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When fan feedback ruined great games
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00:02Hoooooooooooo! Yep, that's the right tone I want. Okay.
00:05Alright there, you little demons. Jules here for WhatCulture.com, back again with another
00:10episode of the awesomely named and awfully hosted Choose Your Own Adventure, the weekly
00:14medieval-themed format where I, the crown jewels of WhatCulture.com, take a list chosen
00:18by you. Yes, you, the person who is gearing up, as of the time of recording, to do one
00:23of the biggest streaming events that I've personally ever done. You see, over on FGS,
00:29the main channel that I do all of my work for, I am going to be streaming from Monday
00:33through to Friday across the entirety of the Steam Next Fest, and I'm going to be trying
00:37to play as many demos as I can. How many is that, Jules? Well, it's probably going to
00:43be like between 50 and 100 games, and I'm probably going to be mad by the end of it,
00:47so tune in on the FGS channel to see me descend slowly of what's left of my sanity just being
00:53eroded away. Yes, you get this side of what list I dial out to you each and every week,
00:58and this week we have none other to thank than Full Metal Soldier, or MTL Soldier,
01:05if you want to get technical about things, for their suggestion of times that video games were
01:10improved by fans, and they came out even worse. You see, here's the thing, we're a very particular
01:17bunch, us gamers, really, aren't we? We know what we like, we know what we don't like, and sometimes
01:21what we think we like isn't actually what we like when we've delivered it in a way that we don't
01:25like, but we thought we did like. And sometimes we're very loud about those points, and we go
01:29onto message boards, or make YouTube videos, or just stand in the street in our underwear yelling
01:33at anyone who will listen about what we want from our games. But here's the thing, friends,
01:40sometimes we're not right. Where am I going with this? Oh yeah, it's eight times that listening
01:44to fans made video games worse. Einstein, Cleopatra, Hercules, Dracula,
01:50and Karl Marx all walk into a bar. No, this isn't the start of a strange dad joke,
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03:148. Getting Rid Of The Timer Dead Rising 4
03:18One of the most divisive gameplay aspects of the original Dead Rising trilogy is the in-game timer,
03:23which places a hard ceiling on how long players have to actually finish the main story.
03:28The many felt that this made the game less fun, because it discouraged exploration and put pressure
03:33on them to race through the core story as fast as possible. Capcom listened to the complaints and
03:39made the timer more forgiving in Dead Rising 3 in particular, but because some fans still weren't
03:44happy, they ditched it entirely for the series' most recent entry, Dead Rising 4. And yay it,
03:51perhaps the single most vocal complaint about the fourth game was that the lack of an in-game timer
03:57robbed the experience of its overarching tension and unease. Capcom's just like, oh my god, shut up,
04:03okay we're taking it away, what do you mean you're now crying that you don't have it? What do you
04:07want?
04:07What do you want from me in my silly zombie game? Some felt that the sequel tried too hard to
04:13streamline
04:14and even casualise the gameplay to its overall detriment, where a fair compromise would have probably
04:19just been including the option to toggle it on or off. Surprising how such a simple thing would have
04:25saved so much hassle. Capcom's just there like, you don't want it? Fine, I'll take it away. I'm
04:30ripping it up. I'm burning it. You want it back? Christ, if only we'd made a toggle. My kingdom for
04:39a toggle.
04:407. Make It Harder – Devil May Cry 3 – Dante's Awakening
04:44The early days of the Devil May Cry franchise are evidently defined by Capcom's struggles to
04:49balance the series' difficulty. Case in point, some just absolutely moaned until they were blue
04:55in the face that the first game was too challenging, and so Capcom responded by making Devil May Cry 2
05:01hilariously easy, to the point that most of the fanbase cried foul that they had massively
05:06course-corrected in the wrong direction. Capcom once again, what do you want from me, my silly
05:11devil game? Capcom – I love that Capcom in my mind is just like a parent who's got like so
05:19many
05:19screaming kids around and they just do not know what to do with themselves. They've gone a little
05:24bit loopy. Just give daddy affection. Don't – actually, don't you – cut that. That's not right.
