Unpopular Gaming Opinions

Hmm....usually I try to avoid posting negative things, because it drains me, but I think in this case, it might be a gentle form of catharcism. (This is my 4th edit now as i'm worried I will get shouted out).

  1. I am not liking the future of digital downloads as the primary means of playing games.
  2. I refuse to do game pass, because the notion of paying for a game that isn't "mine" makes me uneasy. I liked the Xbox and Xbox 360, but beyond that, I hate Microsoft and their way of doing things.
  3. I miss game manuals.
  4. Whilst I am happy that my hobby is now more or less accepted, I hate that the most popular games are ones that I am either not interested in or refuse to touch (FIFA, COD, Bethesda games etc)
  5. Naughty Dog, Mass Effect and the odd indie developer aside, I don't really enjoy non-Japanese games.
  6. "Influencers" and YouTube personalities should be shot (or at least ignored until they act civilised)
  7. Fanboy-ism is worse now than it used to be. I remember it being more playground banter, but now I see it at worst dangerous and harmful to my mental health and at best kinda sad.
  8. Sonic Mania aside (and bearing in mind i've been a Sonic fan since 26th December 1992...), being a Sonic fan is mostly a miserable existence these days.
  9. I've tried The Witcher 3 and I don't get it. I will try again down the line, but (again Mass Effect aside) WRPG's aren't for me).
  10. Sometimes the biggest fan(s) of a franchise are amongst the worst fans. I will say that this is one of the few fanbases where I feel I can have a civilised conversation here, even if we disagree on things!
  11. I prefer games that allow me to play on easy mode if I find the game is too frustrating or hard.
  12. The darkest period of gaming was the 360/PS3 era. The peak period of gaming was the mid-80's to 2002.
  13. I gladly support inclusivity and equality in gaming, but I wish some people aren't so didactic about it. I want to work with you to be better, but if you just shout at me telling me i'm a terrible person, you'll just push me away.
  14. Bearing in mind i'm in my mid-30's and still live with my parents (although fingers crossed the mortgate advisor meeting I am planning will go well), I always thought growing up with all my gaming merch, having my own place and displaying it all would excite me, but for some reason, now I think that it's not such a good idea. I am naive and childish, but I think that some gamers (of all ages) are so deep into the culture that they come across as rather sad and pathetic. I'm trying to find the right balance of expressing my love for my hobby and not coming across as creepy and/or weird. This might be linked to points 6 & 7.
  15. Street Fighter is one of the greatest films of all time (up there with the best of Kurosawa, Kubrick, Lynch, Miyazaki etc)
I should feel better getting this out, so why do I feel so bad? It is nice to see civil conversation here, so thumbs up to everyone, even if there are opinions I don't agree with (and that's cool!)
 
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This post is the reason why I created this thread. I want to promote understanding, unity, and possibly self-growth. I am truly humbled by your opinions as they show complexity and nuance. This world has enough polarization over the most puerile and pedantic reasons.

When it comes to Microsoft's Xbox, it has always been the most powerful console. I also like how Microsoft handles backward compatibility in comparison to Nintendo or Sony. It shows to me that Microsoft is catering to its customers and they should be rewarded. There's a reason why it is considered the successor to the Dreamcast or why it dominated the last console generation.

My cons with the system are that none of its exclusive titles interest me. And while the raw horsepower of the console sounds good on paper, that doesn't always translate to games. Though there could be multiple variables such as developers not put their best effort towards Microsoft's console. That being said, I will be purchasing one down the line for the reasons I mentioned above.

The sexualization of Lara Croft is the product of mass marketing. I have always seen Lara Croft as a hybrid between the ardent adventurer Indiana Jones and the debonair James Bond. She has this fearless temperament in even the gravest of circumstances.

Your reasoning for liking the contemporary Tomb Raider games shows that you appreciate deep complex characters. It shows that (I am assuming you are male) men are not one-dimensional licentious beasts incapable of sophistication as the media likes to portray us as. However, as I said, the Tomb Raider series even at the peak of its popularity in the late Nineties never appealed to me, and the modern series did not change that.

@danielmann861 can feel free to correct me here as he is more of an expert at Tekken than I will ever be. The reason I disagree with you about Tekken being superior to Virtua Fighter has to do with the mechanics more than entertainment value (which is more subjective). At high-level play, Tekken tends to emphasize particular strategies over others such as character counter-picking or wave dashing in Tekken Tag 1 rendering things such as the ten-hit combos null and void.

As I said in a previous post, what I enjoy is mechanical depth. The reason for that is I want to know how far I can push a game. The strategies in Virtua Fighter are immense and can change at any second. In other words, the only limit Virtua Fighter has is the players' imagination. On a side note, this is why I love stylish action titles like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, Godhand, Astral Chain, Metal Gear Rising, etc.

First, I want to thank you for broadening my horizons with Splinter Cell as I did not know what I was missing out on. It's fine with me if Metal Gear never appealed to you. The reason why it appeals to me goes back to 1988 when I played the first game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was so different from any other action game at the time. I didn't manage to play another one till 1998 with Metal Gear Solid and instantly fell in love with the story, characters, and gameplay.

While I enjoyed Pocket Monster snap on the Nintendo 64, I have gotten to the point where only the metagame appeals to me anymore. There's just something so satisfying about raising your monster from scratch to become a devastating weapon of destruction. Not to mention the layers of strategy you take with each turn as one false move will be your last. That being said, the upcoming Project Arceus interests me along with Pocket Monster Conquest.

I enjoy the Ryu Ga Gotoku franchise due to blending a gritty crime drama with over-the-top machismo and make it work. The game is filled to the brim with things to do and the combat is satisfying. Ironically though, my favorite titles in the franchise are (surprise surprise) the Jidaigeki spin-offs Ishin and Kenzan.

Where the games fall apart for me, is that they can become extremely repetitive after you have played several titles. This is why Judgment never appealed to me. Also, I am exasperated at this point of the interminable comparisons to Shenmue as they entirely different beasts. One is about wish fulfillment while the other is a spiritual journey.

I can understand that wanting a seamless transition in role-playing games is more intriguing than a menu system. It does make sense in these fantasy worlds that combat would be more similar to an action game. I guess it's just the fact that Dungeons and Dragons had a tremendous influence on the role-playing genre.

I like turn-based combat because it gives me time to think through my moves. As an introvert, I don't like being rushed to a decision, and quite honestly, my reflexes are not as good as they used to be (though they were never that great, to begin with). That being said, I do enjoy action role-playing games though.

I had no idea that it was Tenchu Z that 'killed' the franchise as I was under the mistaken impression that it was Shadow Assassins that did. In either case, with video games like Assassin's Creed, Shadow of the Ninja, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Shinobido, Aragami, etc providing a template for stealth and Metal Gear Rising and Sekiro providing a template for combat, I think Tenchu could make a major comeback. After all, it did not stop Ryu Ga Gotoku after Dead Souls.

When it comes to romance, I have two reasons. The first being that it is ubiquitous in everything. It has become so cliche that it's exhausting and shippers just exacerbate the problem. Not saying all shippers are insane, but I think you get what I am hinting at. I don't mind it in Shenmue because it feels sincere in comparison to other media. The second reason is a more personal one that I will not divulge to anyone, especially on the Internet where nothing disappears.

With games as a whole, outside of a few exceptions, I don't like playing with others. I know it's selfish of me, but I want to get lost in the world and forget reality. I simply can not do that if I have a constant reminder of said reality if that makes any sense.

As I said before, I appreciate your nuanced responses as you have my respect. This is the type of discussion I was hoping to foster to show that when people simply stop seeing each other as enemies and just listen, it can promote harmony. It's absurd that people will destroy each other over trivial things.

P.S. Since you like Ayame more than Rikimaru, I could give you my rare figure of her as I am more of a Rikimaru fan and she could use a good home for someone who will appreciate it more than I will.
@Tsukuyomimagi99 Thanks for the vote of confidence, it's appreciated as I also respect and value your opinions as well. They are well thought out and have the depth and breadth of someone who thinks for themselves rather than being making the choice to allow yourself to be influenced and bombarded by psychological neurological hype and propaganda. I am introverted very much with the masses, but I am an open book extrovert when talking with soulful, thoughtful or intelligent people. Well, I'm having fun going back n forth with you so here's some more responses to your comments:

-I agree that Xbox was considered the successor to those who loved the Dreamcast during that era. It's funny because when it comes to Microsoft for Windows or their smartphones they've always made a really bad product, until recently with Windows 10 post 2016 but all of their other software is junk, so it's a shock to me that I took a liking to the Xbox as much as I did. Granted, the OG Xbox are 90% junk nowadays to the point I won't even take them on trade on, same goes with any non-Slim/Elite era Xbox 360 as majority of them have red ring of death issues. But when it comes to the overall experience of Xbox versus PlayStation or Nintendo, they always deliver the better package overall I feel. Now, I don't have any interest in any Xbox exclusives really, and I feel the same way about all of Sonys with exception to Shenmue 3(obviously not a true exclusive due to PC) and of course Ghost of Tsushima. But I'm looking at Sony versus Xbox in the context of the overall package, not just current or last gen. Majority of the games during the PS2/OG Xbox era were available on both platforms, and in every single case the Xbox outperformed from graphics to controls to overall experience. Nintendo was and has always been its own unique thing, I just personally never cared for their cartoony characters overall so I tend to stay away. N64 was amazing and I truly loved that console for its time but mostly due to games like Turok, Road Rash, WWF Wrestlemania, Blast Corps and other oddball titles more so than anything Mario related, but admittedly I feel Mario's heyday was during the N64 era and those games weren't unplayable or completely boring like most of the newer titles tend to be. PlayStation on the other hand I never got into much after PS1 because Xbox always did it better. The Dualshock controller is a brutal experience to use from PS1 through PS4 and its only now with the PS5 dualsense that I feel a connection. It's still not a great controller overall but its usable, and I must admit the PS5 dualsense has the best haptic feedback I've experienced yet. Truth be told, if both Sony and Xbox used the Xbox Series/Xbox One controller I would sell my Xbox and switch to Sony simply because PlayStation has literally every modern era game that I hold dear to my heart available on it on PS4/PS5(except Mortal Kombat 9) and Xbox doesn't have Ghost of Shenmue 3, but I cannot and will not sit through having to use the PS4/PS5 d-pad to play any fighting games or having the two joysticks in the middle of the controller when playing adventure or action. It hurts my hands.

-I am a male and what you say is exactly my thought on it. The reason I feel resentment, fire and disgust with characters(and real life people)like 90s/00s Lara is because not only is it a turn off in and of itself, it feeds the stereotype that I have fought against my whole life to not be boxed with. My entire view on Lara is a prime example of whats wrong with society in every way on this issue the world over, especially here in America. In society if I find 90s Lara attactive thats 'normal' because Angelina Jolie and big square boobs, yet 2013 Lara is a broken girl who struggles with real human emotion, we have to stuff that down and not deal with feelings and ignore science and psychology as well as spirituality....oh no! I can't think of anything sexier, stronger and on fire than a person dealing with themselves, finding their passion and pushing through their heroes journey on their spiritual journey. I don't have an issue with Indiana but James Bond is obnoxious(admittedly I liked 007 Goldeneye for N64 back in the day but thats more so because it was the only great FPS multiplayer of its time). Lara of the 90s never caught my attention in a positive way because I felt like she was just another run of the mill action hero who doesn't deal with her mommy or daddy issues and comes off as being 'strong', yet shes incredibly broken and not vulnerable at all in the older titles, which is a sign of false bravado, which is a sign of weakness. There's nothing attractive about a character who is being praised for staying broken and shallow rather than dealing with their inner work or hero's journey. That very sentiment is exactly what attracts me to Lara Croft in the reboot trilogy of 2013. She still has the adventurous and 'face all odds' heroism of the situations she faces externally, but internally she's forced to deal with them against her will in the 2013 reboot and she still shows the human emotions of fear and doubt that makes her real and raw all the while dealing with her inner demons and coming to terms with her father and mothers death while having to murder people to survive for the first time in her life unexpectedly, also her spiritual journey as she self actualizes who she really is deep down(destiny perspective). Many haters(typically those who bash the reboot and praise her polygon breasts from the 1990s games)often say she was a whiny child-like character in the reboot who has daddy issues. I say to that: ....And your point?? They don't really have one. In real life each of us has emotional issues and a core of the life we grew up with. This 21 year old orphan girl gets thrown into a violent situation on a research trip in which she has no training for and has to kill or be killed, that is an attractive story and attractive character development plot point. My attraction to the reboot Lara is defined by the same repulsion I feel for the pre-2013 Lara, its a duality as the only thing both characters have in common are their ability to climb all over rocks. It's all about her strength and personality versus her false bravado. I feel exactly the same way about the movies. The 2018 Alicia Vikander Tomb Raider movie was actually really decent and probably the best video game movie I've seen yet overall, whereas the Angelina Jolie movies were awful and unwatchable. Not only are the 2000s movies themselves broken, but Angelina Jolie as a sex symbol isn't interesting in the least, because that's the only reason she was cast in that role at that time. If I never have to see another super hero story again, especially one about some sex symbol female James Bond(without Pierce Brosnans undeniable swagger) that has daddy issues but never deals with them cause shes too busy looking 'cool' diving around with her dual pistols and showing off her square boobs, then I'm ok with that. From day one I was not neutral or undecided, I *HATED* Lara Croft and Tomb Raider pre-2013, so when the 2013 reboot fell in my lap in 2020 on a trade in I tested the game out and noticed she looked very different and the vibe was fresh from the intro video, so before I knew it 2 hours went by and I was still playing it. As for general sex appeal in gaming or entertainment marketing I am totally cool with it, but ONLY if it's done in a tasteful way where the main focus isn't just about sex appeal, and that's what old school TR bathes in is nothing but sex appeal. Terrible terrible games from the 90s that were broken and no where near as good as other 3rd person games on the PS1 but her square boobs got her over with the 12 year old boys who were just learning about the female body on their PS1. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying sex appeal or the female body, but I'm looking at the soul and the mind first, every time.

