I used to try keeping my expectations low so as to not be disappointed in stuff (to no avail), but after thinking about it I realized, why bother?  What difference do my expectations make? If a game is good, it's good. If the game is bad, it's still bad even if I expected it to bad. The end product is all that matters. I see this now as another poor defense people commonly use. "The game isn't bad, your expectations were just too high!" I'm curious if anyone disagrees with this line of thinking and why.

A game that it's good will not have the same impact if you thought it was going to be bad, or excellent. The surprise always influences your opinion.

Expectations for something such as a sequel for example will inevitably arise, if only because the previous game has primed you for them - and that will ultimately affect your reception of a given game.
Besides that, expectations across a genre are a thing - better games in genre are only better because they have a reference point in another game - to which comparisons will be inevitably made, thus affecting expectations.

The whole system is somewhat, but not entirely, out of our hands, so, a bad game may be received better - and a good one worse.

Expectations are impossible to ignore, I am reading thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman and it proposes (with stats and scientific experiments to back it up) that your brain has basically two modes: the “fast” mode is biased, oversimplifies things and can easily be influenced by others. The “slow” mode is more unbiased but it uses up a lot of brain power and is prone to handing tasks right back to the fast mode to make life easier.

What is interesting though, is you are speaking about having “too high” expectations. Most of the book’s studies would suggest that if you see amazing reviews everywhere else, you will tend towards rating the product more highly yourself. Perhaps there is something special about how we view entertainment like games or movies in relation to the numbers and kudos we hear from critics or friends. I would argue it may be because we each have a very different list of entertainment experiences to draw from. Zombieland means something different to folks who love horror than people who dislike it; Shrek means something different to someone raised on Disney than someone raised on Ren and Stimpy

Good point I have seen people do this. Assuming one bases their opinions on the game itself, then their expectations shouldn't matter.

Wait whut, how can your opinion be influenced by surprise if your opinion is what you're surprised by? xD

I guess they can be but not always. You can prefer one thing and still expect the opposite i.e. I'd prefer good Pokemon games but I only expect more bad ones lulz.

In your example I'd say they don't matter. Even if that first person didn't expect it to be there they still wouldn't be happy it's not there. Like I said, bad thing is bad even if you expect it.

I'm not going to provide an opinion on whether expectations matter, but I for one have a very hard time not feeling disappointed if a new game in an existing and awesome series turns out 'just' good or even worse, mediocre! Some games just have a standard they're expected to meet and if they don't, people are going to be unhappy. Not all games exist on their own, they can also have context (Well, all games have, but some have more than others.)

Other than that, i think there's a fair point here about setting expectations on a suitable level.

I would say that expectations don't turn a bad game on a good game or vice-versa.

But when you don't expect anything of anything them if that don't happen or is bad you don't feel as bad.

Also yes high expectations can lead something that is great in good on your opinion because of your high expectation not being met (like some stuff not being in the game that you expected to have).

Of course they matter. Hearing a simple "thank you" from a stranger might sound kind, but from your girlfriend or boyfriend it might come off as cold.

Accordingly, an indie title could get a pass for having voice acting sounding like high school theater but not Final Fantasy or Call of Duty.

Expectations definitely matter.  When Super Mario Bros 3 was first released about 30 years ago it was widely regarded as the best game ever made.  If it were released for the first time in today's market, it would probably have a cult indie following and that's it.  The difference between then and now is the expectation.  People are used to different types of games.  We expect different things.  Likewise if The Last of Us were released 30 years ago some would have liked it, but most would have considered it garbage.  The difference really is in the expectation.

Its kinda hard to "no expect anything" tho. Specially when a company and/or franchise has a near perfect history. I expected to really enjoy Sekiro because I've enjoyed 100% of the games Fromsoftware had done until that point. Some more than others, but still they were all good experiences. It came out with very positive reviews. I was mildly hyped, had no reason to believe it wouldnt live up to my personal expectations. Paid $60 for it. I regretted it. You know how much candy you can buy with $60? Turns out its a lot.
It was no bueno amigos. I mean some people in this forum really like it, so I know its very much a personal experience thing, but yeah, not for me.

Similarly I expected nothing from indie games like Dead Cells and Hollow Knight and I loved them with every inch of my body. They are so good. And I paid like... Half of what Sekiro cost. So yeah. Candy.