The Five Stages of Video Game Disappointment

[Julio Franco]

I didn’t want to believe that Fallout 4, the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time, wasn’t really doing it for me. So, like any rational person, I made myself miserable trying to convince myself that I was having A Really Great Time.

I think it’s happened to us all at some point or another: a game you’ve idolized from afar finally comes out, and you’re ready to make sloppy, unfettered love to it with your eyes and hands and hopefully only those things. You boot it up and brace yourself for magic.

Hours pass. Magic still hasn’t happened. This is... unexpected. That is when you begin your Dante-esque multi-stage descent into a very unique sort of madness: disappointment.

Read the complete article.

 

[stewi0001]

True disappointment was MGSV

 

[davislane1]

Why is an article about Skyrim plastered with screenshots from Fallout 4?

 

[Adhmuz]

Well that was a truly pointless read, thanks for that, I need to waste time anyways. That's the realization I had with video games a couple years ago, I'm just wasting time, and barely enjoying it. This is normal, it's called growing up and reassessing your priorities, most people will go through this in their lives, those who don't stay in the industry until they're the old guy that just complains about everything because they've wasted their lives on pointless video games.

But then again don't listen to this Nathan guy either, he's rather unprofessional, despite this being an opinion piece.

 

[schumi]

I agree. Waste of time. I was disappointed when I opened the collectors edition box. I paid 60 extra pounds for a F*ing piece of chinese plastic that broke at the first touch. And then I was excited for the game. Played for a few days, restarted, changed character, played again for a few days. And then I installed SwordCoast Legends and was astonished that it got to me that quickly, at least the first part that actually tried to have a story...been playing ever since...almost one month and I haven't touched Fallout 4...a building simulator that does not allow you to demolish bushes and make only crap buildings...why in hell would I want that in fallout...the story is crap...zero for the beginning ...it is so weak that I only gave it a chance for the graphics...
Bethesda ruined everything by trying to make a single player feel like an MMO. Single player needs a story and good characters.

 

[Evernessince]

Well that was a truly pointless read, thanks for that, I need to waste time anyways. That's the realization I had with video games a couple years ago, I'm just wasting time, and barely enjoying it. This is normal, it's called growing up and reassessing your priorities, most people will go through this in their lives, those who don't stay in the industry until they're the old guy that just complains about everything because they've wasted their lives on pointless video games.

But then again don't listen to this Nathan guy either, he's rather unprofessional, despite this being an opinion piece.

This is only true if you believe entertainment to be pointless. Sure mindless consumption of video games is indeed pointless but I'd saying being happy is pretty important.

Let's be honest though, many games are about mindless consumption. Dragon Age Inquisition does not feel like entertainment, it feels like work.

 

[jwdR1]

I knew this game was in trouble when all the gaming sites started pushing mods 2 days after it released.

On the other hand you have games like ME series where the games are great until you get to the very end and they toss the entire series in the toilet with that infamous ending. I went through all the stages mentioned in about 10 minutes on that one.

 

[lshaffer]

I love this game. Is it crazy different then the others not really. But I do love this game and played the hell out of. For a little while I was playing it everyday after work and then while driving to work I would see rundown buildings and houses falling apart and would think Post apocalypse fallout. I respect your opinion though I have these same feelings about more and more games as I get older. Battlefront is disappointing. I am FORCeing myself to play it. It is beutiful game but the FPS is to arcadey for me. I dont want call of duty I want tactics Like Battlerfield 3

 

[Rorshirk]

After replaying Fallout 3 and New Vegas before this game came out, I'm thinking that might have been a mistake. Everything I loved about those games was fresh in my mind as I started Fallout 4, which made the fact that they're missing all the more glaring.

 

[Rorshirk]

After replaying Fallout 3 and New Vegas before this game came out, I'm thinking that might have been a mistake. Everything I loved about those games was fresh in my mind as I started Fallout 4, which made the fact that they're missing all the more glaring.

