Gaming, developers and communities. A rant.

Warning: This is a very long rant concerning gaming, developers and communities.
Satisfaction is not promised!
 
 
Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk and before you trip on your tongue my hands are not in my panties.
I'm just terribly sick and tired of the game industry, the developers, the media and the forums. 
You guys all disgust me, everyday again.
 
If it isn't a 'discussion' about how much someone sucks for not liking a game or something a developer said to another that now warrants a fucking essay from his side as a way of saying sorry its probably another franchise being gutted or destroyed because someone found something faulty with it.
 
Seriously, can you all just shut the fuck up for a moment?
I bought Borderlands, blind, because I trusted in the developers and the experience they wanted to sell me, hell I even bought all their DLC when it came out which I never do (and I only regret Moxi's arena, the Knox DLC is the best piece of DLC ever), and I loved the shit out of it.
But oh no, whines aplenty! The controls were off, the loot was crap, lack of story, Diablo did it better, it was a rip off from "insert whatever".
Now I'm perfectly able to nod and agree with some of those things but for fuck's sake people, it did what it had too and after a while a lot of people said: "Hey this game is pretty good and fun" and it popped up on more and more lists.
Darksiders 1 is yet another example of how hated it was at launch but how loved it later became.
People, you are making fools of yourself and the industry, all we gamers ever do is complain and complain.
We put faith in reviewers to bring us honest and interesting reviews but fuck it...I haven't read a review in months, years probably, because I can never agree with what is being told.
All I hear is "I think that..." or "This game derives from..." or even "This game is only 16 hours long."
 
First off, fuck what YOU think.
By all means please have your own style as a reviewer, a preference and a favorite genre, but come on be a bit more interesting about it.
I'm fine with their side of the story but just because YOU think the story is bad, doesn't mean it is a fact.
Just because you spend more time on the PC  than a console it's not automatically a fact that the controls are demanding.
 
Second off, fuck that deriving nonsense.
I'm way too pissed about Darksiders 2, how everyone is calling it stolen, ripped off or 'cleverly borrowed'.
Sure, it has a formula, but it's doing something good with it, no?
How come we attack and spit on a GOOD game for being similar to another game within its GENRE while every 2 and a half days a new FPS shooters comes out and we're all just like "Meh, shooter.".
Go destroy cheap cash ins, movie tie ins that suck (most of em) or crack down on that freaking indie nonsense that gets praised to heaven.
But oh no, call the rage police, a good game is actually good!
Seriously, stop bashing a game like Darksiders 2 for its genre and stop being dicks about The Darkness 2's length.
Because no matter how the fuck you put it, the action adventure genre is kind of empty and The Darkness 2 still beats out most FPS games in terms of story if not in length.
 
I kind of addressed the third issue in the previous bit as well but I feel like I need to say a bit more.
Its not about length (I know, I know) but it how you spend that length with the game.
Sure, I'll say it first: There's a difference in price/time when it comes to these things.
Indie games are often cheap, offer cheap thrills as well and aren't that long.
Very fucking short, more often than not.
But that's fine, spending a fiver and having some good easy fun is wonderful. 
What isn't wonderful is seeing franchises going down the drain while shameless yearly installments keep popping up.
Now note, and freaking note you shall, this is my opinion on the matter so THIS IS NOT A FACT.
I hate having to post that but come on, half the readers on the internet are pretty fucking dumb (please, by all means, attack me for that statement, it's pretty funny how everyone tells you the internet is full of morons but you're not really allowed to say it.) so I have to spell it out, no?
 
Ok so.
I loved Assassin's Creed 1, I liked Assassin's Creed 2 but everything that came after....please stop kidding yourselves it was pretty lackluster.
Sure, the game worked, the gameplay was wonderful, there was lots to do and the story has a lot of cool moments but I couldn't help but see the franchise being milked.
Ezio is a asshole, I don't like him, and my understanding was we'd be playing one character per installment which is pretty cool because you'd see a new personality every game and you'd have vast improvements or changes to the setting and combat.
Remember finding those statues? All those different assassin's? Don't tell me you didn't look at the girl assassin and got your hopes up, or some of the other pretty inspiring characters.
I loved the whole going back in time due to DNA and the overarching story but soon enough it became little more than the Ezio chronicle, taking over the entire series purpose.
Now granted, Ezio was alright as a character and probably the perfect lead character for the franchise to get some facetime but I really want to see more on their promise.
Looking at footage from AC3 I was pretty impressed, it looked great, the locale fresh and Connor seems to be pretty bad ass with his own set of weapons/moves.
But then I spotted it.
The same animations, the same attack patterns and the ever classic "You're surrounded by 10 dudes but they'll all patiently wait until you feel like stabbing or countering them".
Aaaaaaand my enthusiasm was gone.
Sure, I'll pick it up for 20 out of the bargain bin but despite the 'fresh' aspects it looks to be little more than a setting change.
I hope I'm wrong, but I hope the game also flops hard (it won't, of course it won't) just to show that "hey, effort please?".
 
