The point that dunkey made and that you pointed out here about knowing who your reviewers are is so vital to consuming any sort of review-related content, and that point often gets lost in between the pre-conceived industry standards for just about any piece of media, really. I also find it funny that people will barge into *your* video on *your own* RUclips channel and then get pissed off because your subjective opinion was bad.
I think you should at least give some information about your perspective on things you criticize in your videos/comments/essays for example: how long you’ve played a game, how many times, similar games you enjoy, what you look for in games, how many games in the genre have you tried/conpleted before, how long have you been following that franchise/developer/creator, and many other stuff that can help build an understanding of the kind of reviewer/critic/consumer/GAMER you are, you know? You can’t expect everyone to just watch your catalogue of videos/games just to start to have a clue in your perspective or interests. Objectivity is still important, at least i think so.
I think you should at least give some information about your perspective on things you criticize in your videos/comments/essays for example: how long you’ve played a game, how many times, similar games you enjoy, what you look for in games, how many games in the genre have you tried/conpleted before, how long have you been following that franchise/developer/creator, and many other stuff that can help build an understanding of the kind of reviewer/critic/consumer/GAMER you are, you know? You can’t expect everyone to just watch your catalogue of videos/games just to start to have a clue in your perspective or interests. Objectivity is still important, at least i think so.
@@minecraftgravityguy I agree. Not every person has experienced every single video game that has been offered at the same time. There will always be people who have started video games at different points of their lives which helps to make our experiences with video games different.
My two cents are that art criticism can either be rigorous or personal. When you aggregate the scores, it might look a rigorous number. But since Game-scientist it's a real job yet, I think most criticism is better off coming from a personal angle.
Welp, seems I made it into a yakkocmn video! I feel kind of embarassed by my comment about Odyssey, but it‘s also funny. I would never phrase it that way today and I also understood the importance of subjectivity over the years. Thing is: I was 16 at the time and hypercritical of media, because I was surrounded by people who bought CoD and Fifa every year and hated themselves for it. Surely doesn‘t make it any better, but its important context for understanding where a lot of these (stupid) comments come from! My channel name is german for "video games are art" btw :)) gonna start uploading some more meaningful criticism there soon, if you wanna learn some german
YOOOOO what's up! I hope that segment didn't come across as too rude - I hid your info because I mainly wanted to demonstrate the mindset rather than single you out personally. I can understand where you were coming from, so thanks for the context and insight :)
This video honestly really came out at just a perfect time for me. Recently, I have really noticed just how badly I take seeing any opinion that goes against mine. But not in a "I'm right, they're wrong" way; I end up thinking that _I_ am just completely wrong about everything I ever know because I saw some guy on Twitter I've never seen before say they didn't like the thing I like in a conversation I was nowhere near. And it doesn't help that a few games I'm into are commonly talked negatively about in the spaces I'm in. Now, deep inside, I already knew that I really shouldn't care all that much, but with this video, just getting to hear my own thoughts out loud has already helped me a lot in such a short amount of time. I don't really know how to end this comment but um, thanks for the funny words, gamer man.
I love how whenever somebody talks about metal gear rising they all get turned into an excited 6-year-old in the best possible way. To quote Calvin and Hobbes: "This is *so* cool!" "This is *so* stupid"
I entirely agree about the whole "just have fun" two of my favorite games to this day are Asura's Wrath and Gravity Rush. Both games have a whole slew of problems that occasionally get me questions like "why do you like this" and my only response really is just "I had fun with it." At the end of the day if I had fun with a game I'm gonna like it and just because I had fun doesn't mean I have to justify why I had fun.
Asura's Wrath needs a remake that puts the game in more systems and fixes some technical problems. It's such an unique experience, and I so wish more people would try it out.
@Dharc Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines comes to mind. That game is even MORE broken and unfinished than New Vegas is, so much so that it's literally unplayable without installing the unofficial community patch. And yet it's still consistently considered an absolute masterpiece despite all of its flaws, and has an extremely dedicated fanbase. Hell, just the fact that there is an unofficial community patch that has been in development since the official release in 2004 that not only fixes a bunch of bugs, but also restores cut content and adds completely new community content shows you just how much people love it. Flawed definitely does not equal bad.
I feel like tons of people simply do not understand that they do not necessarily need to have a reason to like things, which you touch on excellently in this video.
True, but it does feel better when the majority feels the same way. Also when you do actually have conscious reasons why you like something it feels nice to share.
@The Stonefish 1. if youre having fun then you probably wont feel like you wasted your time. and there's nothing inherently wrong with wasting your time anyway. 2. i guess the whole smearing a house with faeces thing could be an analogue for some kind of unhealthy addiction. but there are plently of games out there that arent addicting, or arent gonna leave you with a bad end result. if so, then there's no reason you can't have fun with a shitty game. go wild, it's not like having fun affects anybody other than you.
@The Stonefish I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and, yeah if the industry simply pumped out garbage games that everyone views as fun can be detrimental to the art form. But a lot of what this video (and my comment) talks about is experiencing a game on a personal level. For just a guy playing a game, whose opinions on it aren't going to impact anything else in the world, I don't think there's any real reason the quality of a game should dictate your enjoyment of it, unless you plan to actually be a successful game designer in the future or something.
@The Stonefish so if I put 100 hours into sword art online hollow realization which is widely considered mediocre and loved every second of it, my experience is invalid because i don't have a high school essay on why it's objectively a masterpiece? get out of here bro
@The Stonefish I meant with enjoying art, not with your use of excrement. Even if you don’t understand why you like something, you’re still allowed to enjoy it. Sure it is more beneficial to understand why you enjoy something, but this should not be a requirement to enjoy something, which can be commonplace on the internet.
A lot of people seem to approach liking art backwards, where they need to find reasons a thing is good before they’re “allowed” to like it. And it’s okay to like things that have crippling flaws in other people’s eyes, or in your own.
I totally agree! I get on myself about how some music I like isn't considered like "Good". I just have to step back and realize that I should be more concerned with if I like it or not.
It also REALLY doesn't help that everything has to be tied to "the fate of the industry". If you like the dumb football game with bad physics then your a failure to gamers...is what basement dwellers would say.
As a "reviewer," this video took the words out of my mouth. Online, it seems like people believe objectivity to be whatever validates their subjective opinion. Also, learning to turn your brain off is a fantastic skill these days for just enjoying (or not enjoying) something. I absolutely loved Outer Wilds, but couldn't tell you the first reason why and I don't want to know why. I don't want to know why it felt so comfy yet mysterious or why its puzzles were sometimes really easy or really hard. I just know game good, and me like game. 'Objectively' good video, Yak :)
Not entirely, I would say that while the standards people choose are subjective, the arguments to support them don't have to be. What if you have a shooter with terrible hit registration, meaning that despite the crosshair lining up with a body, the shot doesn't land true? Can I not say that is a problem? To be more specific, one definition of good is "of a high standard". So, if I have a standard of "consistent hit registration", sure, the choice to pick that standard is subjective, but can I not back it up with objective evidence? "Game 1 has provably more consistent hit registration then Game 2, therefore Game 1 has a higher standard of consistency, therefore Game 1 is objectively better WITH REGARDS to the standard that I ultimately subjectively chose." Is that reasonable?
Well objectivity is the only constant when reviewing/critiquing art and entertainment. Subjectivity is just as important but knowing when you are being anecdotal while criticizing something is fundamental in any kind of argumentation. If you only care about talking about your personal experience to others in your reviews that’s fantastic objectivity isn’t that important. But when you are criticizing some kind of work and trying to analyze what works and what doesn’t for the sake of better works to be made in the future, improvements and a better critical view from the audience, using objectivity to support your arguments and claims is just a stronger argumentation method than just “i like this and I dislike that”.
@@minecraftgravityguy You’re mixing up objectivity with building a convincing argument. Everything that goes into a critique of a game that isn’t completely banal boils down to a subjective assessment of that game, even if that assessment is well-supported. For instance, someone might say they like Mario Odyssey because it has precise controls, levels full of details and platforming challenges, and a fun and wholesome storyline. Then they could go into further detail, describing how the game does these things. This could be a convincing argument for why someone might like this game, but there’s nothing objective about it - it’s still deeply rooted in someone’s subjective tastes and experiences with the game.
@@Coffeewings334 might be a bit random but this reminded me of a problem i had when i played Hollow Knight. It would be hard to argue that the controls aren't responsive and in my personal experience they were very responsive but to a point where momentum doesn't seem to affect movement anymore. I especially had a problem with the jump where i just wasn't able to override my brain to not consider gravity or momentum so in many instances i jumped too low to reach platforms or dodge attacks. It's just something that popped into my brain when i thought about controls and what most people would consider as an obviously objective assessment. I wouldn't even disagree with the opinion that it's a game with responsive controls but there might be a point where too responsive could mean a negative impact for some and suddenly 'objectively good' might be bad for others. Obviously I'm overdramatizing a bit here but i think you get the point.
As someone with insanely bad rejection sensitivity due to my neurodivergence, "objective" reviews really bog down my experience when it comes to games that I enjoy. I try not to watch stuff on games I enjoy because of that. I know that people have different experiences with games than me, but when they JUST bash on a game that I like under the guise of "criticism" is really upsetting. I can understand that some of my favorite games have valid critiques from people who don't like them, but that's extremely different than "this game sucks and if you like it for the reasons that I hate it you also suck" and it's just...a bummer for me. I end up thinking about the negative shit people say when I'm trying to enjoy stuff and it kinda ruins it for me, regardless of if I think they were right or wrong about it. I'm really glad that I'm not the only person who suffers with this, and I appreciate that you opened up about the fact that you experience this too, Yakko.
I relate to this SO much. You have no idea how you hit the nail on the head. I try to find communities who know about this thing I like (cause I enjoy talking about the thing I like and those experiences), but then I find out they only bring it up to start nitpicking or ask questions/start discussions that go in circles. Subreddit and Twitter are infested with this attitude.
I feel this man my favorite game in my favorite series is often considered one of the worst of its kind and the amount of "youre stupid for enjoying this" is just bleh. Like i get criticism im pretty forgiving to it im pretty critical myself. But insulting the people who like something you dont is frustrating although i feel that nowadays thats getting rarer or at least people are more aware of how dumb it is to be that way
Could you elaborate some more on the rejection sensitivity part and how it changes how you experience these situations? I've been noticing lately how it's affecting me, and this seems like a really interesting topic/take.
Thank you Yakko, for putting this feeling that I've had for years into words. I couldn't have said it better myself Whenever the rare occasion would occur when I end up loving a game that had mixed reviews or tons of toxic discourse behind it, I felt GUILTY for enjoying it. But eventually, you come to realize that critics shouldn't be the be-all-end-all behind enjoyment, and your time on this earth is too precious to worry about what other people think about how you choose to spend your time
If there's anything I've learned during my time online, it's that I'm not allowed to like anything. And if I dare say I do, then there is something legitimately wrong with me and I should feel bad about it. Made even worse that I'm primarily into more niche, quirky media...which is apparently a horrible sin in of itself. No wonder my self confidence is near non-existent and I don't like talking with others anymore.
I mean there is a community for everything, just go there, its the internet, you aren't locked into places where people dislike what you like. I don't get this, maybe its because I'm old but just like...close the webpage?
I'm sorry to hear that. I get the feeling of looking for people that like the same thing as you do and finding a slew of critics pointing out problems. In my case, I like looking in the youtube comments for songs in the OST of a game and, bc it's more niche, the comments tend to be pretty positive and I have fun reading people's reactions to the game or the music. Anyway, I just wanted to say that your interests are valid and I bet you're a cool... person. :)
About the niche part in my experience I’ve mostly seen it the opposite like people will hate on others for being sheeple idiots who eat up whatever AAA devs give them because their taste isn’t refined enough to understand more obscure games and shit like that, but I guess it probably does go both ways I personally just haven’t really seen it.
@@DogginsFroggins These people can't stand the fact that someone somwhere has a different opinion from them. It's ironic. Take the original comment and replace "like" with "dislike".
