You Didn't Finish The Game (The Jimquisition)

[@Relisysification]

My partner has been obsessed with the game recently, and really enjoys it, but as a game designer themselves they point out the issues that take away from the enjoyment and the counter arguments to them (e.g. weapon degradation is annoying, but saves you from having overly stuffed Inventory and unused items, like how you end every Pokémon game with the GDP of a region and 99x most items, but it does make you think twice about making things or wasting things) Most importantly, you can feed and befriend doggos but not pet them. 7 is fair enough.

[@tenyokensekia8088]

I'll never get over the defence of the weapons breaking in these games. I won't hate people for liking it though since thats just silly. The idea of people hating ME for not liking it is just as baffling. Also, I find it ironically delicious that their arguments are more durable then the weapons they defend!

[@yosos2]

@@tenyokensekia8088 I dislike when people call it bad game design, you can dislike it but it's not poorly made and some people hold on to their weapons like they are sacred, the game is basically screaming at you to use every weapon and not care, I think alot of people would have more fun if they got that notion out of their heads, if they are breaking then don't hold onto them

[@keppakappa5033]

​@@yosos2 I think games like Elden Ring prove that you don't need weapon degradation to get players to try different weapons, and to me that just proves that it's ultimately a flawed system since you can achieve the exact same effect without the annoyance of weapons breaking during combat or having to search around for something else you can make into a hammer so you can mine without wearing down one of your "real" weapons. Elden Ring addresses this by having a vast variety of weapons with very different play styles, that are then further customizable with weapon skills that can even given them different elemental properties. Putting in the effort to do that vs. having 3 weapon stances across a million breakable weapons with only slight variances to then isn't lazy per se, but it also isn't very effective/efficient especially when you compare it to systems that have accomplished the same goal in a much more fun, less inconvenient way. totk kind of addresses this with the weapon fuse mechanic, but that very much feels like a bandaid more than anything else. They knew they'd have to stick to the weapon system they designed in botw, and so put a ton of resources into the fuse system to make it somewhat viable and interesting and not like you're just hoarding 10 of the same high attack broadsword to swap between while the master sword is recharging, plus one hammer you'll only ever use to mine. (Although I find I still end up hoarding a bunch of high attack weapons and a few hammers anyway, but at least I can switch up the way they look/elemental properties of them to spice things up a bit now lol)

[@DrenK9]

@@keppakappa5033 Nah. Elden Ring is annoying because you need to chose to update a few weapons.

[@tenyokensekia8088]

@@yosos2 Because god forbid people want to keep cool looking weapons in a game. And I'm sorry, but I feel it genuinely is bad game design. Rpgs have had this problem solved for decades. If you have a game where you find loads of weapons, you just sell them. Thats been the working formula for years and nobody has complained that weapons don't break until now. That being said, don't let me keep you from enjoying the game. Other then that, it looks fantastic!

[@SellswordArts]

We did a long series on how holding a sword in reverse grip is stupid. And people came out of the woodwork to try and make excuses for it. People who would obviously never done any sword fighting. One of the biggest accusations they made in me was, I hadn't been training with it long enough. As if doing something stupid and ineffective longer would make it less stupid and ineffective. I feel you on this one 😂

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

Oh hey where'd you come from XD

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

Reverse grip is good for hammering, frenzied attacks. It also makes it much easier to stabilise a firearm at the same time. A good example of it's use is you can generate a lot more force from a mounted position, (that's mounting your enemy, not a horse lol), which is useful for penetrating defences, like hands and skulls. I've never had a sword fight but I have actually stabbed people to death lol.

[@SellswordArts]

@@GangsterFrankensteinComputer 😮‍💨

[@moe5020]

thats completely different though, a longer playtime can only give you a more comprehensive review. So if you've only played the 1/4 of the game yeah your opinion is basically worthless especially when you present it as a full review and not a first impressions.

[@jurgenstrang6366]

Looks like people are coming out of the woodwork to try and make excuses on this video too 🤣

[@auramire6304]

Funny thing about the "being forced to eat things you didn't like as a kid" story. Or well, as funny as it can be I guess. My mum, who is not someone I'd call abusive, did this to me all the time. I lost track of how many hours I spent sitting at the dinner table not being allowed to leave because I fucking hate tomato, and fish. We'd usually sit there either until I started crying and gave in, or she turned her back and I managed to make it look like it was gone. This continued until I moved out at 18. She insisted that "I'd get used to them and like them when I got older". Hasn't happened yet. The ironically funny part of all this is that she herself cannot stand milk, and her parents made her drink it as a kid by doing the exact same thing. And even now, in her sixties, she refuses to touch the stuff. I have no idea how she went through that same experience knowing full well how much it sucked and decided to make me go through it too but, here we are I guess. I don't know where I'm going with this, just sharing since it got brought up. But anyway, as someone who really loves BotW and TofK... It's not a fucking crime to say "hey, the gameplay just isn't my thing or, I've seen enough of this very to have made my opinions" and stop playing. It's not a fucking crime to mildly criticize something. I don't get this shit but, then again, I don't have a "True Gamer Card" either so obviously I'm just not gamer enough to truly understand the sheer audacity Steph has to call something good instead of great. Must be the tits getting in the way.

[@tortoiseoflegends4466]

My only issue with the review is that weapon degradation is presented as an objectively bad thing 100% of the time when IMO it can be implemented well. Outside of Zelda as an example, Far Cry 2 uses it really well (and I missed it in 3) as does Fire Emblem, which uses it to create a more tactical decision on where you use your best tools.

[@michimatsch5862]

@@tortoiseoflegends4466 well, as the commander said, reviews are subjective.

[@tortoiseoflegends4466]

@@michimatsch5862 Except for when the review explicitly says "this is an absolute statement" in their intro, which the Commander did. "Nobody has ever been enjoying a videogame and thought, “this would be more fun if my sword broke.” That is an absolute statement, and literally nobody on earth is more averse to absolutes than I am, but for as long as I live I’ll assert this particular statement on weapons to be 100% true." I know reviews are subjective, but this was being presented as objective. And as I said, it's my only real issue with the review because it's just false.

[@zyriantel9601]

Trust me, having a “True Gamer Card” would be a far bigger insult than anything else, you lucked out on that one. If it’s not being a “True Gamer” to just play video games, and enjoy them, but still have the sense enough to know what stinks about them, then fuck it, I’ll take those lumps.

[@BurningFyre]

A lot of people look at generational trauma and accept the justification that it was "for them", so they end up perpetuating it. Its really sad.

[@Nov-5062]

Ever since the release of Skyward Sword I'm fully convinced that scores for Zelda games are pretty much meaningless. If everything is a 10 out of 10, then nothing is.

[@shindean]

Even the worst Zelda game got 10/10. Nintendo gamers are like Apple products, you are stuck with limited options so you convinced yourself that it's of a higher-quality because you have no other option. Inconveniences: 10/10!

[@gozzilla177]

​@@shindean even some of my most favorite games in all of existence wouldn't get a god damn 10/10 what world do you think anything is that level of perfect on every level? 😂 those people are crazy lol

[@LeadHeadBOD]

In other news, grass is green. Seriously, although I understand why scores exist, they should be phased out for video games at least (probably most other media as well). It's an entirely arbitrary number that is not consolidated across any of the review or critique platforms and at this point causes more grief than good.

[@shindean]

@LeadHead ultimately the Nintendo Fanboys would have bought this game in Mass drones even if it was a terrible game. And they will still justify their purchase. No one game is perfect for all gamers.

[@obi-wan3916]

Botw is 7/10 and Totk is 9/10. Totk is much better than botw. Neither are 10/10 but giving Totk 7/10 is stupid imop, but everyone is entitled to give their own rating.

[@whilstdumping]

it's funny that the same people who tell you you didn't finish the game didn't read the review

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

Nowadays metacritic is the Bible for most

[@wilderbeast9368]

...Exactly? And also, they did?

[@justinianthe1st790]

​@@wilderbeast9368They didnt shale. They accused them of not using mechanics they mentioned using. Cope lol

[@danielgehring7437]

It's also funny that they're spending their time reading reviews rather than, you know, playing this game they claim is so fun and engaging. When you think about it that's a way, way worse, and more self-defeating, critique of the game than any reviewer could make.

[@Nov-5062]

@@SuiteLifeofDioBrando there are people who won't try a game that doesn't have a score of 85 and up. That's sad. Review scores are meaningless. some games with scores of 70s and 60s (and yes, even 50's) can be some of my favorite games ever, while some high ranked games are quite trash to me.

[@Alfje17]

The levels of depraved nudity at 4:19 were so severe that I had to lie down in a darkened room north of Yorkshire for almost 4 and a half minutes. Thank Sterling that our YT Overlords censored this smut so that the innocent kiddies will never get confronted by one of the most famous and influential works of art.

[@KarolMarcjan]

Blood for the Blood God! Bytes for the Algorithm! Mockery to Google!

