What Are Your Unpopular Gaming Opinions? (Ver. 2)

[Lenidem]

I wish people would set expectations higher for tears of the kingdom’s story...

Spoiler

Sure some parts are powerful but characters are still really one note and one dimensional and most of the story is complete garbage that feels like a placeholder. You can’t look at me with a straight face and tell me “gorons eat bad rocks!!” is an engaging plot. Shoutout to the cutscenes with the sages that are basically repeated four times, providing nothing original between them since it might be your first time watching them. I repeat they exposition dump the same thing four times because it might be your first time watching them. I know this is harsh but totk is clearly trying to have a good story and considering the amount of hype nintendo put into this product I find it appropriate to have very high expectations for it. I can still enjoy the story (so can you lol) but I don’t think it deserves all the praise it’s getting.

Wait, there are people who praise Tears of the Kingdom's story? I love this game despite its flaws, but damn, the story is awful.

 

[Quillion]

Frankly, I really, really love TotK, but it feels like it didn't leave as much impact as the sequel to BotW should have.

I mean that it's better than BotW, but for being a sequel with a six-year gap, it seems to have came and went rather than made an impact.

Wait, there are people who praise Tears of the Kingdom's story? I love this game despite its flaws, but damn, the story is awful.

The story is good IMO, just told awkwardly.

 

[fogbadge]

Frankly, I really, really love TotK, but it feels like it didn't leave as much impact as the sequel to BotW should have.

I mean that it's better than BotW, but for being a sequel with a six-year gap, it seems to have came and went rather than made an impact.



The story is good IMO, just told awkwardly.

do remember that the first of those 6 years was spent making the botw dlc and several of the others were spent in quarantine

 

[Quillion]

do remember that the first of those 6 years was spent making the botw dlc and several of the others were spent in quarantine

That's true. Perhaps the issue is that the 2022-2023 era is the "emergence out of quarantine" era and we're being flooded with everything that had to be held back or delayed until then.

Still though, the Sky is barely better than the anemic one Skyward Sword offered, and while I don't fully agree, I've seen a lot of people complain about the Depths being repetitive.

Maybe gamers are just asking too much nowadays, which is another opinion I have.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

The story is good IMO, just told awkwardly.

I think it’s still fair for people to call some sections bad, but I absolutely agree. An example would be Zelda’s transformation into a dragon. It’s an extremely emotionally powerful moment when you do get the master sword but the cutscenes where you find this out are very awkward since they’re out of order and have to make sense on their own. Like they repeat “to become an immortal dragon is to lose yourself” or whatever it was so much that if I hear it again I’ll want to punch someone. That makes the moment where you do get the master sword a lot weaker than it could have been IMO which is unfortunate because it could have been so much better.

 

[Quillion]

I think it’s still fair for people to call some sections bad, but I absolutely agree. An example would be Zelda’s transformation into a dragon. It’s an extremely emotionally powerful moment when you do get the master sword but the cutscenes where you find this out are very awkward since they’re out of order and have to make sense on their own. Like they repeat “to become an immortal dragon is to lose yourself” or whatever it was so much that if I hear it again I’ll want to punch someone. That makes the moment where you do get the master sword a lot weaker than it could have been IMO which is unfortunate because it could have been so much better.

IIRC, they only repeated Mineru's statement in the last geoglyph (the sword one). I still mostly agree, since I think the last geoglyph should've just been merged with the final tear, since because the sword geoglyph has so many flashbacks, it feels redundant.

Also, I agree with everyone saying there should've been some acknowledgement of Link completing the geoglyph story with the leaders at least. Failing that, at least have Impa tell Link: "We must keep this [Zelda's draconification] a secret to everybody!" (see what I did there?)

 

[Rizen]

The problem with Tears of the Kingdom's story isn't that it's a bad story on it's own, it's that it's a grossly overused one throughout the Zelda series.

