Raise the flame shield: Your "controversial" gaming opinion.

Driver: San Francisco is woefully unappreciated. I may have missed out on it if it wasn't for Vinny Caravella's insistence on saying it is excellent. In my/our rotten brain, it is Burnout Paradise with better mission structure and real cars. I realize it is by very far my favorite game the last 5 years. I am considering writing Ubi telling them and encouraging them to make more games like it.

I picked up Driver: SF during Black Friday back in 2011 and ending up loving it, the driving feels so smooth and the story is just downright cheesy, but it works perfectly for the game
 
- Achievements are dumb and useless. Anybody who strives to get them is wasting their time on superfluous garbage.

- Bethesda gets away with bloody murder when it comes to buggy games and I hate them for it.

- PlayStation has the best exclusives.

- I buy all of my multiplatform games for my PS3.

- Just Cause 2 is the biggest piece of garbage I have played this generation and I cannot fathom how anybody could find that game entertaining.

- Any site that gives Far Cry 3 a GOTY award is wrong and not credible.

There is more, but I've got work in an hour and I don't want to be late.
 
Halo 2 and ODST are the best games in the franchise. Both games had superb campaigns, masterful level design, and addictive multiplayer. Halo CE was nothing special in 2001 and still isn't today. Halo 3's campaign was a total let down. There's nothing about it that is memorable or makes me want to go through it again. Reach just convinced me that Bungie lost their touch and thought it was a good idea to throw everything at a wall, including the kitchen sink, seeing what would stick. The Destiny reveal left me even more uninterested than before it was announced. To me, it looks like Halo, but with influences from Diablo, Killzone and Chromehounds. Sounds cool on paper, but honestly, the persistent online/ co op thing just isn't my cup of tea. I find it funny that the playable characters look a lot like Spartans, but with cloth elements added to their suits. I was hoping for something...different...something to blow my mind. Plus, Activision being involved with the whole project just makes me want to stay clear of the entire thing. Even worse, and what makes me sad, is that Bungie used to be this really nice, really humble and seemingly tight nit group of people. Now, it seems they've gotten too big, have become dreadfully arrogant and incredibly full of themselves. I miss the Bungie of yesteryear. In a way, I feel sorry for them. I want them to wake the fuck up and get out of this pretense they're in. But at the same time, I don't feel bad enough for them to give them my money. Sorry guys. You lost me. Hopefully you return to your former glory.

Oh and 343... Halo 4 was a mess. You completely fucked up Halo's multiplayer. Now it's just another CoD wannabe. It's a goddamn disgrace. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves for what you did to this franchise. Don't fret too much though, Bungie screwed up too. But it's in your hands now. You have your work cut out for you with Halo 5.
 
Ni no Kuni is incredibly boring.

I'm beginning to think that myself. I think it's the combat system. Maybe it'll get better, I don't know yet.

Some more controversial opinions:

- Resident Evil 6 isn't as bad as most people think it is. Same for Resident Evil 5.
- Borderlands was shallow and boring. It also had one of the most insulting endings I've ever seen.
- I have no interest in playing The Walking Dead.
 
I cant stand playing FPSes on a keyboard and mouse, controller all the way, BTW I grew up with Quake and UT then went in to Goldeneye and Perfect Dark and never went back, wwnt back for TF2 though.

I cant fucking stand it, my left fingers hurt like a bitch stretching them just so I can crouch and walk forward is always a bitch, it feels way too sensitive, you get no type of feedback back or any type kick 'back when you fire a gun, it feels empty and naked.

I almost forgot, every Zombie game I have played is pure shit, mostly because the AI is pure crap, I dont get peoples fascination about zombies, its just a devs excuse to create an enemy without any actual AI that just runs straight at you and does nothing but attack, and noone can say anything about it, because they will just respond 'oh its a brain dead zombie duh'. oh here come a hord, walk five minutes or here comes the same hord, oh so much fun and challenging. The Last Of Us is the one zombie game that has been developed this generation that looks interesting.
This is me really, somehow I never made the connection that it's due to a lack of trigger-> force feedback. Oh and for all my hate for zombie games, TWD was my GOTY. But then the game isn't actually about zombies really.
 
- I don't get why people customise Shepard in Mass Effect... his face is on the box people! Going female - even weirder.
I'm with you on this. I go with the default male Mark Vanderloo Shepard because to me, that's Shepard. Whenever I see a customized Shepard with his voice, it just feels completely off.
 
I'm with you on this. I go with the default male Shepard because to me, that's Shepard. Whenever I see a customized Shepard with his voice, it just feels completely off.

Actually I agree with this aswell.