-Tekken/VF: I can very much see your point on this. VF being better than Tekken isn't something that's hard for me to disagree with, I see aspects of VF I like better and I do believe that if VF were to reboot today in 2021 with Yu Suzuki spearheading the project it could wipe the floor with all the previous Tekken titles. My main issue with VF is the lack of interesting characters outside of Pai. Visually many of them to me look somewhat generic. For example Sarah Bryant(who I do like)and Nina Williams both look similar visually, especially in the 90s era, but Nina has more personality. Sarah feels bland. Akira feels like a bland version of Jin Kazama or Kazuya. I understand these games are very well developed on story like Mortal Kombat is, but I do really enjoy playing fighting games that have a good fighting mechanic. Now, I can say one place I really like VF better than Tekken is VF doesn't have Panda, Roger, Alex Jr or any other goofy ass animal based character. I feel VF legacy could have been something more with a little bit more polish on the character development. I can see why you like VF's fighting mechanics though, they are really solid. With fighting games I enjoy and respect Virtua Fighter and Tekken both along with some of the Dead or Alive titles and of course Mortal Kombat. I cannot say the same for Street Fighter outside of Street Fighter 2 which was just ok in its time. I loved it when Dead or Alive 5 brought many of the Virtua Fighter characters into the mix, it was nice to be able to play tag team as Kasumi and Pai together. Would you personally like to see a crossover with Tekken, VF and DOA all together?? I think that would be fire and could work really well because even though the fighting mechanics are different, they're not too different where it feels broken or awkward to mix them together like it did with Street Fighter X Tekken.

-MGS is another title that I have some difficulty in seeing the appeal with the story, but not the stealth. I actually thought the stealth was fairly decent. Did I introduce you to Splinter Cell or something?? I don't recall if we discussed it previously. If you haven't played through them all I'd suggest the first 5, with the 6th one Blacklist being optional if you want to keep going. When they changed the voice actor on Sam Fisher I lost interest. Plus, him coming back around to working with the gov after they fucked him in the 4th and 5th game made it hard to make sense of the plot. First 3 are the best I feel, but 4 and 5 take it in a whole new direction and are very solid. Another stealth title I enjoyed is called 'Stolen' which was on the original Xbox(and I think PS2 as well) and you play a female jewel thief. Its not nearly as good as Splinter Cell or nearly as involved as Metal Gear in the plot but for a budget title it was really enjoyable, and you don't kill to accomplish your missions though you can take down enemies by knocking them out, choking them out or evading them. It's the best parts of Splinter Cell and Metal Gears stealth without the killing.

-Pokemon Arceus looks quite good actually. I haven't seen much but I looked at it the other day and was surprised at how solid it looks like it may end up being. It's kind've what I imagined Sword/Shield should have been. I think Arceus has the potential to be the best Pokemon game of all time. With that said, I probably won't try it out unless it comes in on trade in with a Switch since I'm just not feeling it for Pokemon outside of trying the New Snap game.

-Yakuza: Your points here about Yakuza actually are really interesting because while I cannot agree that I enjoy the way the games operate, I do see why you may like the machismo found in them. Not my cup of tea, but I do get the appeal of that to some extent. After playing Sleeping Dogs which was a great Hong Kong martial arts flick type game I couldn't see why people would be talking about Yakuza over SD. It is very refreshing and free thinking to hear a Yakuza fan say that the game is very different from Shenmue. I appreciate that statement a lot. I would assume your statement that one is about fulfillment would be talking about Yakuza and Shenmue is the spiritual journey, but rather than assume I must ask, is this a correct assessment?? If not, I'm curious to know why you see it the other way? Also, when I was looking for a game similar to Ghost of Tsushima last year I did try that Japanese only release of Yakuza that appeared to take place in the samurai days?? I didn't really like that one either, which had nothing to do with the language barrier for me but it had the same energy that the other games had, only with an older time period skin on it. Admittedly, it was still the best one I did play(I've tried them all except the new RPG one from 2020).

-Shinobido was fairly good too, felt just like Tenchu. My understanding its the same people behind it? I really miss Tenchu the more I think about my mouth is watering at the idea of getting a new Tenchu game some day. I'd love a complete reboot where it keeps the base elements of stealth and Asian feel to it but make it more dynamic and push the consoles to their limits with what it can do nowadays versus the older hardware limitations of the PS1, PS2 and Xbox 360. I would like to see them bring back both Rikimaru and Ayame in a reboot and possibly introduce a new character as well. When I said I liked Tenchu Z best, what I'm saying is 100% the gameplay itself and the graphics. Obviously it doesn't really have a story since you're just a generic created character(which I thought was cool), but the lack of a main character took away some of the elements I loved about the other titles. They were all really good games overall except for the Wii and DS ones. The more I talk about this the more I really really really want a new Tenchu game...damn! By the way, have you tried Red Ninja: End of Honor for PS2? It's a bit broken at times but if you like stealth and Asian lore I thought Red Ninja was a lot better than the critics gave it credit for.

-Regarding romance I can see your point. Ryo and Shenhua is genuine because its a soul connection and they have a higher purpose than just the surface shallow stuff that's pushed in many romances of film, games and story telling. I've seen a bunch of people say Ryo should have dated Nozomi in Shenmue 1 instead of going with Shenhua later because Nozomi is cuter....I'm like WTF?!?!?....do these people even have the depth to enjoy a Shenmue game with that thought?? I know, very judgemental but it does blow my mind when I see that stuff. Nozomi is perfectly placed in Shenmue 1 as a character who Ryo cannot see in front of him because he has a bigger purpose to fulfill and she fits perfectly in her spot in the story, there's no real reason to bring her back into the game nor did I miss her in 2 or 3. Shenhua on the other hand has something amazing inside her that lines up with Ryo's purpose and it goes beyond just being people who knew each other from high school. I feel very similar about Kitana and Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, it doesn't feel forced and it makes sense in the story telling. Their 'romance' doesn't get in the way of their individuality or ambition and they push each other to see more within themselves.

-I respect you as well. Thank You. I can feel your intellect and thoughtfulness put into your responses is genuine.

-I am touched by your gesture of offering your Ayame figure to me. I'm actually speechless and don't know what to say. I graciously accept your kindness, but I also don't want to take anything from you that you may cherish or value. I'd like to say I have something creative that I could offer of value to you like an action figure of Kazuma Kiryu or better yet Rikimaru, but I don't keep many material items so all I would be able to offer is some of my inventory which is a bit thin currently (and some of it is junk like Call of Duty Black Ops). As lame and without creative thought of an exchange as this would be, I can offer you cash :D lol ...better than nothing right?
 
@Tsukuyomimagi99



Here's 2 of the games I mentioned in the previous post that are decent if you like stealth and Asian themed games. Neither are amazing so don't expect Splinter Cell or Tenchu but both are decent for budget titles. Red Ninja is a PS2 exclusive I believe from 2004. Stolen is on original Xbox and PS2 from 2005.
 
  1. I gladly support inclusivity and equality in gaming, but I wish some people aren't so didactic about it. I want to work with you to be better, but if you just shout at me telling me i'm a terrible person, you'll just push me away.

Hear, hear man! That's pretty much my thought. I'm all for inclusivity and equality but if you lecture me or try to convince me I'm a terrible person if I dare to have a differing opinion or approach then FUCK YOU! You're the one with the problem and that problem is you can't listen to an opinion other than your own...which is sadly where everyone is nowadays...but that's another can of worms.

For instance, and I suppose this can go here in Unpopular Opinions, but I've lost Facebook friends all because I refused to jump on a cause. See BLM for an example. I have nothing against any race, but I refused to play the "pretend you care" game on Social Media and apparently that was enough for people to lecture me and unfriend me for "not caring."

I'm so tired of the phony BS on social media in general. Yes, there's nothing wrong with showing you care, but I think people go overboard with it and it's more for show than it is a genuine care with a lot of people. Let's call it what it is...it's borderline narcissism at this point for a lot of people raised on this.
 
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Hmm....usually I try to avoid posting negative things, because it drains me, but I think in this case, it might be a gentle form of catharcism. (This is my 4th edit now as i'm worried I will get shouted out).

  1. I am not liking the future of digital downloads as the primary means of playing games.
  2. I refuse to do game pass, because the notion of paying for a game that isn't "mine" makes me uneasy. I liked the Xbox and Xbox 360, but beyond that, I hate Microsoft and their way of doing things.
  3. I miss game manuals.
  4. Whilst I am happy that my hobby is now more or less accepted, I hate that the most popular games are ones that I am either not interested in or refuse to touch (FIFA, COD, Bethesda games etc)
  5. Naughty Dog, Mass Effect and the odd indie developer aside, I don't really enjoy non-Japanese games.
  6. "Influencers" and YouTube personalities should be shot (or at least ignored until they act civilised)
  7. Fanboy-ism is worse now than it used to be. I remember it being more playground banter, but now I see it at worst dangerous and harmful to my mental health and at best kinda sad.
  8. Sonic Mania aside (and bearing in mind i've been a Sonic fan since 26th December 1992...), being a Sonic fan is mostly a miserable existence these days.
  9. I've tried The Witcher 3 and I don't get it. I will try again down the line, but (again Mass Effect aside) WRPG's aren't for me).
  10. Sometimes the biggest fan(s) of a franchise are amongst the worst fans. I will say that this is one of the few fanbases where I feel I can have a civilised conversation here, even if we disagree on things!
  11. I prefer games that allow me to play on easy mode if I find the game is too frustrating or hard.
  12. The darkest period of gaming was the 360/PS3 era. The peak period of gaming was the mid-80's to 2002.
  13. I gladly support inclusivity and equality in gaming, but I wish some people aren't so didactic about it. I want to work with you to be better, but if you just shout at me telling me i'm a terrible person, you'll just push me away.
  14. Bearing in mind i'm in my mid-30's and still live with my parents (although fingers crossed the mortgate advisor meeting I am planning will go well), I always thought growing up with all my gaming merch, having my own place and displaying it all would excite me, but for some reason, now I think that it's not such a good idea. I am naive and childish, but I think that some gamers (of all ages) are so deep into the culture that they come across as rather sad and pathetic. I'm trying to find the right balance of expressing my love for my hobby and not coming across as creepy and/or weird. This might be linked to points 6 & 7.
  15. Street Fighter is one of the greatest films of all time (up there with the best of Kurosawa, Kubrick, Lynch, Miyazaki etc)
I should feel better getting this out, so why do I feel so bad? It is nice to see civil conversation here, so thumbs up to everyone, even if there are opinions I don't agree with (and that's cool!)
I appreciate your vulnerability. I'd like to comment on some of your thoughts and ask you some questions in hope to spark a discussion perhaps. Speaking here(with certain open minded people of course)is cathartic for me as well. I'd pray that a forum full of Shenmue fans would have the depth to have adult conversations, and for the most part, that has been my experience here.

1. Why do you prefer physical games over digital? Are you a collector or someone that likes the experience of holding the item in your hand?
2. I don't care much for Game Pass myself, but mainly because most of the games on there aren't worth the $15 per month. If PS Now is a better value overall, imo.
3. Interesting. How come? Collection experience?
4. I hear you on this. I have run into this issue across all of my hobbies in general. Most people go with the crowd and don't have any thoughts of their own. Nothing wrong with enjoying FIFA or Doom, but when that's all people play it's crazy to think about how much good stuff they're missing out on.
6 & 7. Influencers often don't help the fanboy issue. It is scary how intense and ridiculous the console war stuff has gotten. Realistically, if there was any logic for a 'console war' it would have been in the 90s when Nintendo and Sega were the only two out as their libraries and general direction were vastly differing. Sony and Xbox are essentially identical in the titles they release with a handful of exclusives being an exception. Nintendo is really the only 'different' one anymore. Most of the toxicity I see comes from the PlayStation community, which is sad because in the 90s I never got heated over if the PS1, Saturn or N64 was the best, they were all unique and different from each other...which is more than what can be said for the 360/PS3, XB1/PS4 and XBX/PS5 eras.
8. I liked some of the 3D games early on but for the most part I agree. Outside of 2D I'll take Sonic Heroes and Adventure 1. Oh and Generations was nice too.
9. I don't get the Witcher games either. I did however play CyberPunk 2077 which is from the same studio and after that comical experience I understood why I didn't like the Witcher games lol.
10. Try heading over to the Tomb Raider forums. I left the same day I arrived. I came in and asked a basic question about the 2013 reboot trilogy and all of the toxic 90s TR fans who hate the reboot came at me like I just spit in their mothers face. The Shenmue forum, with a few exceptions of a couple of members are really nice to be on and be around.
11. I always prefer easy mode as my first option, unless its too easy then I take it up a notch.
12. I agree on both peak and lowest, but I must say that the games I really really love, cherish and touch my heart in a way beyond them just being a form of entertainment are all from the XB1/PS4 or current gen era with the exception to the Shenmue games which were 20 years ahead of their time, if not more. Even older franchises from the peak years like Mortal Kombat which were solid entertainment in the 90s and 00s still weren't deep and amazing until the 2011 reboot, imo.
13. I support this too, with some exceptions. If inclusiveness is just there for the sake of it making a politically correct statement, I'm not into that at all. Cases like The Last of Us 2 where the games story wouldn't have worked regardless of if there was or wasn't any gender or sexual preference topics involved are a prime example of inclusiveness for no real reason as it added nothing to the story and took nothing away, yet we are well aware it was done intentionally with an agenda. Make inclusiveness feel accepting and interesting. Wasted potential for a sequel to an otherwise decent title in TLOU 1.
14. I don't find it creepy or weird if you love video gaming and having it all over your house. Unless it's an issue where its a toxic addiction, then its just you being you, nothing wrong with that! I traveled and lived full time in a van by choice for many years and many considered that odd, but it was great because the people that loved what I was doing were the people I were spending my time with and/or dating at that time.

