Expectations don't matter

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Lonely_Dolphin said:

Hiku said:

Well, that's not really a possibility in the scenario I described, because I'm talking about features they would always expect because they consider them essential.

I would always expect a training mode to be included in a fighting game. But a casual player who just wants to check out the story of Mortal Kombat 11 may not care about that feature, and have no expectations about it.

You're completely in control of your expectations so that is always a possibility. I'm sure you would agree that a game being good is essential, but you don't actually expect every game to be good for one reason or another. Regardless, the point was to show that the main issue is the lack of a feature they wanted.

The_Liquid_Laser said:

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.

The key difference is in our standards. Expectation means what you believe will happen, it doesn't mean what the final product actually is. Super Mario Bros. 3 was widely regarded not because people thought it would be great, but because it was great for it's time.

A standard is a widely held expectation.  If most people expect something, then it becomes a standard.  Expectations do matter.