Stories that left you disappointed for a reason

[Hamabix3]

Most books that were released in 2022. Some started strong but finished weak, like The Passenger. A Mage Reborn book 1 is literally a prologue, with the choices presented mostly about which spells to use(lmao). Some I don't bother to finish at all, like the Teahouse and the Djinn whatchamacallit. Others are just "eh", reactions varied from indifference to felt like tasted something unpleasant but not enough to actually voice out the complaint.

The only memorable ones from CoG is Siege of Treboulain, while HG would be Relics 2, Life of a Space Force Captain and probably Golden Rose. I actually do enjoy the zombie story as well, the Grey Eyes of Death. IMO better than ZE:SH part 3.

While I've read 99% of the books pre-2022(by CoG and HG of course), last year are fresher in my mind.

Though I do remember which books are the most disappointing of all, Versus saga. Book 3 literally killed the trilogy heh. How could it be more disappointing than Formorian War, or the likes of Rain King? Simple, because they don't exist.

 

[Asim]

Fernwah(I think) Saga..I felt nothing but waste of my time after finishing it

 

[Vamp-kun]

@Hamabix3 You had to mention Versus? My mind locked that information out to protect my eternal torment!

Still, I understand why nearly everybody felt that the game left them disappointed, but I can't for the unlife of me, get why most gamers of that series don't mention HR: Open Season. Now that! Was a waste of my coins! Want to get scolded for roleplaying by having to read manifesto-like paragraphs? No? Then read, vile player!

Want to have your beloved HR hero/heroine/her@brlblibbloopurgh+ be set aside for a tiny regional conflict about a televised series? No? Then have them, vile player!

@Crumbs88 To me, Fallen Hero was revolutionary. Read a comic-style book with the flair of edgelords of the 90s past? Yes please. And yet, I agree with the feeling of not having agency as a protagonist.
What kind of different creature is the protagonist? We are not exactly told.
Why does he/she/brlbloop+ hate the Rangers and have to hide? None of that is answered.
Do they slaughter droves of NPCs like a proper edgelord? Or an anime character? No. (SIIIIN!)

On a side note, The Passenger started strongly, what with the sibling of the protagonist, their mother, and Roachie (the other supernatural) appearing for us to see how they develop. I was all for the growth of the hero amongst humans. How he/she/ grew up, his/her/ interactions with the hero's powers, etc. Then! Off we go to a silly cult and have our plot move in a frantic pace to have us face an enemy we didn't want.

Now, A Mage Reborn. Good and bad. Nice prolonge, beautiful mercenary origin story, best friend betrays the protagonist, cliffhanger ending.

Aaaand Wayhaven. Slow? Yes. No action hero/heroine/her&_$#4578+? No. But I loved it. It has my spawn inside...
Although worry not, I shall complain about it later!

 

[Crumbs88]

@Vamp-kun I guess that's why it's so popular? Unfortunately, player agency is really important to me. I don't need to play a self-insert (in fact I usually play as male,) but I do need to understand my character's motivations and get into their heads. And that's impossible with Sidestep! They are completely inscrutable and confusing.

Another series that disappointed me was The Keeper series. Found the romance incredibly flat, and I was led to believe that was one of it's selling points. (It was compared to Wayhaven. Umm, no.) Romance needs tension, and conflict, and longing, or attraction at the very least. But here a random character whose name I didn't know suddenly asked my MC on a date that was as edifying as chewing cardboard, and that was that for the romance. (Granted, it's been a while since I read it, perhaps I'm being unfair.)

I'm a lot more critical of the series' that get high ratings; I expect a lot because most of them are so good! Only Fallen Hero and the Keeper series didn't meet my high bar amongst the top rated books.

Loved Mage Reborn though. Using only the intro for the first book was a let down, true, but it is well written, cohesive and the plot is tight and excellent.

 

[Zei]

@Vamp-kun I guess that's why it's so popular? Unfortunately, player agency is really important to me. I don't need to play a self-insert (in fact I usually play as male,) but I do need to understand my character's motivations and get into their heads. And that's impossible with Sidestep! They are completely inscrutable and confusing.

Another series that disappointed me was The Keeper series. Found the romance incredibly flat, and I was led to believe that was one of it's selling points. (It was compared to Wayhaven. Umm, no.) Romance needs tension, and conflict, and longing, or attraction at the very least. But here a random character whose name I didn't know suddenly asked my MC on a date that was as edifying as chewing cardboard, and that was that for the romance. (Granted, it's been a while since I read it, perhaps I'm being unfair.)

