Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Last time you were pleasantly surprised by a game (any genre)

luj1

You're all shills
Vatnik
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
12,877
Location
Eastern block
Going from most recent...
  • Arcane Dimensions (last summer) - Among the best experiences I have ever had on the PC
  • Powerslave (last summer) - A classic I barely remember from the time I was a kid, very stylish concept
  • Project Warlock (last summer) - Wonderful concept, music, foley effects are second to none
  • Neo Scavenger (a few years ago) - Amazingly fun blend of RPG and survival elements, an atmospheric and cleverly designed game
  • Grimoire (a few months before it came out) - The best crawler experience, blew me away
  • Wizards & Warriors (a few years ago) - Once you stomach the clunky controls and interface, becomes a really enjoyable and unique crawler
  • Underrail (when it came out) - Enjoyed the combat and theorycrafting on the fly
  • Wizardry 8 (3-4 years ago) - Loved the combat, the humor and character building. Awesome setting too
  • Trackmania Turbo (4-5 years ago) - Nice sense of speed, crazy fun when hanging out with buddies in hotseat modes
  • ToEE (5 years ago) - revisited it for the 2nd time and had a ton of fun, literally sliced in half by 2 giant lobsters when I left town
  • Legend of Grimrock (when it came out) - Loved the ambience and atmosphere
 

smaug

Secular Koranism with Israeli Characteristics
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
6,438
Location
Texas
Insert Title Here
Hated BG nearly a year ago (no TB and awful exploration.). Tried it out about 2 weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed playing, strangely enough. I appreciate the UI, itemization, and combat (sort of).

So, more of a redeemed game in my case.
 

Wyatt_Derp

Arcane
Joined
May 19, 2019
Messages
3,062
Location
Okie Land
Neo Scav and Kenshi for being quite difficult, and challenging games are becoming rare as we've entered the 'press X to win' era.

Stardew Valley, because it's the one anime/cartoon/fag game I can play and feel ok, especially when the pain meds run out. Stardew reminds me of Link to the Past if you removed all the important quests an just gave Link a fishing pole and the weekend off.

Rimworld, because it does damn near everything right - and is a great time killer. The cute cartoon graphics are a subterfuge for all the wicked fun held inside.
 
Self-Ejected

Daze

Red Panda Alt
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
173
Knights of the Chalice a few months ago.

I thought it was only hyped because of combatfag autists.
But the game flow was amazing.
 

Tacgnol

Shitlord
Patron
Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
1,871,734
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Grab the Codex by the pussy RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
Knights of the Chalice a few months ago.

I thought it was only hyped because of combatfag autists.
But the game flow was amazing.

Same reaction I had back when I played it in 09.

Thought I'd get bored of it fast due to the limited class/feat selection, but ended up having a blast.
 

JDR13

Arcane
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
3,930
Location
The Swamp
Right now actually with nuDoom. I played it at release and thought it was "meh", but I'm enjoying it a lot more this time for some reason.

Also, the early access of Encased which I tried this past weekend. I was expecting a generic Fallout ripoff, but the game is going to be legit good.
 

toro

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Apr 14, 2009
Messages
14,031
Dustbowl, Hyper Light Drifter, Ghost of a Tale, Insomnia: The Ark, Kenshi ...
 

Terenty

Liturgist
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
1,367
Crysis 1 turned out to be one of the best fps games ever made with a great campaign instead of a tech demo

The same goes for Doom 3(played coop)

Interstate 76 goes straight to all time classics with its great gameplay, atmosphere and characters.

Max Payne 1+2. Max Payne 2 is a masterpiece. What happened to Remedy afterwards is a mystery, total decline
 

Stormcrowfleet

Aeon & Star Interactive
Developer
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
1,020
Dark Souls - Played it 1 year ago after avoiding it like the plague. There was too much fuss about "git gud lol" and people speaking loudly (I mean it literally) about the game. But after trying it out it is as genius as it was told to me. Ranked top 3 of my fav game even if I normally dislike action game.

Hollow Knight - Didn't register on my radar until a friend suggested it last year since I like Super Metroid. Was blown away. I wish playing Super Metroid felt so smooth, would be even better !

Don't remember much game in the last year that was THAT impactful (for me). I'd need to check my GOG/Steam list to be sure.
 