I know, I'm sounding quite angry, unfair even, but it's a rant for a reason.
Feel free to discuss or nitpick in the comments.
But, moving on.
 
I've had this feeling a long time, ever since I saw my favorite games disappear and pure fun being shoved aside for multiplayer in every game, DLC and the removal of other 'old' things like local co op.
Don't tell me its unneeded, that it had its time because hey, SSX.
People tripped (and still are) the fuck out when that didn't have a free ride mode or local co op.
Its still a thing that lives with players and it's just terrible consumer <> developer contact.
Its also sad that there's a fangroup out there, praying and fighting for the return of a game and are pretty vocal about it (and what they want/aim for) or even that there's so many stories telling what aspects made the game for them (Yo, remember SSX3 going down the mountain? Awesome!) and the developer just cuts it.
 
Sorry, but, that's not good business, that's being downright silly and unrespectful to your customers.
In SSX's case the free riding, the stress free playing and insane tricks, made the game so loved and good.
Sure you can change a few things for a new formula, take the game to a new level but you can't just say "lets cut this loved aspect!".
Same goes for taking a singleplayer game and adding multiplayer.
In Mass Effect 3's case I'm willing to say it paid off, sure it's not perfect and the unlock system is pure bullshit but once you got the chance to play as your favorite race (Krogan!) you walk away pretty satisfied at the mode.
Often, however, this isn't the case and you're left wondering why they wanted to spend extra time and resources on it.
 
Now, let's leave games for a bit and go to forums/communities.
I'm burned out on all of them.
Sick, disgusted, mentally washed up and just downright done.
I'm not expecting every forum or community to be great but more and more there are people bending the rules, thriving on grieving others or in some games its even considered to be cool to disrupt other's fun.
PVP for that matter is awesome, if you're playing on a pvp realm or entered a pvp zone, beat it or eat it!
But ganking of lower levels combined with power fluxes from expansions or the 'trolling' of a group because you have nothing better to do is the worst for me.
I'm sick of that, sick of people.
I used to be a fan of online playing but after being harassed and stalked in online games I threw out my microphone and I rarely play together with people I don't know from real life.
I have retreated to playing solo a lot of the times and my opponents are usually bots.
Sure, that's a choice I made myself but it's disgusting how these communities are.
Even people who have never touched a game like League of Legends or World of Warcraft know the reputation of their random matches.
Blizzard and Riot and other companies are working on the rules and actively preventing cheaters/grievers to hurt players too much but it still happens because the simple fact is people are fucking idiots.
They cannot be trusted to play nice so the developer puts all sorts of crazy things into place to prevent issues.
 
But that fails as well, not being able to vote kick people from your group because of some bug (This player can't be kicked for another 6 hours! What? Why? Wtf!) or in some cases the system flips the fuck out and somehow blames you when a tank spawns on top of three of your teammates and you find yourself booted.
Think of it as DRM issues, the honest p(l)ayer is being blamed and punished by the bad behavior of others.
 
Last point, forums.
Come on!
Go read the 'blue responses' on Blizzard's forums, especially the Q and A's.
What do you see? You see hostile questions all the fucking time and developers/GM's trying their best to make their intentions known.
But that usually gets followed up with "Ah, so you don't want this or this to happen! Is that what you're saying?" which drags the discussion on and on and on.
Sure, Blizzard's not perfect and some decisions have been shaky and pretty major for people who barely even participate in the higher levels of the game but there's a sick influx of questions regarding "I WANT TO BE SPECIAL" or "OTHER PLAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO SOMETHING I ONCE DID BUT NOW EASIER".
Its all 100% whining, its grieving and its immensely condescending for other players to read.
To each their own and really, if you worked hard for something you should be able to show it off but eventually a lot more people are going to get where you are and have that same reward, especially when the difficulty drops or changes are made.
There is no consistency in a online world, deal with it!
Also, it's unfair call out to be praised or rewarded in a game that largely doesn't rely on skill but several other factors such as gear or a good guild that helps you get it and works together well enough to actually clear the higher tiers in a game.
You can't tell me you're a bad ass because you have the best gear available in the game, that only tells me you spend lots of time with a group of others fighting and sweating for that.
You deserved it, no doubt, but it doesn't make you better than anyone else (at least, besides the stats of course!) and it most certainly does not give you the privilege to be a asshole or expect people to respect you.
I've met people in online games that were considered amazing, their gear was great and since they had the gear they probably had the skill to raid that high right?
Sure, but they showed a total disregard for group or boss battle mechanics, were dicks to new or learning players or ended up going batshit and wiping a group just because something didn't go the way they like and that tells me their gear is worth nothing.
But that said, I've also met people who were insanely geared and skilled, that made running dungeons or such a cakewalk because they played with dedication and group spirit, offering advice or filling holes left by new/learning players.
 