05:30So, Capcom promised fans that this issue would be ironed out for Devil May Cry 3. However,
05:36once again, it kind of botched its balancing, resulting in what remains the most punishingly
05:41difficult entry pretty much in the entire franchise. For the game's western release, Capcom infamously
05:46made hard mode from the Japanese version the normal default mode, which combined with a brutally
05:52unforgiving checkpoint system ensured that even seasoned players of DMC found it way too challenging
05:58for its own good. In fact, the feedback was so vocal that when Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition was
06:04released the next year, Capcom rebalanced the entire difficulty while also introducing a more amenable
06:10checkpoint system. Finally, finally, Capcom said, do you love me now? Do you love me now? Please.
06:19I haven't got enough money to pay for you all to go to college. I just need one of you
06:23to like me.
06:246. Including the Batmobile, Batman Arkham Knight
06:28Despite the outpouring of love for both Batman Arkham Asylum and Batman City, many fans were
06:33still a little disappointed that neither game included one of the most iconic facets of the
06:37Dark Knight's repertoire, a drivable Batmobile. But Rocksteady heard fans loud and clear. Not loud
06:46enough that they introduced it in the second game, but loud and clear enough that the third game,
06:50Arkham Knight got the damn Batmobile. The marketing certainly made the Batmobile look like a fantastic
06:56way to explore Gotham, but once players finally got their hands on that game, it was clear that Rocksteady
07:01had, er, kinda whiffed it. You see, the Batmobile is far and away the most contentious and polarizing
07:09aspect of the entire game, given that you're largely forced to use it in a number of tedious and frustrating
07:15combat and stealth sequences. Like, just for the record, driving around in the Batmobile and exploring
07:22the city in that way is so much fun. I actually love that aspect of it. But being told that,
07:29hey,
07:29whoa, hey, I'm using Batmobile again. I'm just like, do I not have an option to not use this? I
07:35mean,
07:35I could actually solve this problem by doing a lot of things that don't involve the Batmobile. No, no,
07:39buddy, hey, whoa, you gotta use that Batmobile. You asked for it? You got it. You got it in everything.
07:46It's now a tank. Okay. Uh, whatever. Put simply, it just actually didn't feel that good to use and was
07:54way overused when it came to the gameplay elements, so it ensured that a badass method of transportation
08:00quickly became a massive chore. Pretty much no discussion about this game is complete without a
08:06prolonged rant about how annoying the Batmobile is. And you know what? That is a damn shame.
08:11Number five, more strategy, Valkyria Revolution. Now, 2017's Valkyria Revolution, a spin-off of the
08:17tactical RPG franchise Valkyria Chronicles that I'm just learning about now, and I'm a huge fan of
08:23Valkyria Chronicles games, and I'm actually kind of annoyed that, uh, I'm finding out this way that
08:28there's... I don't know why I'm checking my watch like it's 2017. I'm going to put a note down for
08:34me to
08:34check out this game because I didn't know about this. I... how did I not know about this game?
08:39Now, 2017's Valkyria Revolution, a spin-off from the tactical RPG franchise Valkyria Chronicles,
08:45which is amazing because Valkyria Chronicles 4 lets you have a dog as your tank commander,
08:49looked to broaden the series' player base and, uh, unfortunately it spectacularly backfired.
08:54You see, when the demo for the game was released, fans en masse lamented the greater emphasis on action
08:59over the series' expected strategy elements, feeling that a core facet of his identity was
09:04watered down and dumbed down. So the blowback from die-hard fans was potent enough that Sega
09:09promised to retool the combat before launch to introduce more of the familiar strategy elements,
09:15and they definitely did that, but it was a messy, messy implementation that only made the game worse.
09:22Given that the strategy gameplay was only injected into the game in the final months of development,
09:26there clearly wasn't enough time to get it right, resulting in a clunky mishmash of mechanics
09:32which satisfied absolutely nobody, neither the action nor strategy crowds. Ultimately,
09:38a lot of critics and fans felt that Sega would have actually just been better just sticking to
09:42their guns and going all out on the action front, considering that this half-baked compromise
09:47pleased basically nobody. 4. Tone the cutscenes down. Metal Gear Solid 5, The Phantom Pain.
