Unpopular Video Game Opinions

[Aladyyn]

If there wasn't a cliffhanger would as many people care about a HL3?

It's been 10 years since Episode 2, of course they wouldn't.

 

[Osprey]

But half life 2 if memory serves was kind of that next step in really high quality voice acting, facial animation, and in engine cutscenes. That and the physics engine was what people were all excited about

That's accurate. It was perhaps the first big game to have the kind of high-quality, immersive storytelling and character interaction that we've come to expect in games since. Take a look, particularly, at games in which cinematics and dialogue play an important role to see the influence.

As a game, though, Half-Life 2 wasn't that special, IMO. The physics engine was revolutionary and the tractor beam weapon that really showed it off was one of the most fun things in it, but I doubt that people really remember much about the gameplay of Half-Life 2. Instead, they remember the characters, cutscenes, scripted events and story elements.

Personally, though I really marvelled at and appreciated the innovations, I was never quite as gushing about the game as so many others, since I'm not as high on cinematic elements in games as others. I'm higher on gameplay, and though the gameplay was good, it was fairly typical first-person shooter and wasn't as enjoyable as the first Half-Life, when they put more effort into gameplay and atmosphere than cutscenes and scripted events.

It's not hard to get the impression that Half-Life 2 was less about making a game and more about creating a platform. They would've never spent $40M and 5 years developing it if they hadn't intended to license the Source engine and use Half-Life 2 to launch the Steam service. If you want to know why they haven't made a Half-Life 3, it's because there's no reason to. Even if it were to be a blockbuster hit and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits, that's still small potatoes compared to how much Steam brings in for them. Valve is much more of a service company than a game developer now, so they're probably sitting on the potential of a Half-Life 3, letting anticipation grow, until they ever have some major new service or product that they need help launching.

 

[DrFeelgood]

Half Life 2 was fantastic graphically as well when it came out. It really was a glorified tech demo for what the Source engine was capable of with its focus on graphics and physics elements/puzzles. The actual gameplay in it was fairly average but the story and immersion is what set it apart.

 

[Aladyyn]

I guess I played some different version of HL2 than y'all

 

[MadDevil]

Friend of mine insists Witcher 3 is overrated trite and cannot fathom why people love it so much.

I've tried a couple of times now to get into Witcher 3, but for whatever reason I just kind of lose interest after a couple of hours. Which is weird because I thought for sure it would end up being a time suck for me.

 

[Supermassive]

Part of me wants to set up shop outside an EB Games and pay people a couple more dollars per title than the store gives in trade-in credit. People just walk in and dump stacks of games for enough to buy one new release. Easy money. Good for a company to keep thriving, but if I were retired I'd be running a shop out of my house and making good coin.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Part of me wants to set up shop outside an EB Games and pay people a couple more dollars per title than the store gives in trade-in credit. People just walk in and dump stacks of games for enough to buy one new release. Easy money. Good for a company to keep thriving, but if I were retired I'd be running a shop out of my house and making good coin.

I'd go to you.



Well, I would if you weren't across the continent.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Part of me wants to set up shop outside an EB Games and pay people a couple more dollars per title than the store gives in trade-in credit. People just walk in and dump stacks of games for enough to buy one new release. Easy money. Good for a company to keep thriving, but if I were retired I'd be running a shop out of my house and making good coin.

This is such a good idea lol. I'd frequent your booth//house often as well.

 

[syz]

I pulled that a couple times in University. Actually went to the lectures as they finished and asked if anybody wanted to buy the text book for cheap; they got it cheaper than a "used" one from the store, and I got more money than the store would give me to buy it back.

 

[JS19]

Part of me wants to set up shop outside an EB Games and pay people a couple more dollars per title than the store gives in trade-in credit. People just walk in and dump stacks of games for enough to buy one new release. Easy money. Good for a company to keep thriving, but if I were retired I'd be running a shop out of my house and making good coin.

Stuff like this is why I have no idea why Gamestop/EB games continues to be successful. I end up trading in all my games at local mom/pop/retro game stores if I want maximum value.

 

[LarKing]

Stuff like this is why I have no idea why Gamestop/EB games continues to be successful. I end up trading in all my games at local mom/pop/retro game stores if I want maximum value.

Laziness is the one and only answer here.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Laziness is the one and only answer here.

Not only - I'd say good mom & pop shops being pretty damn rare plays into it. Luckily for me arguably the best game store in LA is closer to me than any GameStops are...but it's also the first time I've lived near a legitimately good independent game store.

 

[LarKing]

Not only - I'd say good mom & pop shops being pretty damn rare plays into it. Luckily for me arguably the best game store in LA is closer to me than any GameStops are...but it's also the first time I've lived near a legitimately good independent game store.

Just about every person in the world that has games to sell also has access to the internet. Ebay or Craiglist easily gives more money back than Gamestop. It just comes down to laziness here. People want convenience and Gamestop is that.

