Strangelove

It's true, you know.

This might be the wrong place to ask or it just might be a wrong thing to ask in general, but as someone who has never traveled overseas, are there REALLY black people in Europe? Like, if you're walking down the street is there a good chance youll see one? Ive personally never met a black person that was from somewhere else besides the US. So ive always been a bit curious. Second question, if there are black people where youre from in Europe, are they discriminated over there like they are over here in the US? Are they stereotyped the same way? I know I cant form an opinion by a handful of people's accounts, and I dont intend to. Im just curious.

This.

Were all so pessimistic about the games industry that we really should have a separate thread for non-physical downloaded games. "Games you THINK You've Bought 2014."

I used to be every anti-dlc of any kind when i first got into the PS3/360 generation, but Im already used to it. Ive made some pretty foolish purchases as well as good ones. I just go with what I really want when I really want it. That being said, Japanese dlc is really fucking weird. Specifically when it comes to rpgs and fighting games. I don't know how anyone in good conscience can spend money on voice packs or color packs. Thats all kinds of fucked up. Its ALL release day stuff too. Whats even worse, the new Blazblue has all that stuff plus 2-3 characters that you have to buy as dlc on day one. Im ok with day one dlc, only if it makes sense. 3 whole characters for $5 as dlc on day one makes no sense to me. $15 extra on day one doesnt feel good to me, but its the only way I would feel like I own a complete game. So Im holding up til the game and dlc are all on sale. Overall, its all a bit psychological. I think a lot of companies just dont know how to ease the player into it. I don't consider something like what Capcom does to be any more heinous than Activision does with their $15 CoD map packs. Its all just in how you do it. I will say that Im a sucker for costumes though. I love being able to wear different costumes in most games and I will pay for it, even if I still feel like Im being ripped off.

Anyone recommend the Wild Arms games? I grew up in the magnificent era of PS1 rpgs, so Im pretty open to whatever. Edit: Bough WA1 already.

Yeah, theres a few games like that. Off the top of my head, MGS1 and Silent Hill 1. Theyre not in the Vita store.

I bet you think strippers like you too.

US PSN has a $.99 flash sale, some decent stuff. No PS4 stuff though, obviously. Be warned - Legend of Dragoon cant be played on Vita unless you download it on PS3 and transfer it over to Vita first. It's the only way. Edit: the hell with it, i bought Wild Arms.

This is my first time ever recommending a game to friend that i thought he wouldnt like because it's the complete opposite of what he plays. It feels good. And I think it feels good because it kind of verifies that some games can be for almost everyone despite the genre or theme. I recommended Persona 4 to a friend last year and he barely got a Vita last month and finally got P4 and he loves it. The dude is basically an average American 360 gamer. Doesnt hate but doesnt care about Japanese games. But he told me he liked Catherine and he told me he liked old school turn based rpgs, so I figured he'd like Persona 4. I guess I just like being right. I put Persona 4 up there with Mario Kart as a game anyone can like.

This is so prevalent that I assume everyone likes it, therefore itll be a very unpopular opinion. I really hate when game or film reviews start with a paragraph about a story that is only barely related to what the writer is reviewing. Just shitty little personal stories that barely tie into the product. Its just such a waste of time. I know to skip the first paragraph of most reviews now. I assume the people who write this way think its more legit or something, they feel like theyre "real" writers if they write that shit first.