My official review for this video. [ Graphics ] You forget what reality is Beautiful Good Decent Bad Don‘t look too long at it MS-DOS Darksouls ✔ [ Gameplay ] Very good Good It's just gameplay Mehh Watch paint dry instead Just don't Darksouls ✔ [ Audio ] Eargasm ✔ Very good Good Not too bad Bad I'm now deaf Darksouls ✔ [ Audience ] Kids Teens Adults Grandma Darksouls ✔ [ Game Time ] Long enough for a cup of coffee Short Average Long To infinity and beyond Darksouls ✔ [ Price ] It's free! Worth the price If it's on sale If u have some spare money left Not recommended You could also just burn your money Darksouls ✔ [ Bugs ] Never heard of Minor bugs Can get annoying ARK: Survival Evolved The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs Darksouls ✔ [ Story] No Story Some lore Average Good Lovely It'll replace your life Darksouls ✔
Holy shit I thought I was the only one who noticed this issue! I really noticed this problem a bit after KH3 came out. After a while, KH3 became really controversial because a lot of people liked it... and a lot of people did not. And the people who didn't like it made sure everyone knew. I have seen enough negative opinions on KH3 that the word "disappointing" kinda triggers me now. Kingdom Hearts became this series where "It's a weird series with good gameplay" to "KH2 Critical Mode Level 1 is the only way to play any KH game, and every other game is trash." It's just not fun to talk about Kingdom Hearts anymore. I feel like the biggest issue is due to how break-neck fast the internet has become. When a new game or piece of media, everyone expects there to be videos upon videos day 1 of it coming out. It's to a point where if you don't get your opinion out in the first couple of days, you just don't get a say because the train has already left. Because of that, opinions online have become a lot more binary and are missing the depth and time they need to cook. Also as you mentioned, there's also the need to constantly defend yourself and portray your opinion is "objectively true". All of this culminates into this weird fucking rat race where people are trying to look for something first that doesn't even exist. Hell, a large majority of people don't even watch reviews for the review, rather to cement their conformation bias about how they feel about the game. And if they don't get that in the video... well you can guess what happens next. The thing about games is that even if there way a "best game of all time" not everyone would like it. What makes a game good is so personal that the higher up in quality you go, the more opinionated it becomes. I do believe there are easy to identify qualities for what makes a game bad, but not as much the other way around. It's why I appreciate you videos so much. It's about the emotions and journey you had with the game, which really helps sell the connection you have with them. Point is, games are subjective of what people will enjoy about them, and well really need to grow out of what is a essentially a dick measuring contest. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
OMG the word disappointing super triggers me too because of the entire kingdom hearts 3 fallout. I have never experienced a feeling of such community happiness just for everyone to suddenly switch it up after 2 weeks and say they were disappointed or even bad/not worth playing It really made my reconsider how often I should take others opinions into account
You pretty much just explained how I exactly felt about the whole KH3 debacle, very well said. The entire discussion surrounding it was just plain mind numbing that it sucked the fun out of discussing anything KH because it would always loop back to the same topic!
God I hate when I'm enjoying a game and somebody hits me with the "that game is bad, here is a list of its flaws" shit. Like bruh? Shut up and let me enjoy it. Even if you are right, why would you want to make me not have fun with it? Now those criticisms are going to be gnawing at the back of my mind and making me have a worse time.
This is relatable. Especially when someone writes "your opinion is wrong" i am like "OK, what do you want to Tell me with this?". Sometimes it is easy to See that those people are triggered af and try to express their micro aggression. Cause they cant cope that some people think different or aren't by their Side. But thats my Point of View.
I appreciate this. I like detective anime games like Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, and this made me realize I always try to justify liking them when I talk to friends. "If you get past the (blank) it's a good game!" Screw that. I'm going to enjoy my anime boys with murder. Thank you.
That comment about Joseph Anderson was hilarious. Sometimes it feels like Joe plays a game until he hates it, then makes a 2+ hour video essay explaining all the things he doesn't like. I don't think I would ever use one of his videos as proof that a game is bad... or any video for that matter, because that's a weird thing to do. (I'm saying this as a fan of Joe)
Yeah, sometimes it comes across as though he has forgotten video games are supposed to be fun EDIT: I watch the video and this is the very first point he brought up :)
Joe’s just like any old critic. He has his own tastes and perspectives and if those tastes align with someone else’s, that person will be able to use his videos as a guideline for what to buy. People who try to use his videos as “proof” why certain games are objectively awful need to watch his video on subjectivity in critique or just chill out in general.
Man, shit. I realise I do the same thing when people talk about Mortal Kombat and I try to introduce them to 4th Snake, a guy who loves to highlight every issue with Netherrealm. I agree with most of his point, just not his attitude. I only tell people to watch his videos because MK fans love to get elitist about how their games' lore is the best and other fighters suck. Meanwhile, I'm here as a passionate Guilty Gear (another fighter) fan who's apparently being told his interest's worthless. So I try to fight fire with fire when it comes to people being "upfront" with their takes above others. Tldr, I got so defensive about my enjoyment of something being shat on that I turned into the guy you're talking about.
I wrote that comment when I was 16 and stupid and now I find out, it has impacted a dude I like for three years. Its funny because I remember also writing a comment under a Joseph Anderson video, where I tell HIM that he is objectively wrong. Crazy times
5:15 "Is the Chao Garden a grinding mechanic?" Welllllllllllll. It definitely can be. If you're grinding to get the Chao that even gods fear, then yeah. But if not, It's still a grind to get the right stones for your chao. Or you could just... not care about it and just have fun. But yeah. It's weird when people review games without... explaining themselves or what they play. It makes me think of that game journalists' review of Cuphead. God, that was... definitely something. That's just me. Awesome video as always. Love to see when you upload man. Keep it up!
What I kinda wish people understood is that most people aren't video game critics. They have different jobs, they have families and friends, other hobbies, etc. Or maybe they are video game enthusiasts, but in an actual "I think video games are super cool and I play them because they are cool, if they aren't cool, I don't play them" kind of way. I am not a video game critic, I don't understand the deeper aspects of game design, but like... why should I? Is it important when I am stressed and just wanna have fun for an hour of my day or so? Should a parent who just wants to bond with their child after a long week of work care? When I say "I like a game", it just means that it's a game I personally enjoyed, not an attempt to make some grand statement. You can share your own opinion, but you can't change mine. That doesn't make me close-minded or stubborn, it just means I am a normal human being with their own thoughts and feelings and like... that's a good thing, isn't it?
YOOO I've been literally thinking about this exact topic the whole day and wow, perfect timing! I agree with you on pretty much everything in this video, especially after seeing an opinion on a game that said it had an "uninteresting story" which is entirely subjective
It's kinda sad. Everywhere you go on the internet you're gonna find some guy that constantly mocks and barades you for liking a game, doesn't matter if its popular, an unknown game or a game thats been considered a masterpiece by 99% of all reviews. Like seriously, what happened to enjoying a game and not caring what others think? But I guess we're only human, and humans tend to be very insecure.
It also works the other way around. I'm probably the 1% of players who didn't like the ffxiv story, and let me tell you: they do not take personal opinions in a good way. I think you used the perfect word in "insecurities", but also arrogance to feed thier "feeling unique and special" mentality.
Liking a game even if it's bad game is not wrong indeed like I don't think there is any point to belited and harrass the people like it I mean it's their personal interest and can be change anytime. I'm more concern how we are now in a time where mention a game flaw even a little makes you a "bad" person in some of people's eye, gamer used to be we just laugh how bad the game when play it then call it a day but nowadays due to rise of Fandom culture on internet you can guaranteed there is like 4 to 20 people will belited you with no shame at all while acting all saint when someone mention positive even some kind of like "this butterfly you just take make the world suddenly safer" mentality.
I’ve been struggling with the “opinions aren’t objective” thing, because so many people frame their thoughts as fact, or because their is a giant amount of people saying one thing that when someone says the other I immediately think they are wrong. But their not wrong, they are just stating an unpopular opinion. That’s why I think videos like this are so important, to remind people like me that their isn’t an objective list of what to like and what not to like, it’s completely up to the individual.
7:02 I’ve always wondered what would happen if someone tweeted “The Last of Us Part II” without any context or explanation. What would the comments for that one look like.
I cannot agree more. Numbers/Scores/Checkboxes never really affected how I interpret my time with a game. Back in the days when I read how Assassin's Creed was boring and repetitive, I simply couldn't put it down due to how immersive it was. Nowadays, I play a game and if I don't enjoy it, I drop it and move on.
As a 36 year old, it's always interesting and confusing to hear younger people talk about their reverence for SA 2 and its music. I guess the point about the personal "experience" answers that.
I love how Yakko clearly is passionate and really wants to get his message along. And it makes me sad that most of his videos are held back by the fact they in essence refer to the toxicity and/or inability of the biggest part of the community to share their passion the same way he does. Also Yakko, if you like Sonic Adventures 2 you should really try Ys Origin. Stay awesome.
I'm not sure I get the connection between SA2 and Ys Origin other than having multiple stories to play but I'm gonna second that Ys Origin recommendation because that game rules lol
@@dmjohndrow9136 Because when you're not clicking through endless dialogues it sometimes goes very fast and when it does it does that very well. Also the soundtrack is an absoluute banger. I just felt instantly reminded of this particular game while hearing Yakko's Review of SA2
This video was very much needed. I’d love to go into more detail, but it basically boils down to: Too many people are pushing their subjectivity as fact, and using that as an opportunity to dunk on every game that gave them an inconvenience
This video answered my question which I was looking an answer for a very long time. "What's the best way to critique a game? (or any media)" We tend to fall into the trap of comparing one game to the other and our opinions to others and decide a number or come up with a reason that can give us a validation whether a game is worth playing or not. But I think different people can like different games or same game for different reasons or no explainable reason at all.
I loved this video! I feel like you mirrored my thoughts perfectly. The subconscious critic in my brain won't stop screaming but I think I'd prefer that to being someone who awaits the talking points to roll out on RUclips or Twitter
The reason on why I loved Legends Arceus is because of 3 things, It broke the traditional aspect of a pokemon game with going to gyms, getting badges, etc. 2 the game play has a fresh take on how a pokemon game can play, open world, pokemon roaming around and attacking you as the trainer, flying with your pokemon, surfing with it, with full control, they could collect things for you, you could change their moves on a whim, endless hours of trying to get that shiny form got cut into a quarter of the time. They even had size differences of the pokemon, even the alphas are larger than a large size one. 3 The game has a different way in the sense of story, you're thrown into a town that is the center of a conflict between 2 groups to help them set their differences aside and help them come together for a common cause. You even got to be snarky with the choices they gave you, cool side-quest that gave replay ability.
Frankly I think the issue with online discourse is a lack of good faith. Interenet culture kinda ruined our ability to have nuanced discussions, so if someone strongly asserts something that challenges an opinion the knee-jerk reaction is to get defensive. It doesn't help that words like subjectivity and bias are used to dismiss arguments instead of disambiguate or contextualize them. I think SA2 is a great example. For many (myself included) it's a memorable childhood experience. On the one hand you get long-time fanboys that can't bear to hear any criticisms, and immediately get defensive instead of hearing you out. While on the other you get contemporary critics and gamers that attribute the games continued popularity and relevance to nostalgia, and dismiss any counterpoints as fanboyism. Two things can be true at the same time, your favorite game can be deeply flawed while still having unique strengths that make it worth playing. Of course there actually are fanboys who'll blindly defend games, and clout-chasing critics that go after games just because they're popular, but if you never give someones take a fair shake you're no better in my eyes.
Most game reviews I see are just a basic description so I’m not surprised we ended up with checkboxes. Every time I hear “the story starts with…” I tune out. If I wanted a plot recap I wouldn’t have searched for a review. Noah Caldwell Gervais is wonderful. Thanks for your video.
I grew up without gaming magazines, trailers for the new hypest game or a knowledge of what was famous at the time. Because of that, I've played a lot of weird games that almost nobody else remembers. So it is cool that I get to form an opinion of these games and never have it contested. I just think we should be able to say we like a game without having to say a reason... so I'll start: Crash Bash is in my top 10 favorite games and my favorite of the Crash franchise.
I actually finished a replay of MGR recently, and my mind was trying to quantify how I feel about, to no avail. Your description is kinda right on the money though. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of certain aspects of the game, the game is so enthralling from start to finish that I really don't care. It's fucking fun. I'd recommend it to literally anyone. Can't quantify that shit with a number rating.
very relatable, my outlook towards games has changed so much since i started making videos. why is it so hard to tune out all the noise and just listen to yourself? it somehow becomes difficult to even have thoughts and opinions when you know you're having them for a video
Cyberpunk more than redeemed itself and even at frequent -50% sales, people still go "LMAO CYBERPUNK" as they buy the next $25 depression indie walker that'll never release 1.0.
as for the checkbox format, I really like ACG's videos, the catagories are there to start the discussions, and he talks about a lot of cool stuff I often see overlooked, like sound design, rather then just music, or mixing. Talking about how the game runs on multiple systems, and lets a bit of personality get in there so it isnt just reading specs off a box. Plus his rating system is blesesd: Buy, Rent, Wait for sale, etc rather then a number, and he mentions when he thinks players might differ with things like "for me this is a wait for sale, but if you really liked X then maybe this will be a buy for you" dudes reviews are really nice and also, watching reviews and listening to the reviewer talk about a lot of different games, what they like, what they dont, things they find interesting even if not done well, etc lets you judge how close they are to what YOU like and can help put their reviews into context. I know some people love X or Y in a game and idgaf about it (graphics being an example) and so I know to not care about that part nearly as much, especially when art direction carries a lot of older games and some of the new particularly indie stuff.
