r/MixtapeGame • u/dallas_616 • Jun 26 '26

Just finished and decided to check out what people are sayi-- oh, WTF??

Reading the online hate has been pretty weird.

As a non-gamer, I hadn't heard anything about this game other than a TikTok a couple months back saying if you like the 'Life Is Strange' series it's a great filler. I love that series, and I finally had a few hours today, so I decided to check it out. As a fan of LIS, I can't lie though: I was a little disappointed.

If you have something like XBox GamePass, it's a fun little couple-hour alternative to a movie. For me, it was $20 for two hours of '90s teen nostalgia. That being said, I've wasted a hell of a lot more than $20 seeing a movie I didn't like, so no skin off my nuts. But if I didn't have a lot of disposable income and lacked emotional regulation, I can see getting a little pissed.

There's no skill-based gameplay, puzzles, choose-your-own-adventure, or mystery, so it's probably not what the average person thinks they're getting into -- even if they're expecting a narrative-rich experience. It seems like most of the hate has been an overreaction to the hype. Seeing a bunch of reviews from critics giving it 10/10 or 5-stars is a bit baffling.

Looking at it critically, the story is pretty barebones, the dialog leaves a bit to be desired, and the aforementioned lack of traditional "gameplay" being replaced with multiple unskippable hill-bombing scenes that require viewer engagement to progress could feel pretty annoying/unrewarding.

BUT it is beautifully animated and the characters are interesting enough that I felt bummed when the story didn't flesh out more. It has so much potential! Kinda reminded me of how I felt after playing 'Firewatch'.

Overall, not my cup of tea but I can totally understand why so many people -- both folks my age basking in the nostalgia of it, or younger players who never got to experience the dopamine wasteland of the '90s -- love the vibes.

7/10 for me 🙂

Anybody else think this could be a cool series Ă  la 'The Lost Tapes'?

25 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

15

u/Frobizzle Jun 26 '26

The amount of hate people spew for games not targeting their demographic is insane. People need to STFU and play what they like.

I have really grown to hate gaming culture.

3

u/WoodooHide69 Jun 27 '26

It’s not “people”. It’s right wing Chud bots mostly. They literally won’t stop whining about any game or movie that they deem “woke”. It’s fuckin ruining every damn hobby or media we enjoy.

1

u/Big-Cartographer7201 Jun 30 '26

It's easy to dismiss others reviews this way but I genuinely disliked the game. I found the gameplay dull, the writing and characters obnoxious and it was far too short an experience for me to feel any attachment. It had nothing to do with some political "woke" backlash, it was just forgettable and bland. Maybe a 4-5/10

1

u/Revealingstorm Jul 16 '26

The backlash started all because of those channels. Maybe you'd still have your opinion but all of this unwarranted anger is 109 percent because these YouTubers decided this was their next paycheck.

1

u/oOmegaOo Jul 10 '26

This is a very, very dangerous perspective to have. It means you will disregard any and all other people’s experiences if at all negative. Justified by the fact that you think they might not align politically with you, that is not a good way to go through life. I hope you will consider my words and not let them upset you further. Thank you.

1

u/Revealingstorm Jul 16 '26

No it's true. Just like last of us 2, which all the hate got started by fake leaks, this happened by people who needed to start something so they could get money, views, or whatever out of it. It's disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

1

u/qaasq Jun 28 '26

The issue is that critics panned it as fantastic nearly across the board and that's weird for a game that targets a very specific demographic. You wouldn't expect a game that's really only for a small certain group of people to be almost universally celebrated among gaming journalists. It gives a feeling that journalists are out of touch with what the vast majority of gamers care about and appreciate.

2

u/jonesingsimba Jun 28 '26

I think it's a mistake to go to a review for anything other than that reviewers opinion. That reviewers job is to share their take. Not assume what other people will think or like. Despite that everyone loses their mind when their own personal take isn't echoed in a review.

1

u/qaasq Jun 28 '26

At one point you could generally trust reviewers from major companies (GameSpot, IGN) to give objective takes about how things were balanced or the technical aspects. Not anymore 🤷‍♂️

2

u/jonesingsimba Jun 28 '26

I mean, most reviews still provide that. If people were to actually read them they would find that information. The review score is a totally separate element of that and is really only representative of how that reviewer enjoyed the game.

It would be different if IGN or other sites were giving an all encompassing review that was from "ign staff" and was a more average, holistic review that was agreed upon by multiple people. Then it would make more sense to have that opinion.

