Unpopular Opinions V5: "I still don't like Half Life 2." - General

Fallout 3 and 4 are good games, great Bethesda games, and bad Fallout games.

[QUOTE=xZippy;49794625]Night at the Museum was just awful.[/QUOTE] I actually really liked the original but the sequel(s?) was fucking awful lmao. It wasn't great, it was just a good, fun idea that they tried to milk and failed

If it were a bit less gimmicky it'd have been much better

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49790824]The ironic thing is that it was mostly due to the efforts of an atheist (who suggested I try Catholicism), a science fiction book, and the philosophy of Bertrand Russell that changed my mind on religion and stopped me being an atheist (as until a few weeks ago I had been one for at least a decade). Catholicism seems like the thinking mans religion - with arguably some of the best literature and philosophy. I mean Science and Religion happily coexisted for about eight centuries before people in the 19th century began to promote the "conflict theory" that there is some vast and unbridgeable gulf between both things. Catholic philosophy and the Scientific Method share a common origin and have had a lot of thought put into them.[/QUOTE] A lot of people think that Buddhism is a nice thing to appreciate specifically for philosophy, but even in terms of philosophy it can be harmful. For instance, meditation is not actually good for the mind - at least not in the way people commonly preach it. Meditation, in the sense of letting go of all your problems and thinking of nothing in this self-induced trance state, ain't healthy. It can teach you to avoid your problems and return to doing nothing, and that trance state paired with non-confrontation of your problems and disassociation from emotions can lead one to depersonalize themselves and struggle with derealization. It's scary stuff. However, one can appreciate many of the aspects of Buddhism without loving it wholesale, but at that point you can employ those ideas without being Buddhist. Same with Catholic philosophy - I would imagine that I could subscribe to various points of view of Catholicism without having to be Catholic, and not being Catholic is a sincere plus. It encourages critical thinking of [I]everything[/I]. Being part of a religion often encourages you not to think critically of things that matter. There are people that have told me that it's all about my relationship with God, and that I need to pray to get to that relationship, but in saying that they're trying to enforce a lack of critical thinking about the existence of that relationship at all. They're not encouraging me to say, "Oh, so I can really consider the fact that what you're telling me doesn't make sense and isn't real?" They're putting you on the path to accept God and not question his existence. And that's the start of a real domino effect for a lot of people, I think.

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;49796162]I will never forgive them for the combat zone.[/QUOTE] there's also this area with a bunch of robots racing round a track and you think you might get to interact here and maybe bet on a robot but nope they all just attack you

[QUOTE=ROFLBURGER;49794392]I don't Like GradeAUnderA.[/QUOTE] He turned shit really quick recently

I've not played much of Fo4, but what I have played? Garbage. Just garbage. It looks really pretty The combat is 'an improvement'. Sometimes it reaches 'good' and others it meets 'broken' or dull. The perk system is not wanted. The writting is bad The storytelling is abysmal. Like genuinely my unborn child could shit in his hands and write on the walls and it'd come up with a better way of doing things. It's frustratingly bad, like they could have playtested it once and figured out that nothing in the fucking[I] intro sequence[/I] was enjoyable or endearing. Yeah, sure, I made my husband look like a member of the cast of[I] jersey shore[/I] so it was hard to care for him or the child that would have been the first of too-many, but by-god if i didn't do that it'd still suck shit. This isn't even on the level of not-trying, this is on the level of actively-bad. Anyhow I came here to tell people that I was puzzled by Seth Rogan being considered a 'comedian'. Is he? Has he done anything funny? But then I saw fallout 4 so i felt like jumping on.

[QUOTE=Bathtub;49787270]are you trying to say that MOST of mass shooters are mentally stable? that doesn't mean that everyone thinks that everyone with mental illness is going to do that, its just an accurate description[/QUOTE] I think what he means is how when a shooting happens and people ask why, they figure "because mental illness/just crazy" but that doesn't really help us understand [B]why[/B] it happened. It just basically bundles together shooters and mentally ill people, stigmatizing them. Mental illness merely isn't a reason to go on a rampage. It does play a big part in whether it happens or not, but consider that usually mental illnesses are caused by traumas or abuse; things that can make a person violent and unpredictable by themselves. Consider also that sane people can turn to violence, out of desperation or other reasons. If you figure out what drove the person to become violent or mentally ill, you can figure out a constructive solution.