So, very long rant!
If you read all of it I hope it was at least a little insightful or even entertaining because I wrote this with no real purpose.
Was pretty fucking mad at the state of gaming, the inability to enjoy videogames but except the constant bickering over miniscule things that mayhaps be very deciding on a personal level but have no place at all in reviews or discussions regarding a game's worth.
 
Go enjoy indie games if you want, play another Call of Duty and I'll be right here enjoying my often odd one out games.
To each their own! Accept and love that! Everyone is different and everyone has their own opinion on EVERYTHING!
 
But please, everyone, support your developers and fight for your games! Do not let big companies ruin your beloved franchises and stop accepting all the crap being shoveled into your mouths.
Stop buying map packs that consist of 2 older remade ones and one new, stop buying character skins that should have been in the game at launch and for god's sake...
Stop being so fucking hostile.
 
Thanks!
 
TLDR

Warning: This is a very long rant concerning gaming, developers and communities.
Satisfaction is not promised!
 
 
Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk and before you trip on your tongue my hands are not in my panties.
I'm just terribly sick and tired of the game industry, the developers, the media and the forums. 
You guys all disgust me, everyday again.
 
If it isn't a 'discussion' about how much someone sucks for not liking a game or something a developer said to another that now warrants a fucking essay from his side as a way of saying sorry its probably another franchise being gutted or destroyed because someone found something faulty with it.
 
Seriously, can you all just shut the fuck up for a moment?
I bought Borderlands, blind, because I trusted in the developers and the experience they wanted to sell me, hell I even bought all their DLC when it came out which I never do (and I only regret Moxi's arena, the Knox DLC is the best piece of DLC ever), and I loved the shit out of it.
But oh no, whines aplenty! The controls were off, the loot was crap, lack of story, Diablo did it better, it was a rip off from "insert whatever".
Now I'm perfectly able to nod and agree with some of those things but for fuck's sake people, it did what it had too and after a while a lot of people said: "Hey this game is pretty good and fun" and it popped up on more and more lists.
Darksiders 1 is yet another example of how hated it was at launch but how loved it later became.
People, you are making fools of yourself and the industry, all we gamers ever do is complain and complain.
We put faith in reviewers to bring us honest and interesting reviews but fuck it...I haven't read a review in months, years probably, because I can never agree with what is being told.
All I hear is "I think that..." or "This game derives from..." or even "This game is only 16 hours long."
 
First off, fuck what YOU think.
By all means please have your own style as a reviewer, a preference and a favorite genre, but come on be a bit more interesting about it.
I'm fine with their side of the story but just because YOU think the story is bad, doesn't mean it is a fact.
Just because you spend more time on the PC  than a console it's not automatically a fact that the controls are demanding.
 
Second off, fuck that deriving nonsense.
I'm way too pissed about Darksiders 2, how everyone is calling it stolen, ripped off or 'cleverly borrowed'.
Sure, it has a formula, but it's doing something good with it, no?
How come we attack and spit on a GOOD game for being similar to another game within its GENRE while every 2 and a half days a new FPS shooters comes out and we're all just like "Meh, shooter.".
Go destroy cheap cash ins, movie tie ins that suck (most of em) or crack down on that freaking indie nonsense that gets praised to heaven.
But oh no, call the rage police, a good game is actually good!
Seriously, stop bashing a game like Darksiders 2 for its genre and stop being dicks about The Darkness 2's length.
Because no matter how the fuck you put it, the action adventure genre is kind of empty and The Darkness 2 still beats out most FPS games in terms of story if not in length.
 
I kind of addressed the third issue in the previous bit as well but I feel like I need to say a bit more.
Its not about length (I know, I know) but it how you spend that length with the game.
Sure, I'll say it first: There's a difference in price/time when it comes to these things.
Indie games are often cheap, offer cheap thrills as well and aren't that long.
Very fucking short, more often than not.
But that's fine, spending a fiver and having some good easy fun is wonderful. 
What isn't wonderful is seeing franchises going down the drain while shameless yearly installments keep popping up.
Now note, and freaking note you shall, this is my opinion on the matter so THIS IS NOT A FACT.
I hate having to post that but come on, half the readers on the internet are pretty fucking dumb (please, by all means, attack me for that statement, it's pretty funny how everyone tells you the internet is full of morons but you're not really allowed to say it.) so I have to spell it out, no?
 