Reality

Learned
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
333
Worms W.M.D. - I try a Worms game every few years and then forget about it because Armageddon overshadows all it's succesors - but This is the first one managed to endear itself to me. I love the option of a Old Lady Granny voice i it's still overshadowed though

Pang Adventures - simple arcade game, but I think it is really helathy as remake and I like it for not wasting my time and actually getting me to do 1 credit mode.

Overcooked 2 - my new Multiplier Cocaine - Bought Overcooked 1 because the expansions weren't enough new levels to sate my appetite for more.

Golf Story - I was suspicious of this, and had to be gifted it in the end because I refused to buy it on my own. But it became my favorite comedy story in any video game very quickly. The implementation of Hot Shots - style golf into isometric top-down is also fun. It does pull its punches but that's probably a good thing.

Ace Combat 7 - GOTY and worth the wait - I can't play 4,5,0 forever
 
Joined
Nov 23, 2017
Messages
4,013
Hard to say.

I guess I was pretty pleasantly surprised by RE6. I first played it with that Dragon's Dogma demo, and the demo had this wonky thing where you could trip over bodies. Which I guess can still happen in the final game but it happens every time in the demo. The demos didn't leave a good impression, nor does the game not really teaching you how it's meant to be played. So that, combined with reviews and the general reaction to it left me with a pretty nagative impression. But like a few years after it came out I started seeing some videos of the game and all the shit you could do and it got me interested, so I ended up buying it, and after a while I ended up loving it.

Persona 5. I hadn't played a Persona game since the first one on the PSX, which may as well be two different series. I'd heard a lot of good things about the series since 3, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. Really love it's whole mix of JRPG with time management elements. Made me wish for a deeper version of that same thing, and it ended up being one of my favorite games in a long time.

NEO Scavenger. This one isn't so much like the others because I wasn't pleasantly surprised I liked it, or that it was good; shit, outside of how the combat plays out its basically the game I've been wanting since the first two Fallout games came out...that's not even a knock on its combat, it's more like when I imagined a Fallout where you have to eat and sleep and your Outdoorsman skill actually does something of all the ways I thought combat could work what NEO Scavenger does wasn't one of them. But I was pleasantly surprised how much I didn't at all give a fuck about dying and starting over. Most of what I was seeing when it came out was making that sound like a barrier, like some kind of problem with the game. But the character creation process is so simple and quick, and gameplay loop is so nice I didn't give a shit if I had to start over.

I guess i was a little pleasantly surprised how good Valkyria Chronicles 4 was. That's the most recent thing. Although I've been interested in the series since the first game, 4 just ended up being the first time I played one.
 

Jack Of Owls

Arcane
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
4,279
Location
Massachusettes
Tomb Raider 2013. Wasn't great but wasn't bad. I expected it to be bad. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Last time I was very pleasantly surpised was that 3rd-person shooter game exclusive for the PS3 where you played the guy who could manipulate electricity and shit and slowly upgraded to god-tier powers, I forget the title though it was popular and had an expansion and sequel. It was the first time i realized since the 16-bit age that console games didn't have to be bad. They could be a blast.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
2,095
Location
DFW, Texas
Plenty of games have been unpleasant surprises in the last few years, but the only game that pleasantly surprised me was CrossCode. That one came way out of left field.
 

Generic-Giant-Spider

Guest
Kingmaker. Didn't keep up with the development cycle, thought it looked whatever from like two screenshots I saw, bought it on release day because I figured I had a week off and nothing better to do, was pleasantly blindsided.
 

Nifft Batuff

Prophet
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Messages
3,169
Underrail, Subnautica, Resident Evil 7, Shadowrun.
I also recently enjoyed some old DOS games that were considered shit at the time: Lands of Lore 2, Harvester.
Also when I started to play some JRPG for the first time few years ago, using a PS2 emulator: SMT Nocturne, Persona 3&4, Shadow Heart. In general I was positively surprised by several PS2 games in the survival horror genre that I discovered recently through emulation: Fatal Frame, Siren, Silent Hill.
 

AdolfSatan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,871
I consider tc mods and ugc to be nothing but the fever dream of idea guys that don't know any better. And indeed it is the case most of the time, just look at all that cringey shit done in the shadowrun engine for example. But I am still amazed by the quality of Fallout Nevada and 1.5. Top notch shit, my dudes.

Titan Outpost.
Indeed. Went in expecting nothing and it blew me away.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom