Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

@KratosMD Popurality does not equate to greatness. The Cheeky Girls were popular but also trash.

@JohnnyShoulder @FullbringIchigo I agree with @KratosMD Halo was a fantastic series up until Reach (I would even include odst in that statement).

My personal favourites in order are Reach, 2, 1, 3 then odst.

Playing them now post Call of duty, BioShock, Deus Ex Human rev, Destiny and the plethora of battle Royal games it has certainly lost its sheen. But I would argue 1 and 2 were the ultimate coop games for the time. Playing heroic or legendary with your brother or mate was a blast.

@JohnnyShoulder

@themcnoisy my first Halo was the 3rd, co-op with my nephew. I had no idea what was going on lol. I really liked Reach but than I don't play a of FPS games.

@FullbringIchigo No, I will not.

Am I the only one who dislikes it when games have a high emphasis on combo meters? Whether it be an action RPG or a fighting game, I just don’t really get the allure of games that reward stringing together long complex combos during combat. I was considering this issue because I’ve been reviewing 2019’s most highly rated games and deciding which I need to pick up they I missed and DMC 5 came up. I just can’t do the combat in that game, despite how fun it is and how kinetic it feels. I’m just not good at it.

I guess I don’t mind it if there is a mild power up with increased combos and longer combat streaks, but when success in the game is absolutely dependent on it, it’s a put-off for me. Somehow I liked Spider-Man and the Arkham games despite them utilizing this tactic, but at least it wasn’t overly important to get out huge combo meter scores in those games to be able to prevail in combat and progress the story.

@Th3solution I dunno, I’ve recently got into the DmC series and played 1,3 and 4 (my friends told me to skip 2 as it’s apparently sh*te). Honestly, I mostly ignored the Style meter as I was bad at continuing combos. Other than the occasional reward for a high combo, I wouldn’t say it was that important. I get what you mean about combo meters sometimes being overwhelming though, it really stresses me out that the slightest mistake could be the difference between winning and losing. It reminds me of chasing perfect combos in rhythm games, the pressure can be exciting for some but overwhelming for others. There was a point my heart couldn’t take it anymore 😅

@Th3solution Yeah me too, I dislike games when you have string combinations of moves together. I just end up button mashing as I'm no good at the games, which is no fun at all and requires almost no skill. I much prefer the From Software games in that respect.

@Th3solution @nessisonett @JohnnyShoulder I have really gotten into these games following a playthrough of Bayonetta 1 and 2 last year but I had to accept that I am just not going to get good scores at all. I am playing DMC5 right now and with one character, I regularly get S rank and then with the remaining two I barely get past a D for Dismal and I still don't get what actually generates these scores or why I am better with one than another. It is sort of demoralizing at first when you feel like you have kicked backside, done some moves and then find out the score tells you that you are terrible. So I just ignore it and enjoy the gameplay and ignore everything else. I still sort of button mash but you do get a little better at it. Just not enough to score high

@Rudy_Manchego In DmC3 I beat the final boss by spamming a flying kick that he couldn’t counter. SSStylish it certainly was not 😂

@nessisonett Well if the game lets you do it then it is a viable strategy!

My Unpopular Gaming Opinion:

Rockstar games are a tad overrated, despite my love for them.

@DonJorginho i would have to agree with that for the most part. My exception is Red Dead Redemption 2, which I found to be every bit as groundbreaking and incredible as reviewers made it out to be. It's the first Rockstar game I've been able to finish as well, and I've tried many others. None of them quite hit the mark for me. I haven't played the first Red Dead Redemption however, so maybe I would love that too.

@Tjuz I loved the second RDR but would be lying if I thought it was as groundbreaking as reviewers said.

Mission structure felt more aging than ever and the lack of freedom within the missions compared to the freedom of it's astounding open world was jarring for me.

I hope they solve this problem and their terrible control scheme in GTA 6.

And RDR 1 is amazing man, if you adore RDR 2 you will love the first, especially as it acts as a sequel of sorts.

