Your video game hot take(s) thread

[BrawlMan]

A couple quick ones:

- You can't complain about open world Ubisoft same old formula crap and also lament the lack of Immortals Fenyx sequel. That's a logical contradiction.

- You can't complain about overly busy UI that bully players into online shops and other noise and also have strong opinions about Starfield's simple menu. That's a logical contradiction.

- You can't complain that video games are too long and praise Baldur's Gate 3's humungous game length. That is a logical contradiction.

- You can't complain about the ever-increased emphasis on graphics and tech then turn around and crap on the Series S. That is a logical contradiction.

Obviously not you as in you guys on this forum, I just mean like general gamer discourse stuff out there in the wild, you know.

1. Actually, you can. Hear me out. I didn't care for Immortals, but I can see why people enjoyed it or preferred it over the recent assassin's Creed or Ubisoft titles. This game actually has some life and effort put into it. Yes, it's an open world game that's more breath of the wild in style, but that is more than likely why people enjoyed it. Also the combat was pretty decent from what I heard too. It being a new IP helped Garner interest from people sick and tired of the same Far Cry and Assassin's Creed over and over again. Not to mention, Ubisoft can more than afford a sequel. They just don't want to because they won't give them all the money in the world.
2. Once again, not interested in Starfield, but you have a point. While a simplistic menu, I will take that over overly busy UI that's goading me into fomo and buying crap immediately.
3. This is a case of your mileage may vary, & beauty is the eye of the beholder. I don't care for many long games myself, but if a game is long and good and evenly paced, then it's a non-issue. Everybody's different in this regard, so I can't be in favor of Baldur's Gate 3 or against it in this case. I can only assume the developers of this game know how to do a long game properly compared to the over stuffed games that come from the usual AAA titles. So as we discussed before, some of these games are not that long, and those mainly the game journalists crying because they "don't have enough time" to review all of them. When The simple solution is to either pace your schedule out or hire more people.
4. Actually, people can crap on the Series S. When Microsoft has been doing nothing but boasting about how this is next generation and you need to buy this at a near price of $500, then it's warranted. Especially when the games are barely running better or have their own issues. I know not all the games are like this, but certain major titles had issues at launch on either the X or S, or would perform poorly on the S. I know the Series S is cheaper, but you're still paying out a lot. Especially for a console that is digital only.

 

[MrCalavera]

A retelling with completely different plot, characters, and setting.

Also, I just came across this quote supposedly from an interview with the creators:

https://www.darkhorizons.com/coen-brothers-for-o-brother-where-art-thou/

On Wikipedia too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Brother,_Where_Art_Thou?#Production

I rest my case.

 

[Kyrian007]

I wanna start pushing back on this whole 2023 shaping up to be one of the greatest years in gaming history that I'm hearing.
What this year is about is there is a LOT of games. We are simply seeing the explosion of stuff that was delayed from Covid. So, yes, of course, there's a lot of good games. There's also a lot of bad games (Redfalls, Gollum, etc). A lot of meh games (Wo Long, Atomic Heart, Atlas Fallen) and a lot of in between and as-yet-to-be-determined consensus (FF16? Diablo 4?).

So... yeah, if after 2023 there is an explosion of D&D games overtaking other genres as top sellers or fighting games become go-to common experiences or Starfield becomes this generation's Mass Effect, then sure, I'll call 2023 one of The Greatest Years of All Time. But let's wait, shall we? We are in the middle of a post-Covid storm and any analysis and rankings of entire years should wait if it's to make any sense.

Going back to this for just a minute. I do agree, mostly because as old as I am (and feel most of the time) I've lived through some fairly excellent years for gaming. And this one is getting a lot of praise for another reason, we haven't had one of those really great ones for quite a while now.

For me it started kind of slow. I was doing a replay of Zelda from start to finish to build up to TotK. I had time, about all I had played otherwise was the sequel to Hard West and the sequel to Golf Story. I was basically killing time for the first few months of 2023, hardly a great start to what might be the best gaming year for a while. But TotK made up for a lot. I really took my time with it. Basically dilly dallying around and doing everything I could before finally beating it. Its a weird one. The open is garbage; the early, mid, and late game is sublime; and the ending is a fairly solid letdown compared to the rest.

