Hell yeah. I find it so frustrating when Myst fans are pining for more Myst games but also aren't willing to give any of the Myst games after Riven the time of day. They're all good!
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All Games Are Good: Positive Unpopular Opinions Mk. 2
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
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- Tags
- positivity
I feel like it's just gonna be one of those games where whether you like it depends mostly on whether you can set aside the obvious problems and enjoy the stronger aspects. I sort of struggle to do that myself and therefore I'm really conflicted on it.
Despite its obvious problems, I honestly found Xenoblade X to be a really fun game that nailed its open world mechanics, gameplay loop and combined it with some really satisfying (and surprisingly deep) side quests. I didn't care too deeply about the main story, but that didn't stop me from putting over 80 hours into the game.
The game managed to nail this sense of verticality that I honestly didn't feel like any game lived up to till Death Stranding.
The game managed to nail this sense of verticality that I honestly didn't feel like any game lived up to till Death Stranding.
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Fyonn
did their best!
I recently did a deep-dive and played just, like, a ton of Castlevania games back-to-back. Much to my surprise, Castlevania Legacy of Darkness? Really good. It has a few rough levels, but it seems to know its combat limitations and tends to instead emphasize forgiving platforming with generous save points.
It was mentioned in a different thread but in the defense of the cutscenes from Ducktales Remastered, I hear constantly that they weren't needed because the NES game didn't need them. I don't know about the rest of you but as a kid I would imagine how games based on my favorite shows and movies would play out in my head and seeing that idea brought to life in the purest way possible, with the original voice actors and Disney TV artists, was an absolute joy for myself and I have to imagine for tons of fans of the show as well. I agree they were clumsily implemented originally but they've patched it to make them easy to skip for those who don't care/are replaying the game so I don't see how they detract from the rest of the experience at all now.
Tiers in Rain
Gaming Replicant!
Always been curious about this one, I might check it out. I had always heard this was an improvement over the first N64 one.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
I never played Legacy of Darkness, but Castlevania 64 is a game that I always enjoyed. I loved that there were different NPCs in the castle, exploring it on their own. But what I really loved about it was the great atmosphere. It is moody and grim and I don't think I ever played another game that realized the gothic horror vibe so well (which might be, because I generally don't play many horror games). The part where you are hunted through a bushmaze by a guy with a chainsaw and his two dogs in particular is very intense.
While classic trackball games such as Missile Command, Crystal Castles, Marble Madness, etc. have their followings, I feel that they are underappreciated as the stone-cold classics they are mostly because of how relatively uncommon trackballs are.
I got Other M as a Christmas gift several years back, but I didn't hate it. Granted, I had my brother play it first so I could skip the cutscenes in my playthrough, but awful voice direction aside I thought it was an interesting look at what a Metroid 64 would have looked like, and oddly prefigured the simplified 3D approach of Super Mario 3D Land/World. Moreover, I appreciate several aspects of the plot in abstract, such as all the stuff with the little birdie, and the general standoffish-ness of the GF soldiers (as a counterpoint to the uncritical valorization they receive in the Prime games).
Granted, I don't think it really comes together as anything holistically good or whatever, but it has quite a few interesting ideas that I rarely see mentioned, even by its few defenders.
I got Other M as a Christmas gift several years back, but I didn't hate it. Granted, I had my brother play it first so I could skip the cutscenes in my playthrough, but awful voice direction aside I thought it was an interesting look at what a Metroid 64 would have looked like, and oddly prefigured the simplified 3D approach of Super Mario 3D Land/World. Moreover, I appreciate several aspects of the plot in abstract, such as all the stuff with the little birdie, and the general standoffish-ness of the GF soldiers (as a counterpoint to the uncritical valorization they receive in the Prime games).
Granted, I don't think it really comes together as anything holistically good or whatever, but it has quite a few interesting ideas that I rarely see mentioned, even by its few defenders.
Fyonn
did their best!
The thing that really makes it is that you have the world's most generous ledge grab. If you jump and keep holding the jump button, you'll grab even platforms that are behind you, and it makes platforming that would otherwise be a nightmare into something really fluid. The majority of the game positions platforms at jump-and-grab heights/distances, not jump-on-to heights/distances, so by the time you do have to land on a platform, you've spent a lot of time with the game's physics already.
The thing that I think puts people off with it is that the first two levels make the game seem way more combat-focused than it is thanks to respawning mermen and skeletons. The majority of the game is just Not Like That.
The thing that I think puts people off with it is that the first two levels make the game seem way more combat-focused than it is thanks to respawning mermen and skeletons. The majority of the game is just Not Like That.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
They're very good games that will forever have a place in the wider pantheon of the series for focusing on the platformer aspects as a central conceit of Castlevania's identity when adapting it into the 3D realm, and specifically the instances where the design interweaves jump 'ems with threat management that the 2D games so fundamentally express at every turn. Every other attempt at the series in 3D could and would never even chance mixing the two, and segregation came to define those play experiences. N64 'vanias are experimental and curious as if by nature; doing light adventure game spelunking one moment and platforming puzzles the next, while the combat serves more as punctuation rather than sentences of its own. I would call them a highlight in that early era of 3D platformer design for that inquisitive approach to creating lasting worlds and scenarios to exist in.
I love the look of (and feel) of these N64 adventure games. There's something intangible about exploring an N64 world that doesn't translate to higher res consoles. If I can find a copy of Legacy Of Darkness that isn't wallet shreddingly expensive I'll have to pick it up.