Yeah, like I said, oversimplification. I wouldn't take seriously someone complaining about HUD elements any more than I would someone saying any of those examples. Choices not having an impact isn't really what ludonarrative dissonance is. Well, maybe it is in some way, I'm not an expert on the concept. But my understanding of it is it's when the story is saying one thing and the mechanics are saying the opposite. Uncharted is more of a funny/weird contrast because Drake still cracks jokes as if he hadn't just murdered three dozen guys in the last 20mins. But it doesn't really contradict the story, it's Indiana Jones. Yeah, he's gonna fight people. It's just that it's a shooter, so yeah, the amount of people he fights and kills is going to be ridiculously disproportionate. Indiana Jones doesn't get all bummed out over killing a few nazis but he didn't kill literally hundreds of them over the span of a trilogy. A better example would be the new Tomb Raider. The story is all about Lara being weak and innocent and gradually becoming the Lara we're already familiar with. But in-game it's pretty much a switch that gets flipped, she gets a gun and right away starts mowing down dudes by the dozen. Then you get a cutscene and she feels bad about killing a deer or is all scared because bad guys all over the place. Then gameplay starts again and she literally screams "I'M COMING TO GET YOU ALL!!!". That's a more stark contradiction. edit: I probably shouldn't play my Vita sitting at my desk. I'm trying to start Ys: Memories of Celceta but I just keep refreshing this thread instead. I've literally been in the tutorial for like an hour and a half... The TR thing I feel is completely justified. the game deliberately wants you to feel a certain way to such a degree that most of their marketing focused on it, but the game doesn't gel. It deserves to get shitted on for that. Its like a racing game that claims to be the fastest and isnt.

I don't think there's a way to say this without sounding condescending, but I think a lot of us try to dissect and analyze videogames that were just not intelligent enough for. Or maybe we are smart enough, but were not eloquent enough to put it in a way for others to understand. Something just doesnt transfer over. Does anyone watch "Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin?" I think those are really funny but good videos about games. I think both Anthony and Ashly are smart and know their shit, but I think Anthony is on a whole different level from most people ive heard discuss the intricacies of videogames. I consider the guy Yoda. Hes knowledgeable and he can say things in a way most people can understand. I get the feeling people think they come across like him, when they come across more like....well, a random geek on a videogame forum. Not that some of them dont know their shit because some do, but Anthony is just something else. And I suppose thats what bothers me. I think most people are bothered by people discussing something theyre not as knowledgable about as they think. I suppose the term is "acting smart". And I guess it might be a cop out, but its the reason I dont value my opinion higher than others. The truth is that Im not intelligent or eloquent enough to truly get down to the soul of videogames in a meaningful and thought provoking way. I just stick to the basics. And if you dont watch "Hey Ash", you suck.

For the record, Im criticizing myself more than criticizing others. I kind of hate how overanalytical I am. I dont feel its healthy to have discussions on videogames to the length I tend to have them. I hate that i feel so strongly about my opinions on the matter. Im part of the group Im talking shit about. Fully. Im not trying to insult anyone, im just trying to put shit into some perspective. I just think we as a community should ease up on our "prickness." For a bit. Maybe.

Im not a fan of the backtouch, but the front touch is awesome on the Vita. It makes a lot of things easier and honestly, its a good way to replace buttons that the Dualshock had but the Vita lacks. And I actually like having a map or inventory on a second screen, but overall its just not worth it. Whatever drives that cost up, Id just rather have a better screen and smaller handheld. The 3DS has a terrible screen that shouldn't even be made anymore. The screen and resolution is something youd expect from a no name brand portable dvd player.

Analyzing doesn't mean comparing everything together. I'm not sure where you got that from. And it's not just about tearing it down, either. If you go to the trouble of analyzing something then it must be doing some things right otherwise why would you even bother? As for not analyzing things that don't mean to be analyzed, well that's just irrelevant. Creators don't get a say in whether or not their work is placed under scrutiny. And their intended meaning is hardly the only one that has value to it. I dont know how to put it. I guess Id just rather watch Charlie Rose and hear good directors and actors talk about their creation than a show like "The Talking Dead". I just dont get a show like "The Talking Dead." It just seems obsessive over something that doesnt deserve to be obsessed over. That show is a piece of shit.