And now I've got real 1st world problems. I'll be getting Baldur's Gate 3 at some point, and everyone is loving it. So I probably will too. But I'm getting Starfield, and expecting to get fairly lost in that for a while. And as if that wasn't enough, at some point in this same time frame we are also getting two more A1 time sinks for me as well. The Switch remaster of Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and the full release of My Time at Sandrock. My friends aren't going to see me for months. I genuinely like my job, but for months my co-workers will only be seeing someone who would rather be elsewhere. I'm already anticipating a tendonitis flare up at some point in the middle of all that as well. My reading and anime backlogs will only get longer. And as someone who is locking himself in and playing videogames all the time, I'm sure I'm making myself very appealing for potential romantic matches when inevitably my pals' wives try and set me up with friends or coworkers. Sometimes I suspect they have a bet going to see which one can get me married first.

So, 2023. Is a really good one, game wise that's for sure. But, there is bad to go with all that good. Not just bad and meh games, but consequences for all those good games.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Going back to this for just a minute. I do agree, mostly because as old as I am (and feel most of the time) I've lived through some fairly excellent years for gaming. And this one is getting a lot of praise for another reason, we haven't had one of those really great ones for quite a while now.

For me it started kind of slow. I was doing a replay of Zelda from start to finish to build up to TotK. I had time, about all I had played otherwise was the sequel to Hard West and the sequel to Golf Story. I was basically killing time for the first few months of 2023, hardly a great start to what might be the best gaming year for a while. But TotK made up for a lot. I really took my time with it. Basically dilly dallying around and doing everything I could before finally beating it. Its a weird one. The open is garbage; the early, mid, and late game is sublime; and the ending is a fairly solid letdown compared to the rest.

And now I've got real 1st world problems. I'll be getting Baldur's Gate 3 at some point, and everyone is loving it. So I probably will too. But I'm getting Starfield, and expecting to get fairly lost in that for a while. And as if that wasn't enough, at some point in this same time frame we are also getting two more A1 time sinks for me as well. The Switch remaster of Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and the full release of My Time at Sandrock. My friends aren't going to see me for months. I genuinely like my job, but for months my co-workers will only be seeing someone who would rather be elsewhere. I'm already anticipating a tendonitis flare up at some point in the middle of all that as well. My reading and anime backlogs will only get longer. And as someone who is locking himself in and playing videogames all the time, I'm sure I'm making myself very appealing for potential romantic matches when inevitably my pals' wives try and set me up with friends or coworkers. Sometimes I suspect they have a bet going to see which one can get me married first.

So, 2023. Is a really good one, game wise that's for sure. But, there is bad to go with all that good. Not just bad and meh games, but consequences for all those good games.

Interesting reply and I appreciate the careful consideration of one of my typical posts where I just mouth off about whatever mood I'm in at the moment (basically this is my video game twitter).

I'd like to offer a piece of unsolicited advice so you can skip this paragraph: the way you played TOTK, just taking your time and not being beholden to a FOMO schedule or pressure- that is the best way to play games. Don't feel you have to play all these games coming out. They'll be there in 2024 and 2025. The only people who have this problem are reviewers and content creators, not us. For example I would suggest waiting for Baldur's Gate 3 because there are reports of bugs. Now obviously Starfield might have a lot of bugs too (seems everybody is expecting it) but, you know, if you got other stuff to play like those Nintendo games you talkin' about, maybe those go first? I dunno, just a thought. You really don't want to be missing out on fun nights with nice women and friends because you're rolling fake dice in a video game, trust me.

Anyway, back to the original point- yeah, it's a great year for games [I say on the eve of release day of my most anticipated game of the year]. Even the DISCOURSE I make fun of- it's kind of an amusing circus. The reception to the Last of Us TV show, Microsoft bringing forth the ire of international regulatory agencies, the inevitable but still wild collision of table top and video game role playing, and of all the nostalgia in gaming we have the most insane nostalgia of all- politicians blaming video games for IRL violence. What a year.

In terms of my personal gaming, no year is actually "better" or "worse" as my tastes are so specific and games are so plentiful that I almost always have 1 and only1 game I want to play. But I will say this is the year I've bought the most new games on or shortly after release. I've been letting myself get swept up in hype for types of games I didn't before like fighting games (SF6), aRPG (Diablo 4), Final Fantasy (16), and now a cRPG (BG3). Whether it's the industry or me or both, it's just hella fun.

But I stand my original point merely to throw some cold water on the sequels and remakes and defend original ideas. The reason I was hoping so hard for Forspoken and Atlas Fallen to be good is they are new stories and characters and if they were actually good I would be celebrating them and vaulting them above all the currently beloved 2023 which are sequels and remakes. It's why I'm really hoping Starfield will be good even though I can't play it now (but will build another PC at some point probably). I just want to celebrate new stuff.