Also:

Penumbra is scarier than Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Penumbra doesn't get the credit it's due apart from being "that other game made by the devs of Amnesia".
 
Here are some controversial views of mine:

  • A game isn't great unless its accessible.
  • Ocarina of Time is probably the weakest 3D zelda.
  • RARE has only made ONE good game, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
  • Battletoads is a torture device.
  • TES: Oblivion is probably the worst in the series, Skyrim is a step in the right direction.
  • Class of Heroes 2 is garbage, just like Class of Heroes.
  • Kirby is Nintendo's best franchise.
  • King's Field is still better than Demon's/Dark Souls, even though I like those games as well.
  • The only good ultima games are the Ultima Underworld games.
  • Final Fantasy XII is the best modern Final Fantasy game.
 
- I don't get why people customise Shepard in Mass Effect... his face is on the box people! Going female - even weirder.

My guess is that people have imaginations, and like to tailor their experience to their own tastes. Contrary to what you might believe, people of color do not actually like playing as a white man all the time.
 
MOBAs are pretty much everything wrong with modern gaming crushed into one genre.

I've never played a MOBA (no real interest in the RTS genre, playing multiplayer, or dealing with the learning curve) - but I'd be interested if you explained this point further.
 
-Resident Evil has always been a shit franchise.
-Bungie and 343 have slowly killed the Halo series. CE was a good starting point and then it went to their heads.
-Nintendo is likely heading to all software by the end of this generation. That's what they're good at, stick to that.
-"Console" branding will be dead in 20 years. It makes more sense for console makers to have their own console, but have certified consoles created by other companies based on standards set by Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc.
 
- Achievements are dumb and useless. Anybody who strives to get them is wasting their time on superfluous garbage.

- Bethesda gets away with bloody murder when it comes to buggy games and I hate them for it.

- PlayStation has the best exclusives.

- I buy all of my multiplatform games for my PS3.

- Just Cause 2 is the biggest piece of garbage I have played this generation and I cannot fathom how anybody could find that game entertaining.

- Any site that gives Far Cry 3 a GOTY award is wrong and not credible.

There is more, but I've got work in an hour and I don't want to be late.

Honestly I was just going to post something about this. I got this game as a Christmas present from my girlfriend. At first I loved it, but as I play it more and get farther into it I am beginning to feel that this game is about a 7/10 possibly a 6 depending on how the rest of the game plays out.

The story, while dealing with dark material, doesn't play out well. The climax scenes of rescuing your friends are lackluster. They could have even just improved what they are and made them more exciting and climatic.

The crafting is extremely weak. I literally just rescued Oliver in the story and the only thing I have left to craft is a bigger arrow quiver and I get that from a Hunter side quest. Speaking of those, the side quests are really run of the mill and uninspired.

The skill trees are okay, but you can't play it slowly because you run into a wall I did where you do a bunch of exploring and side quests and have a stock pile of points you can't use because they are mission locked. The game is a single player linear game in a open world.

The multi player is yet another COD clone with a slightly different mechanic. I get that people like COD, I do, but you don't need to tack it on. Make it more original or change the formula.

Also side note, regenerating health plus health vials plus manual healing is excessive. I don't craft health vials because even on survivor I have a hard time dieing.

This could all change when I finish the game, but it seems unlikely.
 
I don't think it's bad, but it's overrated extremely, more-so than any other title.

Maybe thats why i have grown to hate it. Its over the years of people talking it up so much. Ive played all four of them, and find them all really borring and dumb. Stuff like how comically fast he climes the ladder, to no hands on the boat handlebars seem so stupid. Its always used as a fall back when artsy fartsy gamers talk about great game design, and i just dont see it. I know im not the only one.
 
Maybe thats why i have grown to hate it. Its over the years of people talking it up so much. Ive played all four of them, and find them all really borring and dumb. Stuff like how comically fast he climes the ladder, to no hands on the boat handlebars seem so stupid. Its always used as a fall back when artsy fartsy gamers talk about great game design, and i just dont see it. I know im not the only one.
I was thinking about HL2 the other night and I understand why it's so highly praised. For one, HL2 alone without the episodes is quite lengthy, moreso than the average FPS. It has great level design and while linear, has a lot of open space. In fact, it's probably one of the best games that manages "sandbox" type areas and remains linear at the same time. The few characters that exist are decent and for the most part likable. Driving through a town and being able to get out and explore abandoned houses before continuing to drive down a long highway is something I have yet to experience in any other FPS. I don't think anything like HL2 has been done before or since in regards to FPS.

Part of the reason I think it might get hate from some people (note, not exactly your reasoning) is that it is hyped and seems clinched to a kind of "geekdom/nerd" culture. With it came all those silly HL and TF videos. Not saying this is everyone's reason, mind you, but I imagine some people may feel this way.