 

[RandV]

Just about every person in the world that has games to sell also has access to the internet. Ebay or Craiglist easily gives more money back than Gamestop. It just comes down to laziness here. People want convenience and Gamestop is that.

At some point in the past 10-15 years Gamestop adopted a model where the focus is on a quick turnaround for new releases. Buy a new release, bring it back within a few weeks and they'll give you $30-40 trade in for it. Of course this means you're always buying new $60 games, so I'm not sure how much of good deal you're getting.

So that's basically the market they're in on. I used to frequent EBGames between 2000-2005 browsing the used PS1/2 section for JRPG's, but they suck for that sort of thing now.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Just about every person in the world that has games to sell also has access to the internet. Ebay or Craiglist easily gives more money back than Gamestop. It just comes down to laziness here. People want convenience and Gamestop is that.

I think its a pretty cruddy thing to say that it all comes down to laziness. There isn't an independent game shop near me. The mailbox set up at my townhouse is a ****ing nightmare. Mail often gets lost or never gets to the intended recipient. Gamestop is 1/4 of a mile from my house and on my way home from work. I work 55-60+ hours a week.

From your shoes, it may be laziness. For others who trade in games, its really the only option.

 

[Commander Clueless]

At some point in the past 10-15 years Gamestop adopted a model where the focus is on a quick turnaround for new releases. Buy a new release, bring it back within a few weeks and they'll give you $30-40 trade in for it. Of course this means you're always buying new $60 games, so I'm not sure how much of good deal you're getting.

So that's basically the market they're in on. I used to frequent EBGames between 2000-2005 browsing the used PS1/2 section for JRPG's, but they suck for that sort of thing now.

It's quick and easy if you have a high turn around. Could you get more reselling? Probably, but the hassle free option is worth something.

I'd never recommend buying used games from GameStop/EB, though. They're almost never discounted enough to be worth it (which is bizarre considering that's where they make their profit. You think they'd give customers more incentive to buy used). Also, devs don't see money that way, if you care about such things (I do, personally).

 

[SPV]

Amazon offers a little bit more for trades, and free shipping too. I've made deals in line before to sell a game to someone that wants it for a little more than the store will give me.

There used to be a great site online that let you trade your used games, but it was hard to make a deal sometimes.

I'll agree with Larking though, I am just too lazy to go elsewhere and just want to get a few bucks for something I'm not using anymore.

 

[LarKing]

I think its a pretty cruddy thing to say that it all comes down to laziness. There isn't an independent game shop near me. The mailbox set up at my townhouse is a ****ing nightmare. Mail often gets lost or never gets to the intended recipient. Gamestop is 1/4 of a mile from my house and on my way home from work. I work 55-60+ hours a week.

From your shoes, it may be laziness. For others who trade in games, its really the only option.

Well, if your mailbox is a nightmare then I'll change that statement since that is a necessity if you don't have craigslist or an independent game shop.

However, if you do, it really just comes down to laziness. I'll admit it, I've done it quite a few times as well haha.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Aria of Sorrow is a much better game then symphony of the night.

 

[dma0034]

Here are some more (Nintendo style):

Mario games haven't been good since Super Mario 64
Zelda is boring
Sonic ruined Super Smash Bros
Ruby/Sapphire are the best Pokemon games
The Gamecube is the best Nintendo system

 

[LarKing]

The days when you played video games with your friends in the same room were far better than what gaming has turned into now. I truly hate that most games do not even allow you to play on the same console anymore.

 

[blue425]

Aria of Sorrow is a much better game then symphony of the night.

Never played AOS, but I think SOTN is a bit overrated.

I would rather play III or Bloodlines.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

The days when you played video games with your friends in the same room were far better than what gaming has turned into now. I truly hate that most games do not even allow you to play on the same console anymore.

My friends and I once and a while we bring are PCS in one place and play or stations haha.
So I agree with you on that. But for some games u can't share a screen so multiple systems solve that problem.

 

[blue425]

The days when you played video games with your friends in the same room were far better than what gaming has turned into now. I truly hate that most games do not even allow you to play on the same console anymore.

You're right, I have two separate groups I meet up for this.

One is a fighting game group (although sometimes we settle disputes with Neo Geo baseball/soccer) that I have been meeting with for about eight years now. We meet once or twice a month and throw down. Lots of trash talking

The other is a general retro gaming group that meets once a month/every other month. Sometimes we meet at a bar with cabinets, sometimes someone hosts. This has been going on for almost two years.

The point of both is recreating the lost social aspect of playing games with people that are right next to you. Not sure where you are in Michigan, but throw some feelers out and maybe you find some new friends with the same interests.

With the fighting game group I knew a few of them before we started, but in the retro group none of knew each other. We saw we lived close and had the same interest so decided to meet up one day. It could have been a disaster, but it worked out.

 

[LarKing]

I do meet up with a few friends and play when I'm home. Don't really have enough interest to start another group but that is a good idea. I just hate how games are trying to become all about the online aspect.