I liked it a lot. I even liked 2 lol.
I didn't know Inquisition was another on the Era list, I know 2 was.
I played Skyward Sword for the first time on Switch. I agree! My only complaint is how tedious it can be traversing the largely empty sky. But the sky still does a fine job creating a sense of distance and depth between regions, and of course flying on the bird feels fun.
Chrono Cross.
I honestly have no idea in what universe this can not be seen as a timeless (pun intended) 10/10 masterpiece. It has the best video game OST ever to boot.
Sure! In many ways it boils down to feeling like I'm playing through a stop-motion TV show that has well thought out characters, lore, and plot with strong voice acting and gameplay that doesn't get in the way. If you judge the game on gameplay alone I can understand the low marks as most of it is "go talk to X person" or "go here, press A, and report back". But I'm always interested to talk to X person as, similar to Harold, I want to know what they'll say about the most recent story developments.Can you put your thoughts on Harold Halibut in more concrete terms? I've been straddling its fence these past few days as I gather more impressions for it. Like, what about it exactly has been revelatory for you?
There are plenty of games in my list. I'm skipping the ones that I personally rate 8/10 and 9/10 (like FFXV and PSU). My list would be:
All of these games are 10/10 for me, but I know most fans won't see it that way. Dragon's Dogma 2 seems to be in the same situation. I didn't put it in the list because I haven't finished it yet.
- Bioshock 2
- Silent Hill 4
- Doom Eternal
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Resident Evil 5
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (it was pretty divisive when it came out, believe it or not)
- The Wonderful 101 (on the Wii U)
- Sonic Unleashed
- Death Stranding
I don't think Inquisition is as maligned as DAII, at least among people who actually played both. I remember it being seen as sort of a return to form, even if it didn't quite reach the highs of the original. I think most of the "Era shade" came later, when people are talking about GotY winners and single it out as probably one of the lesser GotY winners, from a weaker crop of nominees (I don't think a lot of people are saying that, like, Shadow of Mordor holds up that much better in hindsight). But that's just what happens, sometimes. Sometimes there's a stronger year and sometimes there's a weaker year.I liked it a lot. I even liked 2 lol.
I didn't know Inquisition was another on the Era list, I know 2 was.
If were counting games that are only devisive on Era, I'll throw Jak II out there.I wouldnt say 10/10, but I loved the holy trinity of Era hate:
Dark Souls 2, Fallout 4 and Bioshock Infinite.
If were counting games that are only devisive on Era, I'll throw Jak II out there.
Love that game.
As well as Death Stranding (2019's winner of most total GOTY awards) and The Last of Us 2 (2020's winner of most total GOTY awards). And countless other games in this thread that have very high aggregate review scores, have sold millions of copies, and have cemented themselves in the legacy of the industry. It's pretty obvious that to many people, the word "divisive" means that they've had arguments with a handful of people who feel negatively about those titles and made those opinions known.
There's a narrative that gets pushed here that Jak II killed what could have been a new breakout platformer and Sony's true rival mascot to Mario.
People will pretend they got hated "for good reason" as they were poor games compared to games like Witcher 2 & 3 (which released in a similar timeframe). But the reality is that those Dragon Age games were pretty decent games in their own right. But they were a bit too oldschool in their approach of fantasy, while games like the Witcher pushed cynicism to 11, which was much more in line with the times.I liked it a lot. I even liked 2 lol.
I didn't know Inquisition was another on the Era list, I know 2 was.
People will pretend they got hated "for good reason" as they were poor games compared to games like Witcher 2 & 3 (which released in a similar timeframe). But the reality is that those Dragon Age games were pretty decent games in their own right. But they were a bit too oldschool in their approach of fantasy, while games like the Witcher pushed cynicism to 11, which was much more in line with the times.
I'll die on the hill that Bioware games circa 2010 are very similar to JRPGs in their optimistic approach of storytelling (power of friendship and all that, you know the drill), an approach many expressively hate due to their unhinged cynicism ("that's immature"/"that's unrealistic" lol).
Sure! In many ways it boils down to feeling like I'm playing through a stop-motion TV show that has well thought out characters, lore, and plot with strong voice acting and gameplay that doesn't get in the way. If you judge the game on gameplay alone I can understand the low marks as most of it is "go talk to X person" or "go here, press A, and report back". But I'm always interested to talk to X person as, similar to Harold, I want to know what they'll say about the most recent story developments.
The level design and literally hand-crafted world helps make the otherwise tedious tasks something I enjoy. No place on the Fedora takes more than a minute to get to (usually less) and along the way there are so many details to admire in the visuals and environment that I'm never thinking "ugh I have to backtrack through here again" even after going through the hallway to the lab at least 20-30 times. Usually in these treks back and forth I'm noticing a new detail in the environment I missed or digesting the last character interaction before moving onto the next one.
A specific example of something that might fall flat for me in other games but has been one of my favorite moments for me here is a sidequest involving the postman:
When talking to the postman at his post office he remarks how AllWater has strict regulations around how mail can be delivered and who can open it. Because of this, the postman has a collection of unopened letters he was never able to deliver spanning over 50 years. He then mentions a regulation loophole under which an AllWater employee unaffiliated with the post could open the mail.
What ensues is the postman inviting Harold behind the desk each day to read a letter (sometimes two!) from various points in the last 50+ years and learn a bit more about the Fedora's inhabitants. The letters are all hand-written and narrated in the voice of whomever would have written them with some soft, often poignant, piano playing in the background. Once finished, the postman and Harold will discuss the contents a bit including what it implies about the sender, recipient who never got it, and life on the Fedora at that time. It's something I looked forward to each day for a few in a row until coming to the post one day to discover a note from the postman stating he had to take a leave of absence. Not sure why he had to take a break or when he'll return but it's one of several threads that I'm excited to continue and a good example of how the game has taken hold of me.
Didn't want to blow up the OP with too many details but hope this helps determine if it might be for you! I missed the demo but buying on Steam knowing I could get a refund helped me give it a shot and I'm so glad I did.
I agree 2 isn't what I'd call a great game, but it was a decent "little" game overall.like, I liked DA2 because I thought the flashy animations were cool (lol) but I wouldnt defend it as being a fantastic game or anything. Inquisition I really didnt know was hated, I thought it was great /shrug