History BrokenBase / VideoGames

* ''BrokenBase/Starbound''

** The cease-and-desist letter sent to the makers of the fan-game ''VideoGame/CrimsonEchoes'' has also generated numerous cracks in the ''Chrono'' fanbase: Was Square right to defend their intellectual property by shutting down the game, or did they act too hasty to crush a nearly-completed work? Were the creators being practical and mature in complying with the letter, or are they cowards for not trying to find a way to put out the game? There's also whether or not ''Crimson Echoes'' is [[BetterThanCanon beyond awesome in its own right]], or a [[CanonDefilement horrible conglomeration of Fanon and half-baked theories]].

** Then came ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer''. One half of the fandom thought it was a solidly built, well-balanced game which brought a fresh breath of air into the franchise by bringing in a well-established and exciting IP. The other half declared it a DLC-laden mess and that leaving purely historical settings had ruined the franchise forever. Ironically, the game was near-universally loved by the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''-fandom, with some going so far as to declare it [[BetterThanCanon the true eighth edition]] and much prefer it to the divisive ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar''.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'': As the first ''Metroid'' game after ''Other M'', reception was unambiguously negative due to many wanting a proper ''Metroid'' title instead of a SpinOff. After the dust cleared and the fandom realized that, no, the series wasn't dead and Nintendo did care about the franchise, the fandom now finds themselves arguing other whether the game was actually bad, or if the annoyance surrounding the franchise's situation at the time exaggerated the flaws of a good or possibly even great game.

* Many non-Japanese fans of Konami's previous {{Shoot Em Up}}s have a cold reception towards the ''VideoGame/{{Otomedius}}'' series. The complaints usually aren't about the gameplay, but the amount of GagBoobs, {{Fanservice}}, and {{Stripperific}} characters. Never mind that ''Otomedius'' is meant to be a SelfParody, although some do have complaints about its grind-heavy but otherwise very basic ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' gameplay to the point of considering other {{Cute Em Up}}s superior in this regard, so there is still a divide on whether the satire works or not.
* Like the ''VideoGame/{{Otomedius}}'' example, there are some [[FightingGame fighting game]] veterans that have a cold reception to the ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' series just because it has an all-girls cast filled with BoobsOfSteel, GagBoobs, {{Fanservice}}, and {{Stripperific}} characters.

* Though ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' remains as one of the most beloved series among critics, it has become victim of intense fan debates, sometimes to horrifying degrees ([[http://i.imgur.com/N13HM.png this humorous image]] sums up the Zelda fanbase pretty accurately):

* ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon'':

** Though all Spyro fans agree that 2002's ''Enter the Dragonfly'' was a [[ObviousBeta highly glitchy, painful-to-play failure]], the fanbase is still divided over 2004's British entry ''A Hero's Tail''. To some, it's a simplistic rehash of the classic trilogy bursting with franchise clichés (though still an improvement upon ETD), while to others, it's an underappreciated, diverse game with great graphics and beautifully-written music that make it worth playing through at least once for fans of the purple dragon. The same applies to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance games made by Digital Eclipse, to some they are great underrated games that are faithful to the original Insomniac trilogy, while others dislike the isometric perspective, or see them as uninspired rip-offs of the originals.
** Mention Cynder and you'll either be reduced to a pile of cinders yourself, or hugged.
** The series received a second reboot with ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'', which has broken the fanbase even further.

** ''VideoGame/StarfoxAdventures'': Total waste of time and not enough Arwings or lovable new game mechanic and show of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube's abilities? Nobody can tell. Another point of debate is Krystal. Long overdue [[TheSmurfettePrinciple female character]], or TheChick and UsefulNotes/FurryFandom bait to boot? There's also the small-but-dedicated ''Dinosaur Planet'' (the cancelled game that ''Star Fox Adventures'' is based on) fandom who either think the finalized game was good or that it was terrible and shouldn't have been made into a ''Star Fox'' game.