 

[BrawlMan]

But I stand my original point merely to throw some cold water on the sequels and remakes and defend original ideas. The reason I was hoping so hard for Forspoken and Atlas Fallen to be good is they are new stories and characters and if they were actually good I would be celebrating them and vaulting them above all the currently beloved 2023 which are sequels and remakes. It's why I'm really hoping Starfield will be good even though I can't play it now (but will build another PC at some point probably). I just want to celebrate new stuff

I'm all for defending original ideas and everything, but you don't need to throw cold water on sequels and remakes to do that. And there have been plenty of original ideas and stories that came out well this year. Maybe not so much in AAA space, but they're there in other areas. Forspoken could have been good, but it was held by people overhyping their mediocre product, and assuming they knew people would enjoy the main Duo automatically. I'm all for more black female leads, but the studio within Square did a poor job, got closed, and folded within the company itself.

Atlas Fallen we all pretty much predicted was just another version of Darksiders, but more open world. I know the game isn't bad, but it's another case of one of those games that are good in concept, but average or barely above average in gameplay. At least AF had a better reception than the last game in the paragraph I mentioned. Gamers and consumers are not against original ideas. The same applies to that dumb movie take certain YouTubers are spitting out about how no one wants to see original movies anymore, due to a bad summer of movies being overcrowded. Or use the stereotypical "I'm just asking questions or making theories" bullshit.

 

[thebobmaster]

Not mine, but certainly...someone's hot take.

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1694807135354278270?t=PwijY4oawYqVcBT-KLmBFQ&s=19

 

[Casual Shinji]

Not mine, but certainly...someone's hot take.

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1694807135354278270?t=PwijY4oawYqVcBT-KLmBFQ&s=19

I can kinda see where he's coming from.

Realistically rendered games have that wow effect to realism when for live-action movies this is just par the course. Even back in the PS2 era there was something so special about pre rendered cutscenes showing "realistic" characters, like Final Fantasy or Silent Hill. Sure, movies are great, but the fact that this was in a game made it so mesmerizing.

 

[BrawlMan]

Shit, I can't even remember the last time I talked about those games. I can't even remember why I stopped playing Astral Chain.

Last time you talked about it was back in 2021. I think you disliked it, because it got too repetitive with the detective and investigation gameplay mechanics. It's why I dropped it for similar reasons.

 

[Gordon_4]

Not mine, but certainly...someone's hot take.

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1694807135354278270?t=PwijY4oawYqVcBT-KLmBFQ&s=19

Its interesting that they chose the cover art for Call of Duty 4, released almost 20 years ago now so thanks for making me feel my age random asshole on the internet, and not the cover for the remake.

Also they're wrong.

 

[sXeth]

I'm all for defending original ideas and everything, but you don't need to throw cold water on thr sequels and remakes to do that. And there have been plenty of original ideas and stories that came out well this year. Maybe not so much in AAA space, but they're there in other areas. Forspoken could have been good, but it was held by people overhyping their mediocre product, and assuming they knew people would enjoy the main Duo automatically. I'm all for more black female leads, but the studio within Square did a poor job, got closed, and folded within the company itself.

Atlas Fallen we all pretty much predict it was just another version of Darksiders, but more open world. I know the game isn't bad, but it's another case of one of those games that are good and concept, but average or barely above average in gameplay. At least I had a better reception than the last game in the paragraph I mentioned. Gamers and consumers are against original ideas. The same applies to that dumb movie take certain YouTubers are spitting out about how no one wants to see original movies anymore, due to a bad summer of movies being overcrowded. Or use the stereotypical "I'm just asking questions or making theories" bullshit.

Well, original ideas maybe. Original IPs though? I may not like them, but Fortnite, Overwatch, Genshin Impact, and Dead by Daylight (to grab 4 obnoxiously popular things) are all original IPs in the last 5-ish years.

Hype (whether its the developer, the publisher, or the apparent fanbase) is definitely starting to become the albatross around the neck though. I remember Outriders basically got choked to death by people expecting it to be a "Destiny killer" on the superficial similarities (granted, when it actually came out there were some odd choices, to say the least, for something that was allegedly meant to be one and done with no endgame loop). Cyberpunk had its issues (especially with the ill advised choice to have it on last gen), but wasn't half as bad as the hype backlash ripped into it for. I fully expect whatever Larian does after BG3 is going to smack them in the face (especially if its not funded by a billion dollar toy company this time) because of the hype they've been put under now (hell, even whatever they do in terms of DLC or whatnot for the game is. Or well, even now we're starting to get people calling the game unfinished because the 3rd act apparently falls apart hard compared to the first one)

 

[BrawlMan]

Well, original ideas maybe. Original IPs though? I may not like them, but Fortnite, Overwatch, Genshin Impact, and Dead by Daylight (to grab 4 obnoxiously popular things) are all original IPs in the last 5-ish years.