HL2 is probably still one of the best FPS games I played in terms of length and exploration. But at the same time, I can see where some people may consider it overrated.
 
:lol

I also agree with the default Shepard thing. Call me boring if you want, but whenever I see him in any media, and then see the customized version, there's a disconnect.

For me I usually go default just because my custom faces always come out looking wrong. Maybe if they'd actually let you look at it from all angles before you start the damn game it wouldn't be an issue, but that's how it is.
 
For me I usually go default just because my custom faces always come out looking wrong. Maybe if they'd actually let you look at it from all angles before you start the damn game it wouldn't be an issue, but that's how it is.

A friend of mine usually ends up making the goofiest face possible for ME, which is funny for 20 minutes, but not for the 20 hours it takes to beat the game. He's been doing that shit since the original, and he ends up restarting each game in the trilogy about a fourth of the way through. Never learns!
 
I hate ALL FPS games on consoles. Playing an FPS game on a console is such a huge unpleasant chore for me. I would rather put my balls in a crocodile's mouth than play COD or Halo on a console.

Two main reasons why:
1. Unless the game has auto-aim/aim-assist, then it's too damn frustrating trying to aim and shoot accurately with a thumb-stick. It takes too long to shoot and kill 3 enemy that are shooting at you, when with a mouse on a PC it would probably take only 3 quick mouse movements and 3 clicks (headshots).
2. If the game has auto-aim/aim-assist, then it's too easy. No skill required at all.

And the Halo series is the worst FPS games I've ever played. No aiming skill required whatsoever. Just point that massive gigantic cross-hair at the enemy and spray. I hated it on PC too.
 
A friend of mine usually ends up making the goofiest face possible for ME, which is funny for 20 minutes, but not for the 20 hours it takes to beat the game. He's been doing that shit since the original, and he ends up restarting each game in the trilogy about a fourth of the way through. Never learns!

Yeah I love making those goofy faces, but I don't know if I could go through a whole game as an AIDS-ridden Grey.

Some (probably not) controversial gaming opinions:

- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the best new IP of this generation
- Hitman: Blood Money and Kane and Lynch 2 have a couple of the best narratives in games this generation. Most people don't see the thematic elements in games unless the title hits you over the head with them(Spec Ops, Journey). Can't really blame 'em though, with how most game stories are crap.
- Kane and Lynch 2 has the best graphics of probably any game. I love almost everything about it except playing it.
 
- The Walking Dead is a terrible game, nowhere near worthy of the accolades it got. Nothing but unskippable cut-scenes & quick-time events clumsily stitched together around a poor & predictable story. The animation/game feel is capitol W Wonk, the game itself is full of ruinous bugs that months later are still not patched, and personally I didn't like or care about a single character due to their unnaturally forced personalities & actions. Worst of all, there is no actual choice in a game supposedly centred around "tailoring the story to how you play". More often than not it boils down to "Do you want to go left or right - (click right) - Scene plays out and party goes left anyway - Party hates you for wanting to go right". There is nothing "tailored" about being funnelled down the one story path with very, very, very minor alterations. See Mass Effect or even KOTOR for what I consider true tailored storytelling.

- This console generation should be reviled & forgotten.

- Dwarf Fortress is the best game of all time and should be taught in schools.

- Video Games peaked in the mid to late 90's/early 2000's and are now a shell of their former glory, all flash, no substance, day 1 DLC with increasingly rare gems of brilliance. The golden age has been over for 10 years now and its doubtful it'll return in our lifetime.

- Board Games are the only "true" games these days.

Dont think this is a controversial statement :P

Its pretty much fact games these days are michael bay level depth. All for dat set pieces.
 
Journey is a terrible game but an excellentinteractive experience (same with Walking Dead) because the defining feature of those games aren't gameplay but everything else (fantastic art direction, connection with strangers encouraged by design choices and minimalism, environmental storytelling, the ending accompanied by the orchestral swell).

I don't object to this opinion because I think it's controversial (well, the game is polarizing, but a decent number of people seem to agree with you). Instead, I just think that arguments of this sort are fairly meaningless exercises in semantics that hinder more interesting discussion from taking place. Journey is a video game that requires both a video game console to run it and direct player input with a controller for anything to happen. Beyond that, you are also directly controlling a character on screen that can perform various functions based on your input (movement, jumping, chimes), which is arguably more interactive than heavily menu driven games. Journey, by definition, relies on player interaction, like any other game.

Ideally, the "Journey and The Walking Dead aren't really video games" crowd would put more energy towards expressing why they found the games to not be satisfying. Do you think that those games would have benefited from having a greater degree of challenge? What kind of level obstacles and character abilities do you think Journey could have used? Would the game's storytelling suffer from the introduction of a fail state of some kind? And so on.

