Hot takes

[RuckusMcGuckus]

Mario 64 isn't the best platformer game in the n64, Rare's games are better

Agreed partially, Mario 64 came out in 1996 and Conker came out in 2001 at the end of the consoles life. But yeah, nothing but the best from Rare

 

[Ikagura]

Agreed partially, Mario 64 came out in 1996 and Conker came out in 2001 at the end of the consoles life. But yeah, nothing but the best from Rare

Mario 64 set up the base of how 3D games have to be made to be really good.

I can hardly think of a pre-Super Mario 64 game that is still as playable today (maybe Jumping Flash but then again it's also a rather simple game without much going on than the arcade style).

On the other hand I think that not all 3D platformers have to be collectathons to be good.

 

[Leon]

Mario 64 set up the base of how 3D games have to be made to be really good.

I can hardly think of a pre-Super Mario 64 game that is still as playable today (maybe Jumping Flash but then again it's also a rather simple game without much going on than the arcade style).

On the other hand I think that not all 3D platformers have to be collectathons to be good.

To be fair, "playable" isn't really fair when talking about mario 64 either, that said your talking about the N64 controller.
We didn't really get the best form of platforming control until they started using the twin sticks and i can't remember which was the first to use it, only that ape escape required it.

I think crash bandicoot 1 pre-dates mario 64, but it feels it's age too.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

I couldnt care less about GTA 6 and I dont understand the people who do

 

[Leon]

I couldnt care less about GTA 6 and I dont understand the people who do

Pretty much how i feel about the entire series tbh, always was more of a fan of the comedic saints row 3 over anything GTA, which i find boring at best.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

Pretty much how i feel about the entire series tbh, always was more of a fan of the comedic saints row 3 over anything GTA, which i find boring at best.

The ps2 and psp games I really like, from 4 onwards its lost me; I didnt want it to get more realistic

It used to have such wacky missions like helping a weed farmer by literally mowing down the competition with a combine harvester and turning them into flying red mush

 

[YuriSukiSan]

I think I might have one but I'm not really sure! Altered Beast is probably most overrated game ever, I know kind why it has a cult following but I say this as someone that had a Megadrive as their first console (we were always a gen behind until later eras) that game bored me to tears. The Megadrive has so many games, and that one consistently gets praised over them. I know it's a good port, and you're meant to praise it and pretend it's an amazing game otherwise you're a plebian for not appreciating what it accomplished for the time but I think its pretty awful to play.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

I think I might have one but I'm not really sure! Altered Beast is probably most overrated game ever, I know kind why it has a cult following but I say this as someone that had a Megadrive as their first console (we were always a gen behind until later eras) that game bored me to tears. The Megadrive has so many games, and that one consistently gets praised over them. I know it's a good port, and you're meant to praise it and pretend it's an amazing game otherwise you're a plebian for not appreciating it but I think it's just awful.

Overrated as in every american youtuber talks about like its one of the best md games, its a good launch game and thats about it

You want a GOOD arcade game where you turn into a furry?

 

[YuriSukiSan]

Overrated as in every american youtuber talks about like its one of the best md games, its a good launch game and thats about it

You want a GOOD arcade game where you turn into a furry?

Ooh, you know I've heard about this one but I've never really properly looked at it! I'm definitely going to have to try this!

 

[Lee__Kanker]

If you want something specifically for megadrive, MazinWars and Splatterhouse 3 are so much better and they're not paired down ports

Post automatically merged: Jan 18, 2025

Ooh, you know I've heard about this one but I've never really properly looked at it! I'm definitely going to have to try this!

Aside from from being gorgeous it has an epic soundtrack

 

[YuriSukiSan]

If you want something specifically for megadrive, MazinWars and Splatterhouse 3 are so much better and they're not paired down ports

Post automatically merged: Jan 18, 2025

Aside from from being gorgeous it has an epic soundtrack

Ooh! Thanks, I'll add them to my little list! I'm mostly just focusing on trying to complete my backlog at the moment, I only brought up Altered Beast because a friend of mine mentioned it and it brought up memories of my first experience with it.

 

[Leon]

Overrated as in every american youtuber talks about like its one of the best md games, its a good launch game and thats about it

You want a GOOD arcade game where you turn into a furry?

I'll be honest, i've never seen anyone say good things about Altered Beast, american or otherwise.

Metamorphic force though is amazing, another good arcade beat em up is gaia crusaders and of course golden axe the revenge of death adder.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

I'll be honest, i've never seen anyone say good things about Altered Beast, american or otherwise.

Metamorphic force though is amazing, another good arcade beat em up is gaia crusaders and of course golden axe the revenge of death adder.

Every top genesis games in the 2010s or late 00s, and it used to be in every compilation too

 

[dropsmegamega]

The ps2 and psp games I really like, from 4 onwards its lost me; I didnt want it to get more realistic

It used to have such wacky missions like helping a weed farmer by literally mowing down the competition with a combine harvester and turning them into flying red mush

I guess my hot take would be the exact opposite: GTA IV is way more funny because its more grounded, while still being GTA.

