Unpopular Opinions about Video Games

[Wesker]

I really never understood the absolute fellation for Kojima.

Like a lot of directors, even in film, even when their art starts to downslope they get carried purely on the nostalgia of the projects they did that were good. Snake Eater specifically has been carrying this guy way longer than it should have. That set the bar for genre and he's still receiving dividends from it.

When it's funny that MGSV gutted every fucking fun mechanic out MGS3 for such a soulless noninteractive experience.

 

[Wesker]

Yeah, and the wildlife doesn't even do much. You can't eat them. You can't pick up snakes and spiders and throw them at guards. And the big petting zoo you get is off on a different tanker, so is an extra loading screen to get to it.


MGS 2 did it the best. Was the AI smart? No. But it sold the illusion of tactical teamwork. You had light patrol guys walking around getting regular radio checks and if something goes wrong they lock down the zone and send a proper strike team to breach and clear every room. It was tense and even though it's probably simple under the hood, it made me believe that I was dealing with a professional military organization. The other games never did the division of guard types again. For every other game, whenever you're caught, they just call for more of the same goons instead of calling in the cavalry to wreck your shit.


The Huey thing doesn't bug me and the sniper wolf thing is a stretch (I think it's just a fun Easter egg).

But shoehorning liquid and mantis in was annoying. The big thing about the game was BB dealing with the fallout of PW and GZ, but it focuses on MGS 1 characters just hanging out, not doing anything. I liked Skullface as a character and I would have scrapped Liquid, Mantis, and man on fire in favor of him working with a vengeful Amanda who is pissed at BB for getting Chico killed, so it wraps around back to PW and better fits with the themes of revenge.


We already had the nostalgia bait game with MGS4 and I rather liked the ending and send off that game gave to BB and Snake.

All I remember from V was I think Zebras, Donkeys and some birds. The Survival Viewer was the coolest mechanic the series ever had. I don't know what it is with a series that peaks with player interactivity and then they immediately start backstepping it with the sequels. GTA did that post SA where you can't get fat or fit anymore and changing fighting styles.

MGS2 is definitely the best implementation of simple AI in the series since the gameworld perfectly matched what was required. It made it very unforgiving which made it seem smarter than it actually was. I remember being a kid playing it when it came out and felt such tension in my stomach hiding in lockers, and on the harder difficulties I believe it was more likely for them to start opening the doors on you to check.

Quiet being her mother is more a fan thing, but I wouldn't rule it out since Venom wasn't sterile and the timeline would match up given she would be around 21 in MGS1 (2005). We've only seen one female sniper in the series and Kojima is such a lazy fucking hack, it probably is canon.

I didn't care about Skullface and the whole vocal cord parasite thing is so fucking beyond cringe. It's ironic a lot of the themes he shows are all about leftist power crushing personal freedoms when he's a communist himself.

Him explaining away the Cobra Unit being parasite powered faggots was truly retarded and unrequired. He became obsessed with having to give a fucking explanation to everything after MGS4 ruined any magic or illusion the early series had. Not everything requires an answer and should be left for player interpretation. We're left with taking MGS2 entirely literally when the fucking game expressly tells you to do otherwise.

I didn't like the idea of MGS4's ending once Big Boss showed up with the ex machina bullshit of him just borrowing parts from his clones. I preferred Snake just offing himself, but with time I came to appreciate the Big Boss ending. It's a nice close to it and even with Snake approaching death, it's still rather uplifting.

I know Rising has been rediscovered by retards on Youtube, but I really enjoyed it since it didn't take itself seriously and still respected MGS4's continuity. And when Kevin asks Raiden about Snake, he couldn't ballwash him hard enough. And, they don't even talk about him being dead which I thought was interesting. I'm sure he is, but I liked that the door wasn't completely closed on that.

 

[Scream Aim Fire]

It's the same reason people fellate Alan Moore or George R.R. Martin: "subverting expectations", "deconstruction", treating moral relativism and nihilism as being "deep" or "complex", and other such pretentious, cynical horseshit.

THIS^^^^^ Seriously, the amount of braindead retards that accept shit writing and story because they're supposed to be "deep" is mind-blowing; anyone remember the shit the Undertale community was up to when that game came out?

Ironically, I find a game or story that plays its cards straight instead of "subverting expectations" to be more surprising these days; everyone is so obsessed with "deconstructing" stuff and making everything so dark and depressing because it's "deeeep maaaaaan" that something with a sense of actual humor comes across as a breath of fresh air... and that in and of itself is a bit sad these days, I think.