Overwatch got worst, but even its original iteration had and has problems exploiting the fan base, relying on FOMO, and lootboxes at the time. Fortnite did a similar thing with exploiting FOMO and encouraging kids to bully each other for having default skins. GI is better than those two by comparison, but it has similar exploitative issues. I'll give Dead by Daylight for actually trying real hard and at least treating its fan base with respect and proper updates. I admit, I don't know too much with the game's history, but it still going on strong without much controversy. Note how I said, "Not so much in the AAA space" for good reason.

Hype (whether its the developer, the publisher, or the apparent fanbase) is definitely starting to become the albatross around the neck though. I remember Outriders basically got choked to death by people expecting it to be a "Destiny killer" on the superficial similarities (granted, when it actually came out there were some odd choices, to say the least, for something that was allegedly meant to be one and done with no endgame loop).

History repeats itself. Before that, it was the Halo/COD killers. Before that, it was the GTA killers. Before that, it was the Mortal Kombat killers. And during that same time, it was the Mario and Sonic killers. Most didn't go anywhere, forgotten about, or are stuck on the generation that came out on.

Cyberpunk had its issues (especially with the ill advised choice to have it on last gen), but wasn't half as bad as the hype backlash ripped into it for.

Debatable. Even though the game is now functional and I have a current gen console, I still have no interests in playing. That still doesn't change the fact the game was that buggy at a launch, and on PC, it varied wildly from person to person, but most people were encountering the exact same issues at the time. I'm not getting as well, because certain people (they're not longer around/didn't bother showing up here) gave me grief for it on the V1 Thread, when I head my suspicions about the production troubles and crunch. I was "ruining" their expectations or threw a biatch fit, because I wasn't interested in Cyberpunk, nor indoctrinated into the hype juice. Joke was and is on those fuckers.

I fully expect whatever Larian does after BG3 is going to smack them in the face (especially if its not funded by a billion dollar toy company this time) because of the hype they've been put under now (hell, even whatever they do in terms of DLC or whatnot for the game is. Or well, even now we're starting to get people calling the game unfinished because the 3rd act apparently falls apart hard compared to the first one)

We'll see how it goes. I do wish the best for Larian with BG3, and whatever else they have planned afterward.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Its interesting that they chose the cover art for Call of Duty 4, released almost 20 years ago now so thanks for making me feel my age random asshole on the internet, and not the cover for the remake.

Also they're wrong.

16 years. Rounding like that will get you in jail.

 

[Gordon_4]

16 years. Rounding like that will get you in jail.

Only if you do it so that the result favours you against the government. I'm allowed to do it to make a rando seem like an idiot.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Only if you do it so that the result favours you against the government. I'm allowed to do it to make a rando seem like an idiot.

That works, but I was thinking more along the lines of "she's almost 20, your honor!"

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Not mine, but certainly...someone's hot take.

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1694807135354278270?t=PwijY4oawYqVcBT-KLmBFQ&s=19

I mean, you could make the argument that Michael Bay's last Transformers film "looks better" than anything Orson Welles ever did, but saying that makes it qualitatively better would earn you a slap upside the head.

 

[Absent]

When it comes to GTA-likes, the only distinctive quality of GTA is the music selection (only surpassed by the Mafia series).

Although, this take did lead me to very high expectations and a strong disappointment when it came to GTA4.

 

[Dalisclock]

Interesting reply and I appreciate the careful consideration of one of my typical posts where I just mouth off about whatever mood I'm in at the moment (basically this is my video game twitter).

I'd like to offer a piece of unsolicited advice so you can skip this paragraph: the way you played TOTK, just taking your time and not being beholden to a FOMO schedule or pressure- that is the best way to play games. Don't feel you have to play all these games coming out. They'll be there in 2024 and 2025. The only people who have this problem are reviewers and content creators, not us. For example I would suggest waiting for Baldur's Gate 3 because there are reports of bugs. Now obviously Starfield might have a lot of bugs too (seems everybody is expecting it) but, you know, if you got other stuff to play like those Nintendo games you talkin' about, maybe those go first? I dunno, just a thought. You really don't want to be missing out on fun nights with nice women and friends because you're rolling fake dice in a video game, trust me.