Here's something for we all to think about: the difference between taste and quality. Taste is completely subjective to each individual while quality is more universal, yet it's still also subjective. One can dislike lemons and recognize a high quality lemonade, yet still say "It's a good lemonade but it's not for me", or say "this cheap beer is trash but it's still my favorite". I can also understand how our personal tastes can get in the way of how we perceive quality, but it's important for us to be able to set our feelings aside and try to recognize quality. I'm saying this because I feel that in a lot of those comments (in all platforms actually) I can recognize people not being able to tell their preferences apart from quality.
Quality can also be subjective, though. In terms of food, if you take a bunch of high-quality ingredients that do not mix well together (say, truffle oil, saffron, spring water, organic lemons, and wagyu beef) and put em all together and claim it's an overall high-quality lemonade, that doesn't mean the quality is really there at all. An overwhelming majority of people would likely hate to even swallow that despite its compostion being technically high-quality.
I have always seen reviews of any form of art, including video games, as a more useful tool from a creative point of view. Like being able to know how a game makes most players feel a certain way can be useful for people looking to make their own games. It's the same with music. I use music theory to write music much more than I use it to justify the music I already listen to and enjoy. The intentionality and careful thinking that goes behind every step of making a piece of art differs drastically from the extremely subjective and personal experience of viewing and interacting with said art.
I've been feeling this way for a long time now. It's been hard for me to enjoy a video game without feeling like a have to critique every little thing about it. It's been hard for me to just enjoy a video game the more my brain develops and it's truly made me feel pain for the past few years. At this point I just avoid every little review and spoiler I get from others so I don't have a bias opinion before jumping into a game. Helps me try to look at a game more in my own perspective. But being in a bubble causes me to never interact with others in fear they might ruin what my thoughts on the game are or were. Hard for me to keep loving my first time playing P5 when people keep saying the old Persona games are better. Opinions should be shared but they can negatively impact me but never interacting with others on what you love can damage me as well. It's complicated...
I've been spoiled by this channel. Whenever I see a regular review for a game that talks about playtime and framedrops, I think to myself "Where are the anecdotes? Where's the OTT intro? Where's the funny?" Yakko video essays are like performances that also happen to tell you about video games
Here's the thing about shutting your brain off and enjoying a videogame. The good part: everything is a 7/10, an 8/10 if the game had some memorable moments and/or is part of a franchise you enjoy, and there a 6/10 if you don't really the genre of the game, but for the average gaming experience, a 7/10 will probably be how someone feels about the game, at least from my experience. The bad part: *Everything is a 7/10* it becomes a lot harder to appreciate games for what they're good at and/or becomes harder find any actual faults in the game, again, just from my experience. Solution to the bad part: there isn't one, because it's not that much of an actually problem, just a way to enjoy something. Love your content man!
Loved that video format, it really gave us an insight to what you feel like towards the artform of video games and the job that comes with analyzing them. Trying to put words on feelings derived from an experience based on worlds that don't exist is hard and you do an absolute banger of a job while doing it.
The way I think about it is: There are objective facts about a game. A character may take an action completely at odds with their character, or there could be a host of glitches, or a boss might have hit boxes that don’t line up with its model correctly. However, how these facts affect the quality of the game is entirely subjective. Some people care more about story, or polish, and some people find that the game-breaking glitch they found makes the game more fun. I’ll use BOTW as an example. Fact: The main dungeons are shorter on average than any other Zelda game. Fact: After clearing the Great Plateau, you can go anywhere you want. Fact: The soundtrack is usually more subdued compared to other Zelda games. I like the shorter dungeons, because I viewed them as a chore I had to do to explore in other Zelda games. I liked the freedom in exploration, as it was my favorite part of the series. I didn’t really care that the soundtrack wasn’t as omnipresent because I would often play while listening to RUclips. However another person may view the shorter dungeons as less interesting, the freedom of exploration as busy work between the actually fun bits, and the soundtrack as rather boring outside of a few key areas. Neither are wrong, as long as they have their facts about the game straight.
I encountered someone that kept trying to convince me that botw was an objectively bad game and pointed me to a youtuber that said the game was objectively bad as some kind of proof. found them in the comments asking for a copy paste of the youtuber's arguments so they can post it for "some stupid person that doesn't understand objectivity"
I don't think I have ever seen a 15+ minute video that said nothing so much to get to a point that a five year old can say! "People can enjoy different things!"
Dude, this video says it all. And frankly, it calls me out hard. I'm definitely overly critical and it's cost me a lot of enjoyment. It was actually when I played through SA2 for the first time a couple months ago that opened my eyes that a game doesn't have to be "good" to be fun. It's really sad to see how many games I've come to "hate" because the internet told me it was bad. Omega Ruby is my favorite Pokemon game, Donkey Kong 64 is my favorite Donkey Kong game, and Sonic 06 is... my second favorite Sonic game, but since there's a wide opinion that these games don't meet standards, are extremely grindy, or are just terrible I've become more cynical towards them to meet standards so that I can be validated by random people on the internet that I'll never meet. And it's not the reviewers faults either, they love games as well, it's just the mindset that we all need to conform to the popular opinion so that we're "right". But, to hell with being right, games are art, and art can't be objectively right. Some people prefer Odyssey, some people prefer Galaxy, and I'll always be partial to 64, but in the end as long as we can all have fun and share our love for our favorite games, the developers have made an objectively good game. Because that's the job of a game, not to get high ratings but to give an experience that people will enjoy. Nobody likes Sunshine though (this is an obvious joke).
I'm so glad that my 1st exposure to (hopefully not recency bias) my favourite game was through your very quick mention of it in a video, being ULTRAKILL. Just the very short and sweet bit you did was enough to sell me but not tell me too much. Thanks for that.
One of the best ways to objectively think about subjectivity is to see it in a points-based system. Whenever you experience something good, the material gains points. Whenever you experience something bad, the material loses points. The reasons themselves are fact, but the number of points and the way the direction the points change are opinion. The sum of the score of all those points, regardless of if you consciously or are subconsciously aware of the reasons, end up being your rating. To make things even more complicated, the number of points necessary to divide ratings are also subjective. For example, when people never rate a 10/10, it simply means they have not yet experienced anything that reached the point threshold they expect out of a 10/10. It is in this way that all forms of art end up being judged, and all rating systems fail to completely encapsulate the method we judge things. It is also for this reason that different forms of art can be seen as good or bad for extremely different reasons. It doesn't matter what is the source of the good points, it simply needs to exist and be substantial to you. I believe people are interested in reviewers for a combination of the facts they point out, the way they form their opinion on those facts, and reviewers' individual point and rating structure. Addressing a lot of the things people will actually experience is good, because it gives an idea of what they can expect to see from the game before they play it. The explanation of these experiences is important, because it provides the reviewer's scale for these points, provides important context, and is simply the main reason why you are interested in the reviewer. Finally, the reviewer's own tendency to rate things is a big deal because it gives a sense of scale that can be compared to other scales for both accuracy and fidelity.
I think you handled the topic super well! It really just warps your mindset without you noticing. I noticed this a while ago with a conversation with my sister. Maybe this video can be the thing to trigger some self awareness in more folks, and they can get back to enjoying games again! It really is all perspective!
this topic has been on my mind since hearing reviews about TLOU2 and then finally playing the game like a year and a half later. even as a huge fan of the TLOU1 my experience with 2 was so much better than what i would have expected from the OBJECTIVE opinions given about the game on launch. now i just base the games i play on if the box art looks cool rather than objective online reviews
i didnt grow up playing Sonic Adventure 2, or even most sonic games, but one of my happiest memories to this day is that years ago, after that first sonic adventure video from Yakko, i got the game in a giveaway he did, which just so happened to be exactly on my birthday. even though that was years and years ago now sometimes i go and launch it just to hang out in the chao garden, it has such an intense grasp on that childlike wonder feeling that i went thru the first time i watched the video, the first time i played it, when it started getting more popular again because of stuff like Yakko & Real Time Fan-Dubs. Sonic is always gonna have a really special place in my heart even tho i didn't even grow up enjoying any content at all, and im glad you can still enjoy it too.
I have a lot of fun writing reviews on websites like Backloggd or through Steam just because I find it neat to convey my thoughts on a game; what I think works, what I think doesn't work, what I really like about it and what I don't like about it. Most people don't even read or give a single iota of a shit about my opinions but it feels nice putting them out there anyway. I highly agree with you that people strive so hard for "objectivity" when, really, reviewing a game is almost entirely a subjective matter. People look to these big name reviewers and entirely form their opinion based on what those reviewers say as if its objective fact. That comment you read off telling you to watch Joseph Anderson's review and "see if you still like it then" gave me a laugh. Just because Big-Brain McChucklehead puts out a three hour long video essay about how a video game is so terrible and so awful doesn't mean their word is gospel, I can just still like the game anyway and disagree with the review. There is always at least one person out there that genuinely likes a game, regardless of how widely negative the general consensus may be for that game, and they aren't "objectively wrong" for having that opinion. For the record, reviews from other people are still important to me. I often watch or read a few spoiler-free reviews for games I'm thinking of getting just to have a general idea of what the game is like and if I think I will enjoy it. I also often listen to those ridiculously long video essays in the background while I'm doing something else.
I like the steam checkbox reviews when they put in their own spin which answers the questions I would have, and have a little blurb summary of what they thought.
I like how Tim Hickson/Hello Future Me made a good point to criticique stuff. What did the creator(s) set out to create? Did it achieve it? How did it manage to or not to? He’s mainly a writing analysis RUclipsr with books, film, animation, and games. But to know his high-quality taste his favourite game of all time is NieR: Automata, which I was surprised to know he was a JRPG enjoyer but a welcome one.
Ive been on RUclips since the nigahiga days & I gotta tell you man this is one of the best RUclips videos I have ever seen & the reason I feel that way is because you articulated your thoughts in a honest and funny manner. I appreciate that, thank you.
While I agree that people shouldn't feel compelled to write up an essay for every thing they like, I do think it's really valuable for people to know WHY they like something. To be able to delve into your relationship with a game and just ask "why do I like this" is something I'd encourage everyone to do.
I don't think I can say a single thing that hasn't been said either by you or by a comment, so I'm just gonna say that this video was amazing. It's very helpful and insightful, and I would love to see more of this kind of content
I relate so hard to this video. It felt so damn liberating once I realized I didn't owe anyone an explanation for everything I liked, nor did I have to say "in my opinion" to remind people that something subjective is indeed subjective.
I don't think anybody has a problem with that, but when you are publishing your review for everyone to see, it can easily be considered as a recommendation (to either play or drop a game). And, then, your subjectivity is open to criticism and you have to accept that. If you do not agree with that tacit rule, do not write a long analysis and just use the like or dislike buttons. Subjectivity is implied. But so is criticism of it once it is shared.
@@SystemBD in other words If i dont have a reason to like a Game i simply should be quiet on the Internet? Cause i really dont Like this thinking Style If the context is about Video Games.
I hear people talk about "objectivity" in media/art and it makes me wonder why they even bother criticizing it. There is no "objectivity". If there was, art would suck. Fortunately however, art is subjective to all of us uniquely. We have the ability to create emotional connections with these things whether it be a game or a movie or a song, those connections can come from anywhere and anyone and that is a beautiful thing. It's also very abstract, which is why everyone struggles so hard with correctly articulating and attributing their feelings for a game, and that's okay. Everyone should be allowed to give criticism on whatever they want while knowing there isn't actually any DEFINITIVE way to do something better.