Spoiler

First off Ganon was the villain in the last game then somehow there's a different Ganon and they're acting like the last game never happened. This is never explained. Ganon is a terrible bad guy. He's completely two dimensional and grossly repetitive. They also wanted to make the game kid friendly so Ganon comes of as not being scary but just kind of watered down.
Second, how many times have we heard the story Ganon was defeated in the past but he's coming back so we have to awaken the sages to fight him? That's been going on since ALttP. You always have to find the master sword to beat Ganon. Same goals over and over. Nintendo has policies that prevent them from having original characters and stories and it's holding their games back. Series like Zelda and Mario are in desperate need of fresh villains. Granted there is a twist with Zelda becoming a dragon but it's not enough.
Third, the voice acting is really half-***ed. Zelda's voice actor wasn't very good in BotW and hasn't gotten much better. All of it feels unemotional and weak. Then it's only in cutscenes. All the other voices are grunts accompanying text. It's 2023 Nintendo, games should be fully voice acted now.

The best Zelda games were ones with fresh villains like Majora's Mask. They brought new feeling into the games. Even if Ganon's the bigger bad guy, having another main bad guy like Zant can really bring a fresh perspective. Overusing the same villains and story is one of several things that makes Tears of the Kingdom a great game but not a perfect 10/10 game.

 

[Quillion]

Spoiler

First off Ganon was the villain in the last game then somehow there's a different Ganon and they're acting like the last game never happened. This is never explained. Ganon is a terrible bad guy. He's completely two dimensional and grossly repetitive. They also wanted to make the game kid friendly so Ganon comes of as not being scary but just kind of watered down.

I see where you're coming from, but this is a video game, not a TV series. They have to keep explicit connections to BotW to a minimum just in case newcomers start with TotK.

Spoiler

Second, how many times have we heard the story Ganon was defeated in the past but he's coming back so we have to awaken the sages to fight him? That's been going on since ALttP. You always have to find the master sword to beat Ganon. Same goals over and over. Nintendo has policies that prevent them from having original characters and stories and it's holding their games back. Series like Zelda and Mario are in desperate need of fresh villains. Granted there is a twist with Zelda becoming a dragon but it's not enough.

Literally just twice. Seriously: just ALttP and WW. It's fine if you don't like Ganon being used over and over, but do your research on this before you make overly specific claims.

The best Zelda games were ones with fresh villains like Majora's Mask. They brought new feeling into the games. Even if Ganon's the bigger bad guy, having another main bad guy like Zant can really bring a fresh perspective. Overusing the same villains and story is one of several things that makes Tears of the Kingdom a great game but not a perfect 10/10 game.

This ain't Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest though. Zelda is a series where we follow the incarnations of Link and Zelda throughout history, so it follows logically that they should fight the incarnations of one villain.

There are definitely real problems with long-running fictional timelines like Zelda, DC, Marvel, Kingdom Hearts, Star Wars, etc. since they inevitably degenerate into undoing plot progression just to retread the same plots over again, but that's just how it is.

I really wish BotW was a hard(er) reboot though, so it and TotK wouldn't have to be tied awkwardly to the other games.

 

[Lenidem]

I agree and disagree with some of you.

Spoiler

- There is almost no connexion between TotK and BotW's stories. That's crazy. I understand that they want to appeal to people who haven't played the first game, but the two games are available on the same console: so if you want to start a series by book or episode two, that's on you. And the result is uncanny. On the one hand, all the important characters remember Link, on the other, some introduce themselves like they meet for the first time. Nobody mentions the giant zords that the four tribes used to have. The Sheikah Slate is not Sheikah anymore, but at the same time it's the same, but at the same time it's not. All this ruins the immersion.

- This is a reboot of the Zelda timeline, but at the same time it isn't, but at the same time it is... When I Ganondorf mentioned Rauru in the opening scene, I was thrilled, because I remembered the allusions to Ruto and Nabooru in BotW and thought that they were going all-in with respecting the timeline. But nope, not all. This Ganondorf seems to have been fought once and only once, at the fondation of Hyrule. Again, immersion ruined.

- Link wakes up on a high place called "Prelude", finds a slate, meets the ghost of the king of Hyrule who introduce him to ancient powerful habilities... This is some Force Awakens level of reharshing the exact same plot of a previous episode.

