"complicated relationship" games or franchises?

[PacManFan]

This probably sounds weird but have you ever had something that you just, never could really tell if you liked something or not. Wether this be for a single game or an entire series, What's something you always had mixed or very complicated feelings with? Something you couldn't get a good concrete settlement on for at least a good amount of time.

For me, It's been Mega Man (At least the mainline Classic series) in general. While I've grown to like the series more over time, for a majority of my life I honestly could never tell if I genuinely enjoyed the games or not. And considering how the fanbase was during the 2000's to early 2010's, I honestly kept flip-flopping on my opinion and didn't really know how to express myself. That is, of course: until now. These days I'm much more open about which games I actually find fun, And came to understand why with my "modernist" attitude on games. Ever since then, I've considered myself an avid fan at best, which helps considering a lot more people these days I find relate to my tastes.

-I think the first two games aged poorly
-I think 4-8 were when the series was really got enjoyable for me
-I wasn't a fan of the direction 9 and 10 took
-11 more or less was the grand return I was long hoping for.

In the end, I realized I did like the series. Just... a lot differently than other people online during my childhood.

[LlamaHombre]

I love Ace Attorney, but I'm not huge on some of the later games in the series - I'd even go to say I hate the fourth one, Apollo Justice.
I don't think any of the games are substantially worse than each other in terms of production value, mystery solving, etc., but that game's plot was so nonsensically written that I often forget it's from one of my favorite authors, Shu Takumi.

It's left such a sour taste in my mouth that every game after trying to retcon and overwrite it just feels half-assed and soulless. There's a lot to love about games like Spirit of Justice, but I can't help but feel like the game would've been twice as good if it wasn't shackled down by trying to make up for or appease people who liked past games.

[Gumballtoid]

Mega Man X.

This is a series that I don't think is as consistently good as the classic series.

X1 is my love and joy. I grew up on this shit, and it was my first Mega Man game in general. Maverick Hunter X is a wonderful adaption of it, too. It might also be that it just feels the most like a classic Mega Man game, and makes for a nice, smooth transition. I will never stop adoring this game.
X2 was fun enough, I suppose. I appreciate having the dash from the get-go, and the music slaps hard, but my god the weapons are worthless, and the X Hunters are an overall detriment, I feel.
X3 was such an unbelievable drop in quality. The contact damage from anything is absurd, and Zero and the various ride armors add so little to the game. On top of that, a lot of the music is completely unremarkable, and in some cases, flat-out awful.
X4 is the one that everybody seems to love, and I was hoping I would as well, but after playing it through as both X and Zero, I just don't see it. What stood out to me especially is that it feels like this game was not designed with Zero in mind.
X5 is one that I really wanted to enjoy, but it just has way too many moving parts for my liking. Personally, I never did like the Guns N' Roses naming scheme either.
X6 is the only one I haven't played, but from what I've heard, it seems to take all of my problems with X5 and crank them up to 11. Take this one with a grain of salt, though.
X7 physically exhausted me. Everything about it was sluggish and barely functional. This horse is already long dead.
X8 is the other game I adore. I love how Axl plays here, and I love the 2.5D gameplay style. I won't deny that it has some glaring level design problems, though--far too many spikes. On top of that, the Dynasty and Central White stages are wildly different from the rest of the game, which I personally liked, but I know others did not.

I love the premise of Mega Man X, and there are good times to be had with these games, but when I look at the big picture, I find myself torn.

[Jedimaster76]

Mega Man X is probably my complicated relationship too

X1-X3: My favorites in the series. They just rock with the design and the music is GODLY.

X4: Great game don't get me wrong, its just not the same as the SNES games

X5: Meh. The game doesn't feel like a Mega Man game with the gameplay plot. (I'm talking about collecting the parts to stopping Eurasia). Also STFU Alia.

X6-X7: X6 I can stomach but that still doesn't mean I like it.  It took everything X5 did bad, and mad it worse. X7 IS AWFUL. Easily the worst in the series.

X8: I like X8 the way i like X4. Good but not X1-X3


So my rankings X1, X3, X2, X4, X8, X5, X6, X7
So overall I too am torn over The X series. The first 3 games are the only ones I'll ever talk about generally.

[chuggaafan1]

I love Ace Attorney, but I'm not huge on some of the later games in the series - I'd even go to say I hate the fourth one, Apollo Justice.
I don't think any of the games are substantially worse than each other in terms of production value, mystery solving, etc., but that game's plot was so nonsensically written that I often forget it's from one of my favorite authors, Shu Takumi.

It's left such a sour taste in my mouth that every game after trying to retcon and overwrite it just feels half-assed and soulless. There's a lot to love about games like Spirit of Justice, but I can't help but feel like the game would've been twice as good if it wasn't shackled down by trying to make up for or appease people who liked past games.

funny thing is i agree with your central point about 5 and 6, but i instead feel that way because i love aa4.

i feel like sonic games always get this weird mix of overhated and underhated, often for really weird reasons. like, sonic forces is a fine enough game with the context of it being a cheaper release, but it also has to deal with sonic generations existing and being cheaper and better. i found sonic colors unremarkable, but lost world i feel like is a hidden gem, on wii u and pc at least. sonic 06 has this representation of being the "worst game in the series", but i'd honestly consider shadow much, MUCH worse. the "classic trilogy" often gets referred to as if 2 and 3 are so close in quality but i honestly find 2 dull and frustrating.

i feel similarly to the rest of the thread about mmx, except i actually find x5 to be, if not worse, then at least less fun than x5. x5 is a game that entirely throws away the charm points of mmx as a concept and punishes you for suboptimal routing and planning, while x6, despite being bullshit hard, actually encourages revisiting and exploring stages.

also, playing zero 1 had me more ungodly frustrated with a franchise i like than any other game, ever. i know zero 1 has a reputation for being rough but this is genuinely shovelware.