I feel similarly fatigued by "Game X isn't really an RPG" and "Game Y isn't really a fighting game" discussions.

Video Games peaked in the mid to late 90's/early 2000's and are now a shell of their former glory, all flash, no substance, day 1 DLC with increasingly rare gems of brilliance. The golden age has been over for 10 years now and its doubtful it'll return in our lifetime.

Are you specifically talking about big budget console games? There are plenty of games still being released with a lot of depth and mechanical complexity. Fighting and strategy games have seen a revival and MOBA games are finding a lot of mainstream success. The vibrant indie scene of this generation also addresses a lot of your concerns; Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, The Binding of Isaac, FTL: Faster Than Light, and other titles of that caliber weren't being released by tiny studios at a frequent rate until very recently.
 
I'm not reading through all the posts here, so I don't know how controversial they are in the grand scheme of things, but here I go anyway:

-- People constantly remember past generation of games too fondly. Yeah, I enjoy older games as well, but saying nothing from recent memory even comes close to older games is ridiculous.

-- Sports franchises such as MLB: The Show, NBA 2K, and EA Sports NHL and Fifa games are some of the best franchises in gaming period. Almost consistently good and I feel people always short them in comparison to other franchises because they are sports games.

-- Mass Effect 3 got way too much shit for it's ending. The fact that it placed below something like Dishonored, which also had it's fair share of problems, in the 2013 GOTY thread confuses me.

and not videogame related, but:

-- Community season 4 has been just as good as the past seasons. People forget that the first three seasons of that show have a decent amount of abysmal episodes
 
Alright, I decided to add some more due to a discussion I had today with a friend:

Halo 1 is fun. All others are so dull to me.

Black Ops 2 is better than Black Ops 1.

The 3DS is an amazing handheld that deserves better.
(The Vita does too. Nice screen.)

God of War bores me about 70% of the time.

I like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. They were really fun.
(Yes, I play an actual instrument. I don't care if it's fake.)

Chrono Trigger is a bit overrated, but it's still fun.

Twilight Princess was better than Ocarina of Time.
Skyward Sword is better than Twilight Princess.

Final Fantasy 1 is the best RPG ever made.
 
Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, and basically every other Nintendo franchise have degenerated into CoD-style formulaic crap.

There's been 3 Smash Bros games in 14 years. Melee was in 2001 and Brawl in 2008. Even if the previous two games were very similar, how can you put that down to "CoD-style formulaic crap" with that gap?

Nintendo have forgotten that good music makes a game memorable. See : NSMB, Mario Kart.

Totally agree with you there, the music is largely generic crap now. Super Mario Kart rainbow road music was godly, we need more original catchy melodic tunes in general.
 
Totally agree with you there, the music is largely generic crap now. Super Mario Kart rainbow road music was godly, we need more original catchy melodic tunes in general.

I'm a vocal critic of the terrible music in the NSMB series, but there are a lot of Nintendo games that are still pushing the envelope with their soundtracks. Last year's soundtrack of the year voting thread did a good job of highlighting the excellent music in both Kid Icarus: Uprising and Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
 
I was thinking about HL2 the other night and I understand why it's so highly praised. For one, HL2 alone without the episodes is quite lengthy, moreso than the average FPS. It has great level design and while linear, has a lot of open space. In fact, it's probably one of the best games that manages "sandbox" type areas and remains linear at the same time. The few characters that exist are decent and for the most part likable. Driving through a town and being able to get out and explore abandoned houses before continuing to drive down a long highway is something I have yet to experience in any other FPS. I don't think anything like HL2 has been done before or since in regards to FPS.

Part of the reason I think it might get hate from some people (note, not exactly your reasoning) is that it is hyped and seems clinched to a kind of "geekdom/nerd" culture. With it came all those silly HL and TF videos. Not saying this is everyone's reason, mind you, but I imagine some people may feel this way.

HL2 is probably still one of the best FPS games I played in terms of length and exploration. But at the same time, I can see where some people may consider it overrated.

For me personally, it was the time it came out. There were no other FPS games in 2004 that really made me just take a step back and be like "Wow". It had unique weapons, original setting, amazing set pieces, and a fantastic storyline with great voice acting. I have yet to play a game that captured that essence.

I respect the opinions of others not liking the game, but sometimes I feel like they don't actually get it and this they dislike it.

Plus also what games did the PC have that really stood out in 2004? Xbox got Halo which changed the face of FPS forever, arguably for the worse, until COD 4 came, even worse in my opinion.

I think the timing of it really plays into why it is held in such high regard
 
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