[@COlimar788]

The inclusion of footage at the end of the video with (near?) complete hearts and fighting end game minibosses without drawing any attention to it is EXTREMELY funny. Well played lmfao, and great video as always.

[@jchampagne2]

RIght?! Had to scroll too far to see it mentioned, and you just know the detractors won't ever see it.

[@MrYago-xd7um]

@@jchampagne2 And even if they did watch all the way, they'd claim it was someone else's run in yet another reactionary fit of cognitive cannibalism where they act out trollish tropes to shield themselves from examination as to why they overreacted in the first place.

[@kazmark_gl8652]

​@alyssaegan-483 awww a snowflake has appeared. to fragile to call someone by their actual pronouns? to weak to actual read their very well written review? They clearly finished the fucking game.

[@comrade_snarky]

@Alyssa Egan touch grass

[@pedrogarcia8706]

@Alyssa Egan "Caved"? they said they liked the game, dog. 7/10 is a good score.

[@Deadpool-ef3cy]

I finished assassins creed valhalla including nearly all of the dlc and I can say with certainty that if you didn't enjoy the first few hours then you won't like the rest of the game as nothing really changes. Plenty of games you can easily tell within a few hours whether or not you'll like it and whether its worth sticking with.

[@zyriantel9601]

I dropped Remnant: From the Ashes within the first two hours because the core gameplay loop was sucking out my will to live, and the boss fights were absolutely horrendous affairs. You would not believe the amount of people who took umbrage with my feelings about the game and spent unhealthy quantities of time trying to convince me, “No no no, it gets way better after you get off earth! You’re not giving the game a fair chance!” If it takes me until reaching an entirely different world, which takes two hours or more to do depending on how fucked the world seed rolled, for me to start enjoying a game, _I’m going to go play a different game._ Preferably one where having fun is immediate, and doesn’t feel like trying to hunt down water in a cactus before I die of dehydration in the desert.

[@Jottagelado]

Some games do really get better after a few thousand hours, but even if it’s the case, it can be the ultimate masterpiece, i wont waste my limited amount of hours into existence, some of which I reserve for entertainment, sufferings trough a game I’m not enjoying for the promise that it maybe will bet better in the future.

[@jgn]

I had to beat kingdom hearts 3 once and then the game suddenly gets really good at the postgame DLC encounters

[@StrazdasLT]

Meanwhile plenty of games, especially the japanese ones, dont even start actual regular gameplay until 5 hours in :(

[@zenithquasar9623]

Yeah, majority of the games will have a gameplay loop that is complete within a few hours in. Even something like GTA that can keep adding layers, but you will get the sense of the core of the game in a few hours. And if you don't like the core of what you are doing, nothing that happens 20 hours in will change your view imo. If anything, often would change people's mind for the worse because at that point the novelty would wear off and you'd be left with "is this gameplay loop able to carry this game to the end and still be fun" type of thought.

[@jacobbalensiefer3846]

It’s weird how much I relate to this as a teacher. You only get people questioning your work and methods when someone receives a poor grade on a report card. Getting a C+ is a cause for alarm and call to audit every method of assessment when it should be “your kid is decent at reading but isn’t breaking any records.”

[@zyriantel9601]

Man, I feel for you. There was no question in my mind that I’m just a fuckup at math whenever I got a D in it, I can’t imagine trying to pin the blame on my teacher, who did literally nothing wrong but was simply unable to make the concepts connect with me in a way that made learning easier.

[@Sonichero151]

It's highly ironic since a 7/10 in school terms is..... a D-. it's a detrimental grade, and this has caused mass outrage with the Fandom just like when a ln entitled parent sees their child get a D- and proceed to flip out on the school.

[@snigwithasword1284]

But number is me!

[@lessevilnyarlathotep1595]

well, to be fair, sometimes professors and teachers are just assholes that have it out for certain students for whatever reason and this includes grading work unfairly, public humilliation and verbal abuse, etc. sometimes parents are just entitled though

[@abyssGazerTV]

It's really just because college expects A as a default minimum nowadays so the grading scale doesn't mean what it's supposed to anymore.

[@clencheastwood1571]

I just think it's funny (funny as in odd) how a score out of 10 has become effectively a score out of 5, where 7 is now considered average and anything 5 or below is just different ways to say the game was garbage.

[@whym6438]

It's how it works in the American school system, is why it's this way. People see a 6 as a D, a 7 as a C, etc.

[@Arexion5293]

@@whym6438 But even then it makes no sense. D is a passing score, meaning it is still a positive one. F is a negative score as it doesn't pass. 5/10 then is the minimum passing score, meaning it isn't negative but it also isn't positive enough to be beyond it. Still if it can reach 5/10 it is positive enough to pass.

[@jordanwiley4582]

@@Arexion5293 doesnt matter. its drilled into the heads of american youth that anything below a 70%, is "bad" and needs improvement.

[@Arexion5293]

@@jordanwiley4582 Sounds like their mistake to make. Guess they need better education.

[@Nuvizzle]

@@whym6438 No, it's because the games industry spent decades paying off major review outlets and blacklisting anyone who gave any of their "AAA" titles a score lower than a 7, which was considered a good score before that happened but because it became the MINIMUM score any major title was even ALLOWED to have, it's now considered a bad score.

[@Myrgard]

Its OK to love something AND be critical of it... this is something alot of people dont understand...

[@empanada223]

Yup. It's not just games either. It's all media: tv, books, movies. Games are the new kid on the block. They've not matured past being able to collectively reflect on basic criticism while pretending that peoples' "precious" hobby is under attack!

[@lui1115]

angry joe is critical of games , even the ones he likes, but he still gives 10/10 cause he knows what a successful game looks like

[@vivid8979]

I mean if you are criticizing a game, stick on it not what the fanbase thinks about your opinion because imho it's counter-productive to argue with the internet/The entire Zelda fanbase in general.... Entertaining such thought can spiral into this discussions that's not even relevant to the positives and negatives of the game itself..

[@moe5020]

Yeah no shit but you actually need to play something to review it, if you haven't experienced the full game you are incapable of giving a comprehensive review. If you don't want to finish a game then you need make a first impressions instead thats what the GOAT TotalBiscuit used to do.

[@albert2006xp]

@@lui1115 Angry Joe lost all validity when he gave Hogwarts 10/10. That game is the most barebones open world with a terrible dull story and that's a 10/10 because you get to fangirl about Harry Potter? I like people giving realistic opinions on stuff, but yeah they should have to finish the game.

[@Talon3000]

"I kept playing until I found the game was unbalanced, repetitive and boring" and therefor your review was more accurate. I believe you invalidated the argument against finishing games right there.

[@albert2006xp]

I'm sure it was but you should still finish the game to make sure it doesn't get better or worse. Isn't that the point of the review? To give people an idea of exactly how it is? If it feels even worse after finishing, then good, give it a even worse score. It's kind of your job.

[@Gestersmek]

@@albert2006xp Idk man I feel like if the game doesn't get good until after you reach the end of your patience for it, then there's not really that much of a reason to actually try and finish the game, even for a review.

[@tmsphere]

Never finish games, never play them, find something better to do with your time. Just watch the ending credits on youtube.

[@Lazirus951]

"They don't think you're disagreeing with their opinion, they think you're fighting the objective truth of the universe." - This is so well said and explains the desperate emotional state of some people.

[@GmodPlusWoW]

It's the same kind of obsolete neurological disorder that results in the formation of cults. The same kind of deranged, bestial tribalism that needs to be dispersed and removed from humanity altogether, replaced with an intrinsic capacity for critical thought.

[@LettaLeeJoy]

Its applicability goes well beyond video games that's for sure.

[@RacingSnails64]

This applies to all fanatics of all sides of all ideologies yeah. Subjectivity is implied because a person can only convey what they see from their own perspective and experience.

[@Gloomdrake]

​@@RacingSnails64sometimes it's okay to make fun of someone's subjective interpretation. For example, if someone thinks the movie _They Live_ is about Jewish people, you never have to take that person seriously ever again

[@jimballard1186]

I think it's more insidious than Steph puts it. To some people, truth isn't what you can observe in reality; rather, it's what you must force reality to be.

[@aeloswindrunner]

The phrase "the fanbase is FUCKING exhausting" is so great because it can apply so very very VERY broadly

[@gwynbleidd1917]

Yes absolutely. Like fromsoft fans can be so insufferable too lol

[@icecreambone]

honestly at this point i think that's just the nature of fandom in general, or at least fandom on social media

[@b0t123]

@@icecreambone yeah, this extends far beyond gaming

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

​@@icecreambone The best fandoms are the smallest ones. However you better accept you wont get much content from it

[@ShyRanger]

@@elvingearmasterirma7241 Eh, I get why you'd say that, cause smaller means less chance of bad people liking something, but then I'd still say it depends on who and what they defend. For example, there's still hardcore people who defend Digital Homicide, very VERY few, buta even if it's just a couple people, that's like incomprehensible.

