Asklemmy

Witcher 3, is was so bored for the first 30 mins I turned it off. Came back a year later, now got around 300 hours in the game.

Hollow Knight for me fits this scenario to a t. I got it as part of a humble bundle, but couldn't get into it for at least a year as the initial part felt really depressing, and didn't at all grab me.

But once I managed to tough it through to greenpath, and started to get some power ups, it finally sunk it's claws into me. I proceeded to nearly 100% the game.

Mass Effect

Binding of Isaac, I couldn't handle all the poop and mild horror, but eventually something clicked and now I have 1500 hours combined in both games.

Witcher 3 Crusader Kings II

Happened twice, both to my #1 games. Tried Chrono Trigger as a kid and didn't like it, then came back and played it as a young adult and was like... damn... this is an actual treasure.

In 2015 I tried FFXI due to the XIV crossover event, and I could not get past the eccentric and clunky UI and the pacing of the combat. I tried again a couple of years later and committed to finishing all the stories. It became my new #1 and I think genuinely one of the best games ever made, in terms of revealing and pushing the artistic potential of online games, and games in general. Actual masterpiece and a massive innovation, and unlike Chrono Trigger I think the lessons are going to be a lot harder to learn and replicate.

Horizon Zero Dawn

I got Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Wii when it first came out and just couldn't get it. I mean, I understood what I was supposed to be doing, but I could barely pass any of the songs. I figured I just didn't have any rhythm and put it on the shelf.

Fast-forward to 2020 when I was rearranging some stuff and came across Rhythm Heaven Fever again. I hooked my Wii back up for shits and giggles and started playing and was doing great. Either I had magically gained a sense of rhythm or (most likely) the TV I had been playing on when I first got the game had some sort of latency issue.

Now I've gone through all the Rhythm Heaven games, but Fever is still my hands-down favorite. I put a copy on my Steam Deck and sometimes I just load it up and play through some songs when I have a few minutes to kill.

Cyberpunk. Hated all the stuff with Johnny in the beginning. Came back later and actually played through the entire game.

My Summer Car

Dragon Age

I started with Dragon Age inquisition and I dropped it within the first half an hour. Years later, I started with DAO and now it’s my favourite serie; I replay dao way too much btw

Doom Eternal

I played on easy mode, over the course of months slogged my way through over half the game getting wrecked and HATING it. And then one day...

Everything clicked. I got into the Fun Zone or Flow State or whatever it's called. And I have been obsessed ever since. I play at least a few minutes almost every night for years now. I can now comfortably beat it in the hardest difficulty, including the DLC. And it never stops being so much fun and satisfying!

Eve online.

Sekiro. Tried getting into it twice, but couldn't - I always got mentally stuck at Lady Butterfly.

Third time, someone told me that I shouldn't fight her until later, and HOT DAMN is this a good game. I'm still working on the final fight of the normal route, but can't wait to go back and do the other endings!

Hollow Knight.

The first few hours on felt dull. Lots of reviews were praising it and I just didn't get why. Dirtmouth and the Forgotten Crossroads weren't really exhilarating, so I stopped after ~5h.

A couple months later I created a new game slot. My POV shifted by following Cornifer's passion for exploring for exploring's sake, instead of grinding the Geo economy. The soundtrack really enhances the experience and environment of each section. I'm now ~120h in and still unsure if I'm halfway there!

Red​ dead redemption 2

fallout 3. first time i ever played a game like it. stopped playing because the subways scared me and i was out of ammo

So many games in here, that I started and apparently need to go back and try again.

Not that I didn't like them, but with limited time, I just couldn't get into them properly.

Hollow Knight and Darkest Dungeon both fit this for me. When I initially played them there would be some pain point where I got frustrated with some wall in the exploration or a tough setback (like some classic darkest dungeon bullshit like 3 spiders getting critical hits in a row killing a hero at full health). But the atmosphere of both games kept pulling me back again and again, and each time I’d get a little bit further.

Now I can say I’ve beaten Darkest Dungeon probably a half dozen times, nearly 100% Darkest Dungeon 2, and beaten every pantheon in Hollow Knight (with bindings on all but P5).

Not sure if my obvious masochism was the biggest factor in these games pulling through for me, but I can still say they are fantastic experiences for anyone willing to dig in and face the challenges they have to offer.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) I thought it was just a gimmick when I first saw a friend play it and the tried it myself later at home and the graphics, the story, the cars, and the gameplay, everything blew me away. I still consider it the best Need for Speed game ever.

Watch Dogs 2

Deep Rock galactic. I played it very early, didn’t feel it and refunded it. A year or so later I stumbled upon it again and bought it again. I really like it now.

Residentes Evil. The camera fixed angles were confusing and sometimes I got caught between two different angles in a small space to maneuver.

DDR, use to talk mad shit about that game. Can’t remember what happened but I think my uncle bought it for me and then it just clicked. Ended up hanging at the arcade for hours all sweaty getting food court food.

Left4Dead

First time I turned it on I just heard the music and saw the zombies puking and thought it was some kind of horror suspense game and never played it.

I had my GF play it with me since I didn’t want to play horror alone, and we both loved it.