Ok so.
I loved Assassin's Creed 1, I liked Assassin's Creed 2 but everything that came after....please stop kidding yourselves it was pretty lackluster.
Sure, the game worked, the gameplay was wonderful, there was lots to do and the story has a lot of cool moments but I couldn't help but see the franchise being milked.
Ezio is a asshole, I don't like him, and my understanding was we'd be playing one character per installment which is pretty cool because you'd see a new personality every game and you'd have vast improvements or changes to the setting and combat.
Remember finding those statues? All those different assassin's? Don't tell me you didn't look at the girl assassin and got your hopes up, or some of the other pretty inspiring characters.
I loved the whole going back in time due to DNA and the overarching story but soon enough it became little more than the Ezio chronicle, taking over the entire series purpose.
Now granted, Ezio was alright as a character and probably the perfect lead character for the franchise to get some facetime but I really want to see more on their promise.
Looking at footage from AC3 I was pretty impressed, it looked great, the locale fresh and Connor seems to be pretty bad ass with his own set of weapons/moves.
But then I spotted it.
The same animations, the same attack patterns and the ever classic "You're surrounded by 10 dudes but they'll all patiently wait until you feel like stabbing or countering them".
Aaaaaaand my enthusiasm was gone.
Sure, I'll pick it up for 20 out of the bargain bin but despite the 'fresh' aspects it looks to be little more than a setting change.
I hope I'm wrong, but I hope the game also flops hard (it won't, of course it won't) just to show that "hey, effort please?".
 
I know, I'm sounding quite angry, unfair even, but it's a rant for a reason.
Feel free to discuss or nitpick in the comments.
But, moving on.
 
I've had this feeling a long time, ever since I saw my favorite games disappear and pure fun being shoved aside for multiplayer in every game, DLC and the removal of other 'old' things like local co op.
Don't tell me its unneeded, that it had its time because hey, SSX.
People tripped (and still are) the fuck out when that didn't have a free ride mode or local co op.
Its still a thing that lives with players and it's just terrible consumer <> developer contact.
Its also sad that there's a fangroup out there, praying and fighting for the return of a game and are pretty vocal about it (and what they want/aim for) or even that there's so many stories telling what aspects made the game for them (Yo, remember SSX3 going down the mountain? Awesome!) and the developer just cuts it.
 
Sorry, but, that's not good business, that's being downright silly and unrespectful to your customers.
In SSX's case the free riding, the stress free playing and insane tricks, made the game so loved and good.
Sure you can change a few things for a new formula, take the game to a new level but you can't just say "lets cut this loved aspect!".
Same goes for taking a singleplayer game and adding multiplayer.
In Mass Effect 3's case I'm willing to say it paid off, sure it's not perfect and the unlock system is pure bullshit but once you got the chance to play as your favorite race (Krogan!) you walk away pretty satisfied at the mode.
Often, however, this isn't the case and you're left wondering why they wanted to spend extra time and resources on it.
 
Now, let's leave games for a bit and go to forums/communities.
I'm burned out on all of them.
Sick, disgusted, mentally washed up and just downright done.
I'm not expecting every forum or community to be great but more and more there are people bending the rules, thriving on grieving others or in some games its even considered to be cool to disrupt other's fun.
PVP for that matter is awesome, if you're playing on a pvp realm or entered a pvp zone, beat it or eat it!
But ganking of lower levels combined with power fluxes from expansions or the 'trolling' of a group because you have nothing better to do is the worst for me.
I'm sick of that, sick of people.
I used to be a fan of online playing but after being harassed and stalked in online games I threw out my microphone and I rarely play together with people I don't know from real life.
I have retreated to playing solo a lot of the times and my opponents are usually bots.
Sure, that's a choice I made myself but it's disgusting how these communities are.
Even people who have never touched a game like League of Legends or World of Warcraft know the reputation of their random matches.
Blizzard and Riot and other companies are working on the rules and actively preventing cheaters/grievers to hurt players too much but it still happens because the simple fact is people are fucking idiots.
They cannot be trusted to play nice so the developer puts all sorts of crazy things into place to prevent issues.
 
But that fails as well, not being able to vote kick people from your group because of some bug (This player can't be kicked for another 6 hours! What? Why? Wtf!) or in some cases the system flips the fuck out and somehow blames you when a tank spawns on top of three of your teammates and you find yourself booted.
Think of it as DRM issues, the honest p(l)ayer is being blamed and punished by the bad behavior of others.
 
Last point, forums.
Come on!
Go read the 'blue responses' on Blizzard's forums, especially the Q and A's.
What do you see? You see hostile questions all the fucking time and developers/GM's trying their best to make their intentions known.
But that usually gets followed up with "Ah, so you don't want this or this to happen! Is that what you're saying?" which drags the discussion on and on and on.
Sure, Blizzard's not perfect and some decisions have been shaky and pretty major for people who barely even participate in the higher levels of the game but there's a sick influx of questions regarding "I WANT TO BE SPECIAL" or "OTHER PLAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO SOMETHING I ONCE DID BUT NOW EASIER".
Its all 100% whining, its grieving and its immensely condescending for other players to read.
To each their own and really, if you worked hard for something you should be able to show it off but eventually a lot more people are going to get where you are and have that same reward, especially when the difficulty drops or changes are made.
There is no consistency in a online world, deal with it!
Also, it's unfair call out to be praised or rewarded in a game that largely doesn't rely on skill but several other factors such as gear or a good guild that helps you get it and works together well enough to actually clear the higher tiers in a game.
You can't tell me you're a bad ass because you have the best gear available in the game, that only tells me you spend lots of time with a group of others fighting and sweating for that.
You deserved it, no doubt, but it doesn't make you better than anyone else (at least, besides the stats of course!) and it most certainly does not give you the privilege to be a asshole or expect people to respect you.
I've met people in online games that were considered amazing, their gear was great and since they had the gear they probably had the skill to raid that high right?
Sure, but they showed a total disregard for group or boss battle mechanics, were dicks to new or learning players or ended up going batshit and wiping a group just because something didn't go the way they like and that tells me their gear is worth nothing.
But that said, I've also met people who were insanely geared and skilled, that made running dungeons or such a cakewalk because they played with dedication and group spirit, offering advice or filling holes left by new/learning players.
 
