By Jake on 6 Feb, 2012 at 1:15 PM

5 Popular Games That Won’t Be Remembered

2. Skyrim

If you didn’t see this coming then maybe I haven’t made my point hard and abrasively enough. Skyrim is excellent.

It is a monumental achievement and one of my favourite games.. until the sequel.

Skyrim crafts a magnificent world, full of life and interesting thing to do but almost every gripe I had with Oblivion is still here.

Animations are improved but stiff. Combat is much improved but as a mage is still very lacklustre. Bugs and glitches rain like a computery apocalypse.

If anything, I’ll remember Oblivion more than Skyrim since it was the first time I had ever played anything so massive and alive.

Skyrim improves many things and is, like I said, one of my favourite games but there still isn’t enough new to make me believe I’ll remember this when The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Mass Effect 3 or The Elder Scrolls VI comes out.

1. Portal 2

Portal 2 was eGamer’s Game of the Year. A good choice for most people. It’s tight and excellently designed with razor sharp humour, great characters and unique gameplay.

However, it didn’t bring enough new or exciting to make me remember it when Portal 3 releases.

I will always remember the original Portal. The feeling you had when you escaped the pit of fire. The awe struck sense of freedom as you crept around the back rooms of Apeture. The thrill of flinging yourself long distances.

Maybe it’s because I played the original far too much or maybe it’s because I followed Portal 2’s development with religious zeal but when it finally released, I was disappointed.

Every feature that was cut from the game without warning was like a slap to the sunburned back. I kept waiting for features I was excited to use and they just never came.

Then there was the fact that the puzzles themselves never took me more than a few seconds to figure out. Most puzzles devolved into finding the one or two patches of white wall that allowed you to shoot portals. Once you spotted those it was always really easy to see what you had to do.

The gel segments (my favourite parts in the game) were simple and never stretched your knowledge or skills. Where was the extrapolation? We never got to use what we learned for anything more than exactly what we’d been taught.

Even the final battle only lasted 2 minutes because I never missed a shot.

When all was said and done the first time I even came close to the same excitement as the first game was when you stepped out onto the road at the end. If we had gotten to run out into the real world and do some puzzles there, or if we found out we were on the outskirts of City 17 and we got to escape the Combine.

Now we’re talking memorable.

As it is, I loved Portal 2 but when my teeth are detachable, its Portal 1 that will make me sigh a toothless smile of contentment.

The Conclusion

I will always remember destroying Megaton in Fallout 3. That is the kind of experience that makes a game stick with you years after it has been ripped off and made into a yearly franchise. Beaten and squeezed for every bit of fan gold the developers can coax out of its dwindling fan base.

Those rare moments, those precious, delicate experiences that for whatever personal reasons, haunts you – those can come from anywhere. Every game on this list should be played and loved.

For me, there was nothing that made me pause the game and just absorb what I was doing or had done. I suppose what makes us truly remember something is very personal. I love my brother and so I remember Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood.

Maybe things will be different for you. Play these games, play the ones that affected me from last week then tell me why I’m wrong or right.

I’m either insane or a genius. Depends how rich and powerful I become.

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Name: Jake Woolf
Location: Cape Town
Position: Author, Features

Jake has published 14 posts. Read all of Jake's posts.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Haig-Harold-Tait/1231233033 Haig Harold Tait

buy this article you saying that the original was better than the sequel?

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

I suppose it did come out that way – to some extent I’m arguing that the sequels didn’t do enough to make their own space in my mind.

I felt that most of these sequels were more about more and less about quality and innovation.

Not necessarily a bad thing. Refinement can lead to a lot of goodness.

Without true innovation though, everything starts to meld together into one big blur.

Moments from games in my list last week will stick with me because they were unique. For the most part, these games lack that distinguishing experience.

At least to me anyway. I still love and am currently playing many of the games listed – I just don’t think they will be remembered when I play something bigger or better.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Haig-Harold-Tait/1231233033 Haig Harold Tait

fully understandable Jake but i think the likes of skyrim and Batman WILL be remembered because of the hype that they got and the product the companies produced skyrim was ahead of its time…..to be honest i was inlove with oblivion i played it for a total of 246 hours on xbox(when i did have it….PS3 FTW) and i feel skyrim made more of an impact on my life as oblivion!

