# How many of these video games are worth my time? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956 "2012-03-06T19:16:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/1 "2012-03-06T19:16:10Z")
I was pawing through my daughter’s pile of games and found a bunch that I’ve never played that looked a little promising. Keep in mind that in the last couple years I haven’t played much outside of Bioshock and Fallout. The list: HALO 3 Mass Effect Fable 3 Viva Pinata Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Lost Odyssey GTA IV and for the Wii, which we seldom play, No More Heroes I and II. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/2 "2012-03-06T19:28:05Z")
I personally didn’t care for Mass Effect but I know I’m in a minority with that experience. Most people rave about it. I don’t know your system but Sacred 2 supposedly has a lot of issues running on Win 7. If you’re still using XP, you should be okay. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/3 "2012-03-06T19:41:16Z")
I really liked Mass Effect (played it through 5 or 6 times). I thought GTA IV was okay once I got into it. I liked Halo 3 well enough, but the story didn’t really grab me. (I played them all single player on the Xbox and I value story more than challenging gameplay, for what it’s worth.) ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/4 "2012-03-06T19:49:09Z")
If you liked Halo 1 and 2, you’ll like Halo 3. GTA IV, on the other hand, was not nearly as good as San Andreas. That’s all I’ve played from your list. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/5 "2012-03-06T19:57:39Z")
Serious Mass Effect fangirl here. I’ve heard good things about No More Heroes but haven’t tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/6 "2012-03-07T00:33:50Z")
Fable III is worth your time. Lots of replay value. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/7 "2012-03-07T15:30:26Z")
With the possible exception of Sacred 2 (which to my understanding was not well received overall) I don’t think there’s anything on that list that hasn’t been found to be worthwhile by people who like the genre the game is in. Obviously people who don’t like FPS games won’t care for Halo, and people who dislike JRPGs probably won’t enjoy Lost Odyssey. Without more understanding of your tastes, it’s going to be a little bit tough to tell you what’s worth YOUR time, however. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/8 "2012-03-07T16:56:36Z")
Really, they’re all pretty damned good games. I don’t know anything about Sacred 2 or No More Heroes, although people here have raved about No More Heroes. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/9 "2012-03-07T23:02:33Z")
Sacred 2 was the buggiest game I ever tried to play and that was on XP at the time. That was a shame because Sacred 1 was a good game. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/10 "2012-03-07T23:12:37Z")
Daughter has Sacred 2 for Xbox 360. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/11 "2012-03-08T01:31:33Z")
Instead of GTA IV you should play Saints Row II. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/12 "2012-03-08T02:00:42Z")
If you like Tarantino movies and/or 80s anime; you’ll probably like No More Heroes. It’s a fun game, not too cerebral and very cheesy. Tongue-in-cheek, but engagingly so. Mass Effect is great if you like space operas. It’s chock full of little things that will probably annoy you (clunky controls and camera at times, some odd battles, unpredictable dialogue choices, awkward inventory system), but the POINT is the story and the universe, and they are done very, very well. Viva Pinata is great if you like old Maxis “Sim” games or “Tycoon” games and can look past the cartoony atmosphere (or like supercute cartoon animals). GTA IV is a visually amazing open world, but the gameplay isn’t top-notch. Worth screwing around with a little; not sure it’s worth “playing” for more than a few missions. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/13 "2012-03-08T02:49:07Z")
No More Heroes is good, but it has serious flaws between the main story missions. The over world isn’t the best thing conceived. It’s kind of like an easier God Hand without the over world (though Bitter mode is by no means easy). I have to dissent about Mass Effect. What it does well, it does really well. The story, atmosphere, characters, they’re all top notch. If you want to 100% it (and you might if you plan on playing the trilogy) you’ll run into the problem Bioware had with Dragon Age 2 where they had about three base layouts that they recycled a billion times, with only mildly varying enemy types. The Mako controls poorly when you get to the planets. The combat is a joke after you level up enough to get a few talent points on your characters, assuming you have the right squad members of Shepard class. Mass Effect was a great game for its time, but I really think it failed at aging gracefully in any department except story presentation. I’d recommend it 100% if you really like Sci-Fi or Space Opera, or if you want to play Mass Effect 2 I’d heavily recommend playing the first. But aside from that I’d be hesitant to recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/14 "2012-03-08T03:35:59Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I was pawing through my daughter’s pile of games and found a bunch that I’ve never played that looked a little promising. Keep in mind that in the last couple years I haven’t played much outside of Bioshock and Fallout. The list: > HALO 3 > Mass Effect > Fable 3 > Viva Pinata > Sacred 2: Fallen Angel > Lost Odyssey > GTA IV > > and for the Wii, which we seldom play, > No More Heroes I and II. Fable 3 and Lost Odyssey are both a waste of time. Haven’t played Sacred 2. The others are all top tier games, among the best you’ll play. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/15 "2012-03-08T09:52:08Z")
Lost Odyssey is a good game, provided you like JRPGs and don’t mind a rather hammy English translation. It’s basically what filled the void between FF XII and XIII-2 in my book, when Square was busy shooting themselves in the foot with their MMO flops. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/16 "2012-03-08T13:32:05Z")
I think none of the games above are worth playing when there are newer ones out there. - Mass Effect has good story but the shooting is clunky. Mass Effect 2 is the better game. - Time spent on Fable 3 could be spent on Kingdom of Amalur I guess maybe GTA and Halo are worth it by those games don’t appeal to me… ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/17 "2012-03-08T14:33:04Z")
I’d say play Mass Effect 1, don’t play Mass Effect 2 or 3. And I’d recommend against GTA 4. It’s a good New York simulator but not a very good game, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/18 "2012-03-08T14:46:17Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > And I’d recommend against GTA 4. It’s a good New York simulator but not a very good game, IMO. Man, I drew so much flak for saying this in the original GTA IV thread… But yah. Lost Odyssey is a good game. Not great, but good. If you like JRPG’s, that is. IF not, skip it. Halo 3 is okay, I guess. For FPS I’d much prefer something like World at War, but I guess I’m old skool. Mass Effect 1 is only ‘bad’ in the way that people are used to all the things that Citizen Kane did and think it’s played out. For the record I prefer the combat from ME1 to 2 or 3. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/19 "2012-03-08T15:55:04Z")
I would go with Mass Effect and Viva Pinata for sure. The others depend a lot more on whether you’re really in to that specific genre. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956/20 "2012-03-08T16:06:13Z")
Eh… Pinata is a total genre game itself. If you don’t like farming animals and feeding them stuff to breed them (even if they are colorful, candy animals) there’s really not much game to the game. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-video-games-are-worth-my-time/614956.md?page=2)