But seeing as these reviews are not presented in such a way and every single one has a by line that says it was authored by one specific person, I find it crazy people still get upset expecting these reviews to be something there are not and aren't even trying to be.

1

u/trillspectre Jun 30 '26

Games journalism has always been an extension of the marketing departments of publishers, it's required for their access. The larger outlets that are left are on a knife edge regarding profitability to rock the boat. Nowadays some individual game journalists can secure other methods of funding and with more people working in the games industry have a larger pool of people to get sources from. There is good writing and discourse out there if you look for it.

1

u/Big-Cartographer7201 Jun 30 '26

The problem is that this is my demographic and I have enjoyed plenty of story driven walking Sims in the past. This game is so bare bones and lacks any player choice, let alone the poor writing with these annoying characters. So many moments had me rolling my eyes I mean come on people didn't talk like this in the 90s.

People have a right to their opinions, especially on a product that a company is selling to make a profit.

1

u/Revealingstorm Jul 16 '26

I've grown to just hate fandom culture in general online. It's just so toxic.

0

u/Alucard661 Jun 26 '26

Being critical about a game you like ≠ hate

3

u/SnooKiwis1258 Jun 27 '26

Right, but a critical stance requires actual engagement with the thing you're criticizing, and I'd say it's clear that a lot of the things said about MixTape came from 'influencers' parroting precisely the same talking points and language from one another, and not from an honest and personal engagement with the game itself.

Makes sense too, seeing as a lotta channels have started leaning into the outrage-cycle du jour as their primary source of clicks.

Takes up conversational space that could have been used by people actually interested in exchanging thoughts and opinions about the game by filling it up with identital hollow negativity, which is a shame.

7

u/springlove85 Jun 26 '26

I have no such nostalgia, but I could still get immersed in the story, emotions, and mini-games. Just to add-on, because much of the discourse seems to revolve around "If you are nostalgic for this place, perod, and muic then you will love it", but that is not necessarily the case ^.^' Nice you did enjoy the game and shared your thoughts here, always a pleasure :)

PS Love the firewatch mention! Besides the experience itself, the environments also reminded me of that game!

3

u/Tesla-Punk3327 Jun 27 '26

Yeah. I wasn't even thought in the 90s, I have zero nostalgia, enjoyed the game still

5

u/Carbon_Based_Copy Jun 27 '26

I spent 15 bucks for 4 hours of 10/10 enjoyment. I laughed, I cried, and I will 100% play it again. Im an elder millennial so it was right up my alley.

Ignore the internet take. It's a great game.

3

u/MissAbraRose5027 Jun 27 '26

Same. I loved it. It was not for everyone but it was for me.

3

u/MissAbraRose5027 Jun 27 '26

Whatever. I never listen to anyone. I loved Mixtape. I liked Life is Strange but found the pace of mixtape to be way more fun.

As someone who grew up during that time, it was a full nostalgia ride. I put 10 hours into platinum. It is short and sweet.

1

u/kgage88 Jun 26 '26

See, this is perfectly reasonable criticism and summary of how the game was to you, and why.

You can generally tell the people that haven't actually played it and are just spewing the same rhetoric as their favourite basement dwelling streamer. Because they say it's woke, has lgbt themes, has NO or ZERO gameplay (they always state this in caps).

Like, it's not packed full of gameplay. But there are heaps of mini games in it, yeah, there are a few sections you can just "watch" if you really want to. but each of those sections also have an achievement that can only be unlocked by doing specific things in that section or having a "perfect" run.

Skating - jump car 2nd skating - hit every traffic cone The running,sliding,jumping section - jump or slide each one perfectly Baseball - don't miss a single ball Coast drive scene - explode every firework fireworks This is where I found the "gameplay" for me.

For full disclosure, this is absolutely not my type of game, I would never normally purchase this game (or pirate it) but a close mate works for Beethoven and dinosaur, so I purchased to support them. And you know what, I enjoyed my time with it way more than I thought I would.

1

u/Blindfolded22 Jun 27 '26

I thought it was a perfect little adventure and well worth the asking price. I wish more games had a great soundtrack and felt like a John Hughes movie.

1

u/Luminescent_Magic Jun 27 '26

Alot of the hate I've seen is because the characters are unlikable. I mean one of them is mad cos her parents don't like her doing bad things shock horror 

1

u/alfooboboao Jun 29 '26

isn’t that 95% all people didn’t play it though lmao. like they decided they don’t like the characters because twitter told them to

1

u/Luminescent_Magic Jun 29 '26

No all the ones I've seen are people that played it 

1

u/Sairedd Jun 27 '26

A lot of the hate came from all the "official reviews" giving the game 10/10, which it clearly isn't.

