI) and can be command by player(with some special key binds/commands), that made the game is more playable than original, but if you still hate them, the option to disable them also provided, with a warning about the team spend a lot of time to adjust the maps and AI to make sidekicks (also their health will re-generating) better.

Still, I know some root problems like plot flaws/level flows won't be fixable or just not someone's cup of tea, but I think it still deserve the 2nd chance, whatever you agree or not. :3:

You're about to make RomeroDaikatana your b***h. Suck it down. :P

(*)Well, only Windows and Linux had latest one binary, but the project seems not updates frequently, even have some new commits this year and latest commits on 3 days ago, so it's not dead, for sure, at least if someone want to compile him/herself, the repo just available.
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Zan
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Zan »

Necrovision. I feel like it had a bad presentation (and especially a bad starting level) but the actual game was really good.

Also, it's WW1 before Battlefield made it cool. Also, the first three minutes of gameplay capture more WW1 atmosphere than Battlefield did in its' entirety.

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Dr_Cosmobyte
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Dr_Cosmobyte »

My turn.

Shaq-Fu.

Keep the stones, but let me explain.

Imagine the following: What if Delphine Software worked their asses off in a 90's fighting game with all the same characters EXCEPT Shaquille and the stupid story or name?

The game has good animations, good music, good speed, nice sprite work and colors, and wasn't so bashed then as it is now (look it up, the game had some medium to good reviews at the time).

Yes, yes, i know. Delayed controls, moon physics that could fuck the match, lack of variety of special moves, few secret stuffs and a very stripped down SNES version.

But hey, it was a nice immersion from Delphine into the fighting games market. Even swimming with the big fishes as Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct. I am pretty sure that, if the game didn't turned itself into a terrible propaganda about Shaquille O'Neal's giant ego, it would be called a "lost gem" or whatever terms people use for games that are worth a garage sale. We have worse games to remember.

So, my game that would deserve a second chance would be a Shaq-Fu WITHOUT Shaquille. Sorry to drive off from the line =s
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leileilol
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by leileilol »

Amulets & Armor
Dungeon Magic/Lightbringer
Lightning Legend
Popful Mail (not Working Designs)
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Cherno
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Cherno »

Kingpin: Life of Crime.

The game has very high production values, the amount of work that has gone into the textures (both terrain and characters/props) and detailed maps is amazing. There are hundreds of skins for various bodyparts for multiple body types, giving an almost limitless variety of character appearances. The weird "past that never was" scenario that mixes 90s urban ghetto environments and hip hop by Cypress Hill with Art Deco buildings (straight from Payback) and 30s/40s Film Noir gangster films (Tommyguns and guys wearing Fedoras), throws in some really weird stuff like the occasional guard that has a cybernetic mask/implant on/in his face, or the general city of Lost Children aesthetics, and puts it all in a blender. The game was originally meant to be a gang simulator with the player fighting over turf etc, but Interplay needed cash and told Xatrix to scale it down to a run-of-the-mill FPS to get it out quickly. What could have been... The first chapter in Skidrow lets the player catch a glimpse at what would have been possible with more time and money, while the later stages of the game clearly show the rushed production towards the end, with almost no character interaction or quests.

Here's the TVTropes.org link the the KindPin: Life oif Crime article:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/V ... ifeOfCrime
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by RiboNucleic Asshat »

Serious Sam 2.

If you ignore the strangely juvenile humor, bootleg-quality cutscenes, and look at it just in terms of gameplay, it's probably the best in the series, contrary to what many say. Also, to be honest, the lighthearted tone is kind of a breath of fresh air amongst a sea of gritty, edgy shooters. The visuals also hold up super well even 12.5 years later; it's a really nice looking game.
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Reactor
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Reactor »

Hm. Which would serve better a game that "can still be rescued"? Altering the original one as much as possible, or remaking it completely, ironing out all the original glitches, but risking alienating the fans of the original one? When giving a second chance to a game, this question can be extremely important.