It took you 16 minutes to say that you can like a game that isn't perfect... Yes this is something most people realise fairly quickly and you aren't some wise sage to have had this "epiphany". Next you might realise that good and fun don't mean the same thing/aren't equivalent labels.
great video. I feel like ive been lost in the sauce of wanting to know why games are good/bad, or at least wanting to be able to explain why i feel the way i do. That on it's own isn't bad, but its so easy to absorbe the opinions of others and start disliking something you otherwise werent bothered by and i reallty want to get out of the youtube opinion sink, but I still also love hearing people talk about games. I just need to stop taking in subjectivity so objectively.
Can i just say that, the feeling you had with MGR is the same i hade with DMC5. I was as my brain has developed and i want to feel more of that kid like charm while playing games, I played DMC 5 and remembered playing other hack and slash games as a child, and seeing all the over the top funny Dante stuff made me just lose it every time. Being critical is good, But there is nothing wrong with turning of your brain and singing "BOOM BOOM BOOM! PULL MY DEVILTRIGGER" at the top of your longs while playing the game equivalent drug
I certainly agree that the reviews being the way they are now are annoying (and will go on somewhat of a review/rant in the next paragraphs because you brought up so many good points). A vast majority of people trust other people's opinion so much instead of trying to look at the game and find what they like and dislike about it themselves, while so many reviewers just review it on a baseline and not how the game actually is. 6:31 brings up probably the most annoying reason of being a creature collector RPG fan, and that is the endless comparisons to more popular franchises (mainly pokemon), from Digimon, to SMT, to one of my favorite franchises of all time: Yo-Kai Watch, there will always be people comparing it despite the multiple differences from each franchise that make them so close to me. Yo-Kai Watch sets up everything perfectly despite the game intending itself to not be taken seriously, its set in a small scale location even though in 2/3 there's a lot of different places to travel to, it never takes itself seriously which is something I enjoy a lot. The writing despite being a bit rushed due to bad localization, is fun, silly, and charming and its always fun to talk to different NPCs and yokai. I can understand why people don't like the game due to it's boring battle system in the first large portion of each game, however I think about MYSELF and how I love other games that utilize short minigames in their battle systems (referring to the mario rpgs) and I have fun with micro managing my team position and fast menuing. Not a game for everyone, but the sense of exploration I get from its beautifully crafted world, and the charm put into each characters' personality is enough to deal with the flaws the series has, and I'll be sad for it when it goes further into its grave when the 3ds eshop dies. Thank you Yakko, I love your analytical content and editing style so much, every video of yours is good, keep up the good work.
As someone who is trying to go into Sonic Frontiers completely blind without watching a single trailer, thank you for those 5 seconds of gameplay I was trying so hard to avoid. This has nothing to do with the video, I am just very mad. Yes I will cope and seethe.
I'm not a reviewer but I totally understand the feeling of not being able to switch your brain off and enjoy something. After studying film for the past few years I find it so hard to switch my brain off during a live action film without thinking about how shots were filmed or how audio was done and it's definitely sucked some of the wonder and amazement out of them for me.
I think it is important to acknowledge the flaws in games (or rather, anything) that you like. One of the biggest issues with criticizing anything in the internet is that people get very defensive and take any form of criticism as a personal attack, or imply that you hate it.
Really enjoyed this. I took reviews as gospel back when I was a poor kid buying maybe 5 games a year. I still do this now I’m free to buy anything, but have less time to play games. Probably should just try games I think look cool regardless of what some internet nerds say.
That just reminds me of when I was working retail and would not give a recommendation on which videogame a customer should buy until I asked what games they already enjoy. I had a few customers come back and tell me that the game I recommend ended up being "amazing" or even "the best game I ever played". Not everybody is going to love the same games, and that's pretty cool.
I once criticized early CODs' veteran mode for being badly designed and janky, and predicably, people got irrational over it. I kind of get it in a way, because a memorable experience is better than a well designed game. Still, video games criticism is so difficult, because it gets toxic super fast.
The Curse of Video Game Criticism is a video essay made by RUclipsr yakkocmn, discussing his thoughts and feelings on video game criticism. Thus ends my objective review.
MGR exists in a very special place where it's fun to interact with on three different levels, and not in the way that I can tell you that you didn't play it if you didn't dive as deep as possible like with Infinite Warfare (play Specialist mode, it's not harder than Veteran, it just adds a *ton* of new mechanics!). First there's the obvious turn your brain off, button mash as hard as you can, look at the pretty setpieces, laugh at the dumb memes level that pretty much everyone who makes it past the admittedly dense tutorials will figure out. It's hard not to like the game for this reason because it's just so batshit fucking insane. Next is the metanarrative of how Platinum picked up the one project Kojima Productions couldn't figure out how to get right. Most essays about the game will at least mention this, and it's pretty interesting to see how the different design philosophies of the two studios sometimes clash and sometimes harmonize. Finally, you can lore dump the entire Metal Gear franchise so you can understand the philosophical conflict and political undertones, what it means for Raiden's character development, and finally figure out why in the hell Sam randomly goes on a tangent about memes. From what I've seen, it seems Jacob Geller is the only one to share this experience so far, but I could be wrong. This is one of the most cognitively dissonant ways to interact with a piece of art because the themes and the feelings they invoke are so completely opposite the presentation it's hard to explain. I really can't fault anyone for overlooking either of these latter two things because the game is so harmoniously designed that it feels like a complete experience no matter what level you engage at. It's somehow both transcended the curse of online discourse *and* had a second coming of popularity. It's truly a miracle
I feel like his message in this video rings moot when he just continually takes pit shots at Sonic, even going so far as to say he’s basically certain that Sonic Frontiers will just be bad. That’s annoying.
The problem is the opposite. If you even dare imply that their precious little game that they've grafted onto their pathetic excuse of a personality isn't the best thing ever made they will lose their absolute shit!
i went through a good hundred steam reviews for work yesterday and that segment about the dumb check list type review absolutely cleansed my soul, thank you yakko
This really nails the reason why I've been feeling less and less content with looking up stuff or reviews about games nowadays, or heck, even take a look at discussions about games; there's certainly entertainment or even knowledge to be shared in that way...but when a lot of the internet nowadays really centers around "NAH THIS SHIT SUCKS YOU'RE CRINGE" or "THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER 100% IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT YOU'RE CRINGE" or basically anything that you loved before now sucks and anything you despised before now is the best thing ever like I played Sonic R some weeks ago and it was short and dumb but the grin at my face because of the music and nostalgia cannot be taken away by anybody, same with playing arcade racers like Daytona USA even if age (OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE) has been burning me out from enjoying those, or y'know, SA2 as you mentioned. Probably the weirdest part is knowing some games nobody talks about that might have dumb obstacles or just emphasize dumb fun (Fighting Vipers, Aerogauge, Tetrisphere)...but on the other hand I can live peacefully with that I can rock the seat with those and no one will call me out on it because they don't even know what they are, and if someone does happen to know and like it, even better for me :) and big shoutouts for mentioning that dunkey video; when dunkey starts throwing real words out he always hits
Man even if it's something I should thoroughly understand by now, it is reassuring just to hear 'you can just like something cause it's cool'. Like yeah I could write an essay about why celeste is the best platformer ever *tm* and why me dumping a bunch of time into speedrunning it is justified, or I can just say 'yeah, game's real cool', and keep on enjoying it. Gotta remind myself of the ladder option more often
My sibling is one of those teens that hears/reads someone's opinion and laches onto it like it is a fact. For example, I like visual novel games and will occasionally suggest them to people if I think they will enjoy the story. However, a couple of the RUclipsrs my sibling watches don't like them, not seeing them as 'real' games and joking that they are "just porn games for weebs". My sibling has latched onto this idea, criticizing any visual novel I try to suggest and mocking me when I talk about them. When I try to defend the genre or say that those ideas are just their opinion, they try to defend themselves by claiming that "everyone agrees" with them. When I try to prove that many visual novel games are well-liked they blow it off as just a bunch of "weebs" as if any opinion other than their own doesn't count and/or doesn't matter. Ironically they criticized the Danganropan games when I played them because they are visual novels but when they boomed in popularity (due mostly to cosplayers) they said they liked them. If I try to bring up their past criticisms they make excuses about how they don't actually count as visual novels and that they didn't know anything about the games back then, which is also frustrating because I talked about them a lot so they knew plenty about the games before it became cool to like them. They are still a teen though. Hopefully they will grow out of this with time.
I feel like media should be criticized, and that "if you don't like it, then leave" comment is pointless. That being said, criticism on any form of art should never be personal or directed at the artist. This can even come in the form of the games being criticized just because a certain artist made them, this makes it so that the intention of personal attack is hard to detect. The problem with the people that just want video games (and any form of art) to be fun and don't like hearing criticism are going to do the exact opposite to the landscape of games of what they intended to. Without criticism, what would video games be? What would art be? Without the demand for quality, how would we ever get good art? If scott cawthon hadn't been criticized, we wouldn't have five nights at freddy's, if mac miller hadn't been criticized, he wouldn't have made watching movies with the sound off. The issue, at the end of the day, is that criticism in 2022 is shallow. In a world where people have to capture your attention with a clickbait article title, or a world where there are billions of people on the internet striving for attention, criticism is used bait to get clicks and reactions out of people. In some cases, maybe the person writing that article or the redditor saying that kanye west is actually overrated don't even feel that way. Criticism is a slippery slope, and I feel like it will never be used to way it once was, to make a better landscape for art.
Really nice that you can accurately break down what an opinion is for this, because I find a lot of people these days, even other youtubers, just don't understand and essentially use "objective" to mean "I feel this but like REALLY strongly and I'm sure I can't be convinced otherwise" which is just....not how that concept works. It just makes those people seem entitled, and I have *this* username here so I'm already terrible myself
5:05 Objection! Bugs in video games is just as much of a complex, multi-faceted and subjective topic as any other! Breath of the wild is now 5 years old, and just 2 weeks ago some players managed to unlock the post-ending map! The "bug-hunting" community that formed around this game is just insane, and the content that results from their discoveries is so fun to watch! There are so many examples of games where the bugs actually added value to the game. So no, even the amount of bugs isn't an objective variable that could determine the value of a game.
how did you feel about the video? (objective responses only please)
it is objectively one of the videos ever made
YOU ARE WRONG.
(JK loved every second)
Excuse me, what is the name of the mentioned game with the motorbiker with the gun fighting Cerberus?
You are NITPICKING and BIASED. I win bye bye
This video is objectively entertaining
Gonna stop you real quick: you're wrong.
he should've watched that 20 hour essay to parrot the right opinion
Such a chud way of saying it too lol.
**Vine Boom**
I can’t believe Razbuten made a similar comment to me lol
Well then let me tell you something real quick: You're wrong
The point that dunkey made and that you pointed out here about knowing who your reviewers are is so vital to consuming any sort of review-related content, and that point often gets lost in between the pre-conceived industry standards for just about any piece of media, really. I also find it funny that people will barge into *your* video on *your own* RUclips channel and then get pissed off because your subjective opinion was bad.
I think you should at least give some information about your perspective on things you criticize in your videos/comments/essays for example: how long you’ve played a game, how many times, similar games you enjoy, what you look for in games, how many games in the genre have you tried/conpleted before, how long have you been following that franchise/developer/creator, and many other stuff that can help build an understanding of the kind of reviewer/critic/consumer/GAMER you are, you know? You can’t expect everyone to just watch your catalogue of videos/games just to start to have a clue in your perspective or interests. Objectivity is still important, at least i think so.
I think you should at least give some information about your perspective on things you criticize in your videos/comments/essays for example: how long you’ve played a game, how many times, similar games you enjoy, what you look for in games, how many games in the genre have you tried/conpleted before, how long have you been following that franchise/developer/creator, and many other stuff that can help build an understanding of the kind of reviewer/critic/consumer/GAMER you are, you know? You can’t expect everyone to just watch your catalogue of videos/games just to start to have a clue in your perspective or interests. Objectivity is still important, at least i think so.
Similarly it's why I don't even bother with reading Social Justice criticism anymore.
@@minecraftgravityguy I agree. Not every person has experienced every single video game that has been offered at the same time. There will always be people who have started video games at different points of their lives which helps to make our experiences with video games different.
@@minecraftgravityguy how is telling the background of the reviewer objective? Isn't giving the context something subjective?
My two cents are that art criticism can either be rigorous or personal. When you aggregate the scores, it might look a rigorous number. But since Game-scientist it's a real job yet, I think most criticism is better off coming from a personal angle.
Agreed, and please for the love of God don't trust ign scores.
@@Tuskbumper
I'm still mad about that one God Hand review man.
Welp, seems I made it into a yakkocmn video! I feel kind of embarassed by my comment about Odyssey, but it‘s also funny. I would never phrase it that way today and I also understood the importance of subjectivity over the years.
