Most polarizing video games and why?

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pacman000
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby pacman000 » July 12th, 2019, 7:29 pm

Pokemon Snap, since it lets you take instant photos. ;)

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DrLitch
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby DrLitch » July 12th, 2019, 7:34 pm

Here goes another polarizing game.

I was watching the Video Game Nerd guy (not been a huge fan of his channel for a number of years due to novelty of material/recycling assets) and he was playing Earthbound. Like him, I never knew this game existed when it was released and I got a chance to play it on the SNES Classic. Yeah... definitely a polarizing title - you love it or hate it... I thought the game was terrible, absolutely terrible but there is a solid body of gamers out there that consider this one a classic. Here is the link to the game - be forewarned if you do not know this guy, he does not mince his words, lots of cussing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ5nX0FTH6Q

Some more polarizing games mentioned in a gaming channel I enjoy- two guys and channel is called Game Sack. Here are their vids covering this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX0cRztKrRs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjeysHKMRzo

Sonic CD came up on that. I actually liked Sonic CD.

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Matchstick
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby Matchstick » July 12th, 2019, 10:22 pm

Gleebergloben123 wrote:This is why I liked mods.


Eh, I wouldn't go that far. Litch's initial posts were relevant, and he did a good job of wrapping it up and getting things back on track. DOA Xtreme is (and was) a series that many people judge even though they have never played the games, themselves. There are assumptions about the games' content that are patently false, and even though the games are rated M, I thought the first one was pretty tame. No sex, no full nudity, no bad words, just some, um, "questionable" interaction between some ladies in their swimwear. The fact that someone saw the game at someone else's house and decided to judge them for it right then and there is a testament to the series' misunderstood nature.

Voor made a great point about the "kick in the pants." Message boards are a living thing, yet it is up to us, the posters, to make sure that things don't get too out of hand. Our comments about Litch's situation may not have been on point in regards to the OG topic, but we kept them civil. No name-calling, no foul language, just some reflection about Litch's experience as well as our own reactions to similar people and situations.

It was a pretty tough memory for Litch to talk about, and I appreciate him bringing it up and letting us weigh in on it, too. And by the looks of things, the discussion ran its course, and now we're gradually getting back on track, no mods needed.

There's a lot of freedom we have as posters on this site, especially since there is no longer the time delay / mod approval involved in our discussion posts. Ultimately, it is up to us to be responsible and keep ourselves in line, and I think this thread has perfectly illustrated that we are fully capable of doing just that.

Speaking of which...

DrLitch wrote:I thought the game was terrible, absolutely terrible but there is a solid body of gamers out there that consider this one a classic.


Ayyyyyy, now we're talking! I tend to forget about EarthBound just because I, myself, found the game to be entirely forgettable. Nintendo Power pumped that game up so much back in the day, and the first weekend it was available as a rental from my local Mom and Pop video store, I scooped it up to try it out. The rental place even let me take the "big box" with the strategy guide home with me for the weekend, too. The same place would also let you borrow memory cards. extra controllers, light guns, and rumble packs in later years, too, and I always appreciated the honor system the store had in place with their add-ons and accessories.

I played the game all weekend, followed along with the guide to make sure I wasn't getting stuck or missing any important details, and... it just didn't click. I found the graphics basic (not charming in the least), the gameplay simple, and the music annoyingly repetitive. I did like how you could see enemies on the overworld and "sneak up" on them for an easier fight, but I also felt like the encounter rate was a bit too high, and the enemies a bit too strong in the early game. It took me forever to beat the dude in the suit at the arcade near the beginning, a roadblock which really tripped me up during the rental period.

The game's humor has been lauded over the years, but man, I just didn't "get it." It came across like that guy / gal we all knew in school growing up, the one that thought they were "funny" even though they couldn't tell a joke to save their lives. Honestly, YouTube is full of "personalities" like that, which is one of the main reasons I try and stay far, far away from there. In a way, this seems like the perfect sort of game for the YouTube generation - not all that great, not all that funny, but if you don't like it, you just don't get it!

I also remember this game not getting much critical acclaim back in the day, either. Even Nintendo Power, who put out a full-on print marketing blitz and previewed the game for months on end before its release, gave it a good, but not great, score. EGM, Game Players, and GamePro were even less kind, and I remember reading magazine reviews to make sure it wasn't "just me," in regards to people's reactions to the game. Not that it got bad scores, just OK ones. Even my buddies at school who had played the game just didn't care for it much. We gave it a shot, but even the one or two of us that bought it outright wound up going back to Secret of Mana or A Link to the Past after a while.

I don't mind the game having a fanbase, but I do miss the pre-Smash Bros. days when EarthBound was long forgotten. Having played the game back when it was new, I thought it was charming that Ness was an unlockable character in the N64 Smash Bros. Charming enough to play the game again? Heck, no! But it was a legit Nintendo IP, and it has its place in the company's history. I, myself, don't mind a bit that the series never got another official release here in the States, but it does have its fanbase. A vocal minority, to be sure.

