Great games that are hard to get into initially

[shadobeni]

I'm finding more and more that if it game doesn't grab me from the beginning that I stop playing them (such examples for me include shining force, gran turismo 4, mgs 2&3, devil may cry 3, viewtiful joe 2, r-type final, gta: san andreas, most nintendo games). Sometimes it's the difficultly and sometimes I just find it plain boring. I think I used to have a lot more patience with games than I do now.

What games have you played that turned out really great but were initially hard to get into or perhaps just plain tedious in the beginning or slow to start?

For me Max Payne was one of those games but that may have been more to do with my unfamiliarity with 1st person shooters at the time. I just found the initial levels to be kind of drab and sparse and it was difficult for me at first. I think I liked the slo-mo ability enough that after a second attempt I trudged through it and began to enjoy playing it.

[nudeyboy]

For me it would have to be Rogue trooper on the xbox. At first it starts out as a bland, by the numbers FPS and then gradually introduces novel game play mechanics that make the experience more rewarding and add replay value. It also pulled me in to the story and by the end i was wishing that they would make a sequel.

[Hatta]

Nethack. At first you die and die and die, but then you start to pick up on it and you die less often. Then it starts to get fun.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I had trouble with WoW until level 20.

Counterstrike was hard to have fun with until I built up enough skill that I wasn't a free kill to whoever had seen me first.

Gran Turismo can be a difficult game to get in to if you have never played a game like it before.

[t0yrobo]

I can't think of any off the top of my head, though I know there's been a couple for me.

If it makes you feel better having a hard time getting into R-Type Final isn't your fault, that game is boring as hell. It's so slow and has long stretches of nothing happening it just puts me to sleep.

[deathclaw]

Jet Set Radio ( I wanted to put it down and now it's one of the best games I have ever played) Fallout 2 and maybe even 1, the beginning is sooo boring...

[Gnashvar]

The Y's games. When you finish the game you can say "wow this game was great" but when you're starting you wonder why people even like it.

[the7k]

Demon's Souls, the Virtua Fighter series & the Way of the Samurai series are some of the best games ever - if you can stick it out to get used to them.

[AwesomeMonstar]

Demon's Souls, the Virtua Fighter series & the Way of the Samurai series are some of the best games ever - if you can stick it out to get used to them.

Way of the Samurai had to grow on you? I kinda fell in love with it instantly just for the freedom it gave you. I guess the combat was really hard to get used to though...

Speaking of, anyone played 3 yet? thoughts?

[the7k]

Forgot to say, but no - these games didn't have to grow on me. I can just see how most people would be initially put off by these games.

It took very little of Way of the Samurai on the PS2 for me to fall in love with the series. I think all it took was an in-store demo.