[@GangstaMartinez]

I wish I had life problems like a Zelda game getting anything below 10/10

[@Skyking549]

Fr. They must have a lot of time on their hands.

[@MadMadNomad]

This outrageously successful game getting an incrementally lower metacritic score is truly the greatest issue facing our world today. I definitely can't see anything else happening right now that's worth getting mad about. 😁

[@ziaForest]

It's like, a step _above_ first world problems.

[@moe5020]

I mean all those people are just trolls who called Jim an idiot and then forgot about it, yet Jim has obviously spent time malding over all these worthless comments and has put out a video embarassing himself with yet more out of touch takes.

[@WarMasterX6]

On the point of forcing to eat something you dont like, my Aunt did this to me with her awful cooking. Cousins eventually secretly ate it for me after 5 hours of sitting at the table. Crazy enough she eventually became a professional chef who cooked the best meal ive ever had. Still never fully got over it.

[@VanessaVersus]

power of spite

[@ddjsoyenby]

at least she improved.

[@619ver1]

Forcing someone to eat something is just wrong and the "You sit till you eat" Tactic is stupid.

[@Elora445]

@@619ver1 Indeed. My parents tried to do it with me. Unknowingly at the time, I was/am autistic, so that tactic worked even worse in my case. In the end, my mother started making special food for me for those things I simply wasn't able to eat.

[@glenngriffon8032]

My parents tried that tactic when I was little. Unfortunately for them I'm very stubborn and willful. I never liked the way veggies feel when I chew them, the crunchy mushy feeling of onions or lettuce, or any kind of plant really, crushed between my teeth makes me feel physically ill. They tried making me sit at the table for hours but they always got bored and relented because when things get dull i can turn to my imagination and make up anything to entertain myself and there's only so many times you can not feed your kid before it stops being parenting and starts becoming abuse. I'm in my early 40's now, i still don't eat many vegetables unless it's part of stew or it's potatoes. I eat mostly meat and breads. I'm rather thin, only 155lbs, I'm in reasonably good health and the stuff that is screwed up about my health is congenital and would be an issue even if I was as fit as Ms. Universe.

[@jeremiah1293]

“I am not a freak of nature. […] I am a freak of SCIENCE!” Perfection.

[@StinkyBuster]

Double Deez nuts as well 😂

[@Arella17]

Perfect Merch slogan too

[@shreki2057]

That one just floored me.

[@s.crawford12]

She blinded me with science!

[@Technodreamer]

Damn, I'd like to call myself a freak of science.

[@HowdyHowdy_]

"You didn't review the quality of the game, just gave your humble opinion based on your tastes." What the fresh fnck do they think a review is then?

[@HitBoxMaster]

Something professional?

[@bipstymcbipste5641]

@@HitBoxMaster Something more substantial than you'd get talking with your friends just discussing a game you played in your free time. I'd expect a reviewer to go in more depth about the mechinics of it, the story, maybe music and stuff. why watch some guy tell me "idk, I kinda like it but I don't. It's not my type of game. 6/10", like thanks that's so worthless

[@ChristophBrinkmann]

​@@HitBoxMasterWell, JSS is a professional game reviewer

[@FakieStreams]

It's infinitely funny to me that people think 7/10 is a bad review. Numbers are hard!

[@PenguinWithInternetAccess]

People are used to game reviews rating any game between 7 to 10 out of 10 lmao

[@FalkaRiannon]

I was told it is because of the american grading system. To which my immediate reaction was "Basing one shit system off another shit system doesn't make either of them good all of a sudden now does it???"

[@Henshingod]

Part of the problem is that we think of review scores like we think of scores in school. Here in the US at least anything below a 6 or so on a test or assignment is a failing grade. So the game being given a 7 means that it's just better than failing. So I can see WHY there's backlash, but again, I don't see the point because A. That's not what the score means at all, and B. Nintendo fans really need so stop tying their personal self-esteem to how well their favorite company's games do. Nintendo doesn't care that JSS gave the game a 7. Hell, they don't even care about their fans, hence why rather than actually put out Mother 3 or a new F-Zero they spend their time and money taking down emulators (not pirated games, EMULATORS) that can play their games that have been out of print for decades and they have no intent of re-releasing.

[@EmperorPylades]

They've been trained by decades of the Four Point Scale, where 7 was the lowest rating you could ever give a game, or you risked the publisher pulled advertising and access for your website or magazine. And even then, you didn't want to risk giving that out too often or to too high profile a game. Anything under a 7 was reserved for indie or small dev projects, or something that literally didn't work. So they became The Forbidden Numbers.

[@I.____.....__...__]

I guess hose people have never see IMDB, pretty much everything is under 4-6/10 except for the overrated super-famous stuff that's, well, overrate.

[@becuaseimbored3481]

I love how the gaming space is so toxic that you don't even have to hate a game for them to be mad at you

[@ddjsoyenby]

ikr like 7 is still a good score, and you're allowed to think the game is perfect.

[@stevenclubb7718]

This is also video game fans who think a 7/10 means a garbage fire.

[@paritoshd]

I think we found out some time ago that they will be mad at you for liking a game too

[@zleeven]

​@@stevenclubb7718 I think review sites are kind of to blame, they give everything a 7 that is just shit. But yeah, people give way to much shit about review scores. While I respectfully disagree with Jim on totk, botw, I don't mind they going with a 7 out of ten, and I get why they did, they like the game, but the weapon breaking mequanic hurt the game for they. It like me and the new god of war, I love the story, and find the game play to be a bore. Edit he with they, correcting with proper pronouns. Did it out of habit, also thanks @resileaf for the correction.

[@resileaf9501]

@@zleeven They* and them*

[@syuserhdfiferrgh631]

I remember when James did a video on Death Stranding, a game I like very much but that she basically absolutely hated. And you know what I did, I completely forgot about it till right now. Caring so much about what other people think of a game you played screams on insecurity.

[@Darca1n]

It is simply so much more relaxing when you realise that people have tastes, which can often be different than yours. Death Stranding is a game I adore too, though I know very well that it may not be for everyone, and that is perfectly fine, and it's perfectly fine that people reviewing it also don't like it, they have their tastes as well. What matters is simply that they remark on this, and that the viewers/readers know roughly where their own tastes lie in relation to their own.

[@AsaTJ522]

You know what I honestly think? Millennials are traumatized because we saw Phantom Menace in the theater when we were kids and really liked it, then the Red Letter Media review came out when we were old enough to understand film criticism and we all became traumatized and started to wonder if the things we like are actually all garbage. This leads to people lashing out against a review they disagree with because they feel that they are once again getting owned by Mr. Plinkett for liking something that was bad, and we feel like we have to pile up a mountain of evidence to the contrary and try to discredit the person disagreeing with us.

[@dasaggropop1244]

@@AsaTJ522no idea what red letter media is but i still like the phantom mencace

[@Jdudec367]

@@Darca1n So then what's the point of reviews and review scores if everything is "subjective to tastes"?

[@Darca1n]

@@Jdudec367 To know how the game comes across to them and their particular tastes, and knowing the reviewer's tastes so you can compare them to your own. After all, what may put one person off can be appealing to another, and having a varied amount of sources can warn you ahead of time regarding flaws that reviewers with similar tastes to your own might not notice or may just brush aside. As for scores, it's a short-hand for how much the reviewer likes it imo. Simple as that.

[@mjc0961]

Thank you for including footage of slipping while wearing the anti-slip gear. It's hilarious to me how many complaints about your review I saw that revolved around "why are they still complaining about slipping in rain, there's anti-slip gear now!" because it just gave them away as having not played the game, or at least not enough to earn this gear. Because I did earn the gear. All 3 pieces. And Link still slips frequently and very far down while wearing it. Even after doing all 12 stable related side quests, just having all 3 pieces isn't enough. You also have to gather enough materials to upgrade each piece to at least level 2, and only THEN does it actually start working and prevent Link from slipping while climbing in rain. But none of the complainers knew that because they hadn't played the game. Like I said, MAYBE they got far enough to see it and know that it "raises slip resistance" (it doesn't), but they hadn't earned it and seen how useless it was for themselves yet. They told on themselves big time.

[@rolfs2165]

That's even more messed up than I thought. "Solving" the problem by forcing you to equip special armor just for that task is already "who greenlit this idea?" levels of stupid. But having to do all side-quests of one type to get the full set _and_ having to upgrade it is just … did they hire someone from Ubisoft who wasn't told that the game has no cash shop?

[@QueenSoledad]

The scream I scrumpt when I collected all those goddamn pieces and still slipped down the fucking wall anyway 💀

[@Ahrpigi]

Slipping is such a brain-dead idea to begin with, it's idiotic when a game fights back against you actually playing it. Anytime the clouds open up it's like "go get a sandwich, you're not allowed to do anything right now"... The anti slip gear that *doesn't even work* is just plain insulting.