Thank You for sharing!
 
I appreciate your vulnerability. I'd like to comment on some of your thoughts and ask you some questions in hope to spark a discussion perhaps. Speaking here(with certain open minded people of course)is cathartic for me as well. I'd pray that a forum full of Shenmue fans would have the depth to have adult conversations, and for the most part, that has been my experience here.

1. Why do you prefer physical games over digital? Are you a collector or someone that likes the experience of holding the item in your hand?
2. I don't care much for Game Pass myself, but mainly because most of the games on there aren't worth the $15 per month. If PS Now is a better value overall, imo.
3. Interesting. How come? Collection experience?
4. I hear you on this. I have run into this issue across all of my hobbies in general. Most people go with the crowd and don't have any thoughts of their own. Nothing wrong with enjoying FIFA or Doom, but when that's all people play it's crazy to think about how much good stuff they're missing out on.
6 & 7. Influencers often don't help the fanboy issue. It is scary how intense and ridiculous the console war stuff has gotten. Realistically, if there was any logic for a 'console war' it would have been in the 90s when Nintendo and Sega were the only two out as their libraries and general direction were vastly differing. Sony and Xbox are essentially identical in the titles they release with a handful of exclusives being an exception. Nintendo is really the only 'different' one anymore. Most of the toxicity I see comes from the PlayStation community, which is sad because in the 90s I never got heated over if the PS1, Saturn or N64 was the best, they were all unique and different from each other...which is more than what can be said for the 360/PS3, XB1/PS4 and XBX/PS5 eras.
8. I liked some of the 3D games early on but for the most part I agree. Outside of 2D I'll take Sonic Heroes and Adventure 1. Oh and Generations was nice too.
9. I don't get the Witcher games either. I did however play CyberPunk 2077 which is from the same studio and after that comical experience I understood why I didn't like the Witcher games lol.
10. Try heading over to the Tomb Raider forums. I left the same day I arrived. I came in and asked a basic question about the 2013 reboot trilogy and all of the toxic 90s TR fans who hate the reboot came at me like I just spit in their mothers face. The Shenmue forum, with a few exceptions of a couple of members are really nice to be on and be around.
11. I always prefer easy mode as my first option, unless its too easy then I take it up a notch.
12. I agree on both peak and lowest, but I must say that the games I really really love, cherish and touch my heart in a way beyond them just being a form of entertainment are all from the XB1/PS4 or current gen era with the exception to the Shenmue games which were 20 years ahead of their time, if not more. Even older franchises from the peak years like Mortal Kombat which were solid entertainment in the 90s and 00s still weren't deep and amazing until the 2011 reboot, imo.
13. I support this too, with some exceptions. If inclusiveness is just there for the sake of it making a politically correct statement, I'm not into that at all. Cases like The Last of Us 2 where the games story wouldn't have worked regardless of if there was or wasn't any gender or sexual preference topics involved are a prime example of inclusiveness for no real reason as it added nothing to the story and took nothing away, yet we are well aware it was done intentionally with an agenda. Make inclusiveness feel accepting and interesting. Wasted potential for a sequel to an otherwise decent title in TLOU 1.
14. I don't find it creepy or weird if you love video gaming and having it all over your house. Unless it's an issue where its a toxic addiction, then its just you being you, nothing wrong with that! I traveled and lived full time in a van by choice for many years and many considered that odd, but it was great because the people that loved what I was doing were the people I were spending my time with and/or dating at that time.

Thank You for sharing!
Of course, i'd be happy to elaborate~

1) I think it's because it's what i've grown up with, so I sometimes struggle with buying something and getting essentially code instead of a physical item. That's not to say i'm against digital downloads as i download games all the time, but they are almost exclusively on sale and much cheaper than buying a physical copy. On the other end, I despite the FOMO mechanics of Limited Run and its ilk!

2) For me, I think a subscription service is absolutely fine, but because i'm pretty savvy with using free trials and cancelling them before paying for them, although it's good value, again, it's not *mine*. Where I concede is if I stream something (and this can be films/music etc) and I love it, i'll buy my own copy. So perhaps I should see it as a trial service weeding away the crap.

3) I think in a way most games negate the need for one due to in-game tutorials etc, but sometimes it's nice to see the artwork, gain a little more understanding before playing a game etc. I can live without them, but it's just a nice bonus.

4) I think it's the same with most hobbies, but I think there's so much great stuff out there that it's a shame to miss out on them. I should say I despite F2P practices and open ended games, but I guess that's a popular opinion for most of us, so thought there was no point in mentioning it!

6) To a degree, I agree. I guess because i'm more of a PS gamer than an Xbox player these days, I could say the same from my perspective haha. Still, when the majority of games are identical, it's much of a muchness. I do admit to maximum cringe factor when I see people wearing Xbox or PlayStation branded clothing...good grief!

8) I harbour a soft spot for SA1 & 2 and Generations, but back in the day, I would buy *everything* Sonic and was overly loyal. That loyalty made me miserable and now I am much more cautious. That said, some of my best friends were met in the community, so i'll always love Sonic for that (and the 1991 - 2001 games).

10) I message on Eurogamer, here and that's it. I just can't be bothered to go elsewhere. I used to be a member of a Sonic forum and the toxicity was ridiculous (plus most of them were kids and it was pointless trying to get a reasonable discourse out of them).

11) I think Easy or Normal is hunky dory, but I hate the "git gud bro" folk. A pox on those folk!

12) Oh aye, some of the best games i've ever played have been from the last few years (Persona 5, NieR Automata etc), so it's almost a 2nd Golden age, but the sheer negativity of the community stops it being the greatest. Plus nostalgia plays a bit part!

13) The best works are those that include folk of a minority status without going out of the way to explicity point it out if that makes sense? I think it's pretty bad when games/films etc include people from a minority status as some kind of a tick-box exercise as that comes across as disingenuous and insincere. @danielmann861 - i'm keen not to go too far off the beaten track, but I agree that people who virtue signal are sometimes doing more harm than good, but it varies from person to person whether they mean to do it in the best possible way or not. I have accepted that as a straight, white male I have had certain privileges that others might not have, so I am trying to be better and I have no problems with games that allow a change from that norm as long as it's not didactic. For example, when I was playing Uncharted - The Lost Legacy, I didn't think "oh, i'm playing a game as 2 women of different race", I thought "these characters are pretty cool and I like playing as them".

14) I'm glad you agree. I think because my passions are films, music and gaming, my personality is intrinsically linked to it. Luckily, I do have many friends who accept my foibles, but not everybody understands. And that's OK I guess, but it's exhausting defending myself at times!
 
13) The best works are those that include folk of a minority status without going out of the way to explicity point it out if that makes sense? I think it's pretty bad when games/films etc include people from a minority status as some kind of a tick-box exercise as that comes across as disingenuous and insincere. @danielmann861 - i'm keen not to go too far off the beaten track, but I agree that people who virtue signal are sometimes doing more harm than good, but it varies from person to person whether they mean to do it in the best possible way or not. I have accepted that as a straight, white male I have had certain privileges that others might not have, so I am trying to be better and I have no problems with games that allow a change from that norm as long as it's not didactic. For example, when I was playing Uncharted - The Lost Legacy, I didn't think "oh, i'm playing a game as 2 women of different race", I thought "these characters are pretty cool and I like playing as them".
I won't go off the beaten track any further....I just thought since we're airing Unpopular Opinions, I'd just go there and say what's really been on my mind lately involving Social Media. I don't want to go into the political positions any further, but no one should be forced to post something on their Social because it's a sign of how good of a person you are...and that's my problem in general. I've had so called friends stop speaking to me simply because I refuse to play that game on Social Media and it's hard not to call it pure narcissism at times.

When I was playing Uncharted The Lost Legacy, my thought was "this has gone full circle...we went from the "Dude Raider rip off" right back to "Tomb Raider rip-off" :D

But anyways....we're opening cans of worms...but hey, this thread is called unpopular opinions :D
 
As for general sex appeal in gaming or entertainment marketing I am totally cool with it, but ONLY if it's done in a tasteful way where the main focus isn't just about sex appeal, and that's what old school TR bathes in is nothing but sex appeal. Terrible terrible games from the 90s that were broken and no where near as good as other 3rd person games on the PS1 but her square boobs got her over with the 12 year old boys who were just learning about the female body on their PS1. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying sex appeal or the female body, but I'm looking at the soul and the mind first, every time.
Not having a go at you my fellow Tomb Raider cupcake ❤️, but I thought this would be a good launching point for my own unpopular opinion.

Classic Tomb Raider…isn’t just about the sex appeal

I freely admit that while I am a dirty, 50p-a-go blow-up whorebag for those cheesy old games, there is no denying that they've aged like milk. The controls are janky, the tone feels like a silly Saturday morning action cartoon, and Lara is empowered to such a superhero degree she could probably defeat a god (oh wait, she does twice). So, I understand why people have a hard time liking those sillier games. However, whenever I hear from journalists that classic Tomb Raider was only about trying to give straight dudes chubbies, it is such a "Shen-moo-ayyy" red flag that makes me want to just slap on a Karen wig.

Yes, the franchise had some unfortunate marketing at a time when female leads in games weren't a thing which Tomb Raider was boldly trying to change (in a somewhat imperfect way we can all agree in retrospect). However, marketing does not always paint an accurate reflection of a game. Aside from her busty model, the games largely gloss over Lara’s sexuality. Instead, she is established as a witty, thrill-seeking ‘don’t need no man’ anti-hero…who just so-happens to look like a supermodel. She's never portrayed like Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday: a disempowered, sexually moaning joke who has her clothes ripped off by enemies as she shrieks helplessly on the verge of seven orgasms (seriously, what about that game's objectification of women?). Classic Lara was all about Spice Girls era ‘girl power’ and kicking men in the balls...it's just that she did it while wearing shorts and a tank top. There are a whopping 4 or so moments out of the 9 pre-2013 games which could be seen as mildly problematic (e.g. Lara about to change outfits before a camera cut). Otherwise, the games primarily focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and action.

It's strange that finding a straight guy who claims to like classic Tomb Raider is a rarity if those games truly were all about porn as the marketing suggests. By far, the biggest audience for classic Tomb Raider has surprisingly turned out to be the LGBT community which now give Lara a massive following (seriously, check out the Tomb Raider Forums sometime). We don’t like the character because of her bewbs (obviously 🏳️‍🌈), we like her because she’s a cool, witty action hero who makes sure she looks fabulous while robbing a sacred altar.

EDIT: This thread is delicious, by the way. 😀
 
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Of course, i'd be happy to elaborate~

1) I think it's because it's what i've grown up with, so I sometimes struggle with buying something and getting essentially code instead of a physical item. That's not to say i'm against digital downloads as i download games all the time, but they are almost exclusively on sale and much cheaper than buying a physical copy. On the other end, I despite the FOMO mechanics of Limited Run and its ilk!

2) For me, I think a subscription service is absolutely fine, but because i'm pretty savvy with using free trials and cancelling them before paying for them, although it's good value, again, it's not *mine*. Where I concede is if I stream something (and this can be films/music etc) and I love it, i'll buy my own copy. So perhaps I should see it as a trial service weeding away the crap.

3) I think in a way most games negate the need for one due to in-game tutorials etc, but sometimes it's nice to see the artwork, gain a little more understanding before playing a game etc. I can live without them, but it's just a nice bonus.

4) I think it's the same with most hobbies, but I think there's so much great stuff out there that it's a shame to miss out on them. I should say I despite F2P practices and open ended games, but I guess that's a popular opinion for most of us, so thought there was no point in mentioning it!

6) To a degree, I agree. I guess because i'm more of a PS gamer than an Xbox player these days, I could say the same from my perspective haha. Still, when the majority of games are identical, it's much of a muchness. I do admit to maximum cringe factor when I see people wearing Xbox or PlayStation branded clothing...good grief!

8) I harbour a soft spot for SA1 & 2 and Generations, but back in the day, I would buy *everything* Sonic and was overly loyal. That loyalty made me miserable and now I am much more cautious. That said, some of my best friends were met in the community, so i'll always love Sonic for that (and the 1991 - 2001 games).

10) I message on Eurogamer, here and that's it. I just can't be bothered to go elsewhere. I used to be a member of a Sonic forum and the toxicity was ridiculous (plus most of them were kids and it was pointless trying to get a reasonable discourse out of them).

11) I think Easy or Normal is hunky dory, but I hate the "git gud bro" folk. A pox on those folk!

12) Oh aye, some of the best games i've ever played have been from the last few years (Persona 5, NieR Automata etc), so it's almost a 2nd Golden age, but the sheer negativity of the community stops it being the greatest. Plus nostalgia plays a bit part!

13) The best works are those that include folk of a minority status without going out of the way to explicity point it out if that makes sense? I think it's pretty bad when games/films etc include people from a minority status as some kind of a tick-box exercise as that comes across as disingenuous and insincere. @danielmann861 - i'm keen not to go too far off the beaten track, but I agree that people who virtue signal are sometimes doing more harm than good, but it varies from person to person whether they mean to do it in the best possible way or not. I have accepted that as a straight, white male I have had certain privileges that others might not have, so I am trying to be better and I have no problems with games that allow a change from that norm as long as it's not didactic. For example, when I was playing Uncharted - The Lost Legacy, I didn't think "oh, i'm playing a game as 2 women of different race", I thought "these characters are pretty cool and I like playing as them".