I know you didn't address me but I'm gonna throw in that this hits hard for me as well because it feels like all these games I care about are dropping pratically right on top of each other.

For example:
-TOTK dropped a few months back and I still haven't tried it yet.
-BG3 turns out to be pretty good and I really liked DO:2
-Blasphemous 2 just dropped and I adored the Catho-masochism of the first one.
-Armored Core 6 is dropping soon/now.
-Sea of Stars will be out in a week.

And I'm still playing Pathfinder: WOTR and I'm on act 4 of 5 and got at least 20 or so more hours before I hit end credits on that, but I'm also starting to hit a wall on it because it's been 70+ hours of this. The FOMO is real right now and I'm just sitting here thinking "Man, all of these games look fucking amazing". I know I can never play every game and I even try to kick games off my list I know I'll probably never play for any number of reasons.

Sure, I know I'm not gonna play BG3 right now because I'm already playing another really long RPG so I can wait on that and TOTK can wait as well. However, games like Blasphemous or AC or even Sea of Stars are probably pretty brisk and not terribly long so it's harder not to look at those and think "Why not?"

Sorry, just ranting. Please proceed.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

When it comes to GTA-likes, the only distinctive quality of GTA is the music selection (only surpassed by the Mafia series).

Although, this take did lead me to very high expectations and a strong disappointment when it came to GTA4.

IIRC a lot of the rights to the music in that game expired a few years ago, so unless you’re playing the original release I'm not sure what was really left of it.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I know you didn't address me but I'm gonna throw in that this hits hard for me as well because it feels like all these games I care about are dropping pratically right on top of each other.

For example:
-TOTK dropped a few months back and I still haven't tried it yet.
-BG3 turns out to be pretty good and I really liked DO:2
-Blasphemous 2 just dropped and I adored the Catho-masochism of the first one.
-Armored Core 6 is dropping soon/now.
-Sea of Stars will be out in a week.

And I'm still playing Pathfinder: WOTR and I'm on act 4 of 5 and got at least 20 or so more hours before I hit end credits on that, but I'm also starting to hit a wall on it because it's been 70+ hours of this. The FOMO is real right now and I'm just sitting here thinking "Man, all of these games look fucking amazing". I know I can never play every game and I even try to kick games off my list I know I'll probably never play for any number of reasons.

Sure, I know I'm not gonna play BG3 right now because I'm already playing another really long RPG so I can wait on that and TOTK can wait as well. However, games like Blasphemous or AC or even Sea of Stars are probably pretty brisk and not terribly long so it's harder not to look at those and think "Why not?"

Sorry, just ranting. Please proceed.

You know what helps me avoid FOMO? Not giving a care about spoilers. Then you can still participate in conversations and news and memes and just enjoy what you like when you like on your own time.

I want us all to remember how we feel now when in a year or whenever the internet is gonna be all “there are no good games being made gaming is dead”

 

[BrawlMan]

I want us all to remember how we feel now when in a year or whenever the internet is gonna be all “there are no good games being made gaming is dead”

That's nothing new. People were banging that drum since 2011/mid 7th generation. As much as I hated the era of gritty cover shooters or trying to put real is brown/gunmetal grey in many things, there's plenty that made it past the generation, aged well, or have been ported to modern consoles and PC.

When it comes to GTA-likes, the only distinctive quality of GTA is the music selection (only surpassed by the Mafia series).

Although, this take did lead me to very high expectations and a strong disappointment when it came to GTA4.

The appeal of GTAIV was basically: "Hey, this game is trying to be The Wire!". Outside of that, it's the usual be an asshole and cause as much destruction as possible. Look at all the realism and dog shit coffee brown filter! They tried to make driving more "realistic" at the cost of fun. There were modders on the PC version that fixed the driving to be more like the PS2 games or Saints Row. Only for 2K/Rockstar to shut them down, because no fun allowed!

The expansions Lost and the Damned (It's Sons of Anarchy now!) and Ballad of Gay Tony are better, but I have no interests in returning to the franchise ever again. There are people still waiting on GTA VI. I told one guy at a GameStop, have fun with that, I'll be playing and more interested in other games.

IIRC a lot of the rights to the music in that game expired a few years ago, so unless you’re playing the original release I'm not sure what was really left of it.

2, III, Vice City, and San Andreas have the best soundtracks in the franchise.