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Raise the flame shield: Your "controversial" gaming opinion.
- Thread starter Laughing Banana
- Start date
Completely and directly opposed to the suddenly popular sentiment that linear/set-piece-driven games are the scourge of the industry and somehow inherently inferior to open-world/sandbox games; and the assumed notion that the open-world/sandbox is the natural progression or the most "evolved state" of a video game. No, I"m sorry, but most open-world games are shit. I'm not impressed at all with the amount of mundane and repetitive activities you've made available to me nor with the dull, lifeless automaton NPC's you've populated your world with just because you've put it all in one big space; nor am I impressed or excited by the prospect of being afforded the freedom of choosing what and in what order I can partake in and interface with all of your boring shit. I see the value of choice and emergent gameplay in games - I really do - but the execution of it in games today is terrible. I'll take a 10 hour "directed" experience over a 30 hour open-world game that might as well be the virtual equivalent of playing in the mud, any day.
Meccanical
Member
FF VI has to be one of the worst FFs barring II.
Boring environments, boring characters, boring story.
It's just...not impressive...at all.
Boring environments, boring characters, boring story.
It's just...not impressive...at all.
MaverickHunterAsh
Member
Can we be best friends? No, but seriously, I feel the exact same way, word for word. Far too few people speak for the appeal of linearity in games these days. I'll take a linear, directed experience over a totally non-linear, "sandbox" game any day of the week, month, or year.
He also thinks Sonic Adventure 2 is the best Sonic game ever. Let's not take him seriously.
Shantae : Risky's Revenge was completely unremarkable. Every where I looked people recommended that title as one of the best available on the dsi / 3ds shop. Nothing about this game stood out as anything fantastic and I feel that it's high on everyone's list just because it's one of the only passable games on the service.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Disagree about the Campaign as Halo 3 still reigns on that. Worst multiplayer by far though. Each entry into the series seems to have gotten worse since 2 in terms of MP maps, and the special skills like armor just kill the game for me.
I'd argue the best online was actually the often hated Halo 2. Halo 3 had a few tweaks that made it better in a couple ways, but overall Halo 2 was better. Plus Halo 2 had waaayy better maps overall than what we got in Halo 3 and Reach.
Ultimadrago
Member
I...I cannot!
Murky graphics, poor aging, overly dark corners in Bowser's castle, clunky boosts from Mushrooms...If only I could.
Please, feel free to share which one you believe is better.
*If it's any other 3D Sonic besides Colors/Adventure or any classic game besides Sonic & Knuckles 3. Save your response.*
* I make exceptions because I could actually fathom arguments for their side*
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
This isn't controversial, it's goddamn truth.
"Covenant!"
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be the first encounter between Covenant and Humans? Hey story,where are you going? Oh, "great characters and that shit"... yeeeeaaah, I'm going to you turn off now.
Rahxephon91
Banned
I actually thought Reach had a good campaign with some great graphics and art. The best in the series.
But yeah that MP just wasn't fun. The abilities were crap, I hope we never see them again.
But yeah that MP just wasn't fun. The abilities were crap, I hope we never see them again.
Darkmakaimura
Member
After all the recent news, I'm here to say....
That the Mass Effect series is the Avatar.... No, the Star Wars of sci-fi video games. It is THE BEST sci-fi video game series ever! One of the few modern day classics that deserves to be in the video game Hall of Fame and that goes for both 1 & 2. They can remove Master Chief from Madame Tussaud's in Vegas and replace him with Shepard.
Fuck it, I'll go for broke and say the Mass Effect series is the best new 'space opera' series since Star Wars!
That the Mass Effect series is the Avatar.... No, the Star Wars of sci-fi video games. It is THE BEST sci-fi video game series ever! One of the few modern day classics that deserves to be in the video game Hall of Fame and that goes for both 1 & 2. They can remove Master Chief from Madame Tussaud's in Vegas and replace him with Shepard.
Fuck it, I'll go for broke and say the Mass Effect series is the best new 'space opera' series since Star Wars!
I agree on the mushroom part.
Mushrooms are basically worthless in MK64.
But the rest is perfect you, you FUCK.
It was the first contact between them on that planet, not the first contact between the species. Doesn't make it any less lackluster, though. They could've done it in so many cool ways and managed to create least impressive opening ever.
"The Covenant are on Reach, I repeat, The Covenant are on Reach"
Said Marine #5 with a monotone voice.
Ultimadrago
Member
*sigh*
I can only understand your anger (I've been a "FUCK" many a times for this). It is controversial for a reason.