14) I'm glad you agree. I think because my passions are films, music and gaming, my personality is intrinsically linked to it. Luckily, I do have many friends who accept my foibles, but not everybody understands. And that's OK I guess, but it's exhausting defending myself at times!
Thank You for sharing your response. As a straight white male who grew up as a minority in the ghetto of the south-side of Chicago I can say that many people from all walks of life, including obviously straight white men can have their societal challenges while others have privilege, and vice versa. The idea that privilege in first world countries is a racial(mainly white), sexual preference(mainly straight) or gender(mainly male) issue in most cases is absurd more so than its a socio-economical issue of wealthy versus poor(yes, so called middle class is poor). The Mortal Kombat 2021 movie is a good example of box checking. In interviews they have addressed why they cast a black actress as Mileena, who is traditionally white and more recent in MK 11 Asian just to check that box. Since the Mileena character is Edenian, a race that doesn't exist in real life I wouldn't mind if they cast a black actress at all, but not for the sake of just doing it for political correctness and to include everyone. Also, it would have helped if they would have cast someone who could actually play the part convincingly as the first priority, which they failed to do with Sisi Stringer. They also didn't put Johnny Cage in the movie as a main hero because he is a straight white male(and is vocal about being attracted to women physically throughout the lore) and it would have been the cringe term for something that doesn't exist in real life called 'white washing' to give him the spotlight along with the other lead characters who were of other genders and races. The argument coming from the interviews with the people involved in this movie is that Asian actors haven't had enough screen time in movies, so with MK 2021 they wanted to help shift that. Why not just cast Johnny Cage as an Asian-American guy from Hollywood? Sure, it wouldn't work with the stereotypical image of a white Hollywood guy who is a bit self involved, but it could still have worked if they wanted to keep things PC for the fans. Instead they destroyed the Asian character Liu Kang, who is the lead character of the entire franchise by casting an Asian actor that was horrible and gave him a weak script on top of it. When it comes to the idea that Asians aren't represented in film that much apparently they haven't heard of Bruce Li, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Robin Shou, Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Hu, Mark Dacascos, Zhao Wei, Li Fei, Chow Yun Fat, Lucy Liu and so on. Not a fan of politically correct language either, which is why you see me use the word black rather than 'person of color' here. Since 1st grade teaches us that black and white are not colors but they are shades, and since the pigment of African peoples skin is usually closer to brown, and the pigment of European peoples skin is usually more of a peach/red/yellow I don't see why any of this stuff matters anyway, and why everyone is looking to feel offended by it. My bigger issue is people being rude assholes about these issues directly to others, there's no need to be the first one to name call, shame, insult or put someone down for their differences of preference, opinion or belief. I also find respect to be a mutual thing. For example, some people believe there are unlimited genders, yet that doesn't hold up in biology or nature, but if I were to be talking to someone with a pronoun request other than he/she/him/her I would be ok with respecting what they want to be called as long as A. They aren't arrogantly attempting to force me or legally attempting to make me agree. B. What they ask doesn't cross over my personal boundaries and C. If they're willing to respect what I would like to be called which is typically just my name to keep shit simple. At the end of the day were all going to disagree on things and some people go off facts/science and others more opinions/philosophy and some are a little of both...either way I'm always about whats behind the motivation of people and their message they want to deliver, and that goes for movies, music, games and any other form of art. Diversity is good if it makes sense, but I really don't need to see a movie about the KKK where they need to include one of each race member in the klan, or a Ghost of Tsushima movie with any actor from a race outside of Japan or China. Imagine Ryo Hazuki played by Denzel Washington, he would hit a homerun as he's a top notch actor and convincing in all his roles, but I certainly don't want to see Denzel playing a Japanese 18 year old young man.

-I felt the same way with Uncharted Lost Legacy, I didn't notice race or gender but I did notice that the characters themselves weren't my cup of tea on a personal level, I didn't feel anything about the 2 women one way or another, and I did find Nathan's brother to be almost as annoying as Nathan himself. The game was good and worth playing through once and the only Uncharted game that I enjoyed.
 
Hear, hear man! That's pretty much my thought. I'm all for inclusivity and equality but if you lecture me or try to convince me I'm a terrible person if I dare to have a differing opinion or approach then FUCK YOU! You're the one with the problem and that problem is you can't listen to an opinion other than your own...which is sadly where everyone is nowadays...but that's another can of worms.

For instance, and I suppose this can go here in Unpopular Opinions, but I've lost Facebook friends all because I refused to jump on a cause. See BLM for an example. I have nothing against any race, but I refused to play the "pretend you care" game on Social Media and apparently that was enough for people to lecture me and unfriend me for "not caring."

I'm so tired of the phony BS on social media in general. Yes, there's nothing wrong with showing you care, but I think people go overboard with it and it's more for show than it is a genuine care with a lot of people. Let's call it what it is...it's borderline narcissism at this point for a lot of people raised on this.
I love this statement. Kudos!
 
Classic Tomb Raider…isn’t just about the sex appeal

Not having a go at you my fellow Tomb Raider cupcake ❤️, but I thought this would be a good launching point for my own unpopular opinion.

Classic Lara was all about Spice Girls era ‘girl power’ and kicking men in the balls...it's just that she did it while wearing shorts and a tank top. There are a whopping 4 or so moments out of the 9 pre-2013 games which could be seen as mildly problematic (e.g. Lara about to change outfits before a camera cut). Otherwise, the games primarily focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and action.

It's strange that finding a straight guy who claims to like classic Tomb Raider is a rarity if those games truly were all about porn as the marketing suggests. By far, the biggest audience for classic Tomb Raider has surprisingly turned out to be the LGBT community which now give Lara a massive following (seriously, check out the Tomb Raider Forums sometime). We don’t like the character because of her bewbs (obviously 🏳️‍🌈), we like her because she’s a cool, witty action hero who makes sure she looks fabulous while robbing a sacred altar.

EDIT: This thread is delicious, by the way. 😀

I tend to agree, I don't think it was ever just about sex appeal alone. That was certainly a factor, but it wasn't the only thing.

I'll admit that I was that guy who didn't like the PS1 Tomb Raider games...but not because it starred a female, rather because I thought they played like shit. I thought they were clunky as all hell even back then. I remember trying the first game and just hating how clunky it was. I know the comparison was always that it was a 3D Prince of Persia and I liked the old Prince of Persia game, but between clunky controls and piss poor camera control. Those games never did anything for me.

As for Busty Lara and the sex appeal marketing around her. Never really had a problem with it. I had girl friends (as in girls who are friends) in high school that were way into Lara Croft. Girls I knew who had their folders decked out with ironically enough photos of Lara Croft and WWF Divas Trish Stratus and Lita. Which always spoke to me that my friends were way into these girls. In fact, when I asked them "why?", their response was always "because they're sexy and confident. They own it and are powerful to boot."

So I always viewed Lara as a positive representation and so did some of my female friends at the time (some of which I'm still friends with to this day)...I just personally hated the way those games played.

I actually had more of an issue with what they turned Lara into in those reboots. The new Lara was more conservatively dressed, but there was also something kinda fetishistic about the way they turned her into a moanatronic victim of sorts. Almost bordering on torture porn...at least from what I remember in that first reboot. They put her in a lot of life in peril situations and it almost became fetishistic to me. And yet, people were praising that as some form of great reinvention of the character.

I don't know, I think I'd rather take the sexy confident kick ass Lara over the fetishitic moanatronic they turned her into.
 
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Not having a go at you my fellow Tomb Raider cupcake ❤️, but I thought this would be a good launching point for my own unpopular opinion.

Classic Tomb Raider…isn’t just about the sex appeal

I freely admit that while I am a dirty, 50p-a-go blow-up whorebag for those cheesy old games, there is no denying that they've aged like milk. The controls are janky, the tone feels like a silly Saturday morning action cartoon, and Lara is empowered to such a superhero degree she could probably defeat a god (oh wait, she does twice). So, I understand why people have a hard time liking those sillier games. However, whenever I hear from journalists that classic Tomb Raider was only about trying to give straight dudes chubbies, it is such a "Shen-moo-ayyy" red flag that makes me want to just slap on a Karen wig.

Yes, the franchise had some unfortunate marketing at a time when female leads in games weren't a thing which Tomb Raider was boldly trying to change (in a somewhat imperfect way we can all agree in retrospect). However, marketing does not always paint an accurate reflection of a game. Aside from her busty model, the games largely gloss over Lara’s sexuality. Instead, she is established as a witty, thrill-seeking ‘don’t need no man’ anti-hero…who just so-happens to look like a supermodel. She's never portrayed like Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday: a disempowered, sexually moaning joke who has her clothes ripped off by enemies as she shrieks helplessly on the verge of seven orgasms (seriously, what about that game's objectification of women?). Classic Lara was all about Spice Girls era ‘girl power’ and kicking men in the balls...it's just that she did it while wearing shorts and a tank top. There are a whopping 4 or so moments out of the 9 pre-2013 games which could be seen as mildly problematic (e.g. Lara about to change outfits before a camera cut). Otherwise, the games primarily focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and action.

It's strange that finding a straight guy who claims to like classic Tomb Raider is a rarity if those games truly were all about porn as the marketing suggests. By far, the biggest audience for classic Tomb Raider has surprisingly turned out to be the LGBT community which now give Lara a massive following (seriously, check out the Tomb Raider Forums sometime). We don’t like the character because of her bewbs (obviously 🏳️‍🌈), we like her because she’s a cool, witty action hero who makes sure she looks fabulous while robbing a sacred altar.

EDIT: This thread is delicious, by the way. 😀
I agree with you on most of this which I mentioned some of this in a previous post, but there's some I respectfully disagree with. Classic TR isn't *all* about sex appeal, but it doesn't have much of a soul either. Exploration is great if it has a deep purpose, Classic TR doesn't. Puzzle solving is fun if it's done right and if it supports the depth of the purpose for the initial quest, Classic TR doesn't do it right and doesn't support any depth. The action is fine if it ties into the characters development, Classic TR doesn't do that either. If they would have put post-2013 era Lara in shorts and a tank top and increased her breast size a few cups I wouldn't mind at all. It stands to reason as much in the reboot as the originals that a woman out in the wilderness doing what she is doing would at times dress with very little clothing, and if she has big breasts, small breasts or no breasts at all it wouldn't matter, we all come in different shapes and sizes. She could even be running around the jungle and landscapes with heavy lipstick, makeup and bleach blond hair for all I care and it wouldn't exactly destroy the plot, character development or overall game experience in and of itself as long as they explain *why* she is in the wilderness dressed like shes going to a nightclub in downtown LA on a Saturday night. More importantly after jumping in the water that heavy make up better not look pristine. Realism means a lot to me with this, as does things that make sense. Maybe she's a glam girl that also likes to explore the wilderness? It could work, but I'm glad they didn't go that route none the less. The Spice Girl thing is an interesting take on Classic TR because I also agree with that, which is part of what I didn't like about it. Spice Girls are ok n all but they're corn syrup, not terribly deep in their initial inception. There's nothing wrong with shallow from time to time but Classic TR didn't even do it right. Reboot TR is a complete story with psychology, spiritual awakening, self actualizing in it. Have you seen the 2013 interview with the creators of the Classic TR games talking about the intention of the sex appeal in classic Lara by chance? It was right there in their statements, I'm sure they would have pushed the issue further if the tech would have allowed for it at the time. Even if we strip Classic Lara and mid 2000s Lara of all her sex appeal, those games and her false bravado still doesn't offer anything for her to awaken to or to overcome. She seems incomplete yet not motivated to see the bigger picture in those games.
 
  1. I am not liking the future of digital downloads as the primary means of playing games.
  2. I refuse to do game pass, because the notion of paying for a game that isn't "mine" makes me uneasy. I liked the Xbox and Xbox 360, but beyond that, I hate Microsoft and their way of doing things.
  3. I miss game manuals.
  4. Whilst I am happy that my hobby is now more or less accepted, I hate that the most popular games are ones that I am either not interested in or refuse to touch (FIFA, COD, Bethesda games etc)
  5. Naughty Dog, Mass Effect and the odd indie developer aside, I don't really enjoy non-Japanese games.
  6. "Influencers" and YouTube personalities should be shot (or at least ignored until they act civilised)
  7. Fanboy-ism is worse now than it used to be. I remember it being more playground banter, but now I see it at worst dangerous and harmful to my mental health and at best kinda sad.
  8. Sonic Mania aside (and bearing in mind i've been a Sonic fan since 26th December 1992...), being a Sonic fan is mostly a miserable existence these days.
  9. I've tried The Witcher 3 and I don't get it. I will try again down the line, but (again Mass Effect aside) WRPG's aren't for me).
  10. Sometimes the biggest fan(s) of a franchise are amongst the worst fans. I will say that this is one of the few fanbases where I feel I can have a civilised conversation here, even if we disagree on things!
  11. I prefer games that allow me to play on easy mode if I find the game is too frustrating or hard.
  12. The darkest period of gaming was the 360/PS3 era. The peak period of gaming was the mid-80's to 2002.
  13. I gladly support inclusivity and equality in gaming, but I wish some people aren't so didactic about it. I want to work with you to be better, but if you just shout at me telling me i'm a terrible person, you'll just push me away.
  14. Bearing in mind i'm in my mid-30's and still live with my parents (although fingers crossed the mortgate advisor meeting I am planning will go well), I always thought growing up with all my gaming merch, having my own place and displaying it all would excite me, but for some reason, now I think that it's not such a good idea. I am naive and childish, but I think that some gamers (of all ages) are so deep into the culture that they come across as rather sad and pathetic. I'm trying to find the right balance of expressing my love for my hobby and not coming across as creepy and/or weird. This might be linked to points 6 & 7.
  15. Street Fighter is one of the greatest films of all time (up there with the best of Kurosawa, Kubrick, Lynch, Miyazaki etc)
1.) I'm mixed on it. I'm mixed on digital delivery as a whole for every medium. I'm still someone who wants to hang on to the notion of actually owning something physical. I don't think Physical is gonna go bye bye just yet, but I do think physical is gonna become more and more boutique for those of us out there who can't let it go. I'm not entirely against digital distribution. But I do fear what will become of those libraries once servers go bye-bye. At least Steam seems to have gotten it right...but it's still an issue with consoles.