Thing is: I was 16 at the time and hypercritical of media, because I was surrounded by people who bought CoD and Fifa every year and hated themselves for it. Surely doesn‘t make it any better, but its important context for understanding where a lot of these (stupid) comments come from!
My channel name is german for "video games are art" btw :)) gonna start uploading some more meaningful criticism there soon, if you wanna learn some german
YOOOOO what's up! I hope that segment didn't come across as too rude - I hid your info because I mainly wanted to demonstrate the mindset rather than single you out personally. I can understand where you were coming from, so thanks for the context and insight :)
@@yakkocmn Luv u dude :)
@@videospielesindkunst It's great that you grew and matured.
Most wholesome argument resolution on the internet
@@javyz6197 Very rare to see.
This video honestly really came out at just a perfect time for me. Recently, I have really noticed just how badly I take seeing any opinion that goes against mine. But not in a "I'm right, they're wrong" way; I end up thinking that _I_ am just completely wrong about everything I ever know because I saw some guy on Twitter I've never seen before say they didn't like the thing I like in a conversation I was nowhere near. And it doesn't help that a few games I'm into are commonly talked negatively about in the spaces I'm in. Now, deep inside, I already knew that I really shouldn't care all that much, but with this video, just getting to hear my own thoughts out loud has already helped me a lot in such a short amount of time. I don't really know how to end this comment but um, thanks for the funny words, gamer man.
This is exactly how I've been feeling for years too
I love how whenever somebody talks about metal gear rising they all get turned into an excited 6-year-old in the best possible way. To quote Calvin and Hobbes:
"This is *so* cool!"
"This is *so* stupid"
What
Hell yeah. They were playing with tyrannosaurs in fighter planes, right?
@@andymcclurg9916 F-15s, to be specific
@@hackr6751 You rule
@@andymcclurg9916 thanks
I entirely agree about the whole "just have fun" two of my favorite games to this day are Asura's Wrath and Gravity Rush. Both games have a whole slew of problems that occasionally get me questions like "why do you like this" and my only response really is just "I had fun with it." At the end of the day if I had fun with a game I'm gonna like it and just because I had fun doesn't mean I have to justify why I had fun.
Asura's Wrath needs a remake that puts the game in more systems and fixes some technical problems. It's such an unique experience, and I so wish more people would try it out.
Based Asura's Wrath fan
@Dharc although if you have a pc and mod new vegas, it literally is imo one of the best rpg I’ve played in recent memory.
@Dharc Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines comes to mind. That game is even MORE broken and unfinished than New Vegas is, so much so that it's literally unplayable without installing the unofficial community patch. And yet it's still consistently considered an absolute masterpiece despite all of its flaws, and has an extremely dedicated fanbase. Hell, just the fact that there is an unofficial community patch that has been in development since the official release in 2004 that not only fixes a bunch of bugs, but also restores cut content and adds completely new community content shows you just how much people love it. Flawed definitely does not equal bad.
Based and funpilled
I feel like tons of people simply do not understand that they do not necessarily need to have a reason to like things, which you touch on excellently in this video.
True, but it does feel better when the majority feels the same way. Also when you do actually have conscious reasons why you like something it feels nice to share.
@The Stonefish 1. if youre having fun then you probably wont feel like you wasted your time. and there's nothing inherently wrong with wasting your time anyway.
2. i guess the whole smearing a house with faeces thing could be an analogue for some kind of unhealthy addiction. but there are plently of games out there that arent addicting, or arent gonna leave you with a bad end result. if so, then there's no reason you can't have fun with a shitty game. go wild, it's not like having fun affects anybody other than you.
@The Stonefish I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and, yeah if the industry simply pumped out garbage games that everyone views as fun can be detrimental to the art form. But a lot of what this video (and my comment) talks about is experiencing a game on a personal level. For just a guy playing a game, whose opinions on it aren't going to impact anything else in the world, I don't think there's any real reason the quality of a game should dictate your enjoyment of it, unless you plan to actually be a successful game designer in the future or something.
@The Stonefish so if I put 100 hours into sword art online hollow realization which is widely considered mediocre and loved every second of it, my experience is invalid because i don't have a high school essay on why it's objectively a masterpiece? get out of here bro
@The Stonefish I meant with enjoying art, not with your use of excrement. Even if you don’t understand why you like something, you’re still allowed to enjoy it. Sure it is more beneficial to understand why you enjoy something, but this should not be a requirement to enjoy something, which can be commonplace on the internet.
A lot of people seem to approach liking art backwards, where they need to find reasons a thing is good before they’re “allowed” to like it.
And it’s okay to like things that have crippling flaws in other people’s eyes, or in your own.
@@brandonharley44 Care to elaborate?
Given the grammar and topic of the video, I guess this might be a joke though. In which case, carry on.
I totally agree! I get on myself about how some music I like isn't considered like "Good". I just have to step back and realize that I should be more concerned with if I like it or not.
It also REALLY doesn't help that everything has to be tied to "the fate of the industry". If you like the dumb football game with bad physics then your a failure to gamers...is what basement dwellers would say.
As a "reviewer," this video took the words out of my mouth. Online, it seems like people believe objectivity to be whatever validates their subjective opinion. Also, learning to turn your brain off is a fantastic skill these days for just enjoying (or not enjoying) something. I absolutely loved Outer Wilds, but couldn't tell you the first reason why and I don't want to know why. I don't want to know why it felt so comfy yet mysterious or why its puzzles were sometimes really easy or really hard. I just know game good, and me like game.
'Objectively' good video, Yak :)
hey man, you're a pretty good reviewer
Not entirely, I would say that while the standards people choose are subjective, the arguments to support them don't have to be. What if you have a shooter with terrible hit registration, meaning that despite the crosshair lining up with a body, the shot doesn't land true? Can I not say that is a problem?
To be more specific, one definition of good is "of a high standard". So, if I have a standard of "consistent hit registration", sure, the choice to pick that standard is subjective, but can I not back it up with objective evidence? "Game 1 has provably more consistent hit registration then Game 2, therefore Game 1 has a higher standard of consistency, therefore Game 1 is objectively better WITH REGARDS to the standard that I ultimately subjectively chose." Is that reasonable?
Well objectivity is the only constant when reviewing/critiquing art and entertainment. Subjectivity is just as important but knowing when you are being anecdotal while criticizing something is fundamental in any kind of argumentation. If you only care about talking about your personal experience to others in your reviews that’s fantastic objectivity isn’t that important. But when you are criticizing some kind of work and trying to analyze what works and what doesn’t for the sake of better works to be made in the future, improvements and a better critical view from the audience, using objectivity to support your arguments and claims is just a stronger argumentation method than just “i like this and I dislike that”.
@@minecraftgravityguy You’re mixing up objectivity with building a convincing argument. Everything that goes into a critique of a game that isn’t completely banal boils down to a subjective assessment of that game, even if that assessment is well-supported.
For instance, someone might say they like Mario Odyssey because it has precise controls, levels full of details and platforming challenges, and a fun and wholesome storyline. Then they could go into further detail, describing how the game does these things. This could be a convincing argument for why someone might like this game, but there’s nothing objective about it - it’s still deeply rooted in someone’s subjective tastes and experiences with the game.
@@Coffeewings334 might be a bit random but this reminded me of a problem i had when i played Hollow Knight. It would be hard to argue that the controls aren't responsive and in my personal experience they were very responsive but to a point where momentum doesn't seem to affect movement anymore. I especially had a problem with the jump where i just wasn't able to override my brain to not consider gravity or momentum so in many instances i jumped too low to reach platforms or dodge attacks.
It's just something that popped into my brain when i thought about controls and what most people would consider as an obviously objective assessment. I wouldn't even disagree with the opinion that it's a game with responsive controls but there might be a point where too responsive could mean a negative impact for some and suddenly 'objectively good' might be bad for others. Obviously I'm overdramatizing a bit here but i think you get the point.
As someone with insanely bad rejection sensitivity due to my neurodivergence, "objective" reviews really bog down my experience when it comes to games that I enjoy. I try not to watch stuff on games I enjoy because of that. I know that people have different experiences with games than me, but when they JUST bash on a game that I like under the guise of "criticism" is really upsetting. I can understand that some of my favorite games have valid critiques from people who don't like them, but that's extremely different than "this game sucks and if you like it for the reasons that I hate it you also suck" and it's just...a bummer for me. I end up thinking about the negative shit people say when I'm trying to enjoy stuff and it kinda ruins it for me, regardless of if I think they were right or wrong about it.
I'm really glad that I'm not the only person who suffers with this, and I appreciate that you opened up about the fact that you experience this too, Yakko.
I relate to this SO much. You have no idea how you hit the nail on the head. I try to find communities who know about this thing I like (cause I enjoy talking about the thing I like and those experiences), but then I find out they only bring it up to start nitpicking or ask questions/start discussions that go in circles. Subreddit and Twitter are infested with this attitude.
i absolutely agree thank you for putting this into words one nd person to another :D
I feel this man my favorite game in my favorite series is often considered one of the worst of its kind and the amount of "youre stupid for enjoying this" is just bleh. Like i get criticism im pretty forgiving to it im pretty critical myself. But insulting the people who like something you dont is frustrating although i feel that nowadays thats getting rarer or at least people are more aware of how dumb it is to be that way
Could you elaborate some more on the rejection sensitivity part and how it changes how you experience these situations? I've been noticing lately how it's affecting me, and this seems like a really interesting topic/take.
@@statiksea dark souls 2?
Thank you Yakko, for putting this feeling that I've had for years into words. I couldn't have said it better myself
Whenever the rare occasion would occur when I end up loving a game that had mixed reviews or tons of toxic discourse behind it, I felt GUILTY for enjoying it.
But eventually, you come to realize that critics shouldn't be the be-all-end-all behind enjoyment, and your time on this earth is too precious to worry about what other people think about how you choose to spend your time
If there's anything I've learned during my time online, it's that I'm not allowed to like anything. And if I dare say I do, then there is something legitimately wrong with me and I should feel bad about it. Made even worse that I'm primarily into more niche, quirky media...which is apparently a horrible sin in of itself.
No wonder my self confidence is near non-existent and I don't like talking with others anymore.
I mean there is a community for everything, just go there, its the internet, you aren't locked into places where people dislike what you like. I don't get this, maybe its because I'm old but just like...close the webpage?
I'm sorry to hear that. I get the feeling of looking for people that like the same thing as you do and finding a slew of critics pointing out problems. In my case, I like looking in the youtube comments for songs in the OST of a game and, bc it's more niche, the comments tend to be pretty positive and I have fun reading people's reactions to the game or the music.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that your interests are valid and I bet you're a cool... person. :)
About the niche part in my experience I’ve mostly seen it the opposite like people will hate on others for being sheeple idiots who eat up whatever AAA devs give them because their taste isn’t refined enough to understand more obscure games and shit like that, but I guess it probably does go both ways I personally just haven’t really seen it.
@@DogginsFroggins alot of communities made around things, specifically hate those same things, its genuinely really weird at times.
@@DogginsFroggins These people can't stand the fact that someone somwhere has a different opinion from them. It's ironic. Take the original comment and replace "like" with "dislike".
My official review for this video.
[ Graphics ]
You forget what reality is
Beautiful
Good
Decent
Bad
Don‘t look too long at it
MS-DOS
Darksouls ✔
[ Gameplay ]
Very good
Good
It's just gameplay
Mehh
Watch paint dry instead
Just don't
Darksouls ✔
[ Audio ]
Eargasm ✔
Very good
Good
Not too bad
Bad
I'm now deaf
Darksouls ✔
[ Audience ]
Kids
Teens
Adults
Grandma
Darksouls ✔
[ Game Time ]
Long enough for a cup of coffee
Short
Average
Long
To infinity and beyond
Darksouls ✔
[ Price ]
It's free!
Worth the price
If it's on sale
If u have some spare money left
Not recommended
You could also just burn your money
Darksouls ✔
[ Bugs ]
Never heard of
Minor bugs
Can get annoying
ARK: Survival Evolved
The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
Darksouls ✔
[ Story]
No Story
Some lore
Average
Good
Lovely
It'll replace your life
Darksouls ✔
This really is the Dark Souls of videos about game criticism
Yes I want to make a game with darksouls as the target audience.
