>>3161
>I would argue games without UIs tend to be pretty shit
If it's something dull like a walking simulator then absolutely, but then there's games like Abe's Oddysee/Exodus and Ico which aid their immersion by removing 99% of UI or integrating it into the game world (the LED displays in Abe for instance).
>while soulful UIs are some of the most memorable
Giving a UI personality is definitely important, even a minimal UI can have a recognizable identity through things like font choices, unfortunately most developers don't really try to give their minimal UI a defining quality.