2.) Feel the same about Netflix? I can see the appeal of gamepass. Having a solid library of readily available games at a small price per month is actually not a bad deal, especially in this economy. But again, I see the point of "not owning" something...but I can also see the other side of the argument and that it's a good deal for those who maybe are tight on budget.

3.) Agreed. I miss them too.

4.) As someone who quite enjoys COD, I guess I'm part of the problem :D

7.) Tribalism sucks in general. But hey, some could argue we're fanboys...so...

9.) Indeed! I've tried several times as well and it just does NOTHING for me.

12.) It was the darkest time for Japanese gaming...I'll give you that...but I think for Western Studios, it was actually quite productive. Although, it did suck to see the Mid-Tier die as the big staple AAA franchises took over. I actually think the PS4 generation was slightly worse than PS3/Xbox 360 gen as the PS4/Xbox One gen served as stale continuation of established franchises from the previous gen. Sure, the last gen had some good games, but honestly, it felt like none of them were fresh or interesting. It was either just franchise retreads or more of the same but in a new wrapper. Again, some great games came out last gen, but none of them really felt fresh or new to me and it really did feel like a generation of just "better graphics" and not much more.

14.) I think it's really about finding a balance between serving your inner child while being a responsible adult.
 
I tend to agree, I don't think it was ever just about sex appeal alone. That was certainly a factor, but it wasn't the only thing.

I'll admit that I was that guy who didn't like the PS1 Tomb Raider games...but not because it starred a female, rather because I thought they played like shit. I thought they were clunky as all hell even back then. I remember trying the first game and just hating how clunky it was. I know the comparison was always that it was a 3D Prince of Persia and I liked the old Prince of Persia game, but between clunky controls and piss poor camera control. Those games never did anything for me.

As for Busty Lara and the sex appeal marketing around her. Never really had a problem with it. I had girl friends (as in girls who are friends) in high school that were way into Lara Croft. Girls I knew who had their folders decked out with ironically enough photos of Lara Croft and WWF Divas Trish Stratus and Lita. Which always spoke to me that my friends were way into these girls. In fact, when I asked them "why?", their response was always "because they're sexy and confident. They own it and are powerful to boot."

So I always viewed Lara as a positive representation and so did some of my female friends at the time (some of which I'm still friends with to this day)...I just personally hated the way those games played.

I actually had more of an issue with what they turned Lara into in those reboots. The new Lara was more conservatively dressed, but there was also something kinda fetishistic about the way they turned her into a moanatronic victim of sorts. Almost bordering on torture porn...at least from what I remember in that first reboot. They put her in a lot of life in peril situations and it almost became fetishistic to me. And yet, people were praising that as some form of great reinvention of the character.

I don't know, I think I'd rather take the sexy confident kick ass Lara over the fetishitic moanatronic they turned her into.
Very interesting perspective! I agree the Classic TR games main issue is the jankyness of the games and shallowness of the whole product and lack of story. What I find interesting is when you mention "because they're sexy and confident. They own it and are powerful to boot". I actually see that confidence as false bravado, or egoic confidence so in other words not confident at all. In what I'm seeing Classic Lara doesn't have a shred of confidence it's all just fluff. If you look at Trish Stratus the character on WWF TV in 2000 versus Trish the person in interviews you can see the difference. Her character was false bravado personified, but it was an interesting character and fit into the story lines of the program at that time, she was far more humble in real life. Yeah, many people would consider her an attractive woman stereo-typically and she certainly played on that to her advantage in her story telling. Lita is another example of cool character with some edge but wasn't really false bravado in her character, and when she had that real life affair with Edge that just showed the whole world her vulnerability and humanity and that people make hurtful choices at times, it's all good.

Reboot Lara's clothing didn't bother me at all, nor would it have bothered me if they would've traded the cargo pants for her shorts she had in the classics. Personally, I prefer the pants but overall it wouldn't have mattered. The model Camilla Ludington that they used for the game is attractive and her interview talking about Lara's 'sex icon' symbolism resonated with my own opinion on it when asked if modern Lara is a sex symbol or video game icon which she said she believed Lara is both because "she fights for what she believes in and she is courageous and I think those things are sexy". I don't see the moanatronic victim or violence fetish aspect? The violence served the story line and without the extreme situation she wouldn't have any obstacle to overcome. The reboot games actually have substance to the story that goes beyond an action movie plot like the Classic TR did so it would have to be more gritty in this case. She was put into a life and death situation with no skill or training in how to deal with that which would make her a legitimate victim with an actual issue she had to face and overcome and she didn't spend one moment giving up or staying a victim, she turned into a survivor and fought her way out of the situation she ended up in. That was even the whole marketing slogan that lined up with the intelligent story line of that game about being a "Survivor". I see the sexy confident kickass Lara as the one in the reboot who goes from being an innocent naive, yet not stupid or foolish young lady into a badass adult who goes deep within herself under horrifying circumstances to become who she's really meant to be. If they do any more sequels I really hope they continue this story arc with her as she gets older.
 
@Tsukuyomimagi99 Thanks for the vote of confidence, it's appreciated as I also respect and value your opinions as well. They are well thought out and have the depth and breadth of someone who thinks for themselves rather than being chosen to allow yourself to be influenced and bombarded by psychological neurological hype and propaganda. I am introverted very much with the masses, but I am an open book extrovert when talking with soulful, thoughtful, or intelligent people. Well, I'm having fun going back n forth with you so here are some more responses to your comments:

-I agree that Xbox was considered the successor to those who loved the Dreamcast during that era. It's funny because when it comes to Microsoft for Windows or their smartphones they've always made a really bad product, until recently with Windows 10 post-2016 but all of their other software is junk, so it's a shock to me that I took a liking to the Xbox as much as I did. Granted, the OG Xbox is 90% junk nowadays to the point I won't even take them on trade on, same goes with any non-Slim/Elite era Xbox 360 as a majority of them have the red ring of death issues. But when it comes to the overall experience of Xbox versus PlayStation or Nintendo, they always deliver the better package overall I feel. Now, I don't have any interest in any Xbox exclusives really, and I feel the same way about all of Sonys except for Shenmue 3(obviously not a true exclusive due to PC) and of course Ghost of Tsushima. But I'm looking at Sony versus Xbox in the context of the overall package, not just current or last gen. The majority of the games during the PS2/OG Xbox era were available on both platforms, and in every single case, the Xbox outperformed from graphics to controls to the overall experience. Nintendo was and has always been its own unique thing, I just personally never cared for their cartoony characters overall so I tend to stay away. N64 was amazing and I truly loved that console for its time but mostly due to games like Turok, Road Rash, WWF Wrestlemania, Blast Corps, and other oddball titles more so than anything Mario related, but admittedly I feel Mario's heyday was during the N64 era and those games weren't unplayable or completely boring like most of the newer titles tend to be. PlayStation on the other hand I never got into much after PS1 because Xbox always did it better. The Dualshock controller is a brutal experience to use from PS1 through PS4 and it's only now with the PS5 dual sense that I feel a connection. It's still not a great controller overall but it's usable, and I must admit the PS5 dual sense has the best haptic feedback I've experienced yet. Truth be told, if both Sony and Xbox used the Xbox Series/Xbox One controller I would sell my Xbox and switch to Sony simply because PlayStation has every modern era game that I hold dear to my heart available on it on PS4/PS5(except Mortal Kombat 9) and Xbox doesn't have Ghost of Shenmue 3, but I cannot and will not sit through having to use the PS4/PS5 d-pad to play any fighting games or having the two joysticks in the middle of the controller when playing adventure or action. It hurts my hands.

-I am a male and what you say is exactly my thought on it. The reason I feel resentment, fire and disgust with characters(and real-life people)like the 90s/00s Lara is that not only is it a turn-off in and of itself, it feeds the stereotype that I have fought against my whole life to not be boxed with. My entire view on Lara is a prime example of what's wrong with society in every way on this issue the world over, especially here in America. In society, if I find 90s Lara attractive that's 'normal' because of Angelina Jolie and big square boobs, yet in 2013 Lara is a broken girl who struggles with real human emotion, we have to stuff that down and not deal with feelings and ignore science and psychology as well as spirituality....oh no! I can't think of anything sexier, stronger, and on fire than a person dealing with themselves, finding their passion, and pushing through their hero's journey on their spiritual journey. I don't have an issue with Indiana but James Bond is obnoxious(admittedly I liked 007 Goldeneye for N64 back in the day but that's more so because it was the only great FPS multiplayer of its time). Lara of the 90s never positively caught my attention because I felt like she was just another run of the mill action hero who doesn't deal with her mommy or daddy issues and comes off as being 'strong, yet she's incredibly broken and not vulnerable at all in the older titles, which is a sign of false bravado, which is a sign of weakness. There's nothing attractive about a character who is being praised for staying broken and shallow rather than dealing with their inner work or hero's journey. That very sentiment is exactly what attracts me to Lara Croft in the reboot trilogy of 2013. She still has the adventurous and 'face all odds' heroism of the situations she faces externally, but internally she's forced to deal with them against her will in the 2013 reboot and she still shows the human emotions of fear and doubt that makes her real and raw all the while dealing with her inner demons and coming to terms with her father and mothers death while having to murder people to survive for the first time in her life unexpectedly, also her spiritual journey as she self actualizes who she is deep down(destiny perspective). Many haters(typically those who bash the reboot and praise her polygon breasts from the 1990s games)often say she was a whiny child-like character in the reboot who has daddy issues. I say to that: ....And your point?? They don't have one. In real life, each of us has emotional issues and a core of the life we grew up with. This21-year-old orphan girl gets thrown into a violent situation on a research trip in which she has no training and has to kill or be killed, that is an attractive story and attractive character development plot point. My attraction to the reboot Lara is defined by the same repulsion I feel for the pre-2013 Lara, it's a duality as the only thing both characters have in common is their ability to climb all over rocks. It's all about her strength and personality versus her false bravado. I feel the same way about the movies. The 2018 Alicia Vikander Tomb Raider movie was really decent and probably the best video game movie I've seen yet overall, whereas the Angelina Jolie movies were awful and unwatchable. Not only are the 2000s movies themselves broken, but Angelina Jolie as a sex symbol isn't interested in the least, because that's the only reason she was cast in that role at that time. If I never have to see another superhero story again, especially the one about some sex symbol female James Bond(without Pierce Brosnans undeniable swagger) that has daddy issues but never deals with them cause she's too busy looking 'cool' diving around with her dual pistols and showing off her square boobs, then I'm ok with that. From day one I was not neutral or undecided, I *HATED* Lara Croft and Tomb Raider pre-2013, so when the 2013 reboot fell in my lap in 2020 on a trade-in I tested the game out and noticed she looked very different and the vibe was fresh from the intro video, so before I knew it 2 hours went by and I was still playing it. As for general sex appeal in gaming or entertainment marketing, I am cool with it, but ONLY if it's done in a tasteful way where the main focus isn't just about sex appeal, and that's what old school TR bathes in is nothing but sex appeal. Terrible terrible games from the 90s that were broken and nowhere near as good as other 3rd person games on the PS1 but her square boobs got her over with the 12-year-old boys who were just learning about the female body on their PS1. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying sex appeal or the female body, but I'm looking at the soul and the mind first, every time.

-Tekken/VF: I can very much see your point on this. VF being better than Tekken isn't something hard for me to disagree with, I see aspects of VF I like better and I do believe that if VF were to reboot today in 2021 with Yu Suzuki spearheading the project it could wipe the floor with all the previous Tekken titles. My main issue with VF is the lack of interesting characters outside of Pai. Visually many of them to my look somewhat generic. For example, Sarah Bryant(who I do like)and Nina Williams both look similar visually, especially in the 90s era, but Nina has more personality. Sarah feels bland. Akira feels like a bland version of Jin Kazama or Kazuya. I understand these games are very well developed on a story like Mortal Kombat is, but I do enjoy playing fighting games that have a good fighting mechanic. Now, I can say one place I like VF better than Tekken is VF doesn't have Panda, Roger, Alex Jr, or any other goofy-ass animal-based character. I feel VF's legacy could have been something more with a little bit more polish on the character development. I can see why you like VF's fighting mechanics though, they are really solid. With fighting games, I enjoy and respect Virtua Fighter and Tekken both along with some of the Dead or Alive titles and of course Mortal Kombat. I cannot say the same for Street Fighter outside of Street Fighter 2 which was just ok in its time. I loved it when Dead or Alive 5 brought many of the Virtua Fighter characters into the mix, it was nice to be able to play tag team as Kasumi and Pai together. Would you personally like to see a crossover with Tekken, VF, and DOA altogether?? I think that would be fire and could work well because even though the fighting mechanics are different, they're not too different where it feels broken or awkward to mix them as it did with Street Fighter X Tekken.

-MGS is another title that I have some difficulty in seeing the appeal with the story, but not the stealth. I thought the stealth was fairly decent. Did I introduce you to Splinter Cell or something?? I don't recall if we discussed it previously. If you haven't played through them all I'd suggest the first 5, with the 6th one Blacklist being optional if you want to keep going. When they changed the voice actor on Sam Fisher I lost interest. Plus, his coming back around to working with the gov after they fucked him in the 4th and 5th game made it hard to make sense of the plot. The first 3 are the best I feel, but 4 and 5 take it in a whole new direction and are very solid. Another stealth title I enjoyed is called 'Stolen' which was on the original Xbox(and I think PS2 as well) and you play a female jewel thief. It's not nearly as good as Splinter Cell or nearly as involved as Metal Gear in the plot but for a budget title it was really enjoyable, and you don't kill to accomplish your missions though you can take down enemies by knocking them out, choking them out or evading them. It's the best parts of Splinter Cell and Metal Gears stealth without the killing.

