What makes a game Bad?

[Exdeath92]

A game is bad depending on what you are looking for. If a game has good gameplay but a bad story, I could still play it (DmC is an example of this). There's also the opposite situation where the story is outstanding but the gameplay is bad (many all-time greats from the 1990s and 2000s fall in this category simply because technology rendered them obsolete) and I play those from time to time.
A game is bad when I can't fit it in any of these two situations (Multiplayer and MMO games are what I particularly consider bad)

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

Time to link one of my favorite youtuber's thoughts about the subject.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

What makes a game bad ? That a big youtuber/streamer talks shit about it with any particular reason

I kinda miss angry reviewers who did that for humour back then.

A game is bad depending on what you are looking for. If a game has good gameplay but a bad story, I could still play it (DmC is an example of this). There's also the opposite situation where the story is outstanding but the gameplay is bad (many all-time greats from the 1990s and 2000s fall in this category simply because technology rendered them obsolete) and I play those from time to time.
A game is bad when I can't fit it in any of these two situations (Multiplayer and MMO games are what I particularly consider bad)

Could a context around a game make it worse?

 

[cola?]

Sorry if I sound old school, pedantic if not even elitist but in video games there's game.

If there's more video and story than actual game then it doesn't qualify as such in my eyes.

you should play infra

 

[RageBurner]

More than anything, by my reckoning, bad controls and cheap mechanics in general. A bad story sucks, it cheapens the game, but fundamental flaws like controls and poor balance drain my will to play.

 

[bjork]

It really depends on the game. If there's a flaw but you can work around it, I'll usually hang with a game anyway. But if it's something I can't get past or wrap my head around, that's a deal breaker. Could be something like controls, could be something like a choice of font.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

you should play infra

I appreciate your advice but I'm not the kind to play games like The Stanley Parable or Dear Esther.

More than anything, by my reckoning, bad controls and cheap mechanics in general. A bad story sucks, it cheapens the game, but fundamental flaws like controls and poor balance drain my will to play.

I'd argue that I can forgive a bad story if the gameplay is still there. If the story is the sole carrier of a game then I consider it devoid of interest since I could watch it on Youtube.

 

[Graw]

If I recall correctly, auto-retargeting in Origins is something you can turn on or off as you like. Same with being able to use Life / Raise in battle, and others. Otherwise yeah. No optional dungeons that make you OP, no MP system, no additional equipment or "modern" items... just the essential FF1 experience with nicer graphics and sound. Heck, I think they even kept the Peninsula of Power.

I should really check that one out again. Last time I played that version was back in the early 2000's.

 

[bjork]

I appreciate your advice but I'm not the kind to play games like The Stanley Parable or Dear Esther.

I played a bit of Infra and it's definitely more involved than Stanley Parable (no idea about Dear Esther), there's puzzle solving and exploration, but I found myself pulling up a walkthrough too often so I threw in the towel, heh.

 

[cola?]

I appreciate your advice but I'm not the kind to play games like The Stanley Parable or Dear Esther.

it's exactly why i think you should play it. it's a very involved game and way moreso than examples given but i don't wanna plant prebaked expectations

Post automatically merged: Mar 24, 2025

I played a bit of Infra and it's definitely more involved than Stanley Parable (no idea about Dear Esther), there's puzzle solving and exploration, but I found myself pulling up a walkthrough too often so I threw in the towel, heh.

i fucking jinxed with a forum post

 

[blackfrostbufu]

Any paid gacha system tends to scare me away. Not only because of the gambling, but because there's always guaranteed to be some overcomplicated loot system where you get 1 billion different artifacts or whatever, that are used to tweak random bits of loot or raise a character's stat to an almost insignificant degree. I used to play that kind of game, biggest waste of time EVER.

 

[Pearly]

For me, if the gameplay, graphics, music etc are all great but the story isn't pulling me in, I'll drop a game like nothing, especially if it's story is integral to the enjoyment of the game.

The yakuza series has a hokuto no ken spin off and I love that game, 10/10 from me, so after putting 100 hours into that game, I tried the mainline Yakuza games and they just weren't drawing me in at all. I kept going too, waiting for it to draw me in and it just wasn't clicking with me.

The games are beloved and the Hokuto no ken games proves to me the game is mechanically brilliant.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

For me, if the gameplay, graphics, music etc are all great but the story isn't pulling me in, I'll drop a game like nothing, especially if it's story is integral to the enjoyment of the game.

