Love at First Gameplay

[Davidson13]

I for one never really was that into mech games in general, until I encountered Zone Of The Enders for the PS2. This was a long time ago mind you, demos still came in disks back then. I was about to throw it away since I never heard of most of the games in the disk. But I played it and fell in love...

The first game was already amazing, but when ZOE 2 came out, it blew my mind. It improved, in every way, the game that I already loved. Now that its officially being released as an HD collection set for the PS3, I'm going to tear those games a new asshole all over again!

How about you guys? Any hidden gems that simply mesmerized you the moment you started playing?

[RyderOmega]

Batman Arkham Asylum. I remember downloading the demo on PS3. It was the combat system that got me hooked to it. It was just so fluid and awesome, every punch and kick and throw and takedown was just so satisfying. It is possibly the best combat system that I've ever experienced in any video game.

[JKSSN]

Haha! When I played Sonic Advance 3 for the GBA, it was love at first gameplay!
Ever since I played mario when I was very young, I always wanted a more faster platforming.
But years later, I've finally played my first Sonic game, SA3.
But Sonic Rush made me love Sonic games even more.
There is also Half-Life and Counter-Strike.
Valve's games started my love for FPS's type gamesand
Another one is Rayman Origins. Its not as fast as Sonic but its really fun!
Jumping, walljunping, running on walls, gliding, challenging (and frustrating) maps, multiplayer...
I just love it!

[Lionelion]

I used to be absolutely against playing FPS games
until one fateful day at a friend's house, i was coaxed into playing some Halo
That got me on the path, and what sealed the deal was a year later, when i went to a gaming camp, and they had a call of duty tournament that i decided to sign up for, just for the hell of it.
Ive loved FPS games since
My favorites currently include Halo, TF2, and Unreal Tournament

[Lolzer]

First time i played street fighter was on the SNES. I remember that i used to play that game for 2 whole days straight not turning off the console. I love fighting games, especially the street fighter franchise. First time i played it i fell in love with the genre and i never looked back since then.

[Dean]

I'll got for games from this generation because it's easier for me to remember. They're not really "hidden gems", but I thought they were awesome right away.

The obvious one for me is Oblivion. It was my first Xbox 360 game and as soon as I started playing that thing I was blown away, and that wasn't with the HD graphics either. It was just so much better than the games that I was used to playing on my PS2 and everything just seemed so much more lifelike.

More recently, I loved Eternal Sonata as soon as I started playing. Visually it was colourful and nice to look at which isn't really something that I'm used to in the current generation of games. It was really nice to play through as well, for the first 10 or so hours that is. After that my opinion started to dwindle a bit and I cared less and less about it. My interest did start to pick up again as I got to where I am now with the game, but then an incredibly hard boss battle frustrated me too much to want to keep trying.

I was pretty impressed with Red Dead Redemption too. It was nothing like it's predecessor but I love Western themed games and this one was no exception. I had so much fun playing through that.

[DragonPunch]

Skullgirls. Hands down. I started playing it, and loved it right away. The combo system was a lot easier to master than in most fighting games, and it still amuses me, though I have already completed the story and tutorial modes.

[II2none]

Fight Night round 4

Me and my brother went for HOURS on that demo. It's was such an engaging boxing game you can feel the power from the behind every clean blow landed and it had a perfect mix of strategy and enjoyment why I still haven't bought this game is a damn good question.

Sonic Unleashed (HD versions only)-

I already know whats comin but hear me out. When I first got my hands on this game I could not put it down The day AND night time stages were pretty awesome, I can't tell you how many times I replayed Rooftop Run Day stage. It's just an exhilarating experience running at 720 mph and letting nothing stand in your way. The Werehog combat system was pretty awesome too. Of course nowadays compared to Sonic Generations it's a joke, but to it's credit Sonic Generations is sonic unleashed but with all the atrocious 30 second filler stages and side missions excluded and of course the Werehog gimmick that everyone else despised.

Bleach Soul Resurrection-

For those who've been keeping tabs in general know that I'm less then a fan of the Bleach series. When my Best friend back in AL introduced this game to me I wasn't expecting to be entertained for very long, until I watched the game play. It looked and felt like I was watching DBZ, quite contrary to the dull pacing of the Tv show itself. This game is a contradictory as it was a pretty addicting experience I had a blast playing these characters particularly Rukia, Tier Harribel, and Youruichi. One of the better anime action games outside of Dragon ball Z budokai and tenkachi series.

[GreyW0Lf]

Infamous
It was love at first sight, I just downloaded the demo out of pure boredom, and the looks of the game didn't appealed me at first.
But once I started to play it... OMG I just couldn't get enough of it; until I bought the game.
Metal Gear Solid 4
I know that many people hate on this game, but I still love it. It was the first time I ever played an MGS game, but I still fell in love with it; sure, the story confused me alot, but still it was very self explanatory. And once I finally played all the MGS games, I loved MGS4 even more.
Fire Emblem(for the GBA)
It's not from the new generation, but is still worth of a mention. My story with this one is not very exciting, I just rented it on a random store, but I fell in love with this one.

[Jester]

Off the top of my head, Sniper Elite V2. The first shot I made took out a guy's teeth from 200 meters away. It was beautiful.