-Pokemon Arceus looks quite good actually. I haven't seen much but I looked at it the other day and was surprised at how solid it looks like it may end up being. It's kind to've what I imagined Sword/Shield should have been. I think Arceus has the potential to be the best Pokemon game of all time. With that said, I probably won't try it out unless it comes in on trade-in with a Switch since I'm just not feeling it for Pokemon outside of trying the New Snap game.

-Yakuza: Your points here about Yakuza are really interesting because while I cannot agree that I enjoy the way the games operate, I do see why you may like the machismo found in them. Not my cup of tea, but I do get the appeal of that to some extent. After playing Sleeping Dogs which was a great Hong Kong martial arts flick type game I couldn't see why people would be talking about Yakuza over SD. It is very refreshing and free-thinking to hear a Yakuza fan say that the game is very different from Shenmue. I appreciate that statement a lot. I would assume your statement that one is about fulfillment would be talking about Yakuza and Shenmue as the spiritual journey, but rather than assume I must ask, is this a correct assessment?? If not, I'm curious to know why you see it the other way? Also, when I was looking for a game similar to Ghost of Tsushima last year I did try that Japanese-only release of Yakuza that appeared to take place in the samurai days?? I didn't really like that one either, which had nothing to do with the language barrier for me but it had the same energy that the other games had, only with an older time period skin on it. Admittedly, it was still the best one I did play(I've tried them all except the new RPG one from 2020).

-Shinobido was fairly good too, felt just like Tenchu. My understanding it's the same people behind it? I miss Tenchu the more I think about it mouth is watering at the idea of getting a new Tenchu gasomedayday. I'd love a complete reboot where it keeps the base elements of stealth and Asian feel to it but make it more dynamic and push the consoles to their limits with what it can do nowadays versus the older hardware limitations of the PS1, PS2, and Xbox 360. I would like to see them bring back both Rikimaru and Ayame in a reboot and possibly introduce a new character as well. When I said I liked Tenchu Z best, what I'm saying is 100% the gameplay itself and the graphics. It doesn't have a story since you're just a generic created character(which I thought was cool), but the lack of the main character took away some of the elements I loved about the other titles. They were all really good games overall except for the Wii and DS ones. The more I talk about this the more I want a new Tenchu game...damn! By the way, have you tried Red Ninja: End of Honor for PS2? It's a bit broken at times but if you like stealth and Asian lore I thought Red Ninja was a lot better than the critics gave it credit for.

-Regarding romance, I can see your point. Ryo and Shenhua are genuine because it's a soul connection and they have a higher purpose than just the surface shallow stuff that's pushed in many romances of film, games, and storytelling. I've seen a bunch of people say Ryo should have dated Nozomi in Shenmue 1 instead of going with Shenhua later because Nozomi is cuter...I'm like WTF?!?!?....do these people even have the depth to enjoy a Shenmue game with that thought?? I know, very judgemental but it does blow my mind when I see that stuff. Nozomi is perfectly placed in Shenmue 1 as a character who Ryo cannot see in front of him because he has a bigger purpose to fulfill and she fits perfectly in her spot in the story, there's no real reason to bring her back into the game nor did I miss her in 2 or 3. Shenhua on the other hand has something amazing inside her that lines up with Ryo's purpose and it goes beyond just being people who knew each other from high school. I feel very similar about Kitana and Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, it doesn't feel forced and it makes sense in the storytelling. Their 'romance' doesn't get in the way of their individuality or ambition and they push each other to see more within themselves.

-I respect you as well. Thank You. I can feel your intellect and thoughtfulness put into your responses is genuine.

-I am touched by your gesture of offering your Ayame figure to me. I'm speechless and don't know what to say. I graciously accept your kindness, but I also don't want to take anything from you that you may cherish or value. I'd like to say I have something creative that I could offer of value to you like an action figure of Kazuma Kiryu or better yet Rikimaru, but I don't keep many material items so all I would be able to offer is some of my inventory which is a bit thin currently (and some of it is junk like Call of Duty Black Ops). As lame and without creative thought of exchange as this would be, I can offer you cash :D lol ...better than nothing right?
I appreciate your praise, I don't feel that I deserve it as I have a lot of flaws that I need to work on. I believe from the cradle to the grave, one can never stop improving themselves. This is why characters like Ryu from Street Fighter and Akira Yuki appeal to me. It's also why I disliked his portrayal in the anime.

Concerning the Xbox, it's as said before, I simply go where the games go as I don't have any brand loyalty. Like you, I have always bought my consoles based on their history. It just so happens that the games I am interested in like Final Fantasy or Metal Gear end up exclusively on the PlayStation. I am also not interested in having the most powerful platform for my games. If that were the case, then I just would have saved up my money and bought a customized PC.

When comes to Nintendo, I can honestly appreciate their consistency and their ability to take risks. Also, while I am not that big of a Mario fan, I appreciate their catalog of more wholesome titles. People in this day and age, tend to forget that children play video games too. Also, as someone who is approaching middle age, I find wholesome titles to be very comforting much like Iyashikei anime.

However, Nintendo has plenty of flaws. As an 80s kid, I can not count how many games Nintendo censored on their platform. For quite some time, they had a vice-grip on the industry wrestling it away from Atari. And while it was nice to know that games on the Nintendo would work (as broken shovelware was everywhere in the 80s), I hated the censorship. Thankfully, they have backed away from that stance thanks to the competition.

Also, this just comes with the territory of being risk-takers, when they fail they fail hard. The Wii-U and the Virtual Boy are prime examples of this. However, when they succeed, you end up with the Wii or the Nintendo Switch. In a Zeitgeist where gaming publishers and developers are becoming more risk-averse, I have to give Nintendo respect in that regard.

When it comes to female characters, I tend to prefer stoic ones or Yamato Nadeshiko's. Think of Kokoro and Kasumi from Dead or Alive, Momiji from Ninja Gaiden, Samus Aran from Metroid, or Nozomi and Shenhua for example. In other words, I prefer female characters who are kind and gentle but are strong when they need to be. To quote Mufasa from the Lion King, "I am only brave when I have to be."

In this day and age, I have grown weary of female characters being portrayed as masculine. Not only is it cliche, but it devalues the unique attributes that females possess. Ms. Brisbane from The Secret of Nimph movie is a great example of a strong female character who retains her feminine characteristics. I believe the genders were meant to complement each other and cover for inherent weaknesses. Ironically, by making females more masculine, you are saying that masculinity is superior and that femininity is inferior. On a side note, while I am an 80s kid, and grew up with Timothy Dalton as James Bond, I like Pierce Brosnan more lol.

To be fair, I would be dishonest if I did not say that characters in fighting games don't appeal to me. Because if it was just about the mechanics, I would only be playing Virtua Fighter and Guilty Gear Accent Core. Yet, I prefer the Samurai Spirits series because samurai and shinobi are my cowboys and Indians. I like Akira because of his stoic nature and sole focus on self-improvement. I like Kagemaru because he's a shinobi, I like Lei-Fei because as someone who has practiced Xiaolin martial arts, I can relate. I like Aoi Umenokouji due to her Yamamoto Nadeshiko nature and finally, I like Jean Kujo because he just looks cool lol.

Your question about a Dead or Alive/Virtua Fighter crossover reminded me of this clip from Dead or Alive 5


As for an actual crossover, I would be fine with it if all the characters follow the Virtua Fighter set. As I have stated in the past, I don't like seeing the Virtua Fighter characters being downgraded to fit in with another universe. Virtua Fighter should be the standard that other fighters look up to, not the other way around.

Yes, you did introduce me to Splinter Cell and I thank you for that. It's quite an engaging series and I enjoy the story and gameplay. As for Thief, I'll pass mainly because I only tend to enjoy stealth games when they feature shinobi or shinobi-esque type characters but I appreciate the thought.

You assume correctly when I refer to Ryu Ga Gotoku as wish-fulfillment and Shenmue as a spiritual journey. Ryu Ga Gotoku is about instant gratification while Shenmue is about earning said gratification through patience. To be honest, I am surprised that people can not see the differences between the two titles as they are different as night and day. I also don't see why one can not enjoy both series for different reasons. I just prefer Shenmue a little more because it's spiritually enriching for me.

You would assume correctly about Shinobido as after Acquire lost the license they developed Shinobido as a spiritual successor. Also, I would love another Tenchu game. Like I stated in a previous post, with all the evolved stealth and combat mechanics since 2009, I think Tenchu could make a major comeback.

Finally, that Red Ninja game looks awesome! It kind of reminds me of Lady Snowblood for some reason lol. I will be checking that out as soon as possible! Thank you for the fun discussion and if you want to hash out the details about the Ayame figure then send me a private message.

@bcdcdude I am proud of you for admitting your vulnerabilities it takes a lot of courage. While I don't think anyone here in the Dojo would take advantage of you, be very careful where you express them as there are people who will take advantage of you.
 
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I appreciate your praise, I don't feel that I deserve it as I have a lot of flaws that I need to work on. I believe from the cradle to the grave, one can never stop improving themselves. This is why characters like Ryu from Street Fighter and Akira Yuki appeal to me. It's also why I disliked his portrayal in the anime.

Concerning the Xbox, it's as said before, I simply go where the games go as I don't have any brand loyalty. Like you, I have always bought my consoles based on their history. It just so happens that the games I am interested in like Final Fantasy or Metal Gear end up exclusively on the PlayStation. I am also not interested in having the most powerful platform for my games. If that were the case, then I just would have saved up my money and bought a customized PC.

When comes to Nintendo, I can honestly appreciate their consistency and their ability to take risks. Also, while I am not that big of a Mario fan, I appreciate their catalog of more wholesome titles. People in this day and age, tend to forget that children play video games too. Also, as someone who is approaching middle age, I find wholesome titles to be very comforting much like Iyashikei anime.

However, Nintendo has plenty of flaws. As an 80s kid, I can not count how many games Nintendo censored on their platform. For quite some time, they had a vice-grip on the industry wrestling it away from Atari. And while it was nice to know that games on the Nintendo would work (as broken shovelware was everywhere in the 80s), I hated the censorship. Thankfully, they have backed away from that stance thanks to the competition.

Also, this just comes with the territory of being risk-takers, when they fail they fail hard. The Wii-U and the Virtual Boy are prime examples of this. However, when they succeed, you end up with the Wii or the Nintendo Switch. In a Zeitgeist where gaming publishers and developers are becoming more risk-averse, I have to give Nintendo respect in that regard.

When it comes to female characters, I tend to prefer stoic ones or Yamato Nadeshiko's. Think of Kokoro and Kasumi from Dead or Alive, Momiji from Ninja Gaiden, Samus Aran from Metroid, or Nozomi and Shenhua for example. In other words, I prefer female characters who are kind and gentle but are strong when they need to be. To quote Mufasa from the Lion King, "I am only brave when I have to be."

In this day and age, I have grown weary of female characters being portrayed as masculine. Not only is it cliche, but it devalues the unique attributes that females possess. Ms. Brisbane from The Secret of Nimph movie is a great example of a strong female character who retains her feminine characteristics. I believe the genders were meant to complement each other and cover for inherent weaknesses. Ironically, by making females more masculine, you are saying that masculinity is superior and that femininity is inferior. On a side note, while I am an 80s kid, and grew up with Timothy Dalton as James Bond, I like Pierce Brosnan more lol.

To be fair, I would be dishonest if I did not say that characters in fighting games don't appeal to me. Because if it was just about the mechanics, I would only be playing Virtua Fighter and Guilty Gear Accent Core. Yet, I prefer the Samurai Spirits series because samurai and shinobi are my cowboys and Indians. I like Akira because of his stoic nature and sole focus on self-improvement. I like Kagemaru because he's a shinobi, I like Lei-Fei because as someone who has practiced Xiaolin martial arts, I can relate. I like Aoi Umenokouji due to her Yamamoto Nadeshiko nature and finally, I like Jean Kujo because he just looks cool lol.

Your question about a Dead or Alive/Virtua Fighter crossover reminded me of this clip from Dead or Alive 5


As for an actual crossover, I would be fine with it if all the characters follow the Virtua Fighter set. As I have stated in the past, I don't like seeing the Virtua Fighter characters being downgraded to fit in with another universe. Virtua Fighter should be the standard that other fighters look up to, not the other way around.

Yes, you did introduce me to Splinter Cell and I thank you for that. It's quite an engaging series and I enjoy the story and gameplay. As for Thief, I'll pass mainly because I only tend to enjoy stealth games when they feature shinobi or shinobi-esque type characters but I appreciate the thought.

You assume correctly when I refer to Ryu Ga Gotoku as wish-fulfillment and Shenmue as a spiritual journey. Ryu Ga Gotoku is about instant gratification while Shenmue is about earning said gratification through patience. To be honest, I am surprised that people can not see the differences between the two titles as they are different as night and day. I also don't see why one can not enjoy both series for different reasons. I just prefer Shenmue a little more because it spiritually enriching for me.

You would assume correctly about Shinobido as after Acquire lost the license they developed Shinobido as a spiritual successor. Also, I would love another Tenchu game. Like I stated in a previous post, with all the evolved stealth and combat mechanics since 2009, I think Tenchu could make a major comeback.

Finally, that Red Ninja game looks awesome! It kind of reminds me of Lady Snowblood for some reason lol. I will be checking that out as soon as possible! Thank you for the fun discussion and if you want to hash out the details about the Ayame figure then send me a private message.

@bcdcdude I am proud of you for admitting your vulnerabilities it takes a lot of courage. While I don't think anyone here in the Dojo would take advantage of you, be very careful where you express them as there are people who will take advantage of you.
Thank You for your response. I am thoroughly enjoying this discussion.

-Unless you have a pitch black evil heart, there's nothing inherently wrong with you or anyone. We're all flawed in many ways, many of us are broken by life's adversity and I am very vocal about it being ok and safe to express that to the world and not listen to the negative thought or feeling police or those who try to shut peoples voices down. I find inspiration in the Japanese action and philosophy of "kintsukuroi". The filling, oftentimes witg gold that mends the cracks and renews the pottery. If you're not already familiar with this, perhaps you can find it of some interest with your love of Asian lore and philosophy.

