Are there games that you tried but just couldn't get into because they feel outdated? Games that, in theory, you would enjoy, but don't because the controls, graphics, writing, or mechanics just don't feel good anymore. Games that, compared to today, just don't hold up to your standards.

I recently tried playing Heroes of Might and Magic III, and I realized that a lot of the invisible language used through game design from that era, I do not understand. There are many things that the game didn't explain, and I assume they were just understood by players. Not only that, but I imagine there was a lot of crossover between video games and board games back then, so maybe that language was used as well. I ended up downloading a manual and putting it on my second screen and I get it and played it, but it just wasn't for me.

I also dropped Mirror's Edge, but this time it was because of the graphics. It looks and feels great, but the graphics give me a headache. There is way too much bloom, and for some reason, there are some parts that look like the imaginary lens has been covered in Vaseline. This didn't bother me before, but my eyes are not used to it anymore.

There are also games like the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater games that I can't fully get into because they're missing mechanics from the later games. The levels and controls feel great, but they don't feel complete without those mechanics. It keeps me from enjoying the games as much as the others.

Please share yours!

Share your unfiltered, unpopular gaming opinions and let's dive into some real discussions. If you come across a view you disagree with, feel free to (respectfully) defend your perspective. I don't want to see anyone say stuff like "we're all entitled to our own opinions." Let's pretend like gaming is a science and we are all award winning scientists.

My Unpopular Opinion:

I believe the criticism against battle royales is often unwarranted. Most complaints revolve around constant content updates, microtransactions, and toxic player communities

Many criticize the frequent content updates, often cosmetic, as overwhelming. However, it's optional, and no other industry receives flak for releasing more. I've never seen anyone complain about too many Lays or coke flavors.

Pay-to-win concerns are mostly outdated; microtransactions are often for cosmetics. If you don't have the self control to not buy a purple glittery gun, then I'm glad you don't play the games anymore, but I don't think it makes the game bad.

The annoying player bases is the one I understand the most. I don't really have a point against this except that it's better to play with friends.

Overall I think battle royale games are pretty fun and rewarding. Some of my favorite gaming memories were playing stuff like apex legends late at night with friends or even playing minecraft hunger games with my cousins like 10 years ago. A long time ago I heard in a news segment that toy companies found out that people are willing to invest a lot of time and energy into winning ,if they know there will be a big reward at the end, and battle royales tap into that side of my brain.

This is just my opinion

We all have that one game that holds a special place in our hearts. What game is it for you?

For me, it's Metal Slug. Growing up, every Monday, my parents would drag me to the laundromat after work. As a kid, it was a pretty boring, but I had my toys, origami books, and coloring books to keep me entertained. However, my favorite thing to do was playing the Metal Slug arcade machine with my dad.

My dad was great at the game, and he taught me how to play. Though I improved, I could never keep up. When I'd inevitably die, he'd let me take over his side to let me have a bit more playtime. My favorite part was when he'd share stories from when he lived in another country and would go to the local arcade.

Those moments are cherished memories, and even today, whenever I visit an arcade, Metal Slug is the first game I play, despite still being terrible at it haha

Honorable mention goes to Mario 64, another game that holds a special place in my heart. I got an N64 from a garage sale, and playing Mario 64 while at home, with my mom's "chore" music in the background ignited my love for gaming

7/10

Having never played the original Tomb Raider games, I approached this title without nostalgia or prior knowledge of the franchise. It had been sitting in my backlog for a couple of years, and I decided to give it a shot recently.

I'm in an era of gaming where I've been gravitating towards titles with less traditional linear storylines, Tomb Raider managed to reignite my interest. Nowadays, I struggle to connect with a game's narrative, often due to interruptions, lack of immersion, or a boring story, leading me to abandon many story-driven games I've attempted in the past year or two.

I played this on my Steam Deck with a mixture of normal-high settings at 60FPS.