[MrDaemon]

Super Mario Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
Resident Evil 4
Ico
Dark Souls

I'm sure there is more, just top of my head.

[Alexnotsr]

I think it would be Valkyria Chronicles, and possibly Skyrim.
Those are the only ones I remember.

[shadowmefisto]

For the SNES Days,i remember playing Killer Instinct and i absolutely love it,i still think it's one of the best fighting games out there,shame the series is no where to be found right now :/

For the PS3,i fell in love with Little Big Planet,such a charming game with tons of content!

For the X-box 360,it was Fable 2,i absolutely loved it,especially the freedom to be with anyone i wanted,it's still my favorite game to this day.

[naronic]

I'd have to say counter strike, team fortress (before all the stupid updating), and half life 2

[Thegluestickman]

Custom Robo, man the was my favourite GC game.

[Itachi888Uchiha]

At 5/6/12 03:00 PM, Thegluestickman wrote: Custom Robo, man the was my favourite GC game.

That game was the business. Swift + Vertical+ formula = unbeatable.

Anyways I'm gonna say Tales of Symphonia. Game is a masterpiece.

[Trapex]

Infamous
I didn't know much about this game at first. When I got it, it was, by then, in the red box for greatest hits. I ignored it as, at the time, my adolescent mind didn't know that that particular game was better than a Madden sports game. So, eventually I put it into my PS3 and was in for a "shock," if you will. I was amazed by the game overall.
Luigi's Mansion
The replay value, which was very much there for trying to get more money for higher ranks, was enough alone. But the fact that Luigi finally got his own title in such a unique game in what Nintendo could call it a "kid's horror" game.
Uncharted 2
The 1st one didn't really captivate me and the 3rd one didn't really live up to expectations (still haven't finished it; has dragged that much), so the 2nd one was the one for me. The gameplay was just new and unique to me, not to mention, it was very involved with its plot line.

[Oolaph]

Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The moment I picked up the controller and started playing the first level, the controls just felt so perfect. The controls are so precise, and you honestly feel like you're in control and that dying is your own fault instead of the game being unfair. It really hooked me in until the end of the game.

[Kman]

Metal Gear Solid 2, Half-Life 1, Halo 1. All these games were outstanding when i first played them, and i still go through them occasionally to this day.

[Ragnarokia]

Thief 2 - Made me open up to the idea of stealth games which soon became a favourite.
Metroid Prime - Made me get into "good" FPS games, I still find the majority crap though.
Doom 2 - Made me open up to hard games and PC in general.
Simon The Sorcerer - Made me fall in love with point and click adventure games.
Final Fantasy 7 - Got me into RPGs, sadly I needed to watch my brother play it though first to understand them.

[TheMajormel]

Surprised that no one said sly 1.
I mean, the game's beginning was really awesome and sly felt so stealthy.

[Oolaph]

At 5/11/12 06:48 PM, majormelthesackboy wrote: Surprised that no one said sly 1.
I mean, the game's beginning was really awesome and sly felt so stealthy.

Do be honest, the voice acting really put me off at first with that game, but I ended up really liking the series. So even though I do enjoy the game, it wasn't exactly "love at first gameplay."

[DillonTaylorVA]

Well a long time ago I remember getting a demo disc from a Gamepro magazine. It had an 11 minute trailer for Metal Gear Solid 3 on it and I don't think I've ever loved a trailer so much before or since then. I immediately went out and got MGS2 and eagerly awaited the release of 3. I wasn't disappointed when I finally got my hands on it.

Also, special mention to Mirror's Edge. I loved it from the moment I started playing the demo.

[Minervatones]

Not too many games take that long for me to get into, usually I like them on first gameplay. One that took me by surprise though was the demo for Sniper Elite V2, I just love the slow motion executions. Actually seeing skulls fragment and bits of brain splatter over the wall, all x-rayed so you see whats happening on the inside too.

Probably sounded a bit more sick than I intended, but I just love the attention to detail.

[Davidson13]

At 5/10/12 08:33 PM, kman355 wrote: Metal Gear Solid 2, Half-Life 1, Halo 1. All these games were outstanding when i first played them, and i still go through them occasionally to this day.

Metal Gear was another one for me as well. Loved it so much I had to beat it in the hardest difficulty.

[HipnikDragomir]

Batman: Arkham City. The only reason I put off this and the former is because they're meant for mega Batman fans that know a good deal about it. After wastching Tobuscus play it on Youtube, I thought "I gotta have this".

Also, Mega Man X4. I played it a bit on my friend's computer and I eventually got my hands on the PS1 version, along with some others.

[Tydusis]

Downhill Domination - thank you uncle for getting me the demo disk.
Burnout 3 - EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN TAKEDOWN was pure joy. Crashing was an art form.
Still is, too.

[7yay]

My PSOne came with a demo disc that included Tomba! and to this day it is still one of my all time favorite games

[Davidson13]

At 5/5/12 01:10 PM, HiryuGouki wrote: Skullgirls. Hands down. I started playing it, and loved it right away. The combo system was a lot easier to master than in most fighting games, and it still amuses me, though I have already completed the story and tutorial modes.

I played the demo and thought it was pretty fun. Hows the story?

[Makeshift]

Recently the Dragon's Dogma and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier demos have instantly got me hooked.