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Veteran Member - Level 13
Boss fights annoy the @#%@% out of me.
You might remember I ranted about them before.
So you'd think that I would avoid anything that was really boss fight heavy, wouldn't you? Most of the time, I do.
But ohhhhh, that peer pressure. It can really get to you when you're weak.
I'm going through that right now, and this experience has taught me to trust my instincts from now on, no matter what anybody says.
Some of you may have guessed what I'm talking about (or maybe you follow me on Twitter so you already know what I'm playing).
Yes, I'm talking about Shadow of the Colossus. This game is really getting on my nerves.
I hate boss fights, so why am I playing a game that consists only of boss fights? Finally caving to almost two years of people saying what a wonderful game it is. How beautiful it is, how the story is so touching. How this is the game that, if Roger Ebert played it, he would never be able to say that video games can't be art.
Bollocks, I say.
Ok, sorry. I'm just a little pissed at myself right now for not paying attention to my instincts. I have no doubt it is a wonderful game. I can even see the potential in it, and I see why people love it. So please don't take this as an attack on your views about this game. Because it's not.
Instead, this is a suggestion to everybody out there to follow your instincts when it comes to games (and with many other things in life too, of course). If there's a particular genre of game that you don't like, or a developer that consistently lets you down, don't let people talk you into buying a game just because "this one is different." Or at the very least don't let them talk you into spending a lot of money on it.
I bought the Ico/Shadow 2-pack for $20 at Gamestop, and it was well worth it because I really loved Ico. I don't feel like I've wasted my money. I do feel a bit like I've wasted my time with this game, though. I am near the end of the 5th Colossus (the eagle) right now. I was going to wait until I finished before doing this blog, but it was taking me so f-ing long to do this one that I finally just paused it because I wanted to get this post out. Thankfully, I'd say I've only played about 5 hours or so. Not much time wasted.
A game is supposed to get tougher as you go along, right? An increasing level of challenge? If I'm at the point where I almost want to literally tear my controller in half or throw it across the room, and I'm only on #5 out of 16, I think that's a sign.
(This is my controller right now...in my mind, at least)
I'm done with this game. After I finish off this eagle. Because there's only a sliver of health left, and I am determined to not have the last 90 minutes spent in vain.
Maybe I'll come back to it periodically and do one at a time, then take some time off. I don't know. I did three of them last night and this is my second one today.
Really, folks. If your instincts are telling you to do something, or to not do something, pay attention to them.
There's a reason that they're there.
It is a bit hard to jump in that guys wings, but a couple after him are easier, until an absolutely INFURIATING jaguar-esq one.
Somebody's bad at video games.
Just kidding, lol. I think I share your view on boss fights, to a lesser extent. I think I dislike them because, they're so different from a normal encounter in a game. Where as normal enemies usually require little strategic input, boss fights are usually longer, more strategic affairs where one must learn patterns and bring together the game mechanics you've learned. After hours of fighting the normal foes, boss fights are drastic change of pace for me, and I have some trouble adjusting. But that's just me.
I love boss fights, but I am not a fan of SOTC at all (even thought its my hero image). The ending is amazing, but I just don't like fighting the colossi. I never felt "guilty" for killing them or anything like that. They were just annoying boss fights to me. Just my thought though.
I bought that same collection... Because of peer pressure(I was told it was amazing) However I love boss fights. I'll admit some of the colossus are horrible. Some are terrific. It's a good game but I could see why someone who hates boss fights would dislike it. Great blog :)
Some games/genres just aren't for certain people. I pretty much avoid RTS games at all costs. No matter how good I hear one is, I refuse to play them as I am incredibly terrible at them and they just frustrate me.
I love boss fights that offer a challenge except when they are cheap as hell. Take Tabuu from SSBB you have six dudes to fight him (wich sounds plenty, and probably is for a better player) but it makes no difference when he has a unavoidable move that kills in one hit.
I've been tempted to get the Shadow/Ico pack. I know nothing of Ico, but I know Shadow is an entire boss fight game. I'm interested in taking a shot at it, but when it comes to boss fights I'm meh. But good luck on finishing that Colossi.
For me, I love bosses, especially ones the size of the Colossi. I love them because of the rush you get when you finally fell a monster 20x bigger than your character. I haven't checked out SotC, and I mean to download it off PSN, but like what many people before me said, most genres are not for everyone. That just goes to show that one must never give in to peer pressure. Ever.
