What video games where the "intended" way to play isn't fun for you?

[u/NagitoKomaeda_987]

[u/Jaiar]

In Dishonored while you can technically do lethal/nonlethal, you get the better ending by doing a nonlethal playthrough. Which is a bit of a shame because the lethal weapons/abilities in that game so fun.

[u/SpaceBeaverDam → u/Jaiar]

Immediately my thought as well. The majority of powers, items, and weapons are lethal. Playing nonlethally isn't just more difficult or something; it actively removes most of your gameplay options. Subjectively, I'd also say it removes the most entertaining tools.

[u/ProctorDre → u/SpaceBeaverDam]

Hey guess what you stumbled on the entire point of that game and walked right on by it.

Of course from a video game standpoint revenge is the most fun way to play. Killing the enemies that killed the most important person in the world to you is supposed to feel good.

But that has consequences. It brings chaos. And it doesn't actually solve anything. Corvo is not better off unleashing his anger on everyone in sight. The world at large is so much worse off when he does.

It is more challenging both from a narrative standpoint AND a gameplay standpoint to play in a more controlled, nonlethal way. That is ludonarrative harmony at its absolute peak.

Media literacy is at an all time low.

[u/Man_under_Bridge420 → u/ProctorDre]

Reading comprehension is at all time low…..

They could have added tons of fun and interesting non lethal abilities 

[u/Jaiar → u/ProctorDre]

I feel like this is a weirdly hostile take on a thread specifically regarding critiquing mechanics. No one missed that playing nonlethal and having it impact story mechanically accentuates the themes of revenge and justice. The critique is that the non-lethal options feel less developed and less interesting to actually play with versus the lethal options.

Sure it makes sense for nonlethal runs to be more challenging than going full-murderhobo, but issue isn't about the challenge, it's about the fact that going lethal gives you a bunch of cool gadgets/abilities that you as a player want to experiment with to solve puzzles, and some of that is missing from the nonlethal options.

A way to manage this while still sticking to the core themes would to be to give more depth to the non-lethal mechanics, which is exactly what the sequel does. The greater parity shows that the developers must have felt similar regarding the state of non-lethal play in the first game.

It's kinda rich to be out here criticizing people's media literacy when you straight up miss the point of a reddit post.

[u/Lostboxoangst → u/Jaiar]

The first dishonoured is so very weird for it as wellthey give you so many fun lethal toys to play with but are like" AHH you used it all naughty naughty, now every one dies!"

[u/Tomatwoo → u/Jaiar]

dishonored 2 improved so much on this imo

the non-lethal gameplay in that game is more in depth

[u/Chippings → u/Jaiar]

I stopped playing Dishonored a few hours in upon realizing this, and never checked out the remaining games in the series.

[u/WhiteRaven-17]

Recent example for me was Mario kart World, specifically knockout tour but could be argued for all of them.

Playing it normally and brawling it out with the crowd for items is a blast. Arguably the most fun I’ve had with Mario Kart.

The game forcing you to optimize the fun out of the game if you want 3 star gold cups is the most painful, boring shit in the game.

[u/The_Apple_Genius_Bar]

Similarly, Dishonored.

There are achievements for playing non-lethally, and ‘better’ endings are easier to achieve when you kill less people, however almost every upgrade makes you more lethal, and any utility upgrades (like enemy’s bodies disappearing on death) of course require you to kill. Which is a bit frustrating on a non-lethal play through as you essentially don’t get to interact with the upgrade system in a meaningful way.

Always interpreted it as “sometimes doing the right thing is hard”.

Though that might not be the message they were going for as in the second game there are plenty
more upgrade options for non-lethal play-through.

[u/ImStoryForRambling]

I love adventure games, especially old ones, but if Im stuck for longer than 10 minutes I look up a guide.

Technically youre supposed to soak up the atmosphere and get really familiar with the world when youre trying to figure out the solution.

[u/AnonMoose2 → u/ImStoryForRambling]

Same.

That said when I stop having fun with the game, I just play something else. So many ganes I get part way through, get to a part I just dont have fun with and drop it lol.

[u/Decision-Leather → u/ImStoryForRambling]

My man 🙌🏾

[u/timeaisis]

Grand Theft Auto is probably the best example. No one plays it straight, ever. In fact, that's the entire reason why it's popular.

[u/samarthhhh → u/timeaisis]

Grand Theft Auto, is in fact, the worst example. Why would the intended way to play GTA, a game named after a criminal offense, be playing it straight?

[u/BigTenFicus → u/timeaisis]

I have hundreds of hours in San Andreas and have played at most three or four story missions. I just downloaded a completed game save and played it as a sandbox.

[u/ComatoseJoy → u/timeaisis]

I have prob hundreds of hours in GTA online just doing motorcycle stunts, roaming around looking for cool spots to jump off or over things. It’s pretty much all I did in the game after the first year and I still love doing it from time to time

[u/Equivalent_Ebb1152 → u/timeaisis]

Worst example.