-I am the same way when it comes to power and platforms. I prefer Xbox overall as I've mentioned largely due to the ecosystem and mainly the controller. I own both the PS5 and Xbox Series S and while the Series S is weaker than the PS5 overall, I will still buy any game found on both consoles first on Xbox because I prefer the controller and ecosystem, there woud have to be a huge reason for me to buy the PS version over the Series S version. I only have PlayStation to fill the gaps of exclusives. Besides, if I ever bother to upgrade to Series X then I will be playing those games on the more powerful console regardless, even if that doesn't matter to me much.

-I completely agree with all of your comments on Nintendo. I appreciate their creativity and loyalty to their characters even if they're not my cup of tea. I also love that the Wii was way ahead of it's time as is the Switch, even if the motion controls on the Wii weren't very good outside of Wii Sports and even if the Switch has limited appeal to me because the only games I'd play on the Switch are better on the Xbox/PS versions. I can also appreciate the Virtual Boy, Wii U and even the GameCube in it's time. As much as I bag on GameCube I must admit that if you were on a budget in 2001 and didn't care much about graphic heavy games of that time, it wouldn't have been a bad option for the casual gamer with little money to spend on Xbox or PS2.

-Kasumi is my favorite in DOA by far. I also loved Lion King 1994, its literally the movie of my childhood and much of my own personal story is just like Simba's.

-I agree with you wholeheartedly on the qualities of masculine and feminine and their purpose of one not being superior to another. I've had people close to me, people I've dated state that they view me as having both energies present, which I embrace because were all supposed to have some form of balance of that within ourselves, but on an external level I have a big issue with this kind of stuff in society and how it's promoted. For example, in order to be more feminine by societies definition I'd have to be super passive, clean cut, proper, silent and blah blah blah. But in energy of the human meridian system and psychology/spirituality I only need to possess the certain traits that foster personal growth. There's a time to speak up and a time to stay quiet. Duality kind of stuff. As for women that I am attracted to on a personal level I am not into the masculine energy type, which to me would be defined as a gender role or some sense of corporate-America image. It's like the scene in Shenmue 3 where Shenhua interrogates the Red Snakes guy when Ryo steps out of the room, THAT right there is true feminine power. She embraces her boldness and strength, but outwardly isn't loud and obnoxious just for the sake of making a scene to act the stereotype of a masculine guy. Softness or femininity qualities in women and men both are stripped down in culture and people lack compassion for others. I'm all for people being whoever they are, but often times peoples pain from childhood stops them from ever addressing issues and they get influenced by culture, media and society to be something they're not. Misguided masculine and feminine energy trapped in the bodys meridian or neurologically wired in their brains psychology. Its very sad and heartbreaking to see. This point you make is exactly why I do not like 90s Lara Croft and why I love 2010's Lara Croft. 90s Lara is very very masculine both in the Angelina Jolie representation and in the games. She's essentially WWE's Brock Lesnar inside a female models body. Whereas the 2010 era Lara is gentle and thoughtful yet full of fire when the situation calls for it and brave only when she needs to be. For the same reason I love Kitana from Mortal Kombat, especially in the most recent MK 11 depiction. She's feminine as hell but doesn't fuck around when things arise that need to be addressed. Her origin story, especially with the Sindel retcon(which admittedly was a mistake, but it is what it is)is so full of betrayal and deception that it's interesting that it forces her to step into her chosen place, yet she's also soft enough and feminine enough to help Liu Kang see his potential and responsibility/destiny in life. May I ask, what are a few examples of female video game characters that you do not like that are very masculine?? I'd like to get a better idea of exactly how you view that. If I had to pick some of my own as examples I'd have to start with 90s Lara Croft, any woman character in a military video game be it Gears of War, Battlefield or Call of Duty kind of stuff tons of macho false empowerment militaristic bullshit non-sense, Bayonetta to some extent and I wish I could think of some others at the moment. Then there's characters like Mortal Kombats Sheeva who is very masculine, but in her case it works really well with her character...but notice I would never say shes one of my favorites by any means, but she has her place in the lore. I'd have a big issue with it if someone with her energy was in Kitanas place or even Sonya for that matter in the lore. As for James Bond, Pierce Brosnan is the only one I could enjoy at all. Speaking of him, if you haven't seen the movie "After the Sunset" from 2004 with Pierce it's really entertaining and you may enjoy it.

-The DOA 5 youtube link didn't work for whatever reason. Did you enjoy the way VF characters played in DOA 5? If I remember correctly they kept their fighting mechanics entirely. I do see more correlation with DOA and VF fighting mechanics than either of them with Tekken. Tekken feels more like SoulCalibur without the weapons. I enjoy SoulCalibur to some extent too, though not as much as Tekken, DOA or even VF.

-While were on the topic of fighting games...who are your favorite characters from these franchises, male or female? For me: Mortal Kombat: There are too many to list but top 3 female Kitana, Jade & Mileena with Skarlet as a runner up. Sindel was on the list in her original form until they retconned her into what she is in MK 11 story. Male characters top 3 Hanzo Hasashi(Scorpion) in his Hanzo form, Liu Kang & Nightwolf. Tekken: Julia & Michelle Chang, Jun Kazama, Kunimitsu and maybe Asuka. I also enjoy Eddy and Christie for their capoeira moves but don't resonate with the characters as much. Virtua Fighter: Pai Chan, Sarah Bryant and Kage. DOA: Kasumi and Ayane.

-Which Splinter Cell games have you played so far? How far into the franchise are you? What one(s)stick out to you most? As for Thief, I can reccomend the first 2 from the 90s as they were literally the first stealth FPS games and it wasn't overdramatic with storyline. The third one Deadly Shadows from OG Xbox PS2 era was more of the same only with a 3rd person view. I tried the latest Thief from the last gen and didn't get into it, it felt too much like Assassins Creed in first person. The original Thief games are not must play titles, but they are the originators of hiding bodies to keep from being detected in a first person style.

-I must say discussing Yakuza with you is the most open minded I've seen with anyone, that can be said in general for many things on video game forums. I wanted to enjoy Yakuza, I really did because I love Asian lore but every element of the game just doesn't do it for me. I see Kiryu and I want to slap his face lol, I have an issue with every aspect of the game and whats behind it as well, but I can appreciate and see why you or others do enjoy it. I just cannot see why people compare it to Shenmue, and you're honestly one of the first Yakuza/Shenmue fans, if not the first I've spoke with that doesn't try to put them in a box together just cause they both have martial arts elements, Asian characters and the Sega logo on the box. For me, Yakuza suffers from much of the same that classic Tomb Raider suffers from in that I don't mind shallow or entertainment driven, but I want to enjoy myself with it and I just can't with those. I'll always take spiritually enriching experiences, whatever they may be over anything else, and truly find that real life is too short to spend doing anything that doesn't bring that sense of enrichment to my heart. Aside from GTA 5 having social commentary on what's wrong with the world in contemporary times and me not finding that in the Yakuza games, I would draw a parallel of your enjoyment of Yakuza to my enjoyment of GTA 5. Both provide instant gratification and are a bit thin on the depth and spiritual lessons, but if we both get something that makes us feel connected to them out of our experiences, then it's still of value to the overall spiritual experience of life, even if it's as simple as accepting that we enjoy something regardless of it's direction.

-Red Ninja is decent and doesn't get the credit it deserves. The reason it didn't fly off the shelf or wasn't well received by critics(other than they tend to bash good games that aren't mainstream)is because it released on PS2 in 2005, right at the end of it's life cycle and the Xbox 360 was right around the corner with cutting edge graphics so it fell victim to being out near the end of the console era, which seems to happen often with most console generations. I couldn't find a trailer for the 'Stolen' game but you get the gist with the walk through. I attempted to send you a private message regarding Ayame, but it says your profile settings are set to private and that I can't message you, just a heads up. Thanks!
 
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@Tsukuyomimagi99 have you played Bushido Blade 1 or 2 for PS1 by chance? Amazing games for their time, something that was fresh then and has never been duplicated since. These also need a full reboot or remake. I think you'd appreciate them with the realism factor.
 
Bushido Blade and 2 are great games. But the one hit one kill feature was not welcomed by the mainstream . Die by the blade a kickstarter game might be considered as spiritual successor. I backed the game already up. Red Ninja as mentioned by @Tsukuyomimagi99 is also a nice game. I really enjoyed playing it besides the horrible camera and controls.

Seeing the Xbox as a successor to the Dreamcast is an interesting take. One I can't agree with. Sega had a vision they were just making games. MS just wanted o control the gaming space in the same way they did with the pc sector. That is the only reason they entered the market. Their future is not mine. And as I said above MS did more harm to the console space with their entrance than anything good.

Their machines might be good quality wise but their ways of business is not good cannot compared with pioneers like Sega.

The first Xbox was not a bad machine though. Besides the extra dongle needed for the dvd feature it was a decent console. Better than the overrated PS2 for sure.

Might sound funny because I am rarely say anything good about Xbox but I do not have anything against the first Xbox and the 360. They were decent. I am just against the Spencer Microsoft or the game pass Microsoft.

Their online crusade is not the right way for people that have no perfect internet and are selective players.

For a selective player like myself the game pass is a rip off. I was subscribed to it until I released that I sponsor only MS with that money without getting anything in return. Many month or even years can pass until I touch a specific console again when a new game is released that is according to me past. Paying monthly without using it is useless for people like myself.

That is why I am never going to support such things.
 
Bushido Blade and 2 are great games. But the one hit one kill feature was not welcomed by the mainstream . Die by the blade a kickstarter game might be considered as spiritual successor. I backed the game already up. Red Ninja as mentioned by @Tsukuyomimagi99 is also a nice game. I really enjoyed playing it besides the horrible camera and controls.

Seeing the Xbox as a successor to the Dreamcast is an interesting take. One I can't agree with. Sega had a vision they were just making games. MS just wanted o control the gaming space in the same way they did with the pc sector. That is the only reason they entered the market. Their future is not mine. And as I said above MS did more harm to the console space with their entrance than anything good.

Their machines might be good quality wise but their ways of business is not good cannot compared with pioneers like Sega.

The first Xbox was not a bad machine though. Besides the extra dongle needed for the dvd feature it was a decent console. Better than the overrated PS2 for sure.

Might sound funny because I am rarely say anything good about Xbox but I do not have anything against the first Xbox and the 360. They were decent. I am just against the Spencer Microsoft or the game pass Microsoft.

Their online crusade is not the right way for people that have no perfect internet and are selective players.

For a selective player like myself the game pass is a rip off. I was subscribed to it until I released that I sponsor only MS with that money without getting anything in return. Many month or even years can pass until I touch a specific console again when a new game is released that is according to me past. Paying monthly without using it is useless for people like myself.

That is why I am never going to support such things.
@9dragons @Tsukuyomimagi99
Die by The Blade looks really good! I never heard of it so thank you for the recommendation. Have either of you played Shaolin Vs Wutang? If you like Virtua Fighter or Tekken you'll probably like that game as well. it's low budget but unique. Red Ninja was definetly better than they give it credit for, I really think tsukuyomimagi will like it. Any idea on when Die by the Blade is coming out? The preview says October 2020 lol. I cannot get into Bushido Blade anymore due to the graphics, I mean lets be real it's hard to play anything from that era anymore with those graphics and a PS1 controller. I really wish that game would get a sequel or remaster. Die by The Blade looks really good, the video I just watched for it seems like they're really going for a "Finish Him!" approach. No health bars, I like it!

I agree with you on the money grab aspect of Microsoft, I'm not a big fan of them in general. But Sony is no different and in the console space they overhype and underdeliver themselves in a way that Xbox doesn't. I was a big Sega fan in the 90s, its a shame they didn't stick around the hardware space. Its refreshing to see someone else that feels that the PS2 was overrated. Admittedly, the PS2 wasn't as overrated as the PS3, PS4 or even all the unwarranted hype around the PS5, but it wasn't as good as the alternative options in it's time. At least PS1 was unique when it launched. PS2 had something to offer until XB released and outdid every multi platform title. PS3 and PS4 don't really offer any real alternative to 360 and XB1 outside of some exclusives that are mostly as overrated as their consoles are.

Game Pass is trash for the most part, I agree. I have never really played anything on there that was a must play title. I guess it works for people who sit in the house all day consuming games regardless of quality, and it can be good for some people that like the more mainstream and garbage indie titles, but I still feel thats one place Sony outshines Xbox is with PS Now. They actually have some decent older titles on there. Granted, I'm not currently subscribed to either but I have been in the past and I do keep up on what titles come in every month. Xbox Gold is even bigger trash with those monthly titles they released. I think there's only been about 3 decent games in the last 2 years on there, at least PS Plus offers some solid stuff from time to time.
 
Thank You for your response. I am thoroughly enjoying this discussion.

-Unless you have a pitch-black evil heart, there's nothing inherently wrong with you or anyone. We're all flawed in many ways, many of us are broken by life's adversity and I am very vocal about it being ok and safe to express that to the world and not listen to the negative thought or feelings of police or those who try to shut peoples voices down. I find inspiration in the Japanese action and philosophy of "kintsukuroi". The filling, oftentimes with gold that mends the cracks and renews the pottery. If you're not already familiar with this, perhaps you can find it of some interest with your love of Asian lore and philosophy.

-I am the same way when it comes to power and platforms. I prefer Xbox overall as I've mentioned largely due to the ecosystem and mainly the controller. I own both the PS5 and Xbox Series S and while the Series S is weaker than the PS5 overall, I will still buy any game found on both consoles first on Xbox because I prefer the controller and ecosystem, there would have to be a huge reason for me to buy the PS version over the Series S version. I only have PlayStation to fill the gaps of exclusives. Besides, if I ever bother to upgrade to Series X then I will be playing those games on the more powerful console regardless, even if that doesn't matter to me much.

