What are some of your UNpopular video game opinions? (real ones, not just ones for the sake of trolling or something)

[Sumez | 2,949]

I'd argue that ~160x110px on composite video is too small to make out stuff very clearly at all. I'm not sure where you're from, but I've rarely seen a TV larger than 28" here, and even those weren't common in the 90s. Playing it today on an S-video cable it's not much better, though.
Either way, you're the one who brought up resolution and screen size  - the framerate is obviously the biggest offender here, even though all of it is bad.

It's not like people in the 90s were like "Wow this 4 player splitscreen mode is perfect, I can't imagine games ever being more playable than this". It's more along the lines of "Wow, this is crummy, but we have to make do with it if we want to play this particular game", and then they'd go back to their PC and play QuakeWorld in 640x480.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Sumez

[Estil | 1,264]

5 hours ago, Sumez said:

I'd argue that ~160x110px on composite video is too small to make out stuff very clearly at all. I'm not sure where you're from, but I've rarely seen a TV larger than 28" here, and even those weren't common in the 90s. Playing it today on an S-video cable it's not much better, though.
Either way, you're the one who brought up resolution and screen size  - the framerate is obviously the biggest offender here, even though all of it is bad.

It's not like people in the 90s were like "Wow this 4 player splitscreen mode is perfect, I can't imagine games ever being more playable than this". It's more along the lines of "Wow, this is crummy, but we have to make do with it if we want to play this particular game", and then they'd go back to their PC and play QuakeWorld in 640x480.

If it was so "crummy" then how come Goldeneye is considered one of the all time greats on the N64?  I mean, just like I mentioned in my day before UK graduation story we played four player Mario Kart 64 and no one complained about what the four player mode looked like.  And I'm pretty sure the TV/monitor wasn't very big either.

[Sumez | 2,949]

Because Goldeneye is a great game

[cj_robot | 542]

6 hours ago, Sumez said:

It's not like people in the 90s were like "Wow this 4 player splitscreen mode is perfect, I can't imagine games ever being more playable than this". It's more along the lines of "Wow, this is crummy, but we have to make do with it if we want to play this particular game", and then they'd go back to their PC and play QuakeWorld in 640x480.

This, except you have to remember that far fewer people had a PC capable of running Quake then those who had a game console like N64.

So yeah, I agree that nobody thought that N64 graphics were the best 3D graphics were ever going to get. We definitely noticed all the rough stuff back then: texture warping, polygon pop-in, excessive fog, low framerates, etc. We weren't blind to that stuff. I remember it clearly, and all the reviews of the time mentioned these things when they were especially bad.

But, we also knew it was the best we had at the time, we were able to tolerate these aspects when the gameplay was good enough, and have some legit enjoyable experiences.

So I feel like for most of us, our perceptions of these games really hasn't changed over the years. Either we realized their faults and found ways to enjoy them anyways, or we simply could not tolerate them back then and the same is true today. This is where I have a hard time understanding the term "has not aged well". I guess there are people who used to tolerate it, but just can't anymore. I've just never experienced that sort of thing with a game.

I suppose there are some movies/TV shows I liked as a kid that I just can't watch anymore. But I wouldn't say they aged poorly, just that I grew up and my personal tastes changed.

[Estil | 1,264]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

Because Goldeneye is a great game

Not to hear some people here talk it's not!

[Estil | 1,264]

7 hours ago, Sumez said:

It's not like people in the 90s were like "Wow this 4 player splitscreen mode is perfect, I can't imagine games ever being more playable than this". It's more along the lines of "Wow, this is crummy, but we have to make do with it if we want to play this particular game", and then they'd go back to their PC and play QuakeWorld in 640x480.

No, I'm not saying that at all either.  I mean people weren't stupid, they knew that graphics and computing speed/power and polygons per second and such would continue to get better over time.

That being said, I'll never forget how in awe I was at seeing the Super Smash Bros Melee intro at the Lexington Circuit City (RIP) and what the GC could do even with its entry level stuff.

[T-Pac | 7,539]

I think everyone can agree that out perception of the same game changes with age and experience.

"Games aging" is just an (admittedly flawed) phrase used to portray that point. Obviously the game itself doesn't change over time, but our experience with it does - and you can't assess a game without experiencing it in some capacity.

Until we find a better, equally concise statement to sum up this perceptual transition, I can live with someone saying "this game aged well/badly".

-CasualCart

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,012]

My favorite way to play SMB is on Super Mario All-Stars. Even if it's on the Wii.

[koifish | 555]

My point of controversy is that I absolutely hate the existing norms for game genre names. I have a short essay I'm working on regarding this point, that I want to post here (on whatever forum such a diatribe belongs on) but in short, I think video game genre naming needs an enema, and the community needs to basically rewrite the history of game genres from the ground up.

