Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

Tears of the Kingdom is an alright game, but I don't think I'll ever have the urge to go back to it unless it gets DLC. I get it's a sequel, but it just feels like it lacks a punch that BotW carried because a ton of it's content is reused from BotW.

@VoidofLight that is a respectable take. I already played BOTW extensively, so a lot of the overworld scenery looked familiar. They added lots of new stuff to the game to justify it being a new game, at least. It may not have the same impact, but it doesn’t feel like you are playing BOTW with extra steps, it feels like it’s own entity thankfully.

(I was going to buy TOTK anyways because I’m a sucker for Ganondorf content, admittedly)

@TheBigBlue Yeah, it isn't a bad game. I enjoyed my time with it. It's just that it feels like it's in a weird spot with me right now. I think most of the things they did with the game are a massive step up from BotW, like how the dungeons are and the final boss in particular. It's just that the feeling of exploration doesn't hold as much weight as it did in the last game, so when you finish the Shrines and content that was added, it feels like there isn't much else there.

I understand those who consider TOTK to be too similar to BOTW, as it's a fair criticism, but I've also found it to be really captivating and rewarding precisely because of those callbacks to the first game, and I thought that they were really clever in how they managed to substantially expand the world in spite of it being seemingly indistinguishable on the surface (pun intended).

If anything, I've been mostly disappointed with the depths, which doesn't have much to offer despite being almost as large as what's on the surface. It would have been fun to at least see some settlements down there and some new monster types (beyond the Frox and Little Frox), but as it stands, it's just kind of... there, perhaps as a means of deflecting criticism for recycling too much from the last game. It's painfully ironic that the depths are rather lacking in figurative depth.

@JONOFTHEJONS
Also, I like the 3D Things Summon from Sticker Stars, looks like Final Fantasy summon.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are not bad remakes.

They are the weakest Pokémon remakes admittedly, but that by no means makes these two bad games. If you liked the originals, than you will like these, because that’s exactly what they are. There are a handful of new features like the Grand Underground, but even down to the art style, this is basically just the modernized DS originals.

@TheBigBlue I loved Brilliant Diamond. That said, I didn't grow up playing Pokemon so I wasn't comparing it to other Pokemon games (I never played normal Diamond), I was just comparing it to games. I rated it 9/10 and I stick with that. And I don't give 9s too easily. Granted, Arceus was a better game but they were very different and I think they were both great in their own ways. All the other Pokemon games on Switch, not as good in my opinion (ok, I never played Sword, but I've seen plenty of gameplay and it turns me off for some reason). I dislike the let's go games, primarily because I don't like the controls.

@TheBigBlue @FishyS I would say BDSP are good games, but not very good remakes.

They're good games because the source material was good. In fact, I'd be the first to recommend BDSP to any Switch owners who are keen to try out the series. Sinnoh is a fun region to explore, and (factoring in the Grand Underground), the Pokemon selection is pretty solid. The story is basic but serviceable (even giving us some stand-out characters such as Cyrus and Cynthia), and I actually quite appreciate that the game isn't bogged down with any major gimmicks.

That said...the games are IMO inferior to Platinum, and arguably take a couple of steps back from even Diamond and Pearl. The most prominent issue is the lack of enhancements introduced in Platinum: the new Pokemon (although many of these can be found in the Grand Underground, it's nicer to find them in the wild as normal), Battle Frontier, etc. I also find that they've messed up the level curve somewhat - the game isn't balanced around Exp Share, yet Exp Share is mandatory. They tried to remedy this by increasing the difficulty of the Elite 4...but the result is a pathetically easy mid-game (I think I was 10+ levels above the gyms at the one point) and a sharp difficulty spike at the E4. Finally, and this is a personal gripe, although I am actually a fan of the chibi art style they went with, I still find that the DPPt graphics have more of a lasting charm to them.

They're solid enough games for newcomers. But if you've got access to Platinum? That's defo the game to go for IMO.

@Buizel The art style seems to be controversial. Personally the Brilliant Diamond art style is one of the things I love most about the game. I remember Alex @ NintendoLife constantly complaining about it in YouTube videos though. 😝

@FishyS I think the overworld looks fine. It's the battles that are quite ugly to me.

That said, I'm one of the people who thinks Pokemon had a lot more character in sprite form than in 3D. I think it's only with Arceus and Scarlet/Violet that we truly saw the benefits of bringing Pokemon to 3D.

