Great Games With Awful Combat - Investment Policy

As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that some games have left me scratching my head in bewilderment. The latest addition to this list is a trio of titles – Fortnite, Digimon World: Next Order, and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories – each with its own unique brand of frustration.

In theory, creating an exceptional game involves a delicate balance. It requires assembling engaging gameplay elements, captivating visuals, and an appealing narrative.

scarcely any games achieve a flawless rating across all aspects, yet typically, any minor weaknesses get overshadowed by its standout qualities.

But what if you get the perfect game, then make the combat mechanics as fun as picking glass shards out of your eyeballs?

This collection showcases some exceptionally engaging games, crafted by bold designers, that are so captivating that even the grueling combat seems almost forgettable.

10 STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl

All Hail Radioactive Bullet Sponges

The original STALKER game was released in 2007, and it remains an intriguing jumble of beauty and chaos. With its ominous atmosphere, seedy characters, and survival-focused game mechanics, this title has left a lasting impact, giving birth to numerous other games that share similar radioactive traits.

STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl is fortunate to boast excellent game design all around, as its combat can be quite frustratingly challenging.

In this game, GSC Game World unfortunately packed quite a few unsatisfactory battle mechanics, yet none stand out as problematic as the overly resilient enemies, often referred to as “bullet sponges.”

In the open world of Shadow of Chernobyl, ammo is hard to find out in the wilderness, while it’s priced sky-high at the military bases.

However, even the weakest bandit wearing nothing but a trench coat often requires multiple shots to kill.

As the game progresses, the situation turns crucial when it’s time to engage with the heavily armored Monolith soldiers and their top-tier weaponry.

A STALKER game features a burden system, which temporarily immobilizes you when your load becomes excessively heavy. Thus, carrying an overwhelming amount of ammunition isn’t feasible.

Thankfully, the developers recognized that the combat in the original version was poor, and significantly improved it in STALKER: Clear Sky and STALKER: Call of Pripyat, making it much more enjoyable.

9 This War of Mine

Click, Click, Boom

11-bit Studios, a developer hailing from Poland, has earned its place in the Survival Game Hall of Fame, yet not for combat-related elements.

In the game “This War of Mine“, there’s a complex looting mechanism where you may need to take chances for survival during the war. However, the game consistently stresses that combat should only be used as a final option.

In a warzone, you often encounter numerous critical situations. Therefore, self-defense becomes essential.

Engaging in combat within “This War of Mine” essentially boils down to repeatedly clicking on the adversary whenever you want to throw a punch or discharge your weapon, only to be destroyed instantly when they retaliate.

In “This War of Mine”, interaction is exclusively done through clicks, so if you happen to miss the looting icon by just a tiny bit, your character will awkwardly walk towards it, often leading to a perilous situation since enemies in this game are particularly harsh, and usually results in a quick burial.

The artificial intelligence controlling the enemy doesn’t seem to possess strategic skills, as it randomly dashes around, sometimes getting stuck on stairs and even uttering vulgarities at your character. Additionally, there may be instances where you find yourself trapped inside a building with adversaries, despite the door being open when you initially entered.

In an unfortunate turn of events, should I encounter these hostile figures, they’ll immediately confront me with force. Remarkably, even though it seems we have no visible connections or shared identity, this hostile association extends to those within my household as well.

8 RuneScape

Slap Olympics

In the realm of Gielinor, RuneScape offers an opportunity to experience a fulfilling life in numerous occupations. However, it’s quite unusual to see players engaging in duels, as they can appear rather comical or absurd.

Instead of two brawlers clashing with mismatched armor and repeatedly striking each other on the head in a seedy pub late at night, this scene is more fitting for the main mode of conflict within the most renowned Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) globally.

In simpler terms, the cycle of play in RuneScape‘s Player vs. Player combat involves continuously battling to acquire an essential armor set, venturing into hazardous northern territories, and engaging in conflicts with unknown individuals to determine the winner.