- You have to listen four times the exact same story, being told in the exact same way! That's boring and, again, ruins the immersion.

- The reveal of Zelda becoming a dragon is spoiled very early on. I understood that as soon as I took a picture of the white dragon, the compendium description basically tells it to you. Then I finished the Dragon's Tears quest before entering the desert, so the discussion between Link and Riju's chief captain should have gone like this:

"So, what brings you to the Gerudo City? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing special... Oh, yes, I forgot: Zelda!!"
"She disappeared? You're looking for her?"
"Nah, I know where she is. She's flying around in the sky, seems to be fine. We should find a way to make her human again at some point, I guess, but she's been like that for tens of thousands of years more or less, so there is no hurry."

Same when Purah seems to have spotted Zelda in the castle. Link should tell her about the memories he witnessed. But no. And even if he wants to keep it a secret for some untold reason, the player knows the truth and has no reason to feel excited.

- All this time-travel shenanigan make a very weak story, whith the usual "meanwhile, in the past" nonsense. Like, why do the geoglyph only appear now if they are supposed to have been made by the white dragon so long ago?

And I haven't even finished the game yet. The story is so unappealing that I have no desire to know how it ends, I prefer exploring the caves and killing monsters.

 

[Quillion]

NGL, I think Zelda should go full-on into this disconnected storytelling approach. Maybe not do the memory thing again, but have each region beset by a completely independent antagonist from the others.

Multiple independent villains would be a great new approach for the series.

 

[Lenidem]

NGL, I think Zelda should go full-on into this disconnected storytelling approach. Maybe not do the memory thing again, but have each region beset by a completely independent antagonist from the others.

Multiple independent villains would be a great new approach for the series.

Why not, but there should be something to unify those bad guys so that when you arrive at the end of the game, it doesn't just feel like the end of the last segment among others. Like they team up for the last fight or something.

The story is good IMO, just told awkwardly.

To go back to your previous statement, I really don't see how this story can be considered "good". Zelda sacrifices herself, yes, and... that's it. Ganondorf is not interesting. Rauru, his wife and his sister have no personality. The previous sages have no personality either. Nothing interesting happens. Say what you want about BotW's story, but at least, we could see the Champion's personnality, how they interacted with Link and Zelda, and the turmoils and the evolution of Zelda herself. Here, there is none of that.

 

[Perkilator]

I’m sure nobody else cares that much, but Chapters 4 and 5 of Project X Zone 1 should’ve been the same chapter since they take place on the same map.

 

[Quillion]

Why not, but there should be something to unify those bad guys so that when you arrive at the end of the game, it doesn't just feel like the end of the last segment among others. Like they team up for the last fight or something.

They're all mindless undead corpses controlled by the big bad, who in this case just happens to be the most powerful villain rather than the one behind everything.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

We should have more retrospectives and general essays looking at gaming history from the European and specifically UK perspective. There's such an interesting unique history there that gets overshadowed by the US and Japan viewpoints at times, and the whole region deserves to have its story told. Sega especially has a very distinct presence with the Master System and Mega Drive, both of which had a popularity that endures to many fans even now. I think in some fashion the likes of 8/16 bit Sonic was more beloved even there than in North America; a fandom history that I'd love to hear more about.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

We should have more retrospectives and general essays looking at gaming history from the European and specifically UK perspective. There's such an interesting unique history there that gets overshadowed by the US and Japan viewpoints at times, and the whole region deserves to have its story told. Sega especially has a very distinct presence with the Master System and Mega Drive, both of which had a popularity that endures to many fans even now. I think in some fashion the likes of 8/16 bit Sonic was more beloved even there than in North America; a fandom history that I'd love to hear more about.

Can confirm, older British people absolutely adore Sega, Mega Drive, Master System, and (classic) Sonic in particular. I think the fact that hedgehogs are common in the UK gave him a lot of appeal, his attitude wasn't really that divisive over here because British cartoon characters have always been a bit on the edgier side (the also mono-eyed Dennis the Menace being the obvious example), and Sega already had a foothold.