Holy shit I thought I was the only one who noticed this issue! I really noticed this problem a bit after KH3 came out. After a while, KH3 became really controversial because a lot of people liked it... and a lot of people did not. And the people who didn't like it made sure everyone knew. I have seen enough negative opinions on KH3 that the word "disappointing" kinda triggers me now. Kingdom Hearts became this series where "It's a weird series with good gameplay" to "KH2 Critical Mode Level 1 is the only way to play any KH game, and every other game is trash." It's just not fun to talk about Kingdom Hearts anymore.
I feel like the biggest issue is due to how break-neck fast the internet has become. When a new game or piece of media, everyone expects there to be videos upon videos day 1 of it coming out. It's to a point where if you don't get your opinion out in the first couple of days, you just don't get a say because the train has already left. Because of that, opinions online have become a lot more binary and are missing the depth and time they need to cook. Also as you mentioned, there's also the need to constantly defend yourself and portray your opinion is "objectively true". All of this culminates into this weird fucking rat race where people are trying to look for something first that doesn't even exist. Hell, a large majority of people don't even watch reviews for the review, rather to cement their conformation bias about how they feel about the game. And if they don't get that in the video... well you can guess what happens next.
The thing about games is that even if there way a "best game of all time" not everyone would like it. What makes a game good is so personal that the higher up in quality you go, the more opinionated it becomes. I do believe there are easy to identify qualities for what makes a game bad, but not as much the other way around. It's why I appreciate you videos so much. It's about the emotions and journey you had with the game, which really helps sell the connection you have with them.
Point is, games are subjective of what people will enjoy about them, and well really need to grow out of what is a essentially a dick measuring contest. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
OMG the word disappointing super triggers me too because of the entire kingdom hearts 3 fallout.
I have never experienced a feeling of such community happiness just for everyone to suddenly switch it up after 2 weeks and say they were disappointed or even bad/not worth playing
It really made my reconsider how often I should take others opinions into account
You pretty much just explained how I exactly felt about the whole KH3 debacle, very well said. The entire discussion surrounding it was just plain mind numbing that it sucked the fun out of discussing anything KH because it would always loop back to the same topic!
Man the KH3 situation was exactly on point. Great comment dawg
God I hate when I'm enjoying a game and somebody hits me with the "that game is bad, here is a list of its flaws" shit.
Like bruh? Shut up and let me enjoy it. Even if you are right, why would you want to make me not have fun with it? Now those criticisms are going to be gnawing at the back of my mind and making me have a worse time.
This is relatable.
Especially when someone writes "your opinion is wrong" i am like "OK, what do you want to Tell me with this?".
Sometimes it is easy to See that those people are triggered af and try to express their micro aggression. Cause they cant cope that some people think different or aren't by their Side.
But thats my Point of View.
I appreciate this. I like detective anime games like Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, and this made me realize I always try to justify liking them when I talk to friends. "If you get past the (blank) it's a good game!" Screw that. I'm going to enjoy my anime boys with murder. Thank you.
same it's just enjoyable.
That comment about Joseph Anderson was hilarious. Sometimes it feels like Joe plays a game until he hates it, then makes a 2+ hour video essay explaining all the things he doesn't like. I don't think I would ever use one of his videos as proof that a game is bad... or any video for that matter, because that's a weird thing to do. (I'm saying this as a fan of Joe)
Yeah, sometimes it comes across as though he has forgotten video games are supposed to be fun
EDIT: I watch the video and this is the very first point he brought up :)
Joe’s just like any old critic. He has his own tastes and perspectives and if those tastes align with someone else’s, that person will be able to use his videos as a guideline for what to buy. People who try to use his videos as “proof” why certain games are objectively awful need to watch his video on subjectivity in critique or just chill out in general.
Man, shit. I realise I do the same thing when people talk about Mortal Kombat and I try to introduce them to 4th Snake, a guy who loves to highlight every issue with Netherrealm. I agree with most of his point, just not his attitude.
I only tell people to watch his videos because MK fans love to get elitist about how their games' lore is the best and other fighters suck. Meanwhile, I'm here as a passionate Guilty Gear (another fighter) fan who's apparently being told his interest's worthless. So I try to fight fire with fire when it comes to people being "upfront" with their takes above others. Tldr, I got so defensive about my enjoyment of something being shat on that I turned into the guy you're talking about.
Maybe that's 'cause Joseph Anderson has no standards and just writes whatever the fuck he thinks of first, to fill up time.
I wrote that comment when I was 16 and stupid and now I find out, it has impacted a dude I like for three years. Its funny because I remember also writing a comment under a Joseph Anderson video, where I tell HIM that he is objectively wrong. Crazy times
5:15 "Is the Chao Garden a grinding mechanic?"
Welllllllllllll. It definitely can be. If you're grinding to get the Chao that even gods fear, then yeah. But if not, It's still a grind to get the right stones for your chao.
Or you could just... not care about it and just have fun.
But yeah. It's weird when people review games without... explaining themselves or what they play. It makes me think of that game journalists' review of Cuphead. God, that was... definitely something.
That's just me. Awesome video as always. Love to see when you upload man. Keep it up!
What I kinda wish people understood is that most people aren't video game critics. They have different jobs, they have families and friends, other hobbies, etc. Or maybe they are video game enthusiasts, but in an actual "I think video games are super cool and I play them because they are cool, if they aren't cool, I don't play them" kind of way. I am not a video game critic, I don't understand the deeper aspects of game design, but like... why should I? Is it important when I am stressed and just wanna have fun for an hour of my day or so? Should a parent who just wants to bond with their child after a long week of work care? When I say "I like a game", it just means that it's a game I personally enjoyed, not an attempt to make some grand statement. You can share your own opinion, but you can't change mine. That doesn't make me close-minded or stubborn, it just means I am a normal human being with their own thoughts and feelings and like... that's a good thing, isn't it?
I also enjoyed the part in Sonic Adventure 2 with knuckle's rap about his struggle with substance addiction.
YOOO I've been literally thinking about this exact topic the whole day and wow, perfect timing! I agree with you on pretty much everything in this video, especially after seeing an opinion on a game that said it had an "uninteresting story" which is entirely subjective
It's kinda sad. Everywhere you go on the internet you're gonna find some guy that constantly mocks and barades you for liking a game, doesn't matter if its popular, an unknown game or a game thats been considered a masterpiece by 99% of all reviews. Like seriously, what happened to enjoying a game and not caring what others think?
But I guess we're only human, and humans tend to be very insecure.
All that stupid negativity turned me into an ass hole against my own family.
It also works the other way around. I'm probably the 1% of players who didn't like the ffxiv story, and let me tell you: they do not take personal opinions in a good way.
I think you used the perfect word in "insecurities", but also arrogance to feed thier "feeling unique and special" mentality.
@@phorchybug3286 Nah dude, that one's on you. You just a piece of shit.
This is why i just take ALL youtube gaming reviews with a pinch of salt.....except for Civve 11 cuz hes at least aware of what hes doing
Liking a game even if it's bad game is not wrong indeed like I don't think there is any point to belited and harrass the people like it I mean it's their personal interest and can be change anytime. I'm more concern how we are now in a time where mention a game flaw even a little makes you a "bad" person in some of people's eye, gamer used to be we just laugh how bad the game when play it then call it a day but nowadays due to rise of Fandom culture on internet you can guaranteed there is like 4 to 20 people will belited you with no shame at all while acting all saint when someone mention positive even some kind of like "this butterfly you just take make the world suddenly safer" mentality.
I’ve been struggling with the “opinions aren’t objective” thing, because so many people frame their thoughts as fact, or because their is a giant amount of people saying one thing that when someone says the other I immediately think they are wrong. But their not wrong, they are just stating an unpopular opinion. That’s why I think videos like this are so important, to remind people like me that their isn’t an objective list of what to like and what not to like, it’s completely up to the individual.
“It’s probably the video game ever made” truer words have never been said
7:02 I’ve always wondered what would happen if someone tweeted “The Last of Us Part II” without any context or explanation. What would the comments for that one look like.
I cannot agree more. Numbers/Scores/Checkboxes never really affected how I interpret my time with a game. Back in the days when I read how Assassin's Creed was boring and repetitive, I simply couldn't put it down due to how immersive it was. Nowadays, I play a game and if I don't enjoy it, I drop it and move on.
Based and funpilled
As a 36 year old, it's always interesting and confusing to hear younger people talk about their reverence for SA 2 and its music. I guess the point about the personal "experience" answers that.
Hey man I like your guitar videos
i spent way too many allnighters on summer vacation trying to get all 180 emblems or whatever it was. and raising chao. music in SA2 slapped
It's the camera and controls for me
@@One_Trillion_Bees Thanks! They're a lot of fun to put together.
I love how Yakko clearly is passionate and really wants to get his message along. And it makes me sad that most of his videos are held back by the fact they in essence refer to the toxicity and/or inability of the biggest part of the community to share their passion the same way he does.
Also Yakko, if you like Sonic Adventures 2 you should really try Ys Origin. Stay awesome.
I'm not sure I get the connection between SA2 and Ys Origin other than having multiple stories to play but I'm gonna second that Ys Origin recommendation because that game rules lol
@@dmjohndrow9136 Because when you're not clicking through endless dialogues it sometimes goes very fast and when it does it does that very well. Also the soundtrack is an absoluute banger. I just felt instantly reminded of this particular game while hearing Yakko's Review of SA2
@@hamado8587 You know what that's fair. Game is fast as hell and the ost is a certified banger for sure Iol
This video was very much needed. I’d love to go into more detail, but it basically boils down to:
Too many people are pushing their subjectivity as fact, and using that as an opportunity to dunk on every game that gave them an inconvenience
You/re right, Sonic Adventure 2 DOES have a soundtrack that slaps so hard my grandma's wig fell off. Time to go listen to Meteor Herd on repeat.
This video answered my question which I was looking an answer for a very long time. "What's the best way to critique a game? (or any media)" We tend to fall into the trap of comparing one game to the other and our opinions to others and decide a number or come up with a reason that can give us a validation whether a game is worth playing or not. But I think different people can like different games or same game for different reasons or no explainable reason at all.
"How would a single checkbox warn me that Before your Eyes could throw hands?"
YOUR WRITING IS GLORIOUS I LOVE IT
I loved this video! I feel like you mirrored my thoughts perfectly. The subconscious critic in my brain won't stop screaming but I think I'd prefer that to being someone who awaits the talking points to roll out on RUclips or Twitter
The reason on why I loved Legends Arceus is because of 3 things, It broke the traditional aspect of a pokemon game with going to gyms, getting badges, etc. 2 the game play has a fresh take on how a pokemon game can play, open world, pokemon roaming around and attacking you as the trainer, flying with your pokemon, surfing with it, with full control, they could collect things for you, you could change their moves on a whim, endless hours of trying to get that shiny form got cut into a quarter of the time. They even had size differences of the pokemon, even the alphas are larger than a large size one. 3 The game has a different way in the sense of story, you're thrown into a town that is the center of a conflict between 2 groups to help them set their differences aside and help them come together for a common cause. You even got to be snarky with the choices they gave you, cool side-quest that gave replay ability.
Frankly I think the issue with online discourse is a lack of good faith. Interenet culture kinda ruined our ability to have nuanced discussions, so if someone strongly asserts something that challenges an opinion the knee-jerk reaction is to get defensive. It doesn't help that words like subjectivity and bias are used to dismiss arguments instead of disambiguate or contextualize them.
I think SA2 is a great example. For many (myself included) it's a memorable childhood experience. On the one hand you get long-time fanboys that can't bear to hear any criticisms, and immediately get defensive instead of hearing you out. While on the other you get contemporary critics and gamers that attribute the games continued popularity and relevance to nostalgia, and dismiss any counterpoints as fanboyism. Two things can be true at the same time, your favorite game can be deeply flawed while still having unique strengths that make it worth playing. Of course there actually are fanboys who'll blindly defend games, and clout-chasing critics that go after games just because they're popular, but if you never give someones take a fair shake you're no better in my eyes.
Most game reviews I see are just a basic description so I’m not surprised we ended up with checkboxes. Every time I hear “the story starts with…” I tune out. If I wanted a plot recap I wouldn’t have searched for a review.
Noah Caldwell Gervais is wonderful. Thanks for your video.
The jraphics in this game look like real life, which is the pinnacle of art.
I grew up without gaming magazines, trailers for the new hypest game or a knowledge of what was famous at the time. Because of that, I've played a lot of weird games that almost nobody else remembers. So it is cool that I get to form an opinion of these games and never have it contested. I just think we should be able to say we like a game without having to say a reason... so I'll start: Crash Bash is in my top 10 favorite games and my favorite of the Crash franchise.