Also, if it comes to fixing games, even a level editor can be godsend, not to mention an all-purpose modding tool! It is amazing how many old games were resurrected by a little finesse and tinkering!
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Dr_Cosmobyte
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Dr_Cosmobyte »

Well, i see both as a dead end.

Fix the original bugs, and die-hards will complain; alter something remarkable (but bad) and even more players will bash you. It doesn't matter if we could make Hong Kong 97 something good; in the end, everybody will start whining because you made it EXACTLY what it wasn't: bad.

But, now we're talkin about it. Does "games that came in the wrong timing/games that were bashed in a unfair way because dumb gamer media" count in this thread?
CeeJay
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by CeeJay »

Witchaven.

Was ahead ot its time, mixing DOOM with RPG gameplay way back in '95. Very atmospheric but suffered from horrid level design, inconsistent quality of art and some really bad programming. The game has a tendancy to crash every other minute and aside from that nothing works properly. I'd love to see a new Witchaven game done right, made by a new company. A company that actually gives a damn about their products.
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by wildweasel »

Wolfenstein from 2009. The Raven Software one. It got a poor reception because it was misunderstood; it went out with little marketing (beyond a trailer stitched into the PS3/360 release of Wolfenstein 3D) up against Activision's own Modern Warfare 2, with a poorly tacked-on multiplayer aspect that never had the chance to improve since its development team was fired when the game launched. And when id Software came to be owned by Bethesda, Wolfenstein '09 was among the few games that flat-out vanished from store fronts, seemingly never to return. I don't know why it hasn't come back. I just want people to be able to buy it again, and experience it with a clear context.
Bigger C
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Bigger C »

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Edition.

It's rough around the edges and lacks a certain something DS1 and 2 had, but it's still a Souls game and the SotFS edition tries to improve enemy placement and gives you a LOT of content for the price.
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Scripten
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Scripten »

Bigger C wrote:Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Edition.

It's rough around the edges and lacks a certain something DS1 and 2 had, but it's still a Souls game and the SotFS edition tries to improve enemy placement and gives you a LOT of content for the price.
I tried playing this a year or so ago and I bounced off of it pretty hard. I was expecting Dark Souls 2 (after playing DS1 and DS3), but instead I got something vaguely similar but very obviously different. A couple days ago, I decided to give it another go, coming at it as a Dark Souls-alike game unrelated to the other two. And honestly? It's not bad for something that isn't quite Dark Souls. It's closer than most games that are attempting the same.

Still a black sheep, but far from an unplayable mess.
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Reactor
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Re: Games that deserve a "2nd chance"

Post by Reactor »

GAA1992 wrote:Well, i see both as a dead end.

Fix the original bugs, and die-hards will complain; alter something remarkable (but bad) and even more players will bash you. It doesn't matter if we could make Hong Kong 97 something good; in the end, everybody will start whining because you made it EXACTLY what it wasn't: bad.

But, now we're talkin about it. Does "games that came in the wrong timing/games that were bashed in a unfair way because dumb gamer media" count in this thread?
I think this problem can be annihilated by remaking the game and ironing out all the wonderful flaws and glitches, but still including a "classic mode", where everything else is the same as in the original. Alas, that means a lot more extra work on it, and obviously, not many programmers are willing to do.
It is also pretty interesting to note that several times when remaking or modernizing a game, it turns out to be "too good", or should I say, hypercorrected. The old glitches have been fixed, but new ones were created. I think this is what we Hungarians call "falling off the other side of the horse". Also, it's largely a matter of taste, and as you pointed out, nobody could please everyone.

To answer your question, these games also count, yes. If a game was developed at the wrong time, it does not mean automatically that it's a piece of crap. And unfairly bashing a game just because it's not that mainstream or has no large fanbase is also very assy (this is why I never read gaming articles in newspaper, and rely more on actual reviews made by real players).
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