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The Iron Mic vs. Dragon Age: Origins
0777 days
Kotor was rather popular, and also good, but it’s time maybe to try making an RPG that isn’t essentially another thinly-veiled ripoff. If you can’t, then just make Kotor 3 and let me get my Star Wars fix already. I realize that it’s easy money, but at least try mixing it up a bit. Try rearranging the bones to come up with a new animal.
How about some menus that aren’t wheel-based? How about a game with more than 5 towns? How about an rpg where every conversation scene isn’t about tiptoeing around your crew of opinionated crybabies? How about a storage system that I don’t have to pay extra for?
There is little that annoys me as much as having to stop in the middle of a dungeon and decide which of my items will probably sell for less than others (and can be dropped/destroyed) so I can pick up the gift/weapon/potion/whatever that I’m not sure if I’ll need later in the game. Yeah, yeah. Here comes the argument that the game has backpacks for sale that increase inventory space for in-game gold. You know what games that sentence describes? Mmo grindfests; which are the bastion of offensive game design.
There are a few ways for (benevolent) developers to handle this. You can go the Final Fantasy route and let me carry x99 of any existing item, but no more than that; or you can try the Jagged Alliance design and give me a limited personal inventory with persistent drops (dropped items staying right where I fucking dropped them and never leaving unless I intentionally move them). If you don’t feel like coding either of those, you could just stop putting so damned many items in the game. I don’t need twenty similar swords to choose from if I don’t have the ability to carry them all.
Now, I haven’t played Torchlight, but I hear that you can sell things while in the middle of a dungeon. Word up on that. Perhaps other game companies could take that under advisement and add something similar in the future. And no, I’m not willing to pay an additional $10 for the convenience, you greedy assfunchkins.
You know what else sucks? The targeting. I have lost count of how many times I’ve accidentally targeted someone on my team instead of targeting an enemy. No, I wasn’t trying to open your conversation screen, I was trying to attack/loot/freeze that evil demon right fucking next to me. This would have been an easy fix: d-pad left/right for enemies, and up/down for friendlies. (I’m guessing this is the part where guys playing the PC version laugh at me derisively.)
Bottom line: I don’t hate Dragon Age. I’m going to play it all the way through. I might even play it a second time and play as a different class. Its formula keeps getting reused because it makes for a decent game. I just think that, at this point, they’ve gone to the trough too many times to not be called on it. If I spend more time thinking “that’s just like in [earlier game]” or “god dammit not again” than I do “that’s fucking sweet” it tends to obstruct my enjoyment of the game.
P.S — What the hell is with Morrigan only looking good in the one outfit? Change her armor and an entirely different body model is loaded. Bullshit.
Love in Gaming
21086 days
Let’s face it, relationships are hard to deal with sometimes. Deep down we are all selfish people, and having to consider the other person takes time to get used to. You really have to find that person that makes you feel complete. Now think how hard it is to get you to care about a fictional person and THEIR relationship. I can’t think of any games that have pulled it off perfectly but a few have tried and done quite well.
One of the hardest things about story telling in games, or just in general is empathy. Trying to make the player care for the character they control or interact with. Its not an easy task considering the amount of time that you may or may not want to spend with them. Tack on the challenge of making you care about their fictitious relationships and it gets exponentially harder.
A very small number of games recently have made me sympathetic to in game characters quests for love. The first that came to mind was Jackie Estacado and his girlfriend Jenny, from The Darkness. Even though most of the story was over done and a little trite, i enjoyed the interaction between the two. I think what did it for me was the phone calls he would make to Jenny. It just sounded like actual concern. Also the section where you just sit on the couch and watch TV. I think that hit home with me because nothing relaxes me more than a quiet night like that with my wife.
Placing yourself in the shoes of the character can be difficult when things get a little crazy. Bringing you back to Earth with simple scenes of emotion is not an easy thing to pull of either. In the case of Lucas and Tiffany from Indigo Prophecy the main protagonist falls into trances where he sees giant beast/insect creatures attacking him. Hard thing to get a player to relate to, however his relationship with his ex-girlfriend isn’t. Who hasn’t had a love interest that they care for so much they would do anything to keep them safe. It’s a simple emotion that everyone can connect to. That is when good writers and directors really shine.