But comeaaawn, wouldn't you love to play a nice game of Double Dash?
Meccanical
Member
I would agree but then ME2 came out.
GoofsterStud
Member
When all systems lock each game to one console. I will no longer support gaming. This includes the kids. I am stubborn like that. 
Double Dash was underrated. I actually didn't mind it. Technically, there isn't a 'bad' Mario Kart game. Except the first one. Super Mario Kart is shit to play. Especially now.
1. Mario Kart 64
2. Mario Kart DS
3. Mario Kart 7
4. Mario Kart Wii
5. Mario Kart DD
6. Mario Kart Super Circuit
57. Super Mario Kart
I can definitely relate to that. I do enjoy sandbox games too though.
I normally play the main objectives, so I don't get bored with side missions. While I love and prefer linear games, I also enjoy being able to move around freely in a vast open world (GTA, RDR, infamous, etc.) from time to time.
Ultimadrago
Member
I like your list, (besides my controversy).
I had a great amount of fun with DS, though the 150 CPU feels so much more devious in it for some reason. May be my bad luck.
7's also good, but I wish they used some of the newbie spots better. I don't exactly think of Honey Queen and Wiggler when thinking of fan clamors. Count Bleck would've been neat, or hell, one of the Koopa Bros.
SA2 was the jam. Follow meee, set me freeee...
Can I get an Amen!?
Meccanical
Member
Trust me and we will escape from the city!
Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations >>>>>>>>>>>>> SA2
(By the way I was just messing with you even though I don't understand the love for that game... outside of Chao Garden and less than half of the levels of the game)
odin toelust
Member
Half-life 2 was okay, but after playing through it once I have never had the urge to do so again...
Secret of Evermore was a superior game to Secret of Mana. While Mana had, unquestionably, a better system in place for weapon leveling and mutliplayer, every time I play it I come to the conclusion that the world feels uninspired, lifeless, and dull.
Evermore simply pulsed with charm, and remains a more engaging game.
Evermore simply pulsed with charm, and remains a more engaging game.
BluePigGanon
Member
Yes that's what I said, and yes that's what I meant.
Ultimadrago
Member
Well, at least you understand love for the Chao gardens (a.k.a. adorable crack). And I hear the Sonic /Shadow levels being the only decent ones. Multiplayer also wasn't goood. Considerable amount of glitches.
There's just an overall charm to the story that I get from none other in the series.
Correctomundo
Member
Almond
Member
- Xenosaga Episode 1 is the best Xenosaga game in almost every way. Episode 2 is the second best and 3 is......well, the least best. Ep. 3 had the worst character designs, worst battle system and worst music.
- Chrono Cross is a great Chrono Trigger sequel.
- Final Fantasy X is overrated. I don't see why so many people love it. I thought it was just ok.
- Chrono Cross is a great Chrono Trigger sequel.
- Final Fantasy X is overrated. I don't see why so many people love it. I thought it was just ok.
I thought GoldenEye 64 was the first nail in the coffin of sound FPS games, hurting their advancement. Halo provided the second nail and the Call of Duty games after the second one another nail. I find them all terrible, especially Modern Warfare.
I think Tetsuya Nomura is the worst thing to happen to Final Fantasy, and ruined Square Enix as a company capable of reinventing itself. I didn't like any of the games after IX. Don't expect characters without skin-deep development or un-feathered hair anytime soon.
I think Chrono Cross is ten times better than Chrono Trigger, because it actually made you care a lot more about the characters than the original did, especially since it covered the plot hole about the missing dimension when Lavos attacked.
I think Tetsuya Nomura is the worst thing to happen to Final Fantasy, and ruined Square Enix as a company capable of reinventing itself. I didn't like any of the games after IX. Don't expect characters without skin-deep development or un-feathered hair anytime soon.
I think Chrono Cross is ten times better than Chrono Trigger, because it actually made you care a lot more about the characters than the original did, especially since it covered the plot hole about the missing dimension when Lavos attacked.
Rahxephon91
Banned
Yes one man did all this. One man who didn't even work on IX,XII, XIV. Yes one man hurt Square so much that they weren't able to change up their series for VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII. Yes we shouldn't expect them to ever use another character designer even though they did for XII, IX, and XIV.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
SE definitely has some major issues, but Nomura gets way too much flack. I honestly feel like he's one of their few remaining assets. :/
I'm playing Chrono Trigger for the first time right now. It's a really fun charming game, but I definitely don't understand all the crazy hate some people have for Chrono Cross. They made it seem like Cross ruined Trigger, but as I play Trigger, Cross seems like a perfectly competent and worthy sequel. Both games seem great. Just not super closely connected.