I'm a lot more critical of the series' that get high ratings; I expect a lot because most of them are so good! Only Fallen Hero and the Keeper series didn't meet my high bar amongst the top rated books.

Loved Mage Reborn though. Using only the intro for the first book was a let down, true, but it is well written, cohesive and the plot is tight and excellent.

Im curious, did you play only book one of the keeper series? Because book two really has improved a lot

 

[Vamp-kun]

@Crumbs88 For Fallen Hero Rebirth some of my other complaints are that we have to try and guess what kind of inhuman thing is Sidestep to be afraid of the Special Directive, but we only get answers in book two: Retribution.
A Re-gene made of cloned materiel.
In the first game, we are told to dislike the Rangers and prepare to fight them — not kill for some reason — and in the second book we get closer to them, and eventually they may or may not accuse the protagonist for their vendetta against the Special Directive.
What kind of plans does Sidestep have for his/her/ future actions? It is not explained.
What the creepy heck is in the head of Sidestep or the puppet during the final scene where they wake up in book two? Ace? Heartbreak? We are not told.
Although I loved the world-building...

On the self-inserts you mentioned, I did not feel any kind of bond with Sidestep. In fact I always played as a woman because of how inactive was Sidestep in book one — very few scenes of dismantling hordes of NPC's — and how focused he/she/ was on how things made him/her feel

On the Keeper series. Yes book two does add needless tension and angsty conflict.
That character you mentioned asking your protagonist out on a date? In book two he realizes that the protagonist's attraction may be due to his powers and tries to make you hate him by using those powers on you.

Generally speaking about the keeper series, it reminded me of a friend's concept for young adult books. I loved it!

Aaaand on a mage reborn. Let's go to the complain train!
Why does the protagonist's adoptive sister needs to lose her mind and die? Let nee-chan enjoy her attraction and pursue the protagonist!
Why does Leon become so distrusting and hateful of the protagonist for the sake of a priestess he barely knew? Him and the protagonist were in the White Fangs since the early days and he just dismisses that?
Why can't the protagonist be of royal Arcadian descent and escape prosecution because of his/her/ origins? He/she/ just survived some bad scientist's experiment.

 

[Crumbs88]

Did you play only book one? Because book two really has improved a lot

Are you referring to Fallen Hero or The Keeper series?

I started reading Keeper book 2 but never completed it. Guess it's just not my thing. But perhaps I'll try again, if it's really that good?

And Fallen Hero, I wanted to try Book 2, but that requires reading Book 1 again, and I haven't been able to muster up the courage to wade through the confusion of Sidestep again.

 

[Vamp-kun]

@Zei refers to the Keeper series.

 

[Crumbs88]

@Vamp-kun Well, I haven't read Retribution yet. A part of me wants to, because I want to buy into the hype. There must be a reason everyone loves it! But I don't remember the first book that well, lol, so I'd have to reread, and well, I don't want to

But to quote words you used to describe Fallen Hero: 'We are told.' We are told to do this, and told to believe that. That's a problem. That is taking away your ability to decide, and your agency. I'm stubbourn, so this does not work for me At all.

I'd be ok with less agency if the plot was action-packed, but from what I remember it was mostly a lot of monologueing. Is Book 2 better, in your opinion?

Regarding The Keeper series, I guess I'll give it another go. I think the fact that it's marketed to young adults may be the problem for me, I'm well past teenagedom. But I usually enjoy books about teenagers, so I don't know? I'll reread and let you know.

 

[Vamp-kun]

@Crumbs88

For FH Rebirth, yes it would have indeed been ok if the plot was action-packed — like Netflix's Spriggan series — having Sidestep in a power armor and demolishing Directive agents and experiments instead of the monologueing.

But, let's remember our time's new edgy thing in the English speaking west — because I'm not from there and it all sounds very foreign to me — because it came to my attention in my university days, which is mostly about sehx(uality), pron in Harry Potter fanfictions, and gender — I'll get to the point I promise!

On the one side of the ring, the cursed anarchists trying to erase gender — insisting on things like, there should not be battles about LGB inheritance rights because they insist there is no gender, and on the other side the Stonewall LGB "conservatives", who insist on the importance of gender above all — so that they can fight about their individualism.

Ever since this kind of heavily political thing found its way to videogames (again, mostly coming from California, like extreme fanservice coming from the Chiba district) we have seen its importance magnified.

So! FH Retribution has so much boring monologueing because Sidestep is disgusted with his/her body.
Although, Sidestep being a Re-gene is never specified, that monologueing about Sidestep's disenfranchisement is mirroring a trans woman's or man's disenfranchisement. In essence, giving a huge fanservice to that audience!
If that makes any sense. Sorry for my mediocre English.

