Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

This might be one of the most unpopular opinions in this forum, but The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is better than Ocarina of Time. I haven’t played Breath of a The Wild yet, but Spirit Tracks is super underrated. I’ve heard it has the best soundtrack of the series and it’s my favourite game on the DS. Ocarina of Time is just okay. It’s a good game, but not as good. It could be because Spirit Tracks was my first game in the series.

Ocarina of Time is too generic for me. It’s stuck between two of my favorite and unique Zelda games: Link’s Awakening and Majora’s Mask.

@Vogagamitch Super Paper Mario is pretty great. It was my first Paper Mario. Lots of charm. I do personally prefer TTYD but I get what you mean about it possibly getting a bad rap. Guess I was fortunate enough to have played Super Paper Mario first so I had a more open mind.

Regarding Super Mario 64, you are right; the levels and missions are far from the greatest but I always found it fun to return to purely for the fact that it felt very free in how you approched the game, such as collecting stars out of order, and pulling off nifty tricks to the stars faster and with more style. It also plays exactly how I remember despite being years between playthroughs for me. In that sense, for me it truly is "timeless". Mentioning Galaxy has reminded me that I have not played that since early Wii U days and should probably play again.

@BabyYoshi65 That is a very brave opinion which I can't judge unfortunately as I have not played Spirit Tracks. I need to get around to that and Phantom Hourglass. To be fair, I am biased towards OOT and Link to the Past as my favourites. Heck, Majora's Mask is pretty darn close to being my favourite. Too many Zelda games to pick from!

Unpopular opinion: the next generation of game consoles looks extremely underwhelming so far. From everything I have seen and read both PS5 and XboxX look very boring with no real improvements beyond graphical capabilities. There's lots of talk about what these machines are supposedly capable of but I've seen nothing to actually support the assertion that they will be anything but visually nicer. PS5 sounds like a PS4 Pro+ and XboxX sounds like just a stronger Xbox and neither have anything new about them.

I consider improved graphics in a new console a given, not a feature. So far both Sony and Microsoft have completely failed to impress me with their new offerings.

@MS7000 Those are all really good points. I guess it all comes down to how you define "timeless."

I love OOT, but its really easy to see it as one of those games that's considered an all time great more for what it was at the time rather than being especially amazing among Zelda games. It is the most basic Zelda game, with the possible exception of LTTP.

Like OOT was probably the best 3d game ever made when it came out. But then every 3D Zelda was a more interesting OOT (until BOTW, which is its own thing), and other games are also a more interesting OOT.

@Heavyarms55 The primary promoted advantage of next-gen hardware is how much faster they are. So: the virtual elimination of load times, the elimination of disguised loading times, which should improve game design, and having the ability to create more complex environments without tanking performance.

PS5 is also supposed to have really cool 3D audio support. You might not care, but it can be incredibly immersive when done right.

XSeX and PS5 will also supposedly support games that run up to 120fps. Although I'm guessing developers will still find a way to make it where games run at 30fps by loading their software down with needlessly expensive visual effects.

If anything, the early promotional material for next-gen software has been delightfully light on talk about resolution and visual fidelity overall. Probably because there isn't really a ton of room for improvement in that department anymore.

@Heavyarms55 I’ve never played on XBox’s or PS3 or PS4, but I saw a side-by-side comparison of what Minecraft looks like on PS5 and it kind of ruins the entire game in my opinion.

@Vogagamitch Ehh, it is all subjective at the end of the day what "timeless" is. I still enjoy it for the reasons I have stated, but as I said, I do agree with your points about the level design and gameplay. There is no denying the game has aged so in another way, yes, the game isn't "timeless".

@Heavyarms55 I couldn't agree more. The next gen so far has not given me any compelling reason to upgrade. Not to mention the rumours about the launch prices make me feel that even if they show something good, I probably won't get either for a few years anyway.

Another unpopular opinion- Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is a great game, but Pocket Camp is horrible.

@Ralizah I've heard all of that before and that's my point. None of that is impressive to me. All I hear is talk of specs and power and none of that impresses me. Those aren't features. That's just the natural progression of technology. Things look nicer and load faster? Of course they do, it's a newer machine. I don't see that as a new feature or selling point. And I get that that's an unpopular opinion, that's the point of this thread. Fact is neither Sony nor MS have shown anything that makes me excited for their new machines. All I see is more of the same from them.

