Ok so, I'm chiming in real quick now that I have some free time. This isn't the most appropriate thread but I doubt there is even one, considering this convo has been going throughout many threads.
It seems we've reached a point where both sides of the KH III debate are getting tired and frustrated at one another. Discussions are switching from what goes on in the game to what people from the opposite faction do, and even if I'm kinda "retiring" from all of it I'm reading all of what happens.
People who dislike KH III: I'm just as frustrated as you are, perhaps even more if all the invitations I get to lower my voice whenever KH III comes up in the Discord call are any indication of my emotional state.
But remember, at the end of the day this is a forum about Kingdom Hearts, for Kingdom Hearts fans. Having the right to speak one's own opinion, even if dissonant, is important and should always be there, but there is SOME validity to the fact that coming to almost every thread guns ablazing ranting over the bad stuff is... not *wrong* per se, but can be out of place.
You ask me every day of the week, KH III ultimately sucks. It sucks we got such a disappointing game full of bad stuff and bad decisions for the saga finale, and I have so many issues with the people handling the series. And I've voiced all of that as much as I've felt comfortable doing, sometimes a bit more, and in the most respectful approach I could muster.
Other than that, news and interviews about the game will keep happening, and positive responses from those who loved it will keep happening as well: and you'd think that in a place called "Kingdom Hearts Insider Forums" would have more people who ultimately like the stuff. It's also okay to some extent. I love Kingdom Hearts, including III, I come to a Kingdom Hearts forum to tell how much I love it and how I'm looking forward to every new update. Easy enough.
Even if the admins shared our whole mindset, it's not like they can just go and say "Ok, KH confirmed bad, from now on let's all start trashing the franchise and every post needs at least three insults or it won't be approved."
They'll keep posting stuff and reporting news, trying (or not even trying, but simply doing it naturally) to be cheerful and inviting, and speaking as a fellow colleague on my own sites, I know all too well how it feels when you're posting something and you already KNOW you'll get a bitter response in the first three or five replies. S'not always great, and it sends bitter waves to the original poster as well.
Again, I'm the last person on Earth who'd tell you not to think KH III is bad or underwhelming or similar things, nor that you shouldn't express it: at this point KH III is officially a divisive game and not an all-out success and your opinion is rightfully part of the whole.
But once you've made your point... well... it' shouldn't be surprising people on a KH forum will go back to praising it and sometimes even reacting not too thrilled in response to further negativity.
Which brings me to the People who like KH III: I am absolutely in favor of alexis and Rydgea when they say that some opinions are being marginalized and treated like "oh those sad guys are back at it with their sad opinions, oh wee", to some extent at the very least.
It's plain to see some echo chambers of BOTH negativity and ultra-positivity have been made (and some "innocent" statements in favor of the game and devs which were most likely made with the intentions of provoking but I don't want to create drama so let's stop there), and we're now at the point where attempts are being made at telling some people how to feel.
"People who hate on KH III probably don't... people who claim X thing is bad should" nononono, honeys, stopping y'all right there. *I* decide how I should feel and what I probably did or didn't experience, with this game or others. Just as you decided you love this game and you want to defend it and I have nothing to say against that. When/If I go too far... mods and admins will be there to notify and/or punish me accordingly.
Let's not pretend all the passive-aggressive behaviour was always made as a glorious and all-deserving response to some very mean attitude from a toxic KH III hater, because that's just not what always happens.
EDIT: Oh, now name-calling too, apparently. Lovely.
I hold zero power here. I'm just a user who sometimes voices his opinion and all the other times makes dumb jokes some of which are deemed fun. I can't tell anyone what to do, and no one can tell someone else what to feel, so I only say this as an advice to both factions: just try to cool it.
Remember this is a Kingdom Hearts forum so it just won't have a perfect 50/50 ratio on opinions, but WILL have bias at times for obvious, and in part right, reasons.
Anybody else, never hurts to run some self-doubt checkup every once in a while to make sure you're letting others breathe and aren't falling into the role of a glorified paladin no one asked for.
That's all. Don't take it on a personal level, I come in peace.
