Game Genres I Don't "Get"

[Formless God]

I'm trying to think of anything that's not a shmup, or a fighter that I enjoy, and I'm struggling.

Try rhythm. Fast like the other two genres (actually faster) AND you don't have to worry about inputs, matchups or scoring routes.

What I don't understand is people who play these AAA narrative-driven single-player games, and become engrossed in the inconsequential circumstances of fake people that don't exist.

Let me tell you the reason behind this whole bullshit.

Movies is a socially acceptable thing, while video games are for nerds who don't have a life.
How do you get people to suck your dick then? Slap a mature plot and immersive world with emotionally relatable characters on it. Suddenly you can brag to your parents and peers about how intellectual you are for playing some fucking video games.

Except the combination never works. In order to maintain the ~*cinematic experience*~, the gameplay needs to be dumbed down. What we end up with is an abortion that has way too little challenge for a game, yet requires too much input for a movie.

There is virtually no other explanation for it. "Maybe the person just wants to enjoy a story" isn't gonna fly, because they can simply hit the closest cinema for a fifth of the cost of a "narrative-driven game".

[Obiwanshinobi]

People who don't get how dogfight in flight games is any fun should play the original Crimson Skies (PC; alas, I'm afraid the latest, fan-made patch favours nVidia GPUs). Strikes the sweet spot between something of a simulation and unadulterated, gung-ho silliness. (Analogue gamepad is enough to enjoy it, but I happened to purchase my first flight stick with Crimson Skies in mind.)

[Blinge]

Survival horror: I can't suspend disbelief enough to get into these, and most of the time without the scare factor you're mostly dealing with bad mechanics.

What survival horror games have you played most of, or finished?

[Mischief Maker]

Personally, I still say the original PC version of Aliens vs. Predator is the greatest survival horror game ever created because it requires no suspension of disbelief. Your avatar is fully as strong and mobile as the doom marine but you're still terrified. That's because the levels are huge and poorly lit, and filled with monsters that will tear you to shreds the second your concentration slips, and many of them are RANDOMLY PLACED, so you never reach the point of thinking you're safe.

Aliens vs. Predator 2 had a better story (in other words, it actually had one) but was otherwise inferior.

[Obiwanshinobi]

When it's labelled "survival horror", there goes the majority of tension that could be. No game frightened me more than some bits of Thief II played in the dark room with headphones on, but those would catch me by surprise.

[KAI]

I'm trying to think of anything that's not a shmup, or a fighter that I enjoy, and I'm struggling.

You should also try some Arena Fighters. Gundam VS and Virtual On are pure arcade awesomeness.

[BobbyNewmarkiii]

Personally, I still say the original PC version of Aliens vs. Predator is the greatest survival horror game ever created because it requires no suspension of disbelief. Your avatar is fully as strong and mobile as the doom marine but you're still terrified. That's because the levels are huge and poorly lit, and filled with monsters that will tear you to shreds the second your concentration slips, and many of them are RANDOMLY PLACED, so you never reach the point of thinking you're safe.

Aliens vs. Predator 2 had a better story (in other words, it actually had one) but was otherwise inferior.

Yes and yes. Those games were awesome, and the first on had the edge.

Re: space combat Sims and to some extent flight combat Sims as well, i think a big part of 'getting' them is to be able to hold a 3d map in your head to track your position and the likely position of your enemy (and which direction his guns are pointing) whilst he is out of view. Makes for much more a cat and mouse game than just pointing in the direction of the enemy location indicator until he comes into view.

[Mortificator]

I have to come down on the AVP2 side of things. The aliens in the first game constantly wail, so you're rarely taken by surprise. And the marine is just so damn fast; as soon as you hear a bug you're rocketing backwards at 60 miles per hour, with even multiple aliens able to be danced around unless you're cornered.

You can't do that in the sequel. When an alien comes at you, you'll either kill it in the short window of time before it gets close, or you'll die.

Still, it's amazing how much better the first game looked. What a strong aesthetic.