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[MacReady13]

Game subscriptions are ruining the once great Xbox brand and need to be out of gaming for good. Stop talking about time a game is played, give us sales data Microsoft…

Most triple A games today are absolutely average at best.

Sony releases the same 3rd person trash that somehow sells in the millions despite being so damned similar to every other game they release.

Nintendo seems to be the ONLY company making games that contain great gameplay with not as much focus on a story Hollywood would be ashamed to put in a film.

Probably not a controversial opinion on here, but gaming is being ruined by activists acting as devs who really don’t give a shit about quality games but only want to inject their beliefs and politics into the game.

99% of indie games are trash.

Stop trying to make games look like they’re the latest Hollywood films! Focus on gameplay and fun games instead of making a game a 4090 couldn’t run! Graphics don’t mean shit! Nintendo know this, so why doesn’t everyone else?

 

[jufonuk]

…

….

Nintendo seems to be the ONLY company making games that contain great gameplay with not as much focus on a story Hollywood would be ashamed to put in a film.

 

[Negotiator]

I think people who post Steam stats (concurrent players) of SP games are just plain idiotic.

When I want to play a SP game, I'll just play it.

It doesn't matter (in regards to my personal enjoyment) if 1 million people play it, or if I'm the only person in the whole world playing it.

On the other hand, these stats absolutely make sense in MP games.

Why? Because the more the merrier!

Matchmaking works a whole lot better (especially in terms of latency/finding local players) with a big player pool vs a small/non-existent one.

There is absolutely no matchmaking in SP games whatsoever, you're just playing against dumb NPCs, so do us a favor and stop doing this shit.

 

[lordrand11]

Bioshock. It made my computer crash constantly. I was having some Radeon and motherboard issue that I couldn’t solve and I said fuck it. Got a PS3 to play Bioshock. And that was it.

I did play Disco Elysium on a MacBook when it came out.

AMD's drivers when Bioshock came out were a nightmare, it had quite a few crashing issues on PS3 as well when I played it on there (didn't quite have the money for PC at that time but had a PS3 and XB360) but damn if it wasn't worthwhile.

 

[Hugare]

FROM have been making the same game for over a decade now. If you show me an Elden Ring boss and a Demons Souls III one, I wouldnt be able to tell which is which.

Xbox would be in a better place if Don Matrick stayed in charge.

I agree 100% with this. Kinect was bad, but not as bad as the Phil years.

Matrick was there when Final Fantasy and Metal Gear became multiplatform and when much better 1st party MS games were released.

Another hot take: if Sony doesnt correct course asap, PS6 will sell way less than the PS5 and they'll be in a tough spot.

 

[Schmendrick]

The gaming industry is abolutely fine and is just living through the same consolidation phase that all big industries have to go through at some point when the investments and ofc the investor numbers reach a certain mass.

 

[Labadal]

Exclusives were/are good for the industry.

 

[Arsic]

Controversial?

NeoGAF, and most gamers, are hypocritical fuckwads.

They will BURN down a company for a shit launch like CDPR, but let the helldivers 2 devs slide with a terrible launch.

They will call out shitty practices and meme a company like Ubisoft for monetization , but let Atlus keep making complete editions to their games a year later or less to resell at full prices. Or sell you a demon for $8 in a game etc.

 

[tr1p1ex]

I think people who post Steam stats (concurrent players) of SP games are just plain idiotic.

When I want to play a SP game, I'll just play it.

It doesn't matter (in regards to my personal enjoyment) if 1 million people play it, or if I'm the only person in the whole world playing it.

On the other hand, these stats absolutely make sense in MP games.

Why? Because the more the merrier!

Matchmaking works a whole lot better (especially in terms of latency/finding local players) with a big player pool vs a small/non-existent one.

There is absolutely no matchmaking in SP games whatsoever, you're just playing against dumb NPCs, so do us a favor and stop doing this shit.

Yeah But I've went into Mario Kart 8 multiplayer numerous times and never thought once about how many people were playing.
AT the same time there's been some multiplayer games that get hyped up with reports of huge numbers playing online and then a month later or whatever...no one is playing in comparison. Although again, probably more than enough for most to have fun.

 

[tr1p1ex]

Yeah but Valve is a consumer friendly company. They have fairer terms of service, their prices are better, and they let you do whatever you'd like with your hardware. I have my entire childhood video game collection on my Steam Deck along with all of my Steam games. You simply cannot beat that. Nintendo didn't even gives us simple themes on Switch.