[@zyriantel9601]

I’ve been getting a hoot out of the people trying to claim “muh realism” as an argument. We have giant fairy women who hang out in bejeweled ponds, the local princess is literally blessed by the goddess, the Master Sword can repair itself magically, there are one-eyed ogres who wear weapons as a necklace, you can teleport to shrines and towers… And y’all wanna try and bank on _realism_ as your counterargument against people complaining about obnoxious weather events. Yeah, sure, have fun with that.

[@MilkieMouse]

Slipping in Zelda is just as bad as tripping in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. So anyone who defends or even accepts it is an absolute drooler. It sucks, it will always suck, and their solution to the problem they created also kinda sucks.

[@alaeriia01]

I think people don't understand that Steph uses the entire 10 points on the scale. 7/10 is a great score, signalling that the game is solid, with a few annoying things that spoil the fun (weapon durability).

[@shindean]

Steph is more than fair. This isn't a new game, why would it receive a better score for one new game play aspect and still keeping all the flaws of the previous?

[@wilderbeast9368]

*Jim

[@wilderbeast9368]

@@shindean *Jim

[@M_M_ODonnell]

It's like the delivery and taxi-service-pretending-not-to-be-in-order-to-cheat-the-workers services with their five-star review scale -- anything other than a 5 effectively counts as a 0, at which point it's just a binary rating rather than a scale. Steph is fighting the good fight for making review scales actually useful! (Tuning a scale or a measurement range so that the whole range is meaningful is something that shows up in engineering, too...I've seen it in problems adjacent to my own work, and even without it being my focus it's frustrating to see how hard a concept it is for some people.)

[@shindean]

@Wilderbeast actually I watched the video when Steph came out and said it is OK to refer them as either Stephanie or Jim if they were a long time viewer. You are nether, so stfu

[@garthenar]

Fucking hell. When you said he forced you to eat something I wasn't expecting what happened next. Like, making a kid eat their vegetables before desert is one thing, but what you described is abuse. Thanks for sharing Steph.

[@deefpaladin]

I think you nailed it. It's a lot like a conspiracy theory. People believe that Zelda is an objectively factually good game, and when you say otherwise, you're not disagreeing about a video game, you're disagreeing with their view of reality.

[@Slurpy2k8]

Eh, game with a 97% average is an objectively, factually good game in any fucking universe no matter how you slice it.

[@michaelboyes5849]

@@Slurpy2k8 Unless words have meanings, in which case "objectively" doesn't apply here. Shame public schools fail so many people.

[@fellipepessoa1685]

​@@Slurpy2k8 that's the thing tho. Steph agrees that's it's a good game. They gave Zelda a 7/10, that's a good score no matter how you look it. The fans are just annoyed because they refuse to accept anything below a 9

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

Not to mention Stephanie agree it's a good game, she loved it, just a 7/10 cause some stuff she didn't clash with

[@djr7rain]

I mean the game works as intended and caters to basic design and gameplay principles, by all accounts and purposes it is objectively and factually a good game, then again most finished games typically are.

[@MungkaeX]

How did JSS get off the Sky Island if they only played 20 minutes? Is JSS actually the greatest Blind Speedrunner ever?

[@katzcribe2992]

The freak of nature comeback actually reinforced my will to live, thank you Steph

[@FalkaRiannon]

The "You didn't finish the game" argument is always so weird to me. "The game was shit." - "You didn't finish it thought!" - "Yes because the game was so bad that I didn't want to play it anymore. That's the definition of being a shit game."

[@ddjsoyenby]

plus there's mmo's which can't be beaten 100%

[@Reach_W]

And heck, you just know they'd move the goalposts to fit. There are like twenty different definitions of how to "beat" BotW and TotK, for instance.

[@irregularstuff5290]

@@ddjsoyenby don't they demand mmos to be played for 100 hours or so? Like anyone would actually have time for this with other games on horizon.

[@resileaf9501]

It's not like it's possible to finish and review every game. Games are hundreds of hours long, reviewers on sites like IGN get a few hours on each game at best because they have dozens they have to review at any point in time (which is why the score is usually pre-determined ahead of time).

[@teacozy]

a 7/10 isn't a "this game is shit and it was so bad i didn't want to play it anymore" rating at all lol. not really relevant

[@blackdragon5274]

The fact that people think you have to finish a game before you know whether you like it or not is so weird. Cause it really only applies to when you say you dislike it. "I'm only 10 minutes in, and I already know this is a masterpiece!" *Nothing but praise and agreement* "I've played for 3 hours, and I just can't get into it." *Endless toxicity*

[@pteriforever]

really, it should take much longer to tell if a game is legitimately amazing than to tell if it's legitimately awful.

[@tonycalderone4539]

Steph, and Laura! I really appreciated the subtitles! I'm not hearing impaired, but I do have a new baby, and I love being able to listen to the jimquisition at a low volume, while still being able to parse what is going on, and minimizing the chance of waking my cute little goblin. Much love from a long time fan!

[@klisterklister2367]

Congrats on baby!

[@ForlornFea]

It’s going to get drowned out by the Zelda discourse, but I am really sorry that you had to go through that abuse. It’s brave of you to open up about it like that. I hope you know your honesty and strength has been an inspiration to many of us.

[@talonhammer]

Yeah honestly I went through the same thing multiple times in early childhood. Turns out I was allergic to the food and that's why I didn't like it. My parents still kinda don't believe in my allergy. So it was pretty cool to know a legend like Steph went through it too

[@randomtinypotatocried]

@@talonhammer Same with my parents. I didn't know I was allergic to certain foods and my parents would always gaslight me into believing I was just having a panic attack eating certain foods

[@banditferretell5231]

My step-dad didn't believe in my cabbage allergy (even tho it was a mild allergy), forced me to stomach down cabbage and brussel sprouts (same family) even though I would be nauseous and unwell after eating. It eventually culminated in him forcing me to eat a plate full of corned cabbage, which made me vomit on the floor 30 minutes after

[@jadedheartsz]

same thing here, I remember when Brad Jones talked about that in his review of Home Sweet Home. My parents forced me to eat Asparagus and it made me gag so much I threw up and couldn't keep it down, never ate it again since.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Guess which "selfish horrible willful stubborn" kid who refused/got upset at food sometimes apparently "just to make trouble" for my parental units later got diagnosed with Crohns? 🤡

[@lordguncake3513]

I am so SO confused at why they have an issue with a 7/10. A 7 is a GOOD GAME. It's literally on the higher end of the scoring chart. Boggles the mind.

[@coffee115]

Since most gamers are American who scream about this, It's due to the American public school grading system is my best guess. out of 100, 59 would be a failing grade. In a mindset where 59/100 is a failure, a 7/10 to them is closer to a 5/10 to anyone else. Once I figured this out, a lot of the anger becomes explainable. It's so stupid.

[@MasterMemo]

​@@coffee115 yeah, in our schools, 70% is the lowest C you can get. For some people, Steph is calling TotK a C-, which I don't think they actually are. And even if they were, who cares? It's one person's review.

[@Wiimeiser]

I remember a magazine in my country (Australia) where the lower half was "Plumber Coin Slot" or something and the rest went from "barely mediocre" to "perfect". I only remember two games getting in that lower half: _Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse_ and _Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure_ (The one the AVGN reviewed one Christmas)

[@LPTheGas]

@@coffee115 it's not JUST that readers take it that way, it's all the review outlets that have treated 7 as average for the same reason for years and years now. I've said for a long time that if we're going to have scores at all - and to be clear, I think we shouldn't, I think the words of a review should speak for themselves, especially since so often the score doesn't seem to match them - it should be a 5 star scale strictly without half-stars. That gets us away from the school grades mentality and gives you just enough granularity - 1 for unplayable garbage, 2 for sub-par, 3 for mediocre, 4 for good, 5 for instant classic. Any more granularity than that steps away from the actual purpose of reviews and into feeding into wanky debates about game A being better than game B because game A got a 97.4 Metacritic average while game B only got 97.2.

[@Bloodglas]

there seem to be a lot of people in various communities that see a 1-10 scale and instead use it as a 1-5 by ignoring half of it and only using the 6-10. so they see a 7/10 as a 2/5.

[@larsg.2492]

And then there are the Digimon fans who are thankful for every game released in their region and fully aware that it will suck. 😓

[@TheLeftistOwl]

I really don't get how people don't realize a review is a communication of your experience with a piece of art, not a complete dissertation on everything in the piece of art. You don't have to experience everything in a piece of art to come to a conclusion about how you felt about it.

[@1IGG]

People have been trained to see video games as children toys. And toys have product tests, not critiques.

[@AkodoKusamoto]

Exactly. I'm a huge fan of Rodin. 10/10. However, I find Matisse less relatable and I don't like his use of color. 6/10. Am I wrong? No. It's my opinion of each artist. And my opinion varies even within those artist's particular works. Art is personal and I don't get inconceivably angry at people who aren't Rodin fanboys like me.

