Is there a such thing as a good game and a bad game?

[XenonSovereign]

I had this debate with my friend for a good 30-45 minutes, since he decided that he wanted to buy Naughty Bear. I keep telling him how horrible the game is, but he insists that it is is fun, despite the fact that he's never played it, it's not successful and it has poor reception.

He says that the gamer's opinion has is all that matters and that no game is good nor bad because a game can't be good if there is one gamer that doesn't like it, like there can't be a bad game if there is one gamer who does like it. I disagree.

I believe that there is a standard for today's generation of console gaming (in terms of graphics, gameplay, sound and replayability) , and that any game below that standard and has poor reception and low success, then the game is, in fact bad. \

There a games like Modern Warfare 2 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, both aimed at two different crowds. Both are good games, he believes that if one person dislikes each, then they are neither good or bad, because everyone has to like a game for it to be good. And everyone has to hate a game in order for it to be bad.

Any one care to share their opinion on the matter?

 

[Wehrmacht]

Enjoyment of games is subjective, just like any other piece of media. What matters is your opinion of whether it's enjoyable or not, or whether it's well-made or not (while it might seem like the two are mutually exclusive, they're kind of not), doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or if the game was a success or not.

For example Final Fantasy XII is a very well made game and one of the PS2's best RPG's but it was pretty hard for me to get into after a while.

 

[Orion]

There are those that liked Superman 64.
Does that make it a good game? Not at all.

 

[VagueSimplicity]

The answer is yes. Just watch all of Angry Video Game Nerd's videos.

 

[Gram]

whether a games good or not depends differs to each gamer.

 

[Aucune Raison]

It's all opinions but there are some games which are so poorly made that they are undeniably bad, like Superman 64 (as ∞ pointed out), and Action 52.

 

[Raebus]

It all depends on the person really. Like for example, I've played games that other people have slated and enjoyed them too. I've also played games that rightfully deserve to be buried under a heap of hate i.e. two worlds. Most of the time though, it all comes down to different opinions.

 

[Vanitas666]

It's all opinions but there are some games which are so poorly made that they are undeniably bad, like Superman 64 (as ∞ pointed out), and Action 52.

I agree with this and I gonna buy Naughty Bear eventually btw.

 

[The Conquerer]

Well yes. I do agree that a lot is subjective, however only games on the same or similar plane can be compared fairly. That's just how it is.

Someone can be a fan of a sh!tty a$$ or mediocre gaming series and have their opinion completely shattered just because the other party's opinion is weighed down by more reasonable and logical explanations (like how gameplay, story telling, graphics, etc come into play).

 

[Vayne Mechanics]

In this context of your friend's thoughts, good games and bad games are all relative to the person playing it.

However, there are well-designed games and poorly-designed games. This would be what your use of "good game" and "bad game" falls in.

 

[robertexe]

There are those that liked Superman 64.
Does that make it a good game? Not at all.

thats game was HORRIBLE!!!
I was 5 when I got it. I couldn't tell a good game from a bad one, but I hated that game with a flaming passion

 

[Taylor]

The adjectives "good" and "bad" make the games subjective. Some people enjoy "bad" games, other people dislike "good" games. Subjective terms.


As zettai said, a better way to say it would be how well designed the games are, since those are facts and are hard to argue.

 

[Xaldin]

Really if you want to go by the general non-opinion but facts here it is and yes I'm sure this is fact, not an opinion.

Bad Games: Loading times that extend over 40 seconds, Game breaking glitches, freezing issues, bad frame-rate, terrible voice acting (If it's trying to immerse you)
Good Games: Opposite of bad games.

Really that's the general fact of what a bad game is. Everything else is just an opinion, for instance Naughty Bear isn't a bad game, it just doesn't suit your gamer taste. Yes you've played better games then Naughty Bear, but that doesn't make Naughty Bear a bad game.

Let's take Portal for instance
If Portal took a minute to load each puzzle, had a 10 second freeze issue everytime it had to load of Gladus talking, frame rate issues where it drops down to 10FPS when more then 3 balls are floating around or when ti has to open a portal. Also sometimes the cube you need just vanishes and you have to restart the level to fix it because of a glitch. Portal would be crap all over, and people would hate it. But it doesn't do that.

 

[SuperEclipse]

There are those that liked Superman 64.
Does that make it a good game? Not at all.

Add Runescape to that list.

People have saiid that game is the best free MMO.