I remember getting Chrono Trigger with no clue what it was and my jaw dropping at the trial scene.  That game probably blew my mind half a dozen times playing it.

I am trying so hard to not hype myself up for Wolfenstein but I am failing...miserably...It better be as awesome as the footage that has been revealed. Usually I am alright avoiding the hype, but lifelong franchises I have loved like this one, I sometimes can't help it.

Blank slate is definitely better. I avoided all media around Last of Us cause i knew i would buy it anyway. (Naughty Dog = Automatic Purchase). Best decision ever. Now i try to avoid all trailers. Haven't seen any gameplay for watchdogs even.

Took a peek at infamous cause i love the series and i was trying to convince myself to buy a PS4 lol

Although I'm massively hyped for Mario Kart and have looked at the odd thing on here from it. I've generally not really looked much into the game at all (I have no idea what tracks will be in it etc) and think this is generally the best way to go into games.

What's the point in playing them if you've already seen everything? You definitely need to manage your expectations for the most part and getting too sucked up into the hype of upcoming games also interferes with your enjoyment of current games.

i kind of agree with you.

more specifically, i'm really getting annoyed by the pre-release over analytics dooming a title over bit sized descriptions of the title: microtransactions, online-only, 720p, ect.

i still enjoy building up to a big title like infamous though. i'm already pumped for project beast even though i know almost nothing about it. i really don't need to to know i'm going to love it though.

but in the end ps+ has been one of the greatest things for my game enjoyment. it used to be i finished every game i bought even if i didn't like it. a "guilt" i suppose for paying for it. now i have so many titles between free and purchased that i just don't play bad games. if a title sucks i move onto the next. and ps+ is getting me to play a lot of AA and A games that i otherwise would have skipped and i'm finding them to be quite enjoyable a lot of times.

i guess i'm learning the games we choose to hype doesn't always line up with the games that are fun to play.

Hmm
i came into DA2 expecting complete turd, because of some vocal forum posts on it, i verry much enjoyed it.
The immense hype around skyrim got me to buy the game and i came away from that feeling "mehhh" (it wasn't a bad game it just wasn't all that good)

I do think i'd still have liked DA2 even if people weren't crap talking it (maby i'd lessen the need to tell people i actually liked it :P ). As for skyrim i don't know if i'd have been less dissapointet or not if it wasn't made out to be the second comming, it's possible that if i'd gonne into it with less expectation (though i can't say i knew what to ecpext other than it beeing a great game, because it was my first elders scrolls game) if i'd look at it more favorably.

I know there are titles I will like.  Pretty much 90% of JRPGs I will enjoy because something about that genre appeals to me. Watch a bit of gameplay to get a general feel and then go dark for months leading up to it.

I hyped GTA IV a bit (one of th elast games I really did) and when it came out I just felt deflated as I wa snot enjoyign myself. I never thought I'd like Saint's Row, but I picked up Saint's Row III in a bargain bin year or so ago and I ended up loving it.  I also liked Saint's Row IV and will try like crazy not to hype up V if it comes out.

Often we can be molded a bit to think we have to like something because it is so big and their is a general consensus that "A" is better than "B".  So I guess th eother aspect is making peace with your tastes and not be suckered in as much by places like metacritic.

Funnily enough, one of the very few games that lived up to its hype for me was Final Fantasy XIII.

I agree it's much better to go in without expectations though. I had no expectations for Persona 4 Golden and Assassin's Creed II and ended up being blown away.

Edit: How could I forget Final Fantasy VII too. I actually started it expecting it to be terrible.

Games where spoilers and/or adventure elements are central I try not to hype/spoil myself because that's the main point of the game.

Super Smash and Mario Kart I allow myself to go crazy for before because it comes down to gameplay in why I love it, and hype/video previews don't change my opinion or amount of live for it.

Did you try Saints Row 2? Still the best game of it's kind that I've played ^_^ It was great to see the series realise it was never going to match GTA taking itself seriously and just making it all about OTT fun.