[@theomegajuice8660]

I do at least get why someone might be angry at a negative review that made them avoid a game they would have liked. It's still silly but I understand it. I'm totally baffled by people who get angry at reviews for things they have already played and enjoyed as if it was capable of going back in time and erasing the time they had with it

[@paradoxxor7770]

Hard disagree, I watch reviews to be informed before I spend money 💰 ⚖️ But you may be correct, as a lot of reviews are just as you described. I guess that explains why I don't watch as many reviews anymore 😑

[@TheLeftistOwl]

@@1IGG I don't know what that has anything to do with what I said

[@OstianOwl]

Oops, was I doing this whole "being a Zelda fan" thing wrong by actually enjoying the games and respecting other people's opinions about them instead of wasting my time getting upset over someone not thinking a video game is the second coming of Christ? My bad, guys.

[@ianperesmusic]

9:23 "fans who are more fragile than the average Hylian broadsword." Fucking amazing 😂

[@TenchiSenpa1]

Legend

[@Zappygunshot]

I'd call it a deep cut if the blade was able to make it there without disintegrating.

[@lui1115]

im sorry who is the one making a video crying over opossing opinions ? is it jim? i think it is. fragility goes both ways, u can also call it passion. but u call it fragility to suit ur side

[@moe5020]

@@PretendingToBeAHuman Thats not the point, Jim is doing the classic immature "nuh uh you are the mad one seething and coping and I don't actually care at all". Which is beyond stupid because obviously if you were so apathetic you wouldn't be making a video complaining about it and you wouldn't be taking such an incredibly reductive, insulting, dismissive tone. No matter how much you desperately try and dunk on comments you will never win because ultimately those people just spewed out some BS and went on with their day they probably haven't even watched this video lol, so Jim trying to call them out after they are long gone obviously just looks pathetic on his part and makes him look big mad which is exactly what they wanted. Also choosing to focus on random comments shows me that Jim is too immature or too scared to engage in the actual discussion about how much of a game a reviewer needs to play before offering a full review and would rather use mean YT comments to paint everyone who disagrees as an irrational fanboy.

[@DoktahDoktah]

If Gollum comes out, nobody questions anybody for not finishing it because its a bad game. But a game comes out that you can have an opinion on suddenly its "bah u dinna finh da gam!"

[@HowdyHowdy_]

I'm shocked people think 7/10 is a bad review, in a landscape where most games are lucky to get above 3 or 4, and a decade of crushing new record low reviewed games, a 7 is glowing.

[@tafua_a]

They've been conditioned by many KZbin reviewers to think that if a game is "ok", then it's even worse than a 2/10. Either you love something or you hate it to them.

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

You have better chances of having your boomer dad accepting you aren't straight than a Zelda fan accepting you don't like their franchise that much. I talk from experience here.

[@tretretre1111]

What if your boomer dad is a Zelda fan?

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

@@tretretre1111 Mercy on your soul. At least I'm in the clear from that. LOL

[@Wyattporter]

Yeah, because game reviewers should experience all of the potentially hundreds of hours of content in a game in the days or single week they have before it releases/stops being relevant.

[@TikiShades]

listen, if the first 299 hours of a game sucks and you stop playing it for your review, you'd never play that last hour of gameplay that would be so good that the whole game becomes a 10/10

[@paradoxxor7770]

I mean, you gotta finish the main story & see the credits 🔍 I wouldn't trust anyone who watches only half a movie & rates it a 65.

[@danielgehring7437]

@@paradoxxor7770 Actually I'd probably believe someone who couldn't finish a movie (or, like, falls asleep halfway through) _more_ than someone who sat through the whole thing. But that might just be my inner pessimist talking.

[@mjc0961]

@@paradoxxor7770 This game can be hundreds of hours long. A movie is at most 3 hours? Absolutely terrible comparison.

[@MechanicaMenace]

​@@paradoxxor7770"so bad I couldn't finish watching it" is a valid review.

[@sandwich2473]

The "they'll always find something else" thing really rings true there's an artist on twitter who only gets nothing but endless tirades of abuse because she draws art from reference and no matter what she does, she'll never be able to prove to those people that the art is real and she makes it I don't understand what makes people hate like that monsters, the lot of them

[@MakoHazard]

Are you saying she traces? Because all professional artists use reference. That's one of the earliest things they stress you do when starting out. Eventually you can rely on it less as you memorize forms, but reference is always important. Source: am an illustrator.

[@HonsHon]

​@@MakoHazard Another tip for wanting to draw that I have found is drawing geometric shapes to practice shading on. The practice will look like shit, but the results are astounding once you draw something more serious

[@michimatsch5862]

Holy shit I am just 12 minutes in and there are so many good lines in this one already. The commander has outdone herself. "These are medically induced. I am a freak of science!", is so good.

[@michimatsch5862]

Also, my comment got hearted and then it disappeared so here it is again...dunno what happened there.

[@kyleshape8645]

"Fecal Hoagie"

[@masterbasher9542]

Probably a salty KZbin bot. Not wanting frankly honest opinions hiding behind the GAMERS(TM) label.

[@thehumantoeRD]

Imagine putting so much of your identity into something like a video game where you feel personally attacked by a 7/10 game review.

[@Hyphaenation_live]

Yea, I don't get it. Has consumerism gone to far? Yes, yes it has and it did it about 40 years ago.

[@RacingSnails64]

Even more bizarre as 7 is A GOOD SCORE. 6 is meh, but 7 is good!! That's like a B or a C! I'd be concerned if Sterling gave it a 4/10. But 7 is like "oh yeah, they liked it but they're not in love with it, a few issued with it assumably. Oh well."

[@LegallyBlindGamer727]

@@RacingSnails64 this. like it was a 5 maybe id ask what they were smoking but i honesty idgaff. they dont like the the game as much as i do. holy shit an opinion that different from mine. what shall i do? fucking move on. goddamn im autistic with zelda as my special interest for life and i dont care that they gave it a 7/10 who the fuck carressss. basically if i dont care then the normies shouldnt gaf either really

[@ItWasBetterBefore]

I feel like it's got something to do with existential meaning. As in, this game is so perfect that playing it gives their lives purpose it wouldn't otherwise have, and a lower score undermines that sense of purpose. Such is life in our capitalist hellscape.

[@GuyIncognitoIV]

I've long stopped being surprised by the sheer patheticness of Gamers™ but they do sometimes manage to impress me

[@mirrorocean]

SO offended that this masterpiece got age-restricted. KZbin should be thanking (god for) you, not punishing you.

[@ASFalcon13]

Not gonna lie...when they pulled the 7/10 out of the chest, I laughed my ass off 🤣

[@Deadaccountant]

ROFL I love this. Such a magically sassy moment.

[@TheDiner50]

? 7/10 was quite a high score. Shocking really. I mean the game is technically impressive etc. Still find it hard to give it more then 8. Maybe 9 if i played it but that has to be down to how impressive it is being able to run on such a slow turd of a device. And really it is Nintendon't. So 10/10 is not even a option.

[@Whitesaber211]

oh that got an insta like and good old laugh from me when I saw that

[@LittleBlackDragon]

The 'oops I did it again' in the background as they did that absolutely had me in hysterics. 😂

[@Harukurochan]

It’s the way the chest clicked that did it for me. 😂

[@roseredflechette-vidya]

I love TOTK way more (2 whole extra more points out of 10, it loses a point for the awful uneditable control scheme on which we're in total agreement) than JSS, but I love their 7/10 so much b/c of how mad it makes people, and its a lovely reminder that I'm capable of getting upset about things of consequence, by contrast. Its a lovely game and it makes me feel like a kid again, and JSS' comedic gold complaints echo in my head whenever a weapon/shield breaks. Their 7/10 has actually enhanced my enjoyment of a game I already would've personally rated higher. Never stop being you. You're awesome.

[@raptorgames]

I like the passive aggressiveness of showing footage right at the end which proves you've gotten the maximum number of Stamina and Health upgrades in the game, as well as fighting the hardest and most out of the way mini-boss for (at minimum) a second time.

[@xenasBS]

And then you give "gone home" a high score and they shit their pants just as hard. P.S. My girlfriend had the same experience with a bunch of food. Her dad was a cheff, so when she didnt like something it'd be "eat it or don't sleep." Every time it happened it made her more food averse which made it happen more. Parents can be right bastards.

[@baydiac]

Happened to me with dairy products and later certain green vegetables. "You're such a brat for forcing yourself to throw up after eating, or sitting in the bathroom for hours afterwards. Who do you think you're fooling??? Give me your phone so you can't bring it in there!" Turns out I'm lactose intolerant and have GI issues that were exacerbated by forcing me to eat cheese all the time. If a vegetable is one that's naturally difficult to digest, I have an even harder time with it than most people. Not liking something sometimes means you're essentially allergic to it and being forced to eat it is equivalent to microdosing you with rat poison. Why people defend forcefeeding as non-abusive behavior is beyond me considering the very real risk of hurting their child.

[@constantreader1422]

​@@baydiaci'm sorry you went through that. i'm struggling with a lot of food issues from parents myself, currently in my early thirties just for reference, and it's hard not to feel shame about it. comments like yours help make it less shameful, thsnk you!