Here, your primary action involves right-clicking on the enemy, and intermittently clicking the left mouse button for healing purposes. Doesn’t exactly set the adrenaline pumping, does it?

“The captivating aspect of RuneScape lies in the engaging adventure towards acquiring your dream armor or weapon, where you encounter enjoyable companions on your journey. By the time you employ it in combat, you’ve had a great time and wouldn’t mind starting over again once the slapping tournament concludes with a loss.

7 XCOM 2

The Most Hateful RNG

In 2016, Firaxis Games developed an innovative strategic game that puts you in command of humanity’s defense against oppressive extraterrestrial rulers, with the ultimate goal of saving our planet.

XCOM 2‘s combat is almost perfect, but the entire thing comes apart because of the RNG.

Strategy games often incorporate random factors, and the way XCOM implements them can be equally perplexing and maddening.

Virtually every single gameplay video or review of XCOM 2 will have a chapter dedicated to how a soldier missed an alien that is 3 meters away while having a 98.21% chance of hitting.

As a gamer, I find myself constantly at odds with the random number generator. If only the game wasn’t so harshly penalizing, the unpredictability wouldn’t be such an issue. But as it stands, having my entire progress wiped out by seemingly arbitrary numbers just isn’t fun or fulfilling.

6 Ghost Recon Wildlands

Bullet Hell in Stealth Coating

In 2017, Ghost Recon Wildlands was groundbreaking when it was released. Ubisoft dared to create a game themed around narcotics, similar to GTA, but instead of ordinary criminals, you assume the role of the U.S. Army’s deadliest and covert unit, operating under a relentless CIA agent.

Wildlands distinguishes itself with its combat system, which is nearly excellent. During routine moments, you experience engaging tactical gameplay that is highly gratifying. However, these positive experiences are frequently disrupted by chaotic “bullet hell” sections that seem reminiscent of the least enjoyable aspects of Call of Duty.

In the beginning, a significant number (not every single one), but not all, of these scenarios are found within side missions. However, as the game progresses, these scenarios become the main focus and form the majority of the primary storyline quests.

The poor quality of gunplay in Wildlands makes the scenario even more challenging, as battling wave after wave of enemies isn’t fun.

Even though both the antagonists and heroes in this game are well-developed enough for me to lose myself in their world, it’s unfortunate that the follow-up, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, improved combat mechanics significantly but seemingly overlooked crafting an engaging narrative.

5 Medal of Honor

Peak Cinematic Airsoft

The 2010 reboot of Medal of Honor is one of the most underrated games of its time.

The game’s single-player narrative is a heartfelt, cinematic tribute to the 2001 Afghan War, whereas its multiplayer aspects were crafted by the talented team at DICE, who are also behind the Battlefield series.

The game takes great care in its details and aims for precision in all aspects. Through the ACOG optic on the character’s weapon, you can even notice a subtle shadow of the anti-reflective coating on its surface.

Missions offer an engaging and fulfilling experience, giving you the sense of being a highly skilled special operative, all while avoiding tired cliches, in stark contrast to many later installments of the Call of Duty series beyond the original Modern Warfare duo.

The reason Medal of Honor appears on this list, however, is due to the fact that beneath its glossy exterior and endearing qualities, the combat aspect leaves much to be desired.

Here, anyone familiar with airsoft would find a sense of comfort, as the force and heft of guns are simply not present.

Even though the firearm action was not particularly strong, it could be celebrated as one of the finest narrative-focused shooter games if we lived in a just world.

4 Hearts of Iron III

Unexciting Industrial Combat

One could certainly argue that Hearts of Iron III represents the pinnacle of intricate political decision-making in video games, as it’s hard to imagine anything surpassing its depth in this regard.

In simpler terms, even though The Paradox allows for fine-tuning small details within a nation, it can feel frustratingly insignificant when conflicts erupt and the game’s battle system proves to be more intricate than playing tic-tac-toe.