@MS7000 The price isn't a huge deal for me - new tech is almost always pricey and compared to smartphones, and PCs video games are a cheap hobby. Not that 500 dollars isn't a lot of money, but next to a 1500 dollar gaming PC and/or a 1200 dollar smartphone that will be obsolete in 3 weeks...?

@BabyYoshi65 If you're talking about the same video I saw, I imagine that will just be one texture pack you can choose from. I wouldn't bother with Minecraft on anything other than PC or Switch. PC for mods and textures and Switch for playing on the Go. Of course I don't play MC much these days - but I used to play it like crazy about 5 years ago.

@Heavyarms55 This is an example: https://www.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2019/04/2019-0...
It’s fine if you want a super-realistic video game, but it basically gets rid of all the blockiness from the original game. And yes, you can turn it off.

@Heavyarms55 Here’s multiple more examples: https://assets.rockpapershotgun.com/images/2019/10/Minecraft-...
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CLxrDCP9zSM/hqdefault.jpg
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ULHRV35FgxLe2kPXUSAvvm.jpg
https://gamespot1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/1585/158535...

@BabyYoshi65 It's a style choice then. Frankly I don't see why they are acting like this needs ray tracing. Texture packs like this have been on PC via modding going back at least 5 or 6 years. Probably longer. Not my taste either.

@Heavyarms55 It's fine to "not be impressed by it," I was just responding to the rhetoric that 'next gen is all about the grafix,' when, in reality, it's anything but.

I'm not really sure what you could want from new consoles if stuff like super fast loading, 3D audio, having the ability to load multiple games into memory at the same time and switch between them on the fly, improved haptic feedback via the controller, whatever VR improvements happen next gen, etc. doesn't interest you. Sony and Microsoft aren't going to try and re-invent the wheel every generation like Nintendo does, after all.

Right now, it's impossible to know how much of this is marketing fluff and how much of it will actually be transformative for AAA game design, but it's encouraging to see Sony and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft focus on improvements that can't be reduced to how much more horsepower their new boxes have.

Personally, I'm not sure if I'll be grabbing either of the next-gen systems atm, because even with a powerful PC, I find myself being drawn increasingly toward the Switch and its versatile hardware. I'm playing The Witcher 3 primarily on an underpowered handheld when a fully-decked out PC version is literally feet away from me. And also because, with only a few exceptions, I've become incredibly disenchanted with AAA gaming in general.

@Ralizah I would want new features. Real functionality.

When Sony brought VR to a home console, without needing a 2000+ dollar gaming PC? That was a big deal and a pretty awesome new feature - despite the fact that I can't play VR games - I was very impressed.

Then you have Nintendo, which didn't "reinvent the wheel" with Switch. They made the simple but brilliant change of making the first truly practical hybrid game device.

Back in the day Sony made waves by having first, CD and then DVD support built into their systems which was a big deal at the time and a very nice bonus - I for one watched DVDs on my PS2 for years!

Xbox having an internal hard drive and groundbreaking online support were two amazing new features at the time as well.

Other examples: GBA-SP having a rechargeable battery and lit screen or N64 with the analog stick and 3D graphics. 3DS with streetpass and 3D visuals. The whole PS360 generation of standardized out of the box wireless, rechargeable controllers.

These are just some examples of the kind of improvements over the years that I would want from a new device.

These are the kind of new features and functionality that I'm looking for in a new product. And looking at PS5 and XboxX all I'm seeing are improved versions of the same stuff we already have.

I never bought a PS4 Pro, why? Because all it is is a better PS4 with no other real changes. And looking at PS5, the only thing I am seeing is PS4 Pro+ with the rule that PS4 Pro+ games can't be played on the older machines. Same with XboxX. Yes there's a lot more power under the hood and you've got things like faster loading times, better graphics and whatever 3D audio is ( I've read about it but I don't think I'll really understand it until I can hear it for myself ) but that just doesn't impress me.