Treble

They will be remembered but yeah o.O

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Just like that? They will be? :P

Anonymous

No offence Woolf, But i couldnt disagree with this article more… Haig is 100% correct in saying all your saying is the original was better… Saying you wont remember portal 2 when portal 3 is released is retarded… You will remember Portal as a series… Like wise with the COD’s, yes some are better than others, but everyone will remember the series as a whole… And Seriously Batman!!! Arkham city!!! Again, Yes it was a bit of an expansion on Asylum, But lets get real, you will surely remember the Rocksteady Batman games, over all others? And not break them up, because lets be honest, if you played 2 before 1 would you think City was better than asylum?

Out of all the games you mention Skyrim is probably the only one that can count as an independent game, and then again you have Oblivion, morrowind etc before it…

Dont mean to be harsh, but i think you should have maybe titles the atricle differently… Like “Sequals that were a tiny bit worse than the originals…”

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

Read my reply to Haig, that pretty much explains my view on the sequel phobia thing.

As for remembering a series as a whole – its a fair point. I will most definitely remember series but that can be mostly attributed to the special or memorable experiences I have in them.

My point here is that remembering the Portal franchise is far more from playing the original than playing Portal 2.

Same goes for Batman. That first time I played as Batman will always be more memorable than anything I saw in Arkham City.

As for playing 2 before 1…very fair point. I think that the very fact that the same reaction comes regardless of which you play first is exactly my gripe. There should be something unique or special about each entry. Something distinguishing.

As it stands, the game is a glorious and excellent expansion. Nothing wrong with that but it doesn’t carve out a new special place in my heart. I already have some heart-space for Arkham Asylum.

Hope this helps clear up my retardation :)

SairenSA

I don’t agree with Skyrim. It’s really quite obvious that the game has bugs. (Since it’s a new engine.) I sense a hating in game evolution. That, or people don’t know what they want. Games have to grow be it engine wise or gameplay. Shit has to get evolved.

Let’s get back to Skyrim.

Okay, the situation with animation is, what more can you do with animations? I mean, all Skyrim needed is a bit more blend between animations and some action animation. (Big whoop? We aren’t playing Battlefield 3 here.)

Second thing to point out is, Magic is far better than Oblivion’s, I mean, just go and count Oblivion’s spell types vs. Skyrim’s spell types. (Did I mention Dual Wield? Yup, just did.)

I’m just disappointed in Skyrim’s lacking enchantment tree and the ease to kill things.

Developers are squeezing people for money not only to make a living but to keep up with the industry and also be well funded for future productions to reel in more clients for better entertainment. And because everyone knows that movies are boring to watch alone. :D

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

I love the evolution of games, but that does bring with it the obvious fear that games are evolving in the “wrong” way.

I was just disappointed to see a large number of bugs similar to Oblivions.

At the very least you’d think that a developer would make sure not to make the same mistake twice.

Agree about movies :D

TwiZtiD

I agree with jake on this, even though some games had prequels, if it didn’t have any memorable moments for you the game will only remain a name.. which in my books can really be the same as forgotten.

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

*high fives

I think you got what I was going for – just that experiences have to be REALLY unique to remember them specifically.

Magnus

Definitely one highly anticipated game that won’t be remembered: EA Sports Fight Night Round 4. It was supposed to be a true boxing simulation that featured Iron Mike Tyson, making his first appearance in a boxing simulation.

The game was average at best, with the boxers looking more like wax dolls than actual people and fight mechanics that were prone to spamming, especially online. Plus, the sequel, Fight Night Champion, was a game that was eons better in every way. Fight Night Round 4, which was possibly the most highly anticipated sports game of 2009, is now a mere footnote…..

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

You actually reminded me that I completely left out sports, racing and fighting games. I think they occupy their own little sect of gaming.

Dunno, its how I feel about them :P
Anonymous

I guess they’d dominate this list if you threw them in because they invariably have annual releases.
http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Yeah, I think you’re right. But sport games are generally yearly releases with no value once the new game is out.

Only seriously cheap people but FIFA 11, now that 12 is out.
Magnus

That is true, Dean, but Fight Night Round 4 was released 3 years after Fight Night Round 3.

