Games that surprised you the most?
 

Surprised I really liked...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...7L._AA300_.jpg

it was my official foray into FPS and was always intimidated by them, but as most know here, i just loved this game from first moment to last. continued the saga and loved it all. really, really surprised me how much i enjoyed and was actually able to play it, of course a little help from all my friends here didn't hurt either ;)


then...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...BL._AA300_.jpg

thought it would be a daunting task to get into a FPS not in the Halo series and with the layered elements like RPG stuff and missions i had no idea what to expect, but, yet again relied on the thoughts here and loved every minute of the main story campaign.


of course now...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...jL._AA300_.jpg

never really played a GTA game and what little i did, thought was ok, but hard for me at the time. only played one other western game in GUN for the Gamecube and never really got into it and sold it off. was also intimidated by the "open world"/"sand box" aspect to it (as my first few selections on X360 were pretty linear in scope and direction of where to go), but i love western movies and the hype got me twitching. needlesstosay, i have loved every bit of the adventure thus far. from the lush landscape to the tight controls to the fun of doing anything you want. which is almost why i would rather doing anything but the story missions bc i want to prolong this fantastic experience as much as i can.


Surprised I didn't like...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

i know it gets a lot of love and has the ear markings for a game i would like (zombies, killing many zombies, horror-themed), but i could not get into it at all. perhaps i didn't give it enough of a chance, but i have no desire to revist.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

I was flat out stunned by Uncharted 2, and I firmly place it in the slot of #1 most complete game for any console of all time.

It's damn near perfect in every way. Graphics, sound, story, voice acting, music, etc. You can't really find a flaw there.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

You are incorrect, there is one flaw

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

sadly you are right.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Kung Fu Panda

I got it free with my 360 elite. Thought it was gonna be crap since most kids tie in games suck these days. Was surprised at how much fun it was. It reminded me of all those great nes/snes disney games.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

No doubt Borderlands.... when it came out I didn't have it on my radar and I was really unsure of the "gel-cell" look. I thought it be a flash-in-the-pan quirky shooter. A friend got it first and said it was a blast and I was like...what the h*!!...I'll gamble. It's been one of my most played and favorites.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

I was also surprised by Halo. All the hype and gushing, but it turned out to be a mediocre shooter at best.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Off the top of my head...

Surprised Good:

Batman Begins (Original XBOX)...This game helped me get into Stealth games. I mean it really changed my mind about hating them. And the driving part of the game, a part I always HATE in games, was the best I've played so far.


Surprising not so Good:

Red Faction(360) The single player was a surprisingly frustrating tedious torture fest. I had gone in with high hopes and they were crushed with a sledge hammer.

The Lego Games...Even with all the love these games get all the Lego games I played were boring as fuck. I mean how could you go wrong right? I sold the ones I had(Star Wars) and I think The Batman Lego game is unopened in a pile somewhere. I doubt I'll ever play it.

Okami (wii)...Another highly praised Snoozefest.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

For me it would have to be Batman : Arkham Asylum

After trying out the demo on my 360, I have to get this game despite the $60 price tag. Awesome game with great graphics, cool gadgets, solving the Riddler's Challenge which took me quite awhile to get them all. Can't wait for the sequeal.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Batman Arkham Asylum comes to mind. Suffice it to say I was very very skeptical.

I expect Mario games to be good, but I was still blown away by Super Mario Galaxy. The camera work and gravity effects were amazing.

Lots of PSN games have been surprising in various ways: Braid, Flower and Pixeljunk Shooter come to mind.

And previously mentioned, I was surprised how much I liked Borderlands and Red Dead Redemption...and shocked at how good Fallout 3 was.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Totally Agree.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Final Fantasy 2...my younger brother bought it the same time I bought Sword of Vermilion. I remember thinking I got the better game because Final Fantasy on the nes was never my favorite game. I kept watching him play it as I got more and more upset with Sword of Vermilion. Finally he finished it and I got to experience it for the first time.

This generation...

Most surprised in a good way...

Borderlands. I was going to say Batman, but the buzz for it was strong going in and I just had a feeling it was going to be good. Borderlands on the other hand, I did not see that one coming at all.

Most surprised in a bad way.

Uncharted 2. Let me say that the game is well made and fun as hell. I bought a PS3 just for this game. I just never was blown away like some people were. I found the combat to be off just a bit when compared to the best shooting games....the climbing was amazing until I realized they were more interactive quick time events without the quick time button pressing. When I finished the game I sort of felt like I watched someone play the greatest game ever, not that I actually played it. Especially toward the end it just lost steam. I solid 9 out of 10 game that I was expecting to be the greatest game of all time.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Bringing up Sword of Vermilion reminded me how much I loved the music in that game. I still say it had the best music on the Sega, a system not known for its music quality..



fav song starts 6 min in...but it is all good

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Borderlands: I had pretty low expectations going in, but it turned out to be one my favorite games released last year.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Fallout 3

I didn't think I would like it because I don't care for RPGs. Turned out to be my favorite game ever.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Batman Begins

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Toe Jam and Earl. We bought it because it was on sale but couldn't get into it and had a hard time finishing it. We decided to play the fixed maps and made a map of each level and finally started enjoying it. It's still one of my favorite games and with the random maps, it's like a new game each time.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Recent history, Borderlands.

All time, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Another +1 for Borderlands.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Alpha Protocol, probably the most fun 2010-release game I've played. And yes, I've played Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption to completion.

Metro 2033 is also high up there.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

The Saboteur-amazing game, so underappreciated.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...-L._AA300_.jpg
Puzzle Quest

I bought this along with a couple other casual games to put on my laptop a couple years ago. I was going out of town for a couple weeks, away from my main gaming PC, and wanted something to occupy my time. Whatever those other games that I got were, I've completely forgotten about them. Puzzle Quest became an addiction and I was playing it anytime I could.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Goldeneye 007 for me.

When it came out, I got my gaming news via EGM and I always got the magazine with reviews after the game had already come out. I decided to rent it and see how it was.

After about an hour, I took the game out, took it back to Blockbuster, lied to the cashier about how it wouldn't work right and got my money back, went to Toys R Us and bought the game brand new for $60.

13 years later, it's still the biggest surprise for me.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

I'll add a negative score to Borderlands. Played for a couple hours, and just wasn't feeling it. Sold it.

Re: Games that surprised you the most?
 

Fallout 3 for me. My roommate at the time had won it for free and it was just sitting next to the XBox...I was bored one day and played it. I stopped maybe 8 hours later. To this date, it's still the game that I've put the most time into on the 360.