[QUOTE=The Jack;49797262]I've not played much of Fo4, but what I have played? Garbage. Just garbage. It looks really pretty The combat is 'an improvement'. Sometimes it reaches 'good' and others it meets 'broken' or dull. The perk system is not wanted. The writting is bad The storytelling is abysmal. Like genuinely my unborn child could shit in his hands and write on the walls and it'd come up with a better way of doing things. It's frustratingly bad, like they could have playtested it once and figured out that nothing in the fucking[I] intro sequence[/I] was enjoyable or endearing. Yeah, sure, I made my husband look like a member of the cast of[I] jersey shore[/I] so it was hard to care for him or the child that would have been the first of too-many, but by-god if i didn't do that it'd still suck shit. This isn't even on the level of not-trying, this is on the level of actively-bad. Anyhow I came here to tell people that I was puzzled by Seth Rogan being considered a 'comedian'. Is he? Has he done anything funny? But then I saw fallout 4 so i felt like jumping on.[/QUOTE] other than the combat/visuals, FO:NV is better in every way possible. The characters in NV are still fresh in my mind compared to 4 when i haven't played NV in like 3 years.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;49796380]A lot of people think that Buddhism is a nice thing to appreciate specifically for philosophy, but even in terms of philosophy it can be harmful. For instance, meditation is not actually good for the mind - at least not in the way people commonly preach it. Meditation, in the sense of letting go of all your problems and thinking of nothing in this self-induced trance state, ain't healthy. It can teach you to avoid your problems and return to doing nothing, and that trance state paired with non-confrontation of your problems and disassociation from emotions can lead one to depersonalize themselves and struggle with derealization. It's scary stuff.[/QUOTE] Wait, refusing to confront your problems and doing the equivalent of just sticking your fingers in your ears? Losing touch with reality? Man, Tumblr is older than I thought.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;49796380]A lot of people think that Buddhism is a nice thing to appreciate specifically for philosophy, but even in terms of philosophy it can be harmful. For instance, meditation is not actually good for the mind - at least not in the way people commonly preach it. Meditation, in the sense of letting go of all your problems and thinking of nothing in this self-induced trance state, ain't healthy. It can teach you to avoid your problems and return to doing nothing, and that trance state paired with non-confrontation of your problems and disassociation from emotions can lead one to depersonalize themselves and struggle with derealization. It's scary stuff. However, one can appreciate many of the aspects of Buddhism without loving it wholesale, but at that point you can employ those ideas without being Buddhist. Same with Catholic philosophy - I would imagine that I could subscribe to various points of view of Catholicism without having to be Catholic, and not being Catholic is a sincere plus. It encourages critical thinking of [I]everything[/I]. Being part of a religion often encourages you not to think critically of things that matter. There are people that have told me that it's all about my relationship with God, and that I need to pray to get to that relationship, but in saying that they're trying to enforce a lack of critical thinking about the existence of that relationship at all. They're not encouraging me to say, "Oh, so I can really consider the fact that what you're telling me doesn't make sense and isn't real?" They're putting you on the path to accept God and not question his existence. And that's the start of a real domino effect for a lot of people, I think.[/QUOTE] I think ultimately this sort of thing should be done in moderation (which to a large degree is part of Catholic Philosophy), which prevents going to extremes in religious practice or whatever. Moderation is a big part of Catholicism (charity is good, as is asceticism and praying and confession - but too much isn't good), which is part of the reason it's been historically so successful. The religion itself is essentially a combination of Greek philosophy, Roman Law, and Jewish mythology - usually taking the best elements of each. Criticizing religion for making you accept a fundamental premise which is unverifiable seems unfair when virtually every single philosophy has their extreme viewpoints stemming from fundamental premises. Liberalism has its Ayn Rands, the Socialists have Communists, etc. Analytical or continental philosophy can be taken to such extremes that it becomes almost comical. By accepting a particular fundamental premise (for instance, that our senses are fallible) one can eventually work their way to the conclusion that nothing we see is real or verifiable and therefore is false. There's no evidence to suggest why humans should be nice to one another, why they are equal, why we should enjoy or hate certain things, etc. These are based on axioms which cannot ultimately be independently verified, but we stick to them anyways because we think society should be run that way (for instance we subscribe to the concept of freedom since we believe it to be desirable in society). In much the same way, I think that religion (in particular Catholic Christianity) is necessary for society in at least some capacity, especially because I think that Catholicism has a better understanding of human nature than any other secular philosophy. A society composed solely of atheists could probably operate well, but to advocate atheism for all of society is like saying that a society composed entirely of people who don't like art or a society in which nobody likes reading is something that should be striven for.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49797755]I think ultimately this sort of thing should be done in moderation (which to a large degree is part of Catholic Philosophy), which prevents going to extremes in religious practice or whatever. Moderation is a big part of Catholicism (charity is good, as is asceticism and praying and confession - but too much isn't good), which is part of the reason it's been historically so successful. The religion itself is essentially a combination of Greek philosophy, Roman Law, and Jewish mythology - usually taking the best elements of each. Criticizing religion for making you accept a fundamental premise which is unverifiable seems unfair when virtually every single philosophy has their extreme viewpoints stemming from fundamental premises. Liberalism has its Ayn Rands, the Socialists have Communists, etc. Analytical or continental philosophy can be taken to such extremes that it becomes almost comical. By accepting a particular fundamental premise (for instance, that our senses are fallible) one can eventually work their way to the conclusion that nothing we see is real or verifiable and therefore is false. There's no evidence to suggest why humans should be nice to one another, why they are equal, why we should enjoy or hate certain things, etc. These are based on axioms which cannot ultimately be independently verified, but we stick to them anyways because we think society should be run that way (for instance we subscribe to the concept of freedom since we believe it to be desirable in society). In much the same way, I think that religion (in particular Catholic Christianity) is necessary for society in at least some capacity, especially because I think that Catholicism has a better understanding of human nature than any other secular philosophy. A society composed solely of atheists could probably operate well, but to advocate atheism for all of society is like saying that a society composed entirely of people who don't like art or a society in which nobody likes reading is something that should be striven for.[/QUOTE] I think I have a willingness to suspend disbelief when it comes to purely abstract concepts where people can reach the similar or same conclusions. However, I don't know how one could logically reach the concept of God and then say that it is straight up real. Plus, when it comes to philosophy, at least for me, everything is debatable, but God is an aspect of philosophy that people do not want debated against. No one wants you looking behind the curtain over there. [editline]23rd February 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;49797698]Wait, refusing to confront your problems and doing the equivalent of just sticking your fingers in your ears? Losing touch with reality? Man, Tumblr is older than I thought.[/QUOTE] Anyone, religious or not, can become automatons incapable of self-awareness and self-improvement.