I've always been bad about giving into the hype, and playing a game I probably won't like, because everybody else loves it. The only time I can think of that this worked out, was the Mass Effect series.
I never cared for the demos, but after awhile I broke down, and tried out the full game. It's now one of my favorite series ever lol. But yeah, other then that, I need to do better about giving into hype.
I can't say I hate bosses, but I can say that certain mechanics will enrage me, when I was younger I couldn't beat God of War by myself because of the button mashing QTE's.
Hmm now i have a sudden urge to play something hard, but not in a cheap way...
I should have read this blog before I bought the new Mortal Kombat Komplete Kollection for 30 bucks. I feel like I've wasted my money, and I threw my case against the floor that it broke. Now I have a broken case and a game I very much dislike because A) I suck so bad I'm on beginner and B) The AI is just cheap cheap cheap in that game.
Hahaha dude, give Dark Souls a try without watching videos. You'll get so angry at the bosses. As for Shadow of the Colossus, *spoiler alert* the last colossus (dies?). Hooray. That would've been obvious anyway, unless you give up. You'll HATE that boss.
Wow, thanks for the nice comments, everybody. I did finish the eagle off, but it took another 20 minutes after going back to it (all in all, it took me about an hour and 45 minutes...this is supposed to be fun?)
@kye: I think I will stop before I get to "infuriating." LOL
@Yusuke: I guess I just find "discover the pattern and then go through the endless slog of performing that pattern" to be extremely boring. And frustrating when it's a very exact pattern. Or, like the eagle in SotC, one where if you fail at it, it takes forever to get back to where you were before to do it again (I don't know how many times I fell off that danged bird).
@Walker: Thanks for getting my point exactly! I don't share your dislike for Oblivion, though I don't like it as much as some people do (though I did really like it). I never finished the main storyline because I found what was on the other side of those gates to be very annoying. But I did enjoy the gameplay itself. But it's not for everybody.
@JC: Maybe too much of a good thing for you? Or did you not care for how these were set up?
@Olive: Ico makes the collection well worth the money. It is a phenomenal game. But yeah, if you are having doubts about SotC, I would maybe just set it aside.
I can certainly understand your hesitancy about Skyrim! Believe it or not, I still haven't bought it yet. Something's just holding me back (though I now do plan on getting the Game of the Year edition when it comes out).
@quasicondundrum: I'd be interested in hearing what your final opinion of the game is once you get it, given what you've said.
I hear what you're saying about testing limits, but I think we're talking about two different feelings. For example, it took me *forever* to buy Arkham Asylum (Arkham City was coming out in a few months), mainly because I don't really care for that type of action game where you're tying together combos and stuff like that.
But my gut wasn't telling me not to buy it. It just didn't appeal to me. When I found it relatively cheaply, I decided to take the plunge because it had such great word of mouth. I ended up loving it.
So for me, testing my limits would be about something that doesn't necessarily appeal to me. But if my gut is screaming at me, I think I'm going to listen to it.
@Mojo: Already responded, so just let me reiterate: EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@LGAR: Thank you! I can take a mix of good and bad. For me, it's just that the five that I did do contained rapidly increasing frustration, so much so that I saw the path it was on and knew it would result in controller breakage.
@Cameron Koch: Then you know of which I speak! I'm not good at RTS games either. Not to mention that I don't play games on the PC, so I generally wouldn't get a chance to play them anyway (the ones that have transferred to console, I've heard haven't been very good)
@tlersman: Yeah, boss fights are annoying, but *cheap* boss fights are almost rage-inducing.
@DJH: If you buy the collection for Ico (and I think it's worth it for that), then it's not a bad thing to give SotC a try. Just be ready for it.
@SOTW14: I like your thinking on peer pressure. :) As for the colossi, I did get a nice feeling of satisfaction after finishing them off. But for me, it wasn't worth the increasing time it took to actually reach that point.
@Masterassassin: How often do you give into the hype, that it's become that memorable? :)
@Ace13: I was so happy when I found that picture. I'm glad it made you laugh.
@attackcobra: You made it farther than me!!! Though I may try again periodically, as I said.
@epic_fael (I love that name): Yeah, QTEs aren't a favourite of mine either, especially (like in Shadows of the Damned) where failure to execute the QTE can actually kill you with one shot.
@Blackheartedwolf: I didn't like any of them, it's just that the eagle was the bird that broke the camel's back. :)
@Interrotta: Ouch! I feel for you.
@Wayoverdue: With that waiting for me, how can I not go on? :P
Thanks, everybody.