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Forums - Gaming Discussion - What popular games and franchises stump you as to why they are popular?

Twistedpixel on 30 January 2010
vlad321 said:
Halo

How can an FPS that is so dumbed down, so slow, so simple, such shitty level design, such bad story, prosper? The only answer is that the consumers didn't know quality if it hit them in the face so they just lapped it up as the best thing ever, even if that thing was shit.

Shit to you, yes. Since you're so niche you're off the scale, your opinion of what is quality has absolutely no relationship with what other people might find appealing.



Do you know what its like to live on the far side of Uranus?

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vlad321 on 30 January 2010
Onyxmeth said:
vlad321 said:
Onyxmeth said:

I don't really follow the thread. I suppose I'm blessed and should be thankful to be able to step out of my own shoes and look at things from an alternate perspective. It just baffles me with all of the sales and market knowledge flowing through this website that there could really be people here unable to understand why a game they find either boring, perverse or wholly unoriginal is actually popular. I supposed it fits into the narrow minded and self centered mentality I see from forumgoers around the web that still can't wrap their head around hows and whys of the popularity of Nintendo.

In the spirit of participating though, I suppose I'll say Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport. I can't understand how anyone could like these games when I personally find them so boring and plodding. 

I fully understand why Halo sold so much, I even outlined it in my post.

That's funny. Out of every answer given, yours is amongst the most ignorant, most elitist, and showed some of the least amount of understanding towards the likes and dislikes of others. I don't think you get what I'm saying at all.

I don't see how ignorant and elitist go together. Elitist it is for sure, any time a popular game comes out that is utter shit I'm elitist, however that does NOT change the fact that the game is shit. I fully understand why Halo is so popular, but to think it is not bad is to be outright ignorant. It is popular because it is a dumbed down and accessible pile of crap. It is the best and most accessible pile of crap, thus making it very popular, but in the grand scheme of things it's still a pile of crap relative to games out there.



Tag(thx fkusumot) - "Yet again I completely fail to see your point..."

HD vs Wii, PC vs HD: http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=93374

Why Regenerating Health is a crap game mechanic: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=3986420

gamrReview's broken review scores: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=4170835

 

Onyxmeth on 30 January 2010
Kantor said:
Onyxmeth said:
Kantor said:
Onyxmeth said:

I don't really follow the thread. I suppose I'm blessed and should be thankful to be able to step out of my own shoes and look at things from an alternate perspective. It just baffles me with all of the sales and market knowledge flowing through this website that there could really be people here unable to understand why a game they find either boring, perverse or wholly unoriginal is actually popular. I suppose it fits into the narrow minded and self centered mentality I see from forumgoers around the web that still can't wrap their head around hows and whys of the popularity of Nintendo.

In the spirit of participating though, I suppose I'll say Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport. I can't understand how anyone could like these games when I personally find them so boring and plodding. 

It's not so much "Hmmm, I do wonder why this game has such popularity", it's "How on earth can anybody enjoy this?" Naturally, people do enjoy them, for different reasons, but this thread is more about complaining than wondering. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are successful because they appeal to a wide casual audience who like music and want to use a new kind of controller to play a game.

I would have to agree with you on GT, Forza and every other racing sim ever made. I can just about force myself to enjoy Formula One if the need arises, and once you get into it, if you're with friends and can complain about your racer of choice failing, it's actually good fun. But, I do not see the appeal in pretending to be one of those people. There's none of the atmosphere of being in the race, you actually have to concentrate on slowing down around corners and all the other stuff that F1 drivers do, and generally there's very little excitement to be had.

In my opinion, of course.

For your first paragraph, just re-read this: I suppose it fits into the narrow minded and self centered mentality I see from forumgoers around the web that still can't wrap their head around hows and whys of the popularity of Nintendo.

As for your second paragraph, if you'd like I can follow my answer with "(rolls eyes)" if that would make it more clear. I just didn't see the proper emoticon on the list so I didn't bother. 

I can wrap my head around the popularity of Nintendo, the popularity of the music genre, the popularity of racing sims, etc.

The problem here is that you are seeing this as a thread of curiosity, of genuine shock. It's not. This is a thread of complaint, of ranting, of rhetorically wondering why these games are popular, when most of us already know why they're popular.

It's exactly the same as wondering how anyone else can like a particular song/food dish/whatever.

So essentially you're saying this is a thread to feign ignorance for the sake of elitism? Ok, well I thought that was addressed in my original post, but I suppose not. Fine. I understood what people were doing here. It doesn't make it any more right than actually being ignorant.



Tag: Became a freaking mod and a complete douche, coincidentally, at the same time.



vlad321 on 30 January 2010
Twistedpixel said:
vlad321 said:
Halo

How can an FPS that is so dumbed down, so slow, so simple, such shitty level design, such bad story, prosper? The only answer is that the consumers didn't know quality if it hit them in the face so they just lapped it up as the best thing ever, even if that thing was shit.