Just gonna go on a few tangents about how certain games are perceived over here, mostly going off of anicdotal stuff so don't take it as fact.

Spoiler

Alex Kidd is absolutely huge here too, whenever I discuss gaming with adults, without fail Alex Kidd will come up at some point, even if they grew up some time later - though everyone is adamant that his name is "Alex the Kid", heh.

Crash Bandicoot is big over here too. If I had to speculate, it's because Crash games are big on precision platforming, a lot like old microcomputer platformers. (Manic Miner, Monty Mole, e.t.c.)

Bubble Bobble is quite popular, the fact it had really good ports for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 is probably the reason for that.

Despite their games being very British in nature, Post-UPTG Pre-SOT Rare isn't really a big thing over here, very much limited to the Nintendo circles like elsewhere and not a point of national pride. People know GoldenEye and DKC, but few know that they're British games. Tomb Raider is very popular, but not many people know that it was made in Britain, even if Lara herself being British is quite obvious. I guess that since Lara represents that sort of aristocratic stereotype it'd be easy to assume that she was made by foreigners with no knowledge of actual British culture. If any game is a source of British pride, it's Jet Set Willy.

In more recent history, Professor Layton was very popular in the UK, but most players only cared for the puzzles and not the story. I have vague memories of Rhythm Heaven being popular, but my memory could be lying to me there. DS was a huge deal over here, and the Touch Generations stuff especially took off.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Can confirm, older British people absolutely adore Sega, Mega Drive, Master System, and (classic) Sonic in particular. I think the fact that hedgehogs are common in the UK gave him a lot of appeal, his attitude wasn't really that divisive over here because British cartoon characters have always been a bit on the edgier side (the also mono-eyed Dennis the Menace being the obvious example), and Sega already had a foothold.

Just gonna go on a few tangents about how certain games are perceived over here, mostly going off of anicdotal stuff so don't take it as fact.

Spoiler

Alex Kidd is absolutely huge here too, whenever I discuss gaming with adults, without fail Alex Kidd will come up at some point, even if they grew up some time later - though everyone is adamant that his name is "Alex the Kid", heh.

Crash Bandicoot is big over here too. If I had to speculate, it's because Crash games are big on precision platforming, a lot like old microcomputer platformers. (Manic Miner, Monty Mole, e.t.c.)

Bubble Bobble is quite popular, the fact it had really good ports for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 is probably the reason for that.

Despite their games being very British in nature, Post-UPTG Pre-SOT Rare isn't really a big thing over here, very much limited to the Nintendo circles like elsewhere and not a point of national pride. People know GoldenEye and DKC, but few know that they're British games. Tomb Raider is very popular, but not many people know that it was made in Britain, even if Lara herself being British is quite obvious. I guess that since Lara represents that sort of aristocratic stereotype it'd be easy to assume that she was made by foreigners with no knowledge of actual British culture. If any game is a source of British pride, it's Jet Set Willy.

In more recent history, Professor Layton was very popular in the UK, but most players only cared for the puzzles and not the story. I have vague memories of Rhythm Heaven being popular, but my memory could be lying to me there. DS was a huge deal over here, and the Touch Generations stuff especially took off.

On top of that its fascinating in general how Nintendo isn't quite embedded within UK gaming culture like it is in America or Japan. It feels like every console generation had a system that typically did better than what Nintendo offered (Master System & Microcomputers in the 3rd, Genesis the 4th, Playstation the 5th, etc) and while stuff like the Wii and Switch have seemingly gained ground there, the resulting popular culture sphere is one with much less general reverence and easy familiarity with the Big N overall. Its not the point of dislike, but a lot of the widely held beliefs about Nintendo titles and the company's revolutions I've noticed tend to be challenged by UK fans that point out other games/systems that were doing the same thing before or some times even better.