Story: 3/5

The narrative in Tomb Raider struck a balance that worked for me. I wasn't looking for an intricate web of character arcs and complex relationships. Instead, I wanted a storyline that would provide motivation and feature likable characters who contributed to the overall objective, and the game delivered on those fronts, with a bit extra.

Lara Croft, in particular, stood out as a likable protagonist. She possessed her share of flaws, but her actions and motivations were relatable. Her sense of guilt and her unwavering determination for her and her team's survival drove the narrative forward, making it engaging enough to keep me invested.

Mechanics: 3/5

Tomb Raider's combat mechanics played it safe with a standard approach (Arkham style combat with regular 3rd person cover-shooter stuff), and the weapon upgrades were straightforward, and they didn't particularly excite me. The allure of reaching the next campfire for upgrades didn't quite grab me. Additionally, the available skills for upgrading at these campfires didn't feel essential to me. Maybe I'm just a god gamer, but I never found myself needing more skills or upgrades.

While stealth was an option, it didn't feel particularly useful, given that you were likely to be discovered regardless of your efforts. Nevertheless, there was enjoyment in picking off a few guards before the inevitable reveal. The game seemed to have the foundation for capable stealth mechanic, but it didn't delve deeply enough into this aspect. I wished for more emphasis on stealth since it was a rewarding.

On a positive note, the parkour mechanics in the game were impressively smooth. I encountered no issues, and every movement felt fluid and intuitive.

Feel Like Lara Croft: 4/5

The controls in Tomb Raider were solid, but I wished for slightly more responsiveness. The controls were straightforward and easy to remember. I never missed jumps or had other similar issues, like in Assassin's Creed. I was never taken out of the immersion because of the controls and movement.

Visuals: 4/5

Visually, Tomb Raider was great. The game's portrayal of caves, tombs, and the decaying villages was stunning, despite a lack of details. The island setting itself was a highlight, with developers effectively conveying the ongoing struggle between Lara and the island. Progress always seemed to trigger a response from the island, sometimes hindering Lara, and surprisingly even aiding her at times. The relentless and ever-changing weather served as a constant reminder of the challenges and goals at hand, creating a sense of constant tension and danger. It wasn't until the end that I truly felt safe.

The cinematic action sequences were great as well. Action movie-like sequences were always excited, but I wish there were more of them. Additionally, the game's shift towards a horror ambiance in certain areas added depth to the experience. While I wasn't exactly scared, some parts of the game managed to create an eerie atmosphere.

The death animations in the game, although at times gruesome, added to the stakes and made me more reluctant to die. Paradoxically, they also piqued my curiosity, I would sometimes die on purpose to see if I would unlock a new animation haha

Considering that Tomb Raider is from 2013, its visual quality has held up well. This era of games, marked by the need to rely on style due to limited processing power for realistic graphics (compared to today), has aged gracefully. While it may not be the best-looking game by today's standards, it features awe-inspiring settings that contributed to my overall enjoyment of the game. I was always excited to see what the next zone would look like.

Accessibility 5/5

I appreciate Tomb Raider not for its groundbreaking innovation but for its comforting familiarity. It's a game that provides all the visual and audio cues you could ask for – red means explosion, white means climbable, green and yellow signify ammo, and so on. Some might argue that this simplicity makes the game too easy, but for me, at this moment, it strikes the perfect balance

After long days filled with work, gym, cooking, and chores, there are moments when I simply don't have the energy to dive into a challenging game that demands my full attention.

It's challenging to put into words, but Tomb Raider feels like a pure, unadulterated game. Many of the titles I've been playing lately often come off as templates that require a lot of effort on my part. How much fun I have with the game heavily relies on how much effort I'm willing to put into the game. Multiplayer games demand practice, games like Stardew Valley and Enter the Gungeon require constant wiki searches, open-world titles like Breath of the Wild need hours of thorough exploration, and complex RPGs demand deep immersion in the story.

Tomb Raider, in contrast, feels like a fully-formed experience ready to be enjoyed from the get-go. It offers a frictionless and barrier-free journey that requires no additional effort on my part. I understand that many games are like this, but this one served as a reminder of how much fun such straightforward, immersive experiences can be to me.