It's bizarre how you can basically just get free reign to do anything because you say a story is supposed to be a "deconstruction"... regardless of whether or not the story even deconstructs anything. It's not just video games, either; I've seen books, television shows, and even some particularly shitty fanfics - looking at you, Spyro fandom - that try and come across as these deep deconstructions that subvert expectations, only to end up being nothing more than complete shit at best.

 

[Meat Target]

THIS^^^^^ Seriously, the amount of braindead retards that accept shit writing and story because they're supposed to be "deep" is mind-blowing; anyone remember the shit the Undertale community was up to when that game came out?

Ironically, I find a game or story that plays its cards straight instead of "subverting expectations" to be more surprising these days; everyone is so obsessed with "deconstructing" stuff and making everything so dark and depressing because it's "deeeep maaaaaan" that something with a sense of actual humor comes across as a breath of fresh air... and that in and of itself is a bit sad these days, I think.

It's bizarre how you can basically just get free reign to do anything because you say a story is supposed to be a "deconstruction"... regardless of whether or not the story even deconstructs anything. It's not just video games, either; I've seen books, television shows, and even some particularly shitty fanfics - looking at you, Spyro fandom - that try and come across as these deep deconstructions that subvert expectations, only to end up being nothing more than complete shit at best.

I think the "subverting expectations" trope is an over-correction of MCU black-and-white morality and a desire to avoid clichés. But the irony is that it has become a cliché itself.

It has become like serving shit on a sandwich instead of meat, calling it an "original thought", and acting smug and condescending at those optimistic snowflakes who wanted to eat something edible.

And we wonder why we live in Clown World. C.S. Lewis was right again:

In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.

 

[God of Nothing]

THIS^^^^^ Seriously, the amount of braindead retards that accept shit writing and story because they're supposed to be "deep" is mind-blowing; anyone remember the shit the Undertale community was up to when that game came out?

Ironically, I find a game or story that plays its cards straight instead of "subverting expectations" to be more surprising these days; everyone is so obsessed with "deconstructing" stuff and making everything so dark and depressing because it's "deeeep maaaaaan" that something with a sense of actual humor comes across as a breath of fresh air... and that in and of itself is a bit sad these days, I think.

It's bizarre how you can basically just get free reign to do anything because you say a story is supposed to be a "deconstruction"... regardless of whether or not the story even deconstructs anything. It's not just video games, either; I've seen books, television shows, and even some particularly shitty fanfics - looking at you, Spyro fandom - that try and come across as these deep deconstructions that subvert expectations, only to end up being nothing more than complete shit at best.

the fault of 'deconstruction' is those stories ultimately still doing the same shit they're trying to take the piss out of but 'ironically'

Should take a lesson from Chainsaw Man and realize it's so much better to go completely full throttle in the most ridiculous way possible.

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

Can we stop pretending WoW is good? It's a shit RPG and the mechanics are just ported from WC3.

And hearthstone is just MTG.

Pretty much everything made by Blizzard past WC3 is shit.

 

[Scream Aim Fire]

I think the "subverting expectations" trope is an over-correction of MCU black-and-white morality and a desire to avoid clichés. But the irony is that it has become a cliché itself.

It has become like serving shit on a sandwich instead of meat, calling it an "original thought", and acting smug and condescending at those optimistic snowflakes who wanted to eat something edible.

And we wonder why we live in Clown World. C.S. Lewis was right again:

Gets especially hilarious when "subverting expectations" ends up resulting in a black-and-white scenario itself; attempting to show the good guys as "morally ambiguous" but having them constantly do horrific shit to villains that come across as far more sympathetic, for instance.

the fault of 'deconstruction' is those stories ultimately still doing the same shit they're trying to take the piss out of but 'ironically'

Should take a lesson from Chainsaw Man and realize it's so much better to go completely full throttle in the most ridiculous way possible.

That would require writers to actually be able to think and have a sense of humor and self-awareness, unfortunately.

 

[God of Nothing]

That would require writers to actually be able to think and have a sense of humor and self-awareness, unfortunately.

Never thought I'd see the day where a story about some poor kid wanting to get his hands on some titties had more depth and better writing than what is considered peak fiction now.

 

[Scream Aim Fire]

Never thought I'd see the day where a story about some poor kid wanting to get his hands on some titties had more depth and better writing than what is considered peak fiction now.

That's modern writing for you; everything has to have some kind of "deeper meaning" or have this sense of "grit and apathy" to make it work; it only results in everything feeling completely soulless.

It's not that deconstructions and deeper writing really have to be dark, either; I've seen some games that ended up being deconstructions/heavily symbolic, but they were still goofy and fun to read and play. Hell, I've even seen literal fanfics have a better and more entertaining stories than some modern games and shit these days; it's about entertainment and engagement, not just trying to be smart or "contrarian". To quote Zero Punctuation's review on The Last of Us 2:

"The following things do not make a character deep or compelling:

1. Getting hurt a lot. (Looking at you, Toom Raider reboot.)

2. Being sad.

3. Doing morally questionable things.

And we might as well tack on 4. Being a member of a minority, just ‘cause I’ve already given up hope for this video’s comment section.