-I completely agree with all of your comments on Nintendo. I appreciate their creativity and loyalty to their characters even if they're not my cup of tea. I also love that the Wii was way ahead of its time as is the Switch, even if the motion controls on the Wii weren't very good outside of Wii Sports and even if the Switch has limited appeal to me because the only games I'd play on the Switch are better on the Xbox/PS versions. I can also appreciate the Virtual Boy, Wii U, and even the GameCube in its time. As much as I bag on GameCube I must admit that if you were on a budget in 2001 and didn't care much about graphics-heavy games of that time, it wouldn't have been a bad option for the casual gamer with little money to spend on Xbox or PS2.

-Kasumi is my favorite in DOA by far. I also loved Lion King 1994, it's the movie of my childhood and much of my personal story is just like Simba's.

-I agree with you wholeheartedly on the qualities of masculine and feminine and their purpose of one not being superior to another. I've had people close to me, people I've dated state that they view me as having both energies present, which I embrace because were all supposed to have some form of balance of that within ourselves, but on an external level I have a big issue with this kind of stuff in society and how it's promoted. For example, to be more feminine by societies definition I'd have to be super passive, clean-cut, proper, silent, and blah blah blah. But in the energy of the human meridian system and psychology/spirituality, I only need to possess the certain traits that foster personal growth. There's a time to speak up and a time to stay quiet. Duality kind of stuff. As for women that I am attracted to on a personal level I am not into the masculine energy type, which to me would be defined as a gender role or some sense of the corporate-America image. It's like the scene in Shenmue 3 where Shenhua interrogates the Red Snakes guy when Ryo steps out of the room, THAT right there is true feminine power. She embraces her boldness and strength but outwardly isn't loud and obnoxious just for the sake of making a scene to act the stereotype of a masculine guy. Softness or femininity qualities in women and men both are stripped down in culture and people lack compassion for others. I'm all for people being whoever they are, but oftentimes people's pain from childhood stops them from ever addressing issues and they get influenced by culture, media, and society to be something they're not. Misguided masculine and feminine energy trapped in the body's meridian or neurologically wired in their brain's psychology. It's very sad and heartbreaking to see. This point you make is exactly why I do not like 90s Lara Croft and why I love 2010's, Lara Croft. 90s Lara is very very masculine both in the Angelina Jolie representation and in the games. She's essentially WWE's Brock Lesnar inside a female model's body. Whereas the 2010 era Lara is gentle and thoughtful yet full of fire when the situation calls for it and brave only when she needs to be. For the same reason, I love Kitana from Mortal Kombat, especially in the most recent MK 11 depiction. She's feminine as hell but doesn't fuck around when things arise that need to be addressed. Her origin story, especially with the Sindel retcon(which admittedly was a mistake, but it is what it is)is so full of betrayal and deception that it's interesting that it forces her to step into her chosen place, yet she's also soft enough and feminine enough to help Liu Kang see his potential and responsibility/destiny in life. May I ask, what are a few examples of female video game characters that you do not like that are very masculine?? I'd like to get a better idea of exactly how you view that. If I had to pick some of my own as examples I'd have to start with 90s Lara Croft, any woman character in a military video game be it Gears of War, Battlefield, or Call of Duty kind of stuff tons of macho false empowerment militaristic bullshit non-sense, Bayonetta to some extent and I wish I could think of some others at the moment. Then there are characters like Mortal Kombats Sheeva who is very masculine, but in her case, it works well with her character...but notice I would never say she's one of my favorites by any means, but she has her place in the lore. I'd have a big issue with it if someone with her energy was in Kitana's place or even Sonya for that matter in the lore. As for James Bond, Pierce Brosnan is the only one I could enjoy at all. Speaking of him, if you haven't seen the movie "After the Sunset" from 2004 with Pierce it's entertaining and you may enjoy it.

-The DOA 5 youtube link didn't work for whatever reason. Did you enjoy the way VF characters played in DOA 5? If I remember correctly they kept their fighting mechanics entirely. I do see more correlation with DOA and VF fighting mechanics than either of them with Tekken. Tekken feels more like SoulCalibur without the weapons. I enjoy SoulCalibur to some extent too, though not as much as Tekken, DOA, or even VF.

-While we're on the topic of fighting games...who are your favorite characters from these franchises, male or female? For me: Mortal Kombat: There are too many to list but top 3 female Kitana, Jade & Mileena with Skarlet as a runner-up. Sindel was on the list in her original form until they retconned her into what she is in MK 11 story. Male characters top 3 Hanzo Hasashi(Scorpion) in his Hanzo form, Liu Kang & Nightwolf. Tekken: Julia & Michelle Chang, Jun Kazama, Kunimitsu, and maybe Asuka. I also enjoy Eddy and Christie for their capoeira moves but don't resonate with the characters as much. Virtua Fighter: Pai Chan, Sarah Bryant, and Kage. DOA: Kasumi and Ayane.

-Which Splinter Cell games have you played so far? How far into the franchise are you? What one(s)stick out to you most? As for Thief, I can recommend the first 2 from the 90s as they were the first stealth FPS games and it wasn't overdramatic with the storyline. The third one Deadly Shadows from the OG Xbox PS2 era was more of the same only with a 3rd person view. I tried the latest Thief from the last gen and didn't get into it, it felt too much like Assassins Creed in the first person. The original Thief games are not must-play titles, but they are the originators of hiding bodies to keep from being detected in a first-person style.

-I must say discussing Yakuza with you is the most open-minded I've seen with anyone, which can be said in general for many things on video game forums. I wanted to enjoy Yakuza, I did because I love Asian lore but every element of the game just doesn't do it for me. I see Kiryu and I want to slap his face lol, I have an issue with every aspect of the game and what's behind it as well, but I can appreciate and see why you or others do enjoy it. I just cannot see why people compare it to Shenmue, and you're honestly one of the first Yakuza/Shenmue fans if not the first I've spoken with that doesn't try to put them in a box together just cause they both have martial arts elements, Asian characters and the Sega logo on the box. For me, Yakuza suffers from much of the same that classic Tomb Raider suffers from in that I don't mind shallow or entertainment-driven, but I want to enjoy myself with it and I just can't with those. I'll always take spiritually enriching experiences, whatever they may be over anything else, and truly find that real life is too short to spend doing anything that doesn't bring that sense of enrichment to my heart. Aside from GTA 5 having social commentary on what's wrong with the world in contemporary times and me not finding that in the Yakuza games, I would draw a parallel of your enjoyment of Yakuza to my enjoyment of GTA 5. Both provide instant gratification and are a bit thin on the depth and spiritual lessons, but if we both get something that makes us feel connected to them out of our experiences, then it's still of value to the overall spiritual experience of life, even if it's as simple as accepting that we enjoy something regardless of its direction.

-Red Ninja is decent and doesn't get the credit it deserves. The reason it didn't fly off the shelf or wasn't well-received by critics(other than they tend to bash good games that aren't mainstream)is that it released on PS2 in 2005, right at the end of its life cycle and the Xbox 360 was right around the corner with cutting edge graphics so it fell victim to being out near the end of the console era, which seems to happen often with most console generations. I couldn't find a trailer for the 'Stolen' game but you get the gist with the walkthrough. I attempted to send you a private message regarding Ayame, but it says your profile settings are set to private and that I can't message you, just a heads up. Thanks!
To start, I have fixed the broken link from my last post, and I have sent you a private message in regards to the Ayame figure. I hope that it went through, also, I apologize I am very guarded on the internet as I have been a victim of identity fraud in the past.

Anyway, as someone who has read the I-Ching, Tao De Ching, Book of the Five Rings, The Art of War, Siddhartha, etc, I will look into this kintsukuroi philosophy thank you for recommending it to me. In either case, I am a firm believer that when you succeed in one area of life, other areas have yet to be explored. I think most people settle on a particular plateau and never progress forward. While I'll still don't feel worthy of your praise, I very much appreciate it so thank you very much.

I am honestly envious of you as I have horrid luck in trying to get either a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series S. However, I can be patient as it's not like my Playstation 4 is going to become obsolete anytime soon. That will also give these two consoles time to fix whatever issues they may have. And finally, I have never really bought a new console on launch day anyway, so I can wait a couple more years.

I primarily bought the Nintendo Switch because of the exclusives and upcoming exclusives. Another unpopular opinion of mine is that I am not a fan of the Persona series, but I am a fan of Shin Megami Tensei and the fifth title is exclusive to the Switch. I am also looking to Project Arceus and Metroid Prime 4. And hopefully, Nintendo will release a port of my favorite Legend of Zelda title Twilight Princess HD. While I enjoy Breath of the Wild, the dark nature of Twilight Princess just captures me more.

While we have evolved as a species to prefer certain types of qualities, that doesn't we are limited by them. Men can be just as loving, sensitive, and compassionate as women can be bold, inquisitive, and strong when the situation calls for it. Evolution may provide a template in which we normally behave, but there is plenty of room to move within that template. All one needs to do is look at our contemporary social infrastructure as evidence.

As for female characters behaving like men, I will provide a duality of sorts from various types of media. In Star Wars, I love characters like Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Ashoka Tano, and Asajj Ventress. I loathe characters like Rey Palpatine, Rose Tico, Vice Admiral Holdo, and Captain Phasma.

In other movies, I enjoyed James Cameron's Alita from Alita Battle Angel and Black Widow from the Marvel Universe. However, I loathe Captain Marvel, Terminator Dark Fate, Ghostbusters 2016, and the 2016 reboot of Charlie's Angels. When it came to the small screen, I enjoyed Cara Dune from The Mandalorian and disliked Batwoman and Starfire in the Teen Titans live-action show. Finally, I like Wonder Woman in the Justice League Animated Direct to Video series, but hate the female chauvinism in the 2009 Wonder Woman film. This should provide enough ample examples of female characters who take on male-centric personalities.

Another reason I don't like Mortal Kombat XI (though they have backpedaled a little bit) is going the exact extreme opposite end in regards to the female characters in comparison to Mortal Kombat 9. Part of the allure of the female is her sensuality and it's not something to be ashamed of. It's hypocritical to declare that you are trying to be more realistic when you have the men half-naked. It doesn't break any laws of the set universe since the female characters have been able to keep up with the male characters with more revealing clothing since Mortal Kombat 3.

Mortal Kombat X in my opinion, balanced out the sensuality of the female characters while remaining practical. In XI, they became way too puritanical to appeal to progressives. For which, I will never understand.

While it's true that the Virtua Fighter characters were better adapted for Dead or Alive, they still had to be altered to fit within their universe. I want it to be the exact opposite where characters from Tekken and Dead or Alive are brought more in line with the Virtua Fighter universe due to how deep and balanced the mechanics of Virtua Fighter are.

My favorite characters from Mortal Kombat would be Kenshi, Scorpion, Triborg, Fujin, Onaga, and Noob Saibot. I like Kenshi because he's the closest thing to a samurai in Mortal Kombat embodying both a Jedi Knight and the Zatoichi. Scorpion because of his tragic backstory, and how he has been on both sides of the heel-face divide along with being a cool shinobi. Triborg merely for the fact that he combines mecha with shinobi. Fujin was a late one but I enjoyed his portrayal in XI. Noob Saibot is just such a merciless killer. And finally, Onaga the Dragon King because when even a powerful warlord like Shao Kahn is afraid of you, that's a testament to how powerful you are.

Kung Lao used to be a favorite of mine, as I enjoyed his quiet, stoic, heroic neutral nature till they changed his character in Xiaolin Monks. He became insecure, immature, and arrogant. I like The Deadly Alliance due to not only how Machiavellian they are, and I love dark sorcerers. However, I am not a fan of Shang Tsung's sexual fixation with Sonya, and Quan Chi comes off as a bit generic same could be said of Ermac.

I like Shinnok for his Lucifer backstory, but to see him usurped by Kronika was disappointing. I like Kano for how ruthless he is, but dislike him for being too crude. Finally, I like Erron Black due to his loner personality but dislike his cowboy motif.

Kasumi, Momiji, Ryu Hayabusa, Kokoro, Hayate, and Raidou would be my favorite Dead or Alive characters. Kasumi I like because she was the first Yamamoto Nadeshiko of the series. Someone gentle and kind but deadly when provoked; Kokoro, and Momiji would also fit into that mold. On a side note, I would love to see that Akira Yuki was Kokoro's bajiquan instructor.

The male characters as you can see are all stoic and strong shinobi (shocker I know). Raidou I like just because of how ruthless he is and think he should be the primary antagonist of the series rather than an endless amount of Kasumi clones. He seems to have a pivotal connection to the main characters.

I have already stated in a previous post my favorite Virtua Fighter characters so I won't retread that ground. When it comes to Tekken, I am a fan of the Mishima family. Primarily, I am a fan of Heihachi, Jin, and (correct me if I am wrong), Lars. Outside the Mishima's I am a fan of the shinobi Raven.

I have only played the first Splinter Cell so far and I honestly really enjoy it. The story is deep and the strong emphasis on stealth gameplay is fantastic. I definitely will be playing more of these titles in the future. It's ironic because I have never been a big fan of Thomas Clancy's works at all.

Originally I was not a fan of the Ryu Ga Gotoku franchise due to how crude the localization of the first game was. The series only grew on me after the third game on the PlayStation 3. I appreciate that you are civil in your disagreement with the franchise. And like I said before, these series are as different as night and day. Then again, if you are looking for nuance on the Internet I am afraid that's a rare commodity.

Red Ninja's failure makes sense since the end of a console's lifecycle tends to be at its best. In the end, you have Publishers and Developers who are now very intimate with the platform. It happens with every platform and will doubt happen again when the next generation of gaming comes along.

P.S., ironically, you are asking me about Bushido Blade since I was the one who recommended it to you a while back.
 
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