Draul’s Thots — Hypocrisy in Gaming: Bugs, Nostalgia, and Moving the Goalposts

Draul’s Thots — Hypocrisy in Gaming: Bugs, Nostalgia, and Moving the Goalposts

Bugs in video games are nothing new. Every developer, big or small, deals with them — it’s part of making games. Yet somehow, the way players react to bugs depends entirely on who shipped the game. One studio gets dragged through the mud, while another gets a standing ovation for the same mistakes. It’s honestly kind of wild.

Take Bethesda, for example. Since the days of Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, their games have been riddled with bugs. Some harmless, some game-breaking. Fast forward to today — even in Oblivion Remastered, some of those original bugs are still alive and well. And what’s the reaction? Laughter. Memes. “Classic Bethesda!” they say, while happily forking over cash for another re-release.

Meanwhile, a company like Ubisoft screws up a launch — yeah, looking at you, Assassin’s Creed Unity — and the internet practically tries to burn them to the ground. Never mind the fact that Ubisoft actually fixed their games, added a ton of post-launch support, and improved the player experience over time. It didn’t matter. Once the narrative that “Ubisoft bad” took hold, that was it. No redemption.

Bethesda, though? They ship glitch-filled games over and over, sometimes at full price, sometimes with minimal effort to patch legacy issues… and they still get treated like the lovable village idiot. It’s frustrating to watch because it shows just how much consumer loyalty (or nostalgia) blinds people.

But it doesn’t stop there. Let’s talk about something good for a second — Sandfall Studios’ new release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Easily the best-reviewed game of 2025 so far. A polished, well-designed, artistically beautiful experience from a new studio who clearly cared about the product they were delivering. You’d think the gaming community would just be celebrating, right?

Wrong. Instead of focusing on the success, parts of the internet decided to dredge up old comments from Square Enix about how “turn-based games don’t sell anymore,” as if that has anything to do with Sandfall Studios today. It’s like gamers can’t enjoy the present without dragging their baggage with them. Expedition 33 should be praised for what it is — not used as some backhanded weapon against companies they’re still mad at.

And let’s be honest about Expedition 33 — while it’s fantastic, it’s not reinventing the wheel. The core combat is turn-based with quick-time events (QTEs) layered in — something gamers used to hate. Remember the endless whining about QTEs back in the day? Yet now, because it’s wrapped in a beautiful package with a respectful execution (like offering an auto-QTE mode for accessibility), everyone’s singing its praises.

Even then, the idea isn’t new. Games like Costume Quest, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and Shadow Hearts all blended turn-based gameplay with timing mechanics years ago. What Sandfall Studios really added was a dynamic defense system — parry, dodge, and jump actions you perform during enemy attacks to reduce or counter damage — and a “flag” checkpoint system that feels ripped straight from the Soulslike playbook. It’s a brilliant combination that breathes life into turn-based battles, making them reactive instead of passive. Expedition 33 feels like a turn-based Soulslike, and that’s what makes it stand out.

Yet here we are again — selective outrage, selective memory. Gamers will dismiss years of actual progress in one place and pretend something totally familiar is a revelation elsewhere, all depending on their mood, who made the game, and what old grudges they’re still clinging to.

And honestly? It’s exhausting. Companies should be held accountable when they screw up — but they should also be allowed to earn respect when they do things right. Meanwhile, the companies coasting on nostalgia and meme culture should be pushed harder to actually fix their damn problems.

At the end of the day, if Elder Scrolls VI launches with dragons doing the Macarena over a T-posing emperor, you know damn well people will call it “part of the Bethesda charm” — while ripping apart another studio for a day-one patch fixing a minor bug.

Consistency, y’all. Maybe one day we’ll find some.