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Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

Posts 7,961 to 7,980 of 12,253

Marioman2023

Gonna go ahead and say this: I like the American Super Mario 2, and don't like Super Mario Land or Land 2.

Bisexual disaster
he/him

Ralizah

@Losermagnet That's a fair analysis. The issue is that the words don't really mean anything, y'know? Your explanation of what you perceive to be a flaw in Xenoblade 2's menu structure isn't benefited at all by appealing to some nebulous sense that "your time" isn't being "respected," whatever the hell that means. The phrase is so open to interpretation that it can mean anything.

And it wouldn't bother me so much if people were appending the phrase as a judgment to an otherwise coherent logical analysis, as you did. But people spout the phrase like it's a valid criticism, when all it tells me is that the speaker can't actually articulate what is bothering them, and instead of going the extra mile to engage in proper criticism of the game, they appeal to their own feelings on the issue.

Currently Playing: Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC); Unicorn Overlord (NS)

Losermagnet

@Ralizah Right. The phrase doesn't bother me too much, but it doesn't really communicate more than "game not fun".

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Buizel

@Ralizah I often find this to be a valid criticism. One of the worst things a game can do is waste your time. And this criticism is usually given when large portions of a game tedious or repetitive - e.g. when checkpoints are sparse, meaning that when you die you have to repeat a lot of what you've just done; or when progression through the game means that you have to grind on the same enemies/areas.

Sure, it's not a very specific criticism if you don't get into any more depth - but the same could be said for pretty much any opinion about a game.

At least 2'8".

Matt_Barber

The one positive thing I can say about the menus in XC2 is that they're at least slightly better than the even worse ones in XCX.

Matt_Barber

jump

Yeah, not respecting gamers time is lazy articulaton trying to grab hold of meaning without saying something. Along with stuff like over-rated, over-hyped, forced agenda etc it doesn't actually say much.

I take it this has come from the grinder article. My take on grinding has always been a simple one, it's only grinding if it isn't enjoyable otherwise it's just gameplay.

Nicolai wrote:

Alright, I gotta stop getting into arguments with jump. Someone remind me next time.

Switch Friend Code: SW-8051-9575-2812 | 3DS Friend Code: 1762-3772-0251

Buizel

@jump I think grinding is a bit more than just what you're doing, but the context in which you're doing it.

Imo a key part of grinding is having to do something repeatedly in a somewhat unnatural fashion because the requirements of the game are higher than what you'd achieve through natural progression (e.g. a boss in an RPG requires level 50, but you would "normally" be level 40 at that point). In my opinion, a well-designed game shouldn't lock progression behind repetition, regardless of how good the gameplay is.

To be honest, I find I very rarely if ever have to grind for levels in RPGs. But grinding can come in different forms and different genres. For example, I'm playing The Simpsons Hit and Run at the moment, and money is a major barrier to 100% completion. To get anywhere near enough money to obtain everything you either have to repeat the same races again and again (and as solid as the driving is - that's no fun at all), or otherwise exploit some of the respawning systems in the game (my preferred option - but also very grindy and could barely even be considered gameplay). This is all just busywork, really, and not enjoyment of the game.

Edited on by Buizel

At least 2'8".

BruceCM

Older rpgs liked grinding .... While part of what's annoying with current games that do that is they often have pay to basically avoid that

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jump

@timleon I can't speak of Hit and Run as I never played it but at no point did I get bored playing Crazy Taxi.

One of the most grindy games I can think of is Fantasy Life, at no point did I ever get bored playing it despite how relentless the grinding was as it was so fun and charming.

Edited on by jump

Nicolai wrote:

Alright, I gotta stop getting into arguments with jump. Someone remind me next time.

Switch Friend Code: SW-8051-9575-2812 | 3DS Friend Code: 1762-3772-0251

Buizel

@jump I honestly don't remember Fantasy Life to be grindy at all (that said, I think I only mastered 3 or 4 jobs) ! I guess it is the fun and charming context in which you do it that makes it all the more acceptable.

Edited on by Buizel

At least 2'8".

Ralizah

@timleon Sparse checkpoints can be poor design, but they can also be more well-considered, to help heighten the sense of urgency and danger in an area. How valid this game design choice is hinges on the role it serves in the game, not on one's emotional reaction to having to replay a section of the game over. That is more a testament to the patience of the person playing it than anything. Which, btw, is fine. It's fine to just not like something. But that doesn't translate to valid criticism, IMO.

Also, I disagree that it's as meaningful as any other criticism about a game that doesn't go into depth. Here are three statements about a game:

"The game doesn't respect the player's time."
"The game's XP distribution is poorly balanced."
"The game's level design is shallow."

All three are fairly basic, but only two of these statements are meaningful.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC); Unicorn Overlord (NS)

Buizel

Ralizah wrote:

How valid this game design choice is hinges on the role it serves in the game, not on one's emotional reaction to having to replay a section of the game over. That is more a testament to the patience of the person playing it than anything.