To expand upon this, take Postal 2 for example. The og game has you do mundane tasks like getting some milk, but terrible stuff always happens. Now take its DLC. There's a zombie apocalypse and demons and all that kind of stuff, so anything resembling normality went down the drain. It's amusing, but it just doesn't have the same effect. It's just harder to relate so it relies solely on being as nonsensical as possible. Or maybe I am just old.

 

[Leon]

Every top genesis games in the 2010s or late 00s, and it used to be in every compilation too

To be fair, that's game's media, that's like looking at a IGN chart for best games of the system.

That said i'll take your word for it, not saying it doesn't happen, i've just never seen it being praised that highly, even back in the mid 2000's.

 

[YuriSukiSan]

I'll be honest, i've never seen anyone say good things about Altered Beast, american or otherwise.

Metamorphic force though is amazing, another good arcade beat em up is gaia crusaders and of course golden axe the revenge of death adder.

It's a pretty popular opinion on social media I would say, a quick google and everyone on reddit (vomit emoji) is praising it. I think it's more an opinion held by older gamers because they appreciate what it was for the time rather than what it is actually is.

 

[Leon]

It's a pretty popular opinion on social media I would, a quick google and everyone on reddit (vomit emoji) is praising it. I think it's more an opinion held by older gamers because they appreciate what it was for the time rather than what it is actually is.

The problem is i am a older gamer, i grew up with the nes and genesis, i always found altered beast as terrible but really didn't see a whole lot of people praising it.

Reddit should be ignored for anything pulp culture or anything of value related, unless it's something like tech support for a operating system it's basically useless now.

 

[BlissfulBandit]

I love the PS2 remake of Wild Arms much better than the original, stilted translation be damned! Admitedly I don't know for sure if this is a "hot" take (Wild Arms discussion is pretty much dead), but I have seen many purists stand by the OG and claim that it's better.

 

[TurnARyu]

I don't think Sonic 06 is nearly as bad as some people say

 

[Leon]

I love the PS2 remake of Wild Arms much better than the original, stilted translation be damned! Admitedly I don't know for sure if this is a "hot" take (Wild Arms discussion is pretty much dead), but I have seen many purists stand by the OG and claim that it's better.

I see alter code F in the same way i see FF7R, it's a entirely different game.
I mostly agree with you about alter code F, unlike ff7r it's actually a improvement over the original, except some of the boss music.

 

[IyoTheHelpfulWolf]

OK, you guys want a really hot take – i.e., something controversial that probably only I agree with? I'll fucking give you one so hot it'll melt your little ears off:

I think the indie gaming space is fundamentally broken – just as much, if not more so, than the modern AAA space. And there's one big reason for it: lack of originality. Think about whenever you see a modern indie game get really big and popular, like Undertale (spit), Stardew Valley, or even UFO 50. Isn't it funny how about 95% of them are based on an older game? Undertale is Earthbound. Stardew Valley is Harvest Moon. UFO 50 is Action 52. Every modern Metroidvania is Super Metroid and/or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Lethal League/Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is Jet Set Radio. Minecraft is Infiniminer. Again and again. The same games. Repeatedly endlessly. FOREVER.

I'm not saying that any of these games don't develop or alter (or even improve!) elements of the games that they're based on. But I am absolutely saying that, from their conception, they're unoriginal – and, by definition, repetitive and tedious. (In my opinion, of course.) Can you mention Undertale without also mentioning Earthbound in the same breath? How about Stardew Valley – can you describe that game without using the phrase "Harvest Moon"? Even Cave Story, the ur-example of this sort of indie game – could you tell me about the game without, in good faith, referencing Metroid?

On one hand, I get it. If you're someone interested in conceptualizing, funding, developing, and releasing a video game on your own, without the backing of a major developer or publisher, you're probably someone who loves a certain video game so much that you want to make your own version of it. (Let's put aside cynical market pressures for the sake of this post.) My problem comes in with just how repetitive all these games are. When Undertale got big, every game wanted to be Undertale, and imitated its writing, music, and graphical style (and even many design sensibilities) to a T. When Stardew Valley got big, roughly 40 trillion identical farming games were (and continue to be) released. Same with Metroidvanias. Again and again. The same games, repeatedly endlessly, forever.

WHAT IF I DIDN'T LIKE THOSE OLD GAMES IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

Yes, I actually don't like the vast majority of those millennial SNES games, and I truly do not want to play them – or any variation of them – again! But they've never gone away. I can't complain, because this is clearly what the audience wants, but I truly do think it's to the detriment of the medium. Whenever I see a new indie game, my mind immediately says "Oh, what other game is this supposed to be?"