Shit to you, yes. Since you're so niche you're off the scale, your opinion of what is quality has absolutely no relationship with what other people might find appealing.

Anyone who has played FPSes even 3 years before Halo will be able to tell you Halo is a pile of shit. It's a strange phenomenon. As I said, I don't balme other people for buying it, I blame them for being ignorant of the fact that there were far better games and claimed Halo was amazing without knowing anything about FPSes.



Tag(thx fkusumot) - "Yet again I completely fail to see your point..."

HD vs Wii, PC vs HD: http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=93374

Why Regenerating Health is a crap game mechanic: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=3986420

gamrReview's broken review scores: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=4170835

 

aleusianacht88 on 30 January 2010
Kantor said:
aleusianacht88 said:
Kantor said:
aleusianacht88 said:
Halo
Call of Duty
God of War (Devil May Cry did it first and better)
GGEEERRZ OF WOOOORRR
Any racing or sports game
Doom (made the worst genre in the history of gaming popular...f*ck)


that's it really.

I disagree with all but one of those. I could explain why every one of those is popular, but that's not the point of the thread.

Hehehe I really don't care..

I was quoting you in response to Onyxmeth, if that makes sense.

It's weird but....okay. I was just responding to the OP with my own opinion.



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Doobie_wop on 30 January 2010

Halo - Awsome multiplayer, but isn't strong enough to carry the lame story, AI and design.

Final Fantasy - Other JRPGs have done better in recent years.

Half Life - This franchise receives so much praise and besides colour, good voice-acting and flashy graphics for it's time, it just acks every other important element.

Mario in general - Had Mario stuck to maybe two fantastic games every generation, I would still have a little respect for it ( like I do for Zelda), but it's gotten to the point where Mario is a 50 year old over used prostitute and Nintendo is the aggressive pimp.



Bet with Conegamer and AussieGecko that the PS3 will have more exclusives in 2011 than the Wii or 360... or something.

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=3879752

richardhutnik on 30 January 2010
Slimebeast said:

richard, thanks for bringing out the Halo haters lol.

OT: FF and to some extent MGS and CoD

Best to have the dislike under the category of personal preference than some sort of faux objectivism.  In regards to Halo, I understand why it is popular.  It works well as an FPS.  I didn't say it is GREAT, but it works.  Good enough + early entry into a market + community = popular.



dsister44 on 30 January 2010
vlad321 said:
Twistedpixel said:
vlad321 said:
Halo

How can an FPS that is so dumbed down, so slow, so simple, such shitty level design, such bad story, prosper? The only answer is that the consumers didn't know quality if it hit them in the face so they just lapped it up as the best thing ever, even if that thing was shit.

Shit to you, yes. Since you're so niche you're off the scale, your opinion of what is quality has absolutely no relationship with what other people might find appealing.

Anyone who has played FPSes even 3 years before Halo will be able to tell you Halo is a pile of shit. It's a strange phenomenon. As I said, I don't balme other people for buying it, I blame them for being ignorant of the fact that there were far better games and claimed Halo was amazing without knowing anything about FPSes.

You know what is funny? I first played Combat Evolved in 2007, and I absolutely loved it. I even just started it again just recently 



richardhutnik on 30 January 2010
Kantor said:
Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I get no enjoyment out of pressing buttons at timed intervals. Or if I do, it gets old very quickly.

The music is good, but ruined by the repeated tapping of plastic buttons along with the strumming of that thing on the guitar.

Also, anything from the Atari era which people gush over and say "ZOMG BEST GAME OF FOREVERZ". Pac-Man, Tetris. They're not bad games, and for their time, they were phenomenal. But now...seriously, they're outdated, one-dimensional and dull.

I will agree that Pac Man isn't the most modern of games, and the game can use a revamp (Championship Edition of Pac Man is an example of what can be done).  But Tetris is timeless.  It isn't like it is a game you return to over and over again, but if you never played it before, you would get some entertainment out of it.

Things that are entertaining don't need to be complicated, nor do they always need to be deep.



aleusianacht88 on 30 January 2010
Doobie_wop said:
Halo - Awsome multiplayer, but isn't strong enough to carry the lame story, AI and design.

Final Fantasy - Other JRPGs have done better in recent years.

Half Life - This franchise receives so much praise and besides colour, good voice-acting and flashy graphics for it's time, it just acks every other important element.

Mario in general - Had Mario stuck to maybe two fantastic games every generation, I would still have a little respect for it ( like I do for Zelda), but it's gotten to the point where Mario is a 50 year old over used prostitute and Nintendo is the aggressive pimp.

I can partially agree with you about Final Fantasy but you have to look back to what FF has accomplished which is alot and how much the series has been through over the years.

 

It's clear you don't dislike FF so why list it? this isn't a thread for over-rated, this is a thread to tell what games you absolutely despise and games you just do not understand why people like them at all.