I don't know what the next big feature in gaming will be that impresses me, but so far, PS5 and XboxX haven't.

In a big way PS5 and XboxX remind me of my main complaint with smartphones. We get new versions that although they have better tech under the hood, they aren't adding anything new that really affects my regular use of the device.

Really unpopular opinion, but I think animal crossing new horizons is the worst game in the mainline series.

The game, in my opinion, is nothing but a glorified happy home designer with some basic, BASIC features of the series. The value of money is close to nothing, there are no upgrades or unlocks in sight after the first month of playing, plus so much more.

But let's start at the top. This game is fundamentally different from the rest of the mainline games. To some, this is absolutely, without a doubt, the best animal crossing game. However, from my perspective, the game makes some major sacrifices to be, in my eyes, advertising and social media friendly.

Let's start with the value of money. In past games, money gave the freedom to do what you wanted. It tied to furniture, shops, shop upgrades, home upgrades, etc, and was the main driving force to do the various tasks the game provided you (fishing, catching bugs, gyroids, fossils, etc). This created the ever addicting loop. You do fun, yet short and repetitive tasks to earn money to unlock more stuff till you run out of money then you do tasks and the loop continues.

So, let's say that money stopped giving you that reward. All of a sudden, the upgrades and unlockables were suddenly stopped, let's say about a month in (which is almost nothing in animal crossing), and all you were left with were the short tasks. All of a sudden, the want and need to complete these small tasks becomes next to nothing.

"BUT MILES" you might be saying, "THAT'S NOT A VALID COMPLAINT. THERE ARE NOOK MILES. LITERALLY ITS A BUTTON AWAY". And yes there are nook miles. But what do they do? They give out quality of life updates at best, and SHUDDERS DIYs at worst. Boy DIYs i'll get to them in a sec. Even though it can be considered a valid effort, nook miles do nothing to fix the basic problems of the game and splitting into two currencies.

Upgrades, or the lack thereof. One of the things I was most excited about seeing in ACNH was the unlockables that would happen down the line. The crazy large shops, just what would they look like on a crisp 1080p HD screen? Guess that dream is going down the drain. Hope you love your PhOTo REAdY island cause it's all you're gonna see. This is definitely the more pet peeve of complaints, but this game just looks like it was made to be shared on social media, and shared only.

In many ways, this game really feels like a glorified happy home designer with basic elements from the GC version with no charm.

Next up, Multiplayer. Animal Crossing was always better when shared with family and friends. However, there was always a common complaint that even if you visited a friend, there really was nothing to do except mess around and visit shops together. In New Leaf they addressed this complaint almost perfectly with Tortimer's Island. They presented minigames, a nice tropical setting and mini rewards for completing those small minigames.

In New Horizons? Nothing. Not one thing. No island to visit. No minigames to play. There aren't even any shops to browse like in main street. Some of my fondest memories were playing ACNL with my sister. Those minigames, despite being simple, were fun.

And god forbid you actually want to visit someone's island once. The process takes forever the UI is clunky, and overall is just more trouble than it's worth.

Last point (I know this is a long read) The life and charm of the series has been sucked dry. Even looking at what's here. The characters are bland, have no life, and repeat the same things over and over and over again. Half of the cast in the previous game is MIA (like Brewster) or do little to nothing (like isabelle). There's no purpose for half of these people to even be here, and the result is a lifeless town no matter what you do.

This game is only good in a picture. It looks interesting like there's depth and options. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. But aside from that it's missing everything that made animal crossing what it was.

It's just sad to see. As a fan of the series ever since wild world, I've never had my dreams crushed so badly like this. I pray that this is a one-time thing, and that it recovers at some point. I'd be very sad if this is how the series goes from here on.

And thanks for making it this far

@Miles456 OOP and I never got back to DIYs. In short they're the worst. Collecting materials is the most boring and tedious activity ever in animal crossing. Getting furniture from DIYs worsens the whole money value issues. The menus for crafting is a hot mess. The WHOLE THING is a hot mess. But yeah lol. OH and mystery islands also suck ok rant over sorry

Triple posting invalidates all opinions here. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

@Miles456 For the sake of not triple posting, I suggest using the "Edit" button instead