What game did you dislike at first but grew to love?

[Mark Robert]

This is a game that wasn't love at first sight. In fact, maybe you even disliked it at first. However, over several playthroughs you began to appreciate its qualities until everything clicked and you realized what a gem it was afterall.

That game for me was Sub Terrania. When I first played it the controls were not intuitive and the mission based objectives were frustrating. However, once I overcame the learning curve for the controls and mission based objectives, the game really came together in a big way to deliver an awesome gameplay experience. Everything about this game rocks, the graphics, soundtrack, the combat, the exploration and sense of urgency really make this one of the best gameplay experiences on the Genesis for me.

[mcurkman]

I have two: Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Strider.

[Cornholio857]

@Mark Robert: I agree with you about Sub-Terrania. Great game, but kinda a pain at first.

Mine would be Eternal Champions. That game would kick my ass......constantly. I just kept at it, learned the moves, kept playing and finally beat it. It took quite a while for me to beat, but when I did, I had such a great feeling of accomplishment. Something I don't feel too much with modern games. I used to hate that game, but since I kept at it and beat it, I have a whole new respect for it. However, for me to face the Eternal Champion again after all these years would require a beer or too! :ok:

[Xen]

Honestly? Sonic 1. At first, I felt that it was too sloppy, too fast, and too imprecise... upon giving it a few more chances (yeah, a few), it really grew on me, in every aspect.

[Thenewguy]

Adventures of Batman and Robin
Vectorman
Strider

[Ecco]

Vectorman, that 1st stage is not one of the best-looking stages of the game. Very gray and kinda plain. It gives a wrong impression of the game, as most stages are more colorful and interesting than the 1st one. I liked it more after playing thru more of it. Some stages look awesome (that 3D train stage) and that water level is pretty beautiful IMO

[TheFace]

Hmmm... I'd have to say that on the Genesis, this was Phantasy Star 2. It was my first RPG and I didn't understand anything because I had no clue what the genre was at the ripe old age of 6. Eventually, after looking at the guidebook that came with the game, I understood what I was supposed to do and realized how amazing the game is. Now I may play more RPGs than any other style of game...

[Devil N]

The Revenge of Shinobi for me. I never was too impressed by it back in the day, because it was so slowly paced and frickin' hard. Somewhere last year though, the game suddenly "clicked" with me, and now it is one of my all-time favorite MD games. Difficult to get in to, incredibly unforgiving, but once you get into the flow of the game it is also insanely rewarding.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Sonic Spinball, it was way too hard when I was little, and now it is more of a challenge. Also Sonic 3... well I still kinda dislike Sonic 3 compared to Sonic 2...

[PHANTOM2040]

Horizontal shmups. For some reason when I was younger I couldn't play them for shit. I don't know what changed but I started playing them again and got really good. Now I like them equally with vertical shmups which is saying a lot for me.

Edit

Also Skeleton Krew. Took me a while to get into it.
M.U.S.H.A. at first since it didn't follow the normal rules of vertical shmups.
Vectorman series. Not sure why. It was just hard to warm up to at first.

[djshok]

Gunstar Heroes (the art style kept me away from it for a really long time)
The Ooze (The INSANE difficulty killed it for a while, but even though I still can't beat I've come to appreciate it for it's music and atmosphere)
Sonic Spinball (Just had to learn to not think of it as a Sonic game)
Knuckles Chaotix (See above)

[Mr Nuts]

Ecco The Dolphin
If i was not such a big animal lover i probably would not have given it a second chance lol

[Olls]

Ouch, there are plenty.

- Ecco the Dolphin: too difficult at the time.
- Strider: I used to compare it to Shadow Dancer, and I ended up just playing the latter all the time.
- Herzog Zwei: I had no idea WTF I was doing in this one.
- Kid Chameleon: this game is just too damn long, so I never really got into it until I was able to emulate the game.
- Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron: too different from the first game which I was used to.