09:54Metal Gear Solid 4 was widely praised for its ultra-cinematic send-off for the franchise icon
10:00Solid Snake, which felt like peak Hideo Kojima in every sense of the word. But there were also
10:05fans who saw the game as a step too far in the self-indulgent for Kojima, and that the balance
10:11between gameplay and cutscenes was simply too unwieldy for its own good. Obviously they were yet to
10:17experience what Death Stranding would be, which is the full rotation, the full Kojima sphere, where he just goes,
10:22oh, I'm up my own arse. That is to say that Metal Gear Solid 4's cutscenes comprised about half of
10:28the entire game, with an ending sequence that is shockingly close to being feature-length.
10:34With Metal Gear Solid 5 however, Kojima evidently took that feedback on board, toning down the rather
10:39lengthy cutscenes and ensuring that the player had more hands-on time. And while the fifth game arguably
10:45touts the strongest gameplay of the series, many were actually ultimately left disappointed by just how
10:51infrequent the cutscenes actually were. The grandiose cinematic sequences from the previous MGS games
10:57were desperately few and far between, ensuring that the story seemed like a total afterthought
11:03compared to the sprawling open world gameplay that they got their hands on. Don't get me wrong,
11:08I had a great time with this game, but the more I think about it, it didn't feel like a
11:13totally Kojima
11:14experience without being able to sit down, walk away from your entire console or computer,
11:20make you dinner, go take the dog for a walk, phone your Nan for a bit, and she does go
11:24on. Oh,
11:25she does go on. And then you come back in and you've only missed about like two plot points because
11:30they've decided that they were actually going to take a trip to the beach. They were going from A to
11:34B,
11:34but they went to the sea instead. And then they make some joke about Princess Mario or something like
11:39that. Yes, I used Princess Mario. They had to do it for legal reasons to change it.
11:46Ooh, a bit awkward in here. Lost the crowd here with that one, big bitch.
11:51But anyway, don't worry about that, because even if you did find that, uh,
11:55Metal Gear Solid 5 was a bit short on the old, uh, cutscene front, like I said before,
11:59you got Death Strand in one and two. Number three, make it less linear, Mirror's Edge Catalyst.
12:04Now, Mirror's Edge was genuinely lauded for its fluid parkour-infused traversal gameplay and
12:08sprightly visuals, though many did feel that it also felt a little bit short of its full potential
12:13by being far too linear. Given that the free-running gameplay implied a degree of freedom,
12:18there was considerable disappointment that players were largely on rails for the most of the experience,
12:23and that there was little opportunity to experiment or to run off the beaten track as it were.
12:27But for 2016's belated sequel, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, developer DICE seemed to answer fans'
12:33prayers by revealing that it would transpire within an open-world sandbox, which their players
12:38were free to explore. However, Catalyst's open world was a big, fat disappointment. A bafflingly
12:45sterile, empty environment which never really feel alive in any sense, from the somnambulant NPCs
12:51to the general environment repetition copy-paste scenarios. It also didn't help that despite the
12:57apparent freedom on offer, many of the core missions still forced you down a linear path regardless.
13:02Ultimately, it feels like a middle ground between the original's linearity and Catalyst's listless
13:07openness that would have probably been the right way to go. But that ain't where we went, friends.
13:13We just went into nowhere, and that game was so bad that it killed the entire franchise. Sick.
13:18The fact that they haven't even brought it back, even tried anything else in the years between,
13:24is mind-blowing. 2. Put Anakin in the game. Star Wars Battlefront 2.