What does matter is that characters at least be interesting to watch, and these aren’t."

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

Metal Gear Solid 2 wasn't even that deep or original. Kojima was courting worries that conspiracy theorists had over the illuminatti, internet and digital information for over a decade by that point.

He wasn't any more a prophet than the people who called up on Coast to Coast AM. And the fact that his fanboys consistently focus on the final codec call instead of the amazing interactivity of the envrionment and how well scripted the AI was is the reason you get boring, lifeless games like MGS V and Death Stranding.

 

[God of Nothing]

Hell, I've even seen literal fanfics have a better and more entertaining stories than some modern games and shit these days

I've said it before and I'll say it again: fanfiction is outright better than most modern writing.
like, shit, i can hardly remember anything in the past 10 years that was really great

 

[Meat Target]

the fault of 'deconstruction' is those stories ultimately still doing the same shit they're trying to take the piss out of but 'ironically'

Subversion actually needs to be subversive. It's not just "oh ho, look at Mr. High and Mighty being a hypocrite, tsk tsk tsk!" It has to be transgressive. It has to kick you in the balls.

Should take a lesson from Chainsaw Man and realize it's so much better to go completely full throttle in the most ridiculous way possible.

That's what I like about what I have seen from Warhammer 40K (so far). It's not "subverting" in a Joss-Whedon, snarky-comic-relief-quip way. It's not trying to be funny or exciting; it plays its own brutal, over-the-top outrageousness straight, and the natural result is both badassery and black comedy.

40k characters are entertaining because they don't need to justify or explain themselves. They don't give a shit. The Imperium is cruel because the alternative - being Xeno food or enslaved by Chaos - is worse, and that's why they're the good guys.

Don't like their methods? Tough shit. And now you've been voluntold to get melted refueling the ship's radioactive warp drive, because you complained.

 

[Local Degenerate]

Him explaining away the Cobra Unit being parasite powered faggots was truly retarded and unrequired. He became obsessed with having to give a fucking explanation to everything after MGS4 ruined any magic or illusion the early series had. Not everything requires an answer and should be left for player interpretation. We're left with taking MGS2 entirely literally when the fucking game expressly tells you to do otherwise.

As much as I agree with you on the rest, this shit right here was the most infuriating thing for me about 4 and 5. One thing I adored about MGS 1-3 was that the line between science, magic, and 'what the fuck just happened' was less a line, and more a fucking polygraph. I loved the idea of a modern military world having this subtle, not quite full on urban fantasy, but magic beneath it that no one could explain. Fortune actually becoming a fucking telepath for a bit is a great example, since it throws the entire game into question. Was it all the patriots, or did she actually have more power than they thought? Maybe that 'gizmo' was very recent tech, and they were, as much as I hate the term, gaslighting the shit out of her.

I would love to hear Kojima try to explain away The Sorrow, since that was explicitly magic. But he won't because, much like Mantis, that magic is ok. But being an older than time old man? That needs an explanation for some reason.

Can we stop pretending WoW is good? It's a shit RPG and the mechanics are just ported from WC3.

And hearthstone is just MTG.

Pretty much everything made by Blizzard past WC3 is shit.

Who's pretending WoW is good? Even Bliz stopped doing that when they broke their emergancy 'shits fucked, dragons' glass, and while I haven't gotten around to playing DF (which says enough on it's own) everything I hear is they couldn't help themselves from shoving politics into it, and fucking up even the dragon aspect. I'll judge for myself soon enough.

Bliz's entire career has been ripping off better things and making them simple for the drooling masses.
WoW is dipshits Everquest.
Hearthstone is dipshits MTG
HOTS was dipshits LOL
Starcraft was dipshits WH40K
Warcraft was dipshits WH
Overwatch was dipshits TF2/Battleborn

That's modern writing for you; everything has to have some kind of "deeper meaning" or have this sense of "grit and apathy" to make it work; it only results in everything feeling completely soulless.

It reminds me of a villain monolog from an old anime.

'What's my motivation? Fuck. You. That's my motivation. I have criminals fighting to the death for my entertainment, and beautiful women feeding me grapes while they do. Why wouldn't I be doing this?'

I love my deeper, tragic villains, but sometimes, you don't want Netflix Dracula. Sometimes you just want Snidely Whiplash to kidnap a bitch and run away cackling.

