Honeymoon Periods for Games

[Moonface]

While I was in the GTA VI thread just now I remembered I wanted to make this thread because that game reminded me of how my opinion of GTA V drastically changed compared to when I first played it as time went on. I got that game pretty close to launch, and I made this comment on the old forum at the time after I had just started it:

Hot damn this game is so amazing looking. If the rest of what I experience is anything like the tiny slice I've had so far, this is definitely going to be no surprise to me if it picks up a ton of GOTY awards.

By the time I was done with the game I remarked that I felt it was an 8/10 game, but nowadays I look back on the game as just barely okay and riddled with questionable game design choices.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is another game where I remember close to launch I declared it a 10/10 flawless game in a review on the old forum I don't wish to look for because I just know it's gonna be cringe, and while I still love the game it is absolutely not that good.

On the other hand, there are also plenty of games where my views don't really change or maybe get better, but I'm struggling to think of any for the latter off the top of my head right now.  

So, what games have you played where at first you were really into it but later looked back on it and don't think of it as highly as you initially did? Or do you have any opposite cases where you were harsh on a game but softened up on it later on?

[Mr EliteL]

This isn't a direct example but the only one I can think of right now, this might be for me with Fire Emblem Awakening. I never liked the weird stumpy legs the 3D model of the characters have when in battle, but I tolerated it back then and so still is among my top 10 favourite games, or is at least still a contender. It's been a long time since I played Awakening and if and when I do ever play on that game again, the stumpy legs could be an outright intolerance for me. Though there is a solution, just turn off battle scenes and let the mini sprite versions do battle instead, which is basically a sound effect or something as the enemy disappears, or a disastrous unlucky critical hit hurts/kills my character.

[Kyng]

Civilization: Beyond Earth definitely had this for me.

I got it on release day - and played it for approximately 9 hours straight (stopping only for meals). I was thoroughly engrossed in my first couple of games: it had the same Civ 5 gameplay that I loved - but it was set in space, and seemed to have so much fascinating content to explore!

Sadly, that wore off pretty quickly. Once I'd explored all the main stuff, I found that there really wasn't much variety: every game I played felt roughly the same, with only minor differences between the various factions and affinities. Plus, the game just wasn't very well balanced: the trade routes were completely overpowered. Granted, subsequent patches did mitigate this to an extent - but players quickly abandoned the game, and it never felt truly 'finished'.

Don't get me wrong - I still had fun, and got my money's worth from the game - but it feels like it could have been so much better.