When Is Something Mediocre?

Everyone wants something to be at the minimum, enjoyable. At the maximum, good or great. It's all subjective because there are those that enjoy the bad stuff. However, there are the few things that even if one were to enjoy something bad, even they would admit it's not that great. When does the mediocrity occur?

One of these examples is a game that I am going through right now with Knack. It was out the same day the PlayStation 4 launched in 2013. Probably not halfway through and I noticed how mundane and monotonous it was a few chapters in. It's a by the numbers platformer. Nothing stands out other than the main character. Level designs are very linear. The difficulty is not even a good challenge. You take too much damage from enemies and it's very easy to die, leading to very cheap moments and poor checkpoint locations. It's a tech demo for the system. Maybe a rental, but not a game I would fully recommend.

When a television show is good, it can string some great episodes in a row and be given some slack for a few that are not above the standard it delivered. It's hard to judge one's inaugural debut because you don't know what to expect. If I were to judge, I would give the first two to four episodes a chance before either giving up or continuing to watch. If it's that bad of a pilot, maybe one more episode if you can stomach it. Otherwise, give up on it. It's mostly subjective since even shows considered great have its critics. Some louder for some shows than others.

Those two examples can happen at any time with a franchise or something that has been around for a very long time. Say a show has ran for eight years and that the first six were very good and the last two you found to be average or mediocre. It's a crapshoot when it boils down to movies and music. The former can easily be found on cable most of the time and the latter has so much material, you can wade through all the garbage to find what you want online. What about if you were to go to a theater or get a CD or vinyl? That's up to you. You are putting up the risk to see or listen to something you hope is at worst decent. How much you can stomach before you leave the theater is on you. Same with the music and the tracks they offer.

I enjoy my share of good and bad things, but when it's mediocre, it's fairly forgettable. Happy hunting in the search for what you consider good. There is plenty of stuff to find.