Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

Pokémon is a great example of how wishy washy gamers are in general. They complain if things change too much but they complain if things don’t change enough, too. And wherever they came in on the franchise, that is always considered the “sweet spot” for the franchise that shouldn’t be deviated from.

Personally, I have a huge amount of nostalgia for those early games (Blue and Crystal will always hold a special place for me - Yellow too, just because having a Pokemon following you around at the time was mind blowing for my child brain).

However, I do think it’s problematic that in over two decades the formula for the games hasn’t really changed at all. People criticise studios like Ubisoft for releasing the “same game every time” (and honestly, that isn’t even a sentiment I agree with), but then it annoys me when other franchises just seem to release the same game for several decades and people just tell you the lack of modern conveniences is “in the spirit of the franchise and part of the experience” (something we are seeing with the new SMT V too, for a recent example).

In fairness to Pokemon, there did seem to at least be an attempt to bring S/S into modern times, probably because it was the first time it was a mainline game on a home console rather than a handheld but the game didn’t really evolve in the right places and usually the evolution came at a heavy performance cost.

I just think as long as games like Stories 2 exist, there is really no excuse for the mediocrity of Pokemon, creatively but I recognise that this is the real world. And if they can slap the Pokemon on a piece of literal ***** and it sells millions, they’ll do it all over again.

New Pokemon Snap is the best Pokémon game on Nintendo Switch.

@Buizel If I remember correctly, when Let's Go came out, someone from Game Freak said those games were still main series, just a separate "branch" from the traditional entries. I personally like the idea of that being how the series goes from here on out. We still get the traditional games as a sort of main branch of the main series, but the gaps between those traditional games are filled with more experimental games like Let's Go or Legends. That way, we get games that try taking things in a new direction and other games that stick to the roots of the franchise. I wouldn't want the series to ditch its roots since I also enjoy the traditional formula, but I also think Legends looks like a really fun concept and I'd love to see them try some more experimental entries as well.

@Buizel I like the idea of generations, I think the main issue is that the gap between them feels too short. I brought it up earlier in this thread, but generations felt longer to me back in the day than they do now. The transition between gens 5 and 6 is when I first started to get the feeling things were moving too fast. It might just be because I'm older so everything seems to move more quickly, but I think spacing generations out more would give Game Freak a lot more time to flesh them out. It's why I like the idea of having games like Let's Go and Legends join the traditional remakes, it means there are a lot more options for filling in the time between generations. We can still get some new Pokemon and regional forms with these other games as well, as we're seeing with Legends Arceus.

@HotGoomba I'd say Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is my favorite, but New Pokemon Snap would take second place probably. As someone who's been a huge fan of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and the original Pokemon Snap since childhood, both games were very pleasant surprises. I really hope we see more older spin-offs return, the 3DS/Wii U generation felt way more limited than past generations in that regard. Of course, I do still need to play the 3DS Mystery Dungeon games...

@VIIIAxel Sorry, I deleted my post after a bit of reflection! I actually think that generations should stay (if only as a means to ensure compatibility between games, and to support the meta), but agree that the gap between them is too short. I also wonder if the rigid definition of a new generation having "new region based on xxx, new starters, 50-150 new Pokemon, new league, perhaps a remake" is unsustainable.

I agree that Gen 5 to 6 was the start of things getting too quick. Previously gens were 4 years** and this changed moved them to 3 (this was exacerbated by XY being the first simultaneous international release, making the gap between Gens 5 and 6 smaller in the west).

** With the exception of Gen 1 > 2 > 3. However Gen 2 leans very heavily on the Gen 1 games. In fact, I'd love to see Game Freak create more "sequels" such as GSC and B2W2.

@Buizel It's fine! I do wonder if reworking the idea of generations could help as well, but I ultimately think that we really need more time between generations. I'd also definitely be fine with more sequels! B2W2 are my second favorite games in the series (behind Crystal, which is also kind of a sequel as you noted), so I'd definitely be happy to see other generations get the same treatment. It could also be a fun excuse to see Johto and Hoenn get the full HD treatment if we don't get any follow-ups to Let's Go.

The flaw isn't the generations, but the other things outside of the games. The anime and Merch rely on the games for new stories and pokemon, so that's why they usually get rushed out.