13:30Though Star Wars Battlefront 2 had one of the most tumultuous launch periods of
13:34any video game ever, it was eventually shaped into a worthwhile experience through patches and free
13:40content drops. By far the most vocal request from fans was actually the inclusion of Anakin Skywalker as a
13:46new hero character, and in early 2019 that wish was finally, finally granted. But the joy was
13:54incredibly short-lived, as it didn't take long for fans to realise that Anakin was hilariously
13:59overpowered to the extent of being genuinely broken. I mean, the prophecy does label him as the wonder
14:05child that was going to rebalance the force, but rebalance my ass, he's tipping the scale off the entire
14:11system right now. Beyond having insane overall stats, Anakin was also the only hero to have a fourth
14:17ability, making him excessively powerful to the point that he was extremely difficult for other
14:22players to take on. Now, Anakin, of course, like I've just said, should be a highly powered force
14:27user given that he's the, well, the face of the franchise, but at the cost of the misery of other
14:32players? Well, that's kind of funny. But no, no, come on. After a few months of this, months,
14:39DICE finally relented and gave Anakin a nerve, in turn restoring some absolute balance to the force
14:45to a game that had run chaotically amok. 1. Make the World Bigger
14:50Dragon Age Inquisition
14:51Though it was broadly well received by critics, many fans felt that Dragon Age 2 was a major step
14:56down from the original game, largely because players were constrained within this tiny city of Kirkwall
15:01for the entire game. With recycled assets throughout and a patent lack of environmental variety,
15:07it was painfully clear that this RPG sequel was being rushed to market by EA.
15:12But Bioware undeniably took the feedback on board for 3quel Dragon Age Inquisition,
15:18which offered up a more expansive, semi-open world structure. Sounds good so far, right?
15:23And while Inquisition was deemed a major improvement in many broad areas, it was also widely criticized for
15:29going too far in the opposite direction and being massive to its own detriment. The game world is so
15:36huge and yet so very empty and lacky and interesting things to do, likely as a result of the open
15:42world arms race that was going on in the early 2010s, where just about every remotely open world
15:46game was trying to be bigger than the next one without remembering that bigger should also come
15:51with better. Yeah, there was just nothing to do in this. You're just like, wow, this is the
15:58prettiest, longest walk I've ever not been on in real life. It's a textbook example of quantity over
16:04quality, for while Inquisition had a lot going for it, its world was deeply, thunderously dull.
16:12And then we go my friends, those were eight times that listening to fans made games worse. Hope that
16:17you enjoyed that and let me know what you thought about it down in the comments section below and
16:21put your suggestion for next week's episode down there as well. And just remember, like I said before,
16:26put a mental reminder in for the 13th of October because I'll be over on the FGS Future Games Show
16:30YouTube channel where I'll be streaming every single day for as long as I physically can. Which,
16:35remember, I'm approaching my forties. It ain't going to be like all day. My bones ache just being
16:41alive. Come on, guys. Just check me out there. I'll be streaming as many demos as I can throughout
16:46the Steam Next Fest. It would mean a lot if you would show up and give your support. Big love
16:50to
16:50you, my friends. And also, if you want to chat to me on the social medias, you can do so
16:53by going over
16:53here where I'm at RetroJ, but the O is a zero. And you can follow my lovely editor's site over
16:58on her
16:58social medias over here. But before I go, I just want to say one thing. See, this is the thing.
17:04We've been talking today about times where listening to fans made things worse. But you
17:07know what? You should listen to me because what I'm about to say is going to blow your mind.
17:11You, my friend. You're a massive ledge. You deserve the best. You deserve love,
17:17happiness and respect. We all do as human beings, all right? So treat yourself with that love first
17:22and push it outwards to your neighbor as well. Start spreading love in this world because trust me,
17:28there's a lot of hate going on here and it can be very overwhelming at times. But the only way
17:33that we
17:34are going to get through this crazy thing called life is together. So make sure that you're building
17:37bridges instead of burning them, going out there with love in your heart for your neighbor as well
17:41as yourself. Because at the end of the day, that's all that matters, that I hope that you're living a
17:45healthy and happy life, all right? Now get out there and smash it. Big love from me to you,
17:49all right? As always, I've been Jules. You have been awesome. Never forget that. I'll speak to you soon. Bye.
17:55Bye.
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