Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

@FullbringIchigo Indeed it is.

@KALofKRYPTON I dunno. I feel like SMB2 is unique enough that it survives as a really strong experience on its own. Aside from the lack of good power-ups, I also just don't like a lot of things about SMW: the strange music, the art design, those infernal ghost houses, the new enemies you encounter, etc. I know a lot of people love the more open level progression and multiple exits, but those don't really do anything for me.

@Kidfried personally i think Super Castlevania IV is the best of the series even if it is just a remake of the original, Symphony of the Night is a great game as well and this one might be an Unpopular Opinion But Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate was also a great Castlevania game although the 3DS controls were awkward so the PS3/360 HD version is the better one

actually i enjoyed all the Lords of Shadow games, shame Konami just dropped it

@Kidfried I guess we do.

I'm not a huge fan of the Metroidvanias in general. Adding RPG elements to Metroid-style game design somewhat defeats the purpose of the design in the first place. And once you've played one or two, they all kind of feel samey.

I do love me some Order of Ecclesia, though, which combined elements of both Vania styles to create a beautiful experience.

And Rondo of Blood is, far and away, the best game in the series. Such a wonderful little game.

@Ralizah My chief childhood memory of SMB2 is 'WTF is this?!', I thought it was crap. Learning later in life about the Doki Doki origins of the game cemented it's abject crap-ness. It's still crap. Even the All Stars new coat of paint treatment couldn't help it not be crap.

Lost Levels would've been fine as the actual sequel.

@KALofKRYPTON fun fact Doki Doki Panic was originally a prototype for Super Mario Bros 2 but Nintendo felt it wouldn't appeal to the Japanese audience so they created what we would know as "The Lost Levels" instead and released the prototype as Doki Doki Panic only to then reskin Doki Doki Panic into Super Mario Bros 2 for the a western audience because they felt "The Lost Levels" was too hard for Americans to play

so in fact the version of Super Mario Bros 2 we got is actually what SMB2 was originally going to be

so the question is which version is the true SMB2?

@FullbringIchigo No worries, my friend. Most of the opinions here, by virtue of being unpopular, can elicit quite a discussion. Thankfully we all respect one another’s right to feel differently than we do. I appreciate that everyone is being good-natured about opposing views. I legitimately use the opinions expressed in these forums when I decide what to buy and play. Thanks for helping keep us on track.

@FullbringIchigo As I understood it Ninty America decided on not using the original SM2 (Lost Levels) in favour of Doki Doki as it was too similar to SMB.

@KALofKRYPTON Lost Levels is infuriating. It's the Castlevania III of the Mario series: waaaaay too difficult for me to enjoy.

SMB2 is incredibly weird and different from other games in the series, so I get not liking it, but I really enjoy the way it mixed up the gameplay by allowing the player to interact more deeply with the environment, the multiple characters you can play as, which makes it much more replayable than other games in the series, since they're different enough to change the experience of playing the game, and the imaginative boss battles (much moreso than in any other 2D Mario game that comes to mind).

@FullbringIchigo @Ralizah @Kidfried @Jaz007 Ok??? I didn't see any derailment going on. I thought that was what this thread was about. As long as the conversation stayed civil it was fine.

I actually prefer 2D Mario to 3D Mario games. Doesn't matter if it's NSMB, or classic SMB I just always enjoyed those more. I tend to get bored with the 3D ones really quickly.

Bloodstone is the best James Bond game.

@BowTiesAreCool Whilst I don't personally agree, I can certainly see where you're coming from, and I'm sure there are plenty who'd agree with you, too!

Richard Jacques' score is one of the greatest in gaming, that's for sure.

@BowTiesAreCool @RogerRoger Bloodstone was a great game but i still think that Agent Under Fire is one of the best Bond games

@FullbringIchigo Everything or Nothing would be my pick, and I appreciate Blood Stone for picking up on some of the gameplay elements from that game and realising that Bond isn't just a run-and-gun Rambo chap, but rather somebody who sneaks, observes, drives, thinks and chats to others. But you're right, it was EA who started to introduce those elements, and Agent Under Fire was one of the first times they really hit that particular stride.

In fact, there's an unpopular gaming opinion for everybody - the original GoldenEye on N64 did more damage to the Bond brand and is responsible for all the missteps that followed, and all of EA's Bond games were far more enjoyable to play.

@RogerRoger Goldeneye was groundbreaking for it's day as it showed that FPS games could work on consoles but yeah it did lock Bond into a genre that might not have been the best one for him

on a side note i went back and played Goldeneye recently and it has NOT aged well at all, in fact the remake is a much better game

there is another Unpopular Gaming Opinion: The Goldeneye Remake is a better game than the original N64 one

@FullbringIchigo It probably is, but was a comparatively weak fps for the time - whereas the N64 game was seminal.
@RogerRoger I'd say that it helped legitimise Bond as a viable brand for a gaming audience.

@FullbringIchigo Yep, I'll agree with you on that one, too. There are some elements in GoldenEye 007 Reloaded that I'm not super-keen on, but overall it's just such a smooth, enjoyable game to play.

Darn it, I'd kill for a new Bond game right now.

@KALofKRYPTON Good counterpoint, well played.

@RogerRoger Could you imagine a Bond game now? It'd probably be a broody mess with some shooting and wasted actors and nice but wasted cars and a wasted villain and some really nice practical stunts but still not as good as Mission Impossible and Bond would be too old/black/female but still a bit of a pervy rapist and there still wouldn't be theme song as good as You Know My Name and...

@KALofKRYPTON yeah when Reloaded came out it was pretty much overshadowed by all the other FPS games but i also have to wonder if the original would have suffered the same fate if it was up against games like Call of Duty and Battlefield

EDIT also a little off topic but check this out https://www.slashfilm.com/female-james-bond-never-barbara-bro...

@RogerRoger me too but does anyone actually have the licence right now?