[@VioletTheGeek]

My mom tried to make me eat a PB&J sandwich once that I didn't want to eat because the jelly had made the bread soggy. I was too young at the time to effectively communicate this, so I just sat there at the table and stared at it in disgust and cried. In her defense, though, she felt bad about it later in life and apologized.

[@baydiac]

@@constantreader1422 I turn 24 this summer so I definitely agree it doesn’t really go away. I had texture issues as well (melted, gooey, stretchy cheese was a big Nope) so I still take cheese off my pizza to this day even with lactaid pills. I’ll eat most vegetables now if they’re cooked to the point that most of the digestion was already handled while cooking (burning the edges of brussel sprouts and green beans louisiana style is chef’s kiss, and the texture of celery isn’t as horrific if it’s in a soup) but there are still some things I just completely refuse.

[@Otterino]

Actually, Jim, my uncle works at Nintendo, and he cried for a whole hour when he found out you gave TotK a 7/10. A whole _hour!_

[@pearsonm957]

Thats longer than Steph '8 hearts' Sterling plade TotK

[@Secret_Takodachi]

​@@pearsonm957plade

[@MungkaeX]

He’s been really emotional since he found out your aunt was cheating on him with some transgendered game reviewer. Had he found out a week before his personal life had fallen apart, that 7/10 wouldn’t have phased him.

[@Thejoshuaberthiaume]

I have been watching this channel for many years, people who make the products they consume the center of their identity have always reacted badly to criticism of the things they like because they see them as a personal attack. Dont make things your identity people, products will disappoint you.

[@albert2006xp]

Just look at From Soft fans. People are making Elden Ring reviews at gunpoint.

[@Slinaro]

Something that boggle my mind is the idea that 7/10 is seen as a bad mark. Now in France, we tend to mark on 20 instead of 10, but even tho, a 14/20 is good ! If you have that mark on a school test, it would be considered good. Not "good enough", not "should be better", but just genuinely "good". Yes, a 18 would be considered "very good" but it's only a difference of like, 4 points, which is not a lot.

[@SlowJamsAndJellies]

I'm from the US and anecdotally I've heard that the US has a lot of "grade inflation" in our schools, while French teachers have no problem with giving kids low scores. I'd be interested to see a full cultural comparison of French vs US teachers, movie/video game reviewers, etc. when it comes to scoring systems to see if people in the US are more inclined to give mediocre products higher numbers just because we feel like we have to

[@barbaros99]

@@SlowJamsAndJellies Do you guys still have the W. Bush era's "No Child Left Behind" program going? If memory serves, it took funding from schools with low scoring students and gave it to those with high scoring students. It would make sense then, for teachers to artificially inflate scores so their school doesn't lose what little money they already have.

[@donnerrizza5104]

In México 6 is a pass in the early grades of schooling, later 7 is the barely pass... So 7 is a pass or barely good, 8 good, 9 really good, 10 either great, your favorite, or the elusive and stupid "perfect" why would people... Transfer the value of infinite to a ten... Always eluded me, I mean for my an impossible concept should be paired with a impossible concept so perfect is not full score is infinite, or just something you don't try to compare to... But now I'm just venting about how I feel talking about perfection is stupid

[@redwitch95]

The UK's the same, a 40% is the minimum pass score at university level (roughly the same before that). 70% is the start of the highest grade boundary, which is only given to *really* great essays!

[@ritchski1]

7 to me is not a great score, means the game is ok, but everyone has thier own idea. 8 I’d say means they liked it but I pretty much ignore these reviews. ACG has the right idea not applying a number, each part of the game is examined, so I take more notice there as he looks at the parts I find important

[@TheEpicTone]

Oh lord, the freak of science clap back was amazing. Love you Steph, keep being your amazing self.

[@resileaf9501]

We should all strive to be freaks of science.

[@klisterklister2367]

Can I still be a freak of nature? Sounds cool

[@Lectrikfro]

@@klisterklister2367 Absolutely. Especially if your freak of natureness (freakness of nature?) was so severe that you had to become a freak of science to survive

[@glenngriffon8032]

@@klisterklister2367 you go be whatever kind of freak you want to be, but you commit. Whatever you do, do it well.

[@zyriantel9601]

How hard would it be to become a freak of metascience?

[@chefnerd]

"i am a freak of science" made me actually laugh out loudly. rock on, steph! :D

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

Medically Induced Tits is my next band name damn it.

[@SorasShadow1]

as someone who didn't finish Tears of the Kingdom (or BotW for that matter), i actually quite liked and agreed with your reviews. it's entirely possible to enjoy a thing and not also think it's the next coming of christ

[@strawhatmonty22897]

If you're critique was the breakable weapons you're critique is with it's core design philosophy. The weapons being breakable are integral to the games overall design

[@Xfade81]

@@strawhatmonty22897 if your*. And another your*. Also, piss off. Weapon breaking is artificial padding.

[@e4gail]

Your notes on FF 13 was spot on and mimics mine. I got to the last area and dropped the game after like 60 hours. There was one random effect from one enemy that would randomly just make you lose the game with nothing to stop it. Just made me angry and I didn't give a shit after that.

[@zyriantel9601]

Ah, the Death status. To this day, I have to sincerely wonder why Square thought that that was anything resembling a good idea. (Course, I also have to wonder why I even have a party if only the character I’m controlling matters as to whether I get a game over or not, and I still have no clue why Square loves Lightning to death, because she is entirely insufferable, but if I sit here and list all my grievances with FF13, I’ll be here all damn month.)

[@QuintessentialQs]

I played 3 hours of FF13, said "This is the worst Final Fantasy, maybe the worst JRPG, I've ever played." and stopped without ever regretting it.

[@zyriantel9601]

@@QuintessentialQs Smart call, it gets worse the longer you play

[@QuintessentialQs]

@@zyriantel9601 It's insane to me that anyone likes it. I spent (and timed it) 30 straight minutes, just holding "up" on the joystick and pressing "X" repeatedly, not making a single gameplay decision. The plot was non-sensical. You're literally expected to read an in-game encyclopedia to understand anything of what's going on, which is the worst kind of storytelling I can imagine. I sometimes fantasize about a world where after Sakaguchi retired from Square, that Matsuno and Takahashi had been kind of promoted up to the "big idea" guys steering the ship at the company instead of Nomura and Toriyama.

[@zyriantel9601]

@@QuintessentialQs Oh, not even the encyclopedia helps, because the Thirteen Days plot thread that predates the start of the game gets told to you horrendously out of order for the sake of drama. The only way you know what day is being talked about is the game telling you when the cutscene starts. I wasn’t aware Tetsuya Nomura was even still at Square Enix. I feel like I remember reading somewhere that he left the company, or am I crazy?

[@VillainousMuse]

How sad and narcissistic do you have to be to think someone is doing something JUST to piss *you* off specifically?

[@OsirisLord]

You can look at the box art for the game, see it has the words Zelda on it, give it a 10/10, and you've played the game enough to satisfy the fans.

[@bob23301]

I love it when Steph upsets the Nintendo mob, but the scary part is that is its quite obvious that a lot the posts were made by grown adults in the 30s/40s and maybe even older, and that is quite scary to say the least.

[@MungkaeX]

I’m hurt and offended by Steph not breaking out Duke Amiel du H’ardcore to read some of those comments.😢

[@bob23301]

@@MungkaeX I would have loved that. :)

[@shindean]

And when Super Mario doesn't win the Academy Award for best animated film, you can probably guess who is going to be the first to complain😂

[@Physictsdrumtoo]

@@shindean no one from what I’ve seen thinks Mario is worthy of the best animated film. The story is going to be there if Jack Black doesn’t win best original song. That’s where the drama is going to be.

[@shindean]

@Dr.Robert Ballard is more of man than Ronnie Radke lol oh you sweet summer child, just wait until they announce the nominees 🤣

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I actually loved Tears of the Kingdom...but there is no way I can give it 10/10 in its state. While the weapon durability and slippery walls didn't bother me, what did bother me was the inept way the sages were handled compared to the abilities in BOTW (seriously, you pretty much have to turn them off to keep them from getting in your way), and the complete lack of quick access gear sets. Having to equip items individually every time you need to change something wasn't QUITE as bad in BOTW because there weren't nearly as many sets, but when you spend more time in the menu switching items than you do fighting there's something wrong. These issues would be very very easy to resolve with an update. The really dumb thing about my two big gripes is the framework to fix both of them already exists in the game. The autobuild interface would work perfectly for switching gear sets quickly and easily (you could make say 10 sets). And the sages could just be made to work the way the abilities did in BOTW.

[@umlammy]

I was eating while watching this and the "You're off the gamer force, hand in your gamer badge." bit almost made me choke. Too funny

[@Blissvisions]

"I'm not a freak of nature, I'm a freak of SCIENCE!" ...t-shirt material if I have ever heard it. Brilliant!