** Are the Apex monsters of ''4 Ultimate'' a brilliant challenge or do they show that you can take ThatOneBoss [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools too far]]?
** The issue of whether ''Frontier'' is an awesome game that deserves to be localized for international gamers, or a hilariously broken spinoff that should [[AmericansHateTingle just stay in East Asia]].
** Monsters from the main series appearing in ''Frontier''. Some people are fine with the main series and ''Frontier'' integrating, while others see a DoubleStandard; sure, monsters from the main series get to show up in the spinoff, but no [[CanonForeigner spinoff monsters]] [[CanonImmigrant sans Hypnocatrice and Lavasioth]] get to appear in the main series?

** A contention that arose with ''Generations'' and its Hunting Arts + Hunting Styles mechanic is the rise of the [[StopHavingFunGuys "Meta Only"]] attitude among a portion of the fans. While the mentality has been present in earlier installments[[note]]some fans will openly berate others for using what they perceive to be "sub-optimal" loadouts in the belief that the game is all about damage and speedkills, even if the party under scrutiny is using a fairly competent setup that simply wasn't meant for speedkilling to begin with -- see the entry on "method of playing"[[/note]], the fact that certain weapon and armor skill combinations work extremely well with certain Art / Style combinations has given birth to a mentality that if you're not using Meta-approved gear and Hunting Art / Hunting Style setups, you might as well not join a lobby.
** ''Generations'' examples:

** When it was announced that ''Generations Ultimate'' would add the option to transmogrify two pieces of equipment together, putting the stats and skills of the first item on the model of the second, the reception was mostly positive, with people liking that there would be more diversity instead of [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome everyone wearing one of a few armor sets in the late game]]. However, some people dislike that it removes "Fashion Hunting", the art of coming up with original combinations of armor that both look and perform well.
** The existence of ''World'' (and eventually ''Rise'', as well as their respective expansions) created a permanent rift between fans of "classic" ''Monster Hunter'' and modern. Classic ''MH'' fans prefer its more deliberate gameplay and focus on the monsters, and see ''World'' as [[ItsEasySoItSucks casual garbage]] with a lackluster endgame. Fans of ''World'' prefer its more accessible gameplay and greater detail, and trying to convince them to try older games will lead to responses of "why would I want to play an objectively worse game?" The release of ''Generations Ultimate'' [[SequelFirst after]] ''World'' in the West solidified this, with classic fans cheering that their style of ''Monster Hunter'' is still alive, while those who started with ''World'' or see it as an upgrade in every way scoffing at the idea that Capcom would bother with a game that they view as outdated and not worth localizing anymore.
** Showing "true attack" like in ''Generations'', ''Generations Ultimate'', vs "bloated attack" like in other games. Basically, in most games, each weapon's true attack is multiplied by a weapon type-specific constant not used in any damage calculations to produce the attack value you see on the screen. Some players prefer having true attack shown since it is the number used in damage calculations and it lets the player see if their weapon is as powerful as it should be given the monster they are hunting. Others prefer bloated attack since while it may not be necessarily ''accurate'', it still gives the player a rough idea of how powerful their weapon is since true attack does not take things like "motion values" (a multiplier applied to each attack move) into account.

** CapcomSequelStagnation in general is prone to wedge a stake between fans, but nowhere is it more apparent than with ''SFIV'' (and ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', but that's another can of worms in and of itself). ''Super'' managed to dodge a bullet by virtue of being the first offender for ''IV'', adding back several fan-faves, and being one of the last games released before Capcom fell into what many fans agree to be its DorkAge but with each new revision (first ''Arcade Edition'' and then ''Ultra''), the fandom seems to splinter more and more.

