Your Unpopular Video Game Opinions

[Beth Pavell]

I'm not sure if that's a criticism, but anyway, I don't think it's any coincidence that Ocarina of Time is praised most highly by those who played it on the N64. It's got its charms, but they've never been enough for me to want to replay it like I have Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, or Skyward Sword, none of which were perfect either

 

[Aulos]

Nostalgia's got a lot to do with the praise for Ocarina of Time, especially when it comes to comparing it with newer titles. I played it right after The Wind Waker, and though I thought it was fun, the controls are really sticky by comparison which was an immediate turn off for me.

Well, when people praise Ocarina of Time, they're taking into account the game when it was released and what kind of impact it had in its time.

The game was loved back when it was released, it's not like it wasn't appreciated when it was released, only later to find love from nostalgia (you know, what happens with Pokemon generations). It was loved from the beginning.

I mean, it just has to be taken into account that Ocarina of Time was made before The Wind Waker and was on a weaker console than The Wind Waker. It's not really nostalgia (obviously there are people who love the game for nostalgia, but hopefully you see what I'm getting at), it's just being fair to the games.

I suppose it depends on how you want to judge games. However, I wouldn't call taking into account a game's quality in context of its time is necessarily nostalgia.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I suppose it depends on how you want to judge games. However, I wouldn't call taking into account a game's quality in context of its time is necessarily nostalgia.

That is a fair point, though worth expanding a bit, I think. I've found that the "for its time" argument tends to be used as a catch-all brush-off for all the problems with the game as much as for the praise. It all goes one way: what was great about it was even more great because of the time, and what was bad about it doesn't really matter because the time. And then it only gets applied to Ocarina of Time, so when Ocarina is compared with later titles it's not a fair comparison.

I do sometimes wonder whether the different culture around games has something to do with it, now that people are much more connected than at the tail end of the nineties. I wonder whether any games from today will acquire the same level of nostalgic feeling in twenty years time

 

[Aulos]

That is a fair point, though worth expanding a bit, I think. I've found that the "for its time" argument tends to be used as a catch-all brush-off for all the problems with the game as much as for the praise. It all goes one way: what was great about it was even more great because of the time, and what was bad about it doesn't really matter because the time. And then it only gets applied to Ocarina of Time, so when Ocarina is compared with later titles it's not a fair comparison.

I hear you, Ocarina of Time should not be free from criticism. However, when your criticism of the game is that its controls don't work as smoothly as The Wind Waker, that is most definitely the kind of criticism that really can just been seen as a difference in the amount of hardware experience Nintendo had. Remember the N64 was still new when OOT was released.

I do sometimes wonder whether the different culture around games has something to do with it, now that people are much more connected than at the tail end of the nineties. I wonder whether any games from today will acquire the same level of nostalgic feeling in twenty years time

I already have nostalgia for plenty of games within the last twenty years.

As for one I can imagine will be held highly by a lot of Nintendo fans for a long time: Breath of the Wild.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I played Ocarina of Time 3D, and I didn't like it. The only reasons I can think of is that it feels clunky, the lack of frames in the holding-up-a-shield animation bothers me, and the Fire Temple < Temple of the Ocean King.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

Unpopular thread opinion: Many of the "unpopular" opinions here are actually quite common. Moving on.

Yo-Kai Watch is a good series. It has its faults, but it also stands to be original because of them.

The Sonic Adventure games are not good games. Sonic 3D Blast however is.

Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is not as horrible as a lot of people make it seem.

Pokemon XY are not bad games by any stretch.

 

[FroyoDragon]

Dunno how unpopular these are, but here we go lol.

Single player games need story to string them together. I've seen many go nope in story, but games without it, particularly older games, make me lose focus really quickly without an intriguing plot to keep me engaged.

The GameCube isn't as good as many make it out to be. The N64 definitely had the superior library quality-wise, especially glaring with sequels. Cartridges are also far superior to discs. And the better controller except for the stick. #fightme

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the best in the series. The Subspace Emissary mode is especially great, and the slower paced gameplay makes it definitely more welcoming to casual play.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

The GameCube isn't as good as many make it out to be. The N64 definitely had the superior library quality-wise, especially glaring with sequels. Cartridges are also far superior to discs. And the better controller except for the stick. #fightme

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the best in the series. The Subspace Emissary mode is especially great, and the slower paced gameplay makes it definitely more welcoming to casual play.

I saw you say the first point on Zelda Universe.