[QUOTE=The Jack;49797262]I've not played much of Fo4, but what I have played? Garbage. Just garbage. It looks really pretty The combat is 'an improvement'. Sometimes it reaches 'good' and others it meets 'broken' or dull. The perk system is not wanted. The writting is bad The storytelling is abysmal. Like genuinely my unborn child could shit in his hands and write on the walls and it'd come up with a better way of doing things. It's frustratingly bad, like they could have playtested it once and figured out that nothing in the fucking[I] intro sequence[/I] was enjoyable or endearing. Yeah, sure, I made my husband look like a member of the cast of[I] jersey shore[/I] so it was hard to care for him or the child that would have been the first of too-many, but by-god if i didn't do that it'd still suck shit. This isn't even on the level of not-trying, this is on the level of actively-bad. Anyhow I came here to tell people that I was puzzled by Seth Rogan being considered a 'comedian'. Is he? Has he done anything funny? But then I saw fallout 4 so i felt like jumping on.[/QUOTE] Some counterpoints: The perk system is fine, the problem is Bethesda implemented the most boring perks possible because they love "20% increase to X", which also made up the majority of Fallout 3's perks. The writing is MUCH better than Fallout 3. The story is less of a retarded clusterfuck, and it makes sense that the various factions would all have the same objective. [sp]The Railroad was against the Institute from the start, The Brotherhood sees them as a threat, and the Minutemen do what you tell them to (in theory).[/sp] The storytelling is also much better than Fallout 3, it's more of an actual investigation and less of "I guess I'll futz around the wasteland until I stumble across someone who isn't taking advantage of me." I don't think Fallout 4's story is particularly good, but I do think it's much more competent as a story compared to 3. It also has companions that are memorable, where Fallout 3 just has Fawkes. Also, Seth Rogan isn't a comedian he's just a guy who plays "Joe Everyman" in comedy movies.