* Though most people agreed that there was a huge improvement between ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' and ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', there is a huge debate over whether ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' is better or worse than the 2nd game. Proponents say that it has more integrated gameplay, open world, and the story progression that families age without you playing makes it easier. Detractors say that the Sims look doughy and UncannyValley-ish, there are too many rabbithole community lots and empty venues, story progression makes controlling multiple households harder, and bugs were left unfixed, making the game almost unplayable for some. And then there is the backlash over VideoGame/TheSims4 with many fans of both ''Sims 2'' and ''Sims 3'' outright despising ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' for lacking many features that were considered basic features (such as open world and toddlers), having overly linear gameplay mechanics, and looking like a mobile game. However, fans of "Sims 4" say the game runs more smoothly than the previous iteration, community lots are more lively, and includes multitasking that for the first time, allows sims to do two things at the same time.

** ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'' has two broken bases. The first: Either this game is loved for being an awesome and funny crossover that all the fans asked for or a stupid excuse for fanservice, with massive {{Flanderization}} and no respect for canon. Second: The fact that it's simply "VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey with Persona characters" caused both fandoms to argue if that's good or bad.

** Situations goes from bad to worse at ''VideoGame/MegaMan8BitDeathmatch'' when the subject is rendering engine, [=OpenGL=] users vs Software-Rendering users.
*** This is so serious, that even poking the subject starts a flame war, specially if you consider most developers (Whether of the main game or of mods) actually uses [=OpenGL=].
*** And then, there is King Yamato's Classes Mod and Yellow Devil's Classes Mod. Try to get your point across about one of them to the other, JUST. TRY.
*** In fact, there's a LOT of conflict within the community, but they still keep stuff going just fine. It's like a group of friends that argues a lot among themselves but gets things done. Most of the time, done RIGHT.
** Doom isn't divided too bad, though there are still those who hate ''VideoGame/Doom3'' and call it a "flashlight simulator" that lacked the fun of the originals, and those who prefer modern games and think ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' are "outdated". And then there are the arguments over whether VideoGame/Doom2016 was a worthy successor to the original games or not, which includes debates over the viability of [=SnapMap=] as a modding tool.
*** ''Doom 3''[='=]s reputation has since been somewhat improved among those who prefer the classic games, so now the new point of conflict regarding ''Doom 3'' is whether its shotgun is a good weapon or not - some appreciate its high power, matching the classic Super Shotgun in that a single shell can potentially do the same damage as a rocket, while others hate it for its extremely wide spread, which wastes a lot of that potential beyond [[ShortRangeShotgun extremely close distances]].

* The online ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' community has three main multiplayer ports - Skulltag, which introduces many new features to Doom - mostly in the modding department, resulting in a very wide variety of mods for it. [=ZDaemon=], which is a blend of newschool and oldschool gameplay, and has a release schedule that rivals VideoGame/DukeNukemForever. Odamex, which is open-source (unlike the first two, although Skulltag is supposed to be open-sourced sooner or later), and strives for an oldschool style of gameplay, with a few newschool features, like CTF and jumping, thrown in (although disabled by default). Naturally, there are some deep splits in the community based on what port you prefer to use for multiplayer. It's not as bad as some, but Odamexers don't intermingle with Skulltaggers very often, and [=ZDaemoners=] are generally hated by both of the other camps. It's been getting a bit better, though...
** Situations goes from bad to worse at ''VideoGame/MegaMan8BitDeathmatch'' when the subject is Rendering Engine. [=OpenGL=] users vs Software-Rendering users.

** Doom isn't divided too bad, though there are still those who hate ''Doom 3'' and call it a "flashlight simulator" that lacked the fun of the originals, and those who prefer modern games and think ''Doom'' and ''Doom II'' are "outdated". And then there are the arguments over whether VideoGame/Doom2016 was a worthy SuperiorSuccessor to the original games or not, which includes debates over the viability of [=SnapMap=] as a modding tool...
** The modding community also has its own nitpicks- some players will gripe over any mod that requires jumping, other become angry at mods that disable jumping (overriding the source port's controls is possible), weapon reloading, amount of detail(some want as much detail as can be packed in, others want it "the way Id did it"), etc.

