I mean, I'm more bothered by you equating fan fiction as a whole to bad writing rather than specifying it feels like "bad fan fiction" and I'm also not super jazzed with the use of the term "Gary Stu" in general
but like, outside of disagreeing on wording and terminology, I see your point.
When I'm describing the plot as "fanfictiony", I mean it hits all the tropes of self-insert fanfiction. It's not bad because of that. It's bad because it's badly written, but there's no escaping that it's fanfictiony af. (cont.)
As for the use of "Gary Stu", literally the only reason I'm using it is because I am directly responding to the folks who refer to Rey as the female equivalent, Mary Sue, while propping up Starkiller despite him fitting the definition far more than Rey ever did.
Fair enough, I still have apprehension in describing fanfiction (which is a fairly varied medium due to several factors) in such umbrella ways but I do understand your point and what you're saying here regardless of that fact.
After consulting a couple other folks, I decided to alter the line a tad. Would like your input:
"I think it is a generic Star Wars game with a story that plays out like a bad fanfiction and a main character who is more of self-insert Gary Stu than Rey Palpatine ever was. "
The only thing that tickles me is calling the force unleashed a generic star wars game. I'm pretty sure at the time it was rather refreshing even by comparing it to its closest sibling the Jedi Knight series.
I mainly say it's generic in that I've played several hack-and-slashes that play exactly like it and it doesn't offer anything special to make it stand out to me compared to them or other Star Wars games for that matter.
I'm usually a wee bit more forgiving of a Mary Sue in a video game than other media just for the interactive aspect of the medium, but as examples of the trope in work Starkiller is much more of Sue than Rey in pretty much every way.
I think Mary Sues work in games gameplay wise, particularly for full on power fantasies. But yeah, the story really suffers, especially if you're trying for 'this could've happened in the background'. Force Unleashed and RE's Operation Raccoon City are the worst offenders, and yeah really fanficy.
FTR, the box my friend sent me had FIVE Star Wars games in total and this was the last one I was looking at and I was kind of tired at this point, especially since I had a lot of fun with the Revenge of the Sith game and this was kind of blah in comparison.
Weenies who got all pissy over Rey making a few rocks levitate off the ground and doing a single mind trick are oddly quiet about the guy who was able to use the force as a toddler and pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky.
I think this is why I have an immediate dislike toward Starkiller out the gate because while part of me is like "Oh, he's a player character in a power fantasy game. Nothing that deep, but fine." the fact that people unironically praise him while shitting on Rey make me legit annoyed XD
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but like, outside of disagreeing on wording and terminology, I see your point.
"I think it is a generic Star Wars game with a story that plays out like a bad fanfiction and a main character who is more of self-insert Gary Stu than Rey Palpatine ever was. "
(And I'm not going to mention the Gary Stu part as you explained the purpose behind using the term.)
It's not like the guy was shown to be anle to pull down a ship from the sk-
Oh fuck.
And then his family crest was used for the Rebellion and I legit yelled "GTFO" when I first played it years ago XD