Of course there is that age old story of wanting what you will never get. We cannot forget Mario and Princess Peach. The story of a blue collar plumber that just wants to be with a girl that happens to be the princess of the mushroom kingdom. Always trying to rescue his love from the clutches of the evil King Koopa. Never really able to be happy for long then off on another adventure he goes. That story probably hits home with more than a few people in the world. That think they have found the perfect person then something changes and they have to go looking all over again.
So i guess what i am trying to say is, that creating the very real emotion of “love” for characters in games is no simple feat.
I hope that everyone out there has a wonderful Valentines Day. If your with someone tell them you love them and how special they are to you. If you happen to be alone on Valentines Day, don’t worry stay positive. Just keep looking because you never know if your Princess might be in another castle.
A More Mature Nintendo
01094 days
With the recent announcement of Dead Space being ported to the Wii console, could it be true that the Wii and Nintendo in general is becoming more mature? Dead Space adds to the (slowly) growing number of mature titles that Nintendo has in there line ups. Also on that list is Dead Rising; Chop Till You Drop coming to Wii, Mad World also on Wii’s list, and Grand Theft Auto; Chinatown Wars.
Nintendo, it seems, is certainly trying to put more mature games into the already overstuffed line up that is aimed at kids. The Wii sells like hot soup in the middle of a blizzard let’s face fact, but aside from it being the fastest selling console out there, it doesn’t have a lot of staying power. I have a lot of friends that have a Wii (myself included) and don’t play them. If they are playing the Wii they are usually playing old school games that they downloaded through the Virtual Console. Is giving a game the “M” rating going to be the shot in the arm that Nintendo needs to get people playing again?
Shovel-ware is by far what is hurting the Wii the most. Parents faced with a decision of buying games strictly based on box art and price generally lean towards games that are cheaper and flashy-er. Parents that aren’t gamers like myself don’t know that what they are doing is necessarily a bad thing. They just think that the box looks pretty and the price is right, my kid will probably like this game. They don’t know that in essence they are only contributing to the problem of horrible games being pushed on kids. You can’t rightly blame the parents. They don’t know any better. That is why sites like What They Play.com were created. To educate parents so that they know the difference between a game like Mario Party and Family Party. As most people in the game media will tell you, if you stop buying really bad games and their sequels, they will stop making them.
The Nintendo DS, is another beast all together. It has sold well since launch, and doesn’t look like it shows any signs of slowing down. There are a TON of games on the DS that are wonderful, original, and fun all in one. There are still many shovel ware games on the DS but they don’t seem to stick out as much as the Wii. One major difference is that people are still playing their DS’. I see kids and adults alike playing the DS all the time. You can also read about great games coming out all the time. Why is the Wii so different then? In my opinion i think it is because the DS has been around long enough that the publishers that tried to take advantage of the systems supply and demand have started to dwindle. Due largely in part to the fact that people have stopped buying every game that comes out for the system. Now that doesn’t mean they have all gone away. That is horribly apparent when you look at all the “Petz” games that come out every month it seems like.
Mature games mean mature buyers, essentially, if you abide by the rules. Mature buyers usally means educated buyers. So this could possibly be the right course of action from Nintendo and their publishers to get better titles, and more long term franchises on board. The more you educate your public the more they will demand better quality product. As long as they nail the presentation and don’t try to shoe-horn in the use of the Wiimote or the touch screen controls for the respective systems things should pick up quickly. Gamers, true gamers, know what they like, and they don’t hesitate to tell you what should and should not exist in a game of a certain type. Developers and publishers just need to take into consideration the person that plays the game more than the person that is paying them to make it. I know that is a ridiculous concept but it’s true.
What is your opinion on the matter? Do you think that Mature titles belong on the Wii and DS? Do you think that this will help the Wii build an even larger fan base?