[oldmanwinters]

Strider for Genesis was a game I had really high hopes for when I bought it a few months back. However, the clunky controls, frequent slowdown and loading lags, combined with ridiculous deaths and occasionally irritating music killed most of my enthusiasm for the game...

Except for the fact that I can't stop playing it. Weird.

Never underestimate the staying power of a game that infuriates you.

[NavesRegge]

-Assassin's Creed 2
-Robotron 2084
-Snatcher
-The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
-Medal of Honor
-Doom
-Contra
-KOTOR
-KOTOR 2
-Fallout 3
-Marvel vs Capcom 2

And many more... but for Genesis in particular, Castlevania: Bloodlines. I thought it was too hard and too stiff control, but I grew to love it after hours of play.

[mcurkman]

Honestly? Sonic 1. At first, I felt that it was too sloppy, too fast, and too imprecise... upon giving it a few more chances (yeah, a few), it really grew on me, in every aspect.

Couldn't agree more.

[Forgotten Worlds]

Populous, wasn't until years later that I took another look at it. Still took me months to beat. But I did play through it all and beat it. I felt cheated, the final "You beat the game" image is shown on the back of the box! WTF. But playing through it was challenging and intense at times and I grew to love it!

Eternal Champions, here's a game that I didn't know everyone hated. I bought this fighter back when it came out in the 90s. My friends and I got really into it. Even my older brothers and their friends got into it we used to have tournaments at my house. I had a big WTF moment when I came here more than a decade later and found out everyone loathes the game. Haha. Anyway, since I was so into it and most people I knew who played it were very good at it I didn't know about all the haters on the internetz. :P Though I will say for solo play, the Eternal Champion is tough to beat! That last boss fight against the Eternal Champion is insane! I beat it with Blade.

I will agree with Sub-Terrania though I played this years ago on a rental weekend and gave up. I need to pick this up and give it another go. It had awesome sound and graphics from what I remember.

[KALuther]

@Mark Robert: I agree with you about Sub-Terrania. Great game, but kinda a pain at first.

Mine would be Eternal Champions. That game would kick my ass......constantly. I just kept at it, learned the moves, kept playing and finally beat it. It took quite a while for me to beat, but when I did, I had such a great feeling of accomplishment. Something I don't feel too much with modern games. I used to hate that game, but since I kept at it and beat it, I have a whole new respect for it. However, for me to face the Eternal Champion again after all these years would require a beer or too! :ok:

Man, you saying that motivates me to go back and give it a try again. I pretty much gave up on that game about a week after I got it because it was so ridiculously hard. It just wasn't any fun to play unless I was playing with another person and not the brutal AI. I remember having a lot of trouble just trying to learn some of the characters moves, because even the first fight against the AI is damn hard.

I didn't like revenge of shinobi much when i was younger, i always thought it was too hard. Now that I have beaten it several times i have a deep love for that game. Probably my favorite shinobi.

[Loggo]

That game for me was Sub Terrania. When I first played it the controls were not intuitive and the mission based objectives were frustrating. However, once I overcame the learning curve for the controls and mission based objectives, the game really came together in a big way to deliver an awesome gameplay experience. Everything about this game rocks, the graphics, soundtrack, the combat, the exploration and sense of urgency really make this one of the best gameplay experiences on the Genesis for me.

OMG
I came here to post the exact same thing.:p

At first I hated Sub-Terrania, but once I overcame its learning curve I realized how much of gem it was. Excellent game.

The same happened to me with Herzog Zwei, Alien Soldier and, at a lesser extent, with Ranger-X.

Games with learning curve sure are tricky.

[Foxysen]

The look of Eternal Champions. Too much dithering. Made me sick at first.

[Iron Lizard]

Not Genesis games but..

Ferrari F-355- Its hard as hell at first but very rewarding when you get good at it.

Halo- Multiplayer with my friends. They would destroy me. I hated it. It took me months to catch up to them but I loved it when I could hold my own against them.