"it's ok to like a game that other people don't"
*Looks at last of us part 2*
"But not you"
I actually finished a replay of MGR recently, and my mind was trying to quantify how I feel about, to no avail. Your description is kinda right on the money though. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of certain aspects of the game, the game is so enthralling from start to finish that I really don't care. It's fucking fun. I'd recommend it to literally anyone. Can't quantify that shit with a number rating.
agreed it's just awesome.
5:23 is probably the most accurate description of sonic adventure battle 2 I've ever heard.
The simulation is breaking, I just discovered Joseph Anderson today, through his Persona 5 and 4 playthrough and now Yakko mentions him.
very relatable, my outlook towards games has changed so much since i started making videos. why is it so hard to tune out all the noise and just listen to yourself? it somehow becomes difficult to even have thoughts and opinions when you know you're having them for a video
Squidward also says 'everyone's a critic'
Cyberpunk more than redeemed itself and even at frequent -50% sales, people still go "LMAO CYBERPUNK" as they buy the next $25 depression indie walker that'll never release 1.0.
Its usually not a depression walker but a LGBTQAI+ or whatever or to be more specific its usually about trans stuff.
@@skeley6776 ???
as for the checkbox format, I really like ACG's videos, the catagories are there to start the discussions, and he talks about a lot of cool stuff I often see overlooked, like sound design, rather then just music, or mixing. Talking about how the game runs on multiple systems, and lets a bit of personality get in there so it isnt just reading specs off a box. Plus his rating system is blesesd: Buy, Rent, Wait for sale, etc rather then a number, and he mentions when he thinks players might differ with things like "for me this is a wait for sale, but if you really liked X then maybe this will be a buy for you"
dudes reviews are really nice
and also, watching reviews and listening to the reviewer talk about a lot of different games, what they like, what they dont, things they find interesting even if not done well, etc lets you judge how close they are to what YOU like and can help put their reviews into context. I know some people love X or Y in a game and idgaf about it (graphics being an example) and so I know to not care about that part nearly as much, especially when art direction carries a lot of older games and some of the new particularly indie stuff.
Here's something for we all to think about: the difference between taste and quality. Taste is completely subjective to each individual while quality is more universal, yet it's still also subjective. One can dislike lemons and recognize a high quality lemonade, yet still say "It's a good lemonade but it's not for me", or say "this cheap beer is trash but it's still my favorite". I can also understand how our personal tastes can get in the way of how we perceive quality, but it's important for us to be able to set our feelings aside and try to recognize quality. I'm saying this because I feel that in a lot of those comments (in all platforms actually) I can recognize people not being able to tell their preferences apart from quality.
T H I S
well said
Exactly
but its still good to recognize what "quality" is. id define it as a vast majority of peoples subjective taste.
Quality can also be subjective, though. In terms of food, if you take a bunch of high-quality ingredients that do not mix well together (say, truffle oil, saffron, spring water, organic lemons, and wagyu beef) and put em all together and claim it's an overall high-quality lemonade, that doesn't mean the quality is really there at all. An overwhelming majority of people would likely hate to even swallow that despite its compostion being technically high-quality.
I have always seen reviews of any form of art, including video games, as a more useful tool from a creative point of view. Like being able to know how a game makes most players feel a certain way can be useful for people looking to make their own games. It's the same with music. I use music theory to write music much more than I use it to justify the music I already listen to and enjoy. The intentionality and careful thinking that goes behind every step of making a piece of art differs drastically from the extremely subjective and personal experience of viewing and interacting with said art.
I've been feeling this way for a long time now.
It's been hard for me to enjoy a video game without feeling like a have to critique every little thing about it. It's been hard for me to just enjoy a video game the more my brain develops and it's truly made me feel pain for the past few years. At this point I just avoid every little review and spoiler I get from others so I don't have a bias opinion before jumping into a game. Helps me try to look at a game more in my own perspective. But being in a bubble causes me to never interact with others in fear they might ruin what my thoughts on the game are or were. Hard for me to keep loving my first time playing P5 when people keep saying the old Persona games are better.
Opinions should be shared but they can negatively impact me but never interacting with others on what you love can damage me as well. It's complicated...
I've been spoiled by this channel. Whenever I see a regular review for a game that talks about playtime and framedrops, I think to myself "Where are the anecdotes? Where's the OTT intro? Where's the funny?"
Yakko video essays are like performances that also happen to tell you about video games
This is like watching a video essay at Joseph Anderson’s house.
Here's the thing about shutting your brain off and enjoying a videogame.
The good part: everything is a 7/10, an 8/10 if the game had some memorable moments and/or is part of a franchise you enjoy, and there a 6/10 if you don't really the genre of the game, but for the average gaming experience, a 7/10 will probably be how someone feels about the game, at least from my experience.
The bad part: *Everything is a 7/10* it becomes a lot harder to appreciate games for what they're good at and/or becomes harder find any actual faults in the game, again, just from my experience.
Solution to the bad part: there isn't one, because it's not that much of an actually problem, just a way to enjoy something.
Love your content man!
Loved that video format, it really gave us an insight to what you feel like towards the artform of video games and the job that comes with analyzing them. Trying to put words on feelings derived from an experience based on worlds that don't exist is hard and you do an absolute banger of a job while doing it.
You forgot to tell: Sonic Adventure 2 really makes you feel like Sonic
The way I think about it is: There are objective facts about a game. A character may take an action completely at odds with their character, or there could be a host of glitches, or a boss might have hit boxes that don’t line up with its model correctly. However, how these facts affect the quality of the game is entirely subjective. Some people care more about story, or polish, and some people find that the game-breaking glitch they found makes the game more fun.
I’ll use BOTW as an example.
Fact: The main dungeons are shorter on average than any other Zelda game.
Fact: After clearing the Great Plateau, you can go anywhere you want.
Fact: The soundtrack is usually more subdued compared to other Zelda games.
I like the shorter dungeons, because I viewed them as a chore I had to do to explore in other Zelda games. I liked the freedom in exploration, as it was my favorite part of the series. I didn’t really care that the soundtrack wasn’t as omnipresent because I would often play while listening to RUclips. However another person may view the shorter dungeons as less interesting, the freedom of exploration as busy work between the actually fun bits, and the soundtrack as rather boring outside of a few key areas. Neither are wrong, as long as they have their facts about the game straight.
I encountered someone that kept trying to convince me that botw was an objectively bad game and pointed me to a youtuber that said the game was objectively bad as some kind of proof.
found them in the comments asking for a copy paste of the youtuber's arguments so they can post it for "some stupid person that doesn't understand objectivity"
I don't think I have ever seen a 15+ minute video that said nothing so much to get to a point that a five year old can say! "People can enjoy different things!"
Dude, this video says it all. And frankly, it calls me out hard. I'm definitely overly critical and it's cost me a lot of enjoyment. It was actually when I played through SA2 for the first time a couple months ago that opened my eyes that a game doesn't have to be "good" to be fun. It's really sad to see how many games I've come to "hate" because the internet told me it was bad. Omega Ruby is my favorite Pokemon game, Donkey Kong 64 is my favorite Donkey Kong game, and Sonic 06 is... my second favorite Sonic game, but since there's a wide opinion that these games don't meet standards, are extremely grindy, or are just terrible I've become more cynical towards them to meet standards so that I can be validated by random people on the internet that I'll never meet. And it's not the reviewers faults either, they love games as well, it's just the mindset that we all need to conform to the popular opinion so that we're "right". But, to hell with being right, games are art, and art can't be objectively right. Some people prefer Odyssey, some people prefer Galaxy, and I'll always be partial to 64, but in the end as long as we can all have fun and share our love for our favorite games, the developers have made an objectively good game. Because that's the job of a game, not to get high ratings but to give an experience that people will enjoy. Nobody likes Sunshine though (this is an obvious joke).
I'm so glad that my 1st exposure to (hopefully not recency bias) my favourite game was through your very quick mention of it in a video, being ULTRAKILL. Just the very short and sweet bit you did was enough to sell me but not tell me too much. Thanks for that.
One of the best ways to objectively think about subjectivity is to see it in a points-based system. Whenever you experience something good, the material gains points. Whenever you experience something bad, the material loses points. The reasons themselves are fact, but the number of points and the way the direction the points change are opinion.
The sum of the score of all those points, regardless of if you consciously or are subconsciously aware of the reasons, end up being your rating. To make things even more complicated, the number of points necessary to divide ratings are also subjective. For example, when people never rate a 10/10, it simply means they have not yet experienced anything that reached the point threshold they expect out of a 10/10.
It is in this way that all forms of art end up being judged, and all rating systems fail to completely encapsulate the method we judge things. It is also for this reason that different forms of art can be seen as good or bad for extremely different reasons. It doesn't matter what is the source of the good points, it simply needs to exist and be substantial to you.
I believe people are interested in reviewers for a combination of the facts they point out, the way they form their opinion on those facts, and reviewers' individual point and rating structure. Addressing a lot of the things people will actually experience is good, because it gives an idea of what they can expect to see from the game before they play it. The explanation of these experiences is important, because it provides the reviewer's scale for these points, provides important context, and is simply the main reason why you are interested in the reviewer. Finally, the reviewer's own tendency to rate things is a big deal because it gives a sense of scale that can be compared to other scales for both accuracy and fidelity.
I think you handled the topic super well! It really just warps your mindset without you noticing. I noticed this a while ago with a conversation with my sister. Maybe this video can be the thing to trigger some self awareness in more folks, and they can get back to enjoying games again! It really is all perspective!
this topic has been on my mind since hearing reviews about TLOU2 and then finally playing the game like a year and a half later. even as a huge fan of the TLOU1 my experience with 2 was so much better than what i would have expected from the OBJECTIVE opinions given about the game on launch. now i just base the games i play on if the box art looks cool rather than objective online reviews
on the donkey kong country box art, his fingers look like hot dogs
i didnt grow up playing Sonic Adventure 2, or even most sonic games, but one of my happiest memories to this day is that years ago, after that first sonic adventure video from Yakko, i got the game in a giveaway he did, which just so happened to be exactly on my birthday. even though that was years and years ago now sometimes i go and launch it just to hang out in the chao garden, it has such an intense grasp on that childlike wonder feeling that i went thru the first time i watched the video, the first time i played it, when it started getting more popular again because of stuff like Yakko & Real Time Fan-Dubs. Sonic is always gonna have a really special place in my heart even tho i didn't even grow up enjoying any content at all, and im glad you can still enjoy it too.
I have a lot of fun writing reviews on websites like Backloggd or through Steam just because I find it neat to convey my thoughts on a game; what I think works, what I think doesn't work, what I really like about it and what I don't like about it. Most people don't even read or give a single iota of a shit about my opinions but it feels nice putting them out there anyway. I highly agree with you that people strive so hard for "objectivity" when, really, reviewing a game is almost entirely a subjective matter. People look to these big name reviewers and entirely form their opinion based on what those reviewers say as if its objective fact. That comment you read off telling you to watch Joseph Anderson's review and "see if you still like it then" gave me a laugh. Just because Big-Brain McChucklehead puts out a three hour long video essay about how a video game is so terrible and so awful doesn't mean their word is gospel, I can just still like the game anyway and disagree with the review. There is always at least one person out there that genuinely likes a game, regardless of how widely negative the general consensus may be for that game, and they aren't "objectively wrong" for having that opinion.
For the record, reviews from other people are still important to me. I often watch or read a few spoiler-free reviews for games I'm thinking of getting just to have a general idea of what the game is like and if I think I will enjoy it. I also often listen to those ridiculously long video essays in the background while I'm doing something else.
I like the steam checkbox reviews when they put in their own spin which answers the questions I would have, and have a little blurb summary of what they thought.
I like how Tim Hickson/Hello Future Me made a good point to criticique stuff. What did the creator(s) set out to create? Did it achieve it? How did it manage to or not to?
He’s mainly a writing analysis RUclipsr with books, film, animation, and games. But to know his high-quality taste his favourite game of all time is NieR: Automata, which I was surprised to know he was a JRPG enjoyer but a welcome one.
Ive been on RUclips since the nigahiga days & I gotta tell you man this is one of the best RUclips videos I have ever seen & the reason I feel that way is because you articulated your thoughts in a honest and funny manner. I appreciate that, thank you.
While I agree that people shouldn't feel compelled to write up an essay for every thing they like, I do think it's really valuable for people to know WHY they like something. To be able to delve into your relationship with a game and just ask "why do I like this" is something I'd encourage everyone to do.
