Because Video Games.

O yes, I remember not liking GTA4 when it first game out. People over on the gamespot forums gave me so much shit for it.......... and then a few months later everyone was agreeing with me.

I'm not going to lie to you by saying it gets better, because if your like around the gunsmith parts you basically seen all the enemy types. The combat design is almost Serious Sam without the charm of an enemy scream and no head. I am just trying out Bioshock 2 and noticing how better their controls are, but then no one wants to even mention Bioshock 2 exists (except for Minerva's Den dlc), so then irrational games has this odd work philosphy of not really knowing how to design an actual control scheme that works. And really it's about seeing these environments..... which have invisible walls even on too many luggage.... it's about the characters..... which you only hear through audiologs.... it's about choices.... that are just determined for you..... yes, this is really an odd thing to praise a game that clearly has flaws but I do believe it's interesting. Basically playing in a world that sounds like a joke Grandpa Simpson would tell, so what I did was turned the game down to easy and enjoyed the ride.

I honestly feel that Irrational had trouble designing path finding. So then they did the best they could do, and the story does feel somewhat slapped together. Just had a fight in the Fink labor camp and then noticed all the workers vanish once I did my first melee execution.

Because it becomes popular and hating popular things is cool.

Also because flaws become more apparent over time, which is one of the many reasons reviews are fucking stupid.

I'm having difficulty buying the backlash scenario regarding Infinite. I'll use the infamous NeoGAF as an example: If you go over to that board you'll notice lately there's a majority really taking a dump on Infinite in their hyperbolic criticism, and one may deduce "NeoGAF hates BioShock Infinite". What I notice is that most of that majority were entirely absent from NeoGAF's Infinite release thread (hype thread), while most of those that loved and hyped Infinite are absent in these latest hate threads. So, with examples like the above, I'm going to agree with those that have already pointed out that most of the people that liked the game have moved on, leaving the room clear for the next group.

I think that there is also a shift in the consumers who are buying it. For instance, we might be able to assume most of the people buying it on day one are people already excited for the game. This then, makes it unsurprising that the initial reaction is positive. As time passes and prices drop it, and word gets around, others may begin playing it, and that is where we might see a backlash to the positive initial reaction.

>why do people love a game when it comes out but hate later

because of the game review industry, probably. Once the game made its deserved profit and the hype fades, gamers are willing to be harder on a game since they are no longer emotionally and monetarily invested in its success.

You know how a review/site gets flamed to death by angry fans if they give a game lower than a 9? That might be related.

1. Prejudging a game halfway through, and then getting to the ending and hating it, clouding your opinion of the parts you liked in retrospect.
2. Being swayed by public opinion. Either being made to hate something if you feel you were the only one to like it, or feeling guilty about being the only one to hate it. Feeling like you have to replay a game you didn't enjoy, because everyone else is like, "What's wrong with you?! You just don't get it. Give it another shot."
3. Games might not age well in retrospect.
4. Being so annoyed with the hype that you hate the fact that you ever liked it.
5. The same people vocalizing their hate are not the same individuals who liked it (sometimes).

To me, 1 and 3 are pretty valid reasons. 2, and 4, not so much. You should make your own decisions on a game, not let other people tell you what to think.

I think 5 is what happened to Tidus in Final Fantasy X. The same people who complained he was too cheerful are not the same people who hated Cloud and Squall for being so gloomy. It's just that two very vocal opposite ends of the fanbase had very opposite reactions to him.