Games that have a great start but then get worse and worse

[Agni Kai]

I had this feeling with Medal of Honor Rising Sun. You start playing in this amazing and immersive setpiece when your ship is under attack. You run to the deck while avoiding every sort of explosions and whatnot and get on a turret to shoot down some planes.

I replayed the intro so much but never got around to playing the rest of the game because it was pretty meh.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

5 definitely doesn't break the cycle. The shanty towns are best.

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Yeah I think ultimately I agree.

 

[plasmabear]

I think pokemon sword/shield falls under this. maybe "great start" is said too much, but when I booted it and played the first two hours I thought "oh wow it really isn't as bad as people say!". wild area als left a good first impression. but then literally everything that comes afterwards goes downhill SO quick and SO low that it's really not funny anymore. have a whole collection of Screenshots from the game about stuff I hated

 

[noinspiration]

I must not like Resident Evil 8 much, because I think it starts a pretty steep slide as soon as you exit the village.

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

Halo: Infinite.

The first 1/3rd is amazing, then it just goes rapidly downhill.

 

[Deleted member 93841]

I felt this way about VIII. Everything after the castle just gets progressively worse. House Beneviento might have the game's peak in it, but that section overall is not great. Game just stumbles to the finish.

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Came here to say this. Castle Dimitrescu is amazing, but the rest feel rushed and like they didn't have the resources to make it as good as the castle. House Beneviento could have been another highlight, but it needed to be a bit longer and more fleshed out.

 

[Sanctuary]

This was just touched upon slightly in the Dante's Inferno thread. I mentioned God of War 3. The first twenty or so minutes were incredible, and then it was all downhill from there. Much less variety in gameplay coming off of the second game, and the exploitation in it was over the top (for a God of War game), and the rapid pace at which it came just made it seem like a parody. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

 

[Syraneia]

Danganronpa V3's first big twist takes what would've easily been my favourite instalment in the series all the way down to my least favourite.

I'll die mad about it. Ugh.

 

[Fafalada]

Bioshock Infinite.
Post intro section its just a slide down for entire game.

Technically Deadspace 1, except "start"=first 8-9 chapters, it just falls off a cliff for finale.

 

[NuclearCake]

3D Sonic games tend to peak or almost peak in the first level.

 

[Madao]

the Metroid Prime Trilogy. yes, all 3 games. their back half takes a massive dive when you have to go fetch the keys to access the final area. it brings the whole game to a stop before the final bosses for each of them.

also, Zelda the Wind Waker. the triforce piece map fetch quest is worse than all 3 fetch quests in all 3 Primes combined. goddamn that was such a shitty padding to cover for the missing dungeons.

 

[Keiriks]

Sonic Heroes really does embody this, huh. Seaside Hill and Ocean Palace are top tier 3D Sonicing but then levels like Bingo Highway and Bullet Station just fuck it all up.

 

[Zaied]

I felt this way about Crysis 3 for a long time, and replaying it again in Crysis Remastered Trilogy definitely reinforced my stance that the first couple of levels is where the game shines. Welcome to the Jungle served as a great introductory level to the more lush sandbox style maps that Crytek were keen on returning to without entirely abandoning the linear battle zones of Crysis 2. The trainyard section where you battle the alien stalkers in the overgrowth was particularly kickass. But almost everything following The Root of All Evil becomes too wide and too barren for its own good. I'm curious to see what direction they'll commit to with Crysis 4; I'm sure games like Metro Exodus and Halo Infinite has them eager to revisit that concept.

 

[Baphomet]

Sonic Heroes, Lost World, and honestly even Sonic 1 are good examples of this.

People will say Persona 5, but I actually think that game hits its highest point in Futaba's arc, though the end or so of the game is the weakest bit (in vanilla at least, haven't played Royal yet).

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Play Royal, the new chapter is the best part of the game.

 

[onpoint]

Each new planet in Star Fox Adventures is 25% worse than the one before it. The game finishes below 0%.

 

[Zeal543]

the Metroid Prime Trilogy. yes, all 3 games. their back half takes a massive dive when you have to go fetch the keys to access the final area. it brings the whole game to a stop before the final bosses for each of them.

also, Zelda the Wind Waker. the triforce piece map fetch quest is worse than all 3 fetch quests in all 3 Primes combined. goddamn that was such a shitty padding to cover for the missing dungeons.

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Prime 2 peaks in the final major area

 

[Farrac]

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

Maybe not exactly the case because I don't think the last case is worse than the two preceding it but the game peaks with an amazing introductory case and it never goes back to that level. Third case in particular was awful as I recall it.

 

[KushalaDaora]

Indigo Prophecy the thread

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Also Detroit Became Human. I thought both Connor and Kara start off really strong, then by the end of the game it turned into David Cage wanking material.