So, very long rant!
If you read all of it I hope it was at least a little insightful or even entertaining because I wrote this with no real purpose.
Was pretty fucking mad at the state of gaming, the inability to enjoy videogames but except the constant bickering over miniscule things that mayhaps be very deciding on a personal level but have no place at all in reviews or discussions regarding a game's worth.
 
Go enjoy indie games if you want, play another Call of Duty and I'll be right here enjoying my often odd one out games.
To each their own! Accept and love that! Everyone is different and everyone has their own opinion on EVERYTHING!
 
But please, everyone, support your developers and fight for your games! Do not let big companies ruin your beloved franchises and stop accepting all the crap being shoveled into your mouths.
Stop buying map packs that consist of 2 older remade ones and one new, stop buying character skins that should have been in the game at launch and for god's sake...
Stop being so fucking hostile.
 
Thanks!
 
TLDR

Okay.

Love you too. For the record, Darksiders 1 had me stoked at launch because at least someone was being honest about ripping off Zelda. Games like God of War and Batman AA borrow so much from Zelda but only Vigil had the nerve to stand up and say "Zelda right? Pretty Awesome. We did that game but better". Super refreshing.

At least you can get angry about this stuff. It's just "the internet" to me at this point, so I guess I've given up.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@adam1808: My point exactly! I wasn't planning on this, actually wanted to just ignore it and move on, but yeah, blame the writer in me!

When you've got something to say, say it with a megaphone. At least the internet has also made righteous anger a thing.

I agree with the Darksiders point. It's insulting to the developers to reduce the entire game to that single phrase of "It's Zelda but with blah blah"; It's not as if Zelda was some miracle game that arose from nothingness, it too borrowed from games and film and books that came before it. In fact I hear that phrasing used extremely often in discussions about video games, and it always bothers me. People need to develop their critical vocabulary a bit more when it comes to talking about the vidja gaems.

But, at the same time, a lot of the people who said that also praise the game quite heavily, and calling it a "Zelda game" was to them not an insult but a term of endearment.

As for Blizzard, I don't know, fuck those losers.

Well Talicia I do agree with you. I do feel that games lost there charm, and nowadays games aren't as fun as it use to be. Maybe its because how business is like in the gaming industry. Who knows what developers have to go through to make games. But I do have a feeling that things is going to get worse.

It won't matter for me though. Sense my life is about to head to a dead end. I don't think I'll be around much to witness whats going on in the gaming industry anymore.

Opinions of others only matter when you let them matter. So just chill and enjoy yourself videogames are hardly serious biznezz. I loved Lollipop Chainsaw earlier in the year and that was a pretty polarizing game but who cares what everyone else thought? I enjoyed it and that is all that matters. So just play what you like and ignore the rest.

I agree with alot of what you have said here. WoW was probably the worst community I have ever been a part of. I was in a high progression guild and some of the feedback that fellow officers would give applicants was downright terrible. Instead of giving the dude advice on how to improve they would drag them through the dirt for not knowing how "hardcore" we were. I dunno I've been playing games competitively for quite a while now and at this point I have lost all faith in fellow gamers. I usually just start a party chat so I don't have to hear randoms whine about every time they die or whatever. As for forums if only there were half as many positive things being "discussed" as negative than I might actually enjoy them. It's almost like I'm punishing myself at this point.

I didn't know so many people acted so mean on WoW and League of Legends. I only play on consoles and I always meet cool people especially in Blazblue. If you want we could rock it on PS3 when Borderland 2 comes out. Me and some dudes are gonna play a pretty fun run through of the game day 1 of its release.

It's good to see that someone is passionate enough about something they love to try to improve it in some way. The responses of "it's the internet" aren't helping anyone. I would love to play at least one game where I don't have to listen to someone spewing obscenities at me through the voice channel. I scream plenty when I'm aggitated, but I have the decency to keep it to myself. I know not everyone was raised to be decent, but the internet is not any reason to throw decency out the window.

You are cray, woman.

