There are some games out there that are good. REALLY good. And yet you despise them just as much as you love them. I'm not talking about games everyone else loves and you don't like. I'm talking about games you KNOW are really amazing games, but for some reason or another you just outright hate them.

Allow me to share some of my "games I love and hate".

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Some people call this one of the greatest RPGs ever made, a huge, rich world full of diverse quests, robust talent and skill trees, a compelling world and narrative, interesting characters, beautiful environments, and much longevity. They're right. Oblivion is all those things, a thoroughly deep and engrossing game full of wonder and excitement.

And I HATE it.

Not for what it does right, mind you. It's still a great game, but I detest the game in equal measure for it's unsightly, physically deformed and creepy character models, it's clunky combat and controls, it's myriad of bugs and glitches, it's droning sampling of the same 5 voice actors over and over, and it's long stretches of boring empty spaces, uninteresting dungeons, and more worthless loot than a garbage heap. Plain and simple, I acknowledge the game is GREAT... and yet still managed to end up hating it. I just didn't have fun. I honestly had more fun with the quirky, cheesy, and equally garbled Two Worlds II.

Metal Gear Solid 2 - I haven't played a Metal Gear Solid game since MGS2, even though I still claim to be a huge fan of the series, and indeed Metal Gear Solid 1 is one of my favorite games. But MGS2 left such a poor aftertaste in my mouth that I basically skipped out buying the other games and just watched youtube videos instead to follow the plot.

But Metal Gear Solid 2 is a great game. It sounds and looks amazing. It was a technical marvel when it came out. It was ambitious, even fun, fresh, daring, and truly showed what games with a budget and touch of cinematic flair could be.

But the game almost seemed like it WANTED me to hate it. When it was getting good, the game, every time, pulled a fast one and made it unenjoyable. The bait-and-switch with Snake for Raiden was one thing, but then you have the escort missions with Emma, the heckling of Rose, the creepy sexual issues of Otacon, the unexplained supernatural elements of Fortune and Vamp, naked cartwheels, never-ending cutscenes, and more red herrings, plot twists, contradictions, and "WTF" moments for anybody to understand, follow, or ultimately care about. In Metal Gear Solid 1, there was a very clear-cut ending, building to an exciting climax, and offering a satisfying resolution. MGS2 had none of those elements, baring an awkward sword fight on Capital Hill. It was a game I was glad was over, and I've ignored its existence, and it's follow-ups, ever since.

Ninja Gaiden Black - Ninja Gaiden Black is one of the best games EVER made with cutting edge graphics, intelligent puzzles and level design, epic boss battles, tons of extra content, and quite possibly the most in-depth, deep, rewarding, and satisfying combat system ever put into an action game.

Yeah, too bad less than 1% of players will see or enjoy even half of what the game has to offer. I'd even say that less than 5% ever made it through the tutorial level.

Yes, Ninja Gaiden games are difficult, but by demanding zen-like perfection from EVERYONE, even on the easiest difficulties, NGB ensures that only the most hardcore, elitist, and anti-social or masochistic gamers can fully enjoy the game and it's wealth of missions and modes. What's the point of having a fun fighting system if the game punishes you enough to quit the game long before you come close to tapping into all that it has to offer? It's a game where the difficulty alone at time destroys the fun and ruins what would in any other case be one of my favorite games of all time. Is it impossible? No, but it is grueling, and ever time I die a cheap death I look at the pile of games I haven't played yet and wish I was having fun with them instead.

Dragon Age: Origins - I love Bioware to bits. Mass Effect. Jade Empire. KOTOR. Balder's Gate. These guys rock. And as a huge fantasy fan, I was very eager to get my hands on DA: Origins, especially since everyone else was throwing high scores at it. The soundtrack and voice work especially sold me on the game, and I was certainly satisfied on those ends.

And it's a great game... but, boy, do I tend to hate playing the game at times. It feels and looks largely outdated, the combat is painfully slow and battles linger long past comfort levels, I don't care for the inventory system, and it seems like it takes forever to make to to the "good" parts of the game, having to grind through waves of either monsters or monotonous side-quests before the game allows itself to open up or give you the good missions, locales, or even characters.

Dragon Age remains the only game I have to rest my eyes from. Perhaps it was a mistake to get Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Dragon Age at the same time, but whereas one game is a gorgeous game bursting full of color, vibrancy, and life, Dragon Age Origin's is brown, brown, dark brown, more brown, reddish brown, and a little bit brown for good measure. It has some of the ugliest art direction I've ever seen, and I have yet to come across anything pleasing to my eyeballs. Coupled with the aforementioned bland graphics in general and you have a game that, when it works, I still enjoy immensely many times, but just as quickly hate with passion. It was enough to make me pass on buying DA2... a first for a Bioware game.

Anyone else have games that you KNOW they're great, but for some reason, even as you love playing them, you despise in equal measure?