[Link | 2,709]

Zelda II is the best Zelda

SMB3 doesn't need a battery save

 

[Tulpa | 3,492]

3 hours ago, koifish said:

My point of controversy is that I absolutely hate the existing norms for game genre names. I have a short essay I'm working on regarding this point, that I want to post here (on whatever forum such a diatribe belongs on) but in short, I think video game genre naming needs an enema, and the community needs to basically rewrite the history of game genres from the ground up.

Post it in this forum. Or the gaming forum.

As long as you can get rid of that horrid "shmup" term, I'm all in.

[Link | 2,709]

6 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

Post it in this forum. Or the gaming forum.

I thought this was "the gaming forum"?

But yes, I too would like to see this paper.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Link

[Tulpa | 3,492]

15 minutes ago, Link said:

I thought this was "the gaming forum"?

But yes, I too would like to see this paper.

I meant to type Collector's forum and my brain had other opinions.

 

[NostalgicMachine | 234]

6 hours ago, Link said:

Zelda II is the best Zelda

SMB3 doesn't need a battery save

 

We did a big video on Zelda II last year after getting into arguments with co-workers and friends for long enough, lmao:

I agree on SMB3.

My hot take is that MM2 has a ton of flaws that get overlooked due entirely to nostalgia, and 4 and 6 are much better entires than 2 and 3 all around. I remember making an epic post on Nintendo Age that got a lot of traction on this topic; I wonder if we could WAYBACKMACHINE that?

[CMR | 519]

Mascot platformers outside the Mario games are crap and boring.

[DarkTone | 984]

TOTK has ruined game ratings. 

[Link | 2,709]

26 minutes ago, DarkTone said:

TOTK has ruined game ratings. 

Don't most big Zelda games do that?

[T-Pac | 7,539]

On 12/3/2023 at 4:08 PM, koifish said:

My point of controversy is that I absolutely hate the existing norms for game genre names. I have a short essay I'm working on regarding this point, that I want to post here (on whatever forum such a diatribe belongs on) but in short, I think video game genre naming needs an enema, and the community needs to basically rewrite the history of game genres from the ground up.

I support this endeavor 1000%. If only there was a way to get any semblance of widespread adoption for a "proper" genre naming system...

[T-Pac]

[spacepup | 2,404]

I have several opinions that are probably somewhat unpopular in this community.  Perhaps they aren't crazy unpopular in the wider gaming community, I don't know.

1. I have no issues with the terms "shmup" or "metroidvania" and even use them myself sometimes.  When someone says one or the other, I know exactly what they mean and have no problem with them.

2. I don't get upset if someone pronounces NES as "ness" or SNES as "sness."  Again, I know exactly what they mean, and it just doesn't matter to me what they call it.

3. I love modern gaming, and love exploring the ways games expand in different ways over time.  To the point that while I still love older gaming, I find most of my gameplay *time* goes into modern gaming, with research and discussion time frequently spent on older games or a mixture.

4. When done well, I think DLC can be awesome.  For example, this year I beat Horizon: Forbidden West, and I thought it was a fantastic, well-done and well-produced game, with TONS of content and plenty of gaming time.  Then they later released the 'Burning Shores' DLC, which I also thought was awesome and well worth the price of admission.  The original game definitely felt 'complete,' and the additional DLC was enough extra content that it extended the game more for me, which I enjoyed.  Sometimes DLC is done much worse or feels like a cash grab, but it *can* be done very well and sometimes I very much enjoy DLC.

5. I enjoy digital games.  Yes, I love physical gaming of course and have a large collection, but there are *some* benefits to digital gaming (and yes, I know there are disadvantages and concerns as well).  It can be very convenient.  I've played many games on Steam and really enjoy the convenience of the platform.  Yes, I'm aware that some day, somehow everything could be taken away in some form, and I'd be left with nothing.  Except I wouldn't be left with nothing, I'd be left with all the years and thousands of hours of enjoyment I obtained through the process.  I'm not advocating for all others to get digital games, but I also don't think it has to be "evil" either.  Digital gaming has also VASTLY lowered the burden for indie developers to release games.  And I love exploring indie games.

6. My preferred order for the first 3 mainline Zelda games is (1) Link to the Past, (2) Zelda 2, (3) Legend of Zelda.  I realize that's a strange combination, but I unironically enjoy Zelda 2 better than the first one, despite still loving the first and appreciating it.

7. I prefer Sony / Playstation to Nintendo.  I still love Nintendo gaming and am absolutely loving the switch, but over my entire gaming career, I'm definitely more a PlayStation fan.

I'm sure there are many other things I can't think of at the moment, where I feel like my interests differ from most of the community here, but these are a few of them.

[final fight cd | 186]

The nes is the most overhype system.  The bulk of library is unplayable.  Some of the classics, such as the legend of Zelda, has aged poorly and the newer generation of gamers will not have the patience to sit through this game or many others, either because they are too cryptic, too difficult, or just plain unplayable.