I should've said "the fact that all those elements are missing".

 

[amichalski81]

How and why do people play a game as big as fallout and try to complete it in a week? what trophy do you get for that? what accomplishment do you get ? maybe if people spent more time,playing the game a bit slower they would feel happier about the games. when I first played Fallout 3 I am pretty sure when I finished the story (not counting ANY DLC) it took me almost 3 months because I took my time. I was not in a hurry,didn't have some need to finish the game in a record amount of time. I never fast traveled anywhere in fallout games unless I 100% really really needed to, I walked everywhere to Experience the game not rifle through it in record time.
just my opinion on this game and this article

 

[sonnykohler]

So what were you expecting?

I've played innumerable games over the years and ALL of the Beth games released (including ESO which is technically Zeni).

Independent games bore me. They're confusing and not inspired and too often just hearken back to junk made many years ago and dropped for good reason.

Shooters bore me - Bang! Bang! Let's kill some more people, zombies, critters, etc...

Generally I am a sword & sorcery fantasy kind of game guy; third person; and RPG (think Dragons Dogma, Dragon Age, Skyrim, Oblivion, Witcher, etc...), but friends suggested I try Fallout and I did.

I've played all of them and F4 is no different than any of the other installments. Sure it has weaknesses and it has strengths.

It's Fallout for goodness sake and it lives up to what Fallout is supposed to be. Sure the story may not be the deepest. The AI of your foes and companions can sometimes be irritating and there may be some weird glitches. But it is classic Fallout and classic Beth.

You say that it's a weakness that mods are released 2 days after release and that there are patches right away. So what? All games release patches almost immediately. Remember Witcher? Less than 24 hours. Remember Dragon Age? Over and over for weeks.

Again: It is a Beth game! Honestly, after the experience of Skyrim and all the mods, of course it has mods almost immediately! That's how Beth games are designed.

I still don't know WHY you actually don't like Fallout 4. What did you expect? Where does the disappointment come from?

Sure it's not as challenging as Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It's not supposed to be. Sure it's not as much of a shooter as CoD or the ilk. It's not supposed to be.

All your doing is vaguely criticizing and being passive aggressive.

State your view, fine, no problem, but back it up. Give us the "Why?". We deserve at least that much or don't even bother writing.

I have read other articles of yours and usually you're great. What happened here/

 

[Sniped_Ash]

I knew this game was in trouble when all the gaming sites started pushing mods 2 days after it released.

On the other hand you have games like ME series where the games are great until you get to the very end and they toss the entire series in the toilet with that infamous ending. I went through all the stages mentioned in about 10 minutes on that one.

ME3 immediately jumped to mind while I was reading the article. Not necessarily for the ending (which was mostly fine once they patched it), but the whole game had issues that made me wonder if it was even made by the same people as ME2. Funny how the combat was improved in that game as well; it was a rare case of adding multiplayer to a single player game and it actually improving the core gameplay.

 

[schumi]

@sonnykohler
"It's Fallout for goodness sake and it lives up to what Fallout is supposed to be". Fallout 1&2 is Fallout BETHESDA IS NOT FALLOUT. While I enjoyed Fallout 3, New Vegas, I was hoping they would improve on what they missed.
DAO is DragonAge...DA2 is a complete waste of time...3 I enjoy playing but it suffers like F3. But still it's better. Come to think about it it's like Inquisition

I expect old school in 3D...keep your Dark Souls or Bloodborne. I want skills, tags, perks I want something that takes hours just to configure the player (not the face of the player )...and then restart and try something different.

@ Sniped_Ash I feel the same way. I loved ME1, enjoyed ME2 and fast forward ME3 just for the story...which ended in a pile of *.
DA1 loved, DA2 waste of time ("loved" the same dungeon texture ), but enjoyed the story, DA3 looks great, feels great but it feels dumbed down like F4, a hack and slash with a hint of story.