[PHANTOM2040]

Why are people talking about games other than genesis/mega drive games in the genesis does section?

[Iron Lizard]

Why are people talking about games other than genesis/mega drive games in the genesis does section?

Because not everyone is OCD.

[Mista_Ed]

Gunstar Heroes (the art style kept me away from it for a really long time)


wow! ...thats what attracted me to it... :)

i would have to say wardner special...jeez - its not for kids...harrrrrd....but i love that game

[sheath]

I'd have to say Shinobi III. I watched teasers about this game for years after Revenge of Shinobi. Like any good game fan I expected more of the same when it finally came out. Instead I got not-Koshiro music and more Strider gameplay than Revenge of Shinobi. I rented it repeatedly and could not come around to buying it that year. When I finally did buy it I played it at least as much as Revenge and grew to love it.

Honorable Mention:
Galaxy Force II (Returned originally, came to love it)
Jewel Master (same as above)

[Darklordrobert]

Sonic 3d Blast
Didn't like it at first but once I got used to the controls I really started enjoying this game.

Phantasy Star 2
After playing several SNES RPG's this game seemed pretty outdated to me when I started it. But after some grinding and the occasional use of dungeon maps this game really grew on me. I still haven't finished it yet but I will once I have the time for it. The same goes for Phantasy Star 1, I think I like that one even more than 2 and I completed it, with only using guides for 1 or 2 dungeons!

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Dissapointed me at first, played it for a while then stopped playing it near the end of the game.
Then started a new game a year later and suddenly I found myself enjoying it for some strange reason. Not the best game in the series but still enjoyable. Maybe it was because I kinda knew what to expect when I started my second playthrough.

[Phosis]

Thats a really tough question! There have been a few I liked at first and hated later. Let's see...

Ghosts and Goblins, for sure. I fucking HATED ALL of those games. Seriously. Over time, I started to like challenging platformers, and when I finally went to buy a Genesis for the second time, Ghosts and Goblins came with it. I sat down, played it, played it, played it, until I got to the end of the game. Unfortunately, I never beat it because it was ridiculous. But I had a lot of fun with it, regardless.

Also, Ecco and I had a love hate relationship. I didn't like Tides of Time at all at first, but after giving it another shot later on, I beat it...again, and again, on hard mode each time. It is vastly superior to the first game for many reasons. The first Ecco had a spookier atmosphere and a downright terrifying and shocking finale, but it was full of lame glitches, and stupendously, unfairly difficult parts which simply should not have been in the game. In terms of concept, that game was an absolute winner. In terms of design, I am seeing more and more what a stinker it really is. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of my favorite Genny games; but it has some serious issues. I'm all about my games requiring skill. What I'm not about is Dark Water (or Dark Sea?) where you fight the Asterite; the most difficult level I've ever seen in a game, and if you die, you start right back from the beginning. With a strict time limit due to your air running out, death is not just a possibility, but an inevitability.

Oh yeah and fucking Trilobite Circle. FUCK Trilobite circle. Anyone who complains about the ridiculously easy Tube, and the pattern based Machine obviously forgot about those two other, much more irritating levels.

Anyways, what was this topic about again? Oh yeah. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons is another one. I think that game is a pretty cool guy.

[TheFace]

Vectorman, that 1st stage is not one of the best-looking stages of the game. Very gray and kinda plain. It gives a wrong impression of the game, as most stages are more colorful and interesting than the 1st one. I liked it more after playing thru more of it. Some stages look awesome (that 3D train stage) and that water level is pretty beautiful IMO

After reading this, I tried Vectorman again. I still hate it. You messed with my mind.

[M4R14NO94]

On the Genesis, it was The Terminator. At first the difficulty turned me off, but then as I kept playing the game I started to enjoy it, and love it. And then I ended up beating it several times... with the help of savestates, of course :D

On other platforms, I'd say one example would be Smashing Drive on the GBA. At first I hated it, I thought the game sucked and the music too. Heck, in the descriptions of the screenshots I submitted to MobyGames I basically DISSED the game to no good! Here's one of the descriptions:


Going through Little Italy... Speed Racer-style: with saw blades. Or "Cutter", as this game calls it. Another thing: fortunately, you can't hear the music: it's terrible

Or:


I ran out of time. Now I have to continue... which I won't

But then I started enjoying the music for how cheesy it was, and, when I made the MP3s of the game's music, considering I had to play it, I started to like it. And then I considered it a great and underrated game. Honestly way better than SD's pseudo-prequel, Radikal Bikers (oh my God, THAT GAME BLOWS!)

[PHANTOM2040]

Because not everyone is on topic when they should take the other console's games talk to the insert coin section.

Point taken.

[tehflah]

Oh yeah and fucking Trilobite Circle. FUCK Trilobite circle.

haha. Amen brother.

I had forgotten the name of that level sequence but I agree with you. I probably spent more time on the trilobite crap than the last few levels. Damn thing would kill me faster than I could figure out where to go; then I'd spin around in frustration trying to shake them off and either smack into something else deadly or just get ANOTHER trilobite after shaking the first one off. I think the first time I quit that game I was at that part.

Gooooooood times. :daze:

~FlaH

[csgx1]

Contra Hard Corps for me. I played it a couple of times and thought it was way too hard and impossible to enjoy. Years later, I gave it another try with a lot of patients and wow, what a great game!

[hipposticks]

Skitchin' - hard controls and some very hard levels but it's a work of art
Super Hang-On - difficult to steer (because it runs a lot slower than the arcade original) but fun when you get used to it
Alien Soldier - hard all around but with practice you enjoy it, it's a work of art
Road Rash 3 - very different to the prequels but good in its own way
Lotus Turbo Challenge - difficult time limits but a good challenge in fact
Hard/Race Drivin' - lol... low framerate but somehow I learned to play it anyway
NBA Live 95/series - I thought the simulation style was too square, but now I prefer it to NBA Jam, it's immersive and fun
Super Fantasy Zone - on the way to loving this... very hard but it's a work of art

[Kollision]

Mega Man !!!

[Forgotten Sin]

The Adventures of Batman and Robin on Genesis

[old man]

Sonic 3 Once I learned how to get past those damn barrels......:?

[Orchid87]

Advanced Daisenryaku. I never liked hexagonal strategy games before. But after playing some Nectaris on TG16, I grew to appreciate the genre. Advanced Daisenryaku on Genesis and Iron Storm on Saturn are two of my favorites now.

[Icedus]

Dynamite Headdy and Ristar. They were both annoying until I got better at diagonal-aiming. My controller seemed to be a pain to do that with, but I eventually got the hang of it. Awesome games.

[Obviously]

On the Genesis...

Ranger X gave me a bad first impression because I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I really love it now though.

Herzog Zwei until I got competent enough with it.

Castlevania Bloodlines, I had some preconceptions when I was younger about it being crap compared to the other 16-bit Castlevanias. When I got over that I found that it was pretty unique and it became one of my favorites.

I never had a problem with Sub Terrania but I think if I wouldn't have had it as a kid I wouldn't have been dedicated enough to learn to play it.

[snotmaw]

For me it's Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics and Batman Forever. Both are considered bad games, but over the years I've come to enjoy both of them quite a bit

[Tasuke]

THUNDER FORCE IV.

i've had a copy of the U.S. "LIGHTENING FORCE" iteration
for about 10 years now.

first few times i attempted it, back then, i just didn't find myself much care for it,
despite me being a TF veteran.
a few years on, it started growing on me. the soundtrack
is very good, actually, the graphics are fairly swell, and it's overall
a worthy entry in the TF series.

i haven't cleared it yet, but i've made it to stage 7or8ish.

i'm working on it...