The longer the Deck is around the easier it becomes for the average person to take advantage of its benefits. The Deck has improved immensely since launch and its only getting better with each iteration.

If Nintendo simply makes the Switch 2 slightly upgraded hardware they'll fizzle out. Considering their CEO is not a creative person, but a financial guy, they might not innovate in the way we've known them to in the past. We'll see...

The SD is a hobbyist friendly device not a consumer friendly device. Consumers on average don't want to do a lot of work to make their entertainment options work.

Also in terms of customer service support I would guess Nintendo wins hands down. I doubt Valve is setup very well to handle the problems of the typical consumer.

And Nintendo never going to be the one to let you play essentially pirated games thru emulators.


Of course Switch 2 would fizzle if the hardware was only slightly upgraded. Because the customer wouldn't see why they need new hardware. A console maker always has to sell the customer on the next piece of hardware.

But the leap in power in Switch 2 will be substantial given it will have been 8 years. Given it's a handheld to handheld transition not a console (wii U) to handheld(Switch) in under 5 years.

...And who knows else they do. Plus there's always the chance they go some other direction if there is tech they think will result in fun gameplay experience - enough to carry a generation.

The core DNA of Nintendo hasn't changed. And a creative guy at the head of Nintendo isn't necessarily a receipe for success. Iwata had successes and failures. He did the Wii and DS. He also did the 3ds and Wii U. Then set the groundwork for Switch.

And best to look at who the CEO of NIntendo was before Iwata. The guy who founded the modern day Nintendo - a businessman - Yamauchi.

 

[Negotiator]

Yeah But I've went into Mario Kart 8 multiplayer numerous times and never thought once about how many people were playing.
AT the same time there's been some multiplayer games that get hyped up with reports of huge numbers playing online and then a month later or whatever...no one is playing in comparison. Although again, probably more than enough for most to have fun.

MK8DX is the most popular Nintendo Switch online MP game. Splatoon comes a close second.

It's the equivalent of Call of Duty on PS/XBOX.

You never think of it, because you take it for granted that there's a big player pool and therefore your enjoyment is guaranteed, no matchmaking issues.

But have you ever tried playing a more niche MP game? Like ARMS for example?

 

[RagnarokIV]

Games should not be measured by the length or time to complete. This results in bloated filler fueled shitty games.

Some of the greatest games of all time are hilariously short.

 

[Negotiator]

Games should not be measured by the length or time to complete. This results in bloated filler fueled shitty games.

Some of the greatest games of all time are hilariously short.

Another controversial opinion:

Game Pass reminds me of "all you can eat = $10" buffets.

It's perfect for people who want quantity (gobbling up as many games as they can).

If it came out 30 years ago, it would have been perfect for kids back then.

 

[plip.plop]

Halfway through next gen the argument between digital and physical will be replaced with digital versus streaming.

 

[Durin]

While AAA has been circling the drain in quality, innovation and sheer unsustainability in budget...I think the actual total value to gamers is still great today. AA games down to small indies offer the genre variety we used to get in the PS2 era, cross-platform multiplayer is becoming more common, game emulation continues to improve, handheld options to play on the go are amazing now, and more affordable options exist just to play games (Game Pass, PS+ tiers, etc.)

Also, I think Naughty Dog has been a husk of its former self since Uncharted 1, and the gameplay for the first Last of Us is so shallow I wish the experience was just a movie.

 

[SleepySlippy]

A Wii U and a GTX 970 are more than enough to have fun with the video game hobby.

 

[Guilty_AI]

A Wii U and a GTX 970 are more than enough to have fun with the video game hobby.

Just get a $500-700 laptop and you're made for years to come

 

[Generic]

Controversial?

NeoGAF, and most gamers, are hypocritical fuckwads.

They will BURN down a company for a shit launch like CDPR, but let the helldivers 2 devs slide with a terrible launch.

They will call out shitty practices and meme a company like Ubisoft for monetization , but let Atlus keep making complete editions to their games a year later or less to resell at full prices. Or sell you a demon for $8 in a game etc.

Don't forget everyone is fine with Valve getting billions from lootboxes.

 

[tr1p1ex]

MK8DX is the most popular Nintendo Switch online MP game. Splatoon comes a close second.

It's the equivalent of Call of Duty on PS/XBOX.

You never think of it, because you take it for granted that there's a big player pool and therefore your enjoyment is guaranteed, no matchmaking issues.

But have you ever tried playing a more niche MP game? Like ARMS for example?

