So I’m sure everyone has at least one game that everyone says is great, and maybe you recognize that, but still you refuse to play (again).
For me, that game is Braid.
The puzzles are great, the writing is slightly original, and music is enchanting. But the requirements for 100% are pretentious bull invented to give achiever types the middle finger. I’ve played enough, thanks.
I refuse to play Dark Souls. I hate difficult games that just kill you over and over again. I don’t even need to try it to know I would just rage and quit forever.
I find the Metro series to be frustratingly buggy and narratively lacking.
Given the baffling popularity of these games I have to add that everything Witcher related is simply not my cup of tea. If there is any series I have little interest in investing time on, it is the Witcher series.
Dark Souls for me too. I don’t find it very difficult and I don’t think it is so great.
I hated braid. It was so over-rated. It was supposed to be so original. You could turn back time in Prince of Persia.
Everyone’s being so mean about Dark Souls!! 
I guess it’s not for everyone. So good tho. 
I’d say anything military-related (Call of Duty, etc.) although in reality these games aren’t particularly popular, or at least it seems like many people find them awful. I’d lump stuff like Counterstrike in this category too.
Team Fortress 2 also doesn’t interest me.
I really want to play this but the cheap flash-animation graphical style really irritates me. It seems like it’s good gameplay-wise but I just can’t get past the way it looks.
I tried to play Bioshock Infinite when it came out but I was totally unimpressed. It was kind of boring. Someone told me you’ve got to be American to appreciate it due to all the American history references. I just remember all the excitement and fanfare about it, I tried to get into it but I couldn’t do it.
^ Any of these goofy Simulator games (farming simulator, goat simulator, etc.). Just doesn’t really seem like a game, or at least not a deep enough experience for me.
@Jess - Wasn’t I complaining about a couple popular games recently? I can’t remember what I was talking about, but I swear recently I was (as usual) being a curmudgeon about some games that I didn’t approve of… 
You didn’t like games like Prison Architect because of the graphics style.
That’s it! Prison Architect and Rimworld, they both kinda irritate me because of the style of the characters. I’m sure if I played them for a while I’d get over it, they’re both awesome games. Still though, I don’t like the character graphics. 
I put Binding of Isaac on the list for a similar reason. Also Darkest Dungeon irks me. Those two games look like flash animation. There’s something about that thick-lines and cell-shaded appearance, it just reminds me of bad internet from the early 2000’s.
Though I think I’ll end up playing Darkest Dungeons for sure, it looks way too awesome for me to be needlessly dismissive about it.
I tried The Last of Us recently. After several hours into the game I have to say that the hype was way bigger than this game justifies. The prologue section is amazingly well done, of course. But after some hours I didn’t bother to continue.
I’ll definitely give it another try some day. Maybe it gets me next time.
One the other hand I finished all three of Naughty Dogs Uncharted Games in one or two days, despite their flaws regarding the gunplay.
Other games I don’t really care about: Modern FPS like BF or COD.
I dont know if the Risen games are considerd to be great, but I found them awful.
Definitely give The Binding of Isaac another try if you can. I quite enjoy the aesthetic but that is very subjective. If you can stomach the visuals (for various reasons) you may find the gameplay quite enjoyable in the long run. It is constantly shifting and evolving, enriching the gameplay experience the more you play it.
If the graphics are the only thing holding you back, try Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth! It’s updated and revamped to look nice and smooth. Easily the game I have the most hours in
Yeah I’ve had my eye on it. It’s not the graphics quality really, it’s the style. That vector-based cell graphics. It’s like with Spelunky, the original version was pixel art but the commercial version uses soft edges and a more cartoony look. But, I must admit, I’ve racked up hundreds of hours on the new Spelunky, regardless of my qualms. And I’ve played Super Meat Boy.
I’ll definitely play Binding of Isaac at some point. I love rogue-like/lite games with that emergent gameplay, random stuff, so I’ll enjoy it. I’m a fan of the overall theme as well (gross stuff, gore, blood, weirdness). After a couple hours I’ll likely get over my reservations. Still though I much prefer games with a pixel art or more detailed aesthetic.
I wonder if there are others who are frustrated by vector cartoony graphics? Perhaps it’s because I’m a child of the 80’s, I grew up with all the old DOS games with mostly pixel art graphics.
The Witcher series, tried it but the gameplay is atrocious. if i ever get any interest in the story i will read the books
Bioshock Infinite, i finished it and still don’t understand the hype. probably people think that the random mind-blowing moment in the end makes it worth playing… well, it doesn’t even make sense to begin with, so no
Bastion, decent game but far from all the 10/10 reviews i’ve seen when it was released. same goes for Transistor, made by the same company
Half-Life, tried it but it’s just meh to me (not a FPS fan sadly)
So here is one I think many people love, and I’ll admit I think I am fishing for an explanation as to why. I gave the game 3/5 stars because I can see a lot of good in it. I enjoy a lot of the mechanics, I enjoy the setting, And to a certain degree I really started to like some of the characters (for a time).
