Deusoma

@plwolf said:

I've never understood how some people can think that going all-digital would be a good thing. You see the horribly restrictive parameters that got taken out of the Xbox One? That's basically what the "all-digital future" is going to be like. Discs may be a hassle sometimes, but at least I know I own them. :P

"Not like this."

@artisanbreads said:

Not the best example, friend. The story, unique among game elements, can make or break a game, regardless of the quality of the rest of the package. Look at Deadly Premonition, the story is the only good thing it's got going for it, but it's so good that it makes up for how crappy the actual game is.

It really, really depends on the specific game in question, though. RAGE, for example, had a terrible, poorly-explained story, but that story also had almost no impact on the game, so while it detracts from the experience, it doesn't lower the quality much. On the other hand, Mafia II, to use another example, was all about the story, putting more focus on getting you to care about the characters and the world they lived in than it did on making the shooting or driving enjoyable, so when it ended in a depressing, unsatisfying way, it all but nullified the pleasure of having completed the game, and lowered the quality of the overall experience.

There are games whose pure gameplay mechanics are excellently done, but whose positive qualities are entirely countered by a weak, unsatisfying, poorly thought-out, or just plain bad story, and that's not hyperbole.

Diablo Hellfire --> "Diablo: Hellfire"

Please and thank you. :-)

I disagree about the idea of developer-press relationships no longer being a two-way street, but that's okay, that's just an opinion, and I try to stay out of the 1% these days. This was a really well-written article, and Patrick seems to have been uniquely qualified to write it. Well done, Scoops. :)

Saying that adding bot AI is difficult is totally reasonable. Insulting people for wanting bot AI just makes him sound like a total dick.

@fredchuckdave said:

You and I have very different definitions of the word "mediocre", then, because Michael Bay is waaaaaaay better than most people give him credit for. :P

@zeforgotten: Such anger, my friend. It is unfortunate. I admit I was mildly irritated by your insinuation of misinterpretation, and reacted as such, but then you went and did the same thing. Misogyny isn't just a seething, murderous hatred of women, it also refers to a systemic, if casual, disrespecting of women. And what do I see when I turn my attention to certain developers?

...Look, I think one thing, you think another, and we're never going to convince each other of anything. I really haven't been in the mood for a good old-fashioned Internet Argument since Ryan died, so let's just both shut up and move on, 'kay? It's probably for the best, all things considered. :P

@zeforgotten: A developer that makes all of its female characters under-dressed and impossibly endowed (to the point of seeming grotesque) is showing a pretty dim view of the fairer sex, though I wouldn't expect a knee-jerk defender to pick up on that to begin with. Carry on. ;-)

@darji said:

Misogyny shouldn't be a big deal? :u