This is maybe the most balanced take on Other M I've seen in a long, long time. I should probably play it again now that the dust has settled and the furor over its story is more or less over. Interestingly for me, Other M is probably the point where I began to get more "woke" about issues regarding sex and gender in video games, and I'd guess it's in large part because this was happening with a character I was familiar with, and had a kind of headcanon about, and the narrative of Other M directly conflicted with it in ways I didn't like. It was the first time I really had to think about those issues in a place I wasn't accustomed to doing so. (I suspect that prior to Other M's more discrete characterization of Samus, everyone's idea of her identity and personality were headcanon to some degree). So it's ironic to me that a game so notorious for its problematic depictions of gender was what led me to start thinking more about the issue.
From a persepctive of game mechanics, Other M was mostly fine. I got frustrated by some lazy design elements like invisible walls to keep me on the "intended" track when traversing the game's world and prevent me from, say, space-jumping to places that should logically (according to the layout) have been accessible via that method.
Tiers in Rain
Gaming Replicant!
I was just wondering the same thing. It doesn't appear so.
It is really unfortunate creatures stopped experimenting with Pokeymanz spin off games for consoles as the DS side games are better single player games than the mainline ones, even up to Sword and Shield (raids and the DPPl underground excepted). At least they remade Dungeon red and blue rescue team and announced a new Snap. Now they have to announce a follow up to Pokeymanz Rangers then you'll have a non bitter greentea.
That game rules, shame it hasn't seen a proper follow up (other than the Yokai one that never came west).
FelixSH
(He/Him)
I always loved Bomberman 64, and Bomberman Hero, the first two N64 games of the series. Never had the third one, so I can't say anything about that. I think people don't care much for them, I guess because Bomberman is for most people mainly a multiplayer game? Just a guess. But I always liked them both a lot.
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Bomberman 64 is a nice adventure game, with levels that have a lot of optional areas to explore, some more, some less. It's an early N64 game, so that probably explains why it has so much...excess, I guess? This depends on the level, but the first one especially offers areas that you don't have to visit (and which are also somewhat well hidden, if my memory is correct. I haven't played both games in years. Each level has three golden flat squares hidden (plus one for doing a level in a certain time, I think, and one for killing a certain amount of enemies), plus a lot of hidden items that give you costume parts for multiplayer. There is really a lot to explore.
I also like how you have to hit bosses in different ways to get the golden squares in these levels (every second level is just a boss battle). For example, the boss of world one is a dragon, with you on a small bridge. He sometimes comes near you, which is generally the time to blow his face up. But he also flies under the bridge sometimes, which gives you the opportunity to burn off his wings (or parts of them, he still can fly). I don't think destroying body parts changes the battle, but I do like how this is a thing you can do, but can also ignore.
Finally, it is an adventure game, so it has little puzzles and challenges you to explore the levels and destroy specific things to change parts of the level in small ways. Just always liked how that worked.
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Bomberman Hero is a game I played to completion. It ditches the adventure/exploratory aspect, and just gives you levels in 3D to run through, collecting stuff and killing enemies on the way. What I do like about this game is that you get points for every collectible and enemy killed, with a maximum score for every level. I really like fixed highscores that you can reach, by doing everything within a level, so this was perfect for me. Getting a perfect score in all levels unlocks a bunch of bonus levels.
I don't have the same amount of love for this one as I do for 64, but I did get this one and Ocarina of Time both for Christmas, and played this one when I took a break from Ocarina. Which should tell you all about how much I did like this game. Also got a perfect score in every level.
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Bomberman 64 is a nice adventure game, with levels that have a lot of optional areas to explore, some more, some less. It's an early N64 game, so that probably explains why it has so much...excess, I guess? This depends on the level, but the first one especially offers areas that you don't have to visit (and which are also somewhat well hidden, if my memory is correct. I haven't played both games in years. Each level has three golden flat squares hidden (plus one for doing a level in a certain time, I think, and one for killing a certain amount of enemies), plus a lot of hidden items that give you costume parts for multiplayer. There is really a lot to explore.
I also like how you have to hit bosses in different ways to get the golden squares in these levels (every second level is just a boss battle). For example, the boss of world one is a dragon, with you on a small bridge. He sometimes comes near you, which is generally the time to blow his face up. But he also flies under the bridge sometimes, which gives you the opportunity to burn off his wings (or parts of them, he still can fly). I don't think destroying body parts changes the battle, but I do like how this is a thing you can do, but can also ignore.
Finally, it is an adventure game, so it has little puzzles and challenges you to explore the levels and destroy specific things to change parts of the level in small ways. Just always liked how that worked.
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Bomberman Hero is a game I played to completion. It ditches the adventure/exploratory aspect, and just gives you levels in 3D to run through, collecting stuff and killing enemies on the way. What I do like about this game is that you get points for every collectible and enemy killed, with a maximum score for every level. I really like fixed highscores that you can reach, by doing everything within a level, so this was perfect for me. Getting a perfect score in all levels unlocks a bunch of bonus levels.
I don't have the same amount of love for this one as I do for 64, but I did get this one and Ocarina of Time both for Christmas, and played this one when I took a break from Ocarina. Which should tell you all about how much I did like this game. Also got a perfect score in every level.
Gravity Rush was brilliant, and even the combat isn't even all that bad.