I hate the hype it created for nothing. It's more marketing now than gameplay (or it's the new type of gameplay)...

 

[sonnykohler]

Have you played Fallout 1 & 2? They were a waste of time.

While I appreciated the antiquated isometric platforming characteristics back in the day, this is 2015. I expect more than that.

I appreciate Fallout for fallout. That's it.

You have your opinion. I have mine. That is all.

This is the way game are now. It's about the flash & bang. The substance is gone. No-one has the attention span for it.

Dumbed down games are were we're at.

BTW - IMO, ME was awful. All of them. Just awful. You want to talk about pretty and without substance. That sums up ME to me.

 

[schumi]

@sonnykohler
You have alternatives in new technologies...like Wasteland 2, Divinity Original Sin, SwordCoast Legends and the list goes on. I'm glad that there will always be the first game in a series, and sad that it will be dumbed down for cash and consoles.
You're not the first to say that about ME...it's your right, but it brought something new to the table. The universe especially. which you may like or not, that's your choice. But the Fallout universe was not created by Bethesda and they have no moral right to dumb it down for cash.
We are a breed of players that look more to the world the game creates, the story and old school gameplay. That doesn't mean only isometric. That's why ME was a hit. Because of it's immersive universe.
Peace.

 

[Capaill]

Fallout 4 is a great game. It's kept me hooked for a month. I'm on my second playthrough and have installed about 25 mods. I don't play it to be awed by amazing graphics (though it does well enough). It's got lovely side quests that surprise you when you find them. And the base building lets you explore your creative side. Or just stick a bunch of turrets up on a concrete tower and move on. I figure it will keep me hooked until around the time that XCOM 2 comes out. Let's just say I'm enjoying it so much that I didn't even look at the Steam winter sale.

 

[Comanche]

Well that was a truly pointless read, thanks for that, I need to waste time anyways. That's the realization I had with video games a couple years ago, I'm just wasting time, and barely enjoying it. This is normal, it's called growing up and reassessing your priorities, most people will go through this in their lives, those who don't stay in the industry until they're the old guy that just complains about everything because they've wasted their lives on pointless video games.

But then again don't listen to this Nathan guy either, he's rather unprofessional, despite this being an opinion piece.

I was about to say the same thing, this unavoidable disappointment or lack of joy no matter the game is a simple phase of growing up, I too realized the waste of time on video games and the pursuit of stupid trophies long time ago. with a 1/4 of the time I wasted on modern warfare 2 online, I learned to play the guitar

imagine what you can accomplish with the your full gaming time, maybe learn 13 programming languages and make an extra income of maybe $20,000 a year

 

[Evernessince]

So what were you expecting?

I've played innumerable games over the years and ALL of the Beth games released (including ESO which is technically Zeni).

Independent games bore me. They're confusing and not inspired and too often just hearken back to junk made many years ago and dropped for good reason.

Shooters bore me - Bang! Bang! Let's kill some more people, zombies, critters, etc...

Generally I am a sword & sorcery fantasy kind of game guy; third person; and RPG (think Dragons Dogma, Dragon Age, Skyrim, Oblivion, Witcher, etc...), but friends suggested I try Fallout and I did.

I've played all of them and F4 is no different than any of the other installments. Sure it has weaknesses and it has strengths.

It's Fallout for goodness sake and it lives up to what Fallout is supposed to be. Sure the story may not be the deepest. The AI of your foes and companions can sometimes be irritating and there may be some weird glitches. But it is classic Fallout and classic Beth.

You say that it's a weakness that mods are released 2 days after release and that there are patches right away. So what? All games release patches almost immediately. Remember Witcher? Less than 24 hours. Remember Dragon Age? Over and over for weeks.

Again: It is a Beth game! Honestly, after the experience of Skyrim and all the mods, of course it has mods almost immediately! That's how Beth games are designed.

I still don't know WHY you actually don't like Fallout 4. What did you expect? Where does the disappointment come from?