I did play Arms online. I thought it was a well done online experience. That was back in the year it came out.
You're right of course that you need a certain minimum number to enjoy online play. For Arms it's maybe as low as 50-100 online given it's a 1v1 or 2v2 game as long as they aren't all people who have been playing for 7 years straight and you haven't. And ideally you would want more than that. But at the same time, I've played say Battlefield online on the same server in a niche mode with a lot of regulars filled up by randoms and had great fun over the course of a year or two a few nights a week. Even though we probably only had 20 people on the server on average at best.

So the number of people playing online for me quickly doesn't matter as well. It doesn't matter to me if 1000 or 10000 or 100000 are playing online. Sometimes smaller communities can be more fun. You can police them better in some cases. You get to know others a bit. You get people who enjoy the game. You also get this back and forth competitiveness going from knowing your opponents.

 

[Eotheod]

Knack was always life, it's just your life never had Knack in it.

 

[Negotiator]

I did play Arms online. I thought it was a well done online experience. That was back in the year it came out.
You're right of course that you need a certain minimum number to enjoy online play. For Arms it's maybe as low as 50-100 online given it's a 1v1 or 2v2 game as long as they aren't all people who have been playing for 7 years straight and you haven't. And ideally you would want more than that. But at the same time, I've played say Battlefield online on the same server in a niche mode with a lot of regulars filled up by randoms and had great fun over the course of a year or two a few nights a week. Even though we probably only had 20 people on the server on average at best.

So the number of people playing online for me quickly doesn't matter as well. It doesn't matter to me if 1000 or 10000 or 100000 are playing online. Sometimes smaller communities can be more fun. You can police them better in some cases. You get to know others a bit. You get people who enjoy the game. You also get this back and forth competitiveness going from knowing your opponents.

When you have a small player pool of 50-100 people dispersed all over the globe, what are the chances of finding local players with low latency (ideally below 50ms)?

If you ever played Uncharted MP with DLC maps on vs off, you'd understand why it's crucial to not fragment an already small pool.

 

[hemo memo]

Knack was always life, it's just your life never had Knack in it.

 

[tr1p1ex]

When you have a small player pool of 50-100 people dispersed all over the globe, what are the chances of finding local players with low latency (ideally below 50ms)?

If you ever played Uncharted MP with DLC maps on vs off, you'd understand why it's crucial to not fragment an already small pool.

Yep you're preaching to the choir.


But at the same time I'm saying I don't really care how many people are online either. I just care whether I can get in a match reasonably quick or not. Whether I'm having fun or not. Never really paid attention to the number. After some minimum number I'm not having more fun or getting matches quicker as a rule of thumb.



btw I just was one of many BF players who complained about the fragmentation of DLC in that game. Eventually after 5-10 years they changed to free DLC maps/modes.

Not even a fairly big online population like Battlefield had could truly cure the fragmentation effect. The real issue was putting maps/modes behind another paywall. That isn't ideal for a multiplayer game.


Also fragmentation issues in BF existed in the main game alone. They'd always have a main mode that would get played. And then the other side modes would have trouble finding an audience because everyone would just default to playing the main mode. Players often lacked the patience to wait around to get a side mode started. And the side modes would die out. And so from where I sat, BF would create these side modes and then just send them out to die. Even worse, I think in turn that only motivated the developer to more half ass develop the side modes which only further reinforced not playing them.

The solution ...is what Splatoon does. Feature 1 mode at a time on a rotating schedule. That way all the modes get some love. Splatoon does the same with maps. All maps get some love. They also publish a schedule so if you really truly want or don't want to play something you can know in advance.

 

[Negotiator]

1) But at the same time I'm saying I don't really care how many people are online either. I just care whether I can get in a match reasonably quick or not. Whether I'm having fun or not. Never really paid attention to the number. After some minimum number I'm not having more fun or getting matches quicker as a rule of thumb.

2) The solution ...is what Splatoon does. Feature 1 mode at a time on a rotating schedule. That way all the modes get some love. Splatoon does the same with maps. All maps get some love. They also publish a schedule so if you really truly want or don't want to play something you can know in advance.

1) You literally said 50-100 people online is fine, as long as they're not sweats/tryhards.

I'm trying to tell you 50-100 people is depressingly low, because they'll be dispersed all over the globe, so the chance of finding local players with low latency is basically zero.

That's why the more the merrier (especially in p2p games). Battlefield uses dedicated servers, so it's not the same.

Having few people is only acceptable in LAN parties or custom games (people from the same country).

2) Yes, I had suggested that to Naughty Dog (I was never a fan of map/mode voting) long before Splatoon was released, but they insisted SBMM is more "fair" (despite it increased latency through the roof and literally made people abandon the game at some point).