** On one hand, we have a camp who is extremely adamant on making sure Konami [[NeverLiveItDown will never live down]] the debacle and must be remembered as one of the evilest companies that should sell their franchises that 'was being held hostage' and is remembered only as a Pachinko company or sometimes for NFT, thus all of their games afterwards are to be put with suspicion and a distraction from the moral obligations. Even if the game was generally innocent, not problematic and/or devoid of most of the accusations, they felt obliged to continue to AccentuateTheNegative just to ensure that the 2015/2016 controversy is never forgiven and forgotten, which unfortunately created a lot of CommonKnowledge phenomenons. The below camp is usually accused by them as being [[GullibleLemmings too gullible]] to let their evil actions triumph and unpunished [[AccompliceByInaction by doing nothing about condemning them]], thus constant committers of FandomHeresy.

* Want to start a FlameWar? Try saying "X game is definitely/is absolutely not a {{Roguelike}}" and watch the sparks fly. One camp believes the term should only cover games that play similarly to ''VideoGame/{{Rogue}}'', meaning [=RPGs=] with grid-based movement, that automatically pause when you aren't performing an action, and has randomly-generated levels and [[FinalDeath permadeath]]. The other camp believes ''any'' game with randomly-generated levels (or even just any strong focus on randomness) should be allowed to call itself a roguelike, regardless of gameplay. The fact that the most well-known titles to use the roguelike label, such as ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'', ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'', and ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'' specifically fall into the latter definition while games that fit the former definition tend to be more niche doesn't help.

** For those unfamiliar with the game, ''[=ME1=]'' was a classic hero's journey, the only subversion being that Shepard was already well-known in Alliance circles, no matter what origin you chose. ''[=ME2=]'' went DarkerAndEdgier, with most of the plot consisting of building a team of specialists (with some being mercenaries, assassins and sociopaths) to take on a final, deadly mission. Depending on how you played 1, the plot of 2 could also have quite a few absurd moments. There was also a ''massive'' shift in tone, practically a change in genre. The first game was all about world-building, presented Shepard as operating mostly on his own volition in his search for answers, and contained a huge number of conversations with random civilians that revealed information about how different groups perceived the universe and each other. The sequels almost totally abandoned this for a more straightforward and action focused narrative, played fast and loose with the established rules of the setting (where they didn't outright retcon them), and stripped Shepard of any agency beyond shooting things.

** Steam Greenlight: Quality control to ensure that Steam isn't [[SturgeonsLaw plagued]] with crappy games, or a way to screw over good developers who don't have a publisher to work with or an established reputation, not helped by Steam's monopoly on PC games ensuring that games released only on other digital outlets sell very minimal copies?

* ''VideoGame/TombRaider''. There's the main one of those who mostly prefer either Creator/CoreDesign's or Creator/CrystalDynamics' entries to the series, but then there are divisions within those divisions, like those who only like a small amount of each developer's games, and [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 the 2013 reboot]] broke things up even more.

*** ''Slight Hope'' has to be mentioned, as the story itself is a major source of Makoto's current BrokenBase. One side supports it, commenting on how it expands on Makoto's role in events and elaborates on several pieces of other characters' stories (Rachel's CharacterDevelopment, Tsubaki's MindRape, Litchi's memory deterioration and Boundary [[TheCorruption corruption]]). The other side rejects it, broadsiding it on pushing Makoto's role too hard for their tastes (even though her relevance had been elevated bit by bit throughout ''Continuum Shift'' proper and in her Arcade mode). Somewhere in the middle is a group that tries to make sense of the story in a way that appeases both sides, but the far camps are particularly loud. They're basically the ones calling the shots.