Metroid Dread is overrated. I've played it. It's a good game. I liked it. But certainly not GOTY contender.

@1ofUs gonna admit that I don't disagree with you on that one. It was certainly a nice romp in the Metroid universe and there's a lot riding on public reception (in terms of the hope for future additions to the franchise). But without its legacy to stand on I don't think it would have hopped onto many peoples' lists. And like all these other third-party entries it feels like its soldered onto the franchise, rather than striding forth with boldness and confidence.

And it has the most handsome Professor. 😘

In the context of Dread having an 88 on Metacritic while Hunters, Other M and Federation Force have an 85, 79 and 64 respectively, yes it is overrated.

I have mixed feelings about this.

I loved the game and generally agree with its reception - an 88 on Metacritic seems about right to me.

Does it deserve to be in the running for GOTY? Hard to say. While I'd argue that overall 2021 has been a strong year for games, I'd say it's been strange in that there have been no truly stand-out titles (probably the consequence of two factors: new console generation and pandemic). It got my vote for GOTY (narrowly beating out Ratchet and Clank), but that probably wouldn't be the case for most years, and I'd honestly be surprised if it won the award.

Any popular game Or IP is overrated, Not everyone likes mario, but People say everyone likes mario, not everyone likes halo, and such and such.

@1ofUs The real question is, do Deatloop, It Takes Two, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet and Resident Evil deserve GOTY nominations? Definitely no. But who cares.

@JokerCK I personally think Psychonauts deserves it. Haven't really played the others but Psychonauts is a great platformer and my favorite of the nominees.

Nintendo Land is the best launch game of any recent Nintendo console. Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game, ultimately the better game and made for a great launch for the Switch; however, it didn't fully tap into what the Switch is capable of. Certainly not to the extent Nintendo Land did for the Wii U.

Metroid: Other M doesn't have the best graphics of the Metroid Series, but it does have the best look of the series. I was kind of surprised by how much better Other M's model for ZSS looked in comparison to Dread's in spite of Dread being on a HD console, two generations ahead of the Wii. I also think many of its enemy designs, animations and visual effects hold up really well against the rest of the franchise.

Dread, Super and Hunters have the best movement in the Metroid Series. Dread I feel is at the top, but it's a toss up for me between Super and Hunters as the next best.

As all time great as Smash Ultimate is for bringing so many franchises in gaming together, it does not compete with the world created within ARMS.

I actually kinda like HMs in Pokemon. Not only did they feel like a more natural way of gating progress than, say, blocking your route with a sniffing Stoutland**, but they (i) encouraged backtracking to find secrets in previously explored areas, (ii) meant you had to think resourcefully when exploring new routes, and (iii) they added a layer of immersion to the game by showing that your Pokemon had practical uses outside of battle. Although they were never utilised perfectly, I do feel like over time these perks of HMs have been lost, especially as the series has tended towards more linear progression.

I understand that the mechanic can be annoying to some, particularly because (i) HMs take up move slots, (ii) it can limit team design if you never want to box Pokemon, and (iii) in many cases the number of HMs can be excessive, or the diversity poor (see the three water HMs in both Johto and Hoenn), but I think to an extent these can resolved while maintaining some of the positives by simply expanding on what Let's Go did with Pikachu and Eevee: allow HM moves to become actions that you assign to your Pokemon without using up a move slot.

** One thing I can't stand about my least favourite Pokemon games - Sun and Moon - is that absolutely everything you do seems to have some lame gating such as a cutscene or an NPC blocking the path.

@Buizel I share the same opinion, and kind of wish they never removed HM's outright. It made the games feel as if they had a sense of exploration to them, and made older areas nicer to return to. I wish they'd bring them back, but in another way that isn't just making them something in the pokemon's moveset.

@Buizel Wait HM's are hated? Well I guess up to this remake you needed to have a pokemon that knew the move (I think so tell me if i'm wrong) but I kinda wish they didn't just remove them Outright.

It would make pokemon games waaaay more re-playable. so yes, I agree, But I have not played enough of SP to make a good opinion.

@Snatcher They were sort of removed in Sun and Moon, but got fully removed in Sword and Shield, with no replacement. Sun and Moon at least replaced them.