Is Book 2 better, in my opinion?
Ugh. We are told that Sidestep has managed to do a lot of crimes depending on our choice — thieving, killing heroes or training them, anarchism, or crime bossing — then come the Rangers, talks with Ortega, Argent, Herald, Steel, that could lead into a romance, and Sidestep may be arrested by them only to have to explain about the Directive.

And yes, in another post, the illustrious complain train will include more reasons for other games — lore, filler, etc.

 

[Crumbs88]

@Crumbs88

For FH Rebirth, yes it would have indeed been ok if the plot was action-packed — like Netflix's Spriggan series — having Sidestep in a power armor and demolishing Directive agents and experiments instead of the monologueing.

But, let's remember our time's new edgy thing in the English speaking west — because I'm not from there and it all sounds very foreign to me — because it came to my attention in my university days, which is mostly about ***(uality), **** in Harry Potter fanfictions, and gender — I'll get to the point I promise!

On the one side of the ring, the cursed anarchists trying to erase gender — insisting on things like, there should not be battles about LGB inheritance rights because they insist there is no gender, and on the other side the Stonewall LGB "conservatives", who insist on the importance of gender above all — so that they can fight about their individualism.

Ever since this kind of heavily political thing found its way to videogames (again, mostly coming from California, like extreme fanservice coming from the Chiba district) we have seen its importance magnified.

So! FH Retribution has so much boring monologueing because Sidestep is disgusted with his/her body.
Although, Sidestep being a Re-gene is never specified, that monologueing about Sidestep's disenfranchisement is mirroring a trans woman's or man's disenfranchisement. In essence, giving a huge fanservice to that audience!
If that makes any sense. Sorry for my mediocre English.

Is Book 2 better, in my opinion?
Ugh. We are told that Sidestep has managed to do a lot of crimes depending on our choice — thieving, killing heroes or training them, anarchism, or crime bossing — then come the Rangers, talks with Ortega, Argent, Herald, Steel, that could lead into a romance, and Sidestep may be arrested by them only to have to explain about the Directive.

And yes, in another post, the illustrious complain train will include more reasons for other games — lore, filler, etc.

I'm not from a Western country either, and I've never even met anyone trans. I'll admit I don't really understand it, but I'm fine with trans options and whatnot, everyone should feel included in my book.

You saying that reminds me why I really couldn't stomach Fallen Hero. I'm perfectly happy in my own body. Yeah, it could be improved some, lol, but I like myself and my body just fine. I don't play games or read books to feel depressed. So being forced into Sidestep, who hates themselves, made me feel so uncomfortable and weird, and sad.

There's another fairly new WIP on the forum with an MC that hates their body. I also struggled with that one a bit, (I felt outraged when I was told that I hate my appearance, lol. I just thought, "No you, my MC is fabulously sexy!") But at least it's only mentioned briefly (so far) and the plot goes on.

It's tough being a COG author, I think. Even if you give the readers legions of options, they'll still complain that they're being forced into an unhappy character (like I'm doing right now.)

Anyway, thank you for explaining it to me. I think I'll give book 2 a skip. Otherwise I'll just be back here complaining again=P

 

[Vamp-kun]

Now, on to other matters.

(First of, I had a huge eye surgery today because a mob tried to burn my castle while screaming VAMPIRE! KILL THE ABOMINATION! So Miss Frankenstein is writing for me.
And I put the Dutch flag for the third option because of an obscure reference of my country's 1860 shipowner merchant-families rivalry about exporting freedoms)

Now, the games:

|PROFESSOR OF MAGICAL STUDIES |
That one started nicely, although the first chapter's constant flashbacks were difficult to read through. Then we get ready to become closer to our professor pals, but we get to have only one of our former academics to talk to. The others are a townie who wants to stop the school from buying a building, a mechanic muggle, and an extracosmic entity in our protagonist's head.
Later we get ready to teach the dunderheads some magic only once, then let's have the plot hijacked by endless explanations about patent magic, an obviously evil cosmos-jumping professor, and one of the biggest save the world plots by talking about patent magic - the void is coming but because it is a patent magic we may be able to do something about it.