[u/Playful_Judge_9942]

Tears of the Kingdom. I didn't care for the building mechanic and constructing vehicles. I just played it more or less like I played Breath of the Wild. Perhaps playing the game any way you want is the "intended" way to play.

[u/Ancient-Emu-8293 → u/Playful_Judge_9942]

Yes, the most I did was a car. Sadly the whole game was quite a letdown compared to Breath.

[u/torshakle → u/Ancient-Emu-8293]

I didnt like either of them as Zelda games. Could have replaced the characters with anything generic and had a mostly unchanged game.

[u/CommanderBadass22]

Undertale 

[u/JadedVictory7070]

Metal Gear Solid

[u/WhiteRaven-17 → u/JadedVictory7070]

Depends honestly on the game. Like MGSV has plenty of fun non-lethal tools that got expanded exponentially in death stranding, and you can do a whole lot of fun stuff in MGS3, but stuff like MGS1, 2, and 4? Yeah…

[u/Hkaddict → u/WhiteRaven-17]

4 and specifically MGO2 had the most advanced CQC system of all of them. I think its still the only multiplayer shooter that had button combinations for disarms and take downs. (I'm sure someone will point out an obscure multiplayer shooter that had them as well)

[u/SuperArppis → u/JadedVictory7070]

I found the total stealth to be most fun and exciting way to play.

[u/Btotherianx]

Hitman absolution was much more fun to play never being seen then the guns blazing method that was forced a couple of times

[u/cl0udcastle]

Not really a firm intention, but the Plate Up! community is alllll about automation. I have much more fun actually running the restaurant manually with friends.

[u/torshakle → u/cl0udcastle]

I would not have made Overtime 15 without automating my dishes and prep stations. Cooking and delivering was still our job.

[u/SaucyJackx5]

Any GTA game, I just go on a rampage then hide out and see how long I can survive.

[u/KentKarma]

I actually think trying to play Ready or Not non-lethally is very fun. Harder? Sure.

But if you wanted FPS doorkickers then Im sure theres other options than this.

[u/Hurricane_Amigo → u/KentKarma]

There is. Operator is pretty fun door kickers fps. I’ve heard ground branch too but I haven’t actually played that one

[u/ClementKenwood → u/KentKarma]

Agree. Non-Lethal is the most fun in my opinion. Truly realistic as you wouldn't just headshot every single person you see. It requires patience, strategy, and teamwork. chef's kiss.

[u/PineapplePiazzas → u/ClementKenwood]

• "I would move into an area like in hotline miami. There would be zero survivors!".

• "Man, thats complete uncalled for and insane."

• (Pulls out gun) "always has been".

[u/FakeMik090]

Metro 2033 and Last Light. Good ending available only if you just dont kill anyone. You have to stealth the whole game and only neutralize humans. You can shoot only at mutants and even then, there is moment when you cant even do that.

[u/Unexpected_yetHere → u/FakeMik090]

Incorrect, especially for Last Light I'd say. The karma bits are quite obvious: interract with the world, be good to animals, don't kill surrendering soldiers or so, and you'll be good.

Any bandit/nazi/commie I can whack in those gamea and can get away undetected I do send to the afterlife (which was apparently blown up too), and still I get the good endings.

[u/chokingonpancakes]

Anyone else tired of these same ass posts? Stupid picture + generic question. Thats all this sub is now.

[u/discrepancy09]

I know I’m gonna get roasted for this, but as a newer souls player, trying to play through blind and without a guide makes you miss SO MUCH CONTENT. You have to deeply immerse yourself in every cryptic hint or clue to have an idea on how to access half of the story or content and I just I don’t have it in me. I try my best and then if I get stuck or feel like I’m missing something I look it up lol

[u/Sm00th-Cr1m1n4l]

Deuce Ex for the pacifist trophy. That is a lot of hiding round corners. A lot.

[u/Born-Holiday9597]

Doom: Dark Ages - Beating the game without hardly ever parrying or using the shield

Sniper Elite - Beating the game without ever touching a sniper rifle

[u/Ancient-Emu-8293]

The nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor, it just annoyed me. I've ignored the shit out of it until I couldn't go on playing without using it, where I stopped playing the game.

[u/crazytib]

Sex with Hitler 3

[u/Ancient-Emu-8293 → u/crazytib]

NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN!

[u/SopranosBluRayBoxSet]

God forbid people want a challenge, non-lethal in RoN is fun as hell

[u/Iam2G]

Whoever posted this hasn’t played metal gear solid and is too young to have a good opinion on gaming

[u/Jovian_Rain]

Most souls likes tbh. I can handle throwing myself at a boss fight 87 times inching my way closer to winning and needing to do specific moves and dodges for each enemy. What I can't stand is when my perseverance is actively punished by adding a "die before reaching your stuff and it's gone forever" mechanic. I'm not the best gamer, sometimes I make stupid mistakes I've avoided the last 5 runs and if that costs me hours of effort 9/10 I drop the game.

I've finally started modding these kinda games to let me keep my stuff and adding small QOL stuff when applicable like a mini map or quick saves. I try to keep them minimal and not abuse the ones I get so it's still mostly the same experience.