@DonJorginho For me, the groundbreaking feeling came from the fact that it was the first huge open world I ever felt was truly alive. The first time I ever actually saw a world as a joy to explore rather than a chore or a simple mechanic for me to go from A to B. It's the first time a world didn't feel empty. The first time I felt like there really could be something interesting around every corner, and wasn't filled with copy paste objectives. I think it was also genius to hide the map and not show the entirety of it until you'd been everywhere, as that also rewards exploration rather than making a world feel intimidating. I don't think any other world in gaming that I've tasted comes close to the feel that the RDR2 world gave me, and that's what made the game groundbreaking to me personally.

I understand the criticism towards its mission design and controls, but I didn't experience issues with either myself. I changed settings in the control system the second I started playing to make it feel the best I possibly could, and it felt just fine throughout with what I'd selected. I tend to do this with every game before getting into them properly. The linearity of the mission design was actually a pro to me. I much prefer tight story missions that have a clear vision of what they want the player to do for maximum badassery or narrative effect. I liked that the missions were all pretty small scale, and none really required me to travel the entire world to do things. As you can probably tell, the most important thing to me in gaming is storytelling and worldbuilding. Anything that is even somewhat in service of that I am absolutely fine with. Red Dead Redemption 2 absolutely excelled at both of those things, which helped shape it into a groundbreaking game in my eyes.

I can understand that some people may not look for those things first and foremost in their gaming experiences however, and that certain things that I would accept or prefer would be considered letdowns to others. That's definitely not how I experienced the game though. I've never finished a long story such as this with such urgency, yet felt free to explore and enjoyed doing so. All of the above is why I do view it as a groundbreaking game, and agree with the game's spectacular reviews. I think it's the best game I've played that you can easily pour over a 100 hours into without replaying.

With the inclusion of Sims 4 on PS Plus this month, it got me thinking about other games that we, the hardcore, often turn our noses up at, and it prompted me to question myself: what games do I enjoy that might be considered “filthy casual” games, or just bad games in general? It’s a sub-topic of “Unpopular Gaming Opinions” so I figured I’d pose the question here.

Are there any games you’re embarrassed that you enjoy? Guilty pleasures, critically panned, mobile cash grabs, etc.?

For me it’s the Telltale games. They are so cut-and-paste and offer little to no gameplay, but I still enjoy them, I’m embarrassed to say. I’ve played about 6-7 of them, I think, and still enjoy them. I enjoy a good walking sim in general, even though most people say they are boring and stale. I don’t know why, but I find them relaxing and engaging.

@Th3solution the Senran Kagura series, yeah it's full of fan service and i wouldn't want to play it infront of other people but under all that is a pretty fun beat em up

oh and the Hyper Dimension Neptunia series, pretty fun JRPG's even if the premise is a little strange

@Th3solution Star Trek: Encounters (PS2). The theme pasted on top of what is largely a budget twin stick shooter completely won me over. Its not a good game, it abuses the theme, but I love it.

And probably Michael Jackson: The Experience HD (Vita). Been a while since I played it, but its a good rhythm game with incredible music! But also Michael Jackson 😂

@Th3solution
Enigmatis the ghosts of maple creek.

It's a hidden object point and click. I enjoyed my time with it so much I bought the sequel (which is rubbish). Maybe I was in the right frame of mind, picked it up on the store for £3 or so change in my wallet.

It's very chilled, the location map is relatively small, the puzzles are decent and the story is enjoyable. The hidden object bits in between are the weakest part of the game. I would recommend it! Just make sure it's the only one you play the length of the game is perfect.

@Th3solution Project X Zone on 3DS is a car crash of an SRPG but all the characters together in one game is still pretty cool. I’m a sucker for rhythm games so probably the Miku games as well, considering I genuinely don’t really get the whole Miku thing. I just like the gameplay.

Um... almost everything I play?

Especially the "critically panned" bit. Such is the curse of a licenced game junkie / Sonic the Hedgehog fanboy but hey, at least I'm having fun, right?

To keep things simple, however, I'll agree with @KALofKRYPTON and say Star Trek: Encounters.