I’ve been asked many times what the best way is to tell the differences between a good game and a bad game. In many cases it’s quite easy as simply trying it out yourself and not having fun with the experience tends to be a good indicator that you are playing a bad game. Something that’s a bit more complicated however is trying to indicate what makes a mediocre game nowadays.
Being mediocre can sometimes be worse than being terrible as at least bad games are memorable in a sick and twisted way. A bit like how many people love The Room despite it being truly dreadful. For myself I would classify a mediocre game as being a technically competent one that doesn’t have any soul or imagination. Think of the multitude of Call of Duty sequels oe your variety of Minecraft clones, while these games do function in what they are trying to do they lack any artistic expression or passion for the game they are creating. Many of these games simply exist to make money and don’t care about the actual art form they are working with.
On the other end there are games that are a clear labour of love from their developers but the actual gameplay itself is just simply not fun to play. These games tend to sometimes get better over time but a lot of the time they are stuck in what the developer calls ‘their vision’ and they refuse to budge from their stance on what the game should be like. It’s a shame as games like this are more like a person or team trying to create something for themselves but the actual players don’t end up enjoying it. Many failed MMO experiences end up like this and it’s sad to see a game go down this path. Ultimately it’s a bit tricky to define what exactly constitutes a mediocre game and people have their own definitions as to what they consider it to be. Now I’m curious about what games you would all consider to be mediocre and what exactly defines them as that? Feel free to share your suggestions and opinions in the comments!
That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.