The whole point of this website, to my mind, is to put personalities first. The people matter more than the games they're playing. With that in mind, it feels crazy to me that the send off for Jeff G, a founder of the site, is given a 30 second spiel by Jan that feels like they are trying to move past as quickly as possible so they can just talk about the exciting new stuff. Nobody else says anything about they're time with Jeff or how they wish him luck with any future endeavors.
As many have pointed out, every other staff member that has left, you usually get a podcast and a goodbye stream. I like to think that is as much for the audience as it is for the staff members. Something that provides closure with the time that you've spent with this person over the years. Someone will certainly say "you're not owed anything from these people" and I suppose you are right, but that doesn't change my desire to have it.
If this is something Jeff G himself wanted (no fanfare, no long goodbyes) then that is certainly his choice, but it leaves me feeling incredibly sad about this whole thing, even as I am potentially excited about his personal new ventures and GB's new direction.
I completely agree with everything here except for this bit:
"The most prominent frustration caused by the Harem structure is that Rean is, for all intents and purposes, a flawless perfect person. This results in him not really having a character arc. The game attempts to force a "flaw" on him by arguing that he's too self-less, but thats a bit like saying your too good at your job when asked what your only flaw is on a job application"
Especially by CS3, I really enjoyed Rean as a character and protagonist. His flaw isn't that he is too perfect, although I do think it's easy to see it this way. In spite of his many positive attributes and how many people clearly love him, Rean suffers from a depression that refuses to allow him to see that love for what it actually is. He is looking for a place to belong, but even when he finds it, his lack of self confidence and depression keep him from seeing it all for what it really is. He constantly holds others at arms length, constantly believes that he should be the one to shoulder all of the burdens because he believes it's the only way to prove his worth and that he deserves the love that is given to him.
He also best embodies what I think is the main theme of the cold steel series: how do we free ourselves from the past and the pathway that has been planned out from us? By CS4 this is made especially obvious with all the curse and sacrifice business, but I really like where he is in CS3. He doesn't want to be the governments puppet, but he can't really find a way to free himself while still protecting those he cares about. He regrets the path he feels he was forced to take.
I could go on, and I realize a lot of this is up to interpretation. I definitely agree the harem stuff makes his character arc worse, but I still think there is a lot of value there.
Just want to echo a lot of what's already been said:
This is my favorite RPG series and I'm very glad your playing it Jan! In a series that's kind of all about slow burns into great moments, this entire first game is the epitome of a slow burn. Just stick with it and enjoy the ride!
There is also going to be a LOT of reading throughout the game, so I would find whatever you're comfortable doing. Personally, I enjoyed hearing you reading aloud, but I completely understand if that is not feasible.
Really hope you stick with it, because this is an amazing series!
I love this series, but I wish they would bring on a guest every once in a while to break up the two dudes play a full game format.
I respectfully disagree. What I love about this series is they were smart enough to have it be just Alex and Vinny. Adding Dan or Abby to the mix would undoubtedly mean more side conversations that don't have to do with what's going on, which is good for a series like blue bombin, but would be detrimental to a story based game like this one. A one time guest would be even worse, as they wouldn't have context for what has happened.
I almost never comment on podcasts, but I needed to come here to say this: A Mass Effect playthrough from Alex with Vinny as "guide" would be so incredible, I hope this is more than a passing joke...
joshth's comments