Well lets be clear there is a difference between folks who don't recognize that something is a good game and folks who see why people think it is a good game and don't like it despite that.
For example, first time I noticed Mass Effect was a trailer, after watching the trailer and without knowing who was making it I thought "this looks like a graphically spiffed up, yet shitty version of kotor". Since then I have watched countless videos and I can see where people are exited about the branching dialogue the storyline, and in some respects the gameplay. But for me the branching dialogue is only important if the story is intriguing, and the story sounds like something taken from the pages of a "Make'A'Sci-Fi'Show" Handbook and the combat looks ..well to be blunt godawful. To be honest I can handle the story because I enjoy sci-fi and I am able to look past its cheesier faults, but the combat I have seen is very offputting for me. For a long period of time I actually refrained from commenting on the game because my opinion was just fundamentally different from everyone else who was talking about it. But just because I have that opinion of the game doesn't make me a hater or a fanboy.
The same is probably true of the Halo series, I played through the beginning of the campaign on a friends xbox and though it was a subpar shooter at best (most likely because I was into PC shooters). I eventually spent quite a bit of time playing the game with friends but never was compelled to buy the game or console. I still think of halo as a mediocre shooter and if anything I get hate from other people (just watch I will get some for this post) for having that opinion. But I do think it was an important step to bringing console shooters up to a new level and closing the gap between PC shooters. The series has its strengths, I have no problem recognizing that, but the overall package has never really reached out and grabbed me and if anything has pushed me away.
Uncharted is similar right now, it does have an interesting story but people are very hyped on its graphics, yet all of the shots I have seen look like refried crap (if anyone has good shots please PM/post them) and I don't know what to think of the game with reviewers saying that it is relatively short and has good graphics. Are they right on both? wrong on one, right on the other? wrong on both? I will likely still try the game some time down the road, especially if I get a PS3, but but the disparity between what is being said and what I am seeing gives me doubts. I hope it turns out to be a good game because as I said I am interested in the story, but if it looks like crap or is short, then I am going to hold that against it...and thats not being a fanboy or a hater...thats just being honest.
So as long as we are making broad sweeping generalizations, how about I make one of my own:
People who complain about Halo/Uncharted/Mass Effect haters are just blinded by their own fanboy love and can't bring their heads out of the clouds to recognize the faults in the game. They react to people who do see these faults with disbelief and attempts to generalize them as just being haters hating.
Now that we are done with that, how about we realise that ALL people, not just fanboys or haters are guilty of these generalizations at some point and playing this game where people think they are Sigmund Freud and can analyze the psyche of other posters based on a few posts are full of it.
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| To Each Man, Responsibility |