Burger Shots?
01095 days
by WiFi Pirate
in Random
Back in the late 80′s there was a thing at Burger King called “Burger Buddies”. I don’t remember how long they lasted, but I know this, they were delicious when I was a kid. Well they are back, I guess in a way.
Burger King is now offering and notice I am quoting “Burger Shots”. They are mini burgers, however instead of being sold in a set of three apparently they are being sold as a set of two. They also have Burger Shot breakfast sandwiches. The verdict is still out on the breakfast ones, but i hear that the regular Burger Shots aren’t very good. Which is a shame b/c much like everything else from my childhood, its not as good as i remember it to be. Anyway I was just thinking about it and wondered if anyone else remembered the Burger Buddy days.
Wipeout!
31095 days
Let’s face facts, there is a lot on television that is just plain out and out utter crap! Reality TV has taken over most time slots and in some cases entire freaking channels. Television shows, that intrigue you, make you think or just flat out make you laugh, are few and far between. Well there is one show out there that has absolutely captured my attention and I can’t miss an episode. That show is Wipeout.
Wipeout started this past June on ABC, and is hosted by John Henson (from the old Talk Soup) and John Anderson (from ESPN’s Sportscenter) Jill Wagner rounds out the hosting cast as the attractive on site interviewer. Every week 24 contestants (both men and women) run through a myriad of obstacle courses (more on that later) as they are slowly eliminated until the final four run the final course for a chance at $50,000! It;s in the same vein as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, but without the hilarious overdubbing. Still, the “Johns” are great as hosts and John Henson drawing over the screen usually generates it’s own laughs.
The first course “The Qualifier” usually consists of some sort of balancing obstacle followed by the “Sucker Punch”, which is a wall of boxing gloves all trying to knock you off balance. Then comes the best part of the entire show really, the “Big Balls”. Four gi-normus red balls perched above water face each contestant down every week, and every week someone “wipeout” is worthy of many many replays. After that is comes some sort of pole-vault/rope swing to the finish.
Round two is “The Sweeper”. Twelve contestants standing on pedistals high above water have to dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge a rotating bar that aims to put everyone in the water. The top six move on and the last man/woman standing gets an “easy” $1,000.
Round three is usually either the “Dread-Mill” which is a tread mill with some sort of distraction or obstacle of its own. Or sometimes it is the “Dizzy Dummy” which spins contestants around, then forces them to run a small course to the finish. The top four move on to the final test.
Round four is “The Wipeout Zone”, and it is both nasty and wonderful. Take a ride down a HUGE water slide into (usually frigid) water. Then the “Barrel Roll” where they need to make it up a ramp with 50gal barrels are rolling down to knock them off. Next up is the “Water Wall” where you are forced to scale a very thin ledge under a water fall to get to the next obstacle. “The Spinner”! Which is usually the second best at giving a great replay. It’s a giant spinning platform with padded columns sticking up all around it. Usually the contestants hit one and go flying into the water, or in some cases will completely snap one off and fall into the water. Finally the “Launch Pads” are all that are left between defeat and 50K. Jump a series of trampoline pads of different heights, land on the last platform, and if your time is fast enough claim your prize.
My wife and I love the show. So much so that over the summer we planned dinner and friends coming over around the event. Currently the show is in reruns, after they just had their big Super Bowl episode of Cheerleaders Vs. Couch Potatoes. The show apparently is so popular that it has sparked something like 20 different countries to start their own versions of the show. How often is it that American television is the trend setter? Check your local listings for the show, give it a try, try not to laugh. I dare you.
Crotch Shot
01095 days
by WiFi Pirate
in Random
So I am wondering if he planned this out all the way. Did he not think he was going to slide that far? Did he just not time it right. Or, more sinister like, did he totally do it on purpose to give the world his own sort of Wardrobe Malfunction… The world may never know. Who cares really. It makes me laugh every time. Just look at the dopey grin on his face at the end. Hilarious!