What bothers me about the game is how profoundly problematic certain narrative elements tend to be. There is some serious body shaming, food shaming, homophobia, and transphobia to name a few. I attempted to engage with them in the assumption that there was some criticism of these elements within the game but realized, over time, that the game intends one to side with the characters on some of these elements. We can use Yosuke as an example. I deeply dislike Yosuke. To me he represented the bigoted, small minded friend in the group. The one with highly problematic views that the others did not harbour. I thought, if I ignore Yosuke I will enjoy this game more than if I schlep him around with me. Sadly, as the game progressed, it became obvious that Yosuke was not alone in his feelings. Where he was overt, everyone else was subtle, but the problematic views were mostly shared. It made it very hard for me to feel comfortable playing the game.
As a disclaimer I very much enjoy media that pushes boundaries, that forces discomfort/displeasure to encourage the viewer/reader/player to reflect and to engage in ways they may not otherwise. I thought and hoped that this was what Persona 4 was doing at first. However, it became clear to me as a played further that the ideas displayed within the game were meant to be largely agreed with, that I was supposed to be sympathetic to some highly problematic elements.
I do agree that it is very possible to enjoy problematic media, to be conscious and critical of what we consume while still being able to enjoy it. I have no doubt many people who disagree with some of the ideologies displayed in Person 4 still love the game. There is a lot in it to enjoy. But I felt so alienated by the characters, their statements and actions, that I felt alienated from the game. I grew weary by the end, worn out by truly painful things displayed by characters I was supposed to love and identify with.
I know this is a cherished and well loved game and I do not think ill of anyone who does enjoy Persona 4. Perhaps people can share some of their reasons, or relationships to the game so that I can better understand the phenomenon that is Persona. For now I am less inclined to play Person 5, which is unfortunate in some respects because it looks like a polished piece of work that is aesthetically intriguing. However I am wary due to my experience with Persona 4 and hope that maybe some can shed light on what they find redeeming about the series (also, whether I should play Persona 3 given my feelings regarding 4).
Skyrim. Even though my boyfriend says I hate it just to be a hipster. I hate Skyrim cause I had such huge hopes for it cause I loved Oblivion and Morrowind to bits. Yeah, Skyrim was pretty and big and blah blah blah, but I was so disappointed. The questlines were unforgivably short and uninteresting. I feel like Skyrim is missing the big, loving heart that Oblivion and Morrowind have.
Bloodborne. I really really want to like it, cause I’m a huge Souls-fan. I played Bloodborne for 12 hours and quit. I think I beat about 4 bosses. I just couldn’t go on. Every place looked the same. The world and lore didn’t interest me at all. The combat felt chaotic after all the strategizing I did in the Souls-games. It still breaks my heart that I don’t like this game.
Halo series, I acknowledge its worthwhile but I cannot stand FPS genre.
So would that extend to all games that use the FPS format to make games that a little different from Halo? Games like Bioshock, Borderlands, or Deus Ex?
I have to agree with the simulator games, I just don’t understand how or why someone can spend so much time playing them.
Now that I think of it and please don’t throw tomatoes at me, but I am going to say Minecraft . I just can’t get into it, I can’t understand the hype, and I am just amazed that everyone from the 7 year old kid to the 40 year old man was obsessed with this game.
No, not Bloodborne!! D: It’s one of my most favourite games of all time! 
You’re right about Bloodborne’s combat; it’s a bit more chaotic, it’s much faster and you have less control. With souls games you can play defensively, but with Bloodborne it’s all offence. Everyone is a glass cannon, you don’t really have armour and shields and the rally system rewards aggressive play. It does take some getting used to, but there is strategy and skill involved; especially in the latter half of the game where one false move will get you killed.
As for the whole game looking the same: that’s true for the early parts. The first quarter is set in this big gothic city and the surrounding areas. But it opens up after that and the locations are very diverse. Especially if you look at the bizarre locations in the DLC, the ‘Nightmare’ areas, the woods/forests, Byrgenwerth, Fishing Hamlet, etc. Though the game’s style is cohesive; the gothic/horror theme is constant throughout so I guess if you don’t appreciate that then the whole game might be unappealing.
Did you try Dark Souls 3? The combat in DS3 is closer to Bloodborne than the souls series… it’s fast-paced and there’s also a focus on attack; it’s almost impossible to play a defensive tank and it’s much more chaotic.
I had a lot of fun with Minecraft when it first came out but it has mostly lost its appeal for me. I just played single player, I enjoyed building and mining. But Minecraft doesn’t really have story or characters or any kind of direction. It’s the definition of an ‘open sandbox,’ so I can totally see how it could be unappealing. Sometimes players want some direction, even if it’s just a little nudge; I often feel that way.
It’s funny but it seems like Minecraft is a game that small children play more than anyone. It seems like the adults have moved on from it.