Topic: I Know the Game is Garbage but I'm Buying It Anway

[D_Average]

So over the last few weeks, I've had the compulsion to buy Nitrobike for the Wii.  Yes, I know it reviewed poorly, yes I know the controls are terrible, yes I know Halbred told us to avoid it and yes, I know its generic as all hell.  However, I'm just drawn to it.  Why is it?  Do I think it'll be the last game I need for my collection?  Is it because the develper made my beloved Excitebike 64, or am I just borded?

So what say you forum dwellers?  Are there ever games you feel some strange compulsion to buy?  They can be games that scored poor, or even games in a genre you completely ignore (For instance, though I hate RPG's, I just had to buy Wind Waker).  Another game I just had to buy that I normally never would was Call of Juarez.  Well worth it.

Just curious to see if this phenomenom happens to anyone ese, and if so, how were the results.  Glad you picked the game up"

[broodwars]

Alright, I have one: Alone in the Dark: Inferno (PS3).  I bought the Wii version the year prior, which was one of the worst games I've ever played.  The 360 version didn't review well, and later that year neither did the PS3 version.  However, I found one good review of the game on GameCritics and I'm very fond of the game's soundtrack, so I scooped up the (now budget) PS3 version as one of the first games I bought when I got my PS3.  While the game may have some serious problems with bugs, the game itself turned out to be very solid.

I'm sure there are others I've purchased like that as well, but I have to think about it.  Incidentally, the term you're looking for is "guilty pleasure."

[D_Average]

I'm sure there are others I've purchased like that as well, but I have to think about it.  Incidentally, the term you're looking for is "guilty pleasure."

Indeed.  The new 50 Cent would probably be the best example industry wide.  I've been patiently waiting for it to drop to $20, and once it does, I'm going roll on it.

[oohhboy]

I would suggest that your save yourself the time and money and watch this Let's Play of fiddy's latest game. It most certainly entertaining. http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/fiddy/

[NWR_insanolord]

I picked up Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop. I haven't played much of it, but I've had at least a decent time with it.

[Halbred]

D_Average, DO NOT BUY THAT GAME unless it costs like $5. I have not a single fond memory of my time with it.

To the topic at hand, I currently have an uncontrollable urge to buy both Madworld and Let's Tap. Madworld is exactly the kind of game I don't really like--style over substance and very repetitive. Let's Tap sounds unbelievably easy and prone to sensitivity issues. And yet I am compelled to purchase both.

[KDR_11k]

Let's see....

Stormrise (PC) because people talked about the interface and I wanted to see it first hand so I grabbed it when it was on a Steam sale for 5€, Shattered Horizon (PC) though the badness was mostly restricted to the system requirements, Dragon Master Spell Caster (WiiWare) just because it kept staying in the charts and was reasonably cheap, Fracture (360) because it stood out to me as a big game when I just got my 360 and dropped to a fraction of the price a week later, Bullet Witch (360) just for laughs, Scribblenauts (DS) because some of the pre-release hype still stuck, Red Steel (Wii) just because I wanted to see it, Job Island (Wii) because it's completely out of whack and funny, Castlevania Judgment (Wii) because I like Cv and its music and all that, Perimeter 2 (PC) just because I liked the innovation in their previous games, Eufloria (PC) because it was strangely addictive despite being boring, Elektroplankton (DS) because Americans pay so much for it and I wanted to see what all the fuss is about so I got it for 10€, Halo 3 (360) because people just keep raving about it so I felt I had to give it a chance, Phantasy Star Universe (360) because it was dirt cheap and I kinda liked the PSO games, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (360) because I want some humor in my games, Assassin's Creed/Prince of Persia double pack (360).

[D_Average]

D_Average, DO NOT BUY THAT GAME unless it costs like $5. I have not a single fond memory of my time with it.

Ahaha.  I know.  But I just can't help myself.  I just can't wrap my head around how the guys at Left Field Productions could fall so far.  Perhaps there was a big shift in staff when the company bought their share back from Nintendo, and the real talent when on to Codemasters.  Either way, like a trainwreck, I've just got to see it for myself, assuming the price is right of course....


I also have a compulsion for Lets Tap as well.  Its just so odd.  I think just having it on my shelf will make me laugh.

[Dirk Temporo]

For instance, though I hate RPG's, I just had to buy Wind Waker

But action/adventure and RPG aren't the same.

I don't buy bad games. I've done so twice (Deus Ex: Invisible War and Robot Arena), and the former was due to my love for its predecessor, and the latter was when I was in middle school or something.

[Nick DiMola]

D_Average, DO NOT BUY THAT GAME unless it costs like $5. I have not a single fond memory of my time with it.

Ahaha.  I know.  But I just can't help myself.  I just can't wrap my head around how the guys at Left Field Productions could fall so far.  Perhaps there was a big shift in staff when the company bought their share back from Nintendo, and the real talent when on to Codemasters.  Either way, like a trainwreck, I've just got to see it for myself, assuming the price is right of course....

While Nitrobike isn't the world's greatest game, I kinda like it. Of course I only paid $5 for it, so there's not buyer's remorse, but all in all I thought it was a decent game.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Would people be mad if I mentioned Excite Bots in this thread?

I only played it long enough to unlock online, but I didn't really have fun doing it.
The game only cost me $5 though, so I also have no buyers remorse.

[ThePerm]

Aidyn Chronicles the first mage: that game was ass, total ass, not worth playing, i returned it the next day for a refund and bought a dreamcast, but then 4 years later i rebought it on ebay despite its terribleness...i blame it on hoarding intincts
it was part of my n64 collection at one point, but escaped..it had to return

[EasyCure]

Would people be mad if I mentioned Excite Bots in this thread?

Yes.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Mario Kart Wii.  I'm only calling battle mode garbage, though.

A lot of times I'll buy the next game in a series I like even if I know the quality is in the toilet.  Mega Man X games, for example.

I've bought a number of cheesy Wii and DS games just because the concept appealed to me on some level.  Dewy, Munchables.  I've even ordered Spyborgs.  All fodder for the backlog.

[Dasmos]

Who the hell buys Mario Kart for the battle mode? That's like going to a brothel for a hug.

[Stratos]

Who the hell buys Mario Kart for the battle mode? That's like going to a brothel for a hug.

Win.

Try Excite Bike on WiiWare. That's really fun and has online.

[UltimatePartyBear]

I didn't buy it for battle mode.  I bought it because it was still Mario Kart in spite of knowing that battle mode was garbage.

That said, battle mode is a big part of the package of a Mario Kart game.  It's no coincidence that my favorites of the series all have good battle modes and my least favorites don't.

[D_Average]

I didn't buy it for battle mode.  I bought it because it was still Mario Kart in spite of knowing that battle mode was garbage.

I hear you UPB.  Battle Mode on the SNES Mario Kart is on of my top ten gaming experiences.  Easily.  For a whole year my friend and I played it every day, while just occasionally racing to spice things up.  I couldn't wait for the new mode in Mario Kart 64.  My, how I was disappointed!  It was still fun an all, but nothing compared to the previous game.  It just wasn't the same in 3D.  Unlike Mario 64, all the new space just made things feel empty, loney, pointless.  And worst of all, it was just too damn hard to find the opponents!

[Kairon]

I didn't buy it for battle mode.  I bought it because it was still Mario Kart in spite of knowing that battle mode was garbage.

The suckiness of Mario Kart Wii Battle mode was a HUGE blow to me.

... but this was also the FIRST Mario kart EVER when actual plain racing with other people was fun! Especially since this Mario Kart had so many ways for us poor humans to team up against the evil computer!!!

So what say you forum dwellers?  Are there ever games you feel some strange compulsion to buy?  They can be games that scored poor, or even games in a genre you completely ignore (For instance, though I hate RPG's, I just had to buy Wind Waker).

...JUST...DANCE...*urk*

[TJ Spyke]

I didn't think it was garbage, but it got terrible reviews: "Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia" for Xbox 360 (there was also a port to PS3 that called "Monster Madness: Grave Danger" that fixed some of the flaws). I rather enjoyed the game and thought it was a fun game that required no thinking (similar to Gauntlet, which reviewers usually compared it to). I got the game like 2 years after its release though and could never find anyone online (so I couldn't get the multiplayer Achievments since I don't have anyone in person to play it with).

[D_Average]

I bought Monster Madness too!  Great game. Mindless fun and cutscenes that had me cracking up.

[NWR_insanolord]

If we're including things we bought despite awful reviews then I'm legally obligated to mention Alien Syndrome, a really fun game that's way better than it was made out to be, especially by some jerk that reviewed it for NWR and gave it a 3.5.

[Kairon]

Alien Syndrome. So awesome.

[Ian Sane]

I've never had any interest in buying a game I know is crap.  But I have done that with movies.  I saw the third Star Wars prequel and Pirates of the Caribbean films in theatre even though I thought the second movies were HORRIBLE and in the end I didn't like the third ones either.  For some reason I felt like I had to see what was going to happen, like it was some pop culture duty to be informed.  Sequels that are planned all at once tend to have that command over me.  It doesn't seem to apply to films where the sequel is made after the fact.  But if they're making multiple films at once or the film was announced as a series from the get go I'm trapped if I see the first film and enjoy it.

But it doesn't happen with videogames.  It's probably because of the higher cost involved.  Going to the movies is also an outing so even if the film sucks I can find enjoyment in spending time with friends.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I have a similar problem with Heroes on NBC. The show sucks and has sucked ever since the finale of the 1st season. The 2nd season was sooo bad, yet I watched the entire thing. 3rd season started to show some promise at some point, but that ended just as quickly as it started and here we are on the 4th season and I can't even begin to explain why I still watch this show. I knew it was gonna suck and I think I just watch because I like to bitch and complain about it. Honestly I keep thinking that it has such potential to be a very interesting show (like when it first started) but it just never gets there.

As far as movies, I watch all sorts of movies that I expect to be horrible and sometimes come out surprised that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Games..... if it's cheap enough and I've heard enough about it that I think I might enjoy it, then I might buy it, but chances are I won't even play it anyway (other than for however long it holds my attention on the first try).