|THE LOST HEIR SERIES|
The first, Daria, started with our protagonist as a rich fellow, who has to lose everything because Jon Snow (in the Game of Thrones books) did it first. It continues into a beautiful epicurean adventure in dungeons with the protagonist's pals and in the ending we are shown that the bad fellas who took everything from the protagonist are up to their evil ways.
Book two. Did you love those D&D-like adventures? Well, you play one or two here, but this is mostly about painstakingly raising a huge army (with thousands of options to fail and die) in order to lay siege to a kingdom and do land management. In the end, the main bad fellow ruins everything for the protagonist and proceeds to summon a huge demon army. Because now we are Clary Frey or Buffy.
The third game. Go to a magical academy and try to defeat the huge demon baddie with a billion ways to lose and start all over again. Our epilogue tells us nothing of our choices and simply ends with "everybody is going to remember the sovereign of Daria!"


|LORDS OF INFINITY|
You folks remember those two war strategy games that started with vibes like the 1500s when the nascent maritime Kingdom of Britain suddenly destroyed the indestructible Spanish armada and won a crushing war again the then undefeated French Empire?
That's how the first games felt. The air of future conquests was near, maybe new unexplored lands, endangered Dodos for the eating, strange native cultures and revanchist empires who staked their own claims.
Nah, let's go back to mother Tiera and have a political turmoil that turns into a civil war and our poster boy Cazarosta saving the queen instead of the protagonist.
Can we stop that boring war and go fight with the fantasy France for the conquest of fantasy India please?

|CREME DE LA CREME|
You liked the heavy political intrigue in your children's mystery books (another Harry Potter reference) so we shall go to Galatin college and do some shenanigans with our school mates — who are not mages, sadly — and then all of the plot will be about the evil headmistress who makes students work in the mines, and let's not forget, a never to be solved plot about Karson and the servant class.
Just like Harry Potter.
"But wait," you'll say, "The Harry Potter movies had never shown any servants in the castle."
" Just read book four... "

 

[Meikartainc]

The fernweh saga.
I was truly sold by the demo only to have question marks at the ending.

Spoiler: Ending

So EVERYONE is a cult-ish-like group member/cthulhu-vibe creature's thrall including all the ROs? I'M SO CONFUSED

 

[Yama]

The fernweh saga.
I was truly sold by the demo only to have question marks at the ending.

Spoiler: Ending

So EVERYONE is a cult-ish-like group member/cthulhu-vibe creature's thrall including all the ROs? I'M SO CONFUSED

To me, Fernweh was good. Like not wow, but it was interesting, and It is my one of many fav's. I'm not gonna lie when I say that the ending confused me to death, I literally couldn't sleep because my mind was full of 'I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS' thoughts....yeah.

 

[Yama]

The end of Passenger was a bit of a rush to me, like, hey I made my sister blind, but everything is fine in the end! She was in the start scared of me and didn't saw me as a sister anymore. There was some scene in the end where she, like forgotten everything and was like, I love you EVEN when I'm blind because of you!. It was just too rush for me, it would be great if it would be longer.

 

[Sant]

Another game to the list: Insert Rich Family Name Here. Like, I was supposed to be rich and powerful, but most of the time I was a punching bag to everyone.

Besides, we are forced to be friendly to that ******* detective which is a LI for some reason, jeez.

 

[The Shadow of Man]

New witch in town was just horrible and just so boring

 

[Sant]

New witch in town was just horrible and just so boring

FR I was expecting some slice-of-life, rom-com thing but what I got was Greta Thunberg and her friends

 

[SaintRosina]

Im surprised no one mentioned Royal Affairs lol to this day i've not been able to finish it. Sometimes i open it and read a few pages just to close it immediatly cause i got bored again I really enjoyed Creme de la Creme and Noblesse Obligue so maybe it's on me and my high expectations.

 

[Vamp-kun]

@SaintRosina I've almost forgotten about the Royal Affairs! ‘Twas a dreary playthrough and I found myself outraged by the King/Queen being a sociopathic monster that didn't hear the MC's councel when it came to the main villain. Said villain almost always wins, despite the player's efforts.

@Meikartainc I share your confusion for the Fernweh Saga, although I did hope it might have been a more "Roswell TV series" and "Twilight" supernatural slice of life story, for the very premise seemed alienating in its effort in trying to be unique. Let's hope the sequel makes the experience nicer.

And now:

|THE WAR FOR THE WEST|
Could I please have my Crusader Kings 2 narrative experience instead of a medieval horror with undefeatable bad guys in the shadows and warg-dreams, — the thing that the Stark children did in Game of Thrones books where they could get inside their direwolves — and references to Cthulhu? Thank you author.

|WAY WALKERS|
Oh how delightful! A Harry Potter-esque university with mystery?
Why yes, please.
Instead we do not get that.
We! Are going to be playing in the brutal fantasy medieval ages, where toilet is not even a word and evil consumerism does not exist. How glad! I am to play another game where the surrounding environment is completely unfathomable to my imagination!