There was a period of time where all I would do on the internet was listen to the Brawl soundtrack, so I'm a bit nostalgia-biased towards it, despite not owning it any more. I brought it for Subspace, despite going in completely spoiled.

Also: Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the only SNES game that appeals to me.

 

[Beth Pavell]

the slower paced gameplay makes it definitely more welcoming to casual play.

That was certainly an unpopular opinion in my group. I remember trying to play Melee with the others, who had been used to Melee for years. Being beaten is one thing, getting thrashed every time you pick up the controller is quite another. Brawl makes it easier for newcomers to actually improve without having to spend hours playing solo

 

[Kharixi]

I've got another one related to fighting games: Pokkén is really boring after a while. It was fun for a long time, but eventually the opponents just got very repetitive (probably due to the tiny roster) and there wasn't really much else to do.

 

[FroyoDragon]

I saw you say the first point on Zelda Universe.

Yeah, haha. Both have unpopular opinions threads, so I figured I'd post it in both, haha.

Also: Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the only SNES game that appeals to me.

Sorta similar to this, but as someone who grew up with the N64, I'm not especially interested in the older games, like, I'd pick Super Mario 64 over World anytime, because that's the sort of gaming I'm accustomed to. Kinda.

Brawl makes it easier for newcomers to actually improve without having to spend hours playing solo

Agreed, which I honestly find to be good design, for anyone yo be able to pick it up and get familiarized quickly enough.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

Also, I played Brawl with a Classic Controller Pro once I got one.

 

[Username19]

I don't think a game having a season pass means its unfinished or not the full game.

 

[King Robert]

Sonic 3D Blast was an underrated gem.

 

[Lone_Garurumon]

On the topic of SNES games, I haven't actually played that many, and while some of them were good, several were also pretty meh. I do wanna try the Goof Troop game though, since apparently it's actually really fun in two player.

I've got another one related to fighting games: Pokkén is really boring after a while. It was fun for a long time, but eventually the opponents just got very repetitive (probably due to the tiny roster) and there wasn't really much else to do.

This. Especially when you're just fighting computer opponents who are just so easy as to be unfun. It's one of those games that you just can't play for an extended period you've gotta do it in sessions with breaks for other games in between.

 

[FinalArcadia]

The Wiimote + Nunchuk was a really comfortable control scheme and I still use it even for things like Smash Wii U. And on that note, the Wii U Gamepad was a great controller, comfortable and really improved the control scheme for games like Wind Waker HD and Splatoon. I'm playing Splatoon 2 now and I love it, but I really miss the Gamepad and being able to see the map on that screen and super jumping through touch controls.

Also, Yoshitaka Amano's art for Final Fantasy is kinda ugly and same-facey where all the characters look like death. And especially with the SNES-era games' art, too many characters look alike. Krile and Terra look way too similar for being two characters of different ages from totally different games. Tetsuya Nomura's art is better and more "alive." Though I'm growing increasingly fond of Roberto Ferrari's work for recent Final Fantasy games (XV, Type-0, etc).

 

[Nitro Indigo]

@FinalArcadia I exclusively play any game on my Wii U on the GamePad because I can't be bothered to turn the TV on. I also mainly play Virtual Console games on it. I only turn the TV on when I really want to get engrossed in a game, such as Door to Phantomile.

I also used to play Brawl with the nunchuck, until I got my Classic Controller. And then I sold all my Smash Bros games a while ago.

 

[King Robert]

I am very happy with my Switch.

 

[ReturnofMCH]

I don't care that FE warriors is just arechena, awakening, and fates because it's easier to list warriors crossovers (such as gundam, orochi, hyrule, or one piece) that DIDN'T play it safe with characters that sell vs those that don't. I'll get it anyways.


And frankly, if it was only characters from genology, blazing sword, and path of radiance no one would complain despite that idea being the exact same "problem"

 

[henrymidfields]

For crossovers and all-stars, I loved Hyrule Warriors, and I'll definitely get FE Warriors. I can't get FE Heroes, but it looks awesome, and I would have loved that too, if my phone was not a Windows Phone. (And no, I'm not going to ditch my current phone just for a single game or two.)

The one game that I won't play however, is Smash Bros Melee and later games. Firstly, I'm quite turned off by how SB ended up giving a few characters from FE too much attention when the major focus of those games is teamwork with various unique units. Secondly, are the rumors right that some characters have got radically changed portrayals from their canon franchises? As an extension to this, I refuse to accept that a certain character happens to be on the same level of badass as the ones from FE, or the other heroes. (I'm not saying who, as I previously got in trouble a couple of times...)