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

I had a monster for a Dad too, my step dad wasn't much better either. My Dad tried to take me into a strip club when I was 15... he went in alone and left me out on the street refusing to go in. He got kicked out 5 minutes later for being a perverted freak.

[@mitsurugi52]

I love the boglin logo at the intro. That's damn inspired.

[@phoenixheart79]

"I am a freak of science!" That's it, I'm dead. She just perfected comedy.

[@TeddieSage1987]

Zelda fans mass-reported it because of course they would...

[@ShyRanger]

They

[@Raiyn121B]

“Fandoms” have basically devolved into “My singular personality trait is this thing I like”. So to these very sad individuals if you say you don’t like “thing” they have based their whole existence around you don’t like them. And they are right. It makes them insufferable and boring.

[@purrpocalypse]

It's even the same with people defending raising prices and predatory post sales transactions. They're not really defending them. But their entire identity is being a gamer, and as such, if you attack the industry practices you're attacking who they are as a person.

[@sophitiaofhyrule]

Please consider autistic people with special interests. Obviously harrassing people over reviews is wrong in any context, but there's nothing wrong with making a thing you like a big part of your personality. Autistic people can't control how much they like something.

[@purrpocalypse]

@@sophitiaofhyrule I'm autistic... I still don't feel the need to defend things that are unjust. In fact, we tend to have a very strong sense of justice in general, so something like unfair consumer practices or pricing sticks out like a sore thumb, especially when it comes to our special interests.

[@88cryingwolf]

I noticed the person who said that you use an AI to write reviews actually wrote down IA. In the field of medicine IA refers to intermittent auscultation which refers to listening to a person with a struggling heart rate, usually with with a stethoscope. So without thinking about it any further I'm going to assume you wrote the review with this stethoscope somehow. If you could please invent a story about how you did that I'd love to hear it 😁

[@AB-fh9zh]

That story would go to dark places and we would love it.

[@ReddKnight10]

I used to love Steph Sterling but they really fell off when they started using that stethoscope to write all their reviews

[@hibachimk240]

IA is AI, in French.

[@88cryingwolf]

@@hibachimk240 does this channel have a large French viewership that has remained silent until now?

[@VileLasagna]

@@88cryingwolf I think all Latin languages so it could be just a drive-by-Brazil type situation

[@Zedilt]

I'm a Sonic fan, and i approve of this message.

[@MxPokirby]

It was still kinda needlessly mean

[@KonDragon008]

I (painfully) understand the feeling of being attacked for reviewing something I didn't finish. I used to write a lot of anime reviews, and there were a couple which were so bad that I couldn't bring myself to watch more than a few episodes. And you're right; it's not that they're angry that I reviewed it without finishing it, they're angry that I gave it a low score. But it's as you said: If I hated it after a certain amount of time, any addition time would just make me hate it even more.

[@TheOblivionMan]

See, the thing is that if you actually did show a 100% save file to people making this argument, they'd immediately shift to saying "Well you obviously were engaged enough to keep playing it to completion, so you must have actually loved it and the score being so low is just some performative hipster crap..." without even pausing for breath.

[@AstraVex]

I would've finished Gollum if the developers finished *MAKING IT!!!!* 😂

[@zyriantel9601]

They could’ve called that game Oof and it would’ve been a perfect summary of events

[@esbenm2715]

Some claim it is an integral mechanic, fair enough I guess, but one thing you can NOT say about the durability system is that it is realistic. You can find an actual Roman gladius in working condition today. You can't have a realistic durability system with no repair options.

[@AikenDrum1715CE]

Had to pause the video to go and laugh loudly in the kitchen at "suck on double deez .... nutz.". Well played Jim Stephanie 'Freak of Science' Sterling. Well fucking played!

[@static_anachromatic]

Ever a voice of reason, and ever needed. I'm sorry about the things you have to go through.

[@petrihaikonen2528]

I still find your "you're either with us or you aren't" extremely divisive

[@HarmGeerts]

Most players won't finish the game. So a review that covers what most players will experience is very honest 😛

[@Icecreammac1]

The footage of you selling your eight hearts to the dark goddess statue at the end was a subtle bit of humor that I greatly appreciated. Very nice, Steph. I also agree with you; arguing that a review is invalid because the reviewer didn't finish the game (whatever that means--could be beating the final boss or full-on completion, the point still stands) would invalidate tons of glowing reviews of the game, as well.

[@Icecreammac1]

@Connor O'Brady That's another great point. Like you and Steph said, by that logic, all the terrible reviews games like Gollum and Redfall are getting would be invalidated because the reviewers aren't finishing the game. As for the weapon degradation in the game, I'm still not a fan even when they tried to justify it in-game (all that gloom is weakening the weapons of the land or something). Like, I guess I'm glad they're justifying it in-game unlike in BotW, but it's still a monumental pain in the ass early game.

[@zyriantel9601]

@@Icecreammac1 I could’ve forgiven weapon degradation in BotW, even though it didn’t bother me much (Fire Emblem, yo), if the game had leaned harder into Calamity Ganon actually having destroyed everything. Hylian weapons breaking because they’re 100 years old and also got horrifically damaged during the fighting? That makes sense, that’s fine. But the second you reach Kakariko Village, and then the four major cities beyond, all of whom are A-okay but for the monsters and Divine Beasts hassling them, it stops making any kind of sense. Worse is when you find high-grade Knight and Royal gear that are all gleaming as though they were freshly forged. Or when you start building - _building!_ - anti-Guardian gear that still somehow breaks in ten minutes of combat application. The Hylian Shield being nigh-indestructible because it’s so rare and only given out to the most worthy, and otherwise kept locked away, and the Master Sword magically repairing itself because it’s a heavenly weapon, are about the only two other times where the equipment degradation makes any kind of sense. Real life weapons don’t fall to pieces from being swung around too much, we would not have historical weaponry on display in museums if they were so shit. But try explaining that to Nintendo, who doubled down on it, or the fanboys, who will make up a thousand and one excuses for why it’s perfectly fine and you’re just bad at the game. The fact that there’s weapon degradation doesn’t bother me, it’s the fact that it’s been implemented in such a shit way that bugs me.

[@Icecreammac1]

@@zyriantel9601 I highly agree. And you're right; real-world weapons don't break apart and become completely unusable after hitting someone fifty times. Shoot, I don't even like weapon degradation in the Soulsborne games, and Bloodborne is my favorite game. Don't get me wrong, I know that weapon breakage is put in for balance purposes, but in my opinion, it doesn't enhance the experience of playing a game. Using BotW and TotK as examples since this vid was about them, if your weapons break after ten hits, and there aren't many other weapons around to salvage, it's a ridiculous pain in the ass, but if weapons break after ten hits and the game showers you with weapons (and fusion material) like BotW and TotK do, then what's the point of the weapons breaking in the first place? The argument I've heard is that it "encourages" (re: forces) you to try out different weapon types, and I can see the use in trying out, say, swords vs. spears, but I don't want the game telling me to stop having fun with the sword I was using and to instead use the spear I snatched up in my haste to get a fallen enemy's loot. And if it turns out I really hate spears, I'll just ignore all the spears I find anyway and only pick up swords (because the game showers me with all kinds of weapons). Just let me compare the weapons I pick up, see which attack patterns and stats I like more, and use my preferred choice without forcing me to use a weapon that end up disliking.

[@drangus8818]

Lmao JSS telling a heart breaking story about abuse while link parades around in his cece hat is pure gold

[@shindean]

I was five minutes away from beating Death Stranding. I hated the game, i forced myself to get that far. But somehow, those last 5 minutes will redeem it? NOPE

[@gonesnake2337]

More power to Steph! 7/10 is a good review. Do people not knowhow numbers work?

[@9652769]

i probably bias but my academic experience make this score seems... average. (This is a C.)

[@meandkitty8387]

Depends in which country. North America is very generous with grades. 70% is an good grade in most places. It's kinda crazy how much of a gap there is in terms of equivalences. (As someone who's been in academia in and out of North America).

[@Xiatter]

7/10 in video game reviews is more often seen as a "skip" than a good game.

[@zyriantel9601]

@@Xiatter Boggles the mind, really. I see a 7/10 and my curiosity gets piqued.

[@krull1981]

Getting deja vu, not just from Twilight Princess but one of the Final Fantasy Online games you reviewed back in the day too. "It doesn't start getting good till you're 200 hours in, thats why you didn't like it."

[@aquariusfriar]

Honestly, as someone who really enjoys this game, it's refreshing reading someone who didn't immediately slap a ten out of ten score out of the start. Biomutant was kind of mid in the press, and this game reminds me a lot of it.

[@jeffmaesar]

Not a 10 out of 10 game, 7-8/10 to me but not as legendary as some reviews said, anyway TotalBiscuit said scores were irrelevant, he was right.

[@aureliodeprimus8018]

May he rest in peace. This is why i usually if i am unsure i want a game, i am watching at least three different reviews of it and look for commonalities.

