The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt #
- John initially hated the game due to poor launch performance on PC and PS4.
- The character movement and camera felt "jittery" and unpolished.
- Pressure to rush through for a Digital Foundry (DF) review led to a lack of appreciation for the content.
- He eventually returned to the game years later, loved it, and completed all content.
Kingdom Hearts Series #
- Despite being a fan of Square Enix and Disney, John found the first game "terrible" and "janky."
- Criticism was leveled at the level design (tiny rooms separated by loading screens), poor camera work, and mediocre action.
- The speaker feels the series never evolved past these fundamental issues despite high-quality cutscenes.
Souls Games (FromSoftware) #
- Oliver acknowledges the quality and appeal but finds the "brutal" and "punishing" nature impractical for his schedule.
- He argues that the time investment required—putting 80 hours into 20 hours of content due to difficulty—is a barrier for professionals who need to cover many games.
Retro Disappointments: OutRun and Afterburner #
- Rich recalls the massive disappointment of the Commodore 64 port of OutRun, which he felt was "trash" compared to the arcade original.
- He also identifies Afterburner as a game that ruined his experience with the Sega Master System.
Inferior Console Ports #
- The team discussed the era before Digital Foundry’s prominence when platform differences were less documented.
- The Darkness: John regretted buying the PS3 version over the Xbox 360 version due to performance, calling it a "bad choice" within five minutes.
- Prince of Persia: Warrior Within: John felt misled by online communities to buy the GameCube version, which he described as a "16-bit dithered mess" compared to the Xbox version.
- Assassin’s Creed: Oliver highlighted the PS3 version as a "disaster" and a game he desperately wanted to return.
The Evolution of Renderware #
- The group noted that Criterion Games was one of the few developers that achieved parity or excellence on the PS3 (e.g., Burnout Paradise).
- They lamented the end of Renderware as a third-party SDK, noting that Burnout Paradise achieving 720p at 60fps in an open world felt like a "miracle" compared to contemporary Unreal Engine performance.
Summary #
The Digital Foundry team discussed beloved games that initially failed to impress them, ranging from modern masterpieces like The Witcher 3 to retro classics. The conversation highlighted how technical issues—such as poor frame rates, janky cameras, or inferior console ports—can ruin the experience of even the most "hyped" titles. They particularly focused on the mid-2000s era, where the disparity between PS3 and Xbox 360 ports often led to consumer regret. Ultimately, they concluded that while "truly bad" games are rarer now, personal schedules and technical polish remain the biggest factors in whether a "masterpiece" actually resonates with them.
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