I disagree. People are going to have different amounts of patience in a game, yes, but every critical aspect of a game revolves around one's emotional reaction to playing it. If a game has a propensity towards making players feel like their time is being wasted, then the game is not respecting that person's time.

Ralizah wrote:

"The game doesn't respect the player's time."
"The game's XP distribution is poorly balanced."
"The game's level design is shallow."

All three are fairly basic, but only two of these statements are meaningful.

The difference is that the latter two are going into the specifics about the gameplay elements themselves. Sure, "the game doesn't respect the player's time" alone isn't very helpful - but it would usually be followed with something like "making you repeat sequences N times to achieve X".

Edited on by Buizel

At least 2'8".

Diddy64

I think another thing that affects some players experience with a game, is that some don't bother to read the game's mechanics or learning how to control the character (depending on the game). I was still a kid (11 or 12) when I mastered how to control Samus in Super Metroid. Also, I observed the enemies to learn how to fight them. After that, I never had problems with the game, ever again (in regards to the enemies and bosses). The aiming limitations in Super Metroid are not so bad if you familiarize with the controls and enemy patterns.

I do know that some RPGs are grindy, but I find that losing myself in the music helps with this. For example, in Octopath Traveler I play it without minding much about the grinding. If you are the busy type, just use an alarm or check the time in your consoles menu. It's not that difficult. I also think one's current mentality and mood affects the enjoyment of a game. So if you are in a bad mood and don't feel like waiting, play a game that relax you like Breath of the Wild (or other relaxing games. You know yourself what relaxes you). Try to play an RPG that appeals to what you like and based your current mood. It goes without saying that you should check reviews that go in depth about your game of interest before buying it.

Edited on by Diddy64

Undergoing games:
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

iKhan

Ralizah wrote:

Sparse checkpoints can be poor design, but they can also be more well-considered, to help heighten the sense of urgency and danger in an area. How valid this game design choice is hinges on the role it serves in the game, not on one's emotional reaction to having to replay a section of the game over. That is more a testament to the patience of the person playing it than anything. Which, btw, is fine. It's fine to just not like something. But that doesn't translate to valid criticism, IMO.

@Ralizah But in a more literal sense, sparse checkpoints/save points literally don't respect a player's time in real life. They force you to choose between losing your progress when you have a real life thing to do, or to disregard what is important in real life to get to the next checkpoint. That's not an emotional reaction, it's unconscientious game design.

Probably the most egregious example of this I can think of is Majora's Mask. I have a pretty demanding lifestyle right now, so I don't often have hours of contiguous time to play a video game. But that's EXACTLY what Majora's Mask demands of you. Finish an entire dungeon in a play session, or every puzzle resets and you lose all your stray fairies. Needless to say, I usually get around to making progress in that game every 6 months to a year.

For an unpopular opinion of mine: top down sword combat isn't fun. It's tedious. The best 2D Zelda games are the ones that acknowledge this and focus on puzzle solving. Indie games that focus on top down 2D combat just perplex me.

Edited on by iKhan

Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F

jedgamesguy

@iKhan, @Ralizah, @timelon The Save Anywhere feature in modern video games is a godsend, and that the manual save points in older games is awful and should remain in the past. Games off the top of my head that have save anywhere features are Final Fantasy VII Remake (literally no other FF game does this, but maybe XV, I haven't played that one), all three Xenoblade games, and most Zelda games (Skyward Sword was pretty cheap with saves because of the bird statues). It's good for people who have limited time available to game, and sometimes have to stop with a few minutes notice.

I've found myself frustrated by these older games that don't have this feature, especially because older games are getting remastered and ported to modern consoles, like Final Fantasy X/X2, which doesn't have it. Neither does Final Fantasy XII, you have these save crystals (oh god here we go again about FF and crystals. At least the "legacy of the crystals has shaped [them] for long enough"), but in Zelda: Twilight Princess, a game released the same year, you can save anywhere, except it'll transport you back to the beginning of a dungeon and all.

I'm glad so many games are adopting this feature, because it means people don't have to play a lot longer than they need to. I saw Diddy64 mention Octopath Traveler, that's a game that relies on nostalgia from the classical JRPGs of the '90s, and doesn't let you save anywhere! Xenoblade Chronicles was hailed as a game ahead of its time because of the save anywhere feature, which says a lot.

Currently playing:
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Persona 4 Golden
Dragon Quest XI S
F1 23
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

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jump

@alemaopro09 So do alot of other people on here too...

Nicolai wrote:

Alright, I gotta stop getting into arguments with jump. Someone remind me next time.

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Anti-Matter

alemaopro09 wrote:

I have a ps4.

I have PS4 too.
And with its older siblings PS3, PS2, PS1 and the cousin PSP.

Anti-Matter

Mr_Persona

nintendo games should be harder

Why have a signature

Switch Friend Code: SW-6554-0700-5327

Matt_Barber

alemaopro09 wrote:

I have a ps4.

There are probably more people on here with a PS4 than there are with a Wii U.

Matt_Barber

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