Its the gaming equivalent to a region that didn't really grow up with Disney films and thus tends to view their animated movies with far less nostalgia and far more direct comparison to other productions.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

On top of that its fascinating in general how Nintendo isn't quite embedded within UK gaming culture like it is in America or Japan. It feels like every console generation had a system that typically did better than what Nintendo offered (Master System & Microcomputers in the 3rd, Genesis the 4th, Playstation the 5th, etc) and while stuff like the Wii and Switch have seemingly gained ground there, the resulting popular culture sphere is one with much less general reverence and easy familiarity with the Big N overall. Its not the point of dislike, but a lot of the widely held beliefs about Nintendo titles and the company's revolutions I've noticed tend to be challenged by UK fans that point out other games/systems that were doing the same thing before or some times even better.

Its the gaming equivalent to a region that didn't really grow up with Disney films and thus tends to view their animated movies with far less nostalgia and far more direct comparison to other productions.

Nintendo games are still beloved and ubiquitous over here, and many people have nostalgic memories of Mario and such, but the only time Nintendo was truly dominant over here to my knowledge (outside of the handheld market obviously) was the Wii... well, the Wii dominated over the PS3 and XB360. It was neck-at-neck with the dying PS2, which was enormous over here. I don't know how long the PS2 lasted in the US, but god it had some willpower over here. I remember seeing big displays of PS2 games in stores into the 2010s, dwarfing over the PS3 displays ten times over. PS2 and Wii shelves at CEX (second-hand high street game shop) are still huge to this day. I've heard that the Game Boy was quite popular over here, and while the SNES lost out to the Mega Drive it still had a big following. This is factual and not anecdotal, but the NES did find an audience, but it took a while. That being said, yes, your point does stand, Nintendo are not seen the same way over here as they are in the US. The idea of Nintendo secretly being shady isn't something people find shocking, (I've heard anecdotes that that was popular opinion over here in the 90s as well, which would not surprise me) and generally younger people hold Nintendo in a higher regard. I don't believe the Play it Loud campaign was ever enacted here, (Nintendo's marketing push at that point involved stand-up comedian Rik Mayall) so a lot of people simply say they outgrew Nintendo's IPs.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

We should have more retrospectives and general essays looking at gaming history from the European and specifically UK perspective. There's such an interesting unique history there that gets overshadowed by the US and Japan viewpoints at times, and the whole region deserves to have its story told. Sega especially has a very distinct presence with the Master System and Mega Drive, both of which had a popularity that endures to many fans even now. I think in some fashion the likes of 8/16 bit Sonic was more beloved even there than in North America; a fandom history that I'd love to hear more about.

I’ve been on a bit of a kick learning about British computer games lately and for someone who’s entire knowledge of video games had basically come from America-centric perspectives, it kinda feels like a whole alternate universe, for lack of a better term. There’s a massive wealth of information and history that people kinda dismiss, consciously or not, because it’s seen as obscure and unimportant.

 

[fogbadge]

I’ve been on a bit of a kick learning about British computer games lately and for someone who’s entire knowledge of video games had basically come from America-centric perspectives, it kinda feels like a whole alternate universe, for lack of a better term. There’s a massive wealth of information and history that people kinda dismiss, consciously or not, because it’s seen as obscure and unimportant.

ironic considering we’ve made some very famous video game series

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

ironic considering we’ve made some very famous video game series

I can guarantee like 90% of people in the us and canada would be shocked if you told them gta was made in the uk

 

[fogbadge]

I can guarantee like 90% of people in the us and canada would be shocked if you told them gta was made in the uk

i know I was and I live and bus trip or two away from rockstar north

 

[Perkilator]

I can guarantee like 90% of people in the us and canada would be shocked if you told them gta was made in the uk

...Well consider your point proven cause that fact certainly shocked me.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

While I understand their bread and butter is Guilty Gear, god I wish Arc System Works did other 2D genres more frequently. Hard Corps: Uprising still looks fantastic and seeing ASW use their incredible (non retro style) 2DF art on a platformer or Metroidvania would be a dream.

 

[ZagarTulip]

Star Wars the Old Republic is the worst MMO that I've ever played

 

[Oracle Link]

I do think someone who only played Botw or TOTK and refuses to gpo vback Shouldnt be considerd a normal Zelda Fan
Maybe A Person who played both those games or a zelda fan lite or something like that!
Because lets be honest Zelda BOTW is like a pretty mainstream game!

