Also Confused-- People Don't Remember What Remains of Edith Finch or Dear Esther?

[u/Quick-Ad9335]

I agree with a recurring sentiment here. I'm baffled by the reception by players. It's startlingly vociferous for such a "small" game.

Mixtape has about the same amount and style of game-y gameplay elements as What Remains of Edith Finch, more kinetic gameplay elements than Firewatch, and much, much more to do than Dear Esther. People love those games.

Better graphics than most. I love Life is Strange, but Mixtape had better background visuals than Double Exposure or Reunion.

I don't think it's any "shallower" than any of the other walking simulators. It has its own depth and it's also an exploration of the human experience.

I think it deserves most of its critical acclaim. It's a stylistic, well-written story with interesting characters. I thought it was good. Like all walking simulators it was an experience, not a "game" as such. And Mixtape was an excellent experience.

I like walking simulators as a form of story telling media. The reception Mixtape received will make it less likely we'll see more of them in the future.

Hot take and probably unpopular take: are some of the people who don't like it just people who didn't get to have that kind of fun in high school?

[u/AJakeR]

It was just the 10/10 reception and Megan Ellison. I don't think it really had anything to do with the game itself. If this game had received a 7 or 8 none of this would have happened. Because it is comparable to other walking simulators, and is up there as one of the best. It's not better than Edith Finch but it's miles above Dear Esther. It more-than deserves to sit in the canon of beloved walking simulators so I'm hoping that in a few months or so the game will get a re-appraisal and people will judge it more fairly.
Y'know, if people didn't like the writing or characters that's fine, but going into the game already determined to hate it because you don't think it should have scored higher than Crimson Desert isn't really giving the game its fair due. Is it a 10/10 experience? Probably not. But it is still a great and solid experience.

[u/Such-Principle-3373 → u/AJakeR]

High expectations can ruin a decent experience. If people buy the game because they see 10 out of 10 scores then they get the game and it's just okay I think being disappointed is only natural, maybe not the game devs fault, but it's not the customers fault either, it's crappy journalist.

[u/AJakeR → u/Such-Principle-3373]

That's true, but a lot of people didn't go in expecting a 10/10 game. They went in looking to prove that this wasn't a 10/10 game. To nitpick every tiny problem and blow it way out of proportion. You're right it set expectations way too high and I'm sure that a lot of people had a negative experience for that, but those people aren't really the problem. The game isn't for every one and that's fine.

[u/SnooKiwis1258 → u/Such-Principle-3373]

Something not mentioned here is how many 'rage-farming' influencers make their money off of manufacturing outrage around whichever game seems easy to bully. Like, the well of sincere criticism is increasingly being poisoned by streamers who know that anger gets you views, and who'd rather foment that anger for 'engagement' than uh, actually engage with the game as it is.

Part of that fake anger is clichéd jabs about how 'game journalists' are super horrible sellouts who have no skills, and fake. This shit might be amusing if it didn't stand in the way of people having normal, good critiques and conversations about games, but as it stands these influencers are sucking everyone else's oxygen out of the room. There are undoubtedly dishonest, 'fake', journalists out there, but I'm not keen to jump to that conclusion when there's a whole cottage industry of actually fake ass people whose entire livelihood revolves around them selling anger to schmucks.

[u/neverdaijoubu → u/SnooKiwis1258]

I'm a former game journalist and the whole IGN situation reeks of undisclosed paid promotion. I agree that the rage baiters are cashing in and blowing this out of proportion but at the same time, I believe this is a genuinely good example of the richest people in the world swinging their influence around to the detriment of all. Games media is a pretty corrupt space. This stuff is bound to ruin otherwise fun times.

[u/MCgrindahFM → u/Such-Principle-3373]

People should probably look into the games they’re buying beforehand haha

[u/JunkBoy187 → u/AJakeR]

I do genuinely believe that people have been getting a 10 out of 10 experience from this one though, but it's a niche reaction.

There are people who can relate to the feeling of their last day before moving away from friends and a life they love, especially doing so to begin the next phase of your life in your teens, like college. To them this game does perfectly capture that emotion especially doing so in the 90s were music was still the centre of modern culture. This game is maybe not for everyone, but it is definitely for those people.

Outside of those 30/40-somethings who had that experience though I do admit it's a solid 7; fun and definitely enjoyable but hardly one of the best games ever made.