In Heart of Iron III, winning wars is largely dependent on industrial capabilities. While it’s true that logistics are crucial in real-life conflicts, the game mechanics work differently. In Heart of Iron III, logistics can determine the outcome of individual battles, but over time, it’s the industrial might that typically leads to victory.

In Hearts of Iron III, the result of each battle is decided in advance based on which side produced the greatest number of military units. However, you don’t get to manage the strategic or tactical aspects; even basic movements like a tactical withdrawal are not included.

A silver lining exists, as the complexity of the game keeps you preoccupied, leaving little room for conflict. However, your governmental team seems disloyal, and the economic situation appears to be deteriorating rapidly.

3 Fortnite

Death by Sponsorship

Without a doubt, I can’t help but sing the praises of Fortnite! It’s simply one of the most enjoyable casual games out there, and a big part of that charm comes from its quirky take on combat.

Its inclusion on this list is due to a terrible habit of ruining the fight over sponsorship deals.

Over an extended period, the course of every Fortnite game tends to adhere to a particular pattern. You, along with your team, gather powerful weapons, dominate inexperienced opponents, engage in intense battles against equally skilled adversaries, and so on.

…”then meet an untimely end, either from Captain America’s shield, a powerful energy wave similar to the Kamehameha, or a lightsaber that has the ability to deflect bullets when activated.

The integration of well-known pop culture figures in Fortnite makes the game enjoyable, however, the developers often struggle to maintain a fair balance when it comes to handling unique items.

Consequently, it’s nearly always the team that acquires the monthly meta-item first who decides the final results of the match.

2 Digimon World: Next Order

Welcome to Menu Hell

The Digimon series presents a captivating creature, blending the charm of monster-like entities reminiscent of Pokémon, with a knack for delivering thought-provoking narratives that resonate deeply each time.

In the year 2016, the game titled “Digimon World: Next Order” made its debut on the PlayStation Vita. Subsequently, it was adapted for play on other platforms such as PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and personal computers.

In the next game called “Next Order,” they aimed to change the combat style from contemporary Digimon games. Regrettably, the final outcome falls short of expectations because of some poorly thought-out design decisions in the gameplay.

Unlike the majority of Digimon games that use a turn-based combat system, Next Order instead chose an action-oriented approach. However, the way it was implemented leaves much to be desired.

In the heat of battle, it feels like I’m navigating through an overloaded desktop with each move, constantly clicking and selecting options from a multitude of menus.

As the game progresses, the challenges become significantly harder compared to earlier levels, and the fact that your Digimons reset occasionally makes it pointless to grind for improvements.

1 Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

When Easy Is Harder Than Hard

Initially launched on the Game Boy Advance back in 2004, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories made a significant impact as it pushed the boundaries of gaming during that era. However, despite its initial success, the remake for PlayStation 2 received less favorable reviews compared to its original release.

It seems that Square Enix chose to retain the card-based battle system initially introduced in the Game Boy Advance version, yet they’ve updated it to include character movements and adversaries similar to those seen in the Kingdom Hearts game for PlayStation 2, a decision that only Tetsuya Nomura understands.

In the heat of battle, as I’m desperately trying to sort my cards amidst relentless enemy pursuits, the intensity truly peaks during those epic showdowns against the bosses.

In “Re:Chain of Memories,” you’ll find yourself primarily engaged in battles against the enigmatic Organization XIII, whose members are cloaked and formidable foes. These adversaries possess complex health meters, making later fights from the original “Kingdom Hearts” seem almost effortless by comparison.

What’s tricky is that, in many opinions, the game Re:Chain of Memories stands out as a top pick within the Kingdom Hearts series. This title skillfully blends elements from both Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, and it provides ample screen time for an engaging cast of villains.

The only place where card-shuffling live combat belongs is in a game about Gambit from the X-Men.

2024-10-30 20:09