 

[fogbadge]

I do think someone who only played Botw or TOTK and refuses to gpo vback Shouldnt be considerd a normal Zelda Fan
Maybe A Person who played both those games or a zelda fan lite or something like that!
Because lets be honest Zelda BOTW is like a pretty mainstream game!

now is that anyway to treat your fellow fans?

 

[Oracle Link]

now is that anyway to treat your fellow fans?

Im not saying people who only played the 2 new games are bad or anything but i mean if you dont go back afterwards you are a diffrent kind of fan than someone who played more of the zelda series as i said a Zelda fan Lite I mean if someone only watches the Finale of a tv Show you wouldnt really call them a fan now would you?
And as soon as that person goes back and plays like circa 3 zeldas i acknoledge them as a full fan!

 

[fogbadge]

Im not saying people who only played the 2 new games are bad or anything but i mean if you dont go back afterwards you are a diffrent kind of fan than someone who played more of the zelda series as i said a Zelda fan Lite I mean if someone only watches the Finale of a tv Show you wouldnt really call them a fan now would you?
And as soon as that person goes back and plays like circa 3 zeldas i acknoledge them as a full fan!

why should it be up to you to decide

 

[Rizen]

I'm not saying Pikmin 4 is a bad game but for me it looks awful. Caves look boring and repetitive and dandori just looks tedious. It's not my kind of game at all. On a positive note, they did a good job of making Oatchi cute.

 

[Oracle Link]

HIM:

Hes PEAK 2d Zelda Link his simple face and small proportions make him perfect for top down graphics
Here is an example of terrible top down art direction:

You cant even see links face eventho everthing is tilted! I mean the model is fine but the artdirection/ execution of this game was bad!
Heres a shot from la Remake:

Here you see links face, Belt nothing was tilted awkwardly!

 

[Quillion]

I'm not sure how sincere or ironic people are being about wanting "shorter games with worse graphics", but if it is sincere, the idea is hipster BS.

I kinda agree, but only to a very slight extent given that "long games with good graphics" are leading to crunch for the employees that make games plus the plague of "sell now, fix later" live-service.

But when it comes to needing "shorter games", **** that. I despise this idea that quality and quantity are opposing forces. What "long games" REALLY need is to present themselves in such a way that they are as short or long as the players want them to be. Just make the main story short while saving the "repetitive content" for challenging optional stuff for the players who want it.

As for "worse graphics", there definitely needs to be a proliferation of more stylized art styles, but they should still do it with the level of detail that "realistic" games often have nowadays. Yes, do it like Wild Saga Zelda or Dragon Quest 11; don't do it like Pokémon Legends Arceus or ScVi.

 

[Ze Diglett]

I'm not sure how sincere or ironic people are being about wanting "shorter games with worse graphics", but if it is sincere, the idea is hipster BS.

I kinda agree, but only to a very slight extent given that "long games with good graphics" are leading to crunch for the employees that make games plus the plague of "sell now, fix later" live-service.

But when it comes to needing "shorter games", **** that. I despise this idea that quality and quantity are opposing forces. What "long games" REALLY need is to present themselves in such a way that they are as short or long as the players want them to be. Just make the main story short while saving the "repetitive content" for challenging optional stuff for the players who want it.

As for "worse graphics", there definitely needs to be a proliferation of more stylized art styles, but they should still do it with the level of detail that "realistic" games often have nowadays. Yes, do it like Wild Saga Zelda or Dragon Quest 11; don't do it like Pokémon Legends Arceus or ScVi.