I miss being able to give enough of a shit to rant like this. I still love games, but over the past year or so, I've completely ignored the industry at large. I've ignored the drama, I've ignored reviews, and the only connection I have to the gaming press/community anymore is Giant Bomb and even now, I really only use the forums here.

But yeah, nothing you said is wrong and that's why I'll continue my trend of being completely ignorant! gg

I don't really understand a lot of the accusations you are making towards reviewers not liking Borderlands or the Darksiders series. They all got 4 stars on Giant Bomb and around 80-85 on Metacritic, which are positive responses. Now maybe individuals on message boards put them down for borrowing or stealing but individuals on video game message boards will complain about literally anything. I think a lot of the references to Zelda and Diablo in reviews were more descriptive than pejorative. You could describe Darksiders as a game with a connected series of areas that are more combat and exploration focused and also some other areas that are more puzzle focused, as well as advancements in equipment that allow you to interface with the environment differently etc... etc... or you can just explain that it borrows those elements from Zelda which is clearer and more effective in communicating what the game is like to play. Also Vigil studios clearly intentionally paid homage to the Zelda franchise and probably want people to recognize and enjoy that homage.

@falserelic said:

Well Talicia I do agree with you. I do feel that games lost there charm, and nowadays games aren't as fun as it use to be. Maybe its because how business is like in the gaming industry. Who knows what developers have to go through to make games. But I do have a feeling that things is going to get worse.

It won't matter for me though. Sense my life is about to head to a dead end. I don't think I'll be around much to witness whats going on in the gaming industry anymore.

Games are super awesome guys and more fun than they ever were. We've just gotten older and more critical. Yes developers are going through hell to put their games out (or even stay open) but since when were companies not exploiting creative talent and maximising their profits? At least now games like Darksiders can find an audience because gaming has become big enough support cult-favourites.

Boom, optimism just happened.

I also dislike unrelenting cynicism. I wish the people who are unhappy with games as a whole would leave the medium.

@AhmadMetallic said:

You are cray, woman.

Like the supercomputer?

@TaliciaDragonsong: Your rant was interesting. You raised some pretty good points. I wish we didn't have these problems. The problem is, people who become fed up with that kind of stuff leave their community, leaving only 'trolls' and other people who serve only to make the forum/website seem worse to the outside. I don't know what to make of that.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Sure, it has a formula, but it's doing something good with it, no?
How come we attack and spit on a GOOD game for being similar to another game within its GENRE while every 2 and a half days a new FPS shooters comes out and we're all just like "Meh, shooter.".

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Sighing and moaning behind my desk and before you trip on your tongue my hands are not in my panties.

And for something decidedly less creepy, I didn't immediately register this as you jerking off. I thought you were just really pissed about something, especially since you used the word "rant" twice before this point, once in the title.

Did you get someone different to write each paragraph? At first you whine about criticism and whining, proceeded by saying reviews suck, and then finally that we should appreciate good games for what they are. Then you proceed to criticize games that could easily be thought of as good by giving your opinion on the situation like a critic/reviewer of games would. Each successive point you make contradicts your earlier points.

That's the problem with rants though. You're too angry and you can't think straight. You complain about complaining but then you proceed to complain. You may (and actually do) have some decent points in there, but the formation of those points is working against what you are trying to say.

@TaliciaDragonsong: If you think about it, the tacked on multiplayer/online component situation has really improved over the past 5 years since Modern Warfare. At least now games like Dead Space 2 don't feel like content has been cut because the budget needed to cover multiplayer. Admittedly there are games that should not have multiplayer/online in them yet do, but its gotten to the point where you can buy a game just for the singleplayer and not see the holes where the budget was cut to add more totally-not-perks to the multiplayer.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk

Go on.

my hands are not in my panties.

Awwww

I've had rants like these before. Although I don't really connect with any of the problems you're having, I get it. It's too bad some internet forum dwellers sometimes make me afraid that the world is full of weirdo's, but hopefully it's just the internet anonymity is what gets the losers of the world to start acting a fool.

@Jams said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk

Go on.

my hands are not in my panties.

Awwww

A dirty image just popped in my head after reading that.....

@TaliciaDragonsong: Given the success of Skyrim, Arkham City, Darksiders 2 (hopefully, maybe) and how names like Bioshock Infinite are starting to penetrate ever the casual gaming media I think the shift you're hoping for is going to manifest itself sooner rather than later.

Great points Talicia as I too have seen how PR has messed up some recent games (which escape me at the moment without the coffee nearby that's brewing) along with the dire need on many multiplayer games (unless playing against friends) to just naturally mute the other people. With the year or so I played WoW through the time of slightly before & slightly after the time of the Burning Crusade & Wrath of the Lich King expansions, there were rare moments where you'd be in a zone & get a random legitimate conversation happening in the chat where people playing the game would have fun with the game while discussing something other than supporting or bashing something in the game design. Yes in other multiplayer games I miss moments like that over looking at the chat occasionally, groaning at the junk of text then hiding the chat. Also as someone who has friends with 50"+ hdtvs, it's fun to have couch co-op especially for 3-4 people and have the game enjoyable, these games are rare & there's been plenty of games that would work good for something like this but stuck in just doing multiplayer online instead for whatever reasons (some games technically can't do 2-4 player same screen co-op/multiplayer but there's others that might have pulled off if they went for fun over more sales).

