Agreed. There are moments in Forbidden West that are absolutely wonderful (Sea of Sands being a pretty compelling standout), but they’re bogged down by so many moments that are simply... fine. For every Kotallo there is an unfortunate Beta.

One of the best-selling and highest rated games of that year… “underrated”.

This was my thought reading this. It is pretty universally considered a great game. Not sure why that is in the headline. It was one of the game that led me to get a PS4. Its all around one of my favorites. Forbidden West didn’t really pull me in the same - I don’t know the map got too big, it wasn’t new anymore, or…

Zero Dawn was lovely once I returned to it after Breath of the Wild. Forbidden West didn’t hit the same highs for me. The story wasn’t as compelling, the combat was... fine. I hope they can stick the landing with the third.

Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever refer to Horizon as “underrated”

I think AAAA stands for the sound you make when you realise how much money you wasted buying it.

I sincerely doubt Nintendo honestly cares to try to compete with, compare, or out-do any aspect of Palworld. They and their second-party companies traditionally look inward to innovate (or not) and that’s why in 2023 we still have great games burdened with things like TotK’s laborious inventory screens and armor…

Lets Go is pokemons best game this decade. It ran well, well polished and nice to look at. Arceus was a great concept with zero polish, muddy textures and ran like crap.

Palworld literally walls off the endgame. If you consider that “complete” then I have a fully functional car to sell you, just ignore the cinderblocks it’s resting on.

Exactly.

Palworld may be a flash in the pan and shallow, but Pokmeon fans have wanted Pokemon games to be more like Palworld for a long time.

If selling 24 million (plus DLC) for nearly double the price of Palworld’s 25 million is “failing”, I want to know how you define “success”

Yeah...nah.

Never mind the fact that Palworld literally came out last month, so the idea that somehow Gamefreak or TPC will be able to course correct from whatever projects they’ve been working to “respond to Palworld” is silly.

But also...I don’t think anyone really wants them to put out a product that’s in “response”…

No, actually they don’t regardless of one’s opinions.

I'd like to see Pokemon adopt a 2.5d art style. I don't really care for the full 3d thing in this case. Like a Pokemon game in the style of octopath traveller would be perfect. I knew from x and y that 3d Pokemon would be garbage and I stand by that initial assessment for every game since then. Gamefreak resisted…

I was going to say Mint Chocolate Chip, but the cookie dough is great too.

I think it is declining in popularity because the chips in it are simply the worst chocolate that ever existed.  It is just... awful  If I want chips in my ice cream Cookie Dough is the go to.  

Who needs chocolate chip when chocolate chip cookie dough exists?

I have made this argument with Soulchads so many times and they always come back with “you need to Git Gud” and “it’s against the developer’s concept” and then sometimes they get into a long-drawn out discussion about how death and rebirth are integral to understanding the games’ worlds.

Also, even if it WAS just “easy mode,” so what? When games have an outright, clearly-stated easy mode, so what? I would love for someone to give me a legitimate argument for how someone else playing a game on easy -- online games/multiplayer games notwithstanding, of course -- affects THEIR experience with/enjoyment…

That it is a video game does not make it above concerns such as pacing and tone. More content and things to do is not a universally better thing. Video games are not solely interaction machines, those interactions can and should have some sort of meeting.

Yeah, sure, they expanded Midgar, and it is a good setting, but…