 

[B. Spaceman]

The first thing I thought of was Sonic Heroes. The controls are always janky, but the first two or three levels were very impressive for me as a kid, the great aesthetic and music did it for me. Starting with the Power Plant level it begins to fall apart.

the Metroid Prime Trilogy. yes, all 3 games. their back half takes a massive dive when you have to go fetch the keys to access the final area. it brings the whole game to a stop before the final bosses for each of them.

also, Zelda the Wind Waker. the triforce piece map fetch quest is worse than all 3 fetch quests in all 3 Primes combined. goddamn that was such a shitty padding to cover for the missing dungeons.

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That's not what "get worse and worse" means.

 

[Res-bot]

Have you played a game that made a really good first impression but then it kinda fall apart the more you play them? That kinda happened to me with Turok 2, the first level is awesome for the most part and it also has a solid second and third level, but after that the levels become either too long and repetitive or a nightmare to navegate, and that's not even mentioning how hard is to get the secret artifacts to finish the game without using a guide, a shame since in Turok 1 I think they did a much better balance, even if the levels could be somewhat repetitive at times, and the artifacts were much easier to get just exploring.

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I wonder if the OP and subsequent posters are really making the point about single player games that the fun mechanics are pretty much delivered in the first major level, dungeon or quest in a game and the rest is just a variation of same loop with slight variations (there's a countdown! More enemies!) or padding.

 

[AmirMoosavi]

Tomb Raider The Last Revelation is an old but great example of this. The game starts off fairly straightforward with a bunch of side routes. But the more you push on, the more complicated the levels and puzzles become. The level design starts becoming unclear for guiding you on where to go next, and its puzzles become more obtuse which leads to a ton of backtracking to areas with unkillable enemies that basically force you to take health. Then the last few stages have a lot of trial-and-error and just poor or repetitive design.

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Came here to say this. Was really digging the first half but once you get to Alexandria the levels get too damn big. People complain about quest markers etc. in modern games but once levels get to a certain size it's easy to get lost.

 

[Voyevoda]

I think Dark Souls 1's second half (after Anor Londo) is noticeably weaker than the very strong first half.
Resident Evil 2 remake is also at its peak at the Police Station.

 

[Kyra]

Elden ring. Stormviel is the games peak.

 

[EarlGreyHot]

Okami.

First segment up until the first big boss is great! After that? Meh….. It never recovers imo.

 

[Kromeo]

People will say Persona 5, but I actually think that game hits its highest point in Futaba's arc, though the end or so of the game is the weakest bit (in vanilla at least, haven't played Royal yet).

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That's just people realising they don't like the game, there's no drop in quality. In Royal the end is possibly the best bit

Not sure why Evil Within is being mentioned, the last few hours go a bit shit but chapters around the middle of the game are really good

 

[Diogo Arez]

Recently there are a ton:
Elden Ring
Deathloop
Persona 5
BOTW

There are more these are just the ones I remember immediately

 

[JustinH]

Resident Evil 4 also, but not because any part is bad but the beginning is perfect, the middle is amazing, and the end is great.

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This is the one I had in mind. The village section in the beginning is just so damn good, but then the game goes downhill from there (while not getting "bad," but definitely "not as good").

Resident Evil VII. The house is incredible, then the game gets pretty mediocre pretty quick

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This is a good damn answer, too. That rotted old house is such a great setting, but the ship section is just so bad.

 

[Tortillo VI]

The new Saints Row. Main plot and characters are nice and off to a good start... and then it ends, around at a perceived third of the amount of main missions compared to Saints Row 2, 3 & 4. All you have is repetitive criminal ventures to complete...
Final mission came so suddenly it made me angry.

Halo Infinite starts strong but falls of a cliff when you realize there is only one map for the entire game, and the most interesting plot lines pretty much come to a halt the moment you land on it. Just like the example above, it feels like a third of the previous games, paddled to infinity with repetitive content.

 

[Soap]

Glad other said Mafia 3.

Brutal Legend also starts strongly and then devolved quickly into a mess.

I'm also going to say Yakuza Like a Dragon is a lot of fun until the fmdifficukty spike that ruins all momentum.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

dark souls

 

[Diogo Arez]

This is the one I had in mind. The village section in the beginning is just so damn good, but then the game goes downhill from there (while not getting "bad," but definitely "not as good").

This is a good damn answer, too. That rotted old house is such a great setting, but the ship section is just so bad.

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Tbh as much as I love RE as a whole this thread fits the entire series lmao, they all go downhill midway through

 

[JustinH]

Tbh as much as I love RE as a whole this thread fits the entire series lmao, they all go downhill midway through

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Yeah, lol. I saw a couple other people mention it, but these are the examples that come to mind specifically.

dark souls

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expected this earlier, honestly...

 

[Hazz3r]

Brutal Legend - Was fine as a hack and slasher but then they introduced the janky RTS part outta no where. Ruined the game.

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What was super gross about Brutal Legend was that the Demo was just the first 20 minutes of the game. It made you think that the game was a hack and slash action adventure, but actually was giving you a completely false impression of the game.

 

[pksu]

MGS4 after the first act. Felt like Kojima had someone limiting and editing the script for the beginning of the game and then the person got fired.