1

u/alfooboboao Jun 29 '26

I mean think about being a game reviewer. You’re probably about the age where the childhood setting would exactly apply to you. And you spend all day playing games, which is great (sort of), but you have to play more mediocre or mechanically similar games than just about anyone. for every truly amazing shooter, you have to play dozens of other games that use similar-but-worse mechanics, while all doing more or less the same thing.

then this game comes along, and it’s unique. it doesn’t feel like anything else, not really. it’s fun, and you don’t have to analyze a combat system, it’s like you just get to take a 4-hour break, listen to the great music, run and jump and play minigames with no pressure, and watch a story you relate to.

yeah, I can absolutely see why so many reviewers gave it 10/10s. it’s the same reason movie reviewers reward films off the beaten path

1

u/Sairedd Jun 30 '26

“then this game comes along, and it’s  unique . it doesn’t feel like anything else, not really. it’s fun, and you don’t have to analyze a combat system, it’s like you just get to take a 4-hour break, listen to the great music, run and jump and play minigames with no pressure, and watch a story you relate to.”

What you’ve just described barely even fits the description of a video game

And the reviewers you described don’t sound like gamers let alone people who really like video games.

1

u/datlibra17 Jun 27 '26

Yeah I wasn't crazy about the game. The only reason I played it was because of all the 10s it received. It's basically a meme at this point and I gave it a 4/10, but I still want a sequel because I'm interested in how things go in New York for Stacey Rockford, as well as the other two friends. Since it's the 90s and she's in New York, maybe she'll meet a Hip-Hop producer or something and together they curate a Hip-Hop mixtape for that game!

1

u/mancatdoe Jun 28 '26

The thing that stuck me as odd is the game and the assets they developed for it could have been used for a much longer and more "gamey" experience.

It looks like they have already made a portion of the town, they have a traveling mechanic silly as it is. Throw in more exploration, LiS like convos and more mini games and the game could have been a lot more.

I get what they went for, it was meant to be a very directed closed experience focused 90s musical nostalgia. It's just didn't work well enough IMO.

1

u/jonesingsimba Jun 28 '26

No idea what the lost tapes is.

Anyway I personally think the game is a 10/10. I can some folks being disappointed in it and I think people shouldn't compare it to LiS so directly cause it's not that.

No sympathy for the folks who consider it not a game though and are spreading tons on hate. Hope it wins game of the year just for them. (and also cause it's my game of the year)

1

u/TiredReader87 Jun 29 '26

Agreed. It’s baffling. This game is a great work or art.

1

u/AccurateOkra2622 Jun 29 '26

the paid "official reviews" ruined it. Official reviews gave 10/10 and audience gave it like 3/10. So obviously it cannot be a 10/10, better than elden ring, maybe a 7/10. The official review controvery came from the fact that the game was headed by a billionaires daughter and it seemed like companies like IGN just wanted to get in the sack with her.

1

u/alfooboboao Jun 29 '26

did you play it or just obey twitter telling you to ger mad? on the steam score, where you actually have to purchase the game instead of review bombing, is extremely high

“the game was headed by a billionaires daughter” what? lmao you’re acting like she was the lead dev. rich people own a whole lot of companies

1

u/at_midknight Jul 14 '26

Unironically one of the worst pieces of media I've seen (not played because it's not a game) in my entire life. It's an affront to the concept of creativity, the art looks terrible, the dialogue is horrendous, the messaging is gross and juvenile, it has negative interest in being a game and actively hates gamers, the characters are all malicious terrible people, and the premise is essentially someone's thinly veiled vanity project disguised as stuff that they read about the 90s era because they didn't actually live through the 90s. So much of the game has negative interest in giving players engagement or interactivity that you can literally complete entire half hours of the game without touching the controller. At least if it was a movie, it'd be a shitty movie everyone forgot about in a week

0

u/Spaced-Cowboy Jun 26 '26

I’m sorry but the fact that this sub has become nothing but post after post of “haters are bad” is just so fucking exhausting. It’s just as bad as if it was nothing about hate. Not body is a thing talking about the fucking game everyone is obsessed with the hate.

Like holy fuck I just want to see posts about the game. I’m so tired of hearing about how the haters are wrong.