I'm a proponent of the idea that less can absolutely be more when it comes to not only games, but any art form. A great game, in my view, is one that gives me just enough of everything I wanted out of it without feeling padded or drawn-out. I don't think length is intrinsically valuable as some of my favorite games have been 30-hour romps that stand proudly next to the 100-hour odysseys. While I wouldn't say I want shorter games on principle, it's a take I certainly understand in an age where every other AAA release is some bloated, buggy mess and dev crunch is rampant.
The "worse graphics" part I'm wholly neutral on. Visuals usually don't contribute to or take away from my enjoyment of a game much, even if I can appreciate a game with stellar art direction. A lot of my favorite-looking games I played this year are still pixel-based (Sea of Stars and Pizza Tower come to mind), so I dunno if I agree that every game should strive for a particular degree of realism.

 

[Rizen]

On the subject of graphics, I think people give developers far too much leeway. It's 2023 FFS; games should look good. I see games come out looking like Pokémon Legends Arceus and think "it's a mess". That game looks awful and games like that from AAA developers should absolutely be scored lower due to terrible graphics. Smaller indie developers get more of a pass but big studios have no excuse for bad looking games.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

But when it comes to needing "shorter games", **** that. I despise this idea that quality and quantity are opposing forces. What "long games" REALLY need is to present themselves in such a way that they are as short or long as the players want them to be. Just make the main story short while saving the "repetitive content" for challenging optional stuff for the players who want it.

This may be controversial but I like it when open world games, or games that are explorable in general, have a smaller world and I think it's something to strive for. I'm obviously not saying the shorter the better but I do think a shorter explorable world can make a game more approachable, compact, and memorable and I was excited by games like Assassin's Creed Mirage and Like A Dragon Gaiden that deliberately scale back an open world series's formula while still providing some exploration.

However, I do think the "shorter games" slogan is mostly a thing because open world games are actively trying to become bigger and bigger and marketing themselves as being better because of the size, so this comes from a want for games to scale themselves back and put effort into other things rather than just the world's size. Also it could just be that many people feel they don't have as much time to play games and want games to be more easily digestible, I dunno, there are plenty of reasons someone might want a shorter game.

 

[Quillion]

I'm a proponent of the idea that less can absolutely be more when it comes to not only games, but any art form. A great game, in my view, is one that gives me just enough of everything I wanted out of it without feeling padded or drawn-out. I don't think length is intrinsically valuable as some of my favorite games have been 30-hour romps that stand proudly next to the 100-hour odysseys. While I wouldn't say I want shorter games on principle, it's a take I certainly understand in an age where every other AAA release is some bloated, buggy mess and dev crunch is rampant.

Length absolutely is a quality of its own. I'm sure the real debate is with how much developers prioritize length above actual engagement and letting the length flow from there, in turn proliferating the repetitive ****.

And even then, there's going to be a lot more value in a game with short "main content" and tons of optional stuff, repetitive as it might be, over a game where the short main content is all there is. The trick is that agency takes much of the edge off the repetition.

 

[Oracle Link]

Speaking of "worse Graphics" a new Toon Style 3d Zelda Would be pretty Neat!
With that im not saying to copy WW (Other than toon link and Zelda) but to change up a lot of the enemy designs to be closer to The Four Swords series/ Minish cap with a lot of other 2d Enemy Designs thrown into there!
Also a new Villain maybe another female one?

 

[Quillion]

We as a community also need to stop using the term "bad graphics" to refer to deliberately stylized graphics.

It's like certain gamers who love "unfair" difficulty when something like Dark Souls or Punch-Out is objectively good "hard but fair" difficulty.

 

[fogbadge]

We as a community also need to stop using the term "bad graphics" to refer to deliberately stylized graphics..

everyone knows the truly bad graphics are the realistic ones

 

[Perkilator]

I think Fire Emblem 6 should've been its own continuity and its own story, completely unrelated to Blazing Blade.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

If you look at it from an objective stand point, I think the Angry Birds movie was probably the best video game movie, or at least the best one I’ve seen.

I had a lot more fun with stuff like the Mario movie or Detective Pikachu but I think both of those movies and basically every video game movie I’ve seen have had significant flaws and plot was not their first priority. They felt like the first or second draft of a movie script to me. Those movies I mentioned probably wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable if they weren’t representing a brand so well. Angry Birds just feels like a silly kids movie and by default the best constructed and written one even if it wasn’t as enjoyable to me.