I've been thinking of the looming prospect of a Switch 2 for quite some time now and the possibilities it could afford some long overlooked series to come back to the limelight in a big way. And if there's one Nintendo series that has gone criminally overlooked for the past couple years that deserves a second chance on the next system up....well it'd be Kid Icarus XD

But if there was a SECOND Nintendo series that deserves another shot at the big time, then I'd want it to be....ARMS.

Yes, you heard me correctly: ARMS.

I'm fully aware ARMS does not have the warmest reception around the Nintendo fan circles (especially after Min Min was added to Smash Ultimate) but hear me out on this. While ARMS may have been a bit too gimmicky in the gameplay department to have much staying power past it's frequently-updated period, the game more than excelled in an aspect I value quite heavily when playing through games: personality. From the character designs to the worldbuilding to the music, ARMS really felt like a real world where all this sort of strange bare-knuckle (or I guess bare-spring in this case) brawling was taking place, with each character having their own backstories and reasons for fighting that fed back into the world they had made.

I'm certainly not going to sit here and tell you that it's an amazing game or anything (for as much as I've discussed it here, I've still yet to play it myself to be honest XD), but I think it's easily the Nintendo IP with the most potential for improvement the next system up and I'd be very interested to see what they could do with it in the future.

Plus to be honest: I just want to see characters like Mechanica back again because GOD they're so cool.

@Fizza It's mad looking at the main first party titles from 2017 and seeing where their respective series are now:

• BotW: We've now got Tears of the Kingdom.
• Splatoon 2: We've now got Splatoon 3.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: We've got the expansion.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2: We've got XC1 Definitive and XC3.
• Mario and Rabbids: We've got Sparks of Hope.
• 1-2 Switch: We've got Everybody 1-2 Switch
• Mario Odyssey: I guess we've got Mario Wonder, and a new 3D Mario is inevitable at some point.
• ARMS: ???

It really feels ARMS has been shafted here. It's a shame, because I thought it was a decent enough game, and I'd love to see another. That said, I can't guarantee I would actually buy another (there are many other Nintendo titles I personally would prioritise over it). But it was a fun addition to Nintendo's lineup.

@Buizel I certainly would've preferred to see it get a sequel over bloody 1-2 Switch grumble grumble

I feel what you're saying with being unsure as to whether you'd actually buy an ARMS sequel though: for as much as I've praised what it does well here, I still have yet to buy it and, if/when I do, it'll most likely be through a used games store where I can get it for less than the absurd (for the amount of content you're getting) $60 asking price. I guess it'll all come down to whether or not they can learn from what worked and what didn't the first time round and adjust accordingly.

@Fizza
Peoples need to give more love and attention for Boxing sports so they can give same love and attention for ARMS 2.
Our society just too mainstream, cannot even liking something niche or not really popular like Boxing sports.
Who have ever talking and have big enthusiasts about Boxing sports almost everyday ?

Is it really still about liking something 'niche' or 'not mainstream' or is it just about ARMS being a pretty mediocre game? Boxing by itself doesn't deserve me supporting it just because it's not mainstream, and ARMS I played one week where it had a free nintendo online trial and I considered myself happy and done with what I played. It's fine, just doesn't have enough meat on its bones or fun factor to hit it out of the park.

@Fizza

I only ever played the demo (or a trial? one of those), but I agree Arms seemed like a game with a lot of potential and I honestly have always kind of been expecting Arms 2 on the next console. It reaches for the same 'super colorful combat game' genre that Splatoon does, but in an extremely different way.

Another series which I think had massive potential but was not well done on the first try is Game Builder Garage. I'm hoping we get an improved sequel of that eventually also.

A third thing I want for a new console is a sequel to Rng Fit but without the ring. I kind of want Nintendo to double down on the exercise games, improve sensors, maybe throw in some sensor strips for your arms and legs or something and just go crazy making completely normal exercise routines fun.

I am not actually sure if any of those are unpopular opinions, but they live here now.

Arms is great and has a huge amount of potential for new mechanics, characters, modes, etc. It would be such a waste if Nintendo never followed up on it.

When that had that free trail, I’m not gonna lie I had a blast lol.

I think that that square should not charge full price for a remastered snes game

@FawfulsFury I mean... if you're talking about Mario RPG it appears to be an actual remake, not just a remaster. Plus pretty darn sure the pricing comes from Nintendo, not the company formerly known as Square.

Nintendo likes selling straight up ports at full price when they can get away with it. 😝