I loved IX. They followed his lead after X including his standard. It'd be ignorant to say that they didn't.
Rahxephon91
Banned
Would it? What lead did they follow? He didn't work on XII or even XIV. He probably has little to do with XIII and even less to do with XIII-2. He makes his KH games, which were a great new franchisee for Square that was pretty new for them. He's working on Versus, something that also looks to be quite new and unique for FF. They also put out other portable games that he has little to do with.
So what lead did they follow? What are his standards? Melodramatic storytelling? Yes FF never had that before him.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
People seem to think High Profile Character Designer = Overall Creative Control for the game.
Not exactly sure how controversial these are, but...
Bastion was mediocre in pretty much every way.
Besides graphics, Dark Souls is better than Skyrim in every way.
Halo 2 was the best in the series.
Call of Duty is still a fantastic series.
It's rather rude how Valve has treated their fans in regards to Episode 3, and I'm surprised they still have so many die-hard fans. They make quality games, but it's just ridiculous how little they've said about Episode 3 when you consider they know how much are clamoring for just a little bit of info or an update about it.
Also, this isn't exactly in line with the rest of the posts, but I cannot fully enjoy a motion-controlled game. Skyward Sword has never really "clicked" for me, and motion controls always feel shoe-horned in. There's never been a game for me where they feel natural. I just feel like most games with motion controls would be better without them, and are generally held back by them. Even when critics praise the integration, I just can't get past it.
Bastion was mediocre in pretty much every way.
Besides graphics, Dark Souls is better than Skyrim in every way.
Halo 2 was the best in the series.
Call of Duty is still a fantastic series.
It's rather rude how Valve has treated their fans in regards to Episode 3, and I'm surprised they still have so many die-hard fans. They make quality games, but it's just ridiculous how little they've said about Episode 3 when you consider they know how much are clamoring for just a little bit of info or an update about it.
Also, this isn't exactly in line with the rest of the posts, but I cannot fully enjoy a motion-controlled game. Skyward Sword has never really "clicked" for me, and motion controls always feel shoe-horned in. There's never been a game for me where they feel natural. I just feel like most games with motion controls would be better without them, and are generally held back by them. Even when critics praise the integration, I just can't get past it.
BluePigGanon
Member
Maybe. One thing I will say: The Arbiter is about 10,000 times more interesting than Master Chief.
He turned a series known for its creative liberties into one focused solely on milking a series for what it was worth. Look at Kingdom Hearts. Under his eye, there have been two main games and 7 spin-offs (!!). Now, obviously I can't say anything about DDD, but only Birth By Sleep had any sort of positive reception and even then, we're talking lukewarm at best. He also helped with all of those Final Fantasy VII spin-offs that in my opinion they were far better off not doing. Being the lead character designer in several of Square-Enix's games is definitely proof that he had a large presence on any games that Square made regardless of who was actually the producer or director behind it. By changing Cloud's design from its original look, for example, other artists had to adjust their style to his to keep it familiar to fans of the franchise. It's just as simple as that.
That Square-Enix is made up of far more artists than actual technical game designers is proof of that. When Sakaguchi left, the vacuum was palpable.
Rahxephon91
Banned
Under his eye. So your telling me that Nomura is the one deciding and green lighting games at SE? That he's the one that decides everything? That it's all his fault that these games were made? No no it couldn't be Yochi Wada, the one who talked about wanting to focus on making spin-off games. No it was Nomura.
I don't have enough eyes to roll.
And yes, when an artist changes a character design, it makes sense for other renditions to fall in line. What does this prove? That Nomura should go to hell for redesigning his own characters and having other designers fall in line?
Shit, I guess we should blame Jim Lee for the 90's X-Men.
He was the director and producer of all the Kingdom Hearts games. I don't know what part of that wouldn't make it be under his eye.
EDIT: Just to be clear, he has built up such a reputation from being the creative lead in many games at Square-Enix that I'm sure that whatever game he brought to the head honchos at Square-Enix, they would greenlight it in a second. I mean, they even took a chance on The World Ends With You, one of their first original games in many, many years. That's the power of Tetsuya Nomura.
Rahxephon91
Banned
Correctomundo
Member
I don't know, man. I'm not a fan of Goldeneye by any stretch, but Halo is kinda neat. Call of Duty can live or die and I really don't care.
You'll have to try harder to be controversial.
I wholeheartedly agree. He should regress back to field designer where his work remains inoffensive.
You're doing alright. Let's be frien...