I don't get people who feel the need to be so defensive about games. I mean, shit, I love games too but that doesn't make them above criticism. You do realize it's fine to criticize something you love, right? That's a massive oversimplification and you know it. Immersion is about more than just any one element, it's about believing enough in the fake world you're spending time in to "forget" that it's fake. Suspension of disbelief is another way to look at it. It's like watching a movie and the acting is so bad you can't take it seriously anymore. Why in the name of fuck would you want to limit what people can think about? If people can look for messages and hidden meanings in Michael Bay movies, of all fucking things, then they can do so in games too. It's fine if you don't care about it but to suggest it shouldn't be done at all? I don't even know what to say to that... It's just intellectually lazy. I don't know where you stand on the whole "games are/aren't art" thing but if we want games to be taken seriously then we need to start thinking about them seriously at some point. Cinema started out in a place much like where games are today. How do you think it made the jump to becoming a respected art form? A great work isn't enough, there needs to be people to think about and analyze that work. The people talking about ludonarrative dissonance are doing just that. And I mean people who actually understand it and do proper analysis of games, not just idiots on reddit who are trying to sound smart. I dont have any agenda to push. At the end of the day I dont lie to myself about it. I am never going to do anything about the things that bug me. Do other people realize that all they do is bitch and bring other people down? Put aside how superior people feel over others, is there a point? How many people see a terrible game, talk shit about it and go home and start coding? Almost none. The overanalytical are useless. At the end of the day, its the creative and imaginative that change things, not the critics. Often times those people can be one and the same, but I doubt they got anywhere by just ridiculing everything under the sun. and I really doubt film became a real artform because a bunch of nerds whined to people who didnt give a damn and said "If you shut the fuck up and stop crying, we'll say it's art. Sheesh." Because thats what hardcore gamers have been doing for years. If its meant to be art, it'll become art. Shit, a lot of things that arent art are now art. Most things are art. It'll just eventually happen. You dont need a neighborhood committee to make it happen. Not to mention that maybe were pushing things to a place they dont want to be yet. We cant have every movie be Schindler's List. Honestly, at the end of the day I suppose it doesn't bother me because things are going to move at their own pace. Those who strive and try really hard to push games toward an artform are pushed back by those who don't care. No matter what, things go as planned. I just let people play their Candy Crush Saga.

I dont think I ever said anything like that. if anything, I feel the exact opposite. I love Spec Ops The Line and I am still to this day disturbed how people criticize it for having average gameplay. Its supposed to have average gameplay. Thats the point. Its not supposed to be fun. I also love Silent Hill 2. Horror can be fun in a summer movie kind of way, or it can be disturbing. SH2 is meant to be very unfun and very disturbing and it does it well. And Journey is just amazing. And actually, I tend to not play games if they dont have a story. My point is that not all games are the same, and whats worst, Spec Ops, SH2 and Journey make up less than what, less than 1% of all the games out there? We'll probably never get another Spec Ops, SH got run into the ground and god knows when Thatgamecompany will make another game. These exceptional "unfun" games are almost nonexistent. Most games just strive to be fun distractions with nothing meaningful to say or make you feel because thats what most people want. Its the same thing most people want from their movies and music. Thats why that stuff is so much more popular. I think everything needs to be judged in it's own way depending on what it's trying to do. I don't compare Super Monkey Ball to Bioshock, Scary Movie to Antichrist, or The Backstreet Boys to Leonard Cohen. They're not trying to do the same thing and I wont overanalyze what doesnt mean to be overanalyzed just so i can tear it down. Im not going to waste my time looking for meaning in an Nsync song. But thats not to say that these people will stick to the same thing every time. Some people will switch genres and themes and all I can hope for is that they do that well, if I am at all interested in the direction theyre going. Not everything is made for everyone, even if its from the same source.

Would anyone else prefer the next Nintendo handheld without 3D and with only one screen? I think theyve gone as far as theyre going to go with these 2 gimmicks. Most people arent going to miss the 3D effect and I doubt anyone specifically buys Nintendo handhelds because they have 2 screens. Most games dont even take advantage of the second screen in any meaningful way anymore. They barely did during the original DS period. Just get rid of 3D and a second screen and have one awesome high def screen.