 

[Wesker]

As much as I agree with you on the rest, this shit right here was the most infuriating thing for me about 4 and 5. One thing I adored about MGS 1-3 was that the line between science, magic, and 'what the fuck just happened' was less a line, and more a fucking polygraph. I loved the idea of a modern military world having this subtle, not quite full on urban fantasy, but magic beneath it that no one could explain. Fortune actually becoming a fucking telepath for a bit is a great example, since it throws the entire game into question. Was it all the patriots, or did she actually have more power than they thought? Maybe that 'gizmo' was very recent tech, and they were, as much as I hate the term, gaslighting the shit out of her.

I would love to hear Kojima try to explain away The Sorrow, since that was explicitly magic. But he won't because, much like Mantis, that magic is ok. But being an older than time old man? That needs an explanation for some reason.

Who's pretending WoW is good? Even Bliz stopped doing that when they broke their emergancy 'shits fucked, dragons' glass, and while I haven't gotten around to playing DF (which says enough on it's own) everything I hear is they couldn't help themselves from shoving politics into it, and fucking up even the dragon aspect. I'll judge for myself soon enough.

Bliz's entire career has been ripping off better things and making them simple for the drooling masses.
WoW is dipshits Everquest.
Hearthstone is dipshits MTG
HOTS was dipshits LOL
Starcraft was dipshits WH40K
Warcraft was dipshits WH
Overwatch was dipshits TF2/Battleborn

It reminds me of a villain monolog from an old anime.

'What's my motivation? Fuck. You. That's my motivation. I have criminals fighting to the death for my entertainment, and beautiful women feeding me grapes while they do. Why wouldn't I be doing this?'

I love my deeper, tragic villains, but sometimes, you don't want Netflix Dracula. Sometimes you just want Snidely Whiplash to kidnap a bitch and run away cackling.

I believe that's the core thing that yanked me in when I first played MGS1. That it took the military premise seriously. Very much in the vein of Clancy, but also sprinkling in the supernatural elements while not being cheesy.

As much as I love the Fox-Hound unit, Mantis defined it since he didn't have militaristic skill. It's that he was psychic and this could be used for military use. Raven had a touch of that being a Shaman too, but it didn't define him entirely. It was his immense strength and his seemingly immune to inhospitable artic conditions.

MGS2 took that further with Vamp and Fotune. We never saw what Commander Jackson could do.

MGS3 went even further where the entire unit besides The Boss was supernatural. All the while still being based around a cutting edge military unit.

And alas MGS4 just made them entirely technological... while Mantis in that was psychic I guess, she had that whole underlining Psycho Mantis spirit thing going on which wasn't needed.

 

[byuu]

I believe that's the core thing that yanked me in when I first played MGS1. That it took the military premise seriously. Very much in the vein of Clancy, but also sprinkling in the supernatural elements while not being cheesy.

MGS1 was cheesy as hell.

 

[Wesker]

MGS1 was cheesy as hell.

To the degree the rest of the series is? No.

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

HOTS was dipshits LOL
Starcraft was dipshits WH40K
Warcraft was dipshits WH

Starcraft and Warcraft have a good engine and are decent RTS. Distinct enough to be different from WH and WH40k. Granted, none of the people working at Blizzard now ever touched it, but still...

And HOTS had a lot going on for it at the beginning. Then they dumbed it down.

 

[byuu]

To the degree the rest of the series is? No.

How is Vulcan Raven any less cheesy than the 2 and 3 bosses?
And Liquid is the cheesiest of all the final bosses.

 

[Local Degenerate]

How is Vulcan Raven any less cheesy than the 2 and 3 bosses?
And Liquid is the cheesiest of all the final bosses.

While I don't know that I agree with Wesker on '1 wasn't cheesy', if you need to ask how 'large Alaskan man too into religion' is less cheesy than 'fat man on roller blades that loves bombs', or 'man who breaks arms backwards and spider crawls away before turning invisable', than I don't know what to say.

 

[Wesker]

While I don't know that I agree with Wesker on '1 wasn't cheesy', if you need to ask how 'large Alaskan man too into religion' is less cheesy than 'fat man on roller blades that loves bombs', or 'man who breaks arms backwards and spider crawls away before turning invisable', than I don't know what to say.

Exactly. My whole point is it was an escalation of each game. And it peaked with Peace Walker. That's an entire wheel of cheese to the point it's distracting. Probably why I never once watched the cutscenes ever again.

MGS1 had cheesy elements that were handled in such a way that you're not eyerolling. Cheesy but in a cool way. You watch the opening briefing on the unit and you can't help but think they're the shit with their unique abilities.

Then you get to Peace Walker with singing robots, the Boss AI, and buttsecks in a cardboard box.