Uh. Oh. Oh, this will not do. Sorry. There's just no way on this or any other planet that any of the bazillions of characters in Cross were as well developed as the Trigger cast.
Back to the pits with you!
Rahxephon91 said:
That all decisions made about Kingdom Hearts had to go through him, and he led the creation of several sequels in such a tiny amount of time that were mostly garbage? I thought it was pretty clear.
Cmon, Guile was so well developed! He was great as the... mystery dude... hanging around in the... alright, bad example. I think I meant to say the story had a bigger impact on me than Chrono Trigger's did, not so much the characters themselves (although the dynamic of Serge, Lynx and Kid was amazing). Yes, the adventure, not the cast. lol
Rahxephon91
Banned
Yes. KH is his franchise, I'm sure he wants to be a part of it's installments. I don't know if they are bad, I don't care. I don't like KH. But I very much doubt it's all up to him. But you seem to be an expert here, so maybe you are right about the business decisions of Sqaure. Maybe Nomura has more power then the their CEO. I mean he must have more leverage right? I guess he also is behind all the spin-off's in DQ and FF? It's not quite possible that just like the idea behind making tons of spin-offs in DQ and FF, KH was also part of the plan. The plan put forward by their CEO and other top brass? Sure.
But this doesn't really answer how he's ruined FF. I mean you ignore the fact that after VII and VIII they made IX and then claim that it was after X were they followed his lead, even though after IX they had XI and XIII. Two games where he had little to no input. Then they made XIII where he designed pretty much the characters and did'nt have that much input and then they did XIII-2 where he had even less. Then there's XIV where he has none. I mean it couldn't be the producers, writers and others who "ruined" FF by making them put teen angst and stuff in it. It's Nomura. I guess he was behind putting Vann in XII as well.
I'm still trying to figure out what following his lead and standards means. Unless you are implying that it is his lead and standards to milk games? Which if so....
So the power of Tetsuya Nomura is to get new and exciting IPS like KH and TWEY and he's ruining Square you say?
SlipperySlope
Banned
I don't care for Super Mario Brothers 3. At all.
Really needed a save feature. The lack of one destroyed any enjoyment out of the game for me.
Really needed a save feature. The lack of one destroyed any enjoyment out of the game for me.
lol, things are starting to get a little pretentious here...
I never brought up Dragon Quest. In fact, most of the Dragon Quest games lately weren't even developed by Square Enix, but rather companies like Level-5 who are masters of their craft and do the genre good. And even then, there have been what, only a few spin-offs made, and most of them successful? I don't really think you can point to that series and say that they're in any trouble. In fact, Dragon Quest VIII and IX are very highly regarded - too bad they weren't made by Square. But that's besides the point.
I think you are forgetting a very important event that made me bring up the turn of direction after FFX, and that was the companies merging together. It was shortly after X that Sakaguchi left after all, and Nomura took a creative lead position for the company. He now plays a key role in the First Production Department, the same division that worked on Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy XIII including all of their spin-offs. Despite how one feels about XIV and even though it was a colossal failure (at the time), I think it would be ridiculous to say that Final Fantasy XIII didn't polarize a lot of fans. Final Fantasy XI came out before Nomura had any sort of profound position in the company, and was actually pretty successful for the company - why else would they still be putting out expansion DLC this many years after its release? But that was once again a different division that Nomura isn't a part of.
In the modern generation of consoles, I think it'd be ridiculous to say that Square-Enix is as strong as they were 10 years ago. I mean, the year Final Fantasy XIII was released, they hit their lowest stock price since the two companies merged. Has Tetsuya Nomura been doing anything to turn that around? No. I think he contributed to it as a key example for why the company focused far more on things like creative design first instead of technical design. And the sad thing is, fans keep holding out hope for Versus XIII as if it was some last bastion of hope, and I guess for many former big time fans such as myself, it kind of is. Too bad long development cycle =/= a quality game (looks at XIII). I guess you can say it is a problem with the company as a whole that they're focusing more on releasing reactionary content like that stupid Lightning DLC for XIII-2 when fans complained rather than reinventing the series again like they used to (what did they expect when X-2 soured many fans as well), but I like to think that firing Nomura would be a great way to make him an example that Square-Enix wants to turn things around. Something tells me a lot of people are already far too annoyed by the amount of Kingdom Hearts games on the market that not even Kingdom Hearts III would make them happy.
Oh, and Square-Enix stuck a fork in TWEWY after poor sales, so that whole project didn't amount to much. Doesn't mean they didn't hold Nomura back.