The yakuza series has a hokuto no ken spin off and I love that game, 10/10 from me, so after putting 100 hours into that game, I tried the mainline Yakuza games and they just weren't drawing me in at all. I kept going too, waiting for it to draw me in and it just wasn't clicking with me.

The games are beloved and the Hokuto no ken games proves to me the game is mechanically brilliant.

I'm legitimately surprised that some would drop a game solely because of the story while the rest could be great.

Maybe it's entirely depending of one's taste and tolerance for the story being bad.

But even if the graphics aren't that good I don't drop the game if I can still have fun with the gameplay.

As for the music, as long as it's not ear grating I can go on.

But the gameplay is what makes or break it for me above anything else.

 

[Jeff]

• Gameplay is boring or is unplayable
• Unresponsive controls or confusing controls that won't let you to emulate them the way you want
• Lack of Character development
• Lots of bugs that didn't get patched due to rushed deadlines (Sonic Boom)
• Does not have charm, memorable characters, beautiful levels/scenery
• Terrible music
• Lack of variety or presentation
• Companies that don't care about the IP/license and just release it out the window to make a quick buck

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Lack of Character development

I'd be curious to know what makes it bad.

I mean sure, it's nice in JRPG but for Mario games he has a flat arc in almost every ones and there's no Status Quo change ever.

Does not have charm, memorable characters, beautiful levels/scenery

Well, it's a bit too bad but not breaking a game to me and charm is a bit subjective.

Lack of variety or presentation

Variety is a plus (while not being necessary) but what's presentation?

Companies that don't care about the IP/license and just release it out the window to make a quick buck

Now I do agree a lot about it.

 

[Jeff]

Variety is a plus (while not being necessary) but what's presentation?

Presentation is when a game has more options to choose from such as looking at concept art, listening to the game's soundtrack, play mini games within the game. Video game collections, Mario Paint, Animal Crossing, and Simulation games have it.

 

[cola?]

oh yea an example i should've brought up earlier, The Town With No Name (that's the game with the 'give me a drink bartender' and 'my name's not shane, kid')
the game's just plain funny, i've always loved it from when i first found out about it. but man i swear it's one of those prime examples where low grade content people just pick it up, declare it to be ass because ???????? and then try to spin their entire narrative about viewing the game in the worst possible light.

it's a decently common trend, if you've ever talked to a fan of sonic adventure they'll probably invoke a curse upon some names because some people are just so insistent on going out of their way to break something and then when it's in pieces on the floor they can point at it and go 'see??? i threw it on the floor and it broke!! you should hate it cus i broke it!!'

• Gameplay is boring or is unplayable
• Unresponsive controls or confusing controls that won't let you to emulate them the way you want
• Lack of Character development
• Lots of bugs that didn't get patched due to rushed deadlines (Sonic Boom)
• Does not have charm, memorable characters, beautiful levels/scenery
• Terrible music
• Lack of variety or presentation
• Companies that don't care about the IP/license and just release it out the window to make a quick buck

here we have unearthed the ancient scripts that every reviewer must be beholdent to even if they enjoyed it

 

[Azura]

Not make them with love

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Presentation is when a game has more options to choose from such as looking at concept art, listening to the game's soundtrack, play mini games within the game. Video game collections, Mario Paint, Animal Crossing, and Simulation games have it.

Okay it's nice but I think that it doesn't constitute the most important part of a video game, these are, to me, the sprinkle on the cake.

 

[RageBurner]

• Companies that don't care about the IP/license and just release it out the window to make a quick buck

That alone is a large swath of the industry, especially nowadays.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

That alone is a large swath of the industry, especially nowadays.

In fact sometimes I'm rejoicing that they're not touching old IPs so they cannot get ruined.

I already dislike the new Perfect Dark, Turok and Painkiller trailers...

 

[RageBurner]

In fact sometimes I'm rejoicing that they're not touching old IPs so they cannot get ruined.

I already dislike the new Perfect Dark, Turok and Painkiller trailers...

That's true. Maybe the fact Capcom refuses to bring back older MH entries is a blessing in disguise.

 

[Ravl]

What makes a game bad?

Mainly Sony, Bethesda also

 

[cola?]

That's true. Maybe the fact Capcom refuses to bring back older MH entries is a blessing in disguise.

you can't ruin what already sucks!

 

[RageBurner]

you can't ruin what already sucks!

You may not like them, but that doesn't make the games objectively bad.