Between all the games trending to this madness of trying to reshape a game based of PR to make it more appealing for the moment (instead of a solid game that people will have fun going back to again & again later on) or the people just overly comparing game X to another game from another studio where the comparison just doesn't work, it definitely has sent me to looking through the back collection of games to revisit some older games that honestly I can't remember much about the game aside from playing it or the games like Evil Genius where I dived in a little to it long ago then for some reason or another got stuck & gave up on it. Doing so has brought back an appreciation on many of these older games where the whole idea where studios put a game out & make it fun to what they wanted to do regardless of some of it's flaws or what PR might say to do instead (Deadly Premonition is a good example of this for me anyway).

The new God of War game & Mass Effect 3 with the tacked on multiplayer did a great job to me at just taking a good core game idea, then failing to make a full game so instead of just putting out the multiplayer on the digital realm of smaller games (Playstation Network & Xbox Live Marketplace) and giving the full disc game a solid treatment the studios just feel like they cave into the PR demands. Most FPS & action games I played that have single gameplay & multiplayer is fine if it makes sense for the game if the design of it supports it but to me there's nothing wrong with putting out a smaller game & maybe sending that out to another studio to work on for a different look & feel to a game (ie. Dark Void, Dead Space Extraction & Bionic Commando reboot).

To me most of this with the game industry reminds me of the mess that Universal Studios got into with the classic monster movies where it went from the original idea on a film like Dracula or Frankenstein then having some sequel based off adding to the core story or telling something different (Bride of Frankenstein or Dracula's Daughter), then not too long later it went off the rails jumping over/through several sharks where the studio thought if they like this and this then they'll love all of these together snowballing it all into House of Frankenstein where it collects all the monsters together making it feel like a tangled mess.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

I'm sick of that, sick of people.

I completely agree!

@TaliciaDragonsong Agree with the derivative crap, I mean seriously Amazing Spider-Man is not a rip off. I find that super offensive, same goes for Transformers Fall of Cybertron, Darksiders 2, and the like.

I also agree about game lengths. I do use them to help me pick a game but only when I have a stalemate on which do I get and so to settle it I pick the longer out of the 2.

I also agree about the communities. If I ask a question on some gaming sites, the people also call me a f*ckin idiot for not knowing...I mean come on, it borders on the ridiculous. Like I asked a question about DLC cause I hadn't gotten any before and I got f*ckin idiot as a response for not knowing.

The gamers want to make you feel so small and stupid with comments like for example "why don't you ask some good questions instead of stupid ones", it just shows how small and stupid they are and not the other way round.

I also avoid online multiplayer, I find the people to be idiots as well and getting your butt kicked by these game-aholics isn't very fun...

Overall I agree, I only go for gaming advice from friends and one or 2 critics.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Jams: Yeah, already noticing the backlash but hey, we all do things in a moment at times and this was mine. I won't distance myself from it, if people can be dicks every fucking day and every fucking where I'm allowed to rant about it and risk being called a cunt for it. Don't care, its my vision and I'm glad if its read but if not...then not, I'll still enjoy gaming, just needed to vent!

One of the things I think I've been learning at 27 years old is that the bullshit can really get to you if you let it. All the bullshit politics and drama people start can make life a living hell even if you are a passive observer. You'll get dragged into it whether you like it or not. Every day I wonder if it's going to get any better. But with each generation the worse seems to come out in people. It's like people are able to live so easily that they can't appreciate anything and start drama just because they've gotten everything so easily that they expect everything to continue to come easily. Or their lives are so boring that they have to invade other peoples lives and try and take control.

Ugh, better stop that before it turns into a rant too.

@falserelic said:

@Jams said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk

Go on.

my hands are not in my panties.

Awwww

A dirty image just popped in my head after reading that.....

@TaliciaDragonsong: With those specifically, there's this great misconception that the consumers get to dictate what goes in the game. That's not how the consumer market works, that's not how the transaction works. The consumer does not fund the production, they purchase or refrain from purchasing completed products. If you want that level of control, to force developers to do things exactly like you want them, you need to fund the games from the production level, not make demands at the consumer level. It's the same as going to a restaurant and demanding your own special order. If you want to make the menu, you have to hire a cook.

About the 'what fans actually want', this is getting to the old idea that the developers and publishers make these decisions completely arbitrarily. The idea that there aren't endless amounts of data and metrics that they go through. This idea is completely antiquated, especially when it comes to Western developers.

