Many people here didn't pay for the game, it's a pirate site after all. So at the very least their judgement isn't stained with sunk cost fallacy.
As long as you’re even investing time into it, you can be reluctant to abandon it outright. I know I have it, otherwise I would have left long ago. I have no investment in the story or gameplay, but the handful of waifus that I like getting expanded on is what I’m here for.
Okay, I am going to be a bit of a devil's advocate here, but I think nowadays the phrase "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is being thrown waaaay to much as an excuse as to why X or Y has fans or enjoyers. It's REALLY easy to dismiss people who claim to like something you don't as "they invested too much time/money to admit the flaws in X". Weirdly enough, I feel tempted to return to Bethesda games, even thought we stopped talking about them a few pages ago. Mostly because I've seen streamers who shut down any person defending Starfield as "you just spend 60$ and are trying to justify it" and, while maybe it's true sometimes - it denies any actual discussion on the matter.
As much as it's difficult to admit it - on the surface, CoC2 is a perfectly serviceable Text-Based Smut RPG. Story and Narrative seems pretty interesting at first, it presents enough mechanics to make you feel like there is depth to them and game's systems and overall - it seems like a decent package.
I love Skyrim. It's combat is terrible, it's built variety is awful, most characters are forgettable and quests are stupid. I love it, because in the moment I actually don't care about it - then, when I'll watch an 8 hour analysist that shoves the game's issues in my face I'd nod, but I won't betray my feelings. I had fun.
The reason why we are harsh on CoC2 here lies on several factors.
1) We don't treat it as one and done deal. I am sure a lot of Steam positive reviews came not just from backers, but from people who brought the game, cleared like, 25-50% of content, had a decent wank or two and that's it. For us - it's basically a live-service game, where every update crushes any glimmers of potential and keeps focusing on areas that just don't make the game better or even make it works.
2) We look at it from a deeper angle, as funny as it is to say on a porn game piracy website. The analysis of characters and story here is honestly deeper than some major YouTube videogame essay channels. So, we see it's faults, one that not every single person will instantly see in the moment (again, kinda like I realized how dumb Skyrim is only after thinking about it post-playing), but where is Skyrim is just harmlessly bland and is written by a guy who thinks that's how videogame narrative should be, CoC2 feels like it's written by people similar to Neil Druckman or David Cage, where they try to sound smart when they are not.
3) At the end of the day - the game had potential. I think many of us felt it initially when it first was out, or when we first started out, but eventually, a lot of positivity faded, leaving just unpleasant feelings, partially caused by the way the authors treat it's fans.
So, if a person said they had fun with CoC2 - I wouldn't dismiss their opinion. There are many reasons one might have genuinely positive memories that aren't the result of sunk cost fallacy, coomerbrain or official discord/forums brainwashing. I am going to say it - CoC2 did give me some good wanks in the past. I don't need it anymore and the team did nothing to make me feel like I am missing out.