Fifa, NBA, Madden etc are released far too frequently to really be included on this list. Those games aren’t forgotten for being bad most of the time.
http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Yeah sure @0dea31593781356c3e8874be1a9f61b4:disqus – that’s a great point. But sport games are sport games, and that’s the problem.

sage of the six paths

Interesting list, kinda agree with Strega and Haig but I don’t really care since you have your own opinion and I have mine. The types of lists you make seem to need more than 5 places, there’s room for so many more games, but then again you only chose recent games.

http://egamer.co.za/author/africanwoolf/ Jake

I think the next lists I do I’ll make any game fair….ah…game :P

My thinking was that older games already have their places in history while newer ones are still jockeying for a spot.

I find it more interesting to discuss current games than the classics which, to a large degree, will be the same list over and over.

Ah well. Like you said, we all have our own opinions – that’s what makes us such a rainbow nation of love :D

wayne savy

I was waiting for the people to start raging at Skyrim

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Skyrim really isn’t that great though. :-)
Farkyne

Nah dude, I just played an old game like Supreme Commander, then after that I switched to Skyrim. Skyrim is just miles ahead of any game. It’s just so fun
http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Well, obviously it’s miles ahead of Supreme Commander? And that could taint your view :P

Anonymous

The lack of Skyrim-rage makes me proud of our little eGamer community. Noddy badges and spud-vodka all-round!

I can’t complain with any of the first four although I must make special mention of Arkham City. I recently re-acquired Arkham Asylum and have been playing the games side by side and it must be said that Arkham City is a bigger, better game but Arkham Asylum is such a tight-knit unmatched experience that overshadows the original.

I struggle to agree with your decision to stick Portal 2 into the mix though. I think it’s actually a big leap forward from Portal. The original is unbelievably good and memorable but the sequel is arguably just as memorable and great. I also don’t think we’ll see a Portal 3 but that’s just me.

Again that’s just my opinion, and you’re obviously entitled to your own.

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

I think Portal 2 is a shot in the nuts, as well. It’s the one with co-op, and we’ll remember that!

Also – enjoy your vodka. I’ll pass ;-)
Anonymous

Health freak! Technically it’s carbo-loading so it’s all kosher if you have a few shots and then take a brisk jog. Basically what Azhar usually does when he doesn’t have enough to pay his ‘sugar’ dealer :D

http://www.facebook.com/ardentshaar Yashaar Mall

Brilliant. Couldnt agree more with all of them.

Yes some of these games are epic, and you may remember the Elder Scrolls series or the Portal Series, once the next edition, or future editions come out, they MAY be forgotten. I say may because the die hard fans will never forget, but the majority of the gaming public will forget about THAT SPECIFIC EDITION of the game, although they may remember the series as a whole.

Take for example Final Fantasy 6, 7 or 8. Yes if you’re a die hard fan, you’ll remember the awesomeness of them. But for the average gamer, who might’ve played it, kinda liked it, but by the time FF 29.8678 X-3 comes out in the year 2018 wouldnt really give much care to the ones that some of us treuely remember.

Ok, i might be using a poor example, but i hope you see my point.

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

No, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here. It’s not about remembering the series. It’s the games we’ll forget.

Fuck man, we’ll remember CoD forever – for various reasons, though. But as an individual game, we don’t really care much.

I mean, you don’t remember that much of CoD MW2? And it’ll be the same for MW3. CoD MW 1 was the revolutionary title which brought all the magic.

So yup — you right: we’ll remember the series of games and not the individuals.

Skyblue

Disagree completely with many of you and this is why:

I still remember day 1 when I played some classics for the first time as well as some of the current gen megahits but I can’t remember any storyline of COD after COD4, stopped playing Assassins Creed after AC2, couldn’t be bothered to finish many other modern sequels as they just get stale too fast in modern gaming and the real problem is the spacing of the sequels, they just come out too quickly after the previous installments.

I loved Warcraft 3 years after Warcraft 2, Starcraft 2 a decade after the original, Half Life 2, Elder Scrolls V, Crysis, Portal 2, Deus Ex, C&C 3… All these games came out years after their prequels leaving us with enough time to build up a new appetite for the game whereas publishers in their quest make huge profits are pushing for annual installments. This strategy might work with sports titles but after I have an epic journey in Mass Effect or Dead Space, like an awesome meal, I need a timeout to recover and rebuild my desire and passion for another sitting.
Skyrim, Starcraft 2, et al will not be forgotten soon as they were paced properly (disagree with you here Woolfie) unlike AC, COD, etc

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

You’ve made good points, but also somewhat contradictory – I feel. Perhaps I’m just reading it wrong.