Sure it's not as challenging as Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It's not supposed to be. Sure it's not as much of a shooter as CoD or the ilk. It's not supposed to be.

All your doing is vaguely criticizing and being passive aggressive.

State your view, fine, no problem, but back it up. Give us the "Why?". We deserve at least that much or don't even bother writing.

I have read other articles of yours and usually you're great. What happened here/

Comparing fallout 4 at launch to The Witcher 3 at launch, is frankly, a joke. Fallout 4 has so many more problems now that the witcher 3 ever did and Bethesda is in no rush to fix them. Half the time my weapon is invisible in fallout, enemies fly through the sky, and good ol' hourly crashes. This is if you ignore the usual Bethesda crap like horrid hit boxes and the worst AI in any game, ever.

How do patches factor into mods at all? If you've played all the Bethesda games you dam well know Bethesda doesn't fix it's games, it leaves that to the modders. How can you defend this sort of practice?

Fallout 4 is classic Bethesda, not classic fallout. The original fallout games were far different and didn't have the same issues. Fallout 4 being made by Bethesda does not excuse the game's issues.

 

[veLa]

This is why I haven't bought into video game hype in years. My friend authorized my computer so he could share Fallout 4 with me. I found it to be flat out boring. I bought Star Wars Battlefront Deluxe Edition since it was on sale this Christmas. This was another completely empty and hollow game. I also happened to pick up Titfanfall for $10 this Christmas, which comes will all the DLC for free now, and I found it to be much more fun and fulfilling than the previous two games I mentioned. I almost feel bad for not picking it up sooner.

 

[Puiu]

This article is here to prepare people for The Division

 

[Mister_K]

Well that was a truly pointless read, thanks for that, I need to waste time anyways. That's the realization I had with video games a couple years ago, I'm just wasting time, and barely enjoying it. This is normal, it's called growing up and reassessing your priorities, most people will go through this in their lives, those who don't stay in the industry until they're the old guy that just complains about everything because they've wasted their lives on pointless video games.

But then again don't listen to this Nathan guy either, he's rather unprofessional, despite this being an opinion piece.

Hit the nail on the head. I am starting to realize this now. I barely play, I am more of a TV Show person now a days, same principal. I guess it depends where you draw the line. Limiting time so you don't miss out the "immersion" per few hours a week/month for senseless entertainment.

Back in High School/College I could be spending hours on end playing games, only to realize now I should either tried harder to be better or better yet, cut them down/don't play them.

Then again, if not for games I wouldn't be "techie" or in such industry for work.

OT: WTB a good Mass Effect game, 3 was great but I need something MOAR.

 

[andrewyoung]

Well I like the game .....got a 170 hrs in and on my second playthrough. I like to play once as the nice guy and then as a assh#$% on the second run....try to get all the sidequests .

 

[BigSlim]

How and why do people play a game as big as fallout and try to complete it in a week? what trophy do you get for that? what accomplishment do you get ? maybe if people spent more time,playing the game a bit slower they would feel happier about the games. when I first played Fallout 3 I am pretty sure when I finished the story (not counting ANY DLC) it took me almost 3 months because I took my time. I was not in a hurry,didn't have some need to finish the game in a record amount of time. I never fast traveled anywhere in fallout games unless I 100% really really needed to, I walked everywhere to Experience the game not rifle through it in record time.

Trust and believe I do the same thing. I've been doing it most of my life. I take my time with games to get the most out of them and to be sure the money I spent on it was well worth it! I have tons of games for 360 and Nintendo that I haven't even finished yet to this day!! There was a few cases with the Bioshock games though. I was so much into the series that I had beat them in a week. all 3 times I felt disappointed after that.

 

[CaptainTom]

Yeah I have never been a die-hard Fallout fan, but I have to say that if it weren't for the combat and settlement system I would be disappointed with this game.

In fact, I would say that this objectively is no where near as good as 3 or even New Vegas for its time.