I don't think I can say a single thing that hasn't been said either by you or by a comment, so I'm just gonna say that this video was amazing. It's very helpful and insightful, and I would love to see more of this kind of content
I relate so hard to this video. It felt so damn liberating once I realized I didn't owe anyone an explanation for everything I liked, nor did I have to say "in my opinion" to remind people that something subjective is indeed subjective.
I don't think anybody has a problem with that, but when you are publishing your review for everyone to see, it can easily be considered as a recommendation (to either play or drop a game). And, then, your subjectivity is open to criticism and you have to accept that. If you do not agree with that tacit rule, do not write a long analysis and just use the like or dislike buttons.
Subjectivity is implied. But so is criticism of it once it is shared.
@@SystemBD in other words If i dont have a reason to like a Game i simply should be quiet on the Internet?
Cause i really dont Like this thinking Style If the context is about Video Games.
13:49 star allies music kicking in after i spent the entire video thinking about how it applies to that game was like whiplash
I hear people talk about "objectivity" in media/art and it makes me wonder why they even bother criticizing it. There is no "objectivity". If there was, art would suck. Fortunately however, art is subjective to all of us uniquely. We have the ability to create emotional connections with these things whether it be a game or a movie or a song, those connections can come from anywhere and anyone and that is a beautiful thing. It's also very abstract, which is why everyone struggles so hard with correctly articulating and attributing their feelings for a game, and that's okay. Everyone should be allowed to give criticism on whatever they want while knowing there isn't actually any DEFINITIVE way to do something better.
love the use of the vallhalla soundtrack in this one yakko :)
It took you 16 minutes to say that you can like a game that isn't perfect... Yes this is something most people realise fairly quickly and you aren't some wise sage to have had this "epiphany". Next you might realise that good and fun don't mean the same thing/aren't equivalent labels.
great video. I feel like ive been lost in the sauce of wanting to know why games are good/bad, or at least wanting to be able to explain why i feel the way i do. That on it's own isn't bad, but its so easy to absorbe the opinions of others and start disliking something you otherwise werent bothered by and i reallty want to get out of the youtube opinion sink, but I still also love hearing people talk about games. I just need to stop taking in subjectivity so objectively.
Can i just say that, the feeling you had with MGR is the same i hade with DMC5. I was as my brain has developed and i want to feel more of that kid like charm while playing games, I played DMC 5 and remembered playing other hack and slash games as a child, and seeing all the over the top funny Dante stuff made me just lose it every time. Being critical is good, But there is nothing wrong with turning of your brain and singing "BOOM BOOM BOOM! PULL MY DEVILTRIGGER" at the top of your longs while playing the game equivalent drug
I understood the subjectivity of criticism and discourse , when i finally realized that people hate kingdom hearts for the same reasons i love it .
In my objective opinion this video is too subjective
2/10
13:48 i think it's kinda funny how you say "i kinda like that part" while showing the one part of A Short Hike i did not like
lol
lmao, even
Play ultrakill, it awakens a feeling of instinct in me just like metal gear rising. Love your vids
I certainly agree that the reviews being the way they are now are annoying (and will go on somewhat of a review/rant in the next paragraphs because you brought up so many good points). A vast majority of people trust other people's opinion so much instead of trying to look at the game and find what they like and dislike about it themselves, while so many reviewers just review it on a baseline and not how the game actually is.
6:31 brings up probably the most annoying reason of being a creature collector RPG fan, and that is the endless comparisons to more popular franchises (mainly pokemon), from Digimon, to SMT, to one of my favorite franchises of all time: Yo-Kai Watch, there will always be people comparing it despite the multiple differences from each franchise that make them so close to me.
Yo-Kai Watch sets up everything perfectly despite the game intending itself to not be taken seriously, its set in a small scale location even though in 2/3 there's a lot of different places to travel to, it never takes itself seriously which is something I enjoy a lot. The writing despite being a bit rushed due to bad localization, is fun, silly, and charming and its always fun to talk to different NPCs and yokai. I can understand why people don't like the game due to it's boring battle system in the first large portion of each game, however I think about MYSELF and how I love other games that utilize short minigames in their battle systems (referring to the mario rpgs) and I have fun with micro managing my team position and fast menuing. Not a game for everyone, but the sense of exploration I get from its beautifully crafted world, and the charm put into each characters' personality is enough to deal with the flaws the series has, and I'll be sad for it when it goes further into its grave when the 3ds eshop dies.
Thank you Yakko, I love your analytical content and editing style so much, every video of yours is good, keep up the good work.
Taking shots at a gacha game is always ok
As someone who is trying to go into Sonic Frontiers completely blind without watching a single trailer, thank you for those 5 seconds of gameplay I was trying so hard to avoid. This has nothing to do with the video, I am just very mad. Yes I will cope and seethe.
I'm not a reviewer but I totally understand the feeling of not being able to switch your brain off and enjoy something. After studying film for the past few years I find it so hard to switch my brain off during a live action film without thinking about how shots were filmed or how audio was done and it's definitely sucked some of the wonder and amazement out of them for me.
Yep
I think it is important to acknowledge the flaws in games (or rather, anything) that you like. One of the biggest issues with criticizing anything in the internet is that people get very defensive and take any form of criticism as a personal attack, or imply that you hate it.
Really enjoyed this. I took reviews as gospel back when I was a poor kid buying maybe 5 games a year. I still do this now I’m free to buy anything, but have less time to play games. Probably should just try games I think look cool regardless of what some internet nerds say.
That just reminds me of when I was working retail and would not give a recommendation on which videogame a customer should buy until I asked what games they already enjoy. I had a few customers come back and tell me that the game I recommend ended up being "amazing" or even "the best game I ever played". Not everybody is going to love the same games, and that's pretty cool.
I once criticized early CODs' veteran mode for being badly designed and janky, and predicably, people got irrational over it. I kind of get it in a way, because a memorable experience is better than a well designed game. Still, video games criticism is so difficult, because it gets toxic super fast.
The Curse of Video Game Criticism is a video essay made by RUclipsr yakkocmn, discussing his thoughts and feelings on video game criticism. Thus ends my objective review.
MGR exists in a very special place where it's fun to interact with on three different levels, and not in the way that I can tell you that you didn't play it if you didn't dive as deep as possible like with Infinite Warfare (play Specialist mode, it's not harder than Veteran, it just adds a *ton* of new mechanics!). First there's the obvious turn your brain off, button mash as hard as you can, look at the pretty setpieces, laugh at the dumb memes level that pretty much everyone who makes it past the admittedly dense tutorials will figure out. It's hard not to like the game for this reason because it's just so batshit fucking insane. Next is the metanarrative of how Platinum picked up the one project Kojima Productions couldn't figure out how to get right. Most essays about the game will at least mention this, and it's pretty interesting to see how the different design philosophies of the two studios sometimes clash and sometimes harmonize. Finally, you can lore dump the entire Metal Gear franchise so you can understand the philosophical conflict and political undertones, what it means for Raiden's character development, and finally figure out why in the hell Sam randomly goes on a tangent about memes. From what I've seen, it seems Jacob Geller is the only one to share this experience so far, but I could be wrong. This is one of the most cognitively dissonant ways to interact with a piece of art because the themes and the feelings they invoke are so completely opposite the presentation it's hard to explain. I really can't fault anyone for overlooking either of these latter two things because the game is so harmoniously designed that it feels like a complete experience no matter what level you engage at. It's somehow both transcended the curse of online discourse *and* had a second coming of popularity. It's truly a miracle
I feel like his message in this video rings moot when he just continually takes pit shots at Sonic, even going so far as to say he’s basically certain that Sonic Frontiers will just be bad. That’s annoying.
The problem is the opposite. If you even dare imply that their precious little game that they've grafted onto their pathetic excuse of a personality isn't the best thing ever made they will lose their absolute shit!
i went through a good hundred steam reviews for work yesterday and that segment about the dumb check list type review absolutely cleansed my soul, thank you yakko
3:18 that aged like fine wine
This really nails the reason why I've been feeling less and less content with looking up stuff or reviews about games nowadays, or heck, even take a look at discussions about games; there's certainly entertainment or even knowledge to be shared in that way...but when a lot of the internet nowadays really centers around "NAH THIS SHIT SUCKS YOU'RE CRINGE" or "THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER 100% IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT YOU'RE CRINGE" or basically anything that you loved before now sucks and anything you despised before now is the best thing ever
like I played Sonic R some weeks ago and it was short and dumb but the grin at my face because of the music and nostalgia cannot be taken away by anybody, same with playing arcade racers like Daytona USA even if age (OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE) has been burning me out from enjoying those, or y'know, SA2 as you mentioned. Probably the weirdest part is knowing some games nobody talks about that might have dumb obstacles or just emphasize dumb fun (Fighting Vipers, Aerogauge, Tetrisphere)...but on the other hand I can live peacefully with that I can rock the seat with those and no one will call me out on it because they don't even know what they are, and if someone does happen to know and like it, even better for me :)
and big shoutouts for mentioning that dunkey video; when dunkey starts throwing real words out he always hits
Man even if it's something I should thoroughly understand by now, it is reassuring just to hear 'you can just like something cause it's cool'. Like yeah I could write an essay about why celeste is the best platformer ever *tm* and why me dumping a bunch of time into speedrunning it is justified, or I can just say 'yeah, game's real cool', and keep on enjoying it. Gotta remind myself of the ladder option more often
My sibling is one of those teens that hears/reads someone's opinion and laches onto it like it is a fact.
For example, I like visual novel games and will occasionally suggest them to people if I think they will enjoy the story. However, a couple of the RUclipsrs my sibling watches don't like them, not seeing them as 'real' games and joking that they are "just porn games for weebs". My sibling has latched onto this idea, criticizing any visual novel I try to suggest and mocking me when I talk about them. When I try to defend the genre or say that those ideas are just their opinion, they try to defend themselves by claiming that "everyone agrees" with them. When I try to prove that many visual novel games are well-liked they blow it off as just a bunch of "weebs" as if any opinion other than their own doesn't count and/or doesn't matter.
Ironically they criticized the Danganropan games when I played them because they are visual novels but when they boomed in popularity (due mostly to cosplayers) they said they liked them. If I try to bring up their past criticisms they make excuses about how they don't actually count as visual novels and that they didn't know anything about the games back then, which is also frustrating because I talked about them a lot so they knew plenty about the games before it became cool to like them.
They are still a teen though. Hopefully they will grow out of this with time.
I feel like media should be criticized, and that "if you don't like it, then leave" comment is pointless. That being said, criticism on any form of art should never be personal or directed at the artist. This can even come in the form of the games being criticized just because a certain artist made them, this makes it so that the intention of personal attack is hard to detect. The problem with the people that just want video games (and any form of art) to be fun and don't like hearing criticism are going to do the exact opposite to the landscape of games of what they intended to. Without criticism, what would video games be? What would art be? Without the demand for quality, how would we ever get good art? If scott cawthon hadn't been criticized, we wouldn't have five nights at freddy's, if mac miller hadn't been criticized, he wouldn't have made watching movies with the sound off. The issue, at the end of the day, is that criticism in 2022 is shallow. In a world where people have to capture your attention with a clickbait article title, or a world where there are billions of people on the internet striving for attention, criticism is used bait to get clicks and reactions out of people. In some cases, maybe the person writing that article or the redditor saying that kanye west is actually overrated don't even feel that way. Criticism is a slippery slope, and I feel like it will never be used to way it once was, to make a better landscape for art.
Really nice that you can accurately break down what an opinion is for this, because I find a lot of people these days, even other youtubers, just don't understand and essentially use "objective" to mean "I feel this but like REALLY strongly and I'm sure I can't be convinced otherwise" which is just....not how that concept works. It just makes those people seem entitled, and I have *this* username here so I'm already terrible myself
I always feel guilty for liking a game that has mixed reviews or even negative ones. It feels like I'm not supposed to have fun and that kinda sucks
5:05 Objection! Bugs in video games is just as much of a complex, multi-faceted and subjective topic as any other! Breath of the wild is now 5 years old, and just 2 weeks ago some players managed to unlock the post-ending map! The "bug-hunting" community that formed around this game is just insane, and the content that results from their discoveries is so fun to watch!
There are so many examples of games where the bugs actually added value to the game. So no, even the amount of bugs isn't an objective variable that could determine the value of a game.
@SNES Nes i mean, they definitely can ruin the experience in a lot of cases.
especially in multiplayer/competitive games, for instance