10 Exact Moments You Realised Games Had Wasted Your Money
Games are getting more expensive, which means these sting all the harder.
It's a horrible feeling when you're hyped to play a video game, only to learn it doesn't live up to expectations.
This sort of revelation doesn't always dawn on the player in a single moment. More often than not, it's the observation of a few flaws here and there before you realise the shooter, RPG, or sandbox in question isn't all it's cracked up to be.
However, there are a couple of titles that have such a flagrant problem, players instantly recognised they wasted their money then and there. Whether its a crappy mechanic, a lazy plot twist, or the fact the game doesn't resemble how it was advertised, these moments made players scream to the gaming gods, wondering why they didn't spend their hard-earned cash on something worthwhile.
The penny can drop at any time, including the halfway point, the first boss, or the first enemy encounter. If a player spots a major red flag in the opening, they may lose all hope before experiencing a second of gameplay.
Obviously, it's not fair to judge video games without spending a reasonable amount of time playing it. With that said, these ten moments made us realise we were in for a rough ride pretty early on.
10. Samus' Characterisation - Metroid: Other M
Metroid has put a heavy focus on exploration, atmosphere, and power-ups ever since it debuted. However, the space-faring platformer rarely places the spotlight on character development. Samus Aran has been the face of the series since Day 1 despite the fact she never speaks and rarely interacts with anyone.
But all that changed with Metroid: The Other M. Team Ninja's cosmic adventure title promised to explore Samus' backstory and show her working with a team, which seemed like a neat way to flesh out the galactic bounty hunter.
Unfortunately, this idea fell flat the instant Samus spoke. Her portrayal is so lifeless, Samus was more compelling when she didn't talk. Despite being a noble warrior who's defeated gargantuan monsters, Samus is depicted as whiny, immature, and petulant from the opening scene. It's also disrespectful to depict her obeying unreasonable orders from her male superior, considering she's a feminine icon (and has saved the world numerous times by this point).
Samus' personality is so disconnected to how she's been portrayed before and since, The Other M would've been better if her dialogue was removed completely.
This Metroid instalment has plenty of issues (like that stupid Mother Brain twist), but the way the developers mishandled the badass heroine is at the top of the list.