 

[N.47H.4N]

Elden Ring a downhill after Stormveil

 

[wafflebrain]

Indigo Prophecy the thread

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Shit this might be my pick. That intro in the diner is so well executed, one of the most engaging and tense sections of a game I've played...and then the rest of it happens. Like why tf did QD not just build on the encounter/puzzle design of the first scene? Could've been something great.

 

[Risev]

The last 3 Assassin's Creed Games. Each completely dominates my first 2 days and then just fizzle out until I can no longer look at the screen without thinking "I need to uninstall this asap"

 

[Viale]

People will say Persona 5, and I'm here to say they're wrong.

Best dungeon characterwise is dungeon 4. Best dungeon gameplaywise is dungeon 6. Worst dungeons are dungeons 3 and 5, and best dungeon at applying the theme of p5 is dungeon 8.

Dungeon 1 is pretty middle of the pack personally.

This isn't even counting royal where it's just the best story content of the entire game that all takes place at the very end.
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Also, probs scorching take, but I'd say BotW. Plateau is the best part of the game.

 

[jb1234]

Maybe a hot take but Prey. The second half of that game was an endless slog.

 

[basic_text]

Indigo Prophecy the thread

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I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a game as soon as people started flying and it turned into the Matrix with QTEs :(

 

[Navidson REC]

Gears 5. Those open world sections killed my enjoyment.

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I kinda get this, though I really enjoyed the visuals of both the ice and sand worlds. Also, I loooved the crazy desperate atmosphere of Act IV.

I should really replay this on my Series X / C9 combo. Started the game on an OG Xbox One and a shitty 1080p TV and finished it on an Xbox One X (but still connected to the same TV). The replay should feel like a generational leap lol.

 

[miguelfcp]

Metal Gear Solid 5
I thought Ground Zeroes was a great prologue and was excited for what came next. I know people poke fun at the Metal Gear's saga convoluted story but Phantom Pain just lacked any semblance of good plot but still somehow got worse as the game went on. The twist fell incredibly forced and was an answer to a question that no one was asking about, and then the game just ended with no conclusion. I get that some of that falls on Konami for pushing it out the door but some blame must also fall on Kojima for what plot there was because it was NOT good. You can like the gameplay all you want but I played MGS for the story as well as gameplay.

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Same feeling here.

Metal Gear is my favorite saga ever so my hype to play TPP was big! I received the game day one and after the first mission my mind was blowing. It was one of the best if not the best starting of a videogame.

As I was progressing the game, while loving the gameplay the game was lacking the things that made Metal Gear saga so iconic. The plot, the big cutscenes, the codec calls were almost inexistent.

And then the second chapter came and repeating all missions but on a higher difficult was big punch in the stomach.

When I saw the epilogue I felt that the game was for nothing. MGS V was always selling that would be the missing link in the saga but I see it almost as a spin off. I'm not even talking about the retcons it inserted for nothing.

Said this I spent almost 200h to platinum the game. I really loved the game by its gameplay and graphics and OST. But as Metal Gear I felt it was the weakest entry.

 

[Iztok]

For me it was Nino Kuni 2.
Granted, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but after hours of enjoyable gameplay I was faced with the wall of RTS and city building missions I had little interest in.

 

[shadowman16]

Wonder Boy (the first one) for sure. First few levels are fun platforming levels, but the more I played, the more annoying it got - enemies got harder to see coming to the point where it felt you would always die at least once just to learn what the next obstacle was. And then things got worse when the game does a second loop of the levels... Ghosts n Goblins is positively easy compared to the shit you have to put up with on later levels. And you best not lose your hammer before entering the fourth area per levels... because that becomes nightmarish really fast. Oh and in true old arcade tradition, once you reach the end world(s), you can no longer continue. Good luck with that!

 

[DisturbedSwan]

Elden Ring.

Absolutely loved the first 50 hours then it just kept getting worse and worse as more of the unnecessarily big world unveiled itself.

 

[Temascos]

Brutal Legend

The first few hours before the strategy stuff bogs the game down were so much fun, I loved exploring the world and the music, but it just got so boring to play.

 

[Salamiaddict]

Pokemon Sword/Shield. Up until the wild area, it was a good traditional Pokemon game... everything from then on tho... phew

 

[Oscarzx n]

I wonder if the OP and subsequent posters are really making the point about single player games that the fun mechanics are pretty much delivered in the first major level, dungeon or quest in a game and the rest is just a variation of same loop with slight variations (there's a countdown! More enemies!) or padding.

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There Is a difference between that and just suddendly dropping massively in quality

 

[Ambient]

Alice Madness Returns

Opens great but just become a slog.

 

[Blade24070]

Tales of Arise. I mean, I wasn't blown away by the first half but it was a solid JRPG and then... it went from mediocre to absolutely terrible (that last dungeon, Jesus.) I had to force myself to beat it.

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I actually disagree, I think it gets better and better until the faux climax. The last 10-15 hours are the worst, some of the worst endgame content in the series.