Overview

Overall, Tomb Raider is an enjoyable experience. I enjoyed everything enough to keep playing and motivate me to buy the next game in the series. I know to most this might not be the most exciting game, but to me it has has changed the directions of the next couple games that I will play.

Favorite Part

This next paragraph will have a couple spoilers.

I think my favorite part was the end. Everything starts to hit Lara like a train. Even the villain tells her that she isn't actually a hero despite everyone praising her throughout the game. She has also killed a bunch of people who were just trying to escape the the island. I think it can even be argued that she's worse than anyone on the island. She is not the hero, she is just another survivor. Maybe she could have worked with them so they would all escape together, but how successful would she have been negotiating with borderline feral, stranded survivors? I felt satisfied with the end and look forward to more from the series.

What are your favorite single player games to go back to often?

• Minecraft
• Furi
• Mario 64
• Super Mario World
• GTA SA and Vice City

It's kinda rare for me to go back to a single player game and replay it, but there are some games that are nostalgic in the same way place or smell can be nostalgic.

I know them so well that I can't help but want to go back and visit and I never really get disappointment by the experience. Sure, I don't get as immersed as the first time, but I definitely still enjoy the games.

Please let me know what your top 5 games are!

PHILOSOPHY

I mostly play easily accessible indie games. The device's main strengths are its low level performance and portability. However, it has some unavoidable weaknesses such as a low-resolution screen, short battery life, and performance with most newer games. I've never been one to complain about 30FPS, but on some games you can tell that they weren't made to be played below 60FPS. Apart from the device's weaknesses, I'm tired of AAA games as they've become repetitive and formulaic. Nowadays, I prefer games with charm, personality, and gameplay that shines without relying on gimmicks, so I have turned more and more to the indie scene for my games. I also don't like supporting companies like EA, Ubisoft, Activision, etc.

I've selected the best games that I've played, that play to the device's strengths while minimizing its weaknesses. The battery lasts a long time, the device doesn't run hot, and you can adjust graphics settings for extended battery life if needed, but all games run at max settings just fine.

GAMES

Vampire Survivor: This game is a classic already. It can be picked up at any time you have 15-30 minutes. Really addictive and I've found myself saying "one more round" plenty of times. This is sadly the only game on this list not on GOG

Furi: In this game every fight is like a boss fight. There is a lot going on and it's one of the heavier games on this list, but performance will not be an issue. It is challenging, but I haven't really felt cheated when I died.

Enter the Gungeon: This is another game that has a lot going on, but does not suffer from performance issues. It runs smoothly and even though runs can get a little long somteimes, there is absolutely no punishment for leaving a run early and tbh, most of my runs end pretty fast lol

Katana Zero: - I have finished this game about 5 times already. It's a pretty short game, but the story is engaging and the gameplay is satisfying and addicting. I have been playing the speedrun mode for a while now.

Darkwood: I played this game in hour+ sessions. I wouldn't necessarily play this game as a pick up and play game since it is a lot more immersive. I think I've only played through 1-2 horror games before this one, but I might play more of them now. It's like when you play a competitive game after not playing it for months; you know what you're supposed to do, but your hands can't keep up.

BONUS

Rayman Origins: I know this game is by Ubisoft, but I bought it a while back and tbh I really enjoyed playing through it. I hadn't played a Rayman game since the PS1 days so this was a pleasant surprise. I thought I would play it for an hour or two until the nostalgia wore off, but I ended up finishing the game and enjoying it. Difficulty was just right for playing through it while listening to a podcast or while in a discord call. I didn't need to download a launcher and I feel like I'm supporting what I want more from the company. They have some great IPs and I would hate to see them die.

Extra Information

I have the 256GB model and I have not upgraded the SSD and I do not have plans to upgrade it anytime soon. All of my games fit on the device and I have found it a little fun to pick and choose which games I download on my device. Makes me think a little more before I download a game, instead of having everything available for me at once.