I'm glad Japan did it right, despite not having an official forum to gather feedback from whiny teenagers ("please ND, I get killed too much by tryhards, implement SBMM!").

Splatoon is closer to Uncharted (both games are p2p/15 Hz tickrate) than Battlefield (dedicated servers, higher tickrate).

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

ouu ouu I got two..

1. Ubisift should go bankrupt... and EA (I would have added Activision to this list but MS acquired them)

2. The PS5 should be the last "console generation", from the PS6, sony should just adopt a platform focus, and have the console itself be upgradeable.

Basically, the PS6 should be more or less a reference board, with a proprietary APU socket, RAM (HBM that's embedded on the APU) and an SSD slot in a case, then they can release new APUs every other year or two for whoever wants to buy them and can change the APUs as easily as one can change a CPU on a PC motherboard, and the end user can buy third party cases made or designed for the platform and simply swap their boards into those cases. Should even be allowed to overclock the APU.

What the PS platform then becomes, is this board that comes with an SSD slot, the controller, their proprietary APUs and PS Network. In this case, a PS6pro, would pretty much just be a PS6 APU ver.2, and all the end user has to do is buy that chip for like $200/$300 and swap it in.

 

[Herr Edgy]

'Good UX' is the bane of game design

Game design language has become so similar across so many genres that often times a game will feel like what you already know, and you will know what to expect, from the first five minutes.
Progression systems, inventory, quests.. they so often fundamentally work the same way, or have only minor twists.

This is in the name of the 'User Experience', you don't want to frustrate the player needlessly. There is value in theory, but in practice this means developers are biased towards providing that which is known.

That's why most games' tutorials are completely unnecessary and feel stupid. I know how to jump. I know how to double jump. Even if it's on a different button, I just know how it works. I know that weapons have ammo or overheat. I know the reload mechanic is automatic. I know if I can parry, there is a perfect parry if I get the timing right. I know I can assassinate someone from behind if they haven't noticed me.

I work on UX daily. But the difference is, I work on tools. Good tools are meant to help you be productive. Unifying tools helps with creating association, muscle memory. Consistency shapes expectations. Games are not that.

 

[tr1p1ex]

1) You literally said 50-100 people online is fine, as long as they're not sweats/tryhards.

I'm trying to tell you 50-100 people is depressingly low, because they'll be dispersed all over the globe, so the chance of finding local players with low latency is basically zero.

That's why the more the merrier (especially in p2p games). Battlefield uses dedicated servers, so it's not the same.

Having few people is only acceptable in LAN parties or custom games (people from the same country).

2) Yes, I had suggested that to Naughty Dog (I was never a fan of map/mode voting) long before Splatoon was released, but they insisted SBMM is more "fair" (despite it increased latency through the roof and literally made people abandon the game at some point).

I'm glad Japan did it right, despite not having an official forum to gather feedback from whiny teenagers ("please ND, I get killed too much by tryhards, implement SBMM!").

Splatoon is closer to Uncharted (both games are p2p/15 Hz tickrate) than Battlefield (dedicated servers, higher tickrate).

Yeah you're preaching to the choir except that even with multiplayer games there is an overemphasis on popularity. It doesn't take too many people online to have a fun experience.


The real difference with BF is a match has 64-128 players. btw, pretty sure the developer said most BF players nowadays enter matches thru the matchmaking option.

SBMM different from featuring maps/modes. Splatoon has SBMM as well in solo ranked and squad play. It is needed.

And in Splatoon's 'pub' or 'casual' mode (Turf War) there is no SBMM afaik, but they don't let players team up with each other. A lot of comments in media etc looked down on this. Why can't I just team up with friends in the 'casual' mode? But in my experience the teaming up part on pubs is the cause of pub stomping and if the mode is casual why should there be pub stomping. If it's casual why can't you play against your friend too? So in Turf War you can play in the same match as friends, but the game makes the teams every round so you might be playing against your friend as much as teamed up with. If really want to team up then you play Squad mode.

It's almost like they have an 'experienced chef' managing the 'menu.'

 

[NickFire]

I want Amazon to purchase Xbox, but MS to retain its pubs and devs. I'd be interested in an Apple console as well. Consumers would be better off if the industry unconsolidated a bit. And Sony deserves serious competition that jeopardizes its gaming enterprise IMO.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I actually love the Fortnite and Valorant art style and wish it was more popular for non GaaS games. It is one reason I really liked Sifu. Absolutely gorgeous art direction. I also like the style in the new Dragon Age (shields self)