I know that no piece of media is truly "original", and that every game is, in essence, building on what came before it. But what yobs me off is the fact that both gamers and developers seem to reject originality outright. The people making these games don't want to "break the rules", and there's really no demand from consumers to do so, so the entire indie space becomes an ouroboros, constantly devouring itself only to defecate its own head in perpetuity. And we get Earthbound, Super Metroid, and Harvest Moon again and again. We get genres named specifically to limit imagination and creativity – roguelike (games like Rogue), Metroidvania (games like Metroid/Castlevania), "boomer shooter" (games like id games), et cetera.

I'm not saying that if you like any of these games you're a dullard or something, but I do think they're a big reason why people younger than Millennials gravitate towards Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite over [INTERCHANGEABLE INDIE GAME #718942]. If you didn't grow up playing (or emulating) the very limited pool of Japanese console games that almost every indie game takes influence from, there's really no reason to play one over the other, because they're all – in a basic sense – the same. Their creators all speak, think, and are aged about the same, too, so why wouldn't they be?

Playing old Flash games on Flashpoint – which were the lion's share of the games I grew up with – really depresses me, because many of those games WERE original! (Not all of them, certainly, but I'd be so bold as to say most.) Even if they were copying other Flash games, at the very least it was a new template to build off of – a new space to explore, with new ideas to introduce and gestate. They weren't Earthbound, Super Metroid, and Harvest Moon. But I guess people didn't want that design sensibility – they wanted SNES games. Again and again. Forever.

Here's what I think: a lot of gamers are too soft on indie developers. You should be demanding more. Maybe it's because of nostalgia, or because of a heavy affection for older games that I've never personally known (on my own favourite games list, you won't find any of the stock SNES games I mentioned). It might also be because of a sense of camaraderie with indie developers – they're the "little guy", so it's fine if they re-release Pixel Art Farming Simulator #11249 with character designs copied wholesale from "old school anime" (barf) in-between Twitter rants, right? Because they're just like us... right? Honestly, the whole indie space just makes me sick.

Oh, and, for the record, Cave Story sucks gorilla dick through a crazy straw.

Largely in agreement here. If I have to see one more fucking generic metroidvania-rougelike-soulslike-survival-crafting-lolsorandombutalsoseriousandscaryandmetalooooooooooool I'm gonna fucking snap and be pissier than Postal 2 and R. Kelly in this bitch! And I say this as a cretin addicted to Palworld. (I LOVE MY BABIES!!!)

Post automatically merged: Jan 20, 2025

Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't that bad. Once you get used to how Shadow handles, it's a decent action-platformer. It just needed to fix those yee-yee ass missions where you have to backtrack if you miss one fucking enemy/item/objective and do away with the branching paths that they didn't have the means to write for properly at the time. I'd love to see Sega take another crack at it since they're returning to a more serious tone with Sonic Frontiers.

 

[Somnia]

My favourite model is easily the expertly named New Nintendo 2DS XL. Perfect size, perfect weight, most powerful, and no 3D gimmick.

My 3DS hot take is that I actually like the base New 3DS model more than the XL. I actually imported one from JP because as wonderful as the bigger screen is, I just like how crisp games look on the smaller screen. It's a shame cause I prefer the XL ergonomically (though I love both) but games looking crisper (especially base DS games) made it a no-brainer for me. Plus its just comfier in my pocket and I'm still a goober that carries handhelds in pockets when I go out with friends and don't wanna bring my backpack with.

 

[IyoTheHelpfulWolf]

My 3DS hot take is that I actually like the base New 3DS model more than the XL. I actually imported one from JP because as wonderful as the bigger screen is, I just like how crisp games look on the smaller screen. It's a shame cause I prefer the XL ergonomically (though I love both) but games looking crisper (especially base DS games) made it a no-brainer for me. Plus its just comfier in my pocket and I'm still a goober that carries handhelds in pockets when I go out with friends and don't wanna bring my backpack with.

Hello? Based Department? I found a new recruit!

I cheaped out and just got a japanese launch model since those run everything I want to play on 3DS. Also the launch models are supposedly more durable. If you want better ergonomics and don't have access to a 3D printer, you might be able to find a mobile phone grip at a dollar store and use that.

 

[MasterEn]

To be fair, "playable" isn't really fair when talking about mario 64 either, that said your talking about the N64 controller.
We didn't really get the best form of platforming control until they started using the twin sticks and i can't remember which was the first to use it, only that ape escape required it.

I think crash bandicoot 1 pre-dates mario 64, but it feels it's age too.

crash bandicoot came out 2 months after mario did in the usa. mario 64 came out first in the us and japan. crash did beat mario to the pal region first though. [fixed and added some spelling mistakes]

 

[newageretrohippie]

To be fair, "playable" isn't really fair when talking about mario 64 either, that said your talking about the N64 controller.
We didn't really get the best form of platforming control until they started using the twin sticks and i can't remember which was the first to use it, only that ape escape required it.

I think crash bandicoot 1 pre-dates mario 64, but it feels it's age too.

I would consider crash to be more in the "2.5D" category