I also agree with you 50% though.. But this is me :-)

Can’t remember the story line of COD 4 – that’s cool, but remember that COD 4 is the game which sprung the whole series to where it is. CoD 4 is the version which pushed the boundary to make the game so popular, and that’s why it’s memorable. It’s the one that was drastically different from the others.

I think remembering for the story alone is wrong, but it’s also somewhat important and has an influence. It’s any game after COD 4, therefore, COD 4 should by memorable (implied?)

As for AC — yeah, I think you just said that it isn’t memorable too? This is my contradictory feeling/confusion..

Warcraft and so on, are great games. But they are really old – so it wasn’t included. StarCraft 2 just makes the period he’s talking about. And the thing about SC2 is, it’s a sequel to a really great game from a really long time ago. Problem is though, people will remember StarCraft as a series and StarCraft 1 more than two, because when the series continues to be added to, it becomes just a game. I feel it’s more of a series to remember. And it will be.

Portal 2 is great. I feel that this one is the odd one out. It changed a lot, and compared to Portal 2 — Portal 2 is the one I really remember. The game was definitely upped. As a series sure, but the series leans more toward Portal 2. So +1 the agree-o-meter.

As for Skyrim, there were great games before it too. This is just one that really made it up there. Who knows, another RPG might break it down and be the one ‘remembered’..

And yeah, you need to take a break from games to recover the desire. But just because there’s a long release time between sequels and so on — it doesn’t mean that’ll make it more memorable… It just means they’ve worked harder to make it memorable without the rush..

Hope this makes sense. I think I might have actually confused myself :S

http://www.facebook.com/nadine.franzsen Nadine Franzsen

I agree with your article, when you think back on some games you can’t seem to remember what actually happened in them. Take CoD as you pointed out, MW3 was completely forgettable to me, when I finished I couldn’t even remember what I did in the game. Same goes for ACR and yes Skyrim, I will quickly forget it. Oblivian really stood out to me, Skyrim not so much. Maybe it’s cause I just find the game boring. Anyway, a game can be good but forgettable… Uncharted 1 and 3 for instance. Not that memorable, but Uncharted 2 was just amazing and will always have a special place in my heart.

But I also think games that are memorable are ones that are innovative, where you experience something you haven’t seen before. That’s what will make it stand out amongst the rest.
Farkyne

No dude, I dont agree with your list. I rate games on their fun factor. So, games like Skyrim, Batman, AC:revelations all were very fun, even though I played the prequels. But I must also say having played revelations’ prequels quite a few times, the experience was not so entertaining as it could have been not playing the prequels. Nevertheless, the games will definitely be remembered. I think this is a very subjective matter, if you personally liked the game you will remember it, if not you will forget it.
Smhatyou

I don’t see how Batman AC will be forgotten. The game is THE best super hero game ever. Future super hero games are going to model after this. BAC was my first Batman so there ya go. It will be remembered by everyone that BAC before BAA. BAC is down in the history books sorry bro. I don’t understand why people always expect something REVOLUTIONARY to happen for a sequel that was only in development for 2 years…

http://egamer.co.za Dean Oberholzer

Well two years is long, seeing as most visuals, the engine and so on has already been created. Not to mention they have a huge budget with a lot of staff. It’s totally possible.

The first game sets up the base for the second game which can be enhanced on that, dramatically. If it was a game from scratch in two years, that’s different..

xeRa

Honestly I think there’s a big difference between being “not remembered” and “forgotten”

You wont forget about any of these titles when other games of the series are brought up, but they wont be the first one you bring up when you excitedly talk about them.
Charne Banger

I agree with xeRa… Ryan…? :O
http://www.facebook.com/people/Haig-Harold-Tait/1231233033 Haig Harold Tait

I LOVE IT WHEN MY NAME IS MENTIONED BY SAGE OF SIX PATHS HE TYPED THAT SO SEXUALLY!!!!!