I've recently tried Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3. It is not a bad game by all means but I could not bring myself to play it to the end. The characters, the settings and even the enemies were so cute and everything sounded and played so much like a fairy tale that it lost its appeal to me.

After that I've played Dead Space, Indigo Prophecy and Still Life, all games with a more mature setting and I have to say that this of one the reasons I've enjoyed them very much.

That's not to say I can't tolerate cute characters or settings. Final Fantasy games always had Chocobos (which I hate just as much as ChocoboHater) but I can put up with them as long as I get a great game. The same can be said about Xenosaga's virtual cat or the cat race in Monster Hunter. All those are clearly aimed at a different audience.

I don't mean to say that games have to include tons of f... words, naked people, sexual innuendo or senseless violence but I gotta say I prefer those than facing an enemy that is an owl ninja (Disgaea).

I wouldn't bash those games, they have their audiences and as long as they gamers are happy, the games would have fulfilled their roles. But to me, the cuteness factor can hinder the experience.

I distinctly recall TKF's review of Eternal Sonata highlighting something about the enemies being to cute to be taken seriously and that it hindered the experience.

So, it's clear to me that I should avoid those kinda of games as they'll bring more frustration than fun. What about you ? Does the cuteness factor get often in the way ? Are you a Chocobo lover ? Do you dream of being an owl ninja or games like valkyria Chronicles are simply to cute to be good ?