Consumers are making a purchasing decision of a product. Buying a game does not make that consumer czar of the studio or the franchise. They don't 'owe us' for buying something we wanted. That's insanity.

Im at work so I can't read your whole post. But responding to your tldr I think a lot of other communities are like this too. I work with a bunch of gear heads and they are all immature. Ass holes to each other. If I remember this thread when I get home or someone responds to me or I see this bumped I will check in on it.

@Jams said:

@falserelic said:

@Jams said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Here I am.
Sighing and moaning behind my desk

Go on.

my hands are not in my panties.

Awwww

A dirty image just popped in my head after reading that.....

Love you too. For the record, Darksiders 1 had me stoked at launch because at least someone was being honest about ripping off Zelda. Games like God of War and Batman AA borrow so much from Zelda but only Vigil had the nerve to stand up and say "Zelda right? Pretty Awesome. We did that game but better". Super refreshing.

At least you can get angry about this stuff. It's just "the internet" to me at this point, so I guess I've given up.

You should probably stay away from forums.

Every time I look at the STO forums, I want to just give up. If you hate a game so much, why the hell do you play it? Forums are for douche bags to complain and bitch.

Also, I think the gaming community's biggest problem is elitism. Everywhere you look some jackass is shouting about 'PC gaming is better, consoles are for mouth-breathers' or some other douchey, elitist bullshit.

I love gaming, I'll never stop gaming, but sometimes I have a hard time telling people about my hobby. All they think of is the derpy people who are loudly pissing and moaning about how 'Bioware ruined my life with Mass Effect 3!'

Yeah, the ending wasn't great, but I didn't get on the internet and complain for fucking MONTHS. So god-damned embarrassing.

Wow, I honestly wish I cared this much about games. Actually, no I don't. It has become easy for me to cast my own opinion on games and easily ignore people's counter points against them. For example me not caring about Borderlands and Borderlands 2. My advice would be for you to stop looking at game forums for a while or other people's thoughts on games. It can make life a little bit easier if it bothers you so much. I've also realized that I wouldn't want to get on your bad side.

@TaliciaDragonsong I also forgot to mention how I hate(with a passion), how people call something average or crap(depending on how much they enjoyed the gameplay) due to less graphical beauty than the average game or it doesn't sound as good. I really hate that...I buy the game for the gameplay(sometimes for story as well like with Uncharted), if it has a little less graphical quality or sound WHO CARES?

And while Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a awesome game(my favorite in fact), if I ever thought their was a derivative game it was that one... I mean they'll mention when something is "derivative" like with Amazing Spider-Man but won't with the Uncharted Series, or some other big series...Hypocrites.

@TaliciaDragonsong: Yes, not purchasing in the future is a completely valid response. The immediate recourse would actually be not making the purchase in the first place. We live in an information redundancy where critical opinion on just about anything is readily available, we're in fact on a reviews/opinion-based website.

And ultimately, the 'I'm not going to purchase the next one because they're doing this' is often an idle threat. People's purchasing decisions are based on what looks interesting and what they consider to be worth value. If people really didn't want the sequel, the DLC, the multiplayer, they wouldn't buy it. But they do. Yes, part of it might be that awful junkie mentality of "well it's there man, I gotta have it, hnnnnnng" but for the most part, it's people who actually want the thing. Absolutely there's trust and mistrust (I will wait to see opinions on Far Cry 3 because I couldn't dislike FC2 more, on the other hand I will buy whatever Supergiant makes next sight unseen), but I feel like people should actually just judge the game itself as it is. Jeff would agree, wait until the reviews are out and make your decision from there.

*Slow Clap*

I totally agree with you on the points about communities being all about whining and spewing hate. It's the reason that even in coop games I don't often use a mic. People can't grasp the fact that there are players not as skilled as they are and feel the need to berate you for it. It even affects whether or not I even buy certain games. Case in point: I love fighting games. But sadly that is also one of THE most hostile communities in gaming. I know I'm not going to participate in any tournaments and therefore have to play online if I want to face others. But time and time again regardless of the skill or knowledge I display while playing more often than not you'll be harassed or berated for losing. And going to forums often don't help because you ask about a situation or set up and will be outright bashed for asking such a "nooby" question. Leading to me just giving up and having wasted 60 on a game I may never play again and when the next installment comes around I may just pass on.

Long story short we as gamers need to cut that shit out. For as many new people play games every year, communities seem to become more and more splintered because of the elitists or the straight up griefers. It's sad to see this genre of entertainment devour itself when it wasn't that long ago that all of us would have been ridiculed for even enjoying our favorite pastime. We need to stick together not fight each other.

@TaliciaDragonsong: About you not wanting to play with people you don't know real life, you should try "player information exchange"-threads here at giant bomb.

When Diablo 3 came out I added bunch of random people to my friends list and to my pleasant surprise all of them are real gentleman players!

I'm honored to be part of this community, which sounds insane when talking about internet communities.