[@georgemitchell1394]

4:19 nobody censors our boy adam

[@LFPGaming]

There's a reason why TB's first impression reviews were so popular.... there's more 'gamers' that are just looking for an opinion, than what there are 'gamers' that are looking for a 'review'. He played a game for an hour, gave his opinion, and moved to the next.

[@arvetis]

Too bad he attached himself to a "movement" that is now the same people hurling slurs at Stephanie

[@shis1988]

​@@arvetis John at least admitted he was wrong and told then to F off near the end of his life. Or is rehab only for predators you like, such as Callaghan?

[@arvetis]

@@shis1988 No idea who you're even talking about.

[@htpkey]

​@@arvetis It's John Bain, also known as TotalBiscuit.

[@arvetis]

@@htpkey No, that's who I'm talking about.

[@witecatj6007]

Calling Golum a turd hogie was probably the most charitable thing anyone has said about it.

[@JaelinBezel]

You mean him? About him? Gollum is a character.

[@011y89]

​@@JaelinBezel it's a game , recently released. Unless Xbox cases have gender now ; "it" is accurate

[@LauraLovesHugs]

@@JaelinBezel it, the game. the game is a thing.

[@MilkieMouse]

@@JaelinBezel wow, common drive-by pedant L

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

The inflation of review scores is bizarre to me. Like, a 7/10 is good, no? Not just slightly above average, but significantly above it. As someone who has never really been a huge Zelda fan or a fan of open world games, but always admired the quality and care of Nintendo games, 7/10 is probably what I'll end up giving the game too once I can afford it. And I will play it, because why would I not wanna try one of the most hyped recent games just because some person on the internet gave it a 7/10 (which, again, means to me that it must be a pretty good game, and a lot better than most other games)?

[@Deathlygunn]

Honestly Tears of the Kingdom is probably my favorite game of 2023 - and a 7/10 seems completely fair, for everything wonderful it does (the sense of adventure, the master hand physics) it does something frustrating (Bland story missions, excessive weapon degradation, bland Boss battles)

[@TheDiner50]

I think the technical side and art and work put into it is incredible. Not played the games but I can hardly thing any of the negatives to be a show stopper. And really for a game probably best played on the toilet or on the go it seems more then fine. It should do more to deserve above a 7/10. The real problem is that SO MANY AWFUL GAMES get 5/10. Games not even worthy of 1/10 still get 4/10 scores. Disco Elysium for someone that likes to avoid political nonsense? It is really close to the 10 score. Agen that game made politics BS fun and immersive. But at launch with the bugs and no voice over? I can not believe I had enjoyed the game enough to even give it a 6/10. I really without even having played Zelda find it hard to believe the complains are worthy to care about deeply. If the game got a 7/10 it probably is good enough for the shit console (on the toilet console)

[@kiekiek]

You are right. It has some really bad lows, like indeed the weapon deg, the overall finess in the weapon gameplay ( it really has not changed in 20 years and is stuck in the past), dungeons that are not real dungeons and are nothing better than the divine beasts only more thematic. It also repeats basically the same story vids after each boss, speaking of bosses most of them are really bland, especially the wind temple one. Then there are technical things like overused objects, structures in the open world (caves, enemy variety, trees, grass, rocks etc etc), also a lot of shrines are not really interesting, some of them were far too easy (I estimate 1 in 5 shrines are just ok to just plain lazy or bad). An overrated game if I have ever seen one, the explorability and freedom in traversing and problem solving is for sure very well done. A 7, maybe 8 out of 10 is all you can give TOTK.

[@phillystevesteak6982]

Not to mention its probably the first Zelda in history that is iterative, rather than transformative. Like if you hadnt played BOTW, i would recommend you skip it and just play TOTK. The same cant be said about any previous zelda. Majoras mask does not supersede ocarina of time. zelda 2 does not supersede zelda 1. this is the most redundant LoZ ever made.

[@kiekiek]

@@phillystevesteak6982 Agreed.

[@ausgod538]

​@@phillystevesteak6982 there's more iterative sequels than that

[@arielfontecilla5562]

"I'm a freak of science" Another great phrase from the one and only commander, thank god for you

[@wilderbeast9368]

Stepped on your own morals there.

[@SnakeMan448]

Remember that Sterling played more of The Slaughtering Grounds than anybody else, and it didn't make the game any less awful.

[@Cow-Moth-With-A-CRT-Head]

7:32 the "THANK YOU" had me HOWLING with laughter. Top-tier editing as always!

[@t0ughgum89]

"A Freak of Science" That one had me rolling XD Point well made overall. 8/10

[@schrodingerscat3741]

16:30 I cannot get over how much this looks like someone modded Gollum into Tomb Raider

[@skwarde]

Haven't played TotK yet but Steph's 7/10 BotW score didn't stop me from having an amazing time with that game. It isn't even that unreasonable a score: it's a 7, that's good.

[@M_M_ODonnell]

7/10 is *useful* -- especially coming from a reviewer whose tastes and preferences in games I have a basic understanding of. I see the 7/10 and immediately think, having compared my own past experiences with games I've also read Steph's reviews of, "this is probably something I'd enjoy, and maybe even replay over the next few years, but with some reservations that ultimately don't destroy my enjoyment." A 7/10 from another review might mean to me "this game probably is great technically, but the story and characters would be exhausting for me, so I'll pass." A 9 or 10 from a reviewer who gives everything they like a 9 or a 10 doesn't give me as much information. Of course, try telling certain people that game reviews, like movie and book reviews, etc., have two broad functions (helping people figure out whether they're likely to enjoy the experience of the art in question, and helping people think about the art in question in ways they might not have otherwise but they may find interesting and rewarding), both of which require engaging with the review (and, often, having a sense of the style of the reviewer) in ways that don't condense to a "thumbs up/down switch masquerading as a scale" score.

[@yt_consistency]

meanwhile i didnt like BotW at all and but i wouldnt fight someone else's opinion about a game, high or low

[@ZagaStudios]

@@M_M_ODonnell Useful is right, there's no point in calling something perfect o nearly perfect just to please fanatics, we should all want better products, improvement and innovation

[@mechareaper]

I have a friend in the industry that's gotten death threats for daring to say they thought a game in a different, but easily comparable franchise, by the same development studio was better. There's also this idea that review publishers are some kind of monolith and I've seen the same freelancers get raked over coals for their opinions when they write for one publisher then get praised when they write for a different one because the first publisher "always have bad opinions" when they don't seem to understand a lot of reviewers make a circuit. Reviewers are people, with opinions. That's what a review is, an opinion. I'm personally having a blast with ToTK, but I can see why someone else, with different tastes and experiences, might not have the same feelings about it, and it's incredibly immature to think all opinions on a piece of media should fit yours or it's not genuine.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Extremely wel said

[@ashely8731]

Saying you 're not allowed to review a game because you didn't finish it means they are not allowed to complain about anything in life because they haven't died yet. It's all very silly when that logic is applied to anything else.

[@Serendipity2893]

I feel this. I play games for the art style and narrative, and satisfaction of mastering tough battles. Not to collect 10,000 finch feathers and 1000 scrolls

[@ShyRanger]

I mean, you're totally justified in that, but I feel like you're unintentionally assuming that the only people who like this game are those who collect stuff, which... well no, not me. I actually like the super simple narrative in this game, it's the main thing pushing me to do all the main story stuff first, and I like the style and way it looks. I actually don't like tough battles but that doesn't matter. I just think it's important to note that two people can like overall the same aspects and STILL have preference on things.

[@natebookout811]

I have pretty severe ADHD and struggle to finish even the games I'm really passionate about. So requiring someone to finish a game feels almost like a form of ableism. Also, pretty fucked up this is age-restricted. Like, what the hell KZbin?

[@shis1988]

I just stopped playing a game called Witch and the Hundred Knight because, as much fun I was having... the exploration is repetitive. It's not FFXIII level, but still tiring. And I realized I doubt I'd like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon since it's roughly the same thing.

[@zyriantel9601]

@@shis1988 Mystery Dungeon games in general require a certain kind of person to play, and I can safely say I’m not that guy. Losing all my stuff however many levels down and having to send a rescue team to get it all, plus the team who bit it, without dying again? Nah, if I want to punch myself in the nuts I’ll just play Etrian Odyssey, those games torture me enough without making me have heart palpitations.

[@MGlBlaze]

"You didn't review the game, you just gave your opinion" - the words of somebody who has no idea that every review, and indeed every piece of analysis ever no matter how well-reasoned, is still someone's opinion. An opinion that may be backed up with some facts or has origins in some things which are objectively present, but an opinion nonetheless. And I LOVE your "I am not a freak of nature. These things are medically induced; I am a freak of SCIENCE!" retort.

[@LLJVBass]

Honestly, I feel the same. I like the new Zelda games, but something really feels missing in them for me that keeps me from loving them.

[@McGunslinger]

I don't know what cool aid is involved with Zelda, I haven't played Tears of the Kingdom but I honestly felt 7/10 was on the generous side for Breath of the Wild. Pisses me off I have to see it appear on every "best game ever" list from now to eternity.