Dragon Age Origins is a very good, yet very boring game. Its slow and meandering as fuck. The game itself isnt very "fun" or particularly well written, but it is very (get ready for it) immersive. Its a big world with a large scale with lively towns and creepy dungeons. It pulls off what it wants to do really well. Female Hawk is basically femshep, thats one of the reasons I like that game. And FF13 is a game that gets fun about 60-70 hours in. Before that it's as fun as.....Dragon Age Origins. Overall, DA Origins wins...though id never say its a great game.

Immersion isn't a buzzword, what are you on about? Lack of immersion can kill a game pretty quickly, especially exploration-based ones like RPGs. Also, cognitive dissonance is a very real psychological concept. I think you meant ludonarrative dissonance? Also not a buzzword. Not exactly something to brag about. I can already see the bullet points on the back of the box: Side quests! Guns! Game mechanics completely at odds with the narrative! I don't mind those things existing, but I mind that they're a reason to hate on games when they dont meet the requirements of a bunch of obsessive nerds. If a life bar or a menu breaks your immersion(people seem to have this problem with Assassin's Creed, even though it's part of the game at it's core gameplay and storywise), you are a sad pathetic human being. Its still just a fucking videogame. And as for ludonarrative whatever the fuck, why does that even matter? So few games take themselves seriously that its almost a moot point. Nathan Drake and Mario are serial murderers on about the same scale and I pretty much take their stories just as serious. And so do the people who make the games. It shouldn't be a fucking problem for anyone with even a bit of imagination and creativity. I just dont understand overthinking about something meant to be fun. Videogames, blockbuster movies, pop songs, waterparks, theyre just supposed to be fun. Theyre not trying to be something else. If you have to overthink about anything, do it over something that matters and deserves it. Theres tons of art films out there to overanalyze. Not to mention artsy pc games. Those WANT you to think harder and dig deeper.

I'm so glad Ive never felt betrayed by a videogame. Im as cynical and bitter as they come, but I tend to just deal with videogames by a game-by-game basis. I suppose some would say I have bad taste though. After all, I like RE6, DA2, ME3, and the new Tomb Raider. All those games got torn apart because they weren't like their predecessors and I agree that they aren't, but I dont agree that theyre bad because of it. Maybe you guys shouldn't put so much faith in developers and publishers. If it was just one guy making the product, I can see that. Im way more critical of musicians and directors than I am of 100+ team of game developers. Its easier to gauge what a room of 4 guys with guitars and drums or a director and writer are going to do than a multistory office of nerds. At the very most all you can really gauge a developer on is quality. If it is a well made and/or competent product. Whether the mechanics, themes or story are what you want, thats a whole other thing. Thats a creative thing that will always be subjective. Another thing to always keep in mind is that were the minority. The ones who write paragraphs about why we like or hate a videogames on internet forums. Very few care about what we think. The irony is that we like videogames so much that we become so informed that were pretty much worth less than the average gamer. Were the ones gauging how much a game is worth and almost never buying on release date for full price, whether dlc is a ripoff, rejecting free to play, waiting for ridiculous Steam deals, buying used, and sometimes pirating to "demo" it. Don't get me wrong, were right, but at the end of the day, were not really worth it. We care about very minuscule things that other people dont even notice and we scrutinize over it. A lot of hardcore gamers love overly complicated shit. We love rpgs with shitloads of stats and subsystems, we love 120 hit combos, we love 60 frames per second, we love 100 different shooter modes, we want 200 minigames in our open world games not so we can play them, but because "immersion", and shit like that goes unnoticed by the people willing to buy a full priced game. Seriously, "immersion", "ludonarrative dissonance", and whatever other buzzword can suck my dick. Were just assholes. Anyways, I guess I didnt like that Uncharted 3 didnt have cheat codes. Those were a lot of fun in the first 2 games.

"I Know That Voice" is pretty cool, especially if youre as interested in voiceacting as I am. it pretty much has everyone from animation and videogames in it being interviewed. No Troy Baker though, sadly.

Sony be fucking up in the sale dept.