I appreciate the effort put in by GradeAUnderA to help fix youtube but his older content was far more entertaining.

GradeA's videos went to shit once he decided to get confrontational and take up arms against people on youtube he didn't like, and then youtube itself It really feels like he's making a mountain out of a molehill for views

Fallout 3-4 are the best installments of the series and anyone who thinks fallout 1 and 2 are still good is kidding themselves.

fallout 3 wasn't good though it had a contrived plot, awful characters, clunky gameplay, poor balance, horrifying technical problems, and it looked like shit

[QUOTE=duckmaster;49799226]Fallout 3-4 are the best installments of the series and anyone who thinks fallout 1 and 2 are still good is kidding themselves.[/QUOTE] I like both games but I disagree, NV is the best installment because it delivers great writing, more quests, improved specific game mechanics such as adding Weapon Mods etc. There's a reason why so many fans want Obsidian to make another Fallout game The only thing that pushes people away are personally the graphics. Did I tell you they had around 1 year and a half to develop the game?

[QUOTE=duckmaster;49799226]Fallout 3-4 are the best installments of the series and anyone who thinks fallout 1 and 2 are still good is kidding themselves.[/QUOTE] I played Fallout 3 first then played 1 and 2. They are so much better its funny. [editline]23rd February 2016[/editline] Also Fallout 3 is a shit game, Fallout 4 is not as shit, but still a really poor Fallout game. Except it's art design, they nailed that.

Damn Daniel is a really bad meme and I feel like I lost braincells watching the dumb video that caused it.

[QUOTE=bdd458;49799726]Damn Daniel is a really bad meme and I feel like I lost braincells watching the dumb video that caused it.[/QUOTE] I thought it was funny the first time, but now I just hear people saying "damn daniel" to anybody wearing white shoes on my campus.

I have a really hard time playing fallout 1 and 2, either I have it run at its original resolution and upscale, which looks like shit, or I install a UI hack to make it run at 1080p in which case items are way too tiny to see. (If anybody has suggestions for that I'd appreciate it.) The UI is clunky as hell as well.

FNAF 1 is pretty fun

New Vegas is the best western RPG ever made and probably one of the best games ever made.

[QUOTE=Samiam22;49800763]New Vegas is the best western RPG ever made and probably one of the best games ever made.[/QUOTE] It runs on too shitty an engine and was too rushed for that title, but it was the best RPG I've ever played. Which is like Better of the two The other being Fallout 3 I hate RPGs

[QUOTE=Samiam22;49800763]New Vegas is the best western RPG ever made and probably one of the best games ever made.[/QUOTE] New Vegas had great writing (especially including convo/skill interop) but its mechanics were very shallow it is nowhere near the best Western RPG when games like Oblivion, Morrowind, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, and Planescape: Torment exist.

[QUOTE=Sector 7;49801115]New Vegas had great writing (especially including convo/skill interop) but its mechanics were very shallow it is nowhere near the best Western RPG when games like Oblivion, Morrowind, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, and Planescape: Torment exist.[/QUOTE] Care to elaborate? It's been years since I played the first Mass Effect but I remember it having quite simple mechanics, at least simpler than New Vegas' anyway.

Oblivion too.

[QUOTE=Bread_Baron;49801147]Care to elaborate? It's been years since I played the first Mass Effect but I remember it having quite simple mechanics, at least simpler than New Vegas' anyway.[/QUOTE] I didn't mean to say that the other games were better specifically for their mechanics, but they are better in general. The mechanics of NV just always stuck out to me because FO3/NV's character system is both broken, oversimplified, and unrealistic. Even if you were judging purely from a narrative standpoint, PS:T and Mass Effect would still be better; they do an absolutely spectacular job of worldbuilding and they're full of dynamic, interesting characters.

since we're on the topic, my unpopular opinion on western RPGs is that Oblivion is terrible