Unpopular Opinions about Video Games -

[Jordi El Nino Polla]

Silent Hill is still mediocre. More at 11.

 

[JamesFargo]

Would it be an unpopular opinion to say that I think if it had actually been produced, Silent Hills would have probably been an awful Silent Hill game because Kojima doesn't really seem like the type to do it right?

It's a minimalist series, and he's a maximalist writer. He'd need someone constantly slapping his hand away from the keyboard, and that seems unlikely.

 

[Psyduck]

Would it be an unpopular opinion to say that I think if it had actually been produced, Silent Hills would have probably been an awful Silent Hill game because Kojima doesn't really seem like the type to do it right?

Unpopular, but correct

 

[Hermann the German]

It's a minimalist series, and he's a maximalist writer. He'd need someone constantly slapping his hand away from the keyboard, and that seems unlikely.

That said, Kojima hasn't really produced any strictly horror games, has he? Given a good co-writer or at least a producer willing to be his editor, I'd be curious to see what sort of ideas he has for horror as a genre, given that he's a self-admitted Japanese and Western horror fan.

I personally didn't mind Death Stranding but I do find it rather heavy-handed in its imagery and in some of the nonsense Kojumbo has his characters spout

 

[JamesFargo]

Silent Hill took inspiration from David Lynch. Kojima is often compared with George Lucas, i.e. Hideo is surrounded by yes-men who are fans of his.

It's the difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw.

 

[Marissa Moira]

It's the difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw.

Why not both?

 

[JamesFargo]

Why not both?

View attachment 2292022

SQUALL LEONHART: *becomes Squall Leonhard *

 

[Overcast]

Silent Hill took inspiration from David Lynch. Kojima is often compared with George Lucas, i.e. Hideo is surrounded by yes-men who are fans of his.

It's the difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw.

The scalpel in this case is also very loud.

 

[JamesFargo]

The scalpel in this case is also very loud.

I HAD THAT MONICA BELLUCCI DREAM. MONICA WAS VERY PLEASANT.

 

[Shitted Scaredless]

That silent hill arcade shooter spin off wasn't bad.

 

[JamesFargo]

I should revise my feelings on SH3.

Heather stands out from other SH protagonists. She is bratty at times. She's self-aware. ("I don't really feel like eating and drinking stuff from an alternate reality." ) She's out for revenge. Claudia is trying to evoke negative feelings from her. That wouldn't work on Harry, for instance. Furthermore, Claudia is more altruistic than Heather gives her credit for: her bedroom has two books, one on child trafficking and another on refugees. For all we know, Paradise might not even be what Heather envisions it to be. It creates moral ambiguity.

With that said, I found it more tedious than scary. I almost wonder if the map design is too diverse: the Otherworld is far more animated and hellish compared to that of SH2, and thus loses a lot of its dread. Somebody else likened it to Jacob's Ladder vs. Hellraiser.

 

[winterfag]

Mario Kart Double Dash is the worst mainline entry in the series. The whole gimmick of two characters on a cart adds absolutely nothing to the formula when the person in the back can only throw an item forwards or backwards anyway. Asymmetrical play can be fun but they give so little for the backseat player to do if you decide to co-op on one kart.

It's neat that it introduced different karts to choose, but they're all themed around their riders in such a boring straightforward way. Would've been cool if Bowser's one was themed around his clown copter but it's just some mech design based on his own face. Real missed opportunity for fun designs inspired by the other games but they were usually pretty lazy and generic.

I did like the whole concept of seeing other courses in the background like in Sunshine, but otherwise this feels like the most lackluster title not countingstuff like the mobile game or Namco arcade versions. Super Circuit on the GBA is the least talked about of these entries but it oozes way more style than this entry. And I say this despite loving DD growing up

 

[Enig]

Super Circuit on the GBA is the least talked about of these entries but it oozes way more style than this entry. And I say this despite loving DD growing up

People shit on or neglect SC so much when it did a major solid by remaking the first Mario Kart with more MK64-esque visuals and more tracks to race on along with four player link cable racing. Those alone make it more worthy of playing now than DD and its weird two racer mechanic and the whole game being hit hard by that weird experiment vibe that Mario games had on the Gamecube.

 

[Overcast]

Speaking of, I miss cables for handhelds and stuff like that PS1 peripheral that allowed you to connect four controllers.

They're archaic, I know, but as a kid there was just something magical about having a physical connection to another person's device and having people over and having wires everywhere.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Speaking of, I miss cables for handhelds and stuff like that PS1 peripheral that allowed you to connect four controllers.

They're archaic, I know, but as a kid there was just something magical about having a physical connection to another person's device and having people over and having wires everywhere.