* ''VideoGame/MarioParty 9'' has become this due to the massive changes in the mechanics of the game. People are either for the changes or against it. Then ''Mario Party: Star Rush'' vastly shook up the core gameplay ''again'', splitting the player base into three.
* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsOnline'' suffers from this. There are a few splits that pop up from time to time, such as if a weapon is overpowered. If you look through the forum history you will see legions of splits on one thing or another. One of the longer running problems is "musou", more specifically whether it's overpowered or fine. It's died off as new weapons and abilities popped up.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTriForceHeroes'' has divided fan opinions on whether its over-the-top premise and humor are benefitial, detrimental or simply indifferent to its quality. For an specific example on the humor part, in the American version, the game includes a ShoutOut to the doge meme; fans are divided on whether it's a funny {{Woolseyism}} or a gratuitous, unnecessary shoehorn that won't [[WereStillRelevantDammit age]] [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece well]]. In terms of gameplay, the strong focus on the online play as well as the totem mechanic are the primary points of debate.

** [[StandardFPSGuns Sniper rifles]] as equippable weapons in general, particularly in multiplayer [[FirstPersonShooter first-person shooters]]. There will be players who defend them arguing that they are DifficultButAwesome and easily counterable if you know what you're doing, and there will be players who despise them for being irritating, OneHitKill {{Game Breaker}}s that [[TierInducedScrappy offer no opportunity for counterplay once a player with good aim gets their hands on one]] -- especially if the player in question is a {{griefer}} with aimbot hacks.

** There's also the demographic of people who think ''any'' 3D Zelda game is bad and think the series turned for the worst after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]''. Creator/SeanMalstrom and his more passionate followers are well-known for belonging to this group, as is Creator/{{Egoraptor}}. The latter is particularly well known for disliking/despising ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Skyward Sword''.

** In later times, Creator/SeanMalstrom inadvertently brought into the woodwork the old-school 2-D platforming Mario fans who derogatorily call 3-D Mario games "Starfinders" in that this is all Mario does in those games against the 3-D platforming Mario fans who argue that finding flagpoles is all 2-D Mario does. When ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'' sold like hotcakes, Nintendo became aware of this divide.

** After the Virtual Console release was revealed to be called ''"[=EarthBound=] Beginnings"'', what is the "true" English title of this game? Supporters of the ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' title do so because it's official and makes more sense next to ''[=EarthBound=]''. Supporters of the ''MOTHER'' title argue that ''MOTHER'' is just as official an English title, citing ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', and also support it because it was Itoi's original and intended title[[note]]although the same could be said for ''MOTHER 2''[[/note]] and [[NostalgiaFilter it's what they were used to for years]]. This wiki and [[TheWikiRule EarthBound Wiki]] have settled for ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'', but Wiki/TheOtherWiki and [=WikiBound=], another ''[=EarthBound=]/MOTHER'' wiki, decided to leave it at ''MOTHER'' until discussion comes to a consensus.

* The broken base between fans of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and the reboot ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' was massive and toxic, not helped by the fact that both Capcom and Ninja Theory had delivered a point-blank TakeThatAudience at several points (in-game and in interviews). To show how bad it was, the estimation for edit warring on Wiki/TVTropes was so bad that the Work, YMMV, and Character page for DMC was locked two days after its release, and wasn't unlocked until February 2014, a ''full year'' after it came out.

** Some fans of ''Sakura Wars'' see this justified due the franchise being one of SEGA's juggernaut properties, having lived the glory days as the FlagshipFranchise and KillerApp for Saturn in Japan and has quite an expansive media and legacy stretching to present day.[[note]]The franchise still enjoys semi-annual stages shows in Japan, for example.[[/note]]

* Nintendo's localization teams use of {{Woolseyism}} when translating games. Anger towards this tends to flare up in more in the fandoms for dialogue-heavy games like ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'', where this also butts head with content being changed in general to safely secure a Teen rating (as keeping it unaltered risks a Mature rating due to ValuesDissonance). Other fandoms are more neutral or even positive regarding this, such as ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMario''.