Also on topic, my own two cents about a game:

Product Number 03. The game sucks. It completely, unquestionably sucks. The controls are stiff, the levels are repetitive, and the game offers very little payoff for extended periods of play. It also makes my hands cramp up to no end from hammering away on the fire button my entire play session.

That being said... I love it. Dear God, I love that game! I have put so much time into it over the years, and come back to it again and again, playing through multiple times to unlock all of the suits and special moves. The best example, in my mind, of a game that I know deep down inside is just no good, yet I can't keep myself from liking it.

Really opened my eyes to a simple concept that I think gets overlooked in the gaming community - it's OK to like a bad game. I have plenty of other stinkers in my collection (Temple of Doom on the NES, Captain America for the Genesis, Rampage World Tour on the N64) that I know just aren't all that good, yet I have a blast every time I play them. I mean, the point of playing video games is to have fun, right? Not every game needs to be a world-beater to provide you with hours and hours of enjoyment.

I don't mind when people bash P.N.03, and I think it is deserving of all of the criticism it receives. But for me, it's a very rewarding gaming experience, even if I can't shake the feeling that I own dozens upon dozens of superior games that are much more worth my time than that one.

Bonus, on topic post:

Mortal Kombat 3. Without a doubt the most polarizing game I can remember from my childhood. Faster, tighter gameplay than its predecessors, even better graphics with better backgrounds and more frames of animation... but it doesn't have Scorpion??? Man, people lost their minds about this game back in the day, just because Midway took it upon themselves to shake up the roster a bit. Many didn't find the "real world" setting to be as appealing as the fantastic locations in the other games, either. Still, I always thought the gameplay was boss, and the initial home console releases on the Genesis and PlayStation, in my experience, were some of the best home fighting games available at the time.

As far as the PSX launch lineup, I'd take the port of MK3 over Tekken, Toshinden, and Street Figher Alpha. But back in the day I felt positively blacklisted for liking this game. I'd try talking about it to my buddies at school and just get an eyeroll, and nobody I knew ever wanted to play it when they came over to my house. I feel like time has been kind to the game, and the later Ultimate and Trilogy revisions certainly came as improvements, but basic, vanilla MK3 will always be at the top of my list of polarizing games, based on my personal experiences alone.

jon
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby jon » July 13th, 2019, 12:14 am

That’s really interesting about Mortal Kombat 3. I too thought it was awesome. At the arcades the graphics for MK3 were really cool, and Cyrax and Sector are my favorite chraracters in any video game. Smoke too. Those cyborgs looked so cool. I was surprised at the backlash as the graphics were so good, dare I say revolutionary. Also, the storyline was awesome and from 1 to 3 it was a really natural story that was interesting as it unfolded. I think some of it was in the movie which I liked. I understand why some were upset about the roster, but there’s always Mk 2 if one wants to play as those characters. It’s one of my all time favorite arcade games. I got the SNES port which of course sucked. But I know others were much better redeived

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Matchstick
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby Matchstick » July 13th, 2019, 1:14 am

I was partial to Nightwolf, myself. Glad to see him coming back in MK11, even if he is DLC. Haven't picked the game up yet, but I figure I'll take the dive once the inevitable "Komplete Edition" is released.

My wife's all-time favorite MK character is Sindel, and she loves MK3 because of it. We had a great time with the revamped MK (MK9?) on the 360 and PS3, as well, mostly due to its incredible, komplete roster. For the same reasons many didn't like MK3, she hated MKX, simply because they did away with Sindel and a few other choice characters. On the flip side, I thought MKX was kompletely rad, and it is by far my most played game of this current generation. I'm sure we'll enjoy MK11 once we pick it up, but until all of the DLC is out and the game gets a price drop, I'm content to wait.

Funny how removing a character or two can kompletely alienate a fanbase. Seems to be the way it goes for nearly every fighting game series.

(.. and yes, I'll stop with all the "k" words, I swear...)
Last edited by Matchstick on July 13th, 2019, 7:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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DrLitch
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby DrLitch » July 13th, 2019, 2:00 am

Matchstick wrote:
Gleebergloben123 wrote:This is why I liked mods.

Nintendo Power pumped that game up so much back in the day, and the first weekend it was available as a rental from my local Mom and Pop video store, I scooped it up to try it out.

Mortal Kombat 3. Without a doubt the most polarizing game I can remember from my childhood.


Earthbound was pumped up in the day? Wow I somehow missed it. Was the PS1/Saturn out at the time?

Mortal Kombat. Now we are talking. Not just #3, but the whole early series is up for grabs as most polarizing games. Issue for me always centered around depth. Take number 1 for instance. Other than an awesome soundtrack/atmosphere, its move set and combos were pretty basic. Throw Harpoon, Uppercut, and then Slide. Freeze, Uppercut, Slide. Maybe there were deeper characters than Scorpion and Sub Zero. I actually never played Mortal Kombat 3 and went straight to Ultimate. At the time I was diverted to Killer Instinct but the times I did play MK Ultimate I found it pretty rough going - I was useless in 2 player and 1 player could only squeeze past a couple of fights. I will need to revisit this one since it is not good to form a negative opinion of a game because I suck at it.

In the fighting genre, Eternal Champions on the Genesis is another that is polarizing. The single player game with unfair boss fight (3 incarnations), some pretty lousy characters (a 1930's gangster?), weak special moves, and button mashing two player matches. I am in the camp "the game is awesome" though. Something about it I cannot explain.

Voor
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby Voor » July 13th, 2019, 8:07 am

I was too young to know this, but the Atari 2600 had a few “adult” games for sale. The angry video game nerd did an episode on them, I think.

Then of course, the Swordquest games, which are terrible, but players had the chance to win real/actual treasures (like a gold crown and a sword). I believe AVGN has an episode on that situation as well. Lol, what a wacky idea.

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zetax
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby zetax » July 13th, 2019, 12:51 pm

pacman000 wrote:Pokemon Snap, since it lets you take instant photos. ;)



Instant photos?

Polaroids?

Polarizing games?

I see what you did there... :D

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Matchstick
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby Matchstick » July 13th, 2019, 7:19 pm

DrLitch wrote:Earthbound was pumped up in the day? Wow I somehow missed it. Was the PS1/Saturn out at the time?


Yes, no, and yes. EarthBound came out the same Summer as the Saturn, and right about the same time, too. It was a few months before the PS1 launch and 16-bit games were definitely starting to be on their way out. I think the biggest-selling 16-bit title that year was Donkey Kong Country 2, which was also getting quite a bit of hype at the time even though it didn't come out until the holiday season.

Nintendo Power was really the only source I remember that gave EarthBound publicity. I was a subscriber at the time, but I would always flip through the other gaming mags at the store whenever I left the house. NP had countless previews, interviews, and behind-the-scenes articles about EarthBound in the months leading up to its release. Even that big ol' box with the strategy guide packed inside seemed to be screaming for attention on the shelf - "Hey, check me out! Buy me, pleeeease!!"

Other gaming mags, though? Nah, they didn't seem to care as much. I think they knew the game wasn't all that hot compared to what was already on the market. Nintendo did put out an advertisement for the game featuring scratch-and-sniff panels, which was in all of the gaming magazines at the time and was one of the first adverts I ever saw in Nintendo Power. Made the whole magazine rack smell kinda like new car smell, and in GamePro, the ad was nestled right next to a section on the upcoming Judge Dredd video game. What a strange combo! I distinctly remember one of the taglines in the ad, playing off the scratch-and-sniff gimmick, was "...because this game stinks." I couldn't have said it any better, myself.

Also, Litch, your experience with Eternal Champions seems to mirror my own feelings for P.N.03. You don't know why you like the game, you just know that you do, just something about it you can't quite put your finger on. I never cared too much for EC, myself, only because there were *so many* other fighters on the market at the time. I was just branching out from Mortal Kombat into Primal Rage and TMNT Tournament Fighters, and was definitely beginning to get burnt out with the whole genre. Then EC comes along with, like you said, a rather strange line-up of characters, and it just couldn't hold my attention for more than ten minutes. Played it a few times at a friends house, thought it was OK, then went back to the other fighters in my collection.

Maybe now that some time has gone by, it's worth another look?

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DrLitch
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Re: Most polarizing video games and why?

Postby DrLitch » July 13th, 2019, 8:30 pm

Matchstick wrote:Donkey Kong Country 2, which was also getting quite a bit of hype at the time even though it didn't come out until the holiday season.


I definitely missed that one as well, played it for the first time relatively recently. Quite a hard friggin game as well although they were generous with 1ups. That thorns level :twisted: ......

Matchstick wrote:Also, Litch, your experience with Eternal Champions seems to mirror my own feelings for P.N.03. You don't know why you like the game, you just know that you do, just something about it you can't quite put your finger on. I never cared too much for EC, myself, only because there were *so many* other fighters on the market at the time. I was just branching out from Mortal Kombat into Primal Rage and TMNT Tournament Fighters, and was definitely beginning to get burnt out with the whole genre. Then EC comes along with, like you said, a rather strange line-up of characters, and it just couldn't hold my attention for more than ten minutes. Played it a few times at a friends house, thought it was OK, then went back to the other fighters in my collection.


P.N 03? I never played this. Google search shows a pretty neat looking title. Shame my GC is long gone.

By the sounds of it you were in the Mortal Kombat camp. I was such a big fan of Street Fighter back in the day. Outside of that I only really liked Killer Instinct and Samarai Showdown. Mortal Kombat 2 was quite good but I just never mastered the controls/moves. I did like Mortal Kombat XL though so maybe I am due a revisit of some the oldies.

Primal Rage? That definitely is a polarizing title. If you could do the special moves it might be a decent game. A lot of people I knew liked it and a lot hated it.

I wonder if Virtua Fighter is a polarizing title nowadays? I remember back in the day it was well liked but it seems this series just fell off the radar. Odd because Virtua Fighter V was a very good game.


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