You can attached multiple controllers via a USB cord now.

 

[Overcast]

You can attached multiple controllers via a USB cord now.

I know, I guess I was more so talking about how with the rise of the internet, there's less and less of a need to. On top of couch co-op all but dying out over the last decade or so.

 

[salmonjerky]

Some games are better off without reboots, and I wish people would see that and just go through measures to play the original game on an emulator if possible to recapture the original feelings of the game.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

No, that's the right way to play lots of them. Especially adventure games. Boomers can wax poetically all they want about how great old ScummVM games are and how Telltale games suck for being interactive movies, but nobody was beating any of those without getting hints somewhere. Even JRPGs had a lot of arbitrary bullshit where you might end up going to every town in the world and talking to every NPC until you find the one that points you the right direction.

And it was fairly often where you'd read a guide and find out about some kinda secret items that can really help you out and make the game go smoother in obscure places that you'd never think to check. Even Earthbound did that, with a secret pathway through a cluster of trees in Onett where you can get a Mr. Baseball Cap; by talking to a nearby NPC after you use a key on a door but before you enter for the first time (they despawn forever afterwards) to get a Travel Charm; and talking to a guy at a hotel over and over and over until he gives you $50 to go away.

But seriously, never play an old adventure game without a guide. I tried to play Zak McKraken without one a while ago, and got stuck twice because my characters kept running out of money. Your characters have cash cards as one of their items, and as it turns out, they all start with certain amounts of money in their bank accounts that isn't shown to you. Going to the airport, buying tickets, and flying around the world is a vital part of the game, and that can run you out of money and leave you stranded fast. If that happens, start a new game and try again. There's a secret to making a lot of money fast that you'd likely only come across from reading a guide, though: you can find a butter knife near the beginning of the game. Use it to try and pull up some floorboards, which will bend the knife. Take the knife to the nearby pawn shop, and the pawn broker will think it's a piece of modern art and buy it from you for tons of money.

Zak McKraken's really charming and could do well today if it got a remake, but it's practically impenetrable without a guide.

I disagree, old Sierra games were practically unbeatable(Larry) but LucasArts were always fair if obtuse. Full Throttle was actually criticized for being too short because it was so easy to beat and that was in 1995. Sam&Max and Day of the Tentacle were both relatively easy as well.

Ironically, GK3 has some of the best puzzles ever written:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Serpent_Rouge_puzzle
The game is horribly misrepresented because it had a troubled development history, but it did not ruin adventure games, the genre was already struggling trying to keep itself relevant in the early 3D era. But it's still a fun mystery game with a great story and lore, and I'm really nostalgic for times when adventure games were actual games, not those glorified interactive movies.

Adventure games never died, they just weren't as popular anymore. Broken Sword was going for many years, including 3(good game) on OG Xbox, Syberia, Runaway(shit), Hopkins FBI(~hello weirdness my old friend~), Nancy Drew and tons of other games I can't remember right now.

With that said, I found it more tedious than scary. I almost wonder if the map design is too diverse: the Otherworld is far more animated and hellish compared to that of SH2, and thus loses a lot of its dread. Somebody else likened it to Jacob's Ladder vs. Hellraiser.

SH3 is one that I didn't play much, I pulled a review copy and thought it was a beta. Yeah starting in nightmare world with an unknown protagonist in a no-win scenario is a great way to start! Plus, the pitiful machine-gun felt like xtreme busywork. Something I liked about the previous games was beating the shit out of someone on the ground with a pipe, despite being a good person, supposedly. That put the brutality in perspective. edit: SH3 felt more weapons focused to me.

 

[The Last Stand]

Speaking of, I miss cables for handhelds and stuff like that PS1 peripheral that allowed you to connect four controllers.

They're archaic, I know, but as a kid there was just something magical about having a physical connection to another person's device and having people over and having wires everywhere.

I'm of mixed feelings with wired controllers. On the one hand, a direct connection would mean no latency from the input to the console. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about batteries that die or need replacing. However, wires mean tangle, which can be annoying to deal with. And they could get frayed or damaged easily if you're not careful.

Wireless gives you more freedom without being tied down. That comes at the cost of latency and battery usage. Some controllers have excellent battery life. Other die within hours.

I think they both have a place in gaming. Not just preference but convenience. I do appreciate that some controllers have a "wired" function built in. Rechargeable batteries can work, but they require more care.

 

[JamesFargo]

Pretty much every cable I've owned had to be kept straight and loose at all